a smile is worth a thousand compliments

let's get some stuff out of the way

ok, so this story is about a viral skype account that changed people's lives. there are 2 main characters and some subcharacters. the 2 main ones are derek and mallory. both of their point of views will be prevalent in the story. derek's pov will be from his camera he uses for a vlog and mallory's pov will be shown through her journal she uses to vent out her feelings. when it's neither derek nor mallory's perspective i will be narrating from the 3rd person ominiscent. well enough of that, here's the characters and about them:

derek: a 17 year old senior. a dorky and cooky charachter who has that "cool" aura about him. he likes to joke around, but can get down to business if needed(mostly with studying) but isn't very good at being serious or philosophical. he has a vlog that he pretends is his own talk show and pisses off mallory sometimes, especially when she's trying to spill her troubles to him. he has a mom and a little brother and his dad will often visit but is usually away as an international interpreter.

mallory: 18 year old senior. she's a soft, caring, and thoughtful girl who loves to have a laugh and is always prepared for a good time. she secretly has a lot of built up tension as she's going through a lot of struggles like her dad's PTSD and mom's depression. she has to take care of her troublemaking little brother who constantly has run-ins with the law. when she tries to share what she's going through with derek,  he's not very avid in listening which makes her want to pull out her hair since theyre very close friends and basically syblings. she usually reverts to writing how she feels in her journal. she has a small crush on derek but its not a big deal.

burger: an 18 year junior. burger is derek and mallory's friend who has cancer and is often in and out of the hospital. he loves food(and yes you guessed it,)burgers, which they often bring him from his favorite burger joint, five guys, after a rough chemotherapy. he is very appreciative of his friend's compassion and is determined to beat the cancer and graduate with them. he was held back due to almost never being able to attned class and is now working vigorously all the time at his studies to catch up to derek and mallory and be a senior with them. derek often tutors and motivates him. he has a mom, 2 older cousins, a grandmother, 2 older twin stepsisters, and a stepfather who lives with him and his house is often hectic.

tony: 16 year old sophomore.he's that guy who thinks he's gangster but isn't. he's very popular and a player. wants to date mallory but she refuses since he bullies burger. has beef with derek and mallory. he has a mom who's a drunk and sometimes is abusive and has 2 domestic violence charges to her name.

gordon; 19 year old college freshman. he's been derek's friend since 1st grade and goes to the local college. he is always able to listen to mallory and often gives advice that isn't tto pushy but just right. very philosophical and kind hearted, always willing to work in a soup kitchen or 2. has a younger brother named allan, 2 parents who he frequenlty visits.

allan:derek's longest time friend, is a 17 year old senior like derek, and is gordon's brother. he too is a complete goofball along with derk and they have never fought once. he's going out with jenny and has 2 parents and gordon.

jenny: mallory's 2nd longest friend (behind derek) and similar to mallory, was kind of a loner and stuck to herself. after becoming friends with mallory, she became popular and met allan. they eventually started dating and are very happy together. mallory's younger brother has a crush on her and sometimes lashes out on allan out of jealousy. she has an older sister who she looks up to and sometimes envies, and a  her older sister's stepmom taking care of her. she is adopted and has no clue or memory of who her parents were. she often vents with mallory as they both are going through family issues.

steve: mallory's troublemaking delinquent little brother. has a crush on jenny.

 enjoy the book!