Just Friends (Dan Howell)

Chapter Thirteen

The days blurred together. July melted into August, August into September, September into October. On October 14, I hit one million subscribers.

"Thank you guys so much!" I exclaimed to my camera, ecstatic. Jenny, Phil, and Dan danced around in the background, throwing confetti and balloons into the air. "I honestly never thought I'd be one of those big-name YouTubers, but thanks to all of you, here I am!"

"Maybe I should start a YouTube channel!" Jenny giggled from behind me. "I feel so tiny and pitiful, surrounded by all you popular celebrities!"

"Yeah, but you're practically engaged to one of those popular celebrities!" Dan teased, poking Jenny in the side. She squealed, falling on my bed to escape.

I turned back to my camera and announced happily, "Since you guys put in the effort to stick by me all this time, I'm gonna put the effort in this next week, by releasing a new video every week! It may be a challenge, a gaming video, or just me rambling to a camera while Jenny looks on in fear! But I can promise that for the next seven days, you'll be getting a new LilTalks video every day! Yaaaay!"

Just as I did jazz hands to commemorate the moment, there was a horribly loud POP! from behind me. I heard Jenny shriek, but her cry was quickly drowned by Dan's scream. I jumped out of the shot so that the camera picked up Dan's freak-out.

"Sweet mother Mary Jesus Joseph Fucker!" Dan screeched, scrambling away from Phil and dragging himself across the bed before falling off the other side to land in a crumpled heap at my feet. Then he sprung up, cowering behind the bed so that only his eyes peeked over the mattress. "Goddammit Phil, you know I hate it when you pop balloons!"

Phil grinned mischievously, tossing the remnants of the popped balloon at Dan, who screamed girlishly and swatted it away.

I laughed and leaned into the frame. "And with that, I'll sign off! Thank you all so, so much! I'll see you tomorrow with a new video! Tell me in the comments what you want to see. I love you all!" I turned off the camera as Dan, Phil, and Jenny waved.

I smiled, looking at Dan. "You're pitiful, sometimes, you know that, don't you?"

"Shut up!" Snapped Dan, his cheeks bright pink.

We all laughed as he huddled in a ball in the corner.

~~

"Ugh, that was disgusting!"

I leaned over the sink, coughing, hacking and spitting yellow gunk. I'd just done the cinnamon challenge, and it was wretched.

I stood up, walked over to the camera, and pointed an accusatory finger at the lens. "Well, I feel like I'm about to puke all my innards out of my esophagus, so thanks for that, Jenny442! You sadist!"

For the first day, I had decided to do a Truth or Dare video. It had been the most requested video on my Twitter and second channel, so I'd asked them to send in their dares and truths. Jenny442 had been the first to reply to my tweet: Dare! Do the cinnamon challenge!!!!!

I returned to the lounge with my phone and the camera set up. I read aloud, "This is a truth from Sidney. 'Have you ever fallen in love with someone over ten years older than you?'"

I scoffed, laughing. "Psh! No! Why would you say that?" Then I grabbed my Firefly blanket and sat back down, stroking one of the actor's faces. I murmured to it, "Sssh, they don't know about us yet!" Then I tossed it to the side and continued with the video.

Dan, Phil, and Jenny were out shopping for Halloween costumes. We were going as a group, and we're going to represent four emotions. Dan was sadness, Phil was joy, Jenny was jealousy, and I was going to be love. Not my idea, but it was a cute one nonetheless.