Chapter 204: I lived.

[Edward POV]

After my identity was exposed, a swarm of fans rushed towards me, forming a tight circle as they fervently requested pictures and autographs as their praises for my music and acting in the new Taylor music video echoed through the air.

The crowd consisted mostly of young teenagers and young adults, with a sprinkling of older fans in between. Surprisingly, their behavior remained polite and respectful, which prompted me to make some decisions.

I obliged their requests, posing for pictures and signing autographs, all while maintaining a friendly demeanor. Taking advantage of the moment, I announced that a surprise awaited them at the carnival square at noon, urging them to gather there.

After spending half an hour with the crowd, I managed to extricate myself with the help of my father, but it proved challenging to shake them off completely. They followed persistently, trailing me as I sought refuge in the organizer's office located beside the carnival.

Inside the small office room, I sank into the gray couch, stretching my arms wide as I settled cross-legged on the sofa. The weight of the situation loomed over me. "Huargh..." I groaned as I closed my eyes for a second. Accompanying me in the room were two individuals who had entered alongside me.

Beside me, Selena, who was feeling slighted as nobody recognized her, swallowed her resentment as she perched on the couch beside me. "That was insane. I've never witnessed anything like it. You had the crowd going wild, like we were in the 90s again."

"Yeah. I was surprised too." I muttered. "It seems that I had greatly underestimated my popularity." I said with a joking tone before I turned to Haley who was standing by the door with a complicated expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Haley noticed my gaze and she swallowed her saliva before responding with a nervous smile, "N-Nothing. I just realized. You're like a… 'celebrity' celebrity."

I smirked and asked, "Why? Feeling intimidated?"

Expecting a playful retort, I was taken aback by her hesitancy. "Wait. Seriously?" 

Haley crossed her arms and confessed, "Kind of."

Selena smiled and said, "It's normal for the first… or fifth time… Well, It never happened to me out of scheduled meetings, BUT it does get better."

I nodded to Selena's encouragement and said, "Yeah. Besides, you need to adapt to it. I thought you already had experienced people fawning over you."

Haley rolled her eyes and sat at my right side, "That's different. Also, Why should I adapt to it?"

"Because…Well, just because… I'm going to want you to stick around?" I smiled playfully at her. She blushed and then laughed while Selena rolled her eyes at us.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Haley pinched my cheek. Selena stood up and went to the drum kit set up nearby. 

"Hey. What are you going to do? Why do you ask them to gather at noon?" Selena asked to change the subject. 

Suddenly, Finneas and Billie entered the door with a solemn expression. Finneas said, "Seriously? We only have 40 minutes of practice for the concert?"

Selena widened her eyes and said, "You're holding a concert?"

"Just a small one." I replied to Selena before turning to Finneas, "Can you do it?"

Finneas thought for a bit before replying, "Sure. But don't hold me accountable for any mistakes."

Billie was irritated and said, "Are you really going to kick me out of the band?"

I was startled and explained, "Oh no, I just didn't want to bother you on the weekends. I don't care if I disturb Finneas's time off."

Billie finally breathed in relief and then decided to join in on the concert.

"Hey!" Finneas retorted in offense. We started the practice, but first thing first, I kicked Selena and Haley out of the room.

"Ugh!" Selena groaned as I shooed her out.

"Why me too!?" Haley asked with dissatisfaction.

"Well, I'm throwing out Selena because the song has something to do with her. But I'm not really throwing you out, I actually need your help in distracting her so she doesn't find out about it," I whispered to Haley.

She nodded in understanding and moved away with Selena, making sure the song had no romantic undertones before they left, ensuring the surprise remained intact.

…

[General POV]

The carnival was buzzing with excitement as people roamed the grounds, indulging in cotton candy, trying their luck at games, and soaking in the vibrant atmosphere. The bright lights and merry melodies filled the air, creating a sense of joy and anticipation.

Luke groaned as he slumped his shoulders, feeling a tinge of disappointment as he made his way through the bustling carnival grounds towards the square where the stage was set. 

The small stage had initially been constructed for speeches and announcements, but rumors had spread throughout the carnival that it had been modified for something far more exciting—a spontaneous concert. Hundreds of people were already gathering at the square.

Luke tugged Claire's sleeves and asked, "I know the bet between me and Ed is over, cause the goats make people know he's here. But that means he lost, right?"

Claire shook her head and appeased Luke, "No Honey. That will be so unfair for Edward. Besides, he has more tickets than you do, so if anything, you're the one who lost."

"Awhhh." With a resigned sigh, he and Claire were escorted towards the "VIP" seats, a few chairs set up near the stage for special guests. 

Claire greeted Ted and Frankie with a warm smile as she and Luke made their way to the almost couple. They were joined by familiar faces, including Phil– who had to change his clothes, Haley, Selena, Alex, Cam, Mitch, Lily, Jay, Gloria, Manny, and Caroline, who had all gathered near the VIP seats as per Edward's instructions. 

Some of Edward's friends– Jenna, Enid, Jacob, Elsa, Abraham, were at the opposite side of the stage, but they didn't get any seats, only the front spot in the standing audience section. 

Ted greeted Claire and Luke cheerfully before asking, "So, how many tickets did you guys manage to get?"

Claire's disappointment was evident as she replied, "Exactly 700."

Ted chuckled teasingly and ruffled Luke's hair. "Oooh, so close. Ed has exactly 800."

Luke's face twisted into a grimace as he protested, "It doesn't count. He's only winning because he's ahead."

Alex chimed in, her expression a mix of confusion and amusement. "That's... what winning is, Luke," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Shut up. You're of no help." Luke accused Alex. Alex was baffled and then glanced at Haley as she gave all of the tickets she won to her sister, but Haley pretended not to notice anything.

"Haley–" Alex tried to find out where the tickets went.

"Shh- It's starting." Haley shushed her little sister and focused on the stage. 

The organizer of the show grabbed a microphone and stood in the center of the stage. He was a brown Mexican man with a glorious mustache and kinda looked like Luiz Gusman. 

He prattled on about the history of the carnival, almost making the crowd leave. However when he mentioned Edward, the crowd got their passion injection again. 

"Without further ado, please welcome, the hottest pop artist teen nowadays, Mr EDWARD NEWGATE!!!"

The announcement echoed through the square, igniting a wave of anticipation among the crowd. Cheers erupted as the name Edward Newgate reverberated through the air, signaling the arrival of the hottest pop artist of the moment.

As the background music of "The Lazy Song" filled the air, Edward Newgate's charismatic presence commanded the stage. Bathed in a pink spotlight, he exuded an aura of star power that captivated the crowd.

The crowd erupted into cheers and screams, caught up in the electric energy that filled the atmosphere. Luke and Claire found themselves swept away by the infectious excitement, their hearts pounding in sync with the pulsating rhythm of the music.

Edward took a moment to address the crowd, his voice carrying through the square. "Hey, everyone! Today is a special day, but I can't shake off the feeling of wanting to just laze around inside my house, especially on a Sunday afternoon. Do you know what I mean?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Edward's smile widened, his connection with the audience palpable. "So, enjoy my hidden desire expressed in a song, 'The Lazy Song'," he announced.

Caroline was starry eyed as she watched the impromptu concert with excitement. The crowd were swaying to the left and right as they sang along to the song. 

As the final notes of "The Lazy Song" resonated through the square, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause, their appreciation for Edward's performance reverberating in the air. The energy of the moment was electrifying.

"Oh my god. He's so cool!" Caroline muttered in excitement as she turned towards Manny. Manny smiled and said, "I know, right? But, I am suspicious as to why he suddenly wants to sing right here." 

Caroline thought of a reason, but she didn't say anything and only held the grateful feeling inside her heart. At this time, Edward wiped the sweat dripping down his chin. It was noon, and the weather was quite hot for him to perform in.

Some of the girls in the crowd screamed to throw the towel towards them. Ed smiled and then he followed their request, causing a frenzy amongst the crowd. 

Luke then teased Alex, "Why aren't you there? Oh, that's right, Cause they don't need a cello player!"

"HMPH! I am learning the keyboard!" Alex grumbled angrily.

After the first song, Edward flashed a smile at the crowd. As he opened his mouth to speak, a thunderous eruption of support and applause engulfed him, causing a hint of embarrassment to color his cheeks.

"Wow, you guys are so energetic," Edward quipped, prompting laughter to ripple through the crowd. "I'm sure many of you are wondering why I'm here today."

"Well, to answer my own question," Edward contorted his face into a comical 'WTF' expression, eliciting another round of laughter. 

He then proceeded with a slightly serious tone, "I came across some comments asking about my dad's whereabouts during the football match yesterday. Some even accused him of being an absent father. Well... the reason he wasn't there is because he was in the hospital, undergoing tests for liver cancer."

A collective gasp swept through the crowd upon this revelation. Ted, wearing a wry smile, received forceful warm embraces from Cam and Phil. He barely whispered to them before they could sob, "Listen to Ed."

Ed continued, making Ted free from his predicament, "Fortunately, he doesn't have cancer, but his liver is severely damaged, requiring him to make lifestyle changes moving forward. That's my dad's situation. However, the very next day, which is today, one of my dear friends was diagnosed with lupus."

Selena was wide eyed as she heard it. "That jerk." She said angrily, but with a hint of gratitude seen in her face. 

An exclamation of sympathy and sadness escaped the crowd, further deepening the somber atmosphere. "But they aren't the reason I'm holding this concert today," Edward continued. 

"I'm here to perform because I met an incredible kid at the carnival. Despite battling a terminal illness, she carries herself as if it's just a minor inconvenience. Instead of letting the illness dictate her life, she's determined to live every moment to the fullest, pursuing her deepest desires before…"

After his voice trailed off, Edward took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn. The crowd fell into a hushed silence, their attention fully captivated by his words.

"She wanted to do everything she desired before her time ran out," Edward continued, his voice filled with admiration and respect. "Her resilience and spirit inspired me, reminding me of the preciousness of every moment we have in this life."

A feeling of empathy and compassion spread through the crowd as they absorbed Edward's heartfelt message. Faces reflected a mix of emotions.

Edward's gaze swept across the crowd, his eyes locking with Caroline's. He nodded, and she smiled back, grateful for the recognition.

"So, today, I stand here, not just as a performer, but as a messenger of hope and gratitude," Edward's voice carried a hint of emotion. "Today, we celebrate life and the power of dreams. Let's make each moment count and cherish the… people we love." Edward looked at the side of the crowd where his close friends and family were standing.

"With that, comes my next song, the one I was inspired with, titled: I Lived."

[I lived: One Republic]

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

Finneas strummed an uplifting melody with his guitar. Edward held the microphone to his mouth and sang while closing his eyes. 

"♫♪ Hope when you take that jump, You don't fear the fall ♫♪"

"♫♪Hope when the water rises, You built a wall♫♪"

Haley looked at Edward before looking at his dad. 

[Haley's commentary]

"I can't believe he didn't tell me something like this." She said with a slightly hurt expression. Then she added, "BUT! He gets a pass! It must not have been an easy day for him. That's torture enough."

[Commentary ends]

"♫♪Hope when the crowd screams out,It's screaming your name~♫♪"

"♫♪Hope if everybody runs…You choose to stay♫♪"

Selena looked at Edward with a complicated expression on her face. Without realizing it, tears were pooling in her eyes.

Finneas changed glances with Billie, and she smiled before she started drumming the beats.

"♫♪I hope that you fall in love

And it hurts so bad, yeah♫♪"

Cam muttered with a nostalgic smile on his face, "This reminds me of when he first sang in the cafe."

Mitchell hugged his arm and agreed with him, "Yeah. But minus the shock I felt back then when I realized he could sing.."

♫♪The only way you can know, You give it all you have♫♪

♫♪And I hope that you don't suffer, But take the pain♫♪

♫♪Hope when the moment comes , You'll say♫♪

Phil started sobbing while Claire rested her head on her husband's shoulders. Caroline still kept a strong facade, but her chin was quivering. 

Edward looked at the sky and sang, "♫♪I, I did it all!!♫♪

♫♪I, I did it all♫♪

♫♪I owned every second

That this world could give♫♪

♫♪I saw so many places

The things that I did♫♪

♫♪Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived♫♪

Alex crossed her arms together, "Is that why he's not stopping to rest? To seize the day?"

Jay showed a grandfatherly smile and said, "It's a nice song." His life's experience was flashing back inside his mind when he heard it. It made him realize that even if he was already in his twilight years, there were still a lot of things he wanted to do. Such as the ones next to him.

"Ayy Jay. It's rare to hear that coming out of your mouth." Gloria muttered while hugging Jay's arm intimately.

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

Edward walked to the side of the stage and sang, "♫♪Hope that you spend your days,But they all add up♫♪"

Some of the crowd members tried to reach out to him, and he gave them a high five, making their day. 

"♫♪Mm, and when that sun goes down

Hope you raise your cup, oh♫♪"

"♫♪I wish that I could witness

All your joy and all your pain♫♪"

"♫♪But until my moment comes

I'll say♫♪"

Some of the audience were recording the show and uploaded them to social media. 

"♫♪ I, I did it all!!

I, I did it all♫♪"

Edward's crooning quickly became a trending video on the internet with numerous people commenting positive things to support him.

"♫♪I owned every second That this world could give♫♪

♫♪I saw so many places The things that I did♫♪

♫♪Yeah, with every broken bone I swear I lived♫♪"

Edward jumped on the stage while gesturing for the audience to do the same. The crowd followed along and they danced to the song. Those who were struggling allowed themselves to take a short moment of peace, as if their souls were being soothed by Edward's voice.

Oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh, whoa-oh-oh, oh, whoa-oh-oh

Caroline and Selena jumped with the music without realizing that tears were streaming down their cheeks. However, they did so with a smile plastered on their face.

Finneas helped with singing the harmony, "♫♪(With every broken bone)"

Ed sang, "I swear I lived♫♪

Finneas: (With every broken bone)

Edward: I swear I–♫♪

♫♪I, I did it all

I, I did it all♫♪

The atmosphere quickly became heated. People were singing along to release their inner resentment. 

Together: ♫♪I owned every second

That this world could give♫♪

♫♪I saw so many places

The things that I did ♫♪

♫♪Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived

Edward smiled from the satisfaction and then sang alone, 

♫♪Oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh♫♪

♫♪I swear I lived♫♪

♫♪Oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh, whoa-oh-oh, oh, whoa-oh-oh♫♪

The crowd cheered thunderously when the song finished. Edward painted and wiped his sweat before continuing with the concert. He sang 3 more songs before the concert ended.

…

Jay, Manny, Caroline, and Gloria made their way to the car, ready to head out for lunch. As they approached the vehicle, Julie, Caroline's caring caretaker, approached them, causing Caroline to pause.

"Caroline!" Julie exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace her. Concern etched across her face, she noticed the tear marks on Caroline's cheeks and asked with genuine worry, "Are you alright? Are you in pain? Should we go back to the hospital?"

Caroline shook her head, her voice slightly hoarse from all the cheering and screaming during the concert. "No, it's nothing," she reassured Julie.

Gloria chimed in with a smile, teasingly saying, "Oh, she's just crying from the concert."

Julie's confusion was evident as she asked, "What concert?" Gloria then proceeded to explain the emotional journey that had unfolded during the event.

Caroline interjected, her voice filled with excitement, "You should have been there, Julie. It was absolutely amazing."

Julie smiled helplessly, her eyes welling up with tears. "I wish I could have been there, but then I wouldn't have been able to do this," she said, producing a piece of paper from her purse and handing it to Caroline.

Caroline's hands trembled as she took the paper, her eyes scanning the words written on it. "Adoption papers?" she uttered, her voice quivering with a mix of surprise and hope.

Julie's smile widened, her own tears now flowing freely. "Yes! With this, you can stay in California! Isn't that wonderful?" she exclaimed, her joy palpable.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Caroline couldn't hold back any longer. She rushed into Julie's waiting arms, tears streaming down her face, finally allowing herself to release the flood of emotions that had built up inside her.

"But Julie. You don't have any money!" Caroline cried without even releasing her embrace.

Julie wiped down her tears and said, "Don't worry about it. I can do just fine."

Jay, seeing the whole scene, sighed. He wanted to do something about it, but then Julie said, "Also, just before I met you, I received a call. So don't worry about money anymore. You just need to get better, okay?"

Caroline sniffled and then her tears slowly stopped. She nodded to her caretaker–who is currently her new mother, and then turned to Manny.

Manny was frozen when he heard the whole thing and finally pieced out the puzzle. "Wait. You're the terminally ill kid?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Caroline didn't hide it anymore and then stood on her toe before giving Manny a kiss on the cheek.

[Caroline's Bucket List]

No. 20: Kiss a Boy. COMPLETE

Manny was flabbergasted while Gloria froze in anger. "What do you think you're doing–" Before she could react, Jay caught her and said, "Come on Honey. Let's give the kids some privacy."

"Manny, will you be my boyfriend?" Caroline asked Manny while looking into his eyes. Manny blushed and the thoughts of her being a sick kid was forgotten instantly.

"Well, the man is supposed to say that." He said with a silly smile. 

"Then say it." Caroline demanded.

Manny took a deep breath and said, "Caroline, will you be my girlfriend."

Caroline nodded in response, and Manny couldn't contain his excitement. He turned to his mother, taking Caroline's hand in his own, and exclaimed, "Mom! Look! I finally have a girlfriend!"

"WHAT?!" Gloria was almost on the brink of going all crazy latina mother on Caroline without caring about her illness.

Manny glanced back at Caroline, his expression bewildered, and muttered, "Cool. My first relationship."

Caroline nodded in agreement, her tone nonchalant. "Unfortunately, Manny, I want to break up with you."

Manny froze, his voice laced with disbelief. "What— Why?!"

Caroline shrugged and replied, "You're a momma's boy. I don't like that."

[Caroline's bucket list]

No. 21: Dump a boy meanly! (COMPLETE PS. SORRY MANNY!)

Leaving the flabbergasted Manny behind, Caroline walked over to Julie. Gloria hurriedly approached Manny, her curiosity piqued. "What did she say?"

"She broke up with me, Mom. I have mixed feelings about what just happened, so can we please go home?" Manny requested, his face drained of color.

Gloria, however, smiled warmly and reassured him, "Of course, my dear. When we get home, I'll make you some empanadas to cheer you up."

[Manny's commentary]

"Ah, it's moments like these that probably made Caroline think I'm a momma's boy. I want to ask my mom to stop, but right now, I really need those empanadas if I want any chance of cheering up from my first relationship going up in smoke."

[Commentary ends]

As Julie and Caroline were walking away, Caroline took out her bucket list and crossed out 3 more things on that list.

Julie saw it and smiled kindly, "There's not a lot left on that list. What are you going to do when they are finished?"

"I…will follow Edward's advice to seize the moment, and make a new one."