Chapter 1: The University of Live Streams

Ray adjusted his microphone, giving a thumbs up to the camera as he settled into his seat for another day of classes at Streamer University. As a 19-year-old student from Taiwan, he was used to being in front of the camera, but it still made him a bit nervous. His short, curly black hair was messy, and his beautiful brown eyes sparkled with a hint of anxiety. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his stuttering problem, which always seemed to worsen when he was live streaming. "Welcome, everybody, to today's class," Kai, the dean of Streamer University, said with a warm smile. He was a 23-year-old African American man with long, thick dark brown dreads that fell to his shoulders, and a light New York accent that rarely came out. "Today, we're going to be discussing..." Ray's attention wandered as Kai droned on. He glanced around the classroom, taking in the familiar faces of his classmates. There was Rakai, a 16-year-old student with a sassy attitude and a high-pitched voice, who was always flirting with him. Ray blushed, looking away quickly. Suddenly, a girl beside him started arguing with someone else. "No, I didn't say that!" she exclaimed, her voice rising. Ray rolled his eyes and mocked her, making a silly face and a high-pitched voice. "Oh, really? Then what did you say, genius?" The girl glared at him, but before she could respond, another girl a little ways away started chiming in. "Yeah, shut up, Ray. You're so annoying." Ray turned to her and said, "Shut up, then." The girl's boyfriend, who was sitting next to her, stood up, his face red with anger. "You think you're so smart, don't you?" he sneered. "Well, let me tell you something, Ching Chong." Ray's eyes narrowed, and before he could think, he reached into his pocket and threw a Skittle at the man. It hit him squarely on the cheek, and he let out a loud yelp. The classroom erupted into chaos, with everyone shouting and arguing. But before things got out of hand, Professor Agent, a tall, fit African American man with thin black dreads and a calm demeanor, stepped in. "That's enough," he said firmly. "Ray, I need to see you in my office. Your behavior was unacceptable." The camera, still live streaming to millions of viewers, captured every moment of the drama. Ray's face went bright red as he stood up, his heart racing. He followed Professor Agent to the front of the classroom, where he sat down beside him. The girl's boyfriend was still fuming, and he started spewing racist comments at Ray. "Get this Ching Chong out of here. He thinks he's so smart, but he's just a stupid little foreigner." Ray felt his stuttering problem worsen, and he struggled to find the words to respond. Professor Agent put a hand on his shoulder, his expression calm and reassuring. "Let's just focus on getting through this class, okay?" he said. The camera continued to roll, capturing every moment of the drama. Ray's face was still red with anger and embarrassment, but he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He knew that he had to be careful, not just for himself, but for his viewers as well. What would happen next?