Tik Tok, time's running out | Zane Carter X Reader

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 ((y/n) means your name)

I'm so nervous for the first day back to school. Usually, I'm hyped for the first day because I get to see my friends again, but this year feels different. I don't know why.

I get to school at exactly 7:30, heading to my locker to meet my friends. Kentucky High seems dull this early in the morning, but that's okay. It's usually like this.

I see one of my friends, Kailee, who is shoving her lunchbox into her backpack. I approach her with a confused expression.

"Thicc," I say, and she looks up at me, her dark eyes pouring into my soul.

"What?" she says with a laugh. "Me or my lunch?"

"Both. I think." I cross my arms. "So, how was your summer?"

"Bland. I started a Tik Tik account for fun, and so far, I've had like no–"

I interrupt her. "What's Til Tok?" I ask,  and by her face, I can tell she thinks I'm uncultured.

"You're kidding," she says. "(y/n), you seriously don't know what Tik Tok is? Actually?"

I shake my head. "Nope. Never heard of it."

Kailee immediately takes out her phone and shows me what I'm missing. She explains the entire app as she rambles on about who's on it and how people can get "Tik Tok" famous. I furrow my eyebrows as she talks.

Wow, I think, imagine being this untalented. I look at Kailee. "So, do people just... lipsync to stuff?"

She nods. "Pretty much. But there are a lot of cute guys on here. Like him."

I look up to where Kailee is looking, and there's a group of boys laughing and playfully hitting each other. One of the guys, dirty blonde-ish hair and blue eyes, glances at me for a second, sending a chilling feeling down my spine. I let out a slow breath.

"Him?" I ask, staring at the blonde guy for longer than I should have. "He's on there?"

"Which one?" Kailee asks. "They all look the same."

"The blonde one. With the black hydroflask."

Kailee pauses before answering. "You mean Zane. Yeah, he's on there. He's cute, right?"

Cute is an understatement. Zane is gorgeous. His eyes are crystallized and make me feel like I'm flying. And the way he looked at me. Oh my goodness.

Lemme get some of those genetics.

Fortunately, I don't let Kailee see how thirsty I am, simply by saying a quick, "Yeah I guess," as an answer. The bell rings for homeroom, and Kailee and I scurry off, saying goodbye to each other until we meet again.

<3

When I get home, I immediately run upstairs to my room. I wanna see what this Tik Tok app is really like. So I do. And it's horrific.

The amount of shirtless boys I've seen is too long to keep up with.

All of a sudden, an idea pops into my head, and I can't help but think about him. The imfamous TikToker at my school; Zane Carter. My fingers dance over my keyboard as I type in his name.

I'm surprised to see there aren't a lot of videos of him shirtless. Most of them are just him winking at the camera or looking beautiful. I smile as I scroll through, letting the butterflies in my stomach play around. I was so relaxed as I scrolled through his page. Then, all of a sudden, my conscience got an idea. You should duet him.

And I did. I wasn't exactly proud of the video, but because it was my first one, I just submitted it without care. The next thing I knew, it was dinner time, and after that, bed.

I dreamt that I was a professional influencer, my fans screaming my name as I walked past them. Each of my shows were sold out, and Zane was my right-hand-man. He was my arm candy; My boyfriend; My soul mate.

I was hoping the dream would never end, but unfortunately, I had to wake up. My alarm sounded in my ear as the sweet, pleasant reality my brain had created slipped away. I pouted as I wiped my eye awake.

"(y/n)!" my mom called. "Times running out for you to be on time! Let's go!"

I quickly got dressed, throwing on a hoodie and jeans before quickly grabbing my phone. As I walked down the stairs, I realized a new notification popped up. It was one I had never seen before. I tapped on it, thinking it we going to be some random thing, but it was actually from TikTok. I read it–

zanecarter liked your post.

–and I felt vomit surface in my throat.