by Evan Jacobs
Kevin and Kyla made their way across the room. They passed rows of booths. Every type of business was there. Clothing. Movies. Books.
All the noise had made Kevin dizzy. So far, no one had seemed to notice him. But then, he wasn’t trying to get attention. Just ahead, he saw a huge crowd. They were in front of a booth. It was Native Clothing. This was a good sign.
A few people were inside the booth working. One man stood out. He was older. His hair was short and spiky.
“Kevin!” the man called out. He walked up to Kevin. They shook hands. “Dave Morris, CEO of Native.”
“Hi,” Kevin said. “This is my girlfriend.”
Dave shook Kyla’s hand. Then he smiled at Kevin. “What do you think of this crowd? You’ve got a big following.”
At that moment, Kevin knew it would be okay. No matter what happened today, he was clear on one thing. He knew who he was.
It didn’t matter why people were here to see him. Maybe they loved the old Kevin. Or they were curious to see what happened to him. Many could have been new fans. They’d seen the photo Kyla took. Just a normal guy wearing a green shirt.
“Well,” Kevin said. “I guess it’s time.” He walked into the booth. There was a rush of excitement. People gathered around.
“Kevin Sanders!” they called out.
“Love everything you do!” someone shouted.
A single voice called out, “Selfie!”
Then others joined in. “Selfie!”
Something turned on inside him. It was like a light switch. Kevin loved being in front of a crowd. He loved everything about it. Talking to people. Taking selfies. Doing interviews.
When he’d gotten here, his plan was to hold back. He wouldn’t share too much. It was a way to protect himself. But that wasn’t him. Neither was the prankster. Kevin didn’t have to be either of those people. He could make it as himself.
CHAPTER 19
Facing It
Two hours had passed. There hadn’t been a single pie. Nothing stupid lasted long on social media. That included pranks.
Now Kevin could admit it. Prank videos were dumb. Some were funny. But mostly they ruined people’s day. Worse, they hurt people.
Someone from Native suggested that Kevin walk the floor. He could do a mobile meet and greet. Kevin looked out at the dense crowd. Then he looked at Kyla.
“It’s up to you,” she said. “But I’m kind of surprised. Before you were nervous just to be here.”
“I know,” Kevin said. “But what’s there to lose? Plus Native is paying me to work the crowd.”
“So you’re glad you’re here?”
“Yeah, I am,” he said.
Kyla followed him through the crowd. Every few seconds, someone called his name. Some people filmed him with their phones. Others asked for selfies.
“Kevvy,” someone called. “Can I get a pic?”
OMG. It was Chase. The last time Kevin saw him was at Show List. Chase had totally dissed him. Just as he came in for a hug, Kevin stepped back. He put his arm around Kyla.
“Hey, Kyla,” Chase said.
She gave a quick motion with her head.
“What’s up, bro?” Chase said.
“Not much. Just working,” Kevin said.
“Native? Really?” Chase asked. “What’s that like? You can tell me the truth. I won’t say anything.”
In the past, they both thought Native Clothing was a joke. Only nine-year-olds wore their stuff.
“The company is great. They hired me, didn’t they? Do you like my shirt? It’s part of their newest line. Dope, right? Maybe I can get you one.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Chase said. “It sounds like things are going good. Even after everything that happened. The way your fans turned on you. That was so messed up. I never believed what they were saying. Whenever I had an interview, I stood up for you.”
“Funny,” Kyla piped up. “We never saw any of that.”
Chase looked at her. Kevin just smiled. It was funny to see Chase get called out on his crap.
“Hey, Chase. You should watch out. What happened to me? It could happen to you too.”
“I hope not,” Chase said. “Do you want to do a prank?”
“Nah. I’m over that. I want to do something that helps people.”
CHAPTER 20
Owning It
Talent Icon had been a success. Native Clothing was excited to work with Kevin. The CEO said he wanted to make another deal.
Kevin and Kyla had left the center. They were walking to Kevin’s car. The night air was cold. Kevin pulled Kyla close to him to warm her.
“What do you want to do?” she asked. “Head home?”
“Yeah. The traffic is pretty bad. It’ll take a while.”
They got into the car. He started the engine. Then he looked at her. “You know what? I really want to see Bryan.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Kevin pulled out of the parking space. He drove slowly through the crowd.
“You don’t want to?” he asked.
“It’s not that. I just wonder if Bryan’s ready. He’s fine seeing just you. I’m not sure—”
“I don’t think he’d mind a quick visit.”
They drove away from the convention center. Traffic was slow.
Kyla squeezed Kevin’s hand. “What about you?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
Kevin stared out the front window. His eyes were focused on the line of cars ahead. They’d go for a few seconds, then come to a sudden halt. It was like that for miles.
“I feel like part of me died.”
Kyla laughed. “That’s deep,” she said. “You should post it.”
“I know, right? But it’s true. People only knew one side of me. The famous side. Maybe I will post something. It might help other people.” He looked at her.
“What?” she said. “What are you thinking now?”
“We should do something together,” Kevin said. “Kev and Kyla.”
“What would our show be about?”
“Something positive. How to use social media to make a difference.”
“I like it,” she said.
“Let’s talk to Bryan about it. He has good ideas.”
Kevin slammed on the brakes. Traffic had come to a sudden stop again.
“I almost forgot,” Kyla said. “I have something for you.” She reached into her coat pocket. “Here.” She handed a note to Kevin.
“What’s this?”
“Read it.”
Kevin opened the note. It was from his parents. They wanted him to know how proud they were. Whatever Kevin wanted to do was okay with them. They just wanted him to be happy.
He looked at Kyla. “They could have just texted me.”
“I think they wanted to make it personal. Like you did with Brad. Some things are better in person. Besides, I know it means a lot to you.”
“Keep telling me the truth,” he said. “Even when I don’t like it.”
“Okay. I’ll tell you the truth right now. I love the real Kevin Sanders.” She had drawn K + K on the frosty window. There was a heart around it.
Traffic was moving again. Kyla was on Instagram. “You’re trending,” she said.
Kevin looked over. It was a photo of him. He was wearing the green Native shirt. The Insta-world had met the real Kevin Sanders. “How many likes?” he asked.
CHAPTER 1
Killing It
Yeah!” Alden shouted. He sat at a computer. Fingers of one hand tapped the keyboard. The other hand moved the mouse. His eyes darted around the screen.
A young woman sat next to him. “No!” she shouted back.
They were talking to each other through headsets.
“Bad move,” Alden said.
“Dude!” she said. “Are you kidding me?”
“You shouldn’t be alive!” he said.
The players were tense. There was a lot to gain. And even more to lose. Reputation. Money. Pride. This was the
world of eSports. It was as big as pro football.
Alden went pro a year ago. He was a PC player. Many gamers would laugh at that. They only used consoles.
In the gaming world, it was a big debate. For Alden, it was about click speed. The PC was faster. The mouse gave good aim. That mattered in shooting games. Consoles gathered dust.
But Alden didn’t make excuses. He won. His gamer name was “Black Heart.” And he was in the world’s top 10.
Today’s game was Dead End. There was violence, of course. Guns. Lasers or bombs. Fist fighting at times.
Each level had two tasks. Kill the enemy and escape. There were only minutes. It took quick decisions. Fail, and your avatar died.
Alden was facing a great player. Her name was Kady Adams. “Red Ivy” was her gamer name. No one had played Dead End better. That would change today. It was Alden’s hope anyway.
Now the two sat side by side. People looking down saw only two small dots. That didn’t matter. The arena was filled with big screens. That’s where the action was seen.
Black Heart was a pirate. He had long brown hair. Red Ivy’s hair was crimson. She was dressed in a tank top and fatigues.
They fought. Guns went off. There were explosions. People watched in awe.
Every attack got cheers. Alden didn’t hear them. His headset blocked the sound. For now, the real world didn’t exist. He was in the zone.
There were five rounds altogether. So far, Alden had won two. He needed one more win. Then he would sweep the series. But Kady had never lost this game.
Today was different. Alden was feeling bold. He’d even said it to reporters. “Red Ivy is going down.”
The third round started. It was set in a chemical plant. A fire was raging. They had one minute to work it out.
“I’m coming for you,” Alden said into his headset. “That’s right. Stay right there.”
“Get off my back!” Kady yelled.
Bullets flew past Black Heart. They hit a tank of gas. Flames shot up. More tanks burst open. There was a string of explosions.
“Oh my God,” Alden said.
Black Heart flew across the room. He was down. Red Ivy started shooting.
Nine, ten, eleven. Alden was counting to himself. He knew her gun had twelve bullets. One more bullet and she’d have to reload. Twelve.
Suddenly Black Heart stood. The crowd gasped. This was sure death. Red Ivy’s gun clicked. She reached for another one. In that second, she was shot.
“Got you!” Alden shouted. The screens went black. The crowd roared. He jumped to his feet.
“Nicely done,” Kady said.
The two shook hands. Then the crowd rushed in around him.
“You’re the greatest gamer in the world,” someone shouted.
“Nah,” Alden said. He didn’t like to brag. It was better to act humble. “But I did kill it today.”