Chapter 88: Tribute (Part 1)

(Sorry I'm late. I have a high fever. 🤒)

[Edward POV]

I walked to the Dunphy's house without wearing a cap or a mask to hide my identity. My walking pace wasn't hurried, therefore some joggers didn't even pay attention to me as I passed by.

"Of course, maybe they don't even know me. After all, I am a just-debuted artist, on par with general nobody's in the business..." I muttered to myself. If any of the aspiring singers heard what I just said, I might be beaten up by them.

After I got the Batman skill, I knew for sure how to avoid people recognizing me instead of behaving super suspiciously inside a neighborhood where everybody knew everybody– Unless the person was your other street neighbor and you could see each other's house through your backyard.

"Hey Good Morning." A friendly, bald black man in medical scrubs greeted me as he passed me by while walking his daughter's dog.

"Good Morning Andre." I greeted him before passing him with a friendly smile on my face. He treated me like a usual passerby and had to pull his cute pomeranian away from me as the dog was attracted by my animal affinity.

The orthodontist stopped a few steps later and muttered to himself, "Wait. Who is that? Why does he know my name?"

I didn't hear his suspicions as I was already turning on a corner to get to Dunphy's street.

"I didn't think I would meet the Kevin Hart character today. I know he lives nearby…Should I introduce him to Dwayne? Will they be best friends here too?" I amused myself as I rang the doorbell at Dunphy's house. Luke opened the door and said, "Come on in. Mom made chocolate chip pancakes."

I could smell the sweet scent as Luke opened the door, and I said, "Nice. I'm starving."

I entered the house and walked with Luke, who was wearing a light blue dinosaur shirt with his shirt tucked into his pants zippers, to the kitchen where Haley was surprisingly behind the pancake stove– flipping the already made pancake to cook the other side.

"Hey. You're late!" Haley grumbled in dissatisfaction as she had been pretending to cook for 10 minutes now. I was reminding Luke about his shirt when I was suddenly blamed by the teenage girl with a patch of flour on her nose that she wasn't aware of.

Haley was wearing a low-cut blouse, a giant Cleopatra-like necklace, and she changed her hairstyle by wearing a high ponytail which showed the nape of her neck. She had to cook for her entire family because of me as she VOLUNTEERED to make the pancakes today, thinking that I would come here early.

"There was a cat stuck on a tree." I said, shrugging dismissively at her temper.

"Oh. That's okay then." Haley accepted the excuse on face value without even having any suspicions about my words. She returned to the stove and stacked up a 10 layer chocolate chip pancake on a plate.

"..."

'Damn, this skill is OP.' I thought wrongly. It was actually Kakashi's [Fashionably Late] ability that helped. However, I was still influenced by my impression of Usopp.

"Here." Haley said before giving me the pancake tower. I picked up the plate with both hands and said in disbelief, "Wait. This is all for me?"

"Yes." Haley said before putting butter and honey on top of the pancake.

"HEY NOT FAIR! I ONLY GOT TWO!" Luke exclaimed in shock after he saw his sister's generosity.

"SHUT UP! YOU HAD CEREAL!" Haley gritted her teeth as she admonished Luke before pushing me on my back, "Go sit down and eat! I need to make a few more for Dad and Alex."

Helpless, I walked to sit on the dining table while being glared at by Luke.

"NO! NOT THERE!" Haley shouted before I could sit. I stopped halfway awkwardly and turned to look at her. "W-Why?" I asked in confusion.

"Go sit next to Luke!" Haley ordered without explaining. I shook my head and obediently walked next to Luke and sat down. Here, I could get a clear view of Haley while she was cooking, so I had no objections. Although the patch of flour distracted me from looking at anything else.

'Luckily she still looks cute.' I thought.

Haley smiled as she looked at my face, and no longer continued to pretend to be a good cook as she half-heartedly made the pancakes for the rest of the family.

Before I started eating, I took off 2 layers of the pancake from the bottom and sneaked it into Luke's plate without Haley realizing it.

Before Luke could exclaim in excitement, I shushed him. He nodded in understanding and only raised his hand up and made a silent cheer before eating.

Haley glared at us in suspicion but Claire walked into the kitchen while arguing with Phil, distracting her from the truth. She was carrying an empty laundry basket while Phil followed her from behind.

"But Honey, It's the new generation Bug Vacuum. Guaranteed to suck all bugs below the diameter of 1 centimeter!"

"No Phil. It's a waste of money! If you find a spider in the bathroom, just call me- Oh…Good Morning." Claire greeted me awkwardly as she noticed I was inside the kitchen.

I paused for a while and warily said, "Good morning…" I studied the other people in the kitchen's facial expression, but no one had the same awkwardness while seeing me as Claire does.

"ED! Bug Vacuum. Deal of the century or what?!" Phil's eyes lit up as he saw me and he almost ran to the dining table to talk to me. I smiled at him and said, "That's okay I guess. But I like the salt shotgun more."

"Salt shotgun?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah. It's a gun…but it shoots salt. So you can role play Western movies while vanquishing your enemies-"

Claire interjected quickly, "NO ONE IS VANQUISHING ANYTHING!"

[Claire's commentary]

"How could he change so much in the span of a night? He seems like…a man- or a kid, unburdened now. Although I'm glad to see him being cheerful, I'm also afraid that he's only putting a fake mask on his face and repressing his emotions."

"I know…he is a smart kid. Therefore, I didn't tell anyone about last night's affairs…In case he marked me as someone he couldn't trust." Claire planned skillfully before muttering, "Well…when he's moved on, then I will tell people about it."

And take credit for his happiness, but she wouldn't admit to this.

[Haley's commentary]

"I might be dressed up today, but why does his beauty surpass me?" Haley muttered in dissatisfaction. She stared into the camera and asked, "I'm not crazy right? He got more handsome today. And even Taller!"

[Luke's commentary]

"Ed is giving me the same feeling as when I meet up with one of my teachers. However, none of them ever shared their chocolate chip pancakes with me, so…I will die for him if he wants." Luke said in a serious tone.

[commentary ends]

"Hey, you're here." Alex said weakly as she entered the kitchen. She noticed that Claire and I were having a stare off, so she asked, "Uhh..What's happening?"

""Nothing."" Claire and I said at the same time. I looked at Alex's deep eye bag and said, "You didn't sleep well last night?"

Haley scoffed and interjected, "She watched cartoons last night before going to bed!"

"HALEY!" Alex admonished her sister with gritted teeth as she was embarrassed. I chuckled and said, "Good job Alex!"

"What?!" Phil, Claire and Haley tilted their heads in confusion. Alex picked up a plate of pancakes and went to sit next to me while saying, "He's the one who recommended the…anime to me."

"Anime?" Claire said, as she almost couldn't hold back her smile. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to make sure Alex didn't see it.

[Phil and Claire's commentary]

While holding their hands, Phil and Claire had an excited look on their faces.

"It's a happy day for Claire." Phil explained.

Claire couldn't wait anymore and said, "She had NEVER watched a kid's show before! Nor did she ever behave like one."

Phil nodded and said, "Now, I can find something we can both do. Alex and I can go to the convention together, dress up like the characters, discuss the show…All I need to do now is find out what show they were watching."

Claire turned to Phil slightly and said, "Honey. It's… 'Anime.' That's the title."

"Anime?...I think I'll ask Edward where I can watch it."

"It's on Alex's computer." Claire added.

[Commentary ends]

"Is the show called Anime?" Phil asked in excitement. Alex rolled her eyes and said, "No. That's the genre. It's a Japanese style animation-" She stopped prematurely and ignored her dad as she turned to me and said, "I watched episode 1 to 10 last night."

"You didn't study?" I asked.

"After I finished studying." Alex said. She had slept late to watch the show as she couldn't take out the binging time from her study time. "You won't grow taller then." I said.

"..."

Claire interjected as she pushed Haley away from the stove as the different sized pancakes irked her, "So Ed. Do you have another busy day planned?"

I thought about it and replied, "I have a recording session with Taylor after school… After that, I need to reject a few companies that offered to buy my game and… Wait…Are you guys free tonight?"

"Tonight?" Claire asked in confusion.

"We're having a family dinner outside today. Wanna join us?" Phil invited.

"What do you have in mind Ed?" Haley asked.

"I was thinking of inviting you guys to my house. But if you guys aren't free-"

"We are!" Haley, Alex, and Claire shouted at the same time.

Phil was looking at Haley's face and handed a napkin to her, "Honey. You got a little something on your nose."

"Oh god!" Haley screamed in embarrassment before grabbing the napkin and running away to check her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"Are you cooking?" Luke asked with a face full of chocolate chips.

I turned to him and said, "Yes. I will cook Italian food, but first I will need to go shopping for garlic bread, tomato puree, cooking wine, and meat."

Then, I mumbled to myself, "And definitely not going to take a scooter to buy it this time."

…

After Haley returned, she sat next to where Luke was sitting before as Luke had already finished eating.

"Aren't you eating?" I asked her.

"..No." Haley said with a slight pause.

Alex rolled her eyes and said, "She's dieting, so she's avoiding sweet stuff."

"Alex!" Haley admonished her sister while glaring at her.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" I asked in a concerned tone.

"...Not yet." Haley replied reluctantly. I cut a few pieces of the pancakes she prepared for me and fed her a tiny slice using a fork.

She blushed and said, "No. I really don't need to eat-"

"You need breakfast. Also, if you want to diet better, you should have breakfast."

"Really?"

"Yup. Now, open your mouth."

Alex rolled her eyes as Haley was fed by me and said, "Why are you guys flirting so early in the morning?"

Claire and Phil came back to the kitchen after having a discussion in the other living room and Claire said, "Ed. This dinner tonight…do you need any help?"

"No need. Just come and eat." I said.

"Really? Are you sure?" Claire asked again.

"Yeah. I'm sure." I said while nodding. I wanted to do it using Noni's way of cooking as a tribute to her. If there were helpers, then it would be risky for my plan as there would be too many cooks.

"You will go to the studio right? Will you have enough time to prepare?" Claire asked again.

I thought for a second and said, "Yeah I'll have enough time. We are not going to the desert studio today. Only the studio in Pasadena."

Taylor and I will record the song at the movie company's studio instead while recording a few scenes for the music video. However, most of the clip will be scenes from the movie, therefore we don't have to do much work.

"Can you invite the others too? Mitch, Jay, Cam, Gloria, Manny, Lily…"

"Sure." Claire said with a slight hint of concern in her tone.

"I will go to the grocery store after the open house. Just text me what you want to buy." Phil offered.

"Thanks Phil."

I didn't stay at the Dunphy's for long as I needed to get to school. Although Claire offered to send me to school, Abby had already waited for me outside the house. Haley and I rode in her car instead of going with Claire.

I also invited Abby and Desiree to the feast tonight. Not only that, I called Pepper, Harvey, and even Leo to the feast. At school, I invited Jacob, Jenna, and Elsa to my house. I even dared to invite Mrs Henderson, but she couldn't make it tonight.

I asked my dad to invite Dwayne and Dylan too, however they were working tonight and couldn't make it.

"Ahh..I miss Aunt Camila." I sighed after I invited everyone that I could invite to dinner tonight. Pepper even contacted a party planner team and rented a few chairs and tables to set up in my backyard while I was at school.

…

-Gymnasium-

"Are we still going to let him join the team?" Sanjay pointed his finger at me while grimacing as I joined the Decathlon team practice for the first time.

"Are you still going to be a major douche?" I asked while rolling my eyes.

Mrs Henderson ignored Sanjay as she prepared the exam questions. Alex and Haruna– the japanese girl that had an Edna Mode haircut looked at both of us in concern. Alex said, "We only have a few days left till the competition. Sanjay, just bear with it. Ed, don't mind him."

"I never mind him." I said playfully, making Sanjay slammed the table and stood up in anger, "YOU BAS-"

"Mr Patel. Can you tell me which scientist coined the word 'Big Bang'?" Mr Henderson started the mock question without minding the boy's anger.

"Uhh…Isaac Newton?" Sanjay answered, flabbergasted.

Mrs Henderson shook her head, and while the others wanted to open their notes to check, I answered, "Fred Hoyle."

"Good Job Mr Newgate."

"Light emitted from a star or galaxy can be separated into a band of colors, called a…?" Mrs Henderson continued.

Alex answered, "Spectrum."

"Good Job Alex."

"Why is she Alex and we are Mr?" Sanjay mumbled to himself in dissatisfaction.

"How does the abundance of helium and hydrogen support the Big Bang theory?" Mrs Henderson continued.

I answered before anyone else could, "Helium and Hydrogen are in the same ratio throughout the universe."

Alex smiled while Haruna was a bit impressed by my quickness. Sanjay however still gritted his teeth at my existence, but he no longer wanted me off the team as I proved myself 'worthy'.

After science, we move on to History questions.

"When did Christopher Columbus arrive in America?"

"1492." I answered.

"You should give others a chance." Sanjay said in dissatisfaction.

"Nah." I replied dismissively, making him almost explode again.

Last practice was in the math category. There, we needed to solve a few complex equations together before answering it. However, I could answer all of the questions by myself without any help from my teammates. Therefore, Mrs Henderson placed all of her trust in the math category on me.

After school, I went directly to the movie studio– driven by Abby in her car. She also stayed behind to watch the shooting while waiting there to drive me home.

"Hey. You promised to cook something for me." Taylor said the moment she arrived at the studio. I smiled and replied, "Sure. Come on over today."

"Wait. Are you serious?" Taylor asked, visibly excited by the invitation. She leaned in closer and whispered to my ear, "Do you want me to come alone-"

"I'm inviting a few close friends to have dinner together. A lot of people will be there." I said before she could finish her words.

"Oh." Taylor exclaimed before her expression turned downcast from the disappointment. "I thought you were only inviting me." She whined.

I smiled teasingly and said, "Pepper is going to be there, so…"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Okay FINE! I understand."

I laughed and we recorded the 'Two is Better than One' music video clip together. It took less than an hour for us to finish the recording, and only an additional 20 more minutes for us to record the soundtrack in the recording studio.

I got back home at 4 pm and entered the kitchen without even changing my clothes as I needed to cook. Phil already delivered the groceries while I was at school, so I could start anytime I wanted.

"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" My dad walked by and tried to take a baby tomato from a bowl beside me. I hit his hand with a wooden spatula and said with an Italian accent, "Non. Go sit in front of the TV. I got this."

"... Why Italian?" Dad asked in confusion.

In a normal voice, I said, "I'm cooking Italian food. It's normal."

"Ed. You haven't been normal since you were 1 year old."

"..." I was baffled by his nonchalance in insulting his cute son and turned to the fridge to take out a few more ingredients.

"Oh, and by the way, I invited Desiree." I said.

Dad flinched and his eyes shook before he slumped his shoulders and walked away.

"What is going on with you two anyway? Are you really dating?" I asked before he could exit the kitchen. He stopped at the threshold and said, "Nah. We've discussed it, but it's not right. However she still wants to flirt, so I just have to put up with that."

"Basically she's using you as a practice target."

"Basically. Yes."

If anyone else heard it, they would be convinced that we were truly father and son as they could see how dense we were. As I wanted to make my own pasta, suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Ed, I'm in the toilet." Dad shouted from afar.

"Okay I'll open the door!" I shouted back before wiping my hand and walked to the front door. I was surprised when I opened it, mainly because Claire, Gloria, and Cam were already here 2 hours early before the gathering time.

"We're here to help. You didn't think we would let you do it yourself did you?" Claire said with a sly smirk.