hooked - flamingo (albert aretz)

5

Albert Aretz, better known to millions as Flamingo, stared at his computer screen with a heavy sigh.

He scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed as he scrolled through a folder filled with messy, half-finished thumbnails. Thumbnails were important. They were the first thing people saw before clicking a video, the colourful bait that lured viewers in. And yet, despite how much he loved making content, creating thumbnails was still one of his biggest headaches.

In his early days, Albert had been able to handle everything on his own—the recording, the editing, even the thumbnails. But now, with millions of subscribers waiting for him to upload daily, it was starting to feel like too much. Every time he sat down to make a new thumbnail, he found himself procrastinating, trying to convince himself he could get through just one more. Maybe this time it'll be easy. Maybe today I won't hate everything I make, he thought.

But today wasn't one of those days.

"Okay, focus, Albert," he muttered to himself as he opened Photoshop. His fingers hovered over the keyboard before retreating, and he sighed again, leaning back in his chair.

A soft glow filled his room from the computer screen, reflecting off the framed posters and fan art that decorated the walls. It was a space that should've been inspiring, but at the moment, it felt more like a trap. He didn't want to admit it to anyone—least of all himself—but the truth was, he needed help. He needed someone else to handle the thumbnails before he lost his mind.

His phone buzzed on the desk, shaking him from his thoughts. He glanced at it and saw a text from one of his friends.

"Yo, dude, seriously, get a thumbnail artist. You're burning out!"

Albert smiled to himself, feeling the tiniest bit seen. His friends had been telling him for weeks that he couldn't do everything forever. They were right, of course, but Albert wasn't the best at asking for help. What if they didn't get the vibe? What if they thought his ideas were stupid? He had this weird, deep-seated fear that anyone else working with him wouldn't understand the chaotic, weird energy that made his videos...well, his.

Still, something had to give. Albert rubbed his hands together awkwardly, feeling the familiar tinge of nervous energy creeping in. He'd been thinking about hiring someone for weeks now. He'd even gotten some applications, but every time he went to respond, his brain froze up. What if they were too professional and didn't get his humor? What if they didn't understand Roblox thumbnails at all? What if they...made him feel like he wasn't good enough?

"Nope, nope, don't overthink it," he whispered to himself, shaking his head as if that would clear away his doubts. He grabbed his phone and opened the email app, scrolling past a few fan messages and business offers until he found the applications for a thumbnail artist.

There were a lot. Some looked overly corporate, the kind of slick, polished work that felt too "buttoned-up" for Flamingo. Then he saw one from a girl named Blair Mitchell. Her portfolio wasn't flashy, but it had something different. The designs were playful but professional. Bold, but not in-your-face. And best of all, her thumbnails felt...fun. Fun was important. Fun was everything.

Albert clicked on the email and read through Blair's introduction again. She sounded passionate about content creation, and she seemed to get the balance between creativity and strategy. Maybe she could handle the Flamingo brand after all.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard again, ready to type a response, but a wave of awkwardness rushed through him. What if he came off as too stiff or formal? He wasn't good with professional emails. Talking to people over text or email always made him anxious. In videos, he could be loud, chaotic, and goofy, but when it came to stuff like this? Yikes.

After pacing his room for a few minutes—half of which was spent talking to himself—Albert finally typed a message.

"Hey Blair, it's Albert (aka Flamingo)! Thanks for sending in your portfolio. I really like your style, and I'd love to chat about the possibility of working together. Let me know if you're free for a Zoom call sometime this week!"

He hovered over the send button, feeling that all-too-familiar nervous flutter in his chest. His fingers hovered again.

Ugh, just do it already! he thought, pushing the button before he could second-guess himself again.

With that small victory under his belt, Albert stood up and stretched. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much today. "Alright, food time," he muttered, making his way downstairs to the kitchen.

He opened the fridge and stared blankly at the contents, hoping for some inspiration. As usual, there wasn't much—just a few leftover takeout containers and an assortment of random condiments. Albert wasn't exactly a gourmet chef, and meal planning had definitely fallen to the wayside with his busy schedule.

"Guess it's pizza again," he said to himself, reaching for his phone to place an order.

As the minutes ticked by, Albert found himself replaying the email exchange in his head. What if Blair didn't want to work with him? What if she thought he was weird? What if she didn't even respond?

Stop it, Albert. Chill.

His pizza arrived soon after, and he plopped down on the couch with a sigh, pulling a slice from the box. He'd turned on a random show, but his mind kept wandering back to the idea of hiring someone. The whole thing made him entirely fucking nervous. It wasn't just thumbnails—it was letting someone else into his process, trusting them with something so important to his brand.

He chewed on the crust thoughtfully, trying to reassure himself. Blair's portfolio had been good—really good. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe she was exactly what he needed to take some of the weight off his shoulders.

As the night dragged on, Albert's thoughts swirled with ideas. If Blair did a good job, he might be able to finally focus on other parts of his content. And maybe...just maybe, it'd be nice to have someone else on the team for once. Someone he could bounce ideas off of and share the workload with.

The next morning, Albert woke up to a ping on his phone. It was Blair's reply, agreeing to the Zoom call. His stomach did a little flip of excitement and nerves. He wasn't great at video calls—his awkwardness tended to peak whenever he had to be "professional" face-to-face—but this was a step forward.

Grabbing his phone, he checked his calendar and set up a meeting. "Alright, Albert," he muttered to himself. "You've got this. She's probably nice. It's gonna be fine."

But even as he said it, the butterflies in his stomach weren't going away anytime soon.

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1191 words

first chapter of albert! hope everyone is enjoying so far <3