The koi fish was dead.
Dawson poked it with a nearby chopstick and sighed. It wasn't that this life was all that bad, really, more so that it wasn't really his.
He didn't control anything.
He wanted to control something.
And that was when he found it.
Something called 'YouTube'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For internet-famous Dawson 'Sonny' Phan, YouTube is his life.
But something about the joy of it is slipping away from him- even as he moves to LA, YouTuber Capitol of the world, for inspiration.
He's not happy, even if he seems so on his many vlogs and videos.
And, as if that weren't enough, when his mother is diagnosed with late-stage cancer, he must return to his nowhere town to care for her and her rundown Chinese Buffet.
It seems that life as Dawson knows it is over.
Until, that is, he meets Maxine Jerrald, a fan of his channel and a journalist for the town's local magazine.
Maxine is in a different place: happy with who she is, where she is, and what she does.
And as it turns out, she's exactly what Sonny needs, right then.
If only they would get along for long enough to find that out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A morbidly funny tale of finding yourself, finding all the right others in all the wrong places, and growing up, Phan Fiction will make you laugh, cry, and everything in between!
How To Be The Best Third Wheel is now published as a Paperback & E-book by Wattpad Books!
As a Wattpad reader, you can also now access the Original Edition for free and the Wattpad Books Published Edition here upon purchase.
It's the last year of high school, and everything has changed . . .
*****
After a summer spent in the Philippines, Lara Dela Cruz is eager to start her senior year and, most importantly, reunite with her three besties. But what she did not expect was to show up on the first day of school to all three of her friends now in relationships. Fighting for their attention, catching some new and confusing feelings for long-time frenemy James, and wading through the pressures of post-high-school plans all have Lara reeling. And to make matters worse, Lara's beautiful and untrustworthy cousin conveniently appears and wiggles her way right between her and James' budding relationship. Feeling like a third wheel in more ways than one, Lara must learn to accept that change is inevitable, love is complicated, and being the odd one out is sometimes where inner power is found.
[[Word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]
Cover design by Jill Caldwell
Wattys 2020 YA fiction Winner
Wattpad Books Prize Winner