for the student parking lot. She keeps saying, “I have to leave, I have to leave." So thats exactly what she did.
Kayla decides to walk home in the daily Washington rain. In order to make sure she doesn't get caught skipping she goes the long way home, which is still only two miles away. Once she gets home she knows what would relieve her stress: watching endless Tyler Oakley videos. One thing stops Kayla from watching the videos. Ben took the laptop to work. While searching for the laptop that she knows wasn't there, she finds her mom's DSLR camera that she used to record all of Kayla's childhood.
After dramatically staring at the camera for a few minutes, Kayla grabs the tripod and brings it into her room. The dim light that enters her white room through the window gives the perfect amount of soft light for a video. Kayla spends over an hour trying to figure out all the nooks and crannies of the camera. Finally, Kayla figures out how to mount the camera on to the tripod, but as soon as she presses the red record button she gets goosebumps.
It’s ironic. Kayla had a hard time speaking to anyone once she arrived to Washington, and once she started talking to something who couldn't talk back she was comfortable. Kayla starts to tell the camera what she's going through. After she finishes venting Kayla decides not to review it, and instead she uploads it to a makeshift Youtube account. Kayla knows she has a few hours until either of her parents come home, so she decides to take a nap in order to relieve the stress.
As soon as the door flies open, Kayla hops up and pretends she was doing homework. Susan comes upstairs and flings open Kayla’s door like she’s going to rob her. Both of them make eye contact and Susan manages to speak while shes out of breath “Thank God! Your principal said you weren't in your classes. I thought something happened to you.”
Kayla is surprised that her mother is even worried. “I didn't think you even cared.”
Susan was in shock that her daughter says this. “Of course I care. I’m glad that you are okay.”
Kayla and her mother did not have the greatest relationship in the past, but now they share a long embrace, one that has the potential to shadow a fresh start for the both of them. Their embrace ends when Kaylas phone suddenly blows up with notifications.
This sound is not something she is familiar with. The only notifications she gets are from her family or old friends from her hometown. When she looks at her phone it tells her how many people have viewed her video. To Kaylas surprise it says 22! Kayla is so ecstatic that she actually smiles and laughs, realizing that 22 people she never knew have actually wondered upon her blog and enjoyed it.
This excitement carries over into diner, where she sits with her parents, and even listens to what they’re saying. That discussion at dinner is the first conversation Kayla enjoys since the move.
But she knows that where there is positivity, there is also equal negativity. After dinner Kaya proceeds to check her notifications, which now say “58 views”. Her heart takes leaps of faith by looking at the comments that say things like “wow you are pretty” or “Keep it up,” but as she keeps scrolling Kayla finds one that says “you are just a wanna be”.
Kayla stands there and then all of a sudden laughs. She thinks to herself that if someone puts themselves out there, then there is a big chance of them getting hurt. But the risk of that happening is better that never opening up at all.
Kayla thinks sleeping it off is a good idea, but she can’t seem to keep her eyes closed. That’s when an amazing idea comes to her head. She creeps into her parents room to grab the camera and the tripod. She sets it up in the corner of her bedroom and presses the red record button. This was different than her last video; this time she openly talks about how if you don’t like something, move on rather that making comments about why you don't like it. Right before she presses the red button again she gives the camera a killer smile, knowing that her phone will soon light up with positive notifications again.