Page 53 of Puck Your Feelings

Ace:Kane, your elephant sneeze is already a meme

Wall:I'm almost impressed

Petrov:Almost?

Wall:Don't want to inflate their egos

Ace:Too late, Beck's ego is already the size of the rink

Becker:Can confirm

Becker:Wait, there's a MEME?

Ace:[image attached: my face mid-sneeze with the caption "When you try to be authentic but your sinuses have other plans"]

I look at the image. It's horrifying. I'm showing approximately fourteen teeth and both my eyes are closed.

"I hate everything," I announce.

"Welcome to internet fame." Becker's refreshing the view count again. Twenty thousand. "Holy shit. Holyshit, Kane."

My phone buzzes with a text outside the group chat.

Dad:We need to talk. In person.

The warm feeling in my chest evaporates instantly. I show Becker the screen.

He reads it, his expression shifting. "Are you going to respond?"

"Not yet." I pocket my phone. "Let him sit with it."

"Bold strategy."

"Learned from the best." I look at him. "The best at avoiding things, that is."

His mouth drops open in mock outrage. "Hey! I take offense to that accurate assessment of my character."

"If it helps, you're also really good at creating problems for yourself."

"It doesn't help, but I appreciate the consistency." He checks his laptop again. "Fifty thousand views. Jesus Christ."

"Is that good?"

"Good? My average episode gets maybe ten thousand if I'm lucky. This is—" He runs his hands through his hair, making it stick up in seventeen directions. "This is bananas."

"Check the comments."

He pulls up the comments section, scrolling rapidly. His eyes go wide. "Oh."

"What?"

"They're... nice?" He sounds confused.

I lean over his shoulder to read.

This is mature and honest. Good for both of you.

Kane seems like a genuinely good guy. Hope his dad backs off.