Out of spite.

Admittedly, Noelle still looked very cute when angry, but I wasn’t about to cheapen her feelings by telling her that right now.

“Um… N-Noelle?” Mila asked.

“Are you serious right now!? You mean I’ve been losing sleep and worrying I did something to make people hate me… Just because a couple of insecure bitches don’t want me to steal their spotlight!?”

WOAH!

“This is bullshit! Just how petty and pathetic do you have to be to pull something like this!? Not to mention all those fans who mindlessly attack someone because their favorite streamer told them to!”

Red let out a loud bark, and the panting and wagging of his tail very much made it sound like a bark of agreement.

“Um… This is… It’s likely that it was them, Noelle, but it’s not a certainty,” Grace told her, a little taken aback by the usually quiet girl’s outburst.

“You know what? At this point I don’t give a damn! I’m accepting the offer they’re making me! I’m joining AniLove!”

Again. Woah!

Unlike Grace, Alice and Mila who were surprised and a little put off by Noelle right now, Diana, Sarah and I were 100% on board with it. Something about her anger felt righteous, and the fire in her eyes spoke not just of frustration, but also of resolve.

“Y-You’re accepting?” Mila asked. “But you’d be working with the same girls who’re doing this.”

“Exactly!”

Oh boy.

“Yes! That’s it!” Sarah cheered. “Show them, girl! They’re scared you’ll steal their spotlight? Then go ahead and do it!”

Diana nodded her approval with arms crossed below her chest. “I agree. There’s nothing better than succeeding where others want to see you fail. You can either let their scorn hold you back or fuel you. We know which one is more productive.”

Alice smiled in defeat. “So you’d make a decision this big on spite alone?”

“Well, I was already considering it, right? There are pros and cons to either choice, but…” Noelle shook her head, fist clenched hard over her knees. “Dammit, I just can’t stand the thought of letting them think they can get away with this kind of crap! Getting what you want by putting others down instead of bettering yourself is just… wrong!”

Noelle raised her head and turned to look at me, her eyes asking for reassurance. I smiled at her and nodded. “I told you we’d support you no matter your choice. I… do suggest giving it a day to make sure you’re not totally letting your emotions make the choice for you, but I don’t think what you’re feeling is wrong. If anything, I also want to see you succeed and prove these girls wrong. Just remember and keep in mind what you really want. The opinions of strangers shouldn’t sway you, and even our opinions shouldn’t **** your hand. But if you still decide you want to go through with this, then I suppose we better make sure to get you a room to stream in the near future.”

Noelle blushed, her anger cooling as she began to fidget in her seat. “S-Sorry, I just… I don’t…”

“Hey, it’s fine to let that stuff out every so often,” Grace told her. “It was… surprising, but it’s fine.”

“Yeah, no one can blame you for feeling angry over this crap,” Sarah agreed.

“Oliver does have a point,” Diana said. “If you’re going to do this, be careful of letting those emotions out in front of your possible future coworkers. You’ll be facing more hardships, but the best way to fight back is to not let it affect you. Or at least, not let it show. There will be times when it’ll be too much to bear, but… Well, that’s what we’ll be there for, right?”

“I-I’ll give it my best, I promise. In the end, I’m taking this job so I can help, too. I…” Noelle’s face fell, her shoulder slumped with sudden exhaustion and her arms fell limply. “Oh. And… I’ll have my studies to worry about at the same time, huh?”

“No one said it was going to be easy,” Diana told her.

“I know! F-Fine, I’ll prove I can do this! To you and those petty girls causing dumb drama!”

I chuckled and the girls all laughed and cheered, but Noelle’s resolve was really contagious. I couldn’t lag behind her. I had my own stuff to deal with, an offer of my own I needed to settle.

As the atmosphere in the room brightened and our talks turned to more lighthearted topics, I was reminded of our goal, the reason we did what we did. I wanted to have many more times like these.

I wanted to have Sarah tell us more stories about the things she was interested in, like that story about the soccer player she liked. I wanted to have more discussions with Grace and Alice over what pets they would rather have. I wanted Mila to share with us how her modeling career was going. She had visited some modeling schools and there were a couple she was considering with her parents. I wanted Noelle to continue feeling like she was free to express herself however she wanted around us, letting out her anger and laughing minutes after. I wanted Diana to continue teaching us things, even if they were disgusting. I mean, the miracle of life is a beautiful thing and all, but I wasn’t prepared to watch a video of a cow giving birth that day. Diana said the cow was called Shelly and they named the calf Mindy, both from her old ranch.

I wanted THIS to be my life. Afternoons or evenings sharing stories, anecdotes, pain and happiness. Cheering for each other’s success, comforting each other after our failures. And… Well, yes, days and nights of non-stop sex whenever time allowed.

That day, though, we left it at that. No sex, no mind-numbing pleasure leaving us hot and sweaty. Only the comforting warmth of companionship.

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