In Real Life ✓

33. Fame? Ain't Nobody Got Time For That

Gilbert was sitting on my bed and looking around as if my room was the most interesting place he'd ever been, when really, it was kinda boring. I had barely anything on the light blue walls and all my shit was carelessly thrown onto my desk. Even my bed was boring. It was just a mattress with a pillow and a comforter. I spent most of time behind my computer, so there was a row of mugs on the desk and a blanket thrown across the back of the chair. Typical 21st Century kid.

"So how should I do this?"

Gilbert looked at me and shrugged, before leaning over to my nightstand to grab a book, which had been lying there for three years, probably. Or maybe four. I could be off. I didn't read. That was my brother's thing.

Hugo was not helpful, either. "Just say something like 'hi, my name is Eve' or something? I don't know."

"Don't you think there's something specific I should tell them?"

"Nah. Just tell them who you are."

"Alright," I sighed, before unlocking my phone and opening the camera app. I stared at the floor through my screen for a moment and tried to prepare something in my head.

"Okay, hold on." I pulled Gilbert off the bed and pushed him down onto my desk chair. When I gave him my phone, I said, "I'll sit on the bed, because my desk looks like a trash pile. And Hugo, you can... You can come into the video later, I guess. Just stand over there by the door and wait for my cue."

"Alright," he said, leaning against the door.

"Alright," I repeated.

I sat on the bed and motioned at Gilbert to start filming, so he lifted my phone. Vertically. Please, no.

"For fuck's sake, Gilbert, turn it."

"Oh, sorry." He immediately turned it horizontally and gave me a thumbs-up. "There we go."

"Alright, tell me when you're filming."

"I already am."

I threw my face in my hands. This was already going fucking great. Whatever. I could cut it out later. I moved my hair out of my face and cleared my throat. "Alright, hello everyone."

Gilbert gave me an encouraging smile from behind the camera.

"As you've probably noticed, I'm... doing a reveal. So, yeah... my name is Eve. I'm DukeCockroach." I nervously folded my hands in my lap, rubbing the clammy skin together, and pushed myself to go on. "I um... I decided to do this because I didn't want to hide anymore. Especially since people have tried to use this against me. I'm sure you all remember when someone leaked what school I go to. Oh, in case you're watching, you sick fuck, thanks a lot."

Hugo snorted behind his hand and I grinned at him. "You guys should meet my brother, too. Come."

I didn't think he was nervous too, but he slowly walked over to my bed and sat down beside me, before giving the camera an awkward little wave. "Hi."

I patted his shoulder and said, "This is DukeBroCock. Also known as Hugo."

"Yeah, you can stop calling me Duke's gay brother now."

I laughed and added, "You can call him Hugay."

"No, they can not!" Hugo protested.

"Anyway, that's all!" I chuckled. "Don't make me regret this."

I was about to wave at the camera, but Gilbert suddenly turned it to himself and said, "And I'm her boyfriend, so you better stop writing thirst Tweets. Bye."

"Gilbert!"

I lunged forward to grab the phone, but he jumped on top of my desk chair, holding the phone up in the air so I couldn't reach it. While I desperately tried to take it from him, he pressed on the 'done' button. And posted the Tweet.

Oh, God.

It was on Twitter now.

"You did not just do that."

"Yep," he said, smiling triumphantly.

"Gilbert, I wanted to edit it before posting it."

"Don't worry, it's—"

"Don't worry? Thirty million people are watching that video right now! There's thirty million reasons to worry!"

"Come on, it's not that bad," Hugo said. "Apart from Gibbs being an idiot in the beginning, you really didn't have to edit anything."

"Thanks," Gilbert replied dryly. "Seriously though, Eve, if I'd let you edit or retake it, we would still be here tomorrow. It's fine. Let's just look at the replies."

"I don't want to."

"Then I'll look."

"No, no more touching my phone," I warned, taking the phone from him and putting it in the pocket of my pants. "I'll look for myself, thank you very much."

When I sat down behind my desk, Gilbert and Hugo came to stand behind me and Dylan and Floyd suddenly came bursting into my room, too. "Damn, you posted the video quickly."

"Gilbert did," I grumbled.

"It's got a shit ton of likes and replies already," Dylan said. "We were refreshing the page. Everyone's freaking out."

I opened a new browser window on my laptop and typed in the URL with a sigh. "The good kind of freaking out?"

"Well, they're just surprised, mostly."

When the page loaded, I scrolled through the replies, and slowly, my frantically beating heart calmed down. They were just surprised. Pleasantly surprised. They were excited.

I smiled and started liking their replies.