Marlon’s first ever Youtube channel was called Big Brother’s Playtime which created when he was 5 years old. His older brother, Elijah, was 7 at the time and their parent’s management team thought the siblings were cute enough to have their own channel and start their own platform to create a fanbase.
With the privilege of their parents’ big names and luxurious lifestyle, the channel’s popularity shot up practically overnight. Unlike most celebrity kids who were shielded and protected, the brothers were groomed to grow up in the public eye. They were adorable when they were little and gorgeous as they grew older.
When they were teenagers, Eli and Marlon changed their channel’s name to Eli and Marlon. They were a household name by that time, they no longer needed their famous parents’ last name. They created their own contents, they have their own team and they generate millions of dollars a year from their channel alone.
All of that stopped abruptly after Eli’s tragic death. The family went under the radar and there was nothing about them on the web ever since. If there was anything, Jan would know. She had been Googling all morning until that afternoon to find anything about their new schoolmate.
It seems the 15 minutes Marlon was at school that morning was enough to shake the ground of Pinehurst Valley, and the few seconds he passed by the hallway was enough to create a whole group of Marlon Dean Reynolds’ groupies. Chestnut was a town that never seen a celebrity of that scale, let alone having a whole famous family living in the area and being part of the community.
“So, what’s he like? Does he smell nice? He looks like someone who smells nice?” Jan asked eagerly as they sipped on their Strawberry smoothie at the Cafe by the beach.
Hazel nodded lazily, “Yeah … smells like a bottle of designer’s perfume … I think he spilled it on his hoodie or something.”
“What did you guys talk about? Is he nice?” Jan started to sound like a creepy fangirl.
Hazel grimaced, “He’s … he’s …” she couldn’t find the words. “He’s a bit smug, I think, I mean … I just found out how much he makes from his channel and how much his parents’ worth … thanks to your Googling skill … no wonder he seemed arrogant … indifferent … privileged, I guess.”
“Awww … but he’s cool, right? I mean compared to Eli, I always thought Marlon is the cooler brother … do you watch their channel?”
Hazel shook her head, not only because she doesn’t watch many Youtubers, she found their contents were too trivial for her taste. Jan couldn’t stop gushing over the brothers, she seemed to know more than she should have.
“Everyone’s talking about him all day, I mean they can’t wait to meet him tomorrow, do you think he’s a stuck up? Do you think he’d want to be friends with any of us?”
She raised her shoulders, “I was with him for 5 seconds, how should I know? He didn’t seem to want to be here … that’s for sure.” Hazel couldn’t make much comment about her new friend, though their encounter left a deep impression on her. Whether she admit it or not, she was a little star stricken by him. But she had something else on her mind, something that’s weighing her down.
“Hey … enough about him … sorry, I got carried away … how are you?” Jan’s expression turned somber, she was the first to find out about Lee’s departure and spent at least an hour and a half to comfort Hazel over the phone.
The moment it was brought to her attention, she felt a lump on her throat. “I hate him for leaving … but that’s just because I love him so much … so … not okay,” her voice cracked at the end.
Jan held her hand, “Ooh … I’m so sorry babe … it’s going to be okay … I mean, you guys have a solid relationship, it’s not like he’s breaking up with you.”
It’s not a break-up although it feels like it. He’s her first boyfriend and she wanted him to be close to her all the time. As selfish as it may sound, she needed him to be by her side, they grew so close in the past year she couldn’t imagine going through her days without him.
“Yeah … I guess so, I hate to be the one who kills his dream, you see how good he is … he deserves every chance to be whatever he wants to be … I just wish he could do it here with me,” she said.
“I know … the two of you are inseparable, even before you were a couple … he’s crazy about you too, obviously, I’m surprised he has the guts to leave … , but a talented guy like that doesn’t come very often, and it would be a waste if he doesn’t have the conviction to pursue his dreams, no offense, but I think you’re a great girlfriend if you can be the bigger person to let him go.”
Jan was saying basically what Hazel already knew in her heart, it was just easier said than done. In a way, there was a tiny speck of envy inside her because she didn’t have anything close as important as dancing was to Lee. Lee was the most important thing in her life, and he was leaving her for something he loves more than her.
“Hey … I know you don’t like talking about this but … are you guys … umm … have you guys done it yet?” Jan had been curious about it for months, even though the answer was still the same, she didn’t quite believe her.
Hazel was silent for a moment, “No … not yet … but I’m thinking about it … he’s going to be leaving for 2 years … I can’t see myself doing it for the first time with anyone else.”
There was a big grin on Jan’s face, “I think you should, it’s only fair that the two of you share your first time together, it would be awkward …” she giggled, “But you’ll get the hang of it eventually … and think of all the hot girls he’s going to meet in Korea, you’ll have tons of competition once he’s there.”
“Oh shut up,” Hazel nudged Jan with her elbow, as if she didn’t have so much to worry about already, Jan kept reminding her about the girls that Lee will be seeing in Korea.
Jan laughed, “It’s true though, I’m not gonna lie and say that I’m sure he’s going to be keeping himself for you … you might not even going to keep yourself for him, right? Two years is a long time for horny teenagers … hahaha, better use the time you have to bang your heads off before he leaves.”
Hazel responded with a pout, she had been thinking about losing her virginity to Lee for some time, but with the recent turn of events, she was having doubts. She wasn’t sure how she would feel after sharing something so important with Lee and have him leave her like it doesn’t mean anything. Before she could dwell on the thought any further, she felt a a breeze on her neck, followed by a soft kiss, the smell of his Cedarwood cologne. The very person she couldn’t stop thinking about, the one she was avoiding since the day before.
She turned around to meet his eyes and in an instant she couldn’t remember why she was so upset thinking about him, because all she could feel at that moment was how much she missed him and how glad she was that he kissed her neck the way he always does.
“Hey,” he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, “I thought you’d be here … wanna come hang at my house? No one’s home.”
They looked at each other, he had a meaningful smile on his face, she blushed and looked at Jan.
“Don’t look at me … I know when I’m not invited,” Jan raised her palm.
“No offense, Jan, I want to spend more time with my girlfriend … come on, do you wanna?” now he’s practically begging her to come home with him.
She laughed, “Is there any food? ’cause I’m hungry.”
He stared at her like he was going to punish her for being cheeky, “Of course there’s food … but is that really what you’re hungry for?” he held a smile.
“Oh God … okay, just leave me alone, okay … go away,” Jan scolded and motioned her hands shooing them away.
Lee and Hazel laughed, and they kissed a deep loving kiss as if they were making up for the bad news they had to share the day before.
“Go home! Jeez, really guys … don’t! Not right now when my love life is a train wreck … go … go … go … shoo,” Jan said.
Lee held her hand and pulled her from the sitting position, and so they went hand in hand the way they always do wherever they were.