thejoelstrom 
1.8m followers
brittoni99 My future husband
yourchallengevideo Get out the Illuminati it’s not good bruh I’m telling Jesus don’t want you to worship Satan why you got time get outta Hollywood bruh that’s bad bruh
pjalicee 
braydyn.anderson Man your just a gift from god
lori.tho I just want you to know that you’re really cute and I stalk you all the time 
Joel Strom pulls into the driveway in his blue Porsche 911 Targa with a surfboard strapped to the top. His sun-kissed face is beaming through the open window at Valeria Leon, leaning against a parked BMW.
“Almost lost your boyfriend to a double overhead today!” Joel flashes Valeria a wide smile as he steps out of his car wearing a Thrasher hoodie and swim trunks.
“Sean’s not my boyfriend,” Valeria says. “He’s my relationship status.”
Joel takes off his HUF hat and runs a hand through his shaggy blond hair, frizzy from the day at Zuma Beach.
“What’re you doing out here by yourself?” he asks.
“Hails and Bea are out by the pool with your sister planning an impromptu million-dollar party in honor of Hailey reaching a million Instagram followers. I couldn’t bring myself to go in.”
Valeria has more than three million followers because of her acting career, and Joel has more than a million because he sold his soul on YouTube when he was, like, five. Neither of them cares.
Joel puts his hat back on and pulls the rim lower, casting a shadow over his American-money-green eyes. He motions for Valeria to follow him inside.
The TV is on in the living room when they step into the house. Joel’s mom, Kathy, is watching the just-released trailer for Platinum Triangle. The season 2 premiere is a month away. Joel knows his life is about to turn upside down.
Platinum Triangle revolves around the lives of several affluent families who live in the Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, and Holmby Hills neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The real stars are the family matriarchs, who are held together by Juvéderm and rosé. The teens have their own storylines.
For example, Valeria’s currently in a hot new romance with Joel’s best friend, Sean Johnson. There’s even a feature about it in the new issue of People magazine.
Q: When did you know he was the one?
A: When my publicist told me he was.
Actually, Valeria’s answer was something sweet. Something like “We fell in love at San Vicente Bungalows, a private clubhouse. You’re not allowed to take photos. We were able to create something real, totally off camera. Something that’s just ours.”
Something everyone follows.
As they walk past the entrance to the living room, they overhear the most heated part of the trailer, when Joel’s mom and Hailey’s mom, Whitney Paley, are at each other’s throats. It’s petty AF. Whitney and Kathy are best friends who don’t really like each other at all. Kind of like Hailey and Greta.
“Let’s talk about your fake fucking life,” Kathy yells on-screen. “Let’s talk about your marriage. How many times has Patrick cheated, Whitney?”
“At least my husband didn’t marry me so he could wear my clothes!” Whitney screams back.
Joel cringes. He’s been avoiding the trailer. He quickly leads Valeria out the back door of the house. She reaches over and gives Joel’s hand a quick squeeze before pulling away.
It’s going to be hard to get through the new season. It shows everything. His dad moving out, the transition…Joel’s handling the changes in his family better than his sister. Greta is self-destructive. On the first season of Platinum Triangle, she slit her wrists in front of the camera. Their parents threatened to sue the network if they aired the footage. Greta was disappointed—that had been the whole point!
They cut across the yard toward the pool, where Greta, Hailey, and Bea are hanging out, stoned and starving.
“Hey, Greta,” Joel says. “How many times has Mom watched the trailer?”
“Oh, I’d say at least a million.” Greta shoots a look at Hailey.
“Are you coming to my party, Joel?” Hailey lowers her sunglasses.
“A milli,” Joel says. “Quite the accomplishment.”
“Careful, Hails,” Valeria says. “It’s not all VIP access, gifting suites, and retweets. There’s a dark side to Hollywood. The trolls, the users, the stans, the—”
“—embarrassing press about your cousin from the Valley,” Greta finishes. She holds up her phone for Joel and Valeria to look at the Hollywood Life story.
“Who’s Lily Rhode?” Joel asks.
“Hailey’s trailer park cousin,” Greta answers. She turns to Hailey. “Does she have a fat family? I see a spin-off!”
Bea shrieks with laughter. “Can I please be there when you pitch it?”
“She looks like you, Hails,” Valeria says, looking at Lily’s mugshot.
“Yeah.” Greta smirks. “Just not as apathetic.”
Joel glances at the mugshot. Hailey must be mortified. Lily is something she can’t control. Hailey once got rid of a family dog because she thought its bark was “indiscreet.”
Hailey pushes her glasses up her new nose. According to her posts, she’s been in Côte d’Azur most of the summer, but the photos were all plagiarized. Joel knows she’s actually been locked in her room, recovering from the surgery.
“Literally everyone is trying to get on the list for my party,” Hailey says, checking her phone.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Joel says. “Viral is obscurity buying its time.”