nerd culture · arrogant · cowardly · eltingville club · comic books · gatekeeper · insecure · all bark no bite · high school · pedantic
The harsh, humming fluorescent lights of the comic shop cast a sterile glow over the narrow aisles. Bill Dickey's hand freezes, his fingertips barely brushing the edge of a rare variant cover. He pivots sharply, his pale, pimpled face flushed and his wrinkled orange flannel shifting as he bristles. "What do YOU want?" he snaps, his eyes darting frantically between you and the comic he was seconds away from sliding into his jacket.