CHAPTER 2
1049 Words
The rent notice layed on the table, a remider of their impending eviction. Luna and Summer sat on the floor, surrounded by sticky notes, a laptop, and half-eaten instant noodles.
"Okay, idea one: we sublet the living room. We sleep in shifts. I take nights, you take days" Luna pointed at one of the sticky notes before them.
"Idea two: we turn the balcony into a “premium rooftop lounge” and charge the neighbors $5 for sunset vibes"
"That’s illegal and also we’re on the second floor"
"Details! People love vibes, Luna"
"Fine, what about selling my old design work online? I can crank out logos this weekend"
"And I’ll run TikToks of me “reviewing” your logos while doing ridiculous dances. We’ll go viral, people will buy, rent is saved!"
"That’s actually not terrible"
"I know! I’m a genius!" Summer grinned
"Idea three: we ask Mrs. Beck next door if she needs dog-walking help. She’s got three dogs and hates walking them in winter"
"Idea four: bake sale! But not boring cookies. We make “orphan-approved emergency brownies” and sell the story with the brownies"
"People will buy the story and the brownies"
"See? We’re unstoppable when we brainstorm together. I can become a professional hype girl on t****k live 'You've got this, you can fold laundry' $1 per shout"
"How do you come up with these crazy ideas" Luna laughed, stuffing her mouth with the cold noodles
"Trust me, rich people will pay for my premium hype service. Coming from a professional Tiktoker"
"Whatever you say. We still need $800 by Friday"
"Then we do all four! Logo hustle, dog walks, brownie hustle, and if we’re desperate, the balcony lounge opens at 6pm sharp"
"You’re ridiculous"
"And you’re brilliant. That’s why it works Luna"
They high-five, both grinning despite the stress. For now, the plan feels possible.
"Alright, CEO of Chaos. You handle t****k. I’ll handle the laptop"
"Deal. Rent doesn’t stand a chance against us"
3 HOURS LATER
"Does the dress look good?" Summer frowned, smoothening the layers of a purple dress "Why do I feel like it's making me look fat?"
"Summer that's the fifth dress you've changed into. You're making a t****k not a commercial, you look cute enough"
"You don't get it, do you?" Summer sighed dramatically "I'm the visual of this content sis, I'm the attraction here"
"Alright, alright. Enough with the drama, I'm done cleaning so we can start now" Luna smiled brushing Summer's cheek. She paused noticing the coloured powder on her hands "Are you wearing make-up?"
"Focus Luna, Focus" Summer moved away nervously "This t****k ain't gonna make itself"
"Alright, let's begin" Luna moved behind the laptop and started the video "Action!"
"Okay t****k, today we’re reviewing Luna's desperate but cute logo for Mrs. Beck dog-walking service.
Rate it: 1 to “take my money.” Summer held up the logo
"it’s got a corgi. It winks. That’s 10/10 already"
"Don’t make it wink!" Luna whispered off-screen
"Too late, it winks! If you want a logo that winks at your customers, DM us! "
"Aaaandd cut!" Luna stopped recording and Summer ran behind the screen eagerly
"Okay… hit post. Now we wait 5 minutes and become viral"
15 minutes pass. The view count ticks to 39. No comments. No DMs.
"How many views?" Luna asked, leaning in
"39. All of them are probably us refreshing"
"Refresh again"
Summer refreshes. Still 39. A notification pops up: “Your video was removed for violating community guidelines impersonation.”
“Impersonation?!!! I was wearing glasses. That’s not impersonation, that’s a vibe!" Luna half-yelled, eyes widening in disbelief
"I thought you said you were a professional" Luna teased, unable to hold back her laughter
"This is outright sabotage, Luna! It was just glasses"
"I told you not to wink"
"That's part of the vibe, you're 25, you won't get it'
"You make 25 sound old"
"We can't just sit back and watch them destroy our dream of being t****k influencers"
"-Your dream"
"This won't do... I'm going to file a complaint" Summer grabbed the laptop
"No we're notttt" Luna snatched the laptop "You can be a Tiktoker whenever you want. Right now we have to move on with Plan B or we'll have to sell your laptop and phone"
"You monster!" Summer screamed, hugging her phone and laptop, a mortified expression on her face, dramatic as ever
Luna let out a loud laugh " I'm just kidding, relax. But we seriously need to come up with a plan by Friday and it's Wednesday already. And don't think I didn't notice how you didn't attend classes today"
"This isn't the time to be concerned about academics Luna. Focus! Focus"
"You-"
"Okay, Plan B. We go old school. Flyers, dog walks, and I’ll re-record the t****k without the glasses. Apparently t****k isn't ready for my swag"
"I don't think anyone's prepared for that thing you call swag" Summer joked "But plan B seems doable so let's goooooo"
"Let's goooooooo!" Summer squealed in a ridiculously high pitched voice
"Gosh. You're so loud" Luna covered her ears "This is exactly why the neighbors don't like us"
"Speak for yourself Luna" Summer flipped her bright, red hair "I'm loved by all"
"You broke Mrs Trevor's window trying to impress your crush with your non-existent soccer skills. She uninvited you from her Home-coming party last year and you murdered Mr Keith's pet frog. He still gives me that look whenever he sees me"
"How was I supposed to know it was a pet??!! Who keeps a frog as a pet? Besides it invaded our home, it was self defence"
"Yeah, right"
"You know me Luna, it attacked me first. You have to believe me"
"I know you Summer, which is precisely why I don't believe you. You have an.... history of murdering pets" Luna said trying to hide her laughter
"I didn't kill that fish Luna. I was innocently standing beside it, minding my own business and the jar fell itself"
"Yeah, I believe you"
"No you don't!"
"Quit following me around Summer, I already said I believe you"
"I need a lawyer... This is defamation of character"
"Oooouuuuu, I see those law movies are paying off" Luna chuckled
"I hate you"
"I love you too"
- Writer
