You, Minus the Fame

Chapter 20

       "Guess what!" she exclaimed.

       "What?" I asked, trying to hide my want to leave.

       "ReezyTube is having a meet and greet!" she screamed, causing me to flinch. "He's coming here!"

      I forced a smile as Britney began to squeal. Clearly she was his biggest fan. I was surprised to see she didn't have any posters of him hanging on her wall.

       "Really?" I said, once she calmed down. "That's cool."

       "That's all you have to say?" Her jaw dropped. "You told me you'd take me to his meet and greet."

      I thought about it for a second, and then remembered. Months ago I had told her I would take her to his meet and greet, seeing how much she loved him. I was shocked she remembered - kind of.

       "Oh yeah," I said. "How much are the tickets?"

       "Fifty dollars," she said casually. "Thanks so much."

        "Fifty dollars!" My eyes widened. "To meet a YouTuber?"

       "He actually got really popular these past few months," Britney said, rolling her eyes. "Why do you think I have to go to this meet and greet now? One day his tickets will be two hundred dollars."

       "Really?" I asked, surprised.

       I knew YouTubers got paid well, but I didn't think to meet them would cost so much. They were people just like us supposedly, not celebrities. I was confused.

       "Yeah, he has ten million subscribers," Britney said, suddenly grinning. "His parents are also kind of famous, so he's kind of well known."

       "Whoa," I said, amazed.

       It made some sense now. Pewdiepie had thirty million subscribers and he got millions of dollars a year. If this guy had ten million subscribers and famous parents, he had to be pretty wealthy and known. I didn't like the idea of paying so much, but I had to admit it was better to help Britney now than later when it came to him.

       "Fifty dollars for sure?" I asked.

       "Yes," she said. "So, please, please, please do this for me. Pretty please."

        "Yeah, yeah. I'll do it." I laughed lightly. "When is it?"

       "This Saturday." She grinned. "Thank you so much."

       "Wait, this Saturday?"

       I tried not to show any expression as she stated the exact date that I was supposed to find out Reece's secret. My heart sunk a bit, realizing I had to choose between the two events. I couldn't believe the coincidence.

        "Yeah, is there a problem with that?" Britney frowned.

        "Uh..." I bit my lip nervously, trying to think of a lie. "I have a date with Reece that day."

        "Cara," she whined. "You go on dates with him everyday."

        "But this is important."

        "So is this!" she exclaimed. "Remember what I said. His tickets are only going to cost more from now on."

        I forced myself to stop biting my lip as I realized that. Britney's situation was a one time thing. I had told her I would take her to this meet and greet a long time ago. But, Reece's secret. That same day was the only day he'd tell me.

       Without thinking, I began to chew at my lip again. The truth was, I was slightly relieved that I may get to miss out on finding out his secret. Knowing the worst case scenarios, I wanted to just pretend there was no secret and go on with our happy lives. But at the same time, I knew not knowing his secret would tear me apart eventually. I'd probably always worry about it and become unable to enjoy his company. That was also a bad idea.

       I didn't know what to do as I tried to choose between Reece and Britney. On one hand, I wanted to figure out his secret and move on with my life, and on the other hand, I didn't want to hurt my sister and I wanted to erase the idea that something bad could happen to the relationship we had. I was totally and utterly confused.

       "Please Cara," Britney suddenly pleaded. "I really want this. More than anything in the world. Please do this for me."

        Looking at her green, pleading eyes, something in me snapped. Yes, Reece was a big part of my life, but he was not my sister. My very own blood. Thanks to her innocent face, I knew what I had to do.

       "Okay, I'll take you." I smiled as she broke out into a grin. "Just let me call Reece."

        "Thank you Cara!" she exclaimed, jumping up from where she sat. "You're the best."

        Britney rushed over to me and threw her arms around me. Wincing as she squeezed me with a hug, I then laughed lightly. My stomach was twisting at the thought of telling Reece I couldn't see him that day, but seeing her this happy made me feel like I made the right choice. That was something I really needed right now.

        After she let go of me, I ruffled her hair and left her room. I quickly went to mine and shut the room, and I felt my heart pounding against my chest. I had a bad feeling he wouldn't take the news well.

        With a shaky hand, I dialled his number and held the phone to my ear. Taking a deep breath in, I tried to calm my nerves.

        "Hello?" he answered.

        "Hey," I said, forcing my nerves away.

        "What's up?" he asked. "Do you miss me already?"

        I let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah, that's it."

       "What is it?"

        Reece seemed more serious then, and I knew he could tell I was nervous. My heartbeat accelerated at that, and I knew I just had to rip the bandage off.

        "I'm so, so, so sorry Reece," I said quietly. "I really want to be with you on Saturday and hear your secret, but I promised my sister I would go with her somewhere that day. I can't postpone and I really would like to go with you, but... I can't. Sorry."    

        He didn't say anything for a bit, causing my nerves to get shaken up. I wondered if he was mad. Furious even, since I cancelled last minute.

        "There's no way you can come?" he eventually asked.

       "No, sorry."

       "That's fine." He sighed. "We'll just have to postpone the day I tell you. How about next month?"

        "You'll tell me another day?" My eyes widened since I didn't expect that.

        "Yeah... You'll understand once I tell you my secret. Sorry it has to be a specific day." He sighed again. "So one month from now is fine, right?"

        "Of course." I forced a smile, even though he couldn't see me. "That's more than I deserve for cancelling last minute. I'm actually really sorry."

        "Cara, it's fine," he said, sounding gentle. "I have to leave now, so I'll see you soon. Have fun with your sister that day."

        "Thanks." My smile felt more natural now. "Bye Reece."

        He hung up and I found myself relaxing. Time was something I needed, and finally I had it. I was a bit disappointed that I would still find out his secret, but I knew at the end of the day I should know it eventually. For our relationship to bloom, I knew I had to suck up my fear and face whatever his secret was. Smiling to myself, I was thankful I had a month to prepare.