MassaHJ
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Chapter 101: 2 Million Dollars
🕑 Added 2025-05-14 15:03:02 +0000 UTCFreddie quickly picked the check up from the ground, his hands trembling a little.
"What the heck, Jake?!" he exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the numbers written on it.
Carly finally unfolded hers and gasped.
"Two million dollars!!!" Carly screamed, clutching the check like it might fly away.
"Wow, I can literally buy a small mountain of fried chicken and bacon..." Sam said, eyes wide with wonder.
We all looked at Sam, half-amused, half-concerned.
I spoke up, "Sam, this money can change your future. Try not to do something dumb. If your parents are not reliable, I can give you some advice."
"He is right, Sam," said Carly. Then she turned to me, concern in her eyes. "Are you sure about this?" she asked, referring to the money.
"Yes, I'm sure. I made even more," I said, referring to the money I had earned. "There's another thing—do not tell anybody. It's not good to broadcast that you have that much money," I added.
Everyone nodded, even Sam.
"Oh man, that's incredible. I think I will buy the new camera," said Freddie.
I laughed. "Do whatever."
The three of them kept tossing around ideas of what they could do with that kind of money, half-joking and half-dreaming about crazy plans. I just stayed back a little, laughing and toning down some of the wildest ideas they came up with.
---
The next day, Laura sent me a message saying she wanted to talk. I asked if she wanted to go out or if it could be at the Malibu house. She replied that Malibu was fine, that she just needed to change clothes first, and then she'd be on her way.
A little later, the doorbell rang, and Laura appeared. I opened the door and saw she looked a bit nervous. I gave her a small smile and signaled toward the deck. We both walked outside and sat across from each other on the deck, the ocean breeze gently rolling in.
"Soo...?" I asked, starting the conversation.
Laura didn’t beat around the bush. "I got an audition, and I got accepted for the role," she said with a great smile. But it was noticeable from the way her hands fidgeted that she was still nervous.
"Congratulations," I said, hugging her warmly. After a moment, I pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes. "I sense a 'but,'" I added.
She took a small breath before speaking again. "The filming will take place (mostly) in a town called Cloverdale, Canada. I will have to move back to Canada in August," she said after a moment.
I froze for a moment but quickly recovered and gently took Laura's hands in mine. "What are you conflicted about?" I asked, looking into her eyes.
"Everything was going great. I finally love my high school life and..." she paused for a moment, let go of my hands, and opened her arms, "...and us." She hesitated, her voice soft. "I don't know..."
"Just go, Laura," I said seriously. "That is your dream. I saw how much work you put into this. I know how many acting classes you take every week."
"Jake..." she said softly.
I continued, "And also know how passionate you are about this. Believe me, girl, I have tons of your messages about it," I added with a smirk, finally making her laugh a little.
"I will be honest with you, Laura. I could make a better offer than this role you're taking, even though you haven't told me what it is yet. But frankly, I don't think it would be good for you in the long term. You got this one by your own merit. Go there and make it big. Learn more, build yourself more, and get experience."
I smiled at her warmly. "In the future, if you need, I can help you reach higher levels."
"Now you're becoming all cheesy," she said, smiling.
I smiled and scoffed. "And here am I, putting all my heart..." I said dramatically (like a Mosby), making Laura punch me lightly. We both laughed.
I then continued, "About us... we haven't even made our relationship official. It's not worth mentioning when it comes to this kind of opportunity." I looked into her eyes and added, "People come and go. And with your focus on your career and my personality, I don't think either of us is looking for a serious relationship anytime soon. Whether it's with each other or with anyone else."
She sighed and said, "Sometimes I forget how rational you can be." Then she joked, "Could you be a little more romantic now? Like," she said dramatically, "'Laura, stay with me,'" she completed with a laugh. "Then I'd have a teen romance drama to brag about."
"Ewww, now you're the one being cheesy," I said, grinning.
We joked a little more. I don't know when or who started it, but when we realized, we were kissing.
After a good moment, when we stopped and looked at each other, I said, "I have a song for this moment. We've been all cheesy, so this one will make you cringe more." I smiled. "I won't lie and say I wrote it for you," I paused. "That would be too much, even for me." I chuckled lightly. "It's actually a music that I song for my grandma, but I think you would like it."
I took Laura by the hand and led her to the piano. She looked at me skeptically and said, laughing a little in disbelief, "You wrote a song for your grandma, and now you're going to sing it for me?"
I clarified, smiling, "I didn't write it for her. I sang it for her."
Omake:
Freddie said to me, "Mom was really surprised about the money... and the fact you shared it. She already considers you like a brother to me."
He laughed and continued, "She even said—and I'm quoting—'If he tells you to go east, go east. If he tells you to go west, go west.'"
I laughed. "Really, Freddie, make her stop reading those Chinese novels. They're good, but they might rot her brain."
Freddie chuckled and added, "She even told me to start calling you Senior Brother."
"Yeah, you should really make her stop reading that book," I said, shaking my head with a grin.
