Warning: A secondary character is v shitty and transphobic in this chapter. Also, sorry about forgetting to post chapters the last two days lol i have depression

Preston decided to take a break from working on a scripted video--a first for her!--to watch some dumb vids.

Oh, Colton Keese had a new video. Might as well watch.

"Hey Colton crew, today I'm gonna be PRANKING my GIRLFRIEND by telling her I'm a transgender and seeing how she reacts! It should be hilarious, so let's go! And don't forget to watch till the end to find out more about this week's giveaway of exclusive Colton Keese merch!"

Preston frowned but kept watching. This prank seemed super questionable but she couldn't really judge until she had watched the video.

Colton was now sitting on a couch across from his girlfriend--another influencer named Layla, they did a lot of couples content--with a mock serious expression on his face.

"So what did you want to tell me, Colty?" She leaned forward and patted his knee. "You know I'm always here for you, babe."

Colton turned and winked at the camera with the eye facing away from Layla, then turned back. "So you know how some people get sex changes?"

"Sure, like that one reality star. Wait, babe, you're not gonna do that, are you?"

"So I've realized that, uh, I'm transgender and I want to be a girl actually. I have the surgery to get my dick removed scheduled for next month so I figured I should let you know."

"What?! Baby, you must be kidding." She gazed at his face, which he just barely managed to keep solemn. "What the fuck?! Colty, you know I'm only into men. I don't want to date some kind of weird he-she. Like, what the hell, you can't just drop something like this on me!"

Colton finally cracked. "LMAO you should have seen the look on your face, babe! Of course I'm not gonna do that, are you kidding me? Like, I'm not a weirdo."

"Oh, thank God, baby, for a moment there I thought I was gonna lose you. You're such an asshole!" She tried to slap him but he dodged. 

The video cut to Colton in his studio. "I can't believe she believed me! Hey, if you're enjoying the video so far, don't forget to like and subscribe, and turn on notifications to join the Colton crew! And leave a comment for a chance to enter this week's giveaway of my exclusive branded merch, including snapbacks, watches, sunglasses, and more! Make sure to watch to the end for more info. Now I'm gonna go prank my friends!"

It cut to Colton sitting in a room with his friends Shelton and Hunter, along with two other members of his entourage whose names Preston forgot.

"Hey guys, I have a really big thing I need to get off my chest. I hope we can still be friends after this, but I understand if it's too weird for you."

"You know we're here for you, man." Hunter said. The rest mumbled in agreement.

"So... I'm a transgender, meaning my brain is a girl brain, basically. So I'm gonna be changing in a lot of ways, like getting boob implants and long hair and stuff."

"Whoa, what the fuck, dude?! That sounds super sus," Shelton blurted out. 

"Yeah, no offense, but you as a girl? C'mon." Hunter said. "At best you'd be like one of those sad trannies on talk shows. Gross."

"Yeah, what are people gonna think about us? They're gonna think we're gay if we hang out with you. Fuck, we'll probably all lose a bunch of subscribers?" Shelton said.

Colton started laughing uproariously. "Shit, dudes, I can't  believe you fell for it! It's a PRANK, bro! Colton Keese is ALL MAN." He pounded his chest.

"Goddamnit, dude. Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack." Hunter started laughing. "Damn, you got us good, though, bro."

Preston had had enough. She exited out of the video.

What the FUCK.

Preston sat listlessly on the edge of her bed, and took a sip of her Bud Lite. It was her third that night, but it still wasn't enough to stop the feelings racing through her head.

In her other hand she was holding the controller to her ring light. As she thought she fidgeted with the buttons anxiously. The ring light clicked through its different settings, and Preston's shadow warped and shifted on the wall behind her.

Click. Click.

She wasn't a girl, no matter what Nikki said. She was a guy. She always had been and she always would be. She couldn't just decide to change that. 

Click. Click.

Anyway, she didn't want to be a girl. That bit was played out, like Marcus said. What, was she just going to be a girl in all of her videos from now on? Ugh. So forced.

Click. Click.

Even if she did feel like a girl, even if she wanted to be a girl, it clearly wasn't an option. Nobody would ever take her seriously as a girl. Sure, Nikki had called her cute, but she was just being nice. And sure, she had kissed her, but that was only because Preston had initiated it, and Nikki was too sweet and nice to reject her. And sure, she had seemed like she really liked it, but... she didn't. How could she?

Click.

Maybe Preston wasn't the smartest person around, but she wasn't an idiot. People liked her because she was funny. That had been her thing, for her whole life. Whenever she felt anxious or uncomfortable, she would say some stupid line, or fall over, and people would laugh, and she would actually fit in. She would never fit in if people knew she was... trans.

Click.

There were so many good reasons not to be a girl.

Click.

And yet...

Bzzzt.

Preston looked up. Her phone had been buzzing for a while, with messages from Nikki that she couldn't bring herself to look at. But those had stopped an hour or so ago, and she figured that Nikki must have gone to sleep.

She let go of the controller and picked up her phone. It was a DM from Colton Keese.

hey man just had a funny ass idea for a video. I mean tbh my boy Dalton was the one who came up with it but I figured out how to make it way funnier

wanna collab on it?

A week ago, or even a few hours ago, Preston probably would have been overjoyed. A second collab with Colton would be huge. And he was reaching out to her. If she was funny enough, maybe she wouldn't even have to build her own audience. She could become a part of Team Keese, cracking jokes and pulling pranks together for millions of adoring fans.

She stared lifelessly at her phone for a while, then put it down, finished her drink, and went to bed.