Nerd Girl Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 2

After class, Richard walked back to his apartment. He saw a girl with green hair wearing a shirt with minions on it, and he couldn’t help himself.  “That shirt is so cool!”  He gushed.  The girl smiled, a kind of dorky smile.  “Thanks.”

Richard groaned inwardly.  What is wrong with me?  He needed sleep.  That was it.  A night off from drinking.  As he approached The Estate, where he lived, he noticed the sign was gone from out front.  And there was no one there to open the door, which seemed kind of stiff and made a screechy noise as he pulled it open.  “What the hell?”  He bellowed as he walked into the lobby, noticing the lighting seemed dim, dull, and the marble floor was dingy.  “I am going to call the super and rip him a new asshole!” Richard hissed, making his way to the elevator.

He walked into his apartment seething.  The whole day had been annoying and weird— and what about that weird woman? “What’s up?”  He absently called to look, then froze.

“Dude?”  He said, staring at his roommate, who was sitting at the kitchen table, laptop open. “What the fuck?”

Luke glanced back at him. “What?”  He now had curly red hair.  It was messy and came down to his jawline—and there was a ring glittering in his nose.  “Oh, shit.”  Luke turned his attention back to the computer.  “Hold on.  I got to finish this battle.”  The sounds of explosions were coming from the computer.

Luke had never had red hair, and certainly was not the nose ring type. On top of all the other weird experiences, it was too much.  Richard walked over and looked at the computer screen.  What looked like some sort of cat girl was in a dark cave battling spiders with a staff.  It was obvious Luke was playing the cat girl.  “Since when are you into this bullshit?”

“Um, since forever?”  Luke said.  Luke pressed some buttons, lightning shot from his staff and killed the spiders.  His character started to do some dorky dance, which Luke mimicked.

“Don’t embarrass yourself,” Richard said, walking off to his room. He didn’t see Luke stick out his tongue at him as he walked away.

Richard threw himself on his bed and pulled his pillow over his face.  Sleep, he commanded himself.  Sleep.  What a crazy day.  He drifted off, tossing and turning, his sleep filled with vague, shapeless dreams.  The sun set as he slept.  When he woke his throat was dry, and he was hungry.  He stared up at the green, glow in the dark stars he’d put on the ceiling above his bed, smiling at the sight, and—

Richard sat up. He’d never put glow in the dark stars on his ceiling.  That was so lame. What the hell was going on?  Was Luke playing some prank?  “Lights on,” he said, waiting a moment for his voice command system to light the room.  Nothing happened.  “Lights on!”  He shouted.  Nothing.

His frustration building, he rolled out of bed and marched across the room, flipping the lights switch on the wall, looking around his room, blinking, wondering if Luke had done anything else to annoy him. At first, he thought everything was the same as always, but then he noticed the picture on the wall above his bed.  Instead of the hot woman in lingerie he’d hung, there was a framed poster of some chick with white hair- wait.  That was Daenerys, he realized, only the most awesome female on Game of Thrones. He didn’t know how he knew that, but he didn’t have time to care, either.  “Luke!  Damnit!”  He shouted, barreling out into the living room area.  Luke was on the couch watching some Japanese cartoon.

“What now?”  Luke said, pausing his show with a huff.

“What the fuck did you do to my room?”

Luke shook his head.  “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

“The Daenerys poster?”

“I didn’t touch your poster.”

“You put it there.  Come on.  Stop fucking with me.”

“You’re the one obsessed with Kaleesi,” Luke said, snickering. .

“Me?  I—“ and yet, just as earlier he’d suddenly found himself in love with Harry Potter, he suddenly found his mind flooding with memories of obsessively watching Game of Thrones, belonging to a Mother of Dragons Facebook page, even writing a paper about her cultural significance. “I don’t even know who Daenerys is,” he mumbled, his head aching again, even as he struggled with the fact that he knew everything about Daenerys.

“Something’s wrong with me,” he mumbled, sitting down on the couch. Covering his face with his hands. “I don’t what’s happening.”

“Relax,” Luke said, patting him on the knee. “Watch this.  It’s really sweet.”

Richard just sighed and nodded.  He was feeling so— off.  The cartoon started.  It was about a guy and girl who kept switching bodies, and there was a meteor that was going to hit the town…. Richard found himself fascinated with the story. He really liked the girl, Mitsuha, and when she and the guy found love he was shocked to find himself crying.  Luke was crying, too.

“Fuck,” Richard said, getting up, storming back to his room.  “That movie sucked!”

Luke frowned, dabbing at his own tears with a tissue. He felt bad for Richard.  He was so out of touch with his feelings!  Oh, well.  Luke was used to it.  He just hoped that one day Richard would learn that it was okay to feel the feels!

Richard took the Daenrys poster down, shoving it into his closet.  Then, he got on a chair and pulled down all the glowing stars.  Part of him felt kind of sad to be doing it, but mostly it was too embarrassing to him to have these dorky decorations in his room, and after his crying spell he was worried that they were somehow making him weak.  One thing he would never be was weak.  He climbed into bed, determined to get a good night’s sleep and get back to normal tomorrow.  I have an iron will, he reminded himself.  I am in control.

Once more, his sleep was troubled with mysterious dreams.  He woke to the sound of his musical alarm— “I like— I like— I like—“

Richard smiled and hummed along.  “Night dawn when the stars shine….”

It was only his favorite anime theme song of all time and—

“No,” Richard sighed.  “No.” He reached up to rub his eyes, and found his hands covered with soft, furry cloth.  “What?”  He pushed down the covers and looked down to see he was wearing what looked like a fuzzy bear costume, but which he realized even as he looked at it was a teddy bear onesie. “Fuck,” he said, throwing his legs over the side of his mattress, getting up and going to his full length mirror.  The hood was up, making it look like he had round ears.  The whole thing looked like something Ariana Grande might wear, and Richard was humiliated to find himself wearing something so childish and girly.  He pushed the hood back to see his high and tight haircut was gone.  He now had messy black hair that came down to his chin line, and it was thick. “This isn’t possible,” he said, pushing his new bangs out of his eyes.

He grabbed the zipper and yanked it down, stepping out of the onesies, yelping to see that underneath he was wearing a pink tank top with a sparkly unicorn in it that read “I don’t sweat.  I sparkle.”  And, worse, panties! Little white panties with a pink bow?

“I’m losing it!”  Richard said, horrified, and he quickly stripped off the girly clothes.  “Omigod.  What’s happening to me?”  Stalking to the bathroom, he took a quick shower, going to his closet.  His clothes were still there, but now mixed in among his shirts and sports coats were t-shirts with anime characters on them, plus Wonder Woman, Batwoman, Phoenix.  He pulled those shirts off the hangers and threw them angrily across the room, dressed in a thermal shirt, jeans, boots and, grabbing his satchel, headed off to class.  He didn’t want to be late.  It was one of his favorite classes.

Luke was in the kitchen wearing a pair of thermal pants and a Power Puff girls t-shirt.  His messy red hair came down to his shoulder now, and he looked shorter.  “Cute shirt,” Richard said, unable to stop himself. But then, focusing his will— “for a girl.”

“I know,” Luke said, with a giggle.

Richard opened the fridge, grabbed a container of strawberry low fat yogurt, started eating. “Does anything seem weird to you?”  He asked, pushing his bangs out of his eyes in what was rapidly becoming a habit.

Luke looked at Richard.  Shrugged.  “No.”

“Nothing.  Like, my hair?”

“I mean, it’s a little messy, but no.  It looks the same.”  Luke nibbled on a rice cake. “You wanna hit Tamriel tonight?”

“Um, no?”  Richard said.

“You’re no fun.”

“I gotta scoot,” Richard said, thinking, scoot?

He grabbed his satchel, heading out, his head still spinning with all the weird changes.  It was obvious now Luke was not laying some prank.  Luke was changing, and there was no way he could make Richard’s hair grow.  The only thing that made sense was that— what was her name?  Eris?

As he walked to the elevator, Richard saw a girl come out of an apartment.  She had pink hair and looked kinda familiar, but before he could even think about who she was his eyes were drawn to her Vampire Doll t-shirt.

“Oh. Wow,” Richard said.  “Vampire Doll is soooo good.”

“Oh.  I know right?”  The girl said, but then she recognized Richard from the quad the day before.  “You?”  She said, the humiliation from his put downs washing back over her. “Creep.”

“What?”  Richard recognized her then.  He felt his heart sink.  He had been super mean to her, but if he had known how cool she was? “Oh, wow, I am sorry, I—“

But the girl just made an ugly face and stormed off.

It really bothered Richard.  He kind of wanted her to like him.  I mean, she was obviously into really awesome stuff, and he wanted to make friends with some kids who shared his love of anime and Harry Potter and— Game of Thrones?

I do not love Game of Thrones… I do not love Harry Potter…. Richard chanted as he walked to class. I do not love Daenrys!  He walked into class, found an open drafting table.  He got his art materials from his locker and set up his latest composition.  It was an original character he’d created:  Force Tiny.  She was cute and petite, but super strong and fearless!  He admired his work— the big eyes, little mouth, flowing hair…

The teacher walked over and looked over his shoulder.  Richard sat straight, brushing his bangs back as he waited to hear Teacher’s comments, his heart racing.  “Good lines, excellent composition.  But, it’s derivative.  I keep telling you.  If you want to do this, you have to find your own style.”

Richard’s shoulders sagged.  He sighed.  It hurt so bad.  He wanted to be a cartoonist, to create his own comics!  It was the most important thing in the world!

“Just keep working,” Teacher said. “And you have to look at more art.”

“I will,” Richard said, his voice trembling.  “I will do anything to reach my dream of becoming a…”

Richard shook his head.  Gulped.  Where was he?  What the hell was going on?  He wanted to study… art… no… finance. He was going to be a broker like his father and make loads of money.  But, did he?  Really?  Hadn’t he always wanted to make comic books? Like Ranma 1/2?

‘You okay?”  Teacher said.

“Yeah,” Richard said, looking at the drawing in front of him. It was— cute.  Insufferable.  And he loved it. He did. “I have to go,” Richard said.  “I don’t feel well.”

“Okay.  Just— take care of yourself,” Teacher said.

Richard got up, grabbed his satchel and fled the room, leaving his drawing and art supplies on the drafting table. He needed air. He needed to think.  Running out onto campus, he struggled to remember which him was the real him.  Did he want to study business?  Hadn’t he been studying business?  He pulled up his schedule on his phone.   Drawing. Japanese. Computer animation. Senior Study.

What the hell?  Not one business class.  Not one of the classes he knew he’d been taking the whole time.  Eris, he thought.  It had to be Eris.

He found a spot under a tree away from everyone else.  “Eris?”  He whispered.  “Eris?”  Then, louder.  “Eris!”  Nothing.  Shoot.  He stomped a foot. He would have to find her somehow, he decided.  Apologize.  Beg her to stop doing whatever she was doing.  What had she called him?  Nerd girl?

He decided to get some coffee, think.  He walked over to the campus Starbucks, though he really preferred Area 44, the quirky off-campus coffee house with all the alien-themed decorations.  But, for now, he’d settle for Starbucks.  He was pretty much in the mood for a triple cinnamon latte.  He was so lost in thought, he was totally caught off guard when he heard a familiar voice call,“Hey, nerd girl.”

Richard snapped to attention. “Eris!”  She had dreadlocks now and cat eye glasses, but it was her.  Her name tag even read Eris.

“I love your hair,” Eris said.  “Though, I think we’ll make it a little longer, shall we?”

Richard had meant to beg and plead, but his natural disposition kicked in, further fueled by Eris’ mocking tone. “You have no right to do this to me!”  He snapped.  “Do you know who I am?”

“I know exactly who you are,” Eris said.  “You’re nerd girl.”

‘I am not a nerd girl,” Richard said.

“Oh, come on.  You love anime and Kpop.  You’re obsessed with Herminone and Daenrys.  Be serious.”

“I don’t—-“  Richard said, struggling with the face that he so totally did.

“Then why are you wearing a Mother of Dragons designer  t-shirt?”

“I’m not—“ But even as he started to answer, Richard felt his thermal shirt shifting, changing, and looking down he saw he was now wearing a t-shirt with the stern face of Daenerys across his chest with dragons and the words, “Girl Power.”.

“Ahhh!”  He wrapped his arms over his chest, looking around, embarrassed.

“Maybe I should put you in a skirt?” Eris said, smirking.

“No!  Please!”  Richard said.  “Please.  Stop this.”

“Oh, maybe.  We’ll see.  But, right now?  You’re holding up the line.  You can pick up your drink at the end of the counter, sweetie.”

“Eris?!”

“End of the line or skirt.  Your choice.”

“Fine,” Richard said, stomping one foot. “But I want to talk to you!”

“In due time. In due time.”

Richard would have just left, but he really needed that latte.  The whole cafe smelled of freshly brewed coffee, and he was now craving caffeine and sugar like crazy.  So, he stood facing the wall, trying not to let any of the other kids see his shirt.  The barista brought his drink, calling out “nerd girl.”

Furious, Richard grabbed the drink, seeing “nerd girl” on the sticker on the side. A couple sorority girls saw his shirt and started laughing.  He grabbed his drink and rushed out of the Starbucks, stumbling and almost falling over as he awkwardly made a dorky exit.