Queen of New York

Irreplaceable

Dan's POV

Torn in two, and I know I shouldn't tell you but I just can't stop thinking of you.

We met.
We kissed.
I fell in love.
She fell in love too.
But it wasn't with me.

We fought.
We yelled.
We made up.

She's one of my best friends.

She isn't in my life anymore.

I just stared down at my phone, reading her single tweet. It was nice to know that she was home safe, but it wasn't the same 5 million emoji with a lot of exclamation marks like her normal tweets. The tone of it was much sadder.

I soon realized after Julie left that she was the sunshine in a world of darkness. Us YouTubers were constantly working, whether it was filming, editing, social media-ing, or whatever. Julie always found a way to make time for fun. She forced us to leave our computer screens and go outside. She wouldn't allow us to be little hobbits and work all the time. "We have to have fun sometimes. All work and no play makes happiness go away." I remember she told me.

"That isn't how it goes." I laughed at her.

"It's how it goes in my book." I remember she argued, grabbing my hand and dragging me outside.

I make it sound like she died.

Julie was the person that was missing in my life. I of course had Phil. Phil was the childish half I needed in my life. He was playful, innocent, and sweet. Julie was my major reality check. She always helped me realize that things weren't as bad as they seemed. Even during the worst times.

***

"Dan?" I heard Phil call me from the living room.

"My room." I called back, still staring at the phone.

"It's Julie, isn't it." He asked. I felt his presence beside me.

"Things aren't the same." I mumbled.

I felt Phil place an arm around me.

"I know they aren't. She'll be back to visit soon. She has too. If not, we can always spontaneously go on holiday to New York to visit her."

I smiled a bit at Phil's comment. It was true, we could always book a flight to New York and be on our way. However, something about that didn't feel right. It wouldn't be here, at our school. In our dorm/apartment building. In our little "Internet Hobo Society," as Julie often called it. It would be somewhere foreign, somewhere new. It wouldn't be the place we all called home.

But I desperately wanted to see her. After living with her during Playlist, we had some routines. She and I would always straighten our hair together. We'd both try to convince each other to keep it curly. Occasionally, it worked. Most of the time, we damaged our hair with heat.

I was torn. I wanted to see her, but I didn't want to see her in New York. I wanted her here.

Which was better. Being without her, or seeing her in a foreign place?