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The noise just seemed to never calm down once she was away from the crowd. She was panting and scraped up but all in all she was okay. Luckily for her, she was grabbed by a legion of stormtroopers but she was mistaken for someone else. Unluckily for her, the person she was worried about was still within the crowd. Mandi has been with her boyfriend, Jerry, for about 3 years now.
Jerry has always been an interesting but complicated person. He’s always been quiet and awkward but if you really got to know him you would discover a completely different person. So passionate about his interests and so understanding to both new and old players of Magic: the gathering.
Most of all, he was always humble, ever since she first met him at Nerd News tonight he never bragged about his gifts and contributions to the community. Always about what the community has done for him. It’s what she found intriguing about him, and what she fell for, but now she’s just worried. Worried about the man that was currently in a sea of random body odor and riled up fans of an actor that’s not even at the damn con.
Jerry has always talked about the Eltingville Club as a type of band of misfits against the world. In ways both, admiring and dangerous, the stories he told were….something. Half of them she honestly couldn’t believe he was involved in. But, the proof sat right in front of her, his old friends were exactly what he described them. She doesn't know exactly how a great guy like Jerry could ever be friends with those tools but here she is. And now all she can do is worry that her boyfriend isn’t trampled to death trying to save his shitty little friend, Bill.
“Please be okay.” Mandi mutters to herself still catching her breath. She takes a moment to look around to see where she ended up.
-
Meanwhile in No fans land
“OKAY JERRY! WE GET IT! YOU HAVE A FUCKIN GIRLFRIEND, I HOPE YOU BOTH GET TRAMPLED TO D-” CHUNT! The car door slams as the crowd drowns out the sound. Jerry is pushed and shoved as humanly possible but still he keeps moving forward though the sea of fans. He doesn't care, this isn’t his first rodeo (or riot caused by his friends actions), he pushes and shoves back desperately trying to get through the crowd.
While doing so he starts thinking of more simpler times with the group and the more he does the more idiotic he feels. “Goddammit” he mutters to himself. Wondering why he even bothered contacting them in the first place.
None of them changed, himself included, all he feels is anger, hatred, apathy, and anxiety. Anger at the fact that he and former friends have blamed him for this entire disaster. Granted, punching Bill in the face was warranted, deserved, and just felt good to do. But to blame him for everything transpiring the way it did just crosses a line.
Hatred, for his former friends and himself, how can he be so stupid to put Mandi in a position like that. To put her around people who he knows don’t have the best track record of treating women with respect. What happened with Agnes was just one example of how the club never treated people different from them women or “cultural immigrants” included whatever the hell that means. He just repeated history with Mandi.
Apathy towards his past, rethinking his entire approach to the whole plan in the first place, for so long he hoped that the rest of them had grown. He's not that surprised at Bill nor Josh has grown up at all, but Pete was a shocker for him, now looking back though he could see the signs.
But most importantly he’s anxious, no scratch that; petrified. That he himself hasn’t changed much either. Sure he’s a lot more confident and outgoing than before but that’s it. He’s still a pushover, still a dorky kid that plays with wizard shit, he’s still someone who lets the people he cares about get hurt and just stand by the sideline.
As he sifted through the crowd pushing and shoving people as he went forward. His thoughts went to a time he tried to forget many times. The day Agnes Zawatsky “dumped” him. He wouldn’t call it dumped though they were never dating.
But he liked her and he thought she liked him. The same way it was with him and Mandi only with less interference.
Now everything is more clear than he thought. He will not make the same mistake again with Mandi. If he can find her that is. Shuffling through hordes of people used to be so much easier when he was a kid. He wonders what changed, then it hits him like a freight train. He hasn’t been pushing back, just sliding past people and taking hits and shoves as he’s moving forward. He decides to keep moving with new found vigor pushing back at any moment.
He shoves his way through some of the crowd, some hurling names and shooting him glares all the while. He doesn’t care, he just wants to see Mandi. He’s worried whether or not she’s hurt or injured. Worries that she’s feeling abandoned by the one person who should be beside her. Worried she won’t be there because of how much of an idiot he’s been. His breathing picks up from the lack of space.
Finally, he’s reached an exit with people already filing out of it. The doors being held open only by the mass swarm of people. He crosses the threshold and is greeted by the shining light and warmth of the San Diego sun.
Being met with fresh air he breathes it in as if he was just drowning. Stumbling away from the crowd of dispersing people he finds a seating area with minimal shading, he hobbles towards it like an oasis. He sits down to finally catch his breath.
His breathing is erratic while his ears are still ringing from the noise. He wonders where Mandi could possibly be within the crowd. He prays she got somewhere safely. Prays she understands he didn’t mean for any of this to happen.
He wants to get up and find her but what if she can’t be found and what if she doesn’t want to see him. The thought makes his breathing ramp up even faster until he’s dry heaving while clutching his chest.
Suddenly a voice in the distance breaks through the crowd as a distant shout “JERRY!”. A female voice pierced his ears.
He looks to the crowd and sees a hand wave in a sea of Ewok and Tusken raider cosplayers come towards him. He notices the color of the jacket that hand is attached to, Mandi.
Jerry rushes toward his crimson haired partner with her hand still in the air she was surprisingly easy to find amongst all the chaos. Pushing and weaving past people in his way to get to his love.
When finally he reaches her and she's on her tippy toes turning on her heels to face him she’s already sweating and scraped up but as she looks at him tears are already blinding his eyes. He immediately grabs her and hugs her tightly to his chest, softly sobbing and hyperventilating into her shoulder.
Mandi wraps her arms around him and holds him close. “Shh shh it's okay honey breathe, breathe” she cooed into his ear hoping he can hear her through all of the chaos, luckily he does. She feels the rapid rise and fall of his chest slow.
Jerry lets out one last breath before grabbing ahold of her hand Mandi for dear life before directing the both of them through the crowd to safety.
-
Back at their hotel
Jerry and Mandi drag their feet to their shared hotel room. They’re scratched up and some parts of their clothes are ripped but they made it out safe.
Mandi takes their room key and slips it into the door lock clicking when it is unlocked. With an exhausted turn and push of the door the hotel room awaits the drained couple as they saunter into their shared room towards their bed. The couple welcomes the sight with an unceremonious thud.
Jerry didn’t say anything at first, he didn’t know what to say, what could he do to justify the entire situation they were in? He just wanted to live out his glory days?Maybe catch up with old friends? He can’t justify any of it no matter how hard he tries. He can never justify putting her in danger like that. He looks up at his red haired lover with guilt still in his eyes.
Mandi was breathing in the bed's comforter inhaling the lemony smell of the detergent. She didn’t want to think about the disaster of a day for a long time. Until her boyfriend spoke up “I’m sorry Mand.” Jerry whispers just loud enough for her to hear “I'm so sorry” his voice breaks a little.
Mandi finally looks up at him and she feels mixed about the whole situation. On the one hand meeting his old friends was eye opening, it showed her a part of her boyfriend that she never expected. He felt like he got back in a grove that he was used to but she knew something else that version of him wasn't him specifically.
He felt more withdrawn the more he was with them, smaller like a puppy cowering when they knew they did wrong. She reaches for his face and cups his cheek so that he’d look at her.
“Jerr” Mandi said in a hushed tone
“You didn’t know they were going to be like that, It’s not your fault”
Jerry shook his head, he sat up on his knees and took her hand from his face and clutched it to his chest. “But what they said about you, and the way Bill talked about you and the cosplayers, and if it wasn’t for me decking him the riot wouldn’t have starte-OPMH.”
His words were sealed with a kiss bringing his head lower for her to reach him better, as his eyes widened from the surprised start to relaxed as the kiss continued, she pulled away “You haven't talked to those tools for ten years now, you guys are obviously different people.” She paused, “But I don't want you thinking you’re one of them, from what I've seen you’re the only one who managed to lead a pretty decent life compared to the rest of them.” she shrugged.
“But what if I turn out like them in the end, a loser still obese with his loser kid crap that I become some hermit or pervy degenerate I don’t wanna be that guy Mads, especially a guy that can hurt you.” Jerry says as he looks down at his red haired partner.
“Then I’ll be here to whip you back into shape! I told you when we first met Jerry Stokes but I know how to handle myself and you’re not getting rid of me that easily. This ain’t my first rodeo.” she responded by puffing out her chest pointing at herself getting a chuckle out of her boyfriend.
“I’ll be sure to be on my best behavior, Thanks Mandi.” he says in a relieved sigh
“No problem babe now lets get some rest that con took too much out of me.” She gives him a peck on the lips and drifts off to sleep in his arms.
Jerry has no idea how he managed to bag a girl like Mandi, smart, confident, cool, and can roll a nat 16 on the third try. He not sure what he did but he was sure as hell to continue just to let the girl in his arms stay a little longer.