[Edward POV]
"Ahhh…I'm finally home!" I muttered with exhaustion as I sat on the couch in the living room.
"It's not dusty at all." Abraham said while wiping the wooden cabinet near the TV. Enid and Haley sat at my left and right side respectively, while the others were lounging around the house.
"Hmm…That's true." I muttered in confusion. "I'm sure that my dad won't care about tidiness, so I wonder if he had hired a housekeeper."
"Don't you have an aunt?" Enid asked.
"That's sexist. And also, same situation as my dad. Both are messy people." I replied jokingly.
Alex looked at Haley while holding back her laugh. Haley whispered to her angrily, "One word, and you're dead."
Of course, their interaction didn't escape my eyes. "What's going on?" I turned to my right and looked at Haley straight in the eyes. She was startled at first and was trying to dodge the question, "Ed, are you hungry–"
"A little bit. But I want to know what's going on firs– Wait, were you…the one taking care of my house?" I asked with a hint of awe. I shocked myself when I came to the conclusion, but when I saw her expression, it added even more evidence to my assumption.
Alex laughed and sneered, "Don't think that she's been taking care of this place every day. She only came here last weekend, and forced Luke and me to help. My mom supervised the entire thing…" She then trailed off, causing me to be suspicious.
"And your dad?" I asked.
"Who said anything about my dad?" Alex replied dodgingly.
I narrowed my eyes at her and asked, "What did your dad do while you guys were cleaning the house?"
"Well…It's not what he did during, per se, but it was after we all finished." Haley replied with a trace of disgust and unwillingness to elaborate.
I chuckled when I saw their weird reaction, "What? Did your mom and dad use my hot tub or something?"
"EWW! EWW EWW EWW EWW EWWW!" Alex groaned in disgust as she recalled the memory.
I was shocked, "What happened here? You better spit it out or I will check the CCTV–"
"NOOOO!!!" Alex and Haley shouted to stop me at the same time. "Let me delete it for you! Or else you'll have nightmares like us!" Alex shouted urgently.
I looked at Alex's face, then I turned and studied Haley's face next. Their unwillingness for the matter to be exposed and the disgust on their faces let me learn one thing. Whatever happened here, was sexual in nature.
More accurately, it was sexual between their parents. I definitely wouldn't want Alex to delete those, but as both of them were almost crying, I had to relent and let them handle it. It needs to be mentioned that they only deleted the data superficially, but out of respect for them, I didn't restore the data….in front of them.
"Jenna, how's your church camp?" I asked. Jenna smiled brightly and said, "It was great. I am going to be baptized next week."
"Oh, they're going to dunk you in the water right? Good for you." I teased. Jenna didn't get embarrassed and said, "You're welcome to join?"
"Yeah….no…." I replied.
"Why not?"
"I'm going to catch on fire when I enter the church, so I'd rather not." I replied jokingly and changed the subject quickly, "How many priests did your mom make them renown their vows during camp?"
Jenna smiled and said, "None!"
"And the truth?" I jeered at her. She smiled wryly and said in a sad tone, "4…"
I laughed out loud before Jenna threw a pillow at my face.
"Ed, you haven't gone to the beach yet, right?" Haley asked.
I removed the pillow from my face and replied, "Not yet. But I didn't plan on it."
"Why?"
"I'm too busy. I have this night free…and tomorrow I need to start shooting again."
"Music videos?" Enid asked. "With Taylor?"
Haley pouted and crossed her arms while I turned to Enid and replied, "Yeah."
"Wait. I thought you guys had broken up?" Elsa asked.
Jacob nodded and said, "Yeah, you said to–"
"Bup bup bup bup– That's supposed to be a secret between us. Remember?" I hinted at Jacob with vicious eyes. He gulped his saliva and said, "Sorry."
"So…You told Elsa…and I can assume that Jenna, you know about it too?" I asked Jenna who was startled when I mentioned her name.
"Yeah…sorry." Jenna confessed.
"And you hang out with Alex a lot, so Alex and Enid also know it too huh?"
"We do." Enid said in a low voice.
"And We're not sorry." Alex replied jokingly. "It's 4 against 1 mister!"
"Alex is dating Finneas, so Finneas knows about it too. So I guess Billie knows too." I continued.
"You already told me yourself." Haley chimed in with a proud look on her face.
I nodded and then turned to Abraham, "So I guess…You're the only one who doesn't know anything?"
Abraham smiled and said confidently, "Yeah, Jacob wanted to mention it to me, but I refused!" He lied. Jacob never wanted to tell him the secret.
I nodded in acknowledgement and said, "You're the only REAL friend here!"
"HEY!!!" Alex, Enid, Jenna, Finneas, Billie and Elsa exclaimed. Haley laughed while I continued, "From now on, you're my number 1 best friend!"
"NOOO!!!" Jacob shouted tearfully!
…
"Ed, what rank are you at right now?" Enid asked curiously as she checked her twitter feed. She was having a twitter feud with my hater, and needed some extra information.
"Rank in what?" I asked her back. I didn't care much about the haters. It's not like I haven't used the anonymity of the internet to talk shit about someone else.
"Album sold." Enid asked clearly.
"Hmm… Sales are slowing down at 51 millions in physical albums, but the digital one kept going strong at 24 millions. It hasn't slowed down yet. I'm at…no 9 at the most album sales rank, but I managed to be number 2 at the most albums sold in one week!"
"Ahh, you can't beat Michael Jackson huh?" Abraham asked teasingly while Enid typed her phone key begrudgingly. "Repeat that!" She shouted.
I ignored her and answered Abraham, aggrieved, "So close! The difference was only 14,000 units!"
Enid was baffled. Not only her, but Jenna, Alex and Finneas too had an expression of disbelief. Haley and Billie were looking at me with glittering eyes, and they didn't think much about what I was saying.
Alex realized it. In only a few months, my brand reputation had grown tremendously that I could no longer be called a new artist.
Through an extensive marketing scheme, I managed to almost catch up with the old industry legends in the world.
In the past few years, the music industry sales have been declining. It fell from a 14 billion dollars industry, to only a 6 millions dollars industry in just a decade. But, it didn't mean that music was dying.
It wasn't until 2010 that the music industry started to include the digital sales as an official record for album selling. Because of this, countless albums didn't get the recognition they deserved, and also was taken advantage of by countless internet surfing pirates in the Data Sea.
My album was the first album to be sold digitally through my website in the country. And because of the lack of laws in the Data Sea, the taxation from the sales was barely negligible.
And in the tough to sail industry, I managed to revive people's passion for music and my name had spread out to almost the entire corner of the world – thanks to the internet.
My most proud achievement however, was that I also became a meme. A screenshot of me playing the flute while walking and the ducks following me from behind in a straight line had gone viral on a few meme pages. I even became a meme template for 'the blind leading the blind'.
I was called the Pied Piper, the next Steve Irwin, and many more when my blog video about my time in Wisconsin came out.
"To be fair, I really didn't think that you'll be back." Finneas said. "HEY!" The girls scolded him.
"You shut up!" Alex warned her boyfriend.
"Yeah, what if he realized it and then left?" Abraham said jokingly, backing up Finneas a little.
I laughed a bit at the interaction. "Why would I leave you guys behind? Just to be clear, I'm going to be extra clingy with you guys next!"
The group laughed. Haley grinned and asked, "Why is that?"
"Well…It's hard for a popular guy to meet someone that didn't have an ulterior motive. Most of the girls I met wanted to date me to become popular, and the guys that invited me to clubs and to hangouts wanted me to degenerate like them too. So, I could only trust you guys who knew me before I became popular."
"To be clear, I have an ulterior motive in becoming your friend." Abraham said, causing the group to be shocked. He said begrudgingly, "You teach JACOB!!! The potato kid!!! To get a girlfriend!! When are you going to teach me!!!" He punched the ground as he faked crying.
I laughed out loud, "Do you have someone you like?"
"Well, she's a senior–"
"You have no chance with a face like that!" Finneas teased while holding Alex's hand for maximum damage.
Then, the Chinese food guy finally arrived and rang the doorbell. I ordered food instead of cooking as I was feeling a bit fatigued.
"Let me go! Or else I'm going to beat Finneas up!" Abraham said and stood up quickly while the others laughed at him. As he opened up the door, there was a commotion coming from outside of the house.
"HEY! Where's Edward!?" A group of fans that had been camping in front of my house asked Abraham in an angry manner. Abraham sneered and replied, "Why THE HELL did you guys think he's still living here? He had already moved away to a richer neighborhood. He told me his house is close to RDJ's house."
"WHAT? REALLY!??" One of the girls there shouted.
"OF COURSE! And you guys better spread the words to the rest of your groups too. Or, you are welcome to join me in the hot tub if you want?"
"PISS OFF NERD!" The fans shouted at Abraham before they dispersed away. As Abraham walked back, I said, "Thanks."
"No problem. Although, watching you ninja roll into the house is pretty funny. I'd like to see that again."
"Piss off." I laughed as I cursed at him.
The moment my tour was over, the obsessed fans were already camping in front of my house. My aunt and my dad didn't even return to the house last night to avoid getting hassled by them. Thankfully, to Abraham's quick wit, the fans had all left the neighborhood. I didn't ask him to do that, but he got my back.
"I'll teach you how to get girls later." I told him.
"Said the one who's single himself. I don't trust you!" Abraham changed his words immediately while laughing.
He was actually covering up his embarrassment from doing a good thing. Just like him, I didn't know how to just accept people's help, and wanted to do something to repay them.
"Which movie should we watch?" Billie asked. "Oh, there's The Proposal."
"Nah! No Sandra Bullock. I'm already sick of her. My mom watched her movies endlessly." Elsa said with an annoyed face.
"I want to watch it babe!" Jacob said with a sad face.
"Put on ZOMBIELAND!" Abraham said while he ate his kung pao chicken.
"NO!! SANDRA BULLOCK!" Jenna joined Jacob's side.
Alex and Haley joined Jenna, and scolded Abraham and Elsa.
"Ed, what about you?" Jenna asked with a flushed face.
"I want to watch Cloudy With A Chance of Meatball." I replied casually. Jenna rolled her eyes and ignored me. After the girls…and Jacob banded together, we had to watch The Proposal movie tonight.
After eating, the parents came to pick up their children one by one. Jacob's parents arrived first. As Jacob was finally selected to the football team, his mother brought a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting to celebrate.
They all ate one slice of the cake, and left the rest of it at my house. Mrs Green also packed up 3 chicken legs, 2 chicken sandwiches, 2 pounds of potato salad, and some vegetables for me as she knew I had just returned home from working so hard.
Finneas and Billie left after Jacob left, and then Abraham was next. Jenna hitched a ride with Elsa, and before she left, she looked at me with a hesitant expression, "Ed. Um…"
"What?" I asked in confusion.
"Well…Are you really making a movie studio?" She finally braved herself and asked.
"Huh? Oh right. The rumors. Yeah, but it's not going to be now. Maybe after the company is ready for another expansion. I planned to do it next year."
"Oh." Jenna widened her eyes before she fell into contemplation. "Is this about your mom?" I asked her.
"What? NO!" She replied with a weird high pitched voice.
"So it's your mom. She's not getting any roles huh? Wait…" I thought about it for a while, "You know, she's really suitable to play Emma Frost in the X-Men series. I heard they are rebooting it."
Jenna was hesitant to correct my misunderstanding and then played along to hide her embarrassment, "What's the connection between that movie and my mother?"
"I mean, your mom should try auditioning for the role. I'll make sure that Pepper keeps an eye on the production so that she won't miss her chance."
"Ed…it's not that simple to become an actress." Jenna smiled wryly. Not that she didn't believe in me, but from her experience watching her mother try and fail days after days, she didn't believe in my words much.
"I know it's a longshot. But, I really think she can do it." I replied. The movie that came to mind was actually because I had met with Matthew Vaugh and Bryan Singer – the director and producers of the X-Men First Class movie.
They wanted me to try out for the movie, and also gave me their contact information. The movie would start its production early next year, and would be released in 2011, so I have a lot of time to think about it.
'But unless I can be 'QuickSilver', I don't want to take part in that movie.'
And because my acting skill has become renowned because of my documentary and short videos, many directors and movie producers have been reaching out to the agency. They also sent their scripts despite the fact that I had no mention of entering the films industry.
"Just tell your mom about it. Let her be familiar with the source material." I told Jenna.
She scoffed and then burst into laughter, "You mean, making my mom read comic books? Yeah, now I know it's a joke."
I didn't correct her and just told her to tell her mother that. If she was really desperate, then she would reach out to me to grab her last lifeline. Or else, she would just fade out from the film industry not that she promised Jenna not to do dirty deals anymore.
'Anyway, it's not like she didn't have any roles in the past few months, so I didn't know why she was asking.'
Alex and Haley were the only one left after everyone had gone away. Haley widened her eyes at Alex and gestured for her to leave, but Alex was having fun teasing her sister and she pretended not to see that.
"Edward, last I came, your lab is locked, so I couldn't see it. Can I check it out now?"
"Umm…Let's do it tomorrow. I just want to lie down and rest up now." I replied to Alex. She got the hint and said, "Okay. Haley! Let's go!"
"You can go home first." Haley said. Alex was in disbelief, but Haley chased her away quickly. She locked the door and then looked at me with glittering eyes.
"What? Why are you staring at me like a predator?" I joked while shielding my chest with my arms. She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not going to eat you!"
"Alright. I'm going to take a shower–"
"Wait!" Haley grabbed my shirt before I could leave, causing me to be strangled by my own shirt.
"What the-"
"Let's go out!" She invited me.
"Huh? It's already late–"
She sneered and said, "It's 8 o'clock. Unless you're an old man wanting to sleep, you should have a lot more energy than this. Also, trust me. I'm only doing this for your benefit."
I looked into her eyes, and then saw her resoluteness.
"Alright. How are we going out? Have you gotten your license yet? Cause I know you failed your first test."
"WHO TOLD YOU THAT?! DID MY MOM TOLD YOU THAT?!" Haley shouted in anger. I laughed and patted her head to calm her down. She pouted and said, "Well, I can call Tara–"
"Nah, I can drive."
"You didn't have a license. And you can't even take the test yet." She said begrudgingly.
Then, I reached into my pocket and took out my driver's license. "I already got it tho?"
She widened her eyes, "HOW!? You need to be 16 to take the test! It's fake right?"
"Nah. It's a real license." I gave her a plastic card for her to take a look at. She was in disbelief after she saw my real name and id there, so she looked at me in puzzlement.
I cashed in my favor with the FBI long ago when they requested permission to monitor my whatsapp chat apps.
They helped me bypass the age requirement for taking the drivers test, and now, I can legally drive around without needing to falsify my credentials anymore. Of course, I still had to take the DMV test, and I passed with flying colors.
"Great! Let's go!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me outside of the house. We took the Ford – the convertible that Abby gave me for my birthday present.
"So, where are we going?" I asked her.
"Well, you'll know when we get there!" She said in excitement. I then turned to her and stared into her face. She was confused, "What?"
"I need to know before I can drive us there."
"Ah right!"
– Flashback, 4th of July, Night –
After the Dunphys returned home from celebrating at Edward's house, Claire and Phil headed to the kitchen to talk and clean up.
As Phil lifted the pot from the stove, he paused, sensing some weight inside it.
"Claire! Quick! Haley left some soup behind," he exclaimed with an excited grin. Claire set down the wet cloth she was holding and hurried over to Phil.
"She made it for the whole day, but she took it all to Edward's. She didn't even think about her parents," Claire complained jokingly.
Phil laughed and said, "Grab a spoon. Let's taste it together."
Having asked Edward about the soup earlier, they expected it to be delicious. They were proud of Haley for making it.
As they scooped the soup and tasted it, their eyes widened, and they quickly spat it out.
"Oh my god. Is this supposed to be good? Maybe his taste buds are broken too," Claire remarked, hastily drinking a glass of water. Phil went to the sink and rinsed his mouth directly from the faucet.
While gurgling, Phil said, "Honey, throw it out. Quickly."
Claire nodded and swiftly cleaned the pot to prevent anyone else from finding out.
After calming down, Phil smiled as he stood beside Claire. She looked confused and asked, "Why are you smiling?"
"He didn't tell her about it," Phil revealed.
Claire was puzzled. "What do you mean? Shouldn't he have told her?"
Phil shook his head and wrapped his arms around Claire. He looked into her eyes and said, "Honey, remember all those times when you started cooking and almost ruined the entire meal for nearly half a year?"
"Half a year? You said I was doing well!" She widened her eyes, expressing disbelief.
Phil chuckled and replied, "I didn't mean that I regretted eating it. During that time, my heart was filled with happiness, and it still is now. I didn't want you to get hurt after putting in all that effort, so I didn't say anything because I love you so much."
Claire's eyes widened in realization. "You mean?"
Phil chuckled and said, "Either that, or Edward's taste buds are really... really bad."
[Edward POV]
I had a deep scowl on my face the moment I pulled the car into the parking lot.
"Seriously? The beach? At night, nonetheless?"
"What? Come on! It'll be therapeutic for you!" Haley said in excitement as she jumped out of the car. I wanted to call her back and leave the beach, but she had already taken off her shoes and run to the sand.
"Damn it," I grumbled as I reluctantly closed the car's cabriolet and the windows to prevent the wind from carrying the sand into the car.
"EDWARD! COME ON!" Haley waved her hand and shouted towards me from afar. I stood by the concrete pavement and shouted back, "No. I'm good from here."
She dropped her head in disbelief and pouted, "Seriously? You're really not coming?"
"Gee. These are new shoes," I said with grumpy reluctance. Her face fell in disbelief, and her big eyes stared at me angrily. "COME HERE!!!" She shouted.
"NO!" I shouted back. Then, she stomped her feet on the sand as she ran in my direction. She stopped in front of me and said, "Take off your shoes then if you're so worried about it."
"And then what? Walk on the sand with my bare feet? I don't know if there's a used needle here, or torn condoms, or any other disgusting stuff like human poop."
"Not dog or cat poop?" Haley asked in astonishment.
I smirked and said, "It's funny to see a girl so interested in types of feces."
She kicked the sand towards me, which I skillfully dodged.
Then, her face lit up, and she laughed. She patted my shoulder and mocked, "I didn't know you were so phobic. It's just sand!"
"My problem isn't with the sand. My problem is with the limited visibility of what I'm stepping on. I won't have any problems doing this... DURING THE DAY."
"Hmmm... which part will you feel safe stepping on?" She asked.
"Huh? The area where the wave breaks, I guess," I answered, puzzled.
She thought deeply before she chortled, "Alright. Then, take off your shoes. I'm going to carry you until we get over there!"
I widened my eyes before I laughed out loud. The thought of a small girl carrying me was a bit heart-tickling for me.
"Don't laugh! I'm serious!" she said before she turned her back and squatted in front of me. "Come on! Hop on me!"
"I'm not going to-"
"Just do it!" Haley said decisively as she patted her back. I was baffled, and then I smirked, "Alright. Since you asked for it."
…
"It was a quiet and peaceful night by the beach. There was no one nearby, but sporadically dispersed couples were enjoying the romantic moonlight reflecting on the surface of the ocean together.
Suddenly, chaos ensued. Haley sprinted as hard as she could, with me on her back, my feet dragging on the sand and making it difficult for her to walk.
"AHH!" She let out a warrior's shout, but after taking her tenth step, her tiny legs gave up, and we both tumbled into the sand. I rolled several times, feeling the tiny particles infiltrate every crevice beneath my clothes.
I glanced at Haley, who had suffered the same fate. As we locked eyes, both of us looking utterly pathetic, we couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ah, I knew this would happen," I muttered.
Haley made a cute grimace. "Don't you have faith in me?" She playfully threw a fistful of sand near me, narrowly missing her target.
Looking at her, I asked, "Isn't it a little late to ask that question now?"
She chuckled and slowly stood up, walking closer to me and pulling me up by my hands.
"We're already covered in dirt. Let's sit by the water."
I sighed and wearily agreed, "Alright."
A look of concern briefly crossed Haley's face. As we strolled along the beach together, she held onto my arm, searching for a suitable spot. Eventually, we found a large rock nearby with a flat surface, positioned to face the ocean.
I listened to the gentle sounds of the ocean, and my nerves began to relax. We exchanged a few words initially, but now we sat in silence, which left me puzzled.
"Why did you bring me here? And why are you being so quiet? Are you preparing for something?" I inquired.
She chuckled slightly and replied jokingly, "Don't overthink it. I brought you here because it seemed like you needed this."
"Huh?" I was perplexed. "Why would I need this?"
"Because...you always look so exhausted when you come home. I guess you didn't have any time for yourself during the tour, right?"
She guessed correctly. And, reluctantly, I had to admit that when she accurately discerned my emotional state like this, it felt as if she was becoming a mini-Phil. I had mixed feelings about that thought.
I let out a tired sigh and leaned back, trying to adopt a more relaxed posture. "Yeah... But it's worth it, though."
She rolled her eyes and remarked, "I'm not saying you shouldn't do it. Just make sure to take breaks. Your schedule is insane, you know?!"
I chuckled and responded, "I still have to film a music video tomorrow, so I can't stay for too long."
"See! You maniac! Is money THAT important to you?"
"Well... yes," I playfully replied.
She fell silent for a moment before asking, "Is this really what you want to do?"
I hesitated and replied, "Maybe."
Before she could go any further, she looked at me with shaky eyes and said, "Well, if you don't like it-"
"Haley, can we just watch the ocean?" I interrupted her. Haley stumbled in her speech and stared at me with her doe-eyes. Then, she crossed her arms in anger and refocused on the ocean.
"I'll close my eyes for a little while," I said, using the sound of waves to relax. We stayed there for almost an hour, intermittently engaging in conversation.
Haley grinned and said, "Who's the one who wanted to go back home earlier? Now, you might not even go back home!"
"Notify me if I fall asleep," I requested.
She slapped my hand to wake me up and said, "Don't sleep here! You'll catch a cold. Let's go back."
"Just five more minutes!"
"This isn't your bed!"
"It can be."
"GET UP! Don't be a child!" She attempted to tickle me, but I retaliated. Quickly, she jumped up and ran away. Reluctantly, I sat up and smiled in the direction she had gone.
"Thanks," I whispered.
"What was that?" she shouted from afar.
"Nothing!" I replied as I stood up and chased after her. As we walked back to the car, I unexpectedly hugged her from behind.
Startled, her face turned red. Trying to appear unaffected, she asked, "Ed, what are you doing?"
"Just... hugging you," I replied, swaying her slowly. At first, she smiled, but then she realized my intention. Hesitantly, she asked, "Are you... trying to shake the sand off me?"
...
...
"Yes."
"UGH!" Haley rolled her eyes and pushed me away. Laughing at her reaction, we brushed off the sand before getting into the car. She pouted for a while, but after incessant teasing, she finally brightened up.
"I have to confess. When you called me out today, I genuinely thought you were going to ask me to be your boyfriend," I told Haley.
She smirked and said, "Why would I want a boyfriend like you who has no time for me?"
I nodded and said, "That's true. You're like a houseplant. You could wither from lack of attention."
"HEY! Are you calling me clingy?" she angrily roared.
"A bit. Yes," I replied with a sly smirk. "I kept imagining you saying, 'Would you love me if I were a worm?' to your boyfriend."
She scoffed and said, "I could be a cute worm. Just imagine that!"
Disgusted, I scowled before playfully adding, "I don't have to. You're a worm right now."
"Uh!" she exclaimed, taking offense. Upon entering our neighborhood, I asked, "Do you want me to drop you off at your house?"
"Huh? Right, that's the normal thing to do, huh," she muttered to herself.
"Yeah... Because there's no way I'm going to let you bring all that sand into my house. If you do, I'll have to call you Sir Crocodile."
"Crocodile is from One Piece, right?" Haley asked.
Suddenly, I slammed the brakes, causing her to experience whiplash.
"Why?" she asked in shock, peering out to see if I had hit something.
My eyes still shaking, I turned to her slowly and asked, "How do you know about Crocodile?"
"Huh? Alex watched One Piece all the time with dad at home. So I know a few things. Why does that surprise you?" she asked, her face displaying confusion.
Shaking my head slowly, I said, "Just... Um... Nothing."
Disbelieving, she looked at me as I resumed driving. Eventually, I stopped in front of her house and said, "Do you need to sneak in?"
"No need. It's only an hour past my curfew. I'll just walk in through the backyard door," she said, opening the door and stepping out.
"Alright. Goodnight, Haley," I said, waving at her.
"Goodnight, PopStar!" she replied, waving back. She turned a few times while walking toward the door, smiling at me. I waited until she had gone inside before driving back to my house.
…
[Haley's commentary]
"Yeah, I had thought about it. But then I realized he would never say yes, so I didn't want to make it awkward for him."
"Why won't he say yes? I'm not entirely sure, but after talking to him almost every night during the summer, I think it's because he didn't want me to get hurt. Not by him, but by the crazy fans. Taylor faced harsh criticism when there were only rumors about them dating."
"I may be popular, but I'm not popular enough to handle being in a relationship with him," she explained, her eyes welling up with tears.
– Flashback, 4th of July, Night –
As Phil and Claire spat out the soup, Haley, wearing a smile on her face, walked towards the kitchen. However, upon hearing her parents' conversation, she froze and quickly hid behind the walls. Eavesdropping, her eyes revealed traces of complex thoughts.
– End of Flashback –
"It's better for me to just stay by his side. I don't want things to become complicated between us, like what happened between him and Abby, him and Taylor, and even him and his mother. Wow!" she exclaimed, realizing something.
"No wonder he didn't want to date me! He probably thinks that I would leave him too if we ever broke up, huh?"
[Commentary ends]
…
[General POV]
In the Dunphy's house:
"Luke, go to sleep!"
"But I don't have school tomorrow!"
Luke whined as Claire gave him an order. "It's almost 11! Phil, talk to your son!"
Phil hurriedly approached to defuse the situation. "Luke, didn't you say you wanted to go to practice with Manny tomorrow?"
"But they wouldn't let me use the sword!"
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU USED IT TO STAB PEOPLE!" Claire exploded.
Alex came downstairs, clearly frustrated. "Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep!"
"No, you're not! You're on the phone with your boyfriend!" Luke teased, making kissing sounds to tease his sister. "Alex got a boyfriend~ Alex got a boyfriend~"
"Luke, that's disgusting!" Alex scolded, throwing a tissue box at him. Claire grabbed Alex by the shoulder and asked, "Alex, is that true?"
Alex was startled for a moment before she composed herself and replied, "Why are you so surprised? Haley got her first boyfriend when she was 8. I'm wayyyy too late to start at 14."
"Haley!" Claire widened her eyes in disbelief and was about to lecture her children. However, at that moment, Haley sneaked into the house through the sliding door but froze when she saw her entire family in the living room.
"Oh, hey... I was just in the backyard--"
"Did you just get home?" Alex asked, a smirk on her face.
"Haley! You were supposed to be home an hour ago!" Claire said, aggrieved.
Phil chuckled and grabbed Claire, steering her away. "Why don't we all go to sleep now and talk about this tomorrow when we're well-rested and can approach it calmly?"
"Phil, that won't solve anything!" Claire protested.
"Yeah, but at least we'll be well-rested and have a clear mind when we need to talk to our children about this sensitive issue."
"You think I'm not calm?" Claire said angrily.
"Kids, her attention is on me now! Go!" Phil whispered to his children.
Haley, Alex, and Luke quickly ran away while Phil took the heat for them.
"Wait! Haley!" Claire called out before Haley could run upstairs.
Concerned, Haley furrowed her brows and asked carefully, "What is it?"
"One of the neighbors called and asked if you could babysit for them."
"Huh? Who?" She asked, confused.
"Can you do it or not?" Claire asked with an angry face.
Haley hesitated before asking, "When?"
"Tomorrow evening," Claire replied. "I'll tell them you can do it."
She cut off Haley's escape route immediately. Claire held the moral high ground, leaving Haley unable to refuse. Haley knew that if she tried to say anything, Claire would bring up the fact that she sneaked in past her curfew.
After the hectic night came a calm morning.
Edward joined the Dunphys for breakfast after Phil invited him earlier that morning.
"Phil, you won against Claire, right? Didn't she used to run marathons? I guess she hasn't been keeping up with her exercises now that she's working," Edward said, indirectly teasing Claire.
He knew she had let Phil win, but she couldn't admit it to her husband, so Edward enjoyed seeing her frustrated expression.
"Claire, should I make exercise time mandatory for employees?" Edward asked Claire.
She rolled her eyes as she flipped a pancake, then glared at him. "Phil won one time! If we race again—"
"Honey, honey, shhh... Don't be a sore loser."
Claire was taken aback and then glared at the gloating Phil.
"Wait, Edward, why are you signing up for the football team? Do you even have time in your schedule?" Claire asked, her concern evident.
Alex scoffed and said, "He's only doing it so the team can get sponsorship—"
"Alex, don't talk nonsense. I really want to play with the guys. And Claire, do you think I can get Cam to coach the team?"
Claire, Phil, and Alex paused, looking at Edward in disbelief. Haley continued smiling as she put more pancakes in front of Edward before returning to her mother's side.
"What?" Edward asked.
"Why... Cam?" Claire asked, confused.
"You know he's a starting offensive lineman at the University of Illinois, right?" Edward asked.
Phil and Claire looked astonished, while Alex seemed to have just remembered. "Yeah, he told us that when Uncle Mitchell first brought him to Grandpa's house, and every chance he's had since then."
"Ahh, right!" Claire finally remembered.
"Why do you need a coach? And why not me?" Phil asked, sounding slightly jealous.
Edward laughed and said, "We have a coach, but he doesn't care much about the team. It's better to have someone like Cam."
"But with Lily..." Claire trailed off.
Edward nodded. "Yeah, it might be hard to convince him to take the job. Right now, all he cares about is being a stay-at-home dad/trophy husband."
Edward then checked his watch and exclaimed, "God, I'm late."
"Wait! Ed, where are you filming today?" Phil asked.
"Malibu. Beachfront mansion. And I get to drive an Audi," Edward said with a sly grin. "Want to join? We need backup dancers—"
"NO!!" Claire interrupted Edward, stopping him from continuing, and Phil from agreeing. Phil looked deflated as his wish was denied. It made sense for Claire to intervene since all the people in the music video were young and Phil would look out of place there.
"Too bad." Edward said before he waved them goodbye.
[Edward POV]
"Yo! Money Bag!" Sean Kingston cheerfully greeted me as I arrived at the film set today. He grasped my hand, and we bumped chests before he let go.
Finally, I reached Hollywood Hills, where we would film the music video for our collaboration song, "Eenie Meenie." It was a massive mansion atop the hill with infinity pools and mesmerizing views of the Pacific Ocean.
Initially, I was a bit irritated when the filming crew changed the location at the last minute. However, considering that the new place was closer and the mansion was the original one from the music video in my past life, I simply acquiesced to the change.
"What's up, Sean? Dude, how the hell did you get bigger?" I jokingly asked. "It's only been a few weeks!"
Sean laughed for a moment and said, "You want a hotdog?"
"Ah, so that's why…" I joked, causing him to roll his eyes at me.
There was a hot dog stand nearby, sponsored by members of my fan club, before the shooting started today. Their thoughtful gesture made me appreciate them even more.
"Yeah, put everything on it," I replied hungrily, licking my lips.
After meeting for the studio recording of the song previously, Sean and I hit it off and became friends. Despite his appearance suggesting he had two baby mamas, Sean was actually 19 years old. When I first told him this during our initial meeting, he nearly rolled around on the floor laughing.
Numerous people were involved in the filming today. We had nearly 50 dancers and background actors, the video's heroine, a filming crew of 25 people, the director, and staff members from our agencies dispersed around to protect both of us.
We quickly proceeded to the clothes fitting and tried out a few outfits for the music video. Sean easily found his clothes based on my advice, but I encountered a problem.
"You can't wear a suit!" Renaldo said.
Both Sean and I were confused. "Why not?" I asked.
"Same reason all the girls here are fully dressed, and nobody is showing excessive skin. It's targeted for kids! You should look like their peers," Renaldo explained, frustrated.
"But I want to do an Iron Man entrance. We even have an Audi here!" I whined.
Sean nodded in agreement and said, "Look, I even brought the sunglasses for him!"
He took out the same type of sunglasses RDJ always wears in interviews and showed them to Renaldo. "Oh, that's nice," I said, taking them politely from his hand.
Renaldo ignored me and asked, "Should I call Haley?"
I scowled and replied, "If you keep using that tactic to avoid arguing with me, then... I would have no other choice."
This wasn't the first time he had done this. Whenever I complained about an outfit I didn't want to wear, he would call Haley to get her on his side. Since she was unofficially my fashion coordinator, I wouldn't argue with her. It's not that I couldn't argue with her, but for some reason, I didn't want to give her any grief. I had no qualms about arguing with my dad or my aunt if Renaldo had them as his allies.
Renaldo looked a bit concerned. "Are you firing me?"
"No, I'll just talk shit about you to Dwayne."
"NO! Ugh. Alright, you can do whatever you want!" he said dramatically. I smiled and said, "Thanks. Now, let's take a look at the outfits you prepared today."
Renaldo rolled his eyes and said, "If you were going to agree with me anyway, why waste your precious time!?"
Sean and I both laughed, having successfully tricked Renaldo. The reasoning was simple: I wouldn't tease someone I wasn't close with.
"What about pink?" He handed me a pink jacket, which I immediately threw into the pool without even checking it out.
"The dark green one from Old Navy looks nice," I said, ignoring the sinking pink shirt.
Renaldo hesitated and said carefully, "It's... Calvin Klein."
"Really? Why does it look so cheap?" I asked, confused.
"We need something that'll make you stand out in the crowd. See, even Sean is wearing a silver one," Renaldo tried to convince me, ignoring my question. And since he already anticipated my actions, he took out the same pink jacket from the style bag.
I grimaced and coyly said, "It doesn't matter much. No matter what I wear, when I want people to see me, they will see me."
Renaldo was taken aback but eventually agreed with what I said. Even the aesthetics of my image in the live concert videos taken by fans couldn't capture my bad side. Pepper always joked that I was born to be loved by the camera, and Renaldo finally admitted the truth.
"Nice! The uglier he looks, the more I can stand out," Sean said enthusiastically. I patted his back and gazed at him pitifully. "It was nice of you to have ambition"Nigga, go do your hair. We need to get started soon," Sean retorted irritably before going to get his makeup done.
I chuckled and replied, "It's easy for you to say. You don't have anything on top of your head."
"I was bald by choice!"
"Are you sure it's not male pattern baldness?"
"Imma throw you down this hill!"
While I was getting my hair done, the hairstylist commented, "Hmm... You really don't look like a teenager. Is there a particular hairstyle you want?"
"Hmm... Wait, I was wondering if you could do it like this," I said as I googled a hairstyle I wanted, but all that came up was a cartoon character's hairstyle. It was a parted hairstyle with waves, inspired by some Korean manhwa I had read in my past lives.
The hairstylist's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Good! This will suit you well if you want to look more like a teenager!"
"It'll also give me a more approachable vibe. Alright, let's get started, or else Sean's hair will start growing," I joked.
"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Sean shouted from out of nowhere. I turned left and right in shock, but I couldn't find where he was.
…
After changing into my new outfit, I admired myself in the mirror, satisfied with the look. With confidence, I joined the rest of the crew on set. The dancers were already in action, showcasing their moves in front of the camera to capture the vibrant party atmosphere.
"Hey, D-Gate! You're looking good!" greeted a male hip-hop dancer, whose name was Ed. We had a friendly rapport since he was part of the dance crew with Kaya and Anna.
"Ed! Come join us and dance!" he invited me.
"Sure!" I readily agreed.
Renaldo who was concerned, shouted worriedly, "Ed, don't ruin your makeup and clothes!"
I waved off his concern, assuring him that I had it under control. Ignoring his warning, I started dancing to the beats of 2Pac's "California Love."
California love!
With smooth yet sharp movements, I glided towards the circle of dancers. They cheered with excitement, and the girls around the house quickly turned their attention towards the dance floor.
California... knows how to party
"They sure do!" I joked, making a wave from my left hand to my right and then using the momentum to create a wave with my whole body.
California... knows how to party
The B-Boys joined in, dancing around me, and the crew accidentally captured the moment on film. We had an unspoken understanding, making it look like a perfectly choreographed routine to the audience.
In the city of L.A.
The girls cheered, and they also wanted to join in to dance together. Unknowingly, I turned a fake party into a real one in just under a minute, causing the floor director to have a headache to arrange the positions later on.
In the city of good ol' Watts
Sean Kingston muttered to himself, "Damn, Ed! Don't dance too much. Otherwise, my agency will want me to dance too! I don't want that!"
In the city, the city of Compton
We keep it rockin'! We keep it rockin'!
Laughing, I struck a pose with the B-Boys before leaving them to rejoin Sean. As I approached, a girl whom I had never met before, leaped towards me with excitement.
"KYA! Edward, you're awesome!"
"Thanks... and you are?"
"Oh, right! I'm Jasmine Villegas. You can call me Jasmine."
Sean explained that she was part of the music video today, introducing us. However, she wasn't the heroine, and was just making a special appearance as she was invited by Sean.
I was taken aback when I first saw her. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Phil had another family in a different part of town, where he was married to a beautiful Latina woman, and they have a teenage daughter together.
She stood before me, dressed in a stunning low-cut white dress. As we were high up, her long, straight brunette hair danced in the wind. However, what caught my attention the most was a peculiar accessory that raised suspicions about Phil. No sane person would ever wear such a critically unusual item, unless it was a family heirloom —a feathered earring.
Similar to Penny, Jasmine was still an aspiring actress at this stage. Uncertain of what the future held in this world, I couldn't help but recall her limited success in my previous life. She had mostly been cast in supporting roles and hadn't received many opportunities to shine.
Perhaps she had declined Weinstein's advances on one occasion, resulting in missed chances to promote her for various roles.
Then, I finally met the heroine of the video.
Ashley Leanne. She had a slightly tanned skin, and a seductive expression on her face. She behaves a bit cocquatishly, and quite brazen. She touched my biceps and complimenting me about my muscles the moment we met.
Ashley has a wavy long brown hair. She was wearing a short top, revealing her stomach, and paired with short jean booty short. She was playing with the general audience and the mature video rating with her outfit, and she was proud of that.
When Ashley was talking with the staff, I asked the director slowly, "Why are you making her wear the 'Where's Waldo' clothes?"
The director smiled excitedly and said, "You get that huh? What do you think it means?"
Sean who were standing beside me answered, "Hmmm… She's hard to find?"
"Or, she kept going missing, and we need to find her?" I shoot my guess.
The director pointed at me and said, "Ed is right!"
"Damn it!" Sean exclaimed in dissapointment while I laughed proudly.
"Make her walk around in the ordinary scenes. See if the audience could find her." I joked, but the director's expression froze.
"Why…didn't I THINK OF THAT! THAT'S GOLD! HOLD ON CAMERA CREW!! We need to reshoot a couple of stuff!"
Renaldo glared at me as he knew I didn't have much time to shoot the music video today, but I kept delaying the process. I smiled wryly at him and then said, "Just cancel my plans for the night. I can do it in the early morning tomorrow."
It wasn't urgent anyway. I had planned to integrate a few helpful programs for the company, both in software and also company's development plans, but I decided to just relax today.
Sean had been asking me consistently to stay behind because he has a big party planned after the filming was done, and he had also invited a lot of celebrities to introduce me too.
It was both an opportunity and a risk for me to join the party today. Especially because I knew that this type of party wouldn't have any bottom line, and I was currently an underage singer that had just debuted myself to the country.
We officially started filming the scenes. I started first by filming alone at the piano. The plot of the music video was simple. Both Sean and I were to be played by the same girl. And when we knew that she had been moving between the two of us, we decided not to fight for her and got acquainted instead.
As I shoot the scenes with Ashley, the director couldn't help by scream cut a few times.
"CUT! Ashley, you're supposed to be playing him, not giving him everything he wanted! Tone down the lust in your eyes!"
Jasmine said agrivingly, "I can't help it! Just look at it! Look into his eyes, and tell me that you CAN kept your hands away from this man!" She pointed at my innocent face. The director was helpless and said, "Take 13! Come on! And Ed, don't wrap your hand around her waist this time!"
I was confused, "Why? I don't think that's too much?"
"It's not too much, but she won't be able to act after that!"
"Ahh…right…"
Renaldo rubbed his forehead in frustration and muttered, "You can only blame yourself–"
"For being to sexy right? I know it." I interjected to finish his sentence for him.
Renaldo was exasperated from my shamelessness, ignored me, and warned those around me, "And you girls, don't make googly eyes at him! He's supposed to only be looking at Ashley! "
"Awww!" The group of girls around let out a collective sigh before they went to do their job.
Even Sean was a bit jealous from the attention the girls were giving me. But I couldn't help it. They were like a moth drawn to the blazing fire that is myself.
As we moved the filming along, and finally got to the part that Sean and I were shooting together, suddenly a baby hawk landed on my shoulder.
"What the fuck!" Sean screamed in horror. I was excited and I rubbed the bird's head before saying, "This is not a place for you to rest baby bird. Go on."
Then, the baby hawk flew away reluctantly. The crew were looking at me in disbelief. Someone whispered in the background, "The Pied Piper."
After that small episode, we finally finished the filming for today.
"Want to check out the music video?" The director asked after a short break.
"I'd love too." I replied to him. Sean, Renaldo, Jasmine and I stood behind the director. Jasmine was hugging my arm shamelessly, but I didn't have any problems with that as she was kinda cute and a little bit silly.
'Wait…I'm not falling for a contemporary female Phil right?' I thought in shock before I moved an inch away from Jasmine. But it made Ashley who stood beside me misunderstood a little.
The director then clicked the space key and played the video.
It started with the scenes of Sean pulling into the block in an Audi car. I followed behind soon after in a Lamborghini car. We played Rock Scissor Paper to decide who get what car, and I won.
Sean sang first in the clip, "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo! Catch a bad chick by her toe! If she holla –If, if, if she holla, let her go"
Sean met with Ashley in the video. She lowered her sunglasses and looked at him with a look of intrigue before slowly moving towards him.
"Really, they look like father and son-"
"Shut up!" Sean cursed me before I could finish. Yeah, she was 1.63 m, and he was 1.88 m. They really didn't look good together.
Sean continued singing in the video, but at the same time, the screen split into two, and I entered the scene.
"She's indecisive, she can't decide
She keeps on looking from left to right
Girl, come a bit closer, look in my eyes
Searching is so wrong, I'm Mr. Right"
I met with Ashley at the snack bar, and we flirt a little. The director furrowed his brows as he looked at the scene and commented, "Ed really don't look like he's getting played huh."
"I can't help it. My ego won't let me." I muttered helplessly. As Ashley left me in the video with a lingering touch, my eyes stayed on her for a little while, which made the director nodded in satisfaction as his aim was complete.
"You seem like the type to love 'em and leave 'em
And disappear right after this song
So give me the night to show you, hold you
Don't leave me out here dancin' alone"
The scenes alternates between the dancing, and Sean singing the song alone. But for people with keen eyes, they could notice that Ashley was in the background in various scenes, just like in the game Where's Waldo.
Finally, we got to the chorus!
"You can't make up your mind, mind, mind, mind, mind
Please don't waste my time, time, time, time, time
I'm not tryin' to rewind, wind, wind, wind, wind
I wish our hearts could come together as one"
"Oh! That's me." I muttered in astonishment as the clip of me dancing with the B-Boys were played shortly on the screen. The director smiled and said, "It was too good to be left behind."
'Cause shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Finally, it was my turn to sing the song. With a deep and seductive look on my face, I sang charismatically.
"Let me show you what you're missing, paradise
With me you're winning, girl, you don't have to roll the dice
Tell me what you're really here for
Them other guys? I can see right through ya"
"Damn boy! Why are you stealing all of the limelight?" Sean jokingly cursed.
I was sitting with Ashley near the piano, and my hand were wrapped around her. She bit her lower lips as she gazed into my mouth, which made the director paused the mv for a while.
The director said, "I put in the wrong clip."
"..."
He fixed it quickly and continued playing the song
"You seem like the type to love them and leave them!
And disappear right after the song~
So give me the night~ to show you~, hold you~
Don't leave me out here dancing alone~~
Can't make up your mind-mind-mind-mind-mind
Please don't waste my time-time-time-time-time
Not trying to rewind-wind-wind-wind-wind
I wish our hearts could come together as one~"
I smiled as I watch the video, "It is pretty great." The quality, the videography, all of it was upgraded from the original. I especially cut out the cringe part compared to the original one, so that it wouldn't be era specific.
'Cause shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Sean rapped a bit. In the scene that was split into two screen, Sean started doubting about why Ashley kept disappearing, and I was with the girl in the other picture. And when Ashley went to Sean, it was my turn to doubt.
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo
Catch a bad chick by her toe
If she holla
If, if, if she holla, let her go
While Sean finished, in the clip, I went to the poolside to seach for Ashley, and finally caught her playing with Sean.
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo
Catch a bad chick by her toe
If she holla, lolla, lolla
Let her go
We glacned at the each other with hostility, before we decided that the girl wasn't worth it, and shook hand together. Ashley was fuming when she saw that we weren't going to fight for her, and lef.t
We duet together in the clip, standing side by side in front of the pool. It showed that it was almost sunset in the video, but honestly that was just a filter.
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
After we were done with Ashley in the video, I was talking with Jasmine who had took off her feathered earring, and Sean was talking with another hot girl. The girls were better than Ashley, and they didn't try to play us around. They also seemed kinder than her, which made it seem like we had gotten an upgrade.
Can't make up your mind-mind-mind-mind-mind
Please don't waste my time-time-time-time-time
Not trying to rewind-wind-wind-wind-wind
I wish our hearts could come together as one~
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Shorty is a eenie, meenie, miney, mo, lova
Then, before the ending, both of us left the scenes with our girls in our arms.
"YEAH! WE DID IT!" Jasmine and Ashley said excitedl before they each kissed me on the cheek at the same time.
I smiled and said, "Yes–"
"NOW, WE PARTYYYY!" Sean screamed, making the crowd cheered enthusiastically. He wrapped his arm around his current girlfriend, an african american girl, and they left the area to go to get some drink.
Jasmine and Ashley looked at each other's eyes, before they said to me, "Ed, do you want to make out with us?"
"Umm…It'll be impolite to say no."