San Diego Comic-Con – Last Day
Sunday was a big day for Andrew and the others. It was the first and only day they attended Comic-Con that year, including Willa. Unlike previous years, they hadn't been able to go from day one.
The group was made up of: Andrew, Leonard, Howard, Willa, and Ross Geller.
Andrew had found out through Monica that Ross, who was vacationing in San Diego, took the chance to attend Comic-Con. But he was alone. So Andrew told Monica to ask Ross if he wanted to join them on the last day.
Yesterday, after they had parted ways, Monica sent him a message saying Ross had accepted, and she gave Andrew his number so they could coordinate.
Andrew texted Ross that morning and they arranged to meet at the main entrance.
Ross was a bit nervous about meeting the famous YouTuber he'd only spoken to for a few minutes the year before. While he wasn't as much of a fan as his sister, he did know Andrew from YouTube and the buzz he generated.
At first, he thought it was a joke, but after realizing that his sister had actually become friends with Andrew, and even showed him photos from yesterday's beach outing, he had no choice but to believe her and accept the offer.
Even more surprising was the fact that this internet celebrity and elite teen athlete, Andrew, was a genuine fan of geek culture.
"Thanks for letting me join you," Ross said as they walked toward one of the main halls.
He meant it. He had spent several days alone at Comic-Con and, while he had enjoyed it, it was also a bit sad to walk around with no one to share the experience with. His social skills weren't exactly the most polished, so he hadn't made any friends during his time there.
"No problem. It's always good to make new friends," Andrew replied with a slight smile, patting him on the shoulder like they'd known each other for years.
Andrew remembered that in Friends, Ross and Chandler met in college, so they weren't friends yet, since Ross had just finished high school. That meant the great Chandler Bing hadn't come on this trip as Ross's best friend.
Ross smiled. Andrew was more likable than he'd expected. He had only seen him in person for a few minutes the year before, and while he'd seemed like a good guy, Ross couldn't help being skeptical.
On the internet, anyone can fake it. But now, walking beside him and seeing how natural he was with everyone, he was starting to think there was no act.
And the group helped too.
Ross quickly hit it off with Leonard and Howard. It was easy to talk when everyone liked superheroes, video games, comics… and of course, Star Wars. Plus, his intellect aligned well with Leonard and Howard's.
Though unlike the two of them, Ross was tall, 6'1", and didn't have the usual skinny geek look. He had more presence. Still, his energy was that of an awkward nerd: slightly evasive gaze, hunched shoulders, a mix of shyness and excitement.
With laughter and shared references, the dynamic flowed almost effortlessly.
As for Willa… that was a different story.
Ross was stunned the first time he saw her. She looked like she'd stepped out of a fashion magazine. Completely out of place attire. Nothing hinted at any love for geek culture. Nothing. No pins, no comic book t-shirt.
'She must be Andrew's girlfriend,' Ross thought. It was the only logical explanation. Quarterback, charismatic, successful YouTube channel… of course he had a gorgeous girl by his side.
But his theory began to waver when Willa, without warning, joined a conversation between Andrew and Leonard about a Batman comic arc.
Not only did she jump in, she corrected a date, named the writer, and quoted a scene no one else remembered that precisely. Then she started talking about video games, defended Metal Gear Solid 3, and debated with Howard over which Legend of Zelda was the best.
Ross stayed silent, somewhere between fascinated and confused. He was no longer so sure she was just Andrew's girlfriend tagging along with his hobby.
At one point, the group split up: Andrew and Willa walked off toward the collectors' booths.
Ross took advantage of the moment, lowered his voice a bit, and leaned toward Leonard and Howard. "Hey… are Andrew and Willa together?"
Howard let out a short laugh. "What? Andrew and Willa? No way. Andrew has a girlfriend, but she's not geeky enough to come to this kind of thing."
"She's just another nerd in the group. Though I get why you'd be confused," said Leonard, shaking his head.
"Yeah, you don't see a girl like that talking comics like she's got a damn encyclopedia in her brain every day. It's like a glitch in the Matrix or something," added Howard.
Ross chuckled, though still not fully convinced. "Well… it wasn't that crazy to assume she was his girlfriend, right?"
Howard crossed his arms, pretending to be offended. "And why did you assume she was Andrew's girlfriend and not mine?"
Ross looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and waited a couple of seconds. "Dude… seriously?"
Howard held the stare a second longer, like he was considering a comeback, but then burst out laughing. The silence broke as all three laughed.
Howard raised his hands in surrender, grinning. "Okay, fair enough. Even I don't believe that one."
"So they're just friends, huh?" Ross murmured, like talking to himself, but loud enough for the other two to hear.
Howard patted him on the shoulder with a knowing look. "Don't get your hopes up, my friend."
"Yeah," added Leonard, smiling with a mix of irony and resignation, "We had that same look in our eyes when we met her. But she's… she's a demon. Intimidating. But she's good people."
Ross nodded, as if surrendering to reason. Besides, it was absurd to even try. He was from New York and had been in love with the same girl for years without being able to move a single muscle about it. And now he wanted to win over a girl in a single day just because they shared some hobbies?
...
Andrew and Willa were at the Sideshow Collectibles booth.
It was one of the most crowded and spectacular spots in all of Comic-Con. The display cases showed 1:6 and 1:4 scale figures from comics, video games, and movies, with an almost supernatural level of detail: from a fabric-caped, scowling Batman to a flawless Darth Vader.
Willa gently tugged Andrew's arm, guiding him decisively to the heart of the booth.
"All right, here we are. Pick whichever figure you want. I'll pay. It's my gift to you for your big debut at Mater Dei," she said with a smile. "And because I couldn't be there to see you. I'm sorry about that, I really wanted to go."
"It's fine, really…" Andrew said, stopping in front of the cases and running a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable. He remembered what Leonard and Howard had told him the day before. According to them, Willa was interested in him more romantically.
At the time, he brushed it off, saying they were wrong and that Willa had never shown any signs of romantic interest. She never sent weird messages or acted flirty.
But after those two idiots planted the idea in his head, he couldn't help but replay certain moments with Willa. Certain details.
She did treat him differently. Not with compliments or suggestive behavior, just less harshness. She laughed at his jokes. And when they argued over a topic, she was a lot more… calm.
It wasn't flirting, or seduction, but it was something.
And this gift? A Sideshow figure wasn't exactly cheap. And she didn't even seem to think twice about it.
She never gave Leonard and Howard anything for their achievements.
Andrew chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know, Willa…" he said. "It's a lot just for missing one of my games. You were busy. It's not like you owe me anything."
Willa looked at him, tilting her head. "It's not about that. I just want you to have something epic to remember this year. It's not every day a junior QB demolishes seniors and wins the summer tournament. You earned it."
Andrew gave her a faint, awkward smile. He had to get out of there before the moment got any weirder. And then he saw them.
Leonard, Howard, and Ross, just a few meters away, walking through the aisles and laughing at something. Like a lifeline from the heavens.
"Hey, guys!" Andrew shouted, raising his hand. "Come over here!"
Willa pursed her lips in confusion, turning toward where he was pointing.
The three of them waved back and walked over, and Andrew quickly looked at Ross and said, "You like Halo, right? I saw the Halo booth not far from here. Come on, I'll show you."
Ross nodded eagerly, Halo was one of his favorite games. Andrew began leading the way without looking back.
Howard and Leonard were stopped by Willa, "Wait," she said.
They both froze and turned around slowly. When they saw her standing with her arms crossed and a slightly furrowed brow, they turned pale.
"Don't make eye contact," Howard whispered, lowering his gaze as if the floor had suddenly become fascinating. "She's like a basilisk. One look and you're petrified."
"What's up, friend? Is there a stand you want us to go with you to?" he said quickly, trying to sound casual.
Willa kept her arms crossed, eyes fixed on them.
"You know what's going on with Andrew? He's been acting weird since the start of the day. But only with me, he's totally normal with you two," she said, stepping toward them.
"Weird? I don't know… he seemed normal to me. Right, Leonard?" Howard said with a nervous chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah. Totally normal. Didn't notice a thing. Completely normal," Leonard stammered, pushing up his glasses with a trembling finger.
Willa raised an eyebrow at their odd behavior. Something was definitely off.
"Now you're the ones acting weird…" she said with suspicion in her voice. "Come on, spill it! What happened? Did you guys do something?"
Howard and Leonard tried to escape, but it was useless. Within minutes, they confessed that maybe, they had let slip something the day before… something about her being interested in Andrew, and now he was acting weird because of it.
"You pair of idiots!" Willa exclaimed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"We're sorry!" they both said at once, bowing in an exaggerated ninety-degree angle that drew more attention than it avoided.
"Why would you say something like that? Are you trying to ruin our friendship?" Willa hissed, not raising her voice, but with enough intensity to make them sweat.
Howard and Leonard exchanged a nervous glance. They hadn't meant any harm, but now they understood how badly they'd messed up. If Andrew started acting distant, if their dynamic fell apart… they'd lose out too.
"I'm sorry… we didn't think it through," Leonard murmured, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah," added Howard, looking down. "It was a dumb move."
Willa let out a long sigh and shook her head, "Ugh… fine. What's done is done. I know you didn't mean to screw things up. Let's just keep enjoying Comic-Con. I'll take care of fixing things with Andrew," she said, turning around with determination.
The two of them watched her walk away for a few seconds.
"We got off easy," said Howard, still sweating.
"Told you she's good people," Leonard murmured as they began walking behind her.
"Although… she never denied the thing with Andrew," Howard muttered, stroking his chin.
Leonard elbowed him without looking.
"Ouch! Okay, okay, I won't say anything else!"
Willa and company rejoined Andrew and Ross, and the group continued exploring Comic-Con as if nothing had happened.
Willa didn't bring the subject up again or act strangely; in fact, she seemed exactly the same as always.
But at one point, while walking through a section of classic merchandise booths, Willa saw her chance. Without drawing attention, she moved closer to Andrew and spoke in a low voice.
"Will you come with me for a second? I want to show you something," she said casually.
Leonard picked up on the situation instantly. He turned to Ross and Howard and pulled them away.
Andrew followed Willa, unaware that Leonard, Howard, and Ross were no longer behind them.
Willa got straight to the point. "I know why you're acting weird."
Andrew looked up from the map he was using to navigate the maze of booths, feigning confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Willa narrowed her eyes. "Howard and Leonard sang like canaries. They said I liked you or some stupid thing like that."
"Tsch, those guys talk faster than they think," Andrew muttered, making a face.
Willa let out a small laugh but shook her head. "Don't listen to them. One's never had a girlfriend, and the other… well, they're not exactly the best references in the universe, are they?"
"Mmm… fair point," Andrew said, nodding.
"I know you have a girlfriend, Andrew. I'm not the kind of person who gets in the middle of anything. We're just friends. The gift was just that, a gesture for your big debut at Mater Dei, nothing more," Willa said firmly, but not harshly.
Andrew lowered his head a little, sighing. "You're right. Sorry for acting weird. I let paranoia get to me for a second."
"We're good, then?" Willa asked, offering a faint smile.
"Yeah, of course. All good," Andrew replied, smiling back.
"Perfect," Willa said, patting his arm with confidence. "Now let's go pick your prize."
"Let's go, but I should warn you…" Andrew said as they began walking toward the Sideshow Collectibles booth.
Willa glanced at him, curious.
"If you're planning on giving me a figure for every football achievement I have, you better start saving up, because I'm going to win everything with Mater Dei," he added with a mock-arrogant smile, lifting his chin theatrically.
Willa let out a genuine laugh. "Whoa, your big ego's finally coming out! Let's hope your subscribers don't hear this!"
"It's certainty and confidence, not ego," said Andrew.
"Keep walking, superstar," Willa said, gently pushing him from behind to hurry him along, smiling all the while.
The day passed like a whirlwind of lights, crowds, and unforgettable moments.
They moved as a group, sometimes all together, sometimes splitting up, but always reuniting between booths and panels.
Ross, who had arrived a bit nervous at first, gradually blended in naturally.
Throughout the day, the group attended several panels, but one, without a doubt, stole the show: Marvel Studios officially revealed the full cast of The Avengers.
When Robert Downey Jr. walked on stage, followed by Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, and Samuel L. Jackson, the room exploded. The roar of the crowd was deafening, and camera flashes lit up the space nonstop.
Andrew watched the scene with a mix of awe and subtle irony. He already knew what was coming. He was from 2024 and knew that Marvel would dominate the industry during this era.
At least until 2019, when Endgame would be released. After that, things would start to fall apart, and superhero fatigue would begin to set in, either because of oversaturation or because the films would simply get worse.
They also attended the DC panel, where they previewed promising footage of Green Lantern and other projects. But Andrew knew it would be a colossal failure.
The movie wouldn't just disappoint audiences, it would go down as a regrettable memory that even Ryan Reynolds himself would later mock once he found success with Deadpool.
But in that moment, it was all anticipation, pure enthusiasm. DC fans were caught up in the magic of the present.
Between panels, they visited action figure vendors, independent publisher booths, original art exhibits, and tried out video game demos. The buzz never stopped.
In the midst of that sea of stimuli, Andrew kept a watchful eye.
He was looking for signs of: Sheldon Cooper.
He knew that, just like Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory also existed in this reality. Which meant the precocious genius had to be alive somewhere.
Most likely, with his IQ, he had already graduated from college. Andrew couldn't remember Sheldon's exact accomplishments.
Maybe Sheldon was wandering the halls, dressed as The Flash, or pointing out scientific inaccuracies in the panels.
But among thousands of attendees, Andrew couldn't find him. He hadn't made it a primary mission, just stayed subtly alert, as if Sheldon's appearance might be a cosmic coincidence rather than a concrete goal.
And just like that, the day came to an end.
They said goodbye to Ross, though they got his contact info and made a promise: to play video games online together, and to come back next year to Comic-Con.
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