Chapter 84: Interlude

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[Edward POV]

"Ugh…" I groaned as the light penetrating the gaps on the window not covered by the curtain hit me in the eye, disturbing me from my deep sleep.

Without waking up, I changed position by rolling a little to the left to avoid the sunlight. It worked for 20 more minutes before the ray of light followed and hit my eye again. I could sense my eyes sizzling as if it was cooked, and I jolted awake as I thought I was on fire. "AHH!!"

As the sun kept rising up, I had no other choice but to be a victim of its ruthlessness and had to wake up despite not setting any alarms to wake up early today. My hair was messy and it seemed like it was licked by a cow, and I only opened my right eye to see what time it was.

"Seven? Ohh… Yeay?" I cheered questioningly as the clock changed from 6.59 to 7.00 am while I was looking at the time on my phone.

I had conflicted feelings as I was woken up at the same time I would always wake up, without the alarm. I sat on the edge of the bed for 5 minutes before standing up and going to take a shower.

"This…is this categorized as Lucky?... Or Unlucky?" I muttered to myself as I reached the toilet door.

While having breakfast in the kitchen, I opened up my laptop to check on my Singles sales progress and the Flappy Bird report. My face was cold as I didn't want emotion to become a factor in my calculation therefore I tried my hardest to repress it. After all, I only have half an hour before Abby would pick me up.

"Apple takes a 30% cut per 0.99 usd. The total downloads for the songs is 12 million downloads. 5 mill for Grenade, 4 mill for Can I be him, and 3 mill for Me and My Broken Heart." I made a quick calculation and opened up an excel chart to set up my sales projection of the songs and calculate basic profits.

"The company got 8.316 million from the sales in Itunes alone. But if I added a few other download sites, the company made 11 million dollars in one day. The next day sales projection will be lower as the initial hype was gone, but I still broke multiple records."

"Merch got us another 2 million dollars. And the commercial from yesterday got me 750,000 dollars. That's all mine as the website and the broadcast was made by me. There wasn't any clause in the contract for that, so the company isn't entitled to it. That was what Harvey said. But I will still invest the money back into the company and pay the staff for the broadcast accordingly."

"Grenade music video broke 10 million views, while the lyric video for Can I be him didn't reach 1 million views yet. Although it's almost there. I guess it's slower as I never did any marketing for it on Youtube." I muttered. "I won't add the profit from Youtube to my calculation yet as it was too small. I can do it after a month."

I was only focused on the Grenade music video, and now Vevo wants it. They emailed the company about putting the video on their channel and cooperated with the agency with terms that were highly advantageous to us, so I would let Harvey's team negotiate with the company.

"Lastly, with me being the singer, song writer, editor, marketing exec, logistic exec, vice president, and also the hottest one there, my share for the song reached an astonishingly high 45%. So my bank account was fattened with 5.4 million dollars more today."

My dad was walking by and almost tripped after he heard my words. He was spooked, not because of how much money I'd made, but the way I talked about them was as if I was talking about a meager amount.

'How many years would I need to work to get that kind of money?' Dad thought depressingly. He didn't bother me as I was focusing, and stood behind me to see what I was doing.

"3 million will be reinvested back to the company and 2 million more will be invested in several other companies. I already sent Harvey out to procure shares from Netflix and Amazon…seriously, I can't do anything without her. I should give her a bonus." I muttered while my dad nodded behind me.

Dad didn't stop me from investing my money as so far, all of my stocks had given me high returns. He already marked me as a genius in his mind and gave up on trying to comprehend how my mind works.

"Moving on to Flappy Bird. I got 10 million downloads from the Android store, and 15 million downloads from Apple. I think that was the limit as the downloads didn't rise up for a couple of days now. The ads profit reached a staggering 100,000 dollars a day. I breached the 1 million dollar revenue, so I had to pay 30 % to both platforms. Fuck."

My dad sipped his coffee with two hands in amusement as he enjoyed the show in front of him. He opened his mouth to alert me of his presence, but he decided to keep watching.

"Thankfully, it's only for the premium ads free game and not the normal one. I guess not many people decided to buy the game as it's available for free." I muttered.

The internet and smart technology era also was just beginning, therefore a lot of online payment systems were still in the trial stage. It was hard for kids who actually enjoy the game to buy the premium version of the game as they didn't have a credit card yet.

"3.3 million from the premium download. Ads revenue was still at 400 thousand, but I earned the money from the ads daily. In a month, I will get at least 2 million from the ads alone."

"This will be used to buy another ship for dad's company, and that will also be his birthday present this year." I muttered. Dad widened his eyes as he heard it, and tried to interject, but I continued, "I can't put the new ship under his name, so I'll buy it under the company's name. It'll be better for him not to increase his income as he's still paying alimony."

Dad choked on his coffee behind me, making me notice his existence. "How long have you been standing there?" I asked calmly while handing him a napkin. He wiped the drink on his chin and said, "Thanks. Also, I just go here."

"I see."

"I have a question…why are you talking like you're in a meeting?"

"...I don't know. This just helps me process the information better." I said before I ignored him and got back to work. After I finished my calculation and sent the information to Harvey, I contacted the company to get the EDM synthesizer/machine?– which I would use to complete the 'Something Just Like This' song and preparations for the future.

*Horn Horn*

"Abby's here. Dad, Claire will follow you to the meeting."

He creased his brows and said, "Why?"

"Simple. You're too trusting and gullible. If I send Claire alone, she's too suspicious, anal-retentive, and overall awkward in a meeting as she lacks experience. If both of you went there together, your synergy will make you guys a competent human being instead. Then, I can rest easy and leave it all to you." I said with a mischievous smile.

Dad snorted but he couldn't refute my words, therefore he smacked the back of my head (lightly) instead.

"Okay. I'll do it with Claire."

"That…sounds wrong. But sure. Goodluck dad." I replied. "Oh and wear a suit. I made one for you."

He perked up and said, "Really?"

"Yeah. other than your uniform, your taste in clothing is horrendous. I can barely keep myself from burning all of your clothes. So, I made one for you that I feel is appropriate."

Dad was downcast and a dark cloud formed over his head. He slumped away as I walked to the front door and greeted Abby.

"Hello there." I said while emulating my inner jedi self.

"Hello?" Abby replied, not getting the reference. With her twin tail hair, Abby had returned to her usual goth appearances. I glanced at the choker on her neck– the one that I gave her before, and couldn't help but grin. She was wearing a tank top and a plaid skirt today, and was covering her legs with leggings.

"Never mind." I said sweetly before hopping over her car door and sat next to her. "You know it's risky for you when you're driving me to school. Are you sure about this? I can hitch a ride with my dad or ride my bike there."

"It's okay. A promise is a promise." Abby said. "Besides, a few parents called the school and voiced their concern about the paparazzi. They are now banned from the school compound. They may try to camp out outside the school, but it's useless so we don't have to worry about it."

I whistled and said, "Nice investigative work detective."

"All in a day's work, assistant." Abby replied with a grin as she felt tingly when being complimented.

"Although you just got the information through gossip."

"... You couldn't even let me have a little fun, could you?"

I chuckled as Abby pouted. I patted her head, making her grumble and push my hand away.

Although the paparazzi's presence in the school had inserted more chaos in my life, it couldn't be compared to how the students inside the school treated me. From an ordinary artist living in the school, now a lot of female students were looking at me with fanatical reverence instead. It pushed my school life towards alienation, and I still couldn't figure out whether it was a good or a bad thing for me.

"Luckily I still have you guys." I muttered. "Huh?" Alex was confused by my sudden remark and almost dropped the filling on her sandwich. Elsa and Jacob were still going through their drama, and Jenna was looking at me in reverence while sitting lazily. Enid was intrigued as to how a broken up couple could sit on the same table, but she was preoccupied with her accursed 'Twilight' book to say anything to them.

We were eating in the cafeteria at the time, and I stole some food from Alex's and Jacob's lunch while they weren't looking. Jenna chuckled as she saw me do that, but she didn't expose my secret.

"By the way, can I ask about why you guys broke up? Or is that question insensitive?" Alex asked bluntly to Elsa and Jacob.

Before they could answer, I interjected, "Both of them are being stupid of course."

"HEY!" Elsa exclaimed as she took offense.

Ignoring the stubborn girl, I only looked at Alex as I talked without lowering my volume.

"And yeah. That question is insensitive. If they wanted to destroy their relationship just because of something tiny, then it's up to them. We couldn't interfere and tell Elsa that, {Jacob was raised by a housewife mother, and he saw that she was happy everyday. The only thing she was mad at him about was his desire of giving her the same life that her mother has. If it was a stupid thought, and if she ever told him about her dream or actually pry their tongue away from one another, to have a heart-to-heart talk… all of this could actually be avoided, as Jacob truly loves her for who she is.} I said again, we cannot interfere."

"Though you basically just did." Alex muttered underneath her breath. Elsa's eyes shook as she heard my 'sermon' and turned toward Jacob. She finally looked at his face for the first time since their breakup. Without her knowing it, tears pooled in her eyes. Her chins quivered and her eyes fluttered, but they never actually closed.

*Ring Ring*

The school bang rang, indicating that lunch time was over. I whispered to Alex, and she nodded at my words before slowly pulling Jenna with her as she walked to class. I took care of Enid and walked with her toward the lockers, leaving Elsa and Jacob alone in the cafeteria where they would reignite the love they had for each other.

"So, why are you reading twilight? Are you trying to antagonize me?" I asked Enid playfully as she kept the book inside her locker.

She shook her head slightly and said, "No. I want to antagonize my sister. She's a fan of the series, so Imma spoil it for her."

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

Enid narrowed her eyes menacingly as she remembered what her sister had done and said, "She spoiled 'Harry Potter' for me. So I will get my revenge!" She bounced a bit as she made a martial art punching action at me, making me laugh.

"And now, as you read the book, do you still think about spoiling the movie for her?" I asked as we walked side by side in the hallway.

Enid sighed and said, "No. I won't. The story's too good for me to do that."

I was revolted inside and I distanced myself from her a little.

"Especially the wolves." Enid said with twinkling eyes.

"Sure. Sure. You're a furry. I understand." I said as I stopped in front of my classroom door.

"What- NO!" Enid retorted in disbelief.

I laughed and said, "Sure. I 'believeee' you."

"But your tone isn't showing it!"

I guffawed before and wiped the tears from my eyes. I patted the chibi's head and said, "Go to class furry."

"I'M NOT A FURRY!"

Although I was a hater of the series, I wouldn't actually go out of my way to prevent others from enjoying it. It was a matter of personal taste, even if the fans of the series have no taste *Ehem* I mean…All good things…

'If there's one good thing about the series that I can think of, it's that Robert Pattion suffered after acting in the series.'

'That suffering he went through was what made him truly understand the Batman character, and become a good Batman against all odds.'

…

After school, Mrs Henderson asked me to come to her class. She was wearing a shoulderless blouse with sleeves and her hair was tied up in a bun. Although she was only revealing her clavicle, most of the male students inside the school drooled as they stared at her beauty.

Not me though, that woman felt extremely familiar to me, so much that I couldn't have sexual thoughts about her. But, that didn't mean that I wouldn't tease her.

"Hello Mrs Henderson. I should warn you, although we're in a private fan meeting, we need to maintain a professional behavior."

She ignored me and gave me study materials and itinerary for the decathlon. I read the new schedule and frowned.

"They are bringing the competition forward?"

Mrs Herderson nodded expressionlessly and said, "They changed the schedule, all because of one person…who was clueless enough to expose his schedule on live tv. Therefore, the organizer wanted to change the competition venue to a new place for the safety of the students."

"I feel like that's a dig at me."

"Oh, so you're not that clueless."

"..."

So, it was my fault that the competition was moved up. Only the teams competing in the decathlon would know about the new venue and date of the competition. The organizer also asked the students to keep the information to themselves and didn't share it with others until the competition ended.

"But, my final exam is on that date." I said with a scrunched brow.

"The school had a meeting, and after a discussion, we decided to give separate testing for the decathlon members. The exams will be held two days before the decathlon, without any breaks in between the tests."

"So…Monday next week?"

"Yes Mr Newgate. After the decathlon, you will need to answer the supplementary exams, so prepare yourself."

I nodded as I was confident with my skills, but I felt a bit guilty for Alex and Haruna – the fourth member of the decathlon team, and also an exchange student from Japan. I don't care about Sanjay and his future whining, nor did his name cross my mind at this moment.

I looked at Mrs Henderson's face with a complicated expression. She caught it and asked knowing, "What do you have in mind Mr Newgate?"

"I was just wondering…if I take the supplementary exams and become the valedictorian-"

"You won't be the valedictorian." She corrected me.

"I know, I'm just worried that it'll make the other students feel cheated."

Mrs. Herderson sighed slightly and paused for a bit before saying, "Mr Newgate…You actually don't have to worry about this matter."

"Why?"

"Because…in your grade…there aren't…any students with good capabilities compared to the other grades."

"Basically the kids in my grade are dumb dumb."

She was stunned and replied in a tiny voice, "...Yeah."

Alex's grade 7 students had more than 7 smart, grade A individuals that were bringing the school name to a greater heights, while most of the students in grade 8…my grade…were basically glue eaters.

"Therefore, it doesn't matter if you take the supplementary tests. None of them are smart enough to notice it." Mrs Henderson insulted the entire grade 8 students without malice in her tone.

Despite Abraham and Jacob being good students in the class, they were actually average in intelligence. Others were…well…

The teacher sent me away after briefing me about the decathlon. She also asked me if the competition would interfere in my work as an artist. I set up my own schedule, and she had given me enough time to prepare for the competition. Therefore, I could plan my schedule more efficiently.

"Study with the group if you have the time. Although you're close with Alex, you never meet Haruna and you're hostile with Sanjay. It'll affect teamwork if this continues."

I shrugged and said, "I'm not hostile with Sanjay. He's the one who has a problem with me."

"Then, be the bigger man and make up." Mrs Henderson said in a calm tone. I wanted to say no, but she told me something interesting that made me change my mind, "If you do, then I'll kiss your lips."

Just kidding, what she actually said was, "If you do, then I'll mark the hours you spent with him as part of the community work, so you won't have to volunteer in the summer."

"NICE!"