Kyla and Kevin were at the mall. They were walking through a store. “You’re so quiet,” Kevin said. “What’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking,” Kyla said. “You have millions of followers. That must be so cool. But they’re not real friends. Don’t you miss that? And I know what you’re going to say. I’m just jealous.”
“Well, aren’t you?” Kevin asked. He smiled.
“No,” Kyla said. “Be serious for a second.”
“I guess I think of my followers as friends. We have our own little world. We’re in it together.”
“What if you never get them back? Will you be okay with that?”
Kevin noticed two girls. They were looking in his direction. Their phones were aimed at him.
Kyla had seen them too. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
He didn’t answer her.
“You might as well deal with it,” she said. “Before things go too far.”
He knew Kyla was right. “Hey, ladies,” he called out.
“You’re Kevin Sanders,” one of them said.
“I figured that’s why you were filming me.”
“I’m Tara. This is Chloe. Can we take a selfie with you?”
“Sure,” Kevin said. He stepped between them.
Chloe reached into her shopping bag. She pulled out a pie. “Would you mind holding this?”
“I’d rather not,” he said. “That prank is old. It’s something I’m not proud of.”
“Oh, sorry,” Tara said. “We didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay.” Kevin wasn’t mad at the girls. He knew they didn’t mean any harm. They were just trying to build their brand. The photos would drive some traffic to their page.
The girls got their selfies. Then Tara asked if they could interview him. “We’re making a show for YouTube. You’d be our first online celebrity.”
“Cool,” he said.
He was surprised by the questions. They didn’t ask about Brad Harris. Instead, they focused on his early career. They asked him what it was like to work with Bryan Lowe. Their old shows were still on YouTube. The pranks were still funny.
It felt good to talk about it. Those were great times. Kevin would be seeing Bryan later that day. He’d have to tell him.