Bubble Tea

echoes of the shoreline

Song for the chapter: Summer of Love by Shawn Mendes

Trevor's POV:

It was a typical afternoon when I logged into my YouTube channel to check the latest comments on my study vlog. Usually, I received encouraging words and questions about study tips, but today was different. My eyes widened as I scrolled through a flood of mean, hurtful comments.

My initial surprise turned into annoyance and then into determination. I wasn't one to take things lying down.

"Alright, you want to play dirty?" I muttered to myself. "Let's see how you like it when the tables turn."

I had a friend, Leo, who was a tech whiz and good at tracking down IP addresses. I gave Leo a call and explained the situation.

"Can you help me out, man?" I asked. "I need to know who's behind these comments."

"Sure thing, Trev," Leo replied confidently. "Give me the account names, and I'll see what I can do."

A few hours later, I received a text from Leo with the results. I stared at the screen, disbelief turning into a sly grin. The IP addresses led straight back to Edvin and Andres.

"Gotcha," I whispered. I wasn't about to let this golden opportunity slip through my fingers.

I decided to play it cool for now. Knowing the IP addresses of the haters could be a powerful card, but I needed to wait for the right moment to use it. After all, timing was everything.

The next day, after Audrey's tuition class, we headed to our favorite café nearby to work on the project. We settled into a cozy corner, our laptops open, and books scattered across the table.

"Hey, Audrey," I said, glancing up from my screen. "Let's take a break and check the response on my latest video."

Audrey smiled. "Sure, let's see how it's doing."

I navigated to my YouTube channel and checked the comments. As expected, there were a few nasty ones among the usual praise.

"Wow, you're right," Audrey said, reading over my shoulder. "Those are some pretty mean comments. I can't believe people would say such things."

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Yeah, it's weird. I've never gotten hate comments like this before."

Audrey gave me a sympathetic look. "Don't let it get to you. There are always going to be trolls."

"Thanks, Audrey," I said, appreciating her support. "I'll try not to."

For the next couple of days, I kept the information about the IP addresses to myself. We continued to work diligently on our project, finally submitting it just before the deadline. Our teacher was thoroughly impressed, praising our hard work and dedication. We earned an A+, and I couldn't have been happier.

Meanwhile, Edvin received a B for his lackluster effort, but he didn't seem to care much. He shrugged it off, knowing he hadn't put in nearly as much work as me and Audrey had.

Audrey's POV:

After the project was finally done, we planned a beach day out on the weekend. The weekend beach trip was a welcome break after the intense project work. I was looking forward to spending time with Andres and our friends. As we settled in at the beach, the sun shining brightly and the waves crashing gently, I felt a sense of relief and excitement.

Everyone was there: Edvin, Katy, Gia, Jade, Jeremiah, Maddy, Issa, Stacy, Neo, Harley and Gunnar. To my surprise, Nicoli showed up too, spending time with Issa, his girlfriend. She was such a sweet girl, always trying to get Nicoli to join in the fun activities, but he remained aloof.