Chapter 135: Fort Wars (3)

(Double chap today.)

[General POV]

In a dim-lighted room, a jester was laughing maniacally after he managed to break into the custodian's space and took out all the confiscated items throughout the school year.

"FINALLY!!! I HAVE IT BACK!!!"

He took out a lightsaber toy from the pile of contraband in front of him, which consisted of porn mags, toys such as bb-guns, lightsabers, yo-yos, skateboards, tamagotchi-game, nintendos and other assorted lost items, bra paddings, teddy bears, barbie dolls, and much more.

Some of the porn mags pages had already been yellowed by age as he basically picked up all the confiscated items from 1993. "Mine … My treasure…My precious!!!" Abraham rubbed the 'rare' porn mags on his cheek as he was extremely excited to explore a curious new era for him.

Abraham put a few porn mags and toys into his bag as he was one of the main contributors to the pile. But he suddenly felt a chill on his neck as was putting a Playboy magazine with Alexandria Carlsen (Jenna's mother) on the cover among his possessions.

"What the-" Abraham turned to the door, and saw it was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then, the light flickered, and a woman in a white dress suddenly appeared at the door frame.

"ARGHHH!" Abraham shouted in horror as he clutched his chest. His breathing became rapid, and he broke in a cold sweat feeling chills on his back. "Ice Quee- Mrs-Mrs-Mrs Henderson." He called out.

The Ice Queen smirked and walked slowly inside the room, and said to Abraham, "Oh. Nice little pile you got there."

"Umm…" Abraham sweated profusely, not understanding what was the Queen's motive in finding him. "Is this tribute for Lord Fluffy-Shire? Not a menacing name, I don't think it's a name fit for a king, don't you think the same?"

The teacher took away the magazine Abraham was holding as she realized it was the most appropriate thing to do. She didn't take away the other magazines though.

"I…I told him that." Abraham said in a depressed manner. Mrs Henderson nodded in understanding and added, "But… He's not taking your opinion seriously…Right? That's because, he's the king, and you… you're just the…clown…"

"THE JESTER!" Abraham corrected the teacher in an angry manner. Mrs Henderson walked behind Abraham and whispered to his ear, "Sure…But is that.,.what you really want? Ask yourself…who is the one who has built the majority of this…wonderful…infrastructure. Was it the king? Why is he the only one enjoying the benefits from this?"

Abraham widened his eyes in horror and he turned back quickly. He almost stumbled on the pile as he backstep from Mrs Henderson and said, "I- I will not be instigated by you! The k-King is protecting all of us!"

"I see. I will not be able to break you huh." Mrs Henderson said while slightly shaking her head. Abraham was a bit excited, but before he could say anything, Mrs Henderson added, "I'm not that someone that is finally close to you… that someone that has been inside your mind for years now…"

"No..Don't say it!" Abraham begged with a shaky voice.

"What's Alex doing now? Oh…I forgot…She's a member of the king's harem…right?" Mrs Henderson said with an evil smirk.

She then shook her head quickly to stop herself from actively enjoying the whole game. She put her hand on Abraham's shoulder before saying , "Think about it… If you make the right decision…then you can come and join us in the new Republic..where everyone is equal."

"I…I-" Abraham stammered. Mrs Henderson nodded in satisfaction as she managed to sway an important member of the opposing ringleader's team. Suddenly, she grabbed the BB-Gun on the pile and turned towards the door quickly. She fired off a few shots, startling the 2 students that were walking past the room.

*Pop* *Pop* *Pop*

The pellets popped 3 balloons the students were holding. She then said, "No Helium balloons inside the school!" The students quickly ran away to avoid her gun and her scolding.

She turned back towards Abraham, but at that moment, several more students with a huge number of helium balloons in their hands walked past the room casually, and she didn't realize it.

"I'll be waiting for you." She said before she walked away, leaving behind a jester who's having an existential crisis about his identity and loyalties.

…

[Edward POV]

"Nice job everyone!" I said as we all had lunch together inside the music classroom after Alex did her performance. Enid was holding a few grapes over my head, and slowly lowered them to my mouth to feed me as I sat on the throne.

"I-I want to do that next!" Jenna said decisively with a blush on her face. "Sure!" Enid said excitedly and took turns with Jenna to feed me stuff. I didn't even have to use my hand to have my lunch today because of those two.

Alex rolled her eyes and said disdainfully, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"What's not to enjoy? Anyway, Alex. You almost ruined the ending by going off script."

Alex was so embarrassed when I brought it up and she buried her face on her legs as she sat on the floor.

"Crowd surfing. What the hell is even that? There were barely any people there, at most in the low tens." I said in a sarcastic manner, making Alex want to bury her face in a hole somewhere.

Finneas laughed dryly before saying, "Well…Ed…Should I really sing my song in the next performance? There's still time for us to change it to a cover song."

Most of us were confused by his sudden request but Billie spoke first, "But…You were the one who wanted to sing your own song."

Finneas scratched his cheek and said, "Yeah…I know that…But now…I don't think it is a good idea."

I looked at Finneas who was having some self-doubt and said, "I know how you feel, Finneas. It's scary to share your stories with the world."

"You could say that." Finneas nodded in agreement. Billie sighed and said angrily, "NO! You're doing it!"

"I'm not…" Finneas said to Billie.

"Then, you're stupid!" Billie shouted.

It turned into a huge fight, and finally we had to interfere before both of them said something that they were going to regret. I took Finneas outside the room to cool off, and then he said, "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. You know, I went through this too, right?." I shared.

Finneas raised one of his eyebrows and said, "Really? I didn't think so. You are always so confident that any song you write is going to be a hit. And with great reason there's just no 'missing' with you. I…don't think I have it in me… to be like that."

I nodded in understanding. Unlike me, he didn't have any future knowledge for him to know that he had made something great, nor did he have the luxury of having a future hit selection to pick and choose for his next release, therefore, it was normal for him to have some self-doubt about the whole process.

"I could say to you that 'you have what it takes.' or… 'your song is a banger'...But, I don't think I can make you believe it. You wanna know what's the easiest way for you to believe?"

He looked up to me and asked, "What?"

"You need to sing it." I replied in a casual manner. "Besides, I don't blame you. Even my heart starts palpitating when I think about my next performance."

He laughed a bit and said sarcastically, "Surely you jest. You're already a worldwide artist-"

"But I've never had a worldwide tour. I barely got into planning a short one barely hitting a few states and I am already freaking out, organizing venues, merchandising, promoting the tour, booking pre show singers, creating setlists for each and every show, choosing what to feature and so much more." I half joked.

"Nah, you can do that later. People already love you, so you can be sure that they're going to love your songs. So don't blame me if I can't believe you when you say you're still nervous about it."

I laughed and patted Finneas on the back, making him confused. "Oh, but I am. See." I showed him my sweaty palm, and he was shocked when he touched it.

"All of us are facing our fears today." I said while looking up to the ceiling. "So, what do you say?" I asked him.

He was silent for a while as he thought about it.

[Finneas POV]

I hate Edward Newgate…or at least I used to.

Growing up, I was always overshadowed by him when we competed in classical music contests.

"The winner of the XX competition is…Edward Newgate!"

And the crowd would stand up and clap for him as he picked up the trophy, while I was scolded by my music teacher for not winning the competition behind the stage.

All of my life, I wanted to catch up to him.

But then, the purpose of my life disappeared.

I was lost, and my interest in classical music was lost too.

When I entered middle school, I was surprised when I saw him attending the same school. But, the once great classical musician Edward Newgate, had downgraded into a typical teenage delinquent, an all around loner.

He rejected everything, and subconsciously, I emulated him. I had no close friends, I became brash with my words, and even with my little sister…

Then, he decided to change once again. He made his mark in mainstream music, and I was confused.

Wasn't he like me?? Didn't he decide to throw away music from his heart?'

I couldn't find the answer. I could only watch him from afar as he became more and more successful. So I became his shadow again, and the chasm between us grew further.

As I became more mature, I realized that he had never known me, and all of my obsession with him was meaningless as he had never once looked in my direction.

I decided to walk my own path.

However, fate played a cruel trick. When I was alone in the music classroom, a nerdy, but cute girl walked in and asked me to teach her to play the cello.

I didn't think much about it at the time and the thought of spending some time alone with a cute girl in an empty classroom excited me.

It went on for a few days before she said that her friend was going to join us. I was surprised when I realized that her friend was actually him.

And to top off my excitement, he seemed to know me. All this time I thought I belonged in his shadow, but he actually noticed me! It was like a shackle had been broken inside my heart, and he asked me to become a member of his band.

As we practiced together, I realized that all of my assumptions about him were unfounded.

He was not the rebel I thought he was.

He wasn't a loner.

He cared about other people – maybe even too much.

When I told him that I had written my own songs, he wasn't surprised. I could read his expression at this time. It was as if he had always known I had it in me. I was shocked, and I became anxious again.

What would I do if I failed to meet his expectations?

'And now, he's telling me…that he has fears too? I…thought it was impossible for him to be scared.'

He was confident when he gave Alex permission to sing his song. He already knew it would be a hit. And he had the same confidence about the song I'm singing. So why should I be scared?

The image of him playing his violin in front of a crowd of thousands of people had been imprinted in my mind ever since I was 8 years old. He was my hero back then. And right now, he has become my hero again.

Better than a hero. He's now…my friend.

"So, what do you say?" He asked.

" I guess…I should sing it…my song I mean." I replied after thinking for a while. He nodded while smiling and he pats me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, if you choke, I will help you."

"I'M NOT GOING TO CHOKE!" I shouted back. Suddenly, both of us could hear some giggling coming from behind us. We turned back, and saw an array of heads popping out from the door, peeking at us while smirking and giggling.

"Get a room you two." Alex teased.

"BROMANCEEEE!!!" Enid shouted in the background.

…

[General POV]

"Alright, the gym is ready. I had already text blasted the students, so we need to go there now." Elsa said after entering the music classroom.

"Great. Let's go." Edward said before leading the way to the gymnasium. The drums, the speakers, and the microphones were already set up over there by a professional team, and they just needed to bring their guitar and cello there.

"Alex, are you sure you want to use your cello as bass? I'm not saying that you don't have the skills, but we need to run away after." Edward said with a bit of concern.

"Oh don't worry. I'm using YOUR cello, so I could just leave it there if I want." Alex said jokingly.

Edward rolled his eyes at Alex before they left the corridor. 5 minutes later, a woman in a white dress appeared in the same corridor.

"Are you sure the 'killswitch' is in there?" Mrs Henderson asked.

Abraham nodded and replied in a depressed manner, "Yes. He connected the ropes together so that he could shut down the whole thing if he wanted to."

Not knowing about the conspiracy transpiring behind his back, Edward hit the drums a few times throwing a basic Rock rhythm while saying, "It's been a while since I played this."

Alex replied sarcastically, "And you're showing off your 'rusty' skill by making a perfect beat ."

"Yeah. It's barely perfect. If I had practiced, then it'd be phenomenal." Edward replied jokingly while making a *ba dump tass* – bad joke sound, causing all of his friends around to roll their eyes.

"They're here!" Jacob announced before opening the gymnasium door. A crowd of middle-schoolers ran inside as they wanted to get the best view, and they quickly surrounded Edward and the band as they staged themselves in the middle of the basketball court.

"Good afternoon everyone! As promised, we present; Finneas O'Connel with the song, "Just a kid!" Hope you guys enjoy this!" Edward introduced. The crowd clapped their hands and cheered as they had waited for the moment impatiently.

Finneas breathed sharply as he grabbed the microphone and he looked at me. I nodded and Billie started playing her guitar.

[Just a kid- Simple plan]

Finneas started singing, and unlike the other girls, he wasn't being awkward while he was behind the microphone.

" ♫♪I woke up it was seven, I waited 'till 11

Just to figure out that no one would call♫♪"

"♫♪I think I've got a lot of friends

But I don't hear from them

What's another night all alone♫♪"

"Oh, I didn't think the lyrics would be so…" Jenna muttered in surprise as she took another look at Finneas. Elsa nodded as she agreed with Jenna, and she danced subconsciously as she was hooked with the band.

Finneas became more confident as the crowd reacted positively to his song.

"♫♪When you're spending everyday on your own

And here it goes!!♫♪"

♫♪I'm just a kid

And life is a nightmare!!♫♪

All of the kids listening to it, especially the ones who are going through puberty, were relating strongly to the song.

♫♪I'm just a kid

I know that it's not fair

Nobody cares

'Cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight!♫♪

The crowd cheered, and a few girls even brazenly walked beside Finneas and danced there as he sang.

"♫♪And maybe when the night is dead

I'll crawl into my bed

I'm staring at these four walls again♫♪"

Finneas was a bit distracted by the girls, especially those who were touching his body as they danced but he continued nonetheless. He actually blanked out, so Edward had to supplement him.

Edward: ♫♪I'll try to think about the last time I had a good time

Everyone's got somewhere to go♫♪

Finneas turned towards Ed, and he gazed at him angrily and gestured to him with his facial expression to focus. Finneas gulped his saliva and returned to his microphone.

♫♪And they're gonna leave me here on my own~

And here it goes♫♪

The crowd exploded into a massive cheer as they danced all around the band.

♫♪I'm just a kid

And life is a nightmare!!

I'm just a kid

I know that it's not fair!!

Nobody cares

'Cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me!!♫♪

But then, the sound attracted a few teachers into the gymnasium. Mrs Johnson, the PE teacher grinned and stealthily placed the card she had won into her pocket before making ways towards the band.

♫♪What the hell is wrong with me?

Don't fit in with anybody

How did this happen to me?

Wide awake, I'm bored and I can't fall asleep

And every night is the worst night ever♫♪

Jacob saw the teacher and went to stop her quickly. But as he didn't know how to do that, he started dancing in front of the teacher.

"What the- Move Green." Mrs Johnson said. But Elsa and Jenna had already followed Jacob to help the band. Before long, a number of students were dancing around Mrs Johnson, barricading her from moving forward to shut the whole thing down.

Finneas saw it and showed a thumbs up to Jacob as he continued singing with a peace of mind.

"♫♪I'm just a kid~

I'm just a kid

I'm just a kid (Billie: I'm just a kid)♫♪

Yeah, I'm just a kid (Alex: I'm just a kid)♫♪

(Edward: I'm just a kid)"

♫♪Yeah, I'm just a kid (Billie:I'm just a kid)

( Alex: I'm just a kid)♫♪

Edward was working hard on the drum until his forehead sweat rolled to his chin. He slammed the drumstick hard as Finneas sang.

♫♪I'm just a kid!!!

And life is a nightmare!!!

♫♪I'm just a kid!

I know that it's not fair!

Nobody cares!

'Cause I'm alone and the world is-

Nobody wants to be alone in the world♫♪

Some teenagers had tears in their eyes as they swayed their bodies to the music. As Mrs Johnson heard the lyrics, she was baffled and stopped trying to shut down the music and stared at the band with a complicated look.

Finneas took out the microphone from the mic and started to move around the gym.

"♫♪I'm just a kid

And life is a nightmare

I'm just a kid

I know that it's not fair♫♪"

"♫♪Nobody cares

'Cause I'm alone and the world is-

Nobody wants to be alone in the world♫♪"

♫♪Nobody cares

'Cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight♫♪

Billie walked to Finneas and he sang while looking at her in a suspicious manner to the onlooker.

♫♪I'm all alone tonight !!♫♪

♫♪Nobody cares tonight!!♫♪

♫♪'Cause I'm just a kid tonight!!♫♪

Edward raised his hands as they finished drumming, and the crowd exploded into excitement as the song finished.

"FINNEAS! FINNEAS! FINNEAS!"

"ALEX! ALEX! ALEX!"

"BILLIE! BILLIE ! BILLIE!"

"EDWARD! EDWARD! EDWARD!!!"

The fans chanted the band members name, and at this moment, Mrs Johnson finally arrived at the main vocal spot and grabbed the microphone from Finneas.

"Alright, alright, Settle down! It's been fun, but it's now over!" She said, pouring cold water to the crowd's excitement as they went quiet immediately.

Mrs Johnson turned towards the band member and said, "You guys. If you want to sing, you could just tell us instead of doing this ...Wait a minute…Where's the main culprit, Edward Newgate?"

Alex, Billie and Finneas were clear that their journey would end at this stage, and they replied to Mrs Johnson at the same time with a smirk on their face, "We don't know."

"Ahh…shit!" Mrs Johnson cursed, forgotten that she was still holding the microphone.

…

[Edward POV]

Although it seemed that I had abandoned my friends, it was all a part of a much bigger plan. I returned back to the music classroom, but there, I was surprised when I saw Abraham sitting on the 'throne' I used to sit on.

"Hello there." I called out, feeling that the atmosphere inside the room was a bit weird.