Chapter 138: The Irreplaceable Comrades

``NDdgaf: @sourcandy, you are so right! Glad someone else noticed!``

.

Richard also heard the ping. He craned his neck and took a peek. "Who's that?"

"She's one of Evangeline's fans," Ambryan replied smoothly. "I believe they are close friends considering the chirps she sent. She talks as if she understood Evangeline. Her tone can be quite persuasive. I think many would believe her."

"A lot of fans act like that though." Richard crossed his arms over his chest, regarding the chirp with skepticism. "Usually, nothing would get through to their head. They have an image of their idol and it wouldn't change no matter what others say."

Ambryan considered his words. He had heard of something like that. There might have been an article in the papers about it. Still, he couldn't link it with the Twittah user. There was something different about her claims.

Like a conviction that she'd prove if she had to.

.

``sourcandy: Is it hard to spot something obvious?``

``NDdgaf: When you've been brainwashed to believe it? Unfortunately, yes.``

``radiantblueeyes: Can't a person be entitled to her own opinion? It must suck when people share the same views as mine instead of yours.``

``NDdgaf: What views? That it's okay to ruin a person's life on baseless rumors?``

``radiantblueeyes: It's Evangeline's fault for keeping quiet. We are merely filling the silence.``

.

"With what?! Crap?!" Andie exclaimed. The kitchen staff glared in her direction. She bowed her head in apology. Shie wore the most intense one. One more word out of her, the owner would take her phone in less than a heartbeat.

She should come up with an excuse and leave.

"I-I just need to go to the bathroom. Real quick." She gave the crew two thumbs up just before she headed for the restrooms. It was exclusively used by employees and had an exhaust pipe. Only the exhaust fan in the ceiling could bridge the gap between the bathroom and the outside world.

It should also be a good hiding place from her boss.

Now, what was she supposed to be doing again?

.

``sourcandy: @radiantblueyes, Do you aspire to become crickets perhaps? The sound people could hear if it's quiet at night? The only time they receive an ounce of attention?``

.

"Oh, that was such a burn!" Andie said, dragging out the first syllable. Both users kept going back and forth for a few minutes. It was quite a sight to see where the other person wasn't her. "Who is this anyway? I could always use a new person on the team."

Sourcandy's profile had little to no information. The person seemed new. Or maybe the user liked this anonymity. It could also be both. Scrolling through the chirps, Andie reached the end quickly. 

"Huh…" she uttered under her breath. "Definitely a new person then."

It would have been nice to meet another avid user. They could execute plans with little need for instruction. 

But that was okay.

She could just take him under her wing and be his guide!

.

``NDdgaf: Crickets can be very loud when in group. It's definitely a probable theory.``

``radiantblueeyes: Back to insulting me, are you? That's the only thing you're good at, isn't it?``

``NDdgaf: Avoiding the real topic I see. I'll use the same words against you. You are ignoring the problem. That's a sign of guilt!``

``radiantblueeyes: What problem did I ignore exactly???``

``NDdgaf: That you're not a real Mikael Davis fan—not when you don't believe in him and continue to slander his friend.``

.

"Wow, she's good," Richard remarked. 

The Evangeline fan managed to bring the conversation back around even when the hater tried to dodge Ambryan's question. She did it with flair too, already insinuating that the person was guilty.

"The two of you could totally be a team," he couldn't help but say. "DM her about your plan. If she is close with Evangeline like you said, you might get to know your girlfriend better. It would be such a missed opportunity."

"I don't need to do anything like that. I just need radiant-blue-eyes to stop talking first," Ambryan clarified. The person was the core of the problem. If she stopped chirping, the tides would calm down little by little.

He figured the best way to silence her was to trap her.

.

``sourcandy: A dodge worthy to be acknowledged. Well done.``

``radiantblueeyes: I didn't dodge anything! You're both hallucinating!``

``sourcandy: Oh? The thread is quite clear. Maybe you're the one with the problem.``

.

More users joined the thread. Majority of them pointed out how they keenly followed the conversation. No one saw a chirp from radiant-blue-eyes about her disagreement with Mikael's story. They surrounded her, giving zero room to escape. 

The more they talked, the louder they became.

Soon, they had a widespread audience.

.

``NDdgaf: Oho! Nice try, sweetie. Are you also going to claim that all of these people had been hallucinating? Don't even bring up that they are Evangeline fans so they're biased. They far exceed her follower count.`` 

``radiantblueeyes: Oh, please. Alternate accounts are easy to make. How do I know sourcandy is not you? The others could also be your and your accomplices. Do what you like but I won't back down.``

.

Andie thought of giving up. At this point, it was clear how futile everything had been. 

Maybe the best way to stay silent after all. 

So what if one random person believed that Evangeline Reed was a social climber? So what if that person had a widespread influence? There were still people like sourcandy who believed in her friend. Who cared about the rest?

What mattered was attracting the right people.

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``sourcandy: @radiantblueeyes, any comments on Mikael's latest posts? I'm sure you already read them since you are a big fan of his.``

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Posts? Andie opened her mobile browser, logging into Twittah so she could navigate between pages easier. The numbers for rechirps, replies and likes rose up at a rapid pace. And it had only been 2 minutes since the chirps appeared.

. 

``MikaelDavis: I'm aware that a video has circulated recently. I am here to say that I said what I meant and I meant what I said. The stories are nothing more than mere fantasies. I did not give her flowers nor a present. I also did not feed her spaghetti. You can check that one out for yourself in the video below.`` 

``MikaelDavis: I had always been vocal about my dislike for baseless rumors. If you don't believe me then… let's hope we never run into each other.`` 

.

Andie's jaw dropped. "Oh, this is good."

She rushed back to the thread. The other users had flocked around the hater once again. One after another, they fired the same question. She had tried to distract them but, alas, Mikael had blocked her path. 

All exits had been locked.

Escapes had been disabled.

.

``NDdgaf: Well, well, well, seems like your idol doesn't want to meet you, @radiantblueeyes.``

``radiantblueeyes: How are you sure he is referring to me?``

``NDdgaf: Gurl, you really are delusional. Whether it happens or not, the reality is you are fighting against your trying to ruin your own idol's friend. You're exactly the person not worth his time. You. Are. A. Fake.``

``Meiha Natsu: @radiantblueeyes, the fandom doesn't need someone like you to drag both us and Mikael down. Stop ruining his image along with yours.``

``insert username: HahAhaHAhA this was hilarious. You thought you could outsmart us? Please. Not everyone can be brainwashed. Besides, between you and Mikael, who are people going to believe? Lmao. Know your place.``

``NDdgaf: It was good while it lasted, sweetie. If you still want to try, I'll be here to support you by looking through all the holes in your story.``

.

While Andie waited for a response, she checked the hashtags. The latest chirps had drastically changed from the original ones a few days ago. Things were finally looking up. Her frustrations and impatience dwindled as she read through them. Video clips of Cale's live stream resurfaced.

This time, there was less judgement.

The children's expressions told just as much. They crowded around Evangeline like a group of cats who found a hooman they approved of.

.

``JordanDawg: @MikaelDavis, to think there was once a time when you wouldn't even talk to her unless necessary. You have come a long way, bro. I am proud of you.``

``CaleFisher: @JordanDawg, I remember that! HA-HA! So glad to finally see Mikael take the first steps at being a mentor. More people will find him approachable now.``

``MikaelDavis: Please stay 6 feet away from me. Thank you.``

.

With more people aware of the truth, the crowd exchanged insights and moved on to the next question. It was the only mystery left to be solved.

Who gave the flowers and gifts?

As if the heavens heard their prayers, the items in question appeared… with an added bonus. The lights from the vanity mirror blurred in the background of the photo. The same could be said about the flowers and the gift but they were still recognizable.

The camera focus had fixated a hand that held an open letter. 

``This is an example of what should be defined as 'cute' - Ambee``