Camping With Travis

1. I'M CAMPING WITH WHO?!?

Lacey

I step out of the office and walk down the long corridor, looking for an exit. There has to be one somewhere. I need to get away from this sleaze, a typical salesman trying to get me to agree to a slimy deal. I wasn't born yesterday, and I'm not falling for his crap. A strongly worded phone call to my manager is in order right about now.

I finally find an exit and walk out into an alley between the two buildings. At this point I don't even care if the door locks from the outside and I'm stuck in said alley. This phone call is vital, so any sacrifice I have to make will be worth it. Even standing in a grimy alley where who knows what occurs when the sun goes down.

I unlock my phone and tap on the contact to Phil, my a-hole of a manager. Until today I had thought highly of the guy. Sure he was older and cranky, slightly overweight but dressed liked he was 20 years younger and 60 pounds lighter. A guy who wears converse to a business meeting had to be pretty chill, so I figured he knew how to handle things. And L.A. was the kind of place he fit right in, so who cares if he got irritated once in a while.

The phone is ringing, my foot tapping on the alley concrete. I'm not letting Phil sweet talk me this time. This is a hard pass, and I'm not going to let him change my mind.

"Yo! How's my favorite beauty vlogger?"

"What the hell, Phil? Travis Black? Are you kidding me?" I grit my teeth as I'm yelling into the phone. If I'd have known who the meeting was about, I would never have come.

"Hey, calm down, tiger. This is a fantastic opportunity for you. A whole new audience."

Figures. He's all about the numbers. "Isn't 15 million subscribers enough for you Phil? I mean, how many outdoor enthusiasts are going to add a beauty and lifestyle vlogger? Come on!"

"Hon, you know I'm looking out for you. This is an opportunity you can't pass up. This Camping With Travis channel has busted out of nowhere and sponsors are scrambling to jump on board. This is your new bread and butter, baby."

"Don't baby me, Phil. This guy is a joke! He's a washed up extreme sports wacko, trying to make a name for himself in the outdoor world." And I did not want my name attached to that.

"Fine, Lacey, let me put it this way, you are gonna shine on this, I promise. Think of the impression you'll make, bringing your simple style and life hacks to the camping scene. Bring the glamping vibe, take control the way only you can do. It's a win-win." He pauses for dramatic effect, then takes a long, slow breath. "And, there just might be a product line in your future."

Damn if he didn't know my weak spot. I've been trying to launch a product line forever. That was my first goal when I started vlogging, but the right opportunity hadn't shown up.

"Product line? What are you talking about, Phil?"

"This sponsor, The Outdoor Life, might be looking for a new twist in their stores, celebrity lines. You know, the chic camper, millennial looks, stylish clothing for the hip outdoorsman and woman. It's right up your alley."

My heart is racing. He has me wrapped around his finger and he knows it.

"Fine," I mumble, eating my own words. Looks like I'm camping with Travis.

^^^^^
Thanks for reading!! Please add your vote if you liked it!! I'd love to hear from you as well!

So, what do you think so far? This is a short story in the sense that the chapters will all be short, between 500-700 words. But there will still be about 20 chapters total, I think...maybe more??

There will also be media!!! In between the short chapters will be "clickbait" and will include tweets and texts from all of our characters. I'm still trying to figure out how to mock up a fake YouTube profile LOL, so if I do I'll add that as well.