Laura tapped through the messages on my phone, her mouth slightly open.
"She's... funny," she said, raising an eyebrow. "And actually, really sweet."
I nodded. "Yeah, I was surprised too. She's more down-to-earth than I thought."
"But what do you think?" I asked.
Laura gave me a playful look. "What exactly do you want my opinion on? Whether she's flirting with you?" she joked.
"No! That would be a little creepy. I told her that I'm thirteen, and I'll be fourteen tomorrow (Britney is 19 years old). Besides, I didn't feel any flirting going on," I said quickly. "And I wouldn't ask you something like that anyway..." I added.
"I know, I'm just kidding," Laura said, smiling. "Honestly, you don't even look thirteen. You could easily pass for sixteen or seventeen. The way you text is definitely not how a thirteen-year-old would write. Whether it's the content or the way you express yourself."
"By the way, everyone doesn't know you're thirteen, right?" Laura asked.
"Yeah," I said with a mischievous smile. "They're going to be surprised." I laughed.
"And about Britney?" I questioned again.
Laura gave her opinion thoughtfully. "She seems a little lonely. I'd say that in the music world, you tend to have fewer connections with your peers compared to the acting side of things."
"She's been famous since she was young," I added.
"I think she wants a friend," Laura continued. "That day, you didn't ogle her or treat her differently. And in your messages, you talk to her normally too—not eager to impress or flatter her."
"That was our idea," I said. "Having a friendship with another star. But now that I think about it, it seems a little troublesome."
Laura laughed. "You must be one of the few people who'd think being friends with Britney is troublesome. You lazy bum," she said, nudging me playfully.
The next morning, my birthday finally arrived.
Today, I was officially fourteen.
Cher, Regina, Freddie, Sam, Carly, and Laura arrived at eight in the morning. Cher and Regina wore stylish sunglasses. Freddie, Sam, and Carly followed close behind, chatting excitedly as they walked up the steps.
"Birthday boy in the house!" Sam announced loudly, throwing her hands up.
"Happy birthday, Jake," Carly said, handing me a small wrapped box.
The others chimed in with birthday wishes. Laura leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the lips
"You guys didn't have to come this early..."
"No, we need to make sure everything is fine," Regina replied, receiving a nod from Cher.
"We came to help too," Laura, Carly, and Freddie said almost in unison.
"I came for the breakfast," Sam smirked.
I laughed at Sam's honesty and waved them all inside. I had already spoken to the maid about them coming early, so a full breakfast banquet was nearly ready in the dining room, the smell of fresh pastries and warm waffles already filling the air.
That's when Alan and Judith appeared, both smiling warmly as they walked in.
"Happy birthday, son," Alan said, giving me a hug,
Judith stepped forward with a warm smile and wrapped me in a gentle hug too.
Then she went to the kitchen and returned with a small birthday cake.
"I thought we could sing happy birthday now too," Judith said kindly. "Since you're with your closest friends, it could be something more private and special." Alan stood nearby with the video camera already recording, capturing everything with a proud smile on his face.
Everyone stood up to sing happy birthday—even Sam set down her pastry to join in. But just as Judith started placing the candles on the cake, Regina narrowed her eyes.
"Wait, why are you putting a 14-year-old candle?" she asked, confused.
"I'm turning fourteen," I said without blinking.
"You're fourteen????" Carly, Sam, Freddie, Regina, and Cher all screamed at once.
"How come you're fourteen?" Sam blurted out, eyes wide in disbelief.
I turned to Sam and said, "Well, when you're born in 1987 and have a birthday in 2001, you turn fourteen."
"You want a beating, birthday boy?" Sam said, mocking me
"Wait, what? You're fourteen? I thought you turned sixteen!" Cher said, shocked. "You know what that means?" she asked.
I leaned closer to Cher and Regina, lowering my voice just enough. "That means you two were cougars?"
Both of them gasped indignantly.
"We bought you a car, you prat," Regina shot back.
"You bought my son a car?" Alan said, surprised, still holding up the video camera and filming everything.
"Don't worry, I have a driver, remember?" I said.
"But it's a sports car," Cher added. "There are only two seats. That would be lame."
"Ohhh," I said, stepping forward to hug them both.
As I leaned in, I whispered, "That really makes you two seem like cougars."
They both jabbed me in the ribs at the same time.
"Come on, don't be mad at me," I said, putting on my best puppy eyes.
Cher and Regina exchanged a look.
"Just because you introduced us to J.Lo," Regina began.
"And Christina Aguilera," Cher added.
"And Britney," Regina finished.
"We forgive you, our baby friend," Regina said, pinching one of my cheeks.
"Yes, our little beansprout," Cher said, pinching the other.
"Get out, you b*tches," I said, laughing as they continued teasing me.
"How come you're in 9th grade?" Carly asked, still piecing things together.
"I jumped two years," I said casually.
"He could've gone to college if he wanted," Alan added proudly, still behind the camera, clearly bragging.
"What??" everyone yelled in unison.
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