My Brother’s Scandal, My Reality Show Revenge
Chapter 1: The Octopus Slap Goes Viral
Somehow, I found myself tagging along with my superstar brother for a reality show, and right out of the gate, the producer had everyone share something they’d done that nobody else had.
As the spotlight swung my way, I flashed my sweetest, most innocent grin—the kind that always got me out of trouble with Mom. (Well, most of the time.)
“I once made my brother cry when I beat him up.”
The live chat went absolutely nuts. It was like someone had dropped a match in a fireworks factory.
“LOL, trending says Carter Dean is some violent hothead, but he’s actually the guy who gets beat up and cries by his little sister?”
“Isn’t Carter Dean known in Hollywood for his temper?”
Even the chat’s tone was pure chaos, the kind of digital dogpile you only get when a secret blows up on live TV. You could practically feel the memes being born in real time.
Then my brother, Carter, spotted a comment floating by on the screen:
*“Little sis is adorable, I want to take her home!”*
That was it for Carter. He squinted at the camera and barked, “Back off! Don’t you have your own sisters?”
He always tried to play it cool, but the overprotective big brother act came out whenever anyone so much as joked about me. Honestly, it's kind of sweet. In a total dorky way, but still.
—
During summer break, I came back to the States and flopped onto the couch, remote in one hand, phone in the other, mindlessly flipping channels and scrolling Instagram.
On screen, my brother’s concert was airing live—a full stadium. The kind you only see in movies or those wild YouTube clips. The music was intense, the choreography sharp and full of swagger. The lights were so bright they made the TV glow in the darkened room.
He hit every beat, moving like it was effortless, not a bead of sweat out of place. It was the kind of performance that made you forget he ever wore braces or got grounded for sneaking out after curfew.
Fans below the stage screamed his name like they’d completely lost their minds:
“Carter Dean! Marry me!”
“So hot! Ahhhhhhh!!”
“I’m literally dying right now!”
“Hollywood’s King Carter Dean! I love you!”
The music cut, and the camera zoomed in for that dramatic close-up. Carter wore his signature look of world-weary disdain, chin tilted just so, eyes half-lidded, like he was bored of the entire universe. Classic Carter.
No wonder everyone called him the King of Cool—he gave off that ice-cold, untouchable vibe. Even when he was just zoning out in our kitchen at home, he looked like he was judging the world.
A second later, the front door banged open and my brother burst through, real-life and way less glamorous than his on-screen persona. He gave me this pitiful look, still rocking his pink Piggy Hero pajamas—the ones with the cartoon snout on the hood and floppy ears. It was such a contrast to his rockstar image that I had to stifle a laugh.
“Emmy, just help your brother out this once. It’s only three days~” He actually whined, dragging out the last syllable. Like a little kid begging for dessert.
“All the other guests have their sisters with them—even my rival managed to find a stand-in.”
He’d been begging for days, insisting I join him to film this reality show. He tried every trick in the book—guilt, bribery, emotional blackmail. I was honestly impressed by his persistence.
“No way!” I shot back, tossing a pillow at him. Just for good measure.
It’s not that I’m heartless, it’s just that…
Trending #1: #CarterDeanRageMonster
Trending #2: #CarterDeanThreatensReporter
Trending #3: #CarterDeanStageGod
Two out of the top three trending stories are negative. The memes were relentless, and I really didn’t want to go on a reality show with him and end up as the internet’s next favorite joke.
And it’s not like I’ve had any luck lately—just a whole lot of drama landing on me instead. If there was any way for things to get messy, it always found me. Every. Single. Time.
When the puppy-dog eyes didn’t work, my brother played his trump card:
“If you come with me, I’ll spill three brand-new pieces of celebrity gossip—real stuff.”
What?
Gossip? Say less!
Me: “Deal!”
If I hesitated even a second, I’d be betraying the sacred art of gossip. And honestly? There are some things in life you just don’t turn down. Exclusive Hollywood tea is one of them.
