"Yes, she is now. She''s 13. She entered Harvardst year," I said.


    "What??" Alex screamed again.


    Poor girl was having a reality check, I thought.


    Paige looked at me, annoyed. "Stop saying ''Cowtech.''"


    "Oh,e on. It''s funny. I heard Missy call it that, and I adopted the idea."


    "He''s probably jealous of you," Alex chimed in.


    Paige and I looked at her weirdly.


    "Why would he be jealous of a nerdy college, Alex? He''s popr even at my school, thanks to his party. He''s probably more popr than you at your own school," said Haley, mocking.


    Alex crossed her arms. "There are things more important than poprity, Haley. Like the future."


    Then she looked excitedly at Paige. "How was Harvard? That''s my college dream."


    Paige didn''t know how to respond. She looked at me and then turned to Alex again, "I prefer it here."


    "Let''s talk about something more fun. When''s the next party happening here, Jake?" asked Haley, her tone just as eager as Alex''s earlier.


    "December 22nd, the Saturday before Christmas. End of year celebration," I said. "Last year, it was just my ss and a few others. This time, it''ll be even bigger than Halloween or my birthday. We''re expecting a thousand guests. We purchased the neighboring properties, and one of them is being transformed into arger venue. Once it''s done, it could hold over five thousand guests."


    "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Haley squealed, tapping the table with excitement.


    "Speaking of parties, Regina invited us to one tonight, another tomorrow, and of course the big one on her actual birthday," I told Paige. "Are you nning to go to all of them?"


    "Absolutely," Paige answered with a grin. "She messaged me too. Tomorrow''s pre-party is starting here, right? Since it''s so close to the main event."


    I nodded, then Judith turned to us. "Jake, take care of Paige."


    I gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma''am."


    "Mom, they get to go to parties," Haleyined to ire, "and they''re even younger than me."


    "If you get into Caltech like Paige, you can go to as many parties as you want," ire replied.


    Alex smiled at her sister''s frustration and said, "That will never happen."


    The lunch carried on. Mom seemed to hit it off with Mitchell and Cam—though she did mention that gay men and lesbians don''t get along as well as people assume. Phil was still awkwardly trying to bond with Charlie, to his dismiss. Gloria was doing the same with ire, which led to ire''s signature smile-that''s-not-really-a-smile. Meanwhile, Evelyn and Jay kept jabbing at each other like old rivals. And finally, Dad had been unofficially assigned to keep Luke and Manny under control.


    Jay was talking with Evelyn.


    "I was blessed with three grandchildren," he said with a smirk. "One is smart, another is popr, and the third is... funny."


    "Oh, Jake is all of that," Evelyn replied. "He could''ve gone to college, you know? But he preferred to enjoy high school. You''ve seen how popr he is with thedies—so he just skipped two years.


    You might''ve heard from your daughter about Jake''s movies, right? They grossed millions. That Ferrari? It was a gift from him. And that''s not what he''s best at. He doesn''t even really like it. You need to hear him sing." Evelyn smiled at Jay.


    My God, Gramma, that''s not bragging. That''s overkill. Don''t tell me that it was not only Charlie that did some ''connections'' with the Pritchett...


    Jay chuckled. "Well, I can see he didn''t get his modesty from you."


    Evelyn raised her ss, smiling back. "Modesty is for those who don''t have results."


    I nced around the table. Phil was being Phil. n wore a smug grin. Gloria and Luke didn''t seem to think much of it. Manny looked astonished. ire had a deeply conflicted expression. Mitchell, Cam, and Mom were too engaged in their conversation to even notice what had just been said.


    "Wow, you really are bragging material," said Paige, resting her chin on my shoulder.


    "So you''re smart too?" said Haley with a smile. This one was already smitten...


    Alex was the one who took it the hardest. Not only had she assumed I was just like Haley, but she ended up making a fool of herself. The fact that I could already be in college was proof enough that, when it came to intelligence, I was far above her.


    I patted Alex''s back and said to her, "Don''t feel discouraged. Paige and I areplete outliers. We''re one of a kind—even if you look at it from a global perspective. That''s something you''ll discover if you ever go to a ce like Harvard, MIT, or Caltech. You''ll probably feel like your average Joe there."


    "Those colleges don''tck smart and hardworking people. In fact, it''s almost a prerequisite to get into them."


    "You''re cute, Alex. I went to Caltech with Paige one time—believe me, you''d be top-tier in that department. And I''m not hitting on you, I like older girls." I finished.


    Now Alex was looking at me speechless, and a little flushed. ire made a silent ''thank you'' with her mouth. She knew her daughter''s self-esteem had taken a hard hit.


    "Why are you being so nice?" Paige whispered. "Normally you wouldn''t do that. She''s not a friend or a girl you''d kiss." Then she added, thinking, "Are you ''investing'' in her for the future?"


    I pped Paige''s forehead, making her pout


    I told her that because I saw my past self in her. I was top of my ss at school, but just above average when I entered an elite college.


    I''m only on the very top now because of my past memory. My good voice in this life wouldn''t be enough. I had incredible singers in Marshmello songs, yet only one in gaining poprity on his own.


    ------


    Support Link: https://[emailprotected]/c/MHJunior [Up to 35+ advance chapters]


    Please give a Review and Powerstone if you like the novel