The youtubers of Henrietta

Chapter 3

Adam Parrish had been given very little in life. This he had know since he was about 4 years old. He had a closet filled with hand me downs and things his mother found at goodwill. He had some toys he found lying around the trailer park he lived in, although most of them were cracked and dirty, and a bike that had belonged to so many other people who outgrew it. It wasn't the most functional thing, but it was his. He didn't have an incredible amount of stuff, and the few things he did have some people would consider trash, but it was what he had, and he was grateful for them. But he wanted more. He knew thinking that would make him seem ungrateful, so he pushed the thought away everytime it entered his head.

Until he was 8. He had rushed into the computer lab to print out a short story for his teacher, as he didn't have a printer at the double wide he lived in. He powered the laptop he selected on, and saw another students page loaded, "YouTube" he murmered as he read the black and red logo in the top corner of the screen. He'd heard many of his peers taking about this. It was some kind of video platform and there were videos of people playing games, singing, diy tutorials, anything you could think of was probably on there. This particular screen was filled with COMIC CON!! and DIY COSPLAY!! for a variety of what appeared to be anime. Adam was confused, not about YouTube, but about why he was so intrigued about it. Normally he didn't care about whatever his peers were obsessing over, Adam had bigger things to worry about. But for some reason he couldn't seem to click out of this screen. Then it hit him, could this be his something more? He didn't have anything to record with but he had been saving a lot of money lately, and he was doing work for people around the trailer park, so he was making quite a but of money. But this could be a way for him to be known. He could have a life outside of the dusty trailer park he seemed to be trapped in. This could be his ticket to a good life if he went about it the right way. It could be wishful thinking, he knew that. But it was enough for him. With determination he didn't realize he had Adam quickly printed his paper out. He needed a plan, and it had to be good.

This was trickier than Adam thought it would be. He was situated at his desk he pulled out a peice of paper and a pencil. He had to take everything into account, not just getting a computer/camera but keeping his YouTube a secret. Namely from his dad. If Robert Parrish were to discover that Adam had invested into something without his consent then Adam was screwed. Tapping his pencil against his lips he rolled thoughts around in his head. Maybe he didn't have to show his face. Adam was a fairly common name, so he could just not show his face and not give his last name away. Possibly play the song his uncle had taught him on the guitar. He decided to buy a computer, so he could film and post although the videos wouldn't be of the best quality. He'd have to research the price when he went to tech and then count his savings and go from there.

So computers were pretty expensive. Adam had predicted this of course, and he wasn't looking for a top-of-the-notch computer, but he had wanted a decent one. He would have to count his money, as well as figure out how much money he was making.

Adam needed $199.00, he had $83.75, and he was making about $37.00 a month. This was like one of those super complicated word problems he had to solve in school, except it was directly affecting him. He also wanted some extra, so he was trying to save up to $230.00 before buying the laptop. On his way home he stopped by the tiny office store, and found the computer. It had a built in camera and microphone. So it should work just fine, if it was still there by the time he got enough money.

Four weeks of yard work and cleaning later, Adam had $231.80 in the old cereal box beneath his bed. On Saturday afternoon he scopped all of the crinkled bills into his pockets and left through the side door as quietly as possible. Jumping down the two steps to avoid squeaking. He trotted along next to the slightly battered dog that hung around the trailer park. After treking all the way to the office store, he snatched the computer off the shelf and walked cautiously over to the check out. The cashier gave him an odd look and counted out the money he handed over 3 times before bagging his purchase and handing it over to him. Adam's heart hammered in his chest the entire way home. What if his father came back early? Guilt was settling in his stomach, but he kept pushing it away. He was doing this for himself, he could get himself out of the hell hole he had been trapped in.