Chapter 145: Charity Concert (2)

(I have a bit of a medical emergency this week, so I will be taking a few days off.)

[Edward's P.O.V.]

"Oh, how I missed this," I muttered as the crowd chanted my name.

The opening act had been more successful than I had planned. Through my earpiece, I could hear Pepper updating me about the web broadcast, which had grown to 350,000 viewers in just a few minutes since the concert began.

'3.5 million dollars in my pocket. Though, compared to the 300 million citizens in the United States alone, the number of the audience is quite small. I want to take this to the international stage, but I have little time to do that,' I thought to myself.

"How's the stability and quality of the broadcast?" Harvey asked the director, reminding her to provide updates every 10 minutes or if there was a surge in viewers.

"The picture is still high definition, even with choppy internet. The quality won't degrade. How did he do it? Even the live TV broadcast stations aren't as stable as his," the director exclaimed in wonder.

I nodded in satisfaction before turning back to the crowd. "Everyone, before we continue as you know this is actually a school event SO I want to introduce a few talented people who are joining me on stage today."

"The bespectacled beauty with the cello there is Alex Dunphy," I pointed at Alex, who was wearing a white dress and a cropped jacket.

She grinned, pushing up the Ray-Ban-style spectacles I had designed for her, earning cheers from the audience, especially from her family and friends.

[WE LOVE ALEX] Abraham suddenly unfurled a banner, causing Alex's face to blush bright red.

"Take that down!" Alex screamed, making the crowd laugh. Jacob complied with her request, not wanting to distract her.

"And we have another cutie patootie on the drums here, but that's only for now. She'll show you how she shreds on an electric guitar later. Billie Eilish!"

The crowd cheered for the young girl. After my documentary was released, Billie's reputation had surpassed that of Alex and her brother, becoming the most famous person on the stage after me.

Perhaps it was because she sang a cover song from Smash Mouth, earning her a lot of older fans who cheered for her today. Billie smiled shyly as she waved at the crowd, still clad in oversized clothes with Albert Einstein pictures on them, her hair tied up in twin buns, shorts, and boots.

"Next up, the handsome, though not nearly as handsome as me, Finneas O'Connell!" I said as I pointed to the cool-looking boy right behind me. Like me, Finneas had competed in various classical music competitions since he was young, so he knew how to maintain a stoic demeanor in front of a crowd.

I covered the microphone and whispered to him, "Smile, Finneas. You forgot to smile."

"Ah, right!" Finneas was taken aback and started waving at the crowd while flashing a shy smile. It was a new experience for him, as the crowd exploded with cheers and chants of his name, reinforcing his decision to leave classical music behind and enter mainstream music.

"And last but not least, your one and only... Me!" I joked with the crowd, earning laughter all around.

"For our next performance, I'm singing something I'm sure you guys are already familiar with, one of my very first singles to hit it big 'Me and My Broken Heart.' Enjoy," I announced. The crowd erupted in cheers, and I turned to my friends, asking, "Are you guys ready?"

"Well, at the very least, I'm not not ready," Alex answered pessimistically, making Billie and Finneas laugh. I smirked and returned to the audience after offering a few encouraging words to my friends.

We performed 'Me and My Broken Heart,' '7 Years,' which brought a bright smile to Jay's face, 'The Lazy Song,' and 'Believer,' which received an explosive reaction from the crowd. Sweating hard, Billie and Finneas waved at the crowd in satisfaction, while Alex tried to cover her face as the embarrassment waved over her.

I hugged the band members, and shouted to the crowd, "Give it up for Franklin Middle School student's performer! They did pretty well, don't you think?"

The crowd cheered thunderously as I hugged Finneas, Billie, and Alex one by one. They bowed to the crowd as their performance was already over.

The show reached the first break, and we bowed to the crowd again before going backstage. A latina girl in a cream coloured dress was getting ready as we left the stage.

"Hey, Good luck out there." I said to Selena. She grinned and said, "Thanks. I'm really nervous."

"Don't be. Most of the crowd out there are parents and kids. They would be supportive no matter how hard you fail."

She rolled her eyes and scolded me, "Shouldn't you comfort me instead of praying for me to fail?"

I shrugged my shoulders in a baffled gesture while joking, "I didn't." I laughed a bit and patted her shoulder, "Break a leg!"

She nodded with a face filled with determination as the emcee called her name.

"Presenting the Disney Channel star Selena Gomez!" the emcee announced in excitement as the red curtain was drawn open again.

...

"Thanks a lot, you guys," I said as I hugged each member of my group one by one. All of them were drenched in sweat and visibly tired from the continuous performance.

"Go and enjoy the rest of the performance. Just know that you guys have done something extraordinary today," I complimented them, eliciting gleeful giggles.

"Ah, I have no energy left," Alex complained. "We will be getting paid for our help, right?" She smirked, making a cash money gesture with her hands.

I smiled mischievously and said, "Unfortunately, you guys didn't sign any contracts, except for today's release. So..."

"Ugh, money grubber!" Alex complained, though I was just joking. I had every intention of paying them well for their help today.

Billie chimed in, "I'm all right. You don't have to pay me."

Finneas added, "Me too."

"Really? If you get paid, you can invite Alex on a luxurious date. Don't you want the money?" I teased Finneas.

"WHY WOULD I EVER WANT TO DATE ALEX?" Finneas replied, his face flushing.

"I DON'T WANT TO DATE YOU EITHER!" Alex retorted, offended by Finneas's remarks. Billie laughed at them and said, "Ed, are you tired? Don't you want to rest for a bit too?"

"I'm actually fine. You guys are the ones lacking stamina," I replied, flexing my biceps. "Besides, Selena agreed to sing only 2 songs."

"Really? Without getting paid?" Billie asked, confused.

"No, her payment will be donated to the cause. Also, she's managed by Disney so a charity event in a middle school was right up their alley. They agreed to let her in the second they saw the previous livestream numbers, so I don't have to pay her at all. Mickey is taking this one on his own." I said with an evil smile.

"Money grubber," Billie grumbled with a small smile.

"Money-sucking demon," Alex added after catching her breath.

"Not even Mickey is safe from you…" Finneas added

"Hey!" I yelled at them, causing them to giggle and run away. "Pff, kids," I snorted in annoyance, waving goodbye to them before turning to Finneas, who was the only one that stayed behind.

"Can... Can I stay backstage and watch?" he asked with a stutter.

"Sure. Just don't peek at the dancers changing though," I reminded him.

He was astonished and said, "You can do that??"

"As long as you're famous enough, they might even change voluntarily in front of you," I replied.

"DON'T TEACH HIM BAD THINGS!" Alex and Billie shouted from afar as they were apparently still within earshot.

[General P.O.V.]

As Taylor watched Selena perform on stage, she gritted her teeth in jealousy before turning to her dad. "If I hadn't gone back to Texas, I would be up on that stage instead of her!"

"Huh? Why is that my fault? I didn't ask you to fake an injury. Besides, isn't relaxing and supporting your friends' performance good?"

"No! If I don't sing, then I can't go to the afterparty! Then Ed and I can't—" Taylor protested before abruptly cutting herself off, realizing she had almost revealed her true intentions to her dad.

"Can't what?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing. SELENA, YOU GO GIRL!" Taylor shouted toward the stage. Selena saw her and waved several times, signaling their close friendship to the world. It was a bit calculated on her part, but it would still benefit them both.

The emcee interviewed Selena after she finished performing, during which she spoke about how the cause moved her and her desire to take action. As expected, her reputation soared positively as both the live audience and those watching the broadcast believed in her heartfelt answer.

"Hey, Honey, do those clouds look darker to you?" Jay suddenly noticed nimbus clouds gathering in the previously sunny sky.

"Look at the stage, Jay," Gloria replied, rolling her eyes.

"I'm just worried. We're in the middle of an open field, and we didn't bring an umbrella," Jay said playfully.

Luke turned to Claire and asked, "Mom, do you have any snacks?"

"Hmm? Luke, are you hungry?"

"A little bit."

"Didn't you stuff your face at the festival earlier? How can you still be hungry?" Haley asked in astonishment. Luke growled and retorted, "How can you be so close with Ed and still only be best friends?"

"AHH!" Haley gasped in offense, while Mitchell and Cam looked at Luke in astonishment.

It didn't take long for Selena to finish her performance and return backstage. After all, she just sang 1 song.

"Hey, you did great," Edward said. Selena smiled brightly and hugged him. "It's been a while since I performed. I was so nervous," she confessed, her hands lingering on his chest as she gazed at him with a dazed expression.

"Hey, if Taylor sees this, she's going to kill us," Edward joked as he lightly brushed off Selena's hands.

"Taylor won't mind. As long as we're not dating," Selena replied flirtatiously, biting her lower lip

"Well, we'll talk afterward," Edward joked before waving her goodbye and walking onto the stage.

"Hello again, everyone. Did you enjoy my friend's performance?"

"YESS~!"

Ken the guitarist, McGee the drummer, Jess the keyboardist, and Johnson the bassist—all of Edward's previous helpers from his first concert—had replaced his friends on stage.

The emcee smiled and approached Edward for an interview. "Hold up, Ed. Before you start the second half of the performance, I'm sure there are many people here who would like to get to know you better."

"Sure, shoot," Edward replied casually, holding his guitar.

The emcee grinned slyly before asking, "A little birdie told me that you changed your album release from next spring to just a week from now. How did that happen?"

The crowd started to murmur, and Phil shouted, "NICE!"

Not only him, but many more people were eagerly anticipating the first album. Even in the live broadcast, the audience was flooding the chat with messages about the album.

Abby rolled her eyes and said, "Rumors? It's not a rumor at all. He TOLD the emcee to ask that." Haley overheard it and was astonished as she watched Edward's acting on stage. He pretended to be surprised and curious about how the emcee got hold of that information.

Haley chuckled before muttering, "(sigh) That Edward…"

"Well, I don't know how you got the information, but it's true," Edward confirmed. The crowd erupted in cheers, causing Edward and the emcee to wait for them to settle down before continuing.

"The album, 'Breaking,' will be released a day after July 4th, so make sure to show me lots of support!"

"Not only that, but I will also kick off a tour across the state starting on July 14th. From here all the way to the East Coast, I will perform in 33 locations before wrapping up the tour in Las Vegas," Edward continued.

"Oh, when can we buy the tickets?" the emcee asked curiously.

"You can check the tour schedule on my website for the locations, and you can buy tickets directly from the venues or online through the website, although I should warn you that places will be limited and I am personally working on a special surprise for the Vegas week" Edward replied, hiding his capitalistic smile and flashing a charming one.

"And for those of you who are hoping to follow me on the tour, you can keep up with my updates on my Instagram."

"Instagram?"

"It's a new social media app I created," Edward said with a slightly embarrassed tilt of his body, introducing the app to the world. He took out his phone from his pocket and displayed his Instagram page for everyone to see as the image was replicated on the huge screen at the back.

In the live broadcast, a small banner advertising the Instagram app popped up in the left corner of the screen.

Quickly, the number of downloads for the newly released app on the different stores exceeded 100,000, and Edward's followers on his Instagram page soared.

"Wait, you made this app?" the emcee asked, completely shocked as he saw the smooth interface and high-quality behind-the-scenes photos and short videos of Edward and his friends preparing for the concerts, along with a few pictures of him shooting the music video with Taylor.

Capitalists like Jay saw right through what Edward was doing and smiled, appreciating the kid's business sense.

"Claire, don't you need to get to work?" he asked his daughter.

"Oh no. Frankie offered to handle it. I left it all to her," Claire replied casually.

The emcee continued, "So Ed, I heard another rumor that the next song you're going to sing is directed at a certain someone?"

"Huh?" Taylor smiled and quickly covered her mouth as the camera focused on her.

"Well, I won't confirm nor deny that, but now that you brought it up I have to say that when you hear the song, you might think of something along those lines," Edward replied bashfully. The fans screamed in excitement, while Haley turned to Abby, only to find that her friend had no reaction to this.

"You're not mad?" Haley asked.

"Why? We're not dating. Besides, he already told me he was going to do this yesterday," Abby replied casually before shouting in support of Edward.

"Okay, I'll play along. Yeah, we won't KNOW who the song is directed to then," the emcee said sarcastically but playfully.

"Yeah, let it be a mystery," Edward joked, making the crowd laugh.

"Without further ado, give it up for Edward Newgate with his new song, 'Check Yes... Juliet,'" the emcee announced playfully, looking in Taylor's direction.

Surprised by the whole situation, Taylor's face turned bright red, captured by the live broadcast, causing people all over the country to jest at the both of them.

Edward turned to the band and counted a few beats before playing his electric guitar in a Pop rock melody.

[We the Kings - Check Yes Juliet]

"♫♪Check yes, Juliet, are you with me? Rain is falling down on the sidewalk. I won't go until you come outside.♫♪"

The shippers erupted in cheers as Edward sang. Lily, the fan club president, nervously wrung her hands as she muttered, "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HE'S CONFESSING DIRECTLY!"

"♫♪Check yes, Juliet. Kill the limbo. I'll keep tossing rocks at your window. There's no turning back for us tonight.♫♪"

The camera zoomed in on Edward's face as he sang into the microphone, causing most of the girls in the audience and those watching the web broadcast to swoon.

"♫♪Lace up your shoes. (Background singer: Eh oh eh oh.) Here's how we do.♫♪"

"♫♪Run, baby, run~♫♪"

People who were sitting stood up and began to dance, rocking their heads back and forth, following the rhythms.

"♫♪Don't ever look back! They'll tear us apart! If you give them the chance♫♪"

"♫♪Don't sell your heart, Don't say we're not meant to be♫♪"

"♫♪Run, baby, run! Forever we'll be…You and me♫♪"

The crowd jumped and danced excitedly, while the entire world eagerly awaited Taylor's reaction. As expected, the girl covered her mouth with both hands, her face flushing red from embarrassment.

"That jerk! He should've given me a warning," Taylor muttered in mock anger, her attempt to stifle her smile proving futile.

"♫♪Check yes, Juliet, I'll be waiting. Wishing, wanting, Yours for the taking♫♪"

"♫♪Just sneak out, And don't tell a soul goodbye♫♪," Edward sang with a wink, leaving Taylor in a daze.

"Don't," Taylor's dad suddenly said, dousing Taylor's wild imagination with a dose of reality.

"♫♪Check yes, Juliet. Here's the countdown. Three, two, one, now fall in my arms♫♪."

"♫♪Now they can change the locks, Don't let them change your mind♫♪."

"Ahh, this modern-day Romeo and Juliet are good too," Cam muttered aloud.

"♫♪Lace up your shoes. (The background singer: Eh oh eh oh.) Here's how we do♫♪."

The crowd held its breath and then erupted in energetic cheers as Edward sang the chorus.

"♫♪Run, baby, run! Don't ever look back! They'll tear us apart, If you give them the chance~♫♪"

"♫♪Don't sell your heart, Don't say we're not meant to be♫♪"

"♫♪Run, baby, run! Forever we'll be!! You and me♫♪"

"WOOO!!!" The crowd erupted in cheers. The atmosphere was electric, even as the sky slowly darkened.

"♫♪We're flying through the night, way up high,

The view from here is getting better with you by my side♫♪," Edward crooned.

Jenna shot a murderous glare at Taylor from a distance. "I need to become a singer too," she muttered under her breath.

"Why not become an actress, sweetie?" Her mother suggested.

"♫♪Run, baby, run~ Don't ever look back. They'll tear us apart, If you give them the chance♫♪"

"♫♪Don't sell your heart, Don't say we're not meant to be~ Run, baby, run~ Forever we'll be…You and me~♫♪"

Edward stopped strumming his guitar and walked to the edge of the stage, dragging his microphone stand with him as he bent over the stage looking down at the people and the general direction of Taylor's seat in the VVIP section.

"♫♪Run, baby, run~! Don't ever look back. They'll tear us apart! If you give them the chance.~! Don't sell your heart. Don't say we're not meant to be.♫♪"

"♫♪Run, baby, run.~Forever we'll be~You and me.♫♪"

"♫♪You and me

You and me♫♪"

The crowd cheered and chanted, "Edward! Taylor! Edward! Taylor!"

Edward chuckled and asked through the mic, "When did my name change to Taylor?"

The crowd laughed, but the excitement couldn't be brushed off. They continued to scream and chant for a while as Edward took a break to drink some water. After some time, the crowd began to calm down. Just as Edward was about to say something, a random person suddenly shouted loudly from afar.

"Game!"

"Huh? What game?" Edward asked, confused.

"The song game!" The random person shouted again.

Edward laughed and replied, "I'll do that when we have more time and we're indoors. For now, let's focus on the show. Look up, we don't have much time."