Chapter 1 - Idea

It was just after midnight on the first day of March when my phone started going off with several texts in quick succession. I was trying to sleep so at first I was just going to ignore the quiet dings. But when they just kept coming, I peered at my screen.

Are you still awake?

Please tell me you're still awake!

Happy March 1, btw.

I just had the BEST idea for an April Fools prank!

But I need your help.

And it's going to take the whole month.

And I need to ask you a couple questions.

I REALLY want to do this thing!

But I can't do it without you!

They were all from Dan. I grumbled in complaint. I just wanted to go to sleep! What was so important that he had to give me this tease of a prank right before I wanted to go to bed? Because my curiosity was getting the better of me since I liked pranks, and it was making me just a bit excited. What was he thinking? I wouldn't be able to get to sleep now because I was so curious and excited.

With a sigh, I texted him back.

I'm still awake. Unfortunately. What do you want?

After a moment, my phone dinged again.

YES! Ok so I want to spend the whole month making it LOOK like you and I are dating. But not actually saying anything about it so they can't get too mad at us. But the Phan shippers are going to go insane and may even give you more hate than you're due. And so I won't do it if you don't want us to pretend. But I think it'd be hilarious. And we'd admit APRIL FOOLS before/after Phil and I upload the crafts video. What do you say? Want to?

I rolled my eyes. This was exactly what he would think of.

And how would we go about convincing the internet that we're dating? I asked, typing slowly and reluctantly, eyes squinting against the brightness of the screen even though it was turned all the way down.

The paragraph Dan sent took a few minutes to arrive, during which time I'd almost fallen asleep. But the pleasant ding of my phone jarred me awake again.

Well, like, actually go outside for a first thing. And get "caught" holding hands while we're walking or gazing longingly into each other's eyes at restaurants at dinner and taking selfies that get posted on Twitter and Tumblr and Instagram that hint at our "relationship" but never actually say it outright. The internet will draw their own conclusions and then we'll say PSYCH! I especially want to post v aesthetic pics of you on Insta because you don't really have one and make it look like I took it while you weren't looking so it'll seem v romantic.

You do realize this is setting BOTH of us up for PLENTY of hate from the Phandom right? I sent the message.

Well yeah. But they'll (hopefully) apologize when they find out we were pranking them.

Dan…

Ok. How about I call you in the morning and we'll talk about it more then?

Okay.

Good night!

Night Dan.

I put my phone back on my bedside cabinet and rolled onto my other side. Even though my mind was racing, half excited and half skeptical, I was just tired enough that sleep quickly came and claimed me.

I woke up to my alarm clock ringing. Usually I woke up before it and turned it off, but I'd almost slept through it. Mumbling with complaint, I turned it off and slowly bumbled out of bed, my eyes practically glued together with that gummy sleep gunk. I stumbled through the bedroom of my flat and out into the corridor so I could head to the kitchen.

I could hear my phone ringing from my bedroom. Sighing, I went back in and grabbed it off the cabinet. Dan's contact photo was grinning at me with an ironic peace sign and half of a smile. "Hello?" I answered groggily, heading back towards the kitchen in search of some breakfast.

"So have you thought more about my proposed April Fools prank?" Dan asked.

"Dan, I literally just woke up," I complained.

"So that's a no, then," he commented.

"Bravo, Sherlock."

"Should I call you back in a little while then? Just after you've had some time to puzzle it over?" He sounded so awkward. It was adorable. I sighed and ran my hand through my messy hair.

"How about I call you back after I have some breakfast?"

"Sounds great!"

"Okay. I'll talk to you in a little while."

"Alright!"

"Bye."

"Bye!"

We hung up. I made myself some toast and thought carefully about his idea as I slowly chewed. On the one hand, it would be absolutely hilarious to watch the internet trip over itself to get information and figure out what was going on between me and Dan. But on the other hand, we were both setting ourselves up for an absolute floodgate of hate from the Phan shippers—who were all very passionate. Not that passion was a bad thing, it was just going to swamp both of us. Still, it was better than any ideas I'd come up with for April Fool's Day.

I took a sip of chocolate milk.

I liked Dan. He was funny. A really good friend. To be honest I was flattered that he'd asked me and not someone else to be his April Fools girlfriend. I wouldn't say I knew him well, but this could be a good chance to get to know him a bit better. I wasn't in love with him or anything, but I did feel bad sometimes that we weren't closer friends given how close we lived to each other.

When I finished my toast, I went into my bathroom to just get ready before I called him back. I had my answer, I just wanted to make sure I'd considered all of my options before making this decision. For a joke, it wasn't one that could be made lightly. Due to Dan's massive following—especially in comparison to my much smaller one—this could potentially be the only reputation and legacy I'd have in the community for years to come.

If I said yes, it would change everything.

If I said no, there would be no change. Or adventure.

As I brushed my teeth, I contemplated my lack of adventurous spirit. I played almost everything safe. I didn't want to get hurt in any way. My biggest fear was pain. In the back of my mind, I heard a wise friend tell me, once again, that "there is such a thing as too safe, Star."

Wiping my mouth on the facecloth, I pulled my phone out of the back pocket of my not-denim skinny jeans. I pressed the phone icon in Dan's contact information.

Ring! Ring! Ring! My heart rate jumped with each ring. Why was I nervous?

"Hello?" Dan asked pleasantly.

"Hey Dan. It's Star. After much thought and careful contemplation, I've made my decision."

"And?" he pressed, almost cheekily. "What did you choose?"

I sighed. "I'm in."

End Note: So... in my Diamond Pills story, the main character has the same name as this main character. But I can assure you this is a different character. I'm just a notorious and horrific name re-user. Also, since this Star is supposed to be British, I try to spell and write as a British person would with the different spellings and words. However, I am an obvious American so don't hate me if I slip up.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! Leave a review if you've got a question or a comment or I spelled something wrong! Let me know EVERYTHING!