I roll my shoulders, too tired after a long day on my feet in theatre to play nice in the sandpit. ‘Back off, Harper.’

‘Do you have any idea how much I’ve got riding on this?’ she cries, grabbing the car door as I get in. ‘I pitched the entire new season of our show around this move, Millie! My sponsors will pull the plug if we don’t get things back on track. I won’t just be homeless, I’ll be out of a job!’

I don’t like the assertive way she calls me Millie, as if we’re friends.

‘I’ll deal with it,’ I snap. ‘I’ll let you know when it’s done. Please don’t come here again.’

‘Let’s hope I don’t have to,’ Harper says.

I watch her in my rearview mirror as I pull away. I neither trust nor like her, though anyone who can build a brand the way she’s done deserves respect. And the information she gave me about Felix may still prove useful. But I already regret getting into bed with her on this. The disconnect between her vlog persona and the woman waiting for me in the dark in the car park is disturbing. Her Instagram life is no more unreal than that of any other influencer who shows you only the bright, shiny bits of their Photoshopped life: frankly, if you’re foolish enough to believe it’s real, you deserve to be duped.

But Harper’s emotions are too close to the surface. She’s brittle and impulsive and unpredictable, and that makes her dangerous.

I pull up Stacey’s unanswered email from my inbox. OK, I type, before I can change my mind. I’ll do it.

kyperlife

harper admits she’s not OK

2,000,117 views 453K 2.4K

Wow, Kyper Nation! We just passed a really awesome milestone! Two million views! It means so so much to me, because it’s been such a difficult time recently, and knowing you’re all there supporting me and sharing my journey – seriously, guys, you just mean the world to me, you’re like my family, you know?

This whole situation with me and Kyle has been devastating and I’m super grateful for all your messages and support and all the love. Because sometimes it’s really hard, you know? There are all these negative voices out there and there are times I just want to run away and hide because I’m only human. We’re not meant to be breaking each other down, we’re meant to be building each other up, that’s what KyperLife is about. And I know you guys will use your voices to support each other because your voices are the voices of truth and hope.

I’m so proud of my Kyper Nation, you’re standing up and demanding to be heard and demanding to own the conversation, and you can make a difference!