𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐘𝐎𝐔, d. dobrik

➸ bonus: the fall

ミ★
"she's gone, dave."

David Dobrik's entire life felt like it had just hit pause. At the moment, David could not see himself getting back to the way things were ever again. Everything he had built with his blood, sweat, and tears feels like it was on the edge of the cliff just waiting for one big thing to push it over the edge.

The thing was, he did not expect this at all. He had never taken his fame and life for granted, always pushing for the best content to post. This, of course, was proven by how restless he had been feeling about his career. Heck, he's been sacrificing his relationship for the sake of creating great content for is vlogs.

He thought he was going somewhere. He had a potential deal with Netflix, a perfume line in the works, and perhaps even a food business venture with Ilya and his other hometown friends. However, now that everyone and their mothers think that he does not deserve the fame and influence currently have, those plans might have to be pushed a bit. Hell, some of them might even fall through.

"David!" Megan called, snapping him out of his trance. They have been in a meeting all day, figuring out the best course of option for this scandal. Why people are feeding off of Trisha's provocation is beyond him. But maybe the climate today is different, maybe people are bored now and they just need someone to cancel. He just so happens to be the target this time.

"Look, Liza posted an apology already?"

"What?" David asked, shocked. She hasn't even said a single word to him about this.

"Yeah, and it's not looking good," Nat added, "Everyone's not satisfied with what she had to say."

"Nothing will," David concluded with finality.

"If Liza's getting this much heat, there's no way we can come up with a better apology. We might be toast, guys," Jason shook his head, his face the most grim David had ever seen him.

"No," David whispered, "This cannot be it. I don't-, Jay, I can't-"

The 24-year-old wheezed; his entire chest was so constricted that he couldn't breathe. He didn't know what was happening, but he felt so trapped, like he couldn't breathe. Aubrey, fuck, he needed Aubrey, but she was still trapped in the Bahamas.

As a glass half empty kind of guy, he could not see himself being well-liked again. Sure, he will probably be able to stay relevant and maintain his fame, but the traditional media will never give him another chance, just like what had happened with Logan Paul. There will be no more hosting gigs, no magazine articles, and just like that his dreams of making it big outside of social media can never be come true. People will still watch his videos, but with every single mention of him will also be followed by how he had racist backgrounds.

And all of his efforts to be the best guy he could possibly be, all those nights as a kid practicing English so he could get rid of his accent, all those days figuring out the American culture and just trying to prove to everyone that he's just another funny and relatable American will go to waste. He hated to admit it, but he knew that a part of him will always feel the need to be the best person to people, and all of it had just washed away with his scandal.

This is already enough to send the boy into his first panic attack.

"David, David! Dave, are you okay?" Jason held him. This was the first time he had the boy looked so helpless, and the older man was almost certain that he had just witnessed him have a panic attack. It was scaring the shit out of Jason.

"I'm okay, I'm okay. I'll just have to wait for Aubrey. She'll make things better for me," David reassured, holding himself down so that he doesn't show how terrified he is of the future again.