Real life haters?

I started to get a little worried. That frown wasn’t that of confusion or curiosity, but actual distaste. And I was pretty sure I didn’t know this girl at all. She seemed my age, and while I don’t believe I ever saw her at school, I could be wrong since I really don’t recall everyone there. But still… What did I do?

“You. You’re Oliver, right?” she asked, sure of what she was asking and seemingly only doing it as a formality.

“Uh… Yes. I’m sorry, but… have we met?” I asked with a small, apologetic smile.

“No. I just know you because of your channel,” she said. “Are you here to laugh at us or something?”

“Ah? E-Excuse me?”

“You do know people only sub to you because of the cat, right?”

My smile fell and my face went numb. No, not just my face. My hands, too, and my chest tightened and froze. It was like a knife I wasn’t expecting being driven into my heart.

“W-What…?”

“You’re one of those that uses whatever they can to get views, aren’t you? How do you **** your cat to sit there while your guitar is screeching?” she asked.

My mouth went dry and my bottom lip quivered instead of properly forming a sentence. “I don’t… What are you…”

“Luna, let it go,” Ruby, the girl behind her, said, picking up her keyboard and throwing it on her back like a backpack. Yet when she looked at me, I could see the same distaste as her friend’s. “It’s not worth it.”

Fern’s face went pale as she watched the exchange in silent horror. I… couldn’t say anything, didn’t want to say anything back. I didn’t get angry, really. I just… stepped away and turned around. Fern didn’t say anything to them, either and simply followed me.

We walked in silence for a few seconds before my vision blurred for a split moment. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. They weren’t tears, thankfully, but… even my head was starting to feel numb now.

“Oliver? I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know…” Fern took my hand and caressed it gently, yet hesitantly. She didn’t know if that was the right move.

I **** a chuckle and smiled at her. “Come on, how could you have known? This isn’t your fault. But man, that was weird, right? Haha.”

She didn’t buy it. I don’t think she would’ve even without the connection. She frowned and gripped my hand tighter.

“Are you okay?”

“...” I swallowed and smiled wryly. “No, not really. Pathetic, isn’t it? A random stranger talks shit at me and suddenly my mood is ruined.” I sighed, shook my head and took an even deeper breath. “Well, whatever. So I have haters. That’s not news. Never expected to run into one in the wild, so I guess that’s a funny anecdote…”

Those words weren’t meant for Fern. They were meant for myself. I was the one who needed to hear them. And yet, despite saying the words out loud, that girl’s words echoed even louder in my head.

Just for the cat…

Screeching guitar…

“You know I like your music, right?” Fern said. “Liked it before I started liking you. And she clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Cake just runs to you whenever you start playing, doesn’t she?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Let’s just… forget about it, okay?”

“You won’t, though.”

Come on. Dating for less than a day and she knows me this well already?

“At least, I wouldn’t. I don’t.” Fern sighed. “I don’t share my art on social media now, but I used to. When I was 16, I drew a character from a show I loved and was really proud of how it turned out. I uploaded it and was getting really nice comments and a fair bit of likes. Then hours later, someone replied with a drawing of their own, saying they had ‘fixed’ my art because my style was ugly. They just… took my drawing and changed the nose, the lips, the eyes, the skin tone… Even though I was very faithful to the original style. That person’s drawing got a lot more traction than mine, but I thought nothing of it. When next I posted something, it happened again. I suddenly started getting a lot of nasty comments. I… couldn’t handle it. I deleted everything and got off social media.”

I grimaced. “I hear that happens a lot. Artists starting fights with other artists on purpose to gain exposure.”

Fern nodded. “I understood that later. Back then I thought I just wasn’t welcomed. Still haven’t grown the courage to share my stuff again. But you? I’ve read some of the comments you get, the nasty ones. But you still upload, right? You still make new songs. I think that’s amazing.”

I smiled. “I think I told you once before. It’s… for people like you. For the ones that actually like what I do. I start thinking, ‘Well, this person isn’t going to miss me if I’m gone, but the ones that like these videos will, So I’ll just make another one,’ and… Well, now it’s been like seven months, I think?”

Fern smiled back. “See? And how many subs are you at now?”

“Um… Like 8K, I think? But I try not to worry too much about that.”

“I bet those girls are just jealous that you have more than them. Let me check!” Fern took out her phone and began to type.

“Fern, I’m already feeling better thanks to you. Let’s really just put this behind us, okay?”

She kept typing and scrolling down her phone… until she found what she was looking for. Then she locked her screen and hurriedly put her phone back in her back pocket. “You know what? You’re right. Let’s just forget about it!”

I let out a genuine chuckle and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Fern. Seriously, you made me feel better. That wasn’t your fault, okay?”

She let out a sigh of relief. “Okay.” She nodded. “I’m not subbing to them now, though. Fuck them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Say, are you the type to hold grudges?”

“Hm? A little bit. Sometimes. Why?”

“No reason…”

I was starting to grow the uncomfortable feeling that I might have started to date myself, but that was a thought I very strongly decided to ignore for the rest of my life.

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