Chapter 1

The entire room was filled to the brim with people who wanted to meet the Youtubers that were supposed to sit behind some tables at the very end by some huge signs. Fans were almost jumping over each other just to get through to the front and there was loud screams for different Youtubers. They hadn't come out yet, but they would any second to sign stuff and talk to their fans. I took that time to just observe the people around me from beneath my caps to hide my face. Big plushies of Sam Septiceye and Tiny-Box Tim were being thrown around the room and shirts of all kinds with logos on them could easily be seen through the packed crowd. Suddenly, screams started to rise in the front of the room, which soon spread across the whole room, as a couple of familiar faces came walking towards the tables with big grins. Jack's green hair was easy to spot and so was Felix's, or Pewdiepie's, flaming printed shirt, and the last in line was Mark with his red fiery hair and my heart skipped a beat. The crowd pushed forward as I was supposed to turn and go out of the room, but it ended with that I was just pushed further and further forth. In the end, I was almost at the front, squeezing myself against the wall to prevent getting even closer to the tables. Why had I even bothered coming? Why couldn't I just stay at home for once? I pulled my caps even further down, trying to blend in, but of course, someone spotted me. Jack's eyes lit up as he met my eyes and waved at me, but the fan in front of him luckily captured his attention again. I leaned against the wall, hoping that the signing would soon be over, so I could get the heck out of there.

The screaming and shouting became more silent as the crowd became smaller and smaller, but I could still not get to any of the exits. The closest one was right beside the signing tables, but then I would definitely be seen.

Luckily, someone had heard my escape prayers and a miracle appeared as the speakers in the room boomed with the sound of a woman's voice. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. There will be a 10 minute break at the signing. We encourage you all to step outside the room for a moment until the signing starts again."

I was still pressed against the wall as the crowd came with disappointing sighs and groans, but unwillingly left the room. Unfortunately, I was one of the last ones to start going out, and just as I thought I'd managed to escape, a familiar voice called out my name.

"Aurora!" Jack called out from the tables as I slowly turned around in the middle of the half empty room. "Rory! Hi!" He made a sign for me to come up to him, and I couldn't just walk away from him, so with a nervous smile, I walked towards my green haired friend.

"Hi, Jack." I said as I hugged him. It had been awhile since I'd seen him in person, almost a year. He still smelled the same though, like vanilla and a hint of something I could never quite identify. In that moment I discovered how much I had really missed him. "How are you?" I asked as we pulled away from each other.

"I'm great." He said with his chipper voice. "How are you? It's been a while since I've seen you." I nodded and bit my lip in nervousness. My eyes scanned the room for Mark, but he was nowhere to be seen. Like he could read my mind, Jack said: "He isn't here. He went to the bathroom." The chipperness in Jack's voice faded just a little bit as he said it, but I just plastered a smile on my face and shook my head.

"I wasn't looking for him. I…I was looking for Marzia." I lied, which I was 80% sure that Jack knew, but still he didn't comment about it. "It's been a long time since I've seen her and I wanted to say hello. Is Signe here as well?" Jack seemed to forget about everything as soon as someone mentioned Signe, his girlfriend's, name. His kind of worried look got replaced by his happy eyes again.

"Yeah! They're both in the back." Jack said and signaled for me to follow him. "I think Felix is there too and Mark should be there soon as well." The sound of Mark's name made my heart sink in my chest with guilt, anger and sadness. Oh, what have I gotten myself into now?

With my hands trembling from nervousness, I followed Jack through a door which led into a white and blue room with two comfortable looking couches and a table filled with water bottles and candy, and in the room stood three people that I had missed as well. Signe was the first one to see me and jumped up from one of the couches with a grin. In that moment, I realized how much alike Signe and Jack was, with their big dorky grin, love of puns and the constant chipperness.

"Rory!" She said as she almost skipped towards me and threw herself into my arms. Marzia was the next to join in on the hug, quickly followed by Jack and Felix. Laughter and weird noises rose from our little group hug, but I felt at home again.

"I've missed you all so much!" I said and the hug got tighter around me. The people around me had been my family for about 8 months, and they had been the best. I truly missed the hugs, the late night movies and long gaming sessions, but there was still one missing from our little family, and just as the thought crossed my mind, his voice rose from behind me.

"Who are we hugging?" Mark called out, and the noises stopped along with every muscle in my body. My friends, one by one, let go of me and looked at Mark who became more and more nervous. My eyes met Mark's and so many emotions were transferred in that moment. It was completely silent; the only noise came from the crowds in the distance.

"Hi, Mark." I said, but he was already headed for the exit and disappeared. I closed her eyes with a sigh, trying to hold back the stinging tears I knew wanted out, but I wouldn't let them. I turned slowly around to face the group behind me who was exchanging looks between the door and me.