The massive red DEFEAT banner pulsed on Chelsi's screen, casting a harsh crimson glow over her dark room.
Chelsi took a deep, shuddering breath. She pressed her trembling hands flat against her thighs, trying to stop the shaking.
"We're waiting," Kamron's voice snapped through the speaker, heavy with impatience. He started counting down from ten. His chat was a blur of toxic demands.
Chelsi didn't argue. She reached out and yanked the charging cable out of her phone. She unclipped the device from the cheap plastic stand.
She held the phone in front of her. The camera shook violently with her footsteps as she walked out of the bedroom, down the narrow, cluttered hallway, and pushed open the peeling wooden door of the bathroom.
The overhead fluorescent light flickered with a low buzz. Chelsi propped her phone against the edge of the mirror above the sink, angling the camera down so it captured the basin.
She bowed her head. Her cold fingers twisted the rusted faucet. Freezing tap water gushed out, the loud splashing echoing clearly through the silent live stream.
On the other side of the screen, Kamron crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned in close, his dark eyes locked onto his monitor. His finger hovered over the screenshot button, ready to capture the ugliest frame possible.
Chelsi picked up a cheap, bright yellow bar of Dial soap. She rubbed it vigorously between her palms until a thick, white lather formed.
Without a second of hesitation, she smashed her soapy hands into her face. She rubbed the foam over her cheeks, her forehead, and her eyes. Water splashed onto the phone screen, creating a blurry, distorted fog over the lens.
She scrubbed for a full minute. The mocking comments in the chat slowly began to die down, replaced by a strange, tense anticipation.
Chelsi cupped her hands under the freezing water and splashed it over her face, washing away every trace of the soap. She grabbed a rough, faded towel from the rack and patted her skin dry.
She took one last, deep breath. Her chest heaved. She lifted her head and looked at the screen.
Her wet finger swiped across the glass, finding the AR filter icon.
Right before she tapped it, she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing her body for the tidal wave of insults.
Click.
The filter turned off. The video feed stuttered for a fraction of a second as the software disengaged.
When the frame rate smoothed out, Chelsi slowly opened her eyes.
Without the exaggerated chin and the blurry skin smoothing, the high-definition camera captured the absolute truth.
She possessed a breathtakingly delicate, oval-shaped face. Her skin was incredibly pale, almost translucent, completely flawless without a drop of makeup. Her nose was perfectly sloped. Her lips were naturally full and flushed pink. Wet strands of dark hair clung to her cheeks, framing a pair of large, watery, doe-like eyes that held a devastating vulnerability.
Because she had scrubbed so hard, a natural, rosy flush painted her cheeks and the corners of her eyes. It was a raw, stunning beauty that no algorithm could ever replicate.
The endless stream of insults and mockery abruptly ceased. For a few agonizingly long seconds, the chat box was filled with nothing but strings of ellipses and question marks. The fifty thousand viewers were struggling to process the raw, undeniable beauty on their screens, before the chat finally erupted into a tidal wave of pure shock.
Kamron's prepared insult died in his throat. His eyes blew wide open. His pupils dilated rapidly.
He instinctively sat up straight, his chest nearly touching his desk. His eyes darted across her face, frantically searching for a makeup line, a filter glitch, anything.
But the tiny water droplets clinging to her eyelashes and the fine, invisible peach fuzz on her cheeks proved it. This was her real face.
The silence shattered. Kamron's chat erupted like a volcano.
Holy Jesus.
What the f? She's gorgeous!
I just called an angel an alien. I'm going to hell.
Literal perfection.
Chelsi stared at the screen, her brow furrowing in confusion. She blinked her large eyes, completely bewildered by the sudden shift. That innocent, confused blink sent the chat into another frenzy.
Even AlphaRoach broke his silence.
AlphaRoach: You are beautiful. You never needed that fake garbage.
Kamron's face suddenly felt incredibly hot. A violent, erratic pounding started in his chest. It was a physical reaction he hadn't felt in years.
He realized exactly what he had just done. He had bullied and humiliated a girl who looked like a literal goddess.
To hide his sudden, overwhelming panic, Kamron coughed loudly into his fist. He threw himself back against his leather chair, trying to look relaxed, but his eyes were glued to Chelsi's face.
He ran a hand nervously through his perfectly styled hair. His other hand dropped to his mouse. He dragged the cursor straight to the gift panel, hovering over the most expensive icon on the entire platform.
