AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I scrunched up my nose while I typed my reply.
I doubt that lol
Casey
Not what the internet thinks. Case in point: MnstrX staring at OracleMyth for 10 minutes straight.
I was not about to get baited by my best friend into watching an edit of Alex staring at me during the stream. That would be weird as fuck.
Even though my curiosity itched at the back of my mind, I shoved it aside. I put my phone away and focused on getting through the rest of my shift.
By the time work ended, I was exhausted. I stopped by the vending machine in the warehouse and got a Red Bull. I needed caffeine and sugar in my bloodstream if I wanted to get through the stream tonight. I had already downed half the can while changing out of my work clothes and into my normal clothes.
As I made my way straight to Alex’s apartment, I asked myself once again if I really wanted to do this and the answer was a resounding yes. It was going to be fun but also I could really use the money. The lease on the apartment I shared with four other women was ending in a month. I thought of extending it, but now with some extra money from doing this I was wondering if I might be able to afford to live by myself for the first time in my life. Ireally wanted that. Kind of pathetic that it took me until I was twenty-five but better late than never.
When I arrived at his place, Alex had already set everything up. There was a stack of papers on his living room table and the streaming setup was reorganized so there was more space at his desk. The apartment was somehow even cleaner than last night and smelled of vanilla. Then there was the huge box that was chucked on his sofa.
“Come in, please make yourself at home. You will be spending a lot of time here—” He trailed off. “Shit, that came out weird. You understood what I meant, right?”
I nodded. “You’re fine, Alex, relax. I’m not going to crucify you for saying something wrong.”
“Well I say lots of dumb shit so I sincerely hope you can put up with it,” he chuckled. “Anyway let's look over the papers and see if you have anything you want to change.”
He motioned for me to sit at the table and slid over the small stack of documents to me. I read through the contract and was surprised I understood the legal language more or less. It was all that Alex had said it would be last night. I wasn’t required to attend every stream and only got paid half of the revenue from the ones that I attended. Same went for any other income Alex got from his YouTube channel with my participation. I took note of the end date—exactly a month from now. On Valentine's day.
“This looks too good to be true,” I said as I signed the papers.
“Well, let me show you just how good it's going,” Alex said and slid over his laptop to me.
He had a tab opened with his YouTube account and pointed to the last video he had uploaded—the voice chat game—as he told me he would do in the morning. He had called it a ‘Hand and Brain Game of NLA.’
“It’s doing some good numbers,” he said, pointing to the screen.
I didn’t know what that meant to him because he had hundreds of thousands of views even on his most basic gameplay videos. Everyone and their mother wanted to watch him play and learn from him.
“I’m glad it is,” I replied.
Alex continued. “Also you should really start your own social media for your gaming tag. You might be streaming with me but you should have your own place where people can keep up with you.”
I blinked, caught off guard. “Me? I’m not exactly a social media person.”
“You don’t have to be a pro at it,” he said quickly. “Just something people can tag you in videos and posts. You don’t even have to post a lot, maybe a meme or a picture of something every once in a while.”
“I guess it’s something to think about.” I tried to end the conversation but he continued.
“No pressure. But trust me it can be really good for you. If you have ever considered playing or streaming professionally or even just on the side, this challenge between us can help you get a jump-start on that.”
He was right. I would be a fool if I didn’t try to make the best out of this attention. But I also knew what happened to gamers who also happened to be women and also happened to get a little exposure—they got harassed, stalked, and even hacked. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle that aspect of it. A cold shiver ran down my spine at the thought of what could go wrong.
But Alex seemed to be oblivious to that. Maybe he was rightand that I should just do it. He knew better than me, after all. And what’s the worst that could happen?
I wasn’t making bank at the warehouse. I wasn’t going to last a lot longer there either. My body was giving out. I needed an out and now that one was presenting itself I was going to take it.
“Okay, let's do it.”
“Great! Let's start with Twitter and Instagram,” Alex said, pointing to my phone.
We spent the next half hour setting up my profiles. Alex helped me write a bio and select a profile picture.
