CHAPTER 23

Teo

“Let’s get me famous,” Teo said to Lucy as soon as it was his turn.

“And what’s your talent?” Lucy asked.

Teo pulled out his phone and showed her his homepage. “I want to be a world-famous YouTube star,” Teo said. “I have forty-seven followers, but I can do better. I have ideas. Lots of ideas.”

“I like you, kid.” Lucy smiled. “Let’s get started.”

Lucy followed Teo around for days and days and days. She recorded everything and uploaded it to social media. Then she had her other famous clients post and repost, again and again. In a matter of days, Teo had forty-seven million followers.

“Much better!” Lucy said. “But now we need to build your brand.”

“My brand?” Teo said, confused. “But I’m already famous. I have forty-seven million followers.”

“That’s nothing! If you want to stay famous, you have to keep up the hard work,” Lucy explained. “You need a brand. What makes you you?”

“Um, well, I like video games and movies and goofing around.…”

“Perfect! That’s your brand!” Lucy said.

So Lucy and the Ace Agent Agency camera crew followed Teo around. They filmed him playing video games, talking about his favorite movies, and goofing around on his skateboard. But as Sunday rolled around, he remembered he had plans.

“Sorry, I can’t film today,” Teo said. “I have plans with my grandpa Walt. We’re going kayaking and then mountain biking.”

“Kayaking and mountain biking are IN,” Lucy said. “But grandfathers are OUT. No one wants to see grandparents doing fun things.”

“I do,” Teo said.

“Do you want to be famous, or don’t you?” Lucy asked.

Teo thought about it. “I really do like being a famous Internet star, but… well, famous is temporary, but family is forever.”

As Teo walked away from his fame, he felt good about himself. When he went home, he and his grandfather made the funniest, most famous Internet video ever. It turned out Lucy was wrong about grandparents being OUT. They are very much IN.