Power Stone Goals from now on: I always post a minimum of 5 chapters. Henceforth the following are the goals:
Every 150 powerstones, I upload an extra chapter.
If we hit top 30 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we hit top 10 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we are top 5...well lets get to that first. Happy readings!
Chapter 25: Dating?
Quickly after the kiss, Crystal seemed a little flustered. She didn't say much—just quietly stepped out of the trailer and walked away. I didn't follow her. I just sat there on the sofa, staring at the laptop still open on the table.
A few minutes passed, maybe five, maybe a little more, and in that short span of time, my mind went through a dozen different thoughts.
Had I messed up?
Had I read the moment wrong?
She kissed me back, sure, but she also left right after. That part stuck in my head more than anything else.
I didn't want to be the guy who made things awkward, especially not with someone I had to work with day in and day out for the foreseeable future. It wasn't like I could just avoid her or pretend nothing happened.
We were co-stars.
We were filming together almost every day.
Not to mention the fact that, emotionally, I was already starting to blur the line between Scott's feelings and mine.
As I continued to sit there, playing out every possible scenario in my head, there was a sudden knock on the trailer door.
Before I could even respond, the door creaked open, and Dylan walked in casually.
"Dude, what happened?" he asked, looking more curious than concerned. "I saw Crystal heading into her trailer. Thought you guys were hanging out."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I kissed her."
There was a pause, and Dylan blinked at me, clearly caught off guard. "Wait—what?"
"I kissed her," I repeated, this time a bit more slowly, as if I was trying to convince myself it had actually happened.
"No way. Are you serious?" he asked, now looking both amused and confused.
I didn't answer right away, just gave him a helpless shrug.
"That's kind of amazing, man," he said with a grin. "How was it?"
"I don't know," I said honestly, and then I explained what happened to him.
Dylan nodded thoughtfully, then gave me a light slap on the shoulder. "I didn't know you had it in you. Smooth move."
"Yeah, real smooth. She literally left the second it happened," I said, slumping back into the seat.
"She probably needed a moment. It's a lot, especially with the way you two have been around each other lately. Don't overthink it. If she really hated it, she wouldn't have kissed you back."
"Then what am I supposed to do now?" I asked, genuinely unsure. I wasn't exactly experienced in navigating this kind of dynamic—romantic tension mixed with professional commitments. In my past life, I'd spent so much time working that relationships always took a back seat.
"If it were me?" Dylan said, leaning against the door. "I wouldn't just sit here doing nothing. You like her, right?"
I nodded.
"Then go talk to her. Clear the air. Worst case, you at least know where you both stand."
That was all I needed to hear. I stood up without saying another word, grabbed the door handle, and turned back briefly. "If you want to read more of the novel, it's on the laptop—go for it."
He waved me off with a grin, and I stepped out of the trailer, walking briskly toward Crystal's. My heart was still beating a little too fast, but Dylan was right.
Sitting around guessing wasn't going to fix anything. I needed to know where we stood—whether I'd made a mistake or taken a step forward.
As I made my way toward Crystal's trailer, I found myself repeating a quiet reassurance in my mind: that everything would be fine.
Whether or not I fully believed it was another matter, but the act of walking with intention helped keep me grounded.
It wasn't long before I arrived at her trailer door. I paused for a brief moment, hesitating, before finally knocking.
She answered after a short delay, her eyes scanning the surroundings briefly before settling on me. "What is it? Why are you here?" she asked.
I paused, unsure of what reaction I had expected but slightly surprised by her tone. "I want to talk about what just happened," I said.
"What's there to talk about?" she replied.
"Can I come in?" I asked.
She stepped aside without another word, motioning me inside. I entered, and as the door closed behind me, I kept my attention fixed on her.
"What do you mean, what is there to talk about? We both just kissed."
"Yes. And there's a reason I'm not talking about it," she said as she turned away and took a few steps inside.
"And why is that?" I asked.
"Because," she said, pausing for a moment before turning to look at me. "How about we start with the fact that I am twenty-six and you're eighteen? Or the fact that we're going to have to be working together for the next few years if the show goes well? What if this doesn't work out? What if we mess it up? Also, I've been treating you as a friend recently. I don't want to mess that up for something that I don't know will go well."
I took a breath, absorbing her words. "I understand. I didn't mean to complicate things. I just didn't want to act like it didn't happen."
She moved toward the sofa and sat down. I followed but took the chair across from her to give her some space.
"I get where you're coming from. I don't have an answer either," I said. "But I think we're capable of being honest. We are both adults...we can talk this through."
She nodded and then added, "I am scared Jace...you just stepped into this world. You don't understand how invasive the media is. How nosey random people are about our lives."
I reached forward and grabbed her arms, holding them tightly trying to give her reassurance.
"I am scared as well." I told her as I leaned down a bit to get in her eye-line, "What do you say we be scared together."
We both paused there for a little, until she eventually laughed a little and said, "You know it took you long enough to take the initiative."
???
What?
Seeing the look of confusion on my face, she elaborated, " What, did you seriously think I have no one else to hang out with that I had to call you to go shopping for? Or how about all the times I initiated conversations with you, hoping you would take the lead."
I paused a little, realising what she meant, before I said," I just thought you were being friendly…"
"Well then." She said as she stood up, and I stood up with her.
"I just guess I will have to be careful in the future so you know the difference on when a girl is 'friendly' and when she is trying to get into your pants."
I smirked a little at the last part of the statement.
"You were trying to get into my pants?" I asked her in a teasing tone.
"Oh shut up."
…
I did spend some more time with Crystal, and we both agreed that we didn't want too many people on set to know that we were trying something out. It was still early, and we were just seeing how things would go.
We also decided to each tell one person we trusted, someone who wouldn't make a big deal out of it. For me, that was Dylan, who, conveniently, was already in my trailer when I got back.
As I opened the trailer door, Dylan looked up from my laptop, grinning. "Dude, this is amazing! Why didn't you tell me Klein was going to do this?"
"Which part are you at?" I asked, a bit thrown by his excitement.
He glanced at the screen and then looked back at me. "Wait—why are you back already?" he asked, clearly surprised. "Did it go bad?"
"Not really," I said. "Actually, it went pretty well."
That got his full attention, and I ended up telling him what had happened with Crystal—just the important parts, at least. He listened without interrupting, occasionally raising an eyebrow.
"Dude, that's amazing," he said after I finished. "But why are you guys keeping it lowkey?"
"We're just trying things out for now," I explained. "And with all the media attention that's probably going to come our way once the show airs, we figured it's best to keep things quiet. If it doesn't work out, it's better that way. Less pressure."
Just as I said that, a notification popped up on my phone.
[You have gained 5000 entertainment points.]
I blinked in surprise, staring at the screen. That came out of nowhere.
"Everything good?" Dylan asked, noticing the look on my face.
"Yeah, yeah, just something from earlier," I said casually as I moved over to my laptop. "Mind if I check something real quick?"
"All yours," he said, scooting aside.
I pulled up YouTube and saw that the video Crystal and I had uploaded now had over 10,000 views, with a lot of likes and an active comment section.
That's when it clicked. If I was gaining 5000 entertainment points from this one video, then I must be earning roughly 0.5 points per view.
That was definitely good to know. YouTube might end up being a major source of entertainment points, and at this rate, if I kept producing videos that resonated with people, I could be stockpiling points faster than I'd initially planned.
After a few more days of back and forth, most of my friends had gotten back to me about the content creation house idea.
They'd all talked to their parents, and while none of them gave their parents the full picture about planning to become YouTubers, they framed it more around moving out and becoming independent.
Their parents had some questions—mostly about rent and where they'd be staying—but once they heard someone else would be covering the cost, they didn't push too hard.
With that settled, I started looking around for a place that could comfortably fit all six of us. I figured we'd need a house with at least six bedrooms—one for each person—and at least three bathrooms.
After some searching, I found a property that seemed to check all the boxes. It was located about twenty minutes from set, which was perfect for me, and close enough to the city center so everyone else could find something to do if they weren't working.
The house had a decent-sized gaming area with a massive TV mounted on the wall, a low couch, and plenty of floor space for extra chairs or bean bags.
There was a separate living area next to it—more casual, with softer lighting, a few bookshelves, and a couch that looked like it belonged in a cozy Airbnb.
The kitchen was open-plan and looked recently renovated, with stainless steel appliances and a central island that doubled as a dining spot.
There was a proper dining table next to it too, in case we ever wanted to have sit-down meals together.
There were six bedrooms in total. I would have one to myself with an attached bathroom. The two girls would each have their own room and share one bathroom, while the other three guys would have their own rooms and share a second bathroom. It wasn't luxury, but it was more than enough to get us started.
Back in 2010, rental prices in California varied a lot depending on the neighborhood. But for a place like this—spacious, in a decent area—it would have been somewhere around $,500 to $4,000 per month in rent.
The landlord asked for a security deposit equal to one month's rent, which was standard, and rent would be due on the first of every month.
Once the paperwork was sorted, we figured it would take about a week for everyone to properly move in.
Everyone had their own stuff to pack up, and a couple of them were coming from a little farther out, so it took some coordination.
I decided to cover the deposit and first month's rent myself to keep things simple, and I reminded everyone that I wasn't expecting repayment.
I just wanted us to have a space where we could try this idea out without everyone stressing about money from the get-go.
We set the move-in date for the following weekend. I sent everyone the address, made a group chat to handle logistics, and started putting together a checklist of furniture and supplies we might need.
Some of the rooms came with beds, but we still needed desks, chairs, and other basics.
It was starting to feel real now—not just an idea, but something actually happening. And as much as I was nervous about how everything would turn out, I was also a little excited.
We were really doing this.
(authors note: Please do leave a review guys, if there are enough released I will release 2 chapters tmr :)))
Also I am rewatching TVD rn, forgot how much of a baddie Bonnie was dude)
…
Authors note:
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator