Oblivious to the fact that he had just bet two million dollars on a team he knew nothing about in a sport he had no clue about, Ethan was too busy having a good time to notice. He was laughing, joking around, and soaking in the electric atmosphere. Even Billie Eilish, the superstar he found annoying, seemed less unbearable tonight. Maybe it was because she was actually being funny and easy to be around. Or maybe—just maybe—it was because he had an absurd amount of alcohol in his system right now.
Ethan was living it up, surrounded by celebrities, laughing, and feeling on top of the world. As he stood outside the railing, looking down at the hundreds of fans entering the stadium, he couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer madness of it all. The fans, already hyped for the game, suddenly spotted him.
The reaction was instant and deafening. Hardcore NFL fans, who typically didn't lose their minds over young pop stars, all seemed to go insane at the sight of Ethan. The name that had been dominating headlines was right there, casually hanging over the railing, laughing like he didn't have a care in the world.
Seeing the reaction, Ethan grinned and waved at them. That was all it took for the crowd to shift, gravitating toward that side of the stadium, screaming his name. The energy was intoxicating. He was about to wave again when, out of nowhere, a fan hurled her phone towards him.
Somehow, despite being buzzed out of his mind, Ethan's reflexes were sharp enough to catch it mid-air. He looked at the phone in his hands, amused, before glancing back at the massive crowd below him. With a wide grin, he held up the phone, opened the camera, and shouted, "Say cheese!"
The crowd roared as he snapped several photos with them, smiling and waving. Then, with absolutely no idea who had thrown it, he decided to make things even funnier.
"Alright! Catch!" he announced, counting down with his fingers before tossing the phone back into the sea of hands below. Whether it reached the right person was a mystery, but that was no longer Ethan's problem.
The crowd erupted again, and suddenly, more phones started flying toward him.
"Whoa, whoa! Not another one! Don't throw again!" Ethan yelled, laughing as he dodged the incoming projectiles.
Behind him, his friends were watching, thoroughly entertained. Billie, Hailie, Maddie, Finneas, and the other girls were all laughing at his antics. Billie, shaking her head with a giggle, nudged Hailie. "What's wrong with him?"
Hailie, trying to hold back a smile, shrugged. "I'm not sure, but he's been acting different since he got back from talking to my dad and his friends."
Further back, Eminem had also taken notice of Ethan's behavior. Watching the pop star get the entire crowd riled up, he raised an eyebrow before turning to 50 Cent.
"Dude, 50, what did you give him?"
50 Cent smirked, completely unfazed. "Just a bottle of this," he said, motioning toward a pack of drinks next to him. One bottle was missing. The rest of the guys glanced at the pack, and someone snorted.
"Oooh, this guy is insane," one of them said, watching Ethan get another wave of screams from the crowd.
"With the way they're acting, would the game even start like this?" another one joked.
"Dude has no tolerance. Should we get him off there before he causes a riot?" someone suggested.
Before anyone could act, Dr. Dre, who had been casually playing poker at the back, turned around and caught a glimpse of the drink 50 had given Ethan. His eyes widened.
"Wait… You gave him from that?" Dre asked in shock.
Eminem, already suspicious, turned to Dre. "What's wrong? Something off about that drink?"
Dre let out a sigh, rubbing his face. "Ehm, it should be alright… Em, just go grab him and keep him near you."
"What's wrong, Dre?" Em repeated, his suspicion deepening.
Dre hesitated before finally saying, "Well, about that… That bottle was a special batch of drinks I got from Snoop. It's meant for the after-party."
There was a beat of silence. Then—
"WHAT?!"
Both Eminem and 50 Cent shouted at the same time.
Dre quickly put up his hands. "Relax! It's not that bad. It's just some new experimental shit. And, well, based on what I'm seeing… it's definitely working." He gestured toward Ethan, who was now enthusiastically high-fiving fans he couldn't even reach.
Everyone in the group immediately understood why Eminem and 50 reacted that way.
"Snoop" and "special" in the same sentence only meant one thing.
Eminem groaned, rubbing his temples. "Dude, why did you give him from that?!" he demanded, already heading toward Ethan.
50 held up his hands. "I didn't know, man!" He turned to glare at Dre, who conveniently busied himself with his poker game, avoiding eye contact.
Meanwhile, Ethan was still hyping up the crowd, enjoying the attention, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding behind him. Just as another fan attempted to throw their phone, Eminem finally reached him. He placed a firm hand on Ethan's shoulder, making the younger artist turn around.
Ethan blinked, slightly disoriented, then broke into a wide grin. He turned back to the crowd, pointing at Eminem. "Eminem, everyone!" he shouted.
The stadium exploded with cheers.
Eminem sighed but played along, giving a small wave to the fans. Then, leaning in, he murmured something in Ethan's ear. Whatever he said made Ethan's face fall instantly. The disappointment was so exaggerated, so cartoonish, that the moment would later be turned into one of the internet's favorite memes. Without realizing it, Ethan perfectly recreated the iconic "check this guy out" gesture from Tom and Jerry, making the same hand motion Jerry had made when unimpressed.
The meme would go viral for years to come.
A few minutes later, Eminem successfully led Ethan away from the railing, sitting him down and shoving a bottle of water into his hands. Ethan, still blissfully unaware of the chaos he had caused—not just online but among other celebrities present and even the Super Bowl staff themselves—drank his water, feeling like he had just had the time of his life.
Little did he know, the internet had already exploded, and his night was only getting started.