Jordan POV

He was so mad at his friend for putting him smack dead in the middle of his mess.

He was not the cheater, but now he was the liar. When it all came out, and it would, Marketta would never trust him again. Maybe even think he was a cheater as well.

This was getting out of hand.

"Break up with her," he told his friend. "Now."

"I'm not," Manny said to him. "I love her."

"Boy, stop lying to yourself! Stop lying to her. This is bullshit! Why did you have to drag me into this? You needed to keep my name out of your mouth."

He grabbed his backpack and stormed away from his friend. Just when everything in his life seemed to be going well, always something to tell him he was not the type of guy to skate by. Marketta was going to ride or die with her sister, so whenever this came out, he would have to fight for her.

To calm his nerves he walked around campus, not having anywhere to go. His first class for the day was not for a few hours. After walking around campus too long, he got light-headed, stopped and got a blueberry muffin and a coffee.

He wolfed it down while he scrolled through his phone. He texted Marketta.

You good babe?

I'm in class

He let her be. No need to continue to defend Manny and lie anymore to her. He could easily tell her and end this madness. Laila did not deserve to be lied to.

Manny thought he was the only guy in the world that had girls tempting him. All through his DMs on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, girls were dropping naked pictures, and phone numbers and asking to meet up with him. He gave them a look or two, then quickly deleted them. He did not want to have evidence on his phone if Marketta questioned him.

Some females were bold enough to somehow have his cell phone number since he did not have it private. So on a regular he was blocking and deleting those texts and calls.

He saw that there was a text message from Daysha Waller, so he had to read that one.

Yo frat, would you be interested in speaking at the next BSU meeting about your social media success?

That made him smile. Daysha wanted him to speak to people about his success. He knew what he had accomplished so far was major, but he did not think it a big deal. He had not earned that much money, but the potential as his popularity increased made him a success.

Was he ready to share what he knew?

Why not! Of course he was interested in talking about himself. He told Daysha he would love to and she gave him the information. He was not a regular at the Black Student Union meetings, but he had been to a few if there was an interesting topic. 

After his classes, he compiled some talking points he wanted to share with his fellow students. How he started up and what he did to gain followers. How he scheduled and posted videos. What was needed on each platform to become an influencer and get paid?

He only had two days to prepare, but he was ready. It all came naturally to him, speaking in front of large crowds.

"A lot of times when you're young...like us, in college trying to earn a degree and make top dollar, you see these kids already stacking cake before they even finish high school. All it takes is one video to go viral and then you get all these followers. Or it can be a slow start and buildup to have the followers."

"I feel like I am a combination of both. When I started, I was not thinking about making money off some videos. I like to dance, I'm pretty good at it. There were a few videos that went viral, but the following grew slowly. I still was not thinking about the possibility of making money off of them."

He was making plenty with his side hustle selling marijuana.

"But us poor college kids we get hungry! My mom is not rich, she is not giving me an allowance or anything. I did not want to get a regular job, so I said why not make some money doing something I like to do."

"I followed some of the top content creators out there, even slid in their DMS to see if they could help. Guess what? None reached out to help a brother out. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there I guess. Think I'm stepping into their territory, taking some of the pie. Why are we like that?"

"Listen, if you want into the social influencer game, I am an open book about it. I had to research on my own. Plan my videos on my own. Learn when to monetize and how. I'm nowhere near rich with it, but I hope to combine this success with what I learn in school and make this a career."

"Any questions?"

Every hand in the near-packed meeting space was raised. He did not think these many people were interested in him and his story.

"Looks like everyone wants to make fast money," Daysha said with a chuckle.

He shook his head at that. "See, and that's the problem. Who here wants to get rich off TikTok? YouTube?"

Half the meeting room left their hands up.

"Not gonna happen. Not immediately anyway. Not to me. The really rich ones it's not from the video content but from the sponsors. Everyone wants to be the next Keith Lee or something. That man did not get there overnight."

"It's because we're Black!" someone shouted out. "They steal the Black people's content and when they do the same thing we do, they get more likes and views."

Which was a valid point. "Here's the thing. It's more of them, and not that many of us, that's why we're the minority, right? But if all of us supported every Black content creator we see, we would have more success. This does not have to be about race. You know we have to fight a little harder to come close to the numbers they pull. But we can, and we do."

"I'm just saying. Don't let money be the reason why. If you have something to say or show, put it out there, and you can find your market."

"What else do you do besides your dance?" someone asked. "I love your videos, but are you going to add more content like a day in a life vids?"

"Sure, but those have not done as well. I may have danced myself into a corner. Hey, I don't mind, because I love to dance."

It felt great to talk to the audience about how he built up his channels. It also helped him to see where he needed to go in the next few months. He had to continue to grow, and if more of his followers shared his content that would help. He needed to get those sponsors he talked about.

And he needed a wow factor.

A/N: Jordan is just so cool. Came a long way with this one. Hope him getting caught up in Manny's lie doesn't do any harm to him.