VIRAL | JSCHLATT (stopped)

Ten

  My eyes slowly unglue themselves from one another, as I wake up, already rolled onto my stomach. The first thing in my view is the pink mess of a hoodie on the suitcase beneath me - I swear I didn't leave it that untidy last night - and my phone, blaring with the sound of the alarm.

  I turn off the ringing and lay in bed for a few more minutes, and finally rolling over to the side and sitting up shortly after. I yawn, stretch, and begin to mentally compose myself for the day ahead. While listing all of the things that I need to do in my head, I stand up, shower, eat breakfast, and get ready for today. The flight was at 2 p.m., and the clock was certainly ticking.

  The cab which was ordered for me was already waiting by the entrance of the hotel. I checked out swiftly and left, greeting the driver and settling inside. My phone dings and I look at the notification.

  Jschlatt has replied to my direct message from last night.

  Not wanting to seem creepy, I put my phone in my bag once more without opening the text, and pop my leg up and down from excitement.

  Everything seemed to be falling into place.

  I inhale, look outside, and give the directions to the man in the front seat, and within an instant, we were off.

////

  The flight was about to start boarding any minute now. There was a warning on the loudspeaker several minutes ago, and right at this moment, I had the urge to text back Schlatt.

  Jschlatt sent a photo of him with a thumbs up nuzzled right next to his face, and behind him was a sign portraying the letters 'San Diego Airport'. I let my mouth hang a little and texted him right away, to which he was quick to respond.

Me

ur already at home???

Jschlatt
Yeah
You still in boston?

Me

lol yh wtfbut wait, what abt ur hoodie!

  "Flight to London, United Kingdom, boarding at Gate 7; I repeat: flight to London, United Kingdom, boarding at Gate 7."

  I rise from my seat and scavenge the area looking for the line leading inside, and having found it I join in the back. Too busy with documents and passports I ignore the dinging of my phone, and proceed to enter the sleeve leading to the plane.

 It was extremely crowded inside, and the second that I stepped on it, I could spot an abundance of familiar faces. I smiled at those I recognized and made my way over to the window seat, but a bump in the carpet beneath me suddenly sent me stumbling into a tall man a few feet in front.

  I apologize profusely and he let out a laugh. As I looked up, I noticed Harry Lewis, who immediately teased me about the situation.

  "I shouldn't have even said sorry," I joke as I follow him along the aisle, both of us appearing to have seats in nearby rows. Harry sat down in the aisle across from me, and as I was reaching up to pack away my stuff in the overhead cupboard, I heard JJ chime from somewhere in Harry's direction behind me.

  "Ah, Alexa! You're the one that Schlatt's been on about, yeah?" His British accent runs thick as I turn swiftly to face him, a rose blush spreading over my face at once. He laughs and so do some of the boys around him, followed with numerous smirks and snickers.

  "Nah, yeah, I gotcha," He leans back in his seat and closes his eyes, pressing the play button on his phone.

  I sit back down in awe - He's been talking about me? - and right as I was about to check Schlatt's pending message, I heard a voice sound next to me.

  "I remember you!" Simon Minter chirps and plops in the seat beside mine. I laugh - "Of course you do!" - and we make small talk. With the remaining 4G that I have left, I try to, in time, check what Schlatt has put.

Jschlatt
Keep it )

  I sigh in content as the corners of my lips turn up a little, and Simon glances at my phone. I lock it with a grin, even though knowing he's already seen the name, and we return to our normal flight routines for the remainder of the journey.

////

  "That was well fun, I'd love to hang out sometime!" Simon exclaims across the room as he waves at me, at which I mimic his actions, and we part ways with smiles beaming across our faces. It felt nice to be at home, and a raging adrenaline rush was just beginning to build up at the thought of the video views and subscribers that were about to come in once I begin to post regularly once more. Without being distracted by the wonders of PAX East, life was about to get good.

  In the cab, I check the replies to my recent Tweet. I posted a picture of Simon and I making strange faces at the camera, having talked so much that we were comfortable with sharing the friendship on our social medias. We've known each other a while, but never truly knew each other.

  Many comments were laughing at our expressions, some fans already coming up with fanart and comic strips for the duo on the plane, but several stood out. Talia was laughing and joking around in the comment section, which I appreciated from her, considering she's not an unreasonably jealous girl. Besides, it seemed like the whole British YouTuber community already heard the word about me and Schlatt flirting, which was no surprise, knowing me.

  Simon also responded, calling me 'ugly' for a gig, and Jschlatt simply put a full stop in the replies. A period? What is that even supposed to mean? Several replies later, he commented 'rip', and I decided to turn off my phone. I placed it in my bag, biting my lip in the process and furrowing my brows.

  What a confusing creature...

////

  The moonlight was glistening through the windows of my room and life in London was just starting to get vibrant. It was already 11 p.m., and I started up my Spotify with a bit of lo-fi to keep me company whilst unpacking, but it soon got too quiet for my liking in my abode. After pondering for a few minutes, throwing the dirty laundry up on the chair, I started up Twitch to see that Jshclatt was live.

  I turned up the volume as he played Minecraft with his friends in the background, but did make sure to take a few minutes to admire his gameplay.

  He was chatting, laughing, making jokes, and I could really sense the difference of his online persona versus him in real life. I felt a little bit guilty for not appreciating him as a whole before, a feeling which was accompanied by a sick sense in my gut.

  Distracted from unpacking, I sat on the floor and watched Jschlatt play and interact with his friends and viewers, his hysterical laughter cracking me up, as well as his jokes and bits. I smiled to myself as he took a pause to leave the room to get something, and I breathed deeply. He was enjoying himself so much that it had an effect on the audience, and brought ease to my body.

  It's really not all about the views, huh..

  Ready to go to bed, I brushed my teeth and washed my face, and crawled into the covers with my little laptop by my side. About to turn it off, I got a notification from my Gmail inbox - Angie has reminded me to check out the apartments and AirBNBs that she has picked out to rent for the movie directing process. Shooting was right around the corner, so I did as she suggested.

  Taking me about two hours to fully view and decide on a Los Angeles living space, I finally did as told and picked one without looking at the price, knowing it will be on Paul's toll. What do I have to lose?

  About to close the tab, right in the corner of my eye I spot another apartment. It was a penthouse with cream and Earth colored walls and interior and humongous windows, the glass stretching from the ceiling to the floor. Immediately I rushed to copy the link and scroll down to find the location, but to my misfortune, it was located in San Diego.

  I sighed, knowing there was no real reason to rent out or buy it, and just as I was about to close my laptop and drift off to sleep, an idea pinged into my head.

  Doesn't Schlatt live in San Diego?