Prologue

In the world of entertainment, there are winners and losers. It’s easy to tell who the losers are. Those that fail to make it out of the swamp of mediocrity sink deeper and deeper until all that’s left is darkness. At some point the reality of their situation takes hold and despair sets in, ultimately leading to them giving up. Those are the losers.

When does someone win though? When they are in the top 10%? Top 1%? Top .0001%? When they can make a living? Or perhaps becoming a household name? Surely it must be when they are written in the history books, right? Nobody actually knows when you win, only when you lose. Thus, to win is the perpetual struggle to not be a loser.

A girl faces her computer, vibrant and full of expression. A 2D model mimics her every movement on the screen before her. Cheerfully she shouts and laughs.

Slowly, as she winds down, the model before her turns into a page full of numbers. Her once elated appearance turns sour. Body trembling, she leans back in her chair and puts her arm over her eyes, holding back the oncoming tears. A broken voice leaves her mouth amidst her shaking body.

“I don't want to lose.”

This is a story about an aspiring VTuber. A girl named Hayley, in her final year of High School. There was nothing particularly special about her. Average looking, not too pretty, but not ugly either. Her brown hair fell just short of her shoulders and bangs that covered her forehead. It was almost the very definition of a Japanese Idol haircut. Naturally, she was a huge idol fan. I’m not joking. Hayley was absolutely obsessed with Idols, but that’s besides the point.

Short in stature, her one distinct feature was her bright hazelnut eyes, but other than that she was fairly plain. Not that any of this mattered when it comes to VTubing. That’s right, everything about her was plain and ordinary. Except for the fact-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Snooze

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Snooze

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Snooze

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Snooze

Hayley’s war against the screeching alarm clock went on for several more minutes until she was finally defeated and forced to come to her senses. Grabbing the foe in question, she checked the time on her phone, instantly jolting awake.

“Shit”

Unfortunately, Haley had hit the snooze button about ten too many times. Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t be an issue. Not only was it significantly later than she had expected but, she was already on probation for multiple tardies and was one more away from receiving severe disciplinary action. That’s right. The one thing that made Hayley stand out was her abhorrent academic record. Surprisingly, this one standout quality of hers would be the key factor in her success as a VTuber.

“Oh god, oh god oh god.”

Hayley flung out of bed feet first, landing on the Hello Kitty Squishmallow she had gotten for her birthday last year. As if in retaliation, the softest, cutest, cuddliest plush sent Hayley flying face first into the mountain of clothes accumulated by the end of her bed.

“Thanks Grandma” She grumbled under her breath as she began digging into the landfill of clothes in front of her.

With the fervor of a dog looking for its bone, Hayley tore into her clothes hunting for the first ‘clean’ shirt she could find. Underneath the third layer of clothes, Hayley caught a glimpse of a relatively untarnished AKB48 shirt. After giving it a quick sniff check, Hayley immediately made a break for the hallway, grabbing the first pair of pants along the way.

Putting on her clothes as she raced towards the kitchen, hopping on one foot to slip into jeans proved to require a bit more coordination than Hayley was capable of. Almost immediately she was met with the consequences of her actions.

CRASH

“Oww…”

Once again Hayley fell face first, but this time without the mound of clothes to soften the blow. Tears welled in her eyes but Hayley shrugged it off in her mad dash to make it to school on time.

Bursting into the kitchen, the leftovers from last night, and the night before that were sprawled out over the counter-tops. Paying no mind to the clutter, Hayley opened up the fridge and grabbed one of the five paper bags inside. As the last item on her mental checklist, it was now time to head to school.

BADOOM.

The front door flew open like a hatch and out came a mad animal. This beast knew nothing of restraint and will full force headed straight towards its destination. Stretching the limit of ‘Pedestrians have the right of way’, cars were an afterthought as Hayley dodged and weaved through the obstacles that tried to hinder her. Traffic safety was not a term in her dictionary.

It only took Hayley 10 minutes to reach the front gates of Newpark High-school, a mile away from her house. Not once did she consider stopping to regain her breath. Without wasting a second Hayley began running along the side of the school towards the secret back entrance avoiding all the pesky school supervisors.

Barreling through the open courtyard Hayley’s eyes were set on the two story beige building boasting a giant B on the side. Hayley flew up the flight of stairs outside and dashed down the hallway. At last, she reached her destination. Classroom B7. Homeroom. Finally taking a deep breath, Hayley clenched on the metal doorknob only to feel the crushing weight of reality.

It’s locked.

Tears began to well in her eyes as she sorrowfully raised her hand to knock on the door. Not even a few seconds later, the door slowly opened and the poor girl was met by a tall man with sandy hair, adorning a green dress shirt with slacks.

“You’re late again Hayley.”

The seal on Hayley’s eyes finally broke as water began to trickle out. A broken squeak followed, “right… sorry Mr. Evans”.

Dragging her feet she made her way to her desk in the back of the class, 2nd column from the window. If this were any other story, she would have a friend next to her saying. “Wow, you really screwed up this time didn’t you?” But in this case, Hayley didn’t have any friends. It wasn’t because she was an outcast, though she was. It’s because Hayley just didn’t have time for that. She didn’t have a choice, pouring every ounce of her strength and time into her dream school life became an afterthought. After all, it was her last chance to be a VTuber.