"He doesn't know who owns JD Company. Out of 500 million, he's assuming the company took 350 million—the rest being used for payments, as would be in your case. He wouldn't believe we have billions in our account. I sometimes don't," said Pepper.
"With four finished films and four in progress, he probably thinks we're trying to bite off more than we can chew, blinded by our perfect track record."
I turned to Pepper. "The four finished films are Chicago and Saw—both set to release in January—The Pianist in February, and The Passion of the Christ in March. The ones in production are Bruce Almighty, Sweet Home Alabama, Get Out, and Million Dollar Baby. And let's not forget Pirates of the Caribbean, which will be for 2003."
Pepper nodded and added, "Get Out in March, Sweet Home Alabama in May, Million Dollar Baby in July, Bruce Almighty in August, and The Nun for Halloween. We're in negotiations for Mystic River and Freaky Friday. With Clueless and Mean Girlsalready lined up, that gives us thirteen movies for 2002."
"Ayo, looks like 2002 is already wrapped up for us, and we're prepping for 2003. No wonder I feel tired."
Pepper gave me an unamused glare.
"Don't be like that, Peps. If everything goes well, by the end of next year we might be negotiating to buy MGM or Miramax, maybe both" I joked.
Pepper's eyes widened. "Which one is better— Miramax or MGM?" she murmured.
I gasped. "Didn't know you could make that face, Pepper. Like a little girl who just got an incredible present."
Pepper gave me another unamused glare.
We chatted a little longer before I returned to my group. I placed my hand gently on Tasha's waist and greeted the rest of the crew—people I had seen arrive but hadn't had the chance to talk to yet. Tasha stepped away for a moment, and I took the opportunity to greet a few more guests.
"Hi, Pip, Cara, and Lauren," I said casually, then turned to greet their friend with a handshake. "Hey..." I added with a slight pause.
I leaned toward Pippa and whispered, "What's his name again?"
Pippa looked at me, incredulously, but replied quietly, "Ravi."
"I'm bad with names," I explained.
"Still, you seem to remember all the girls' names..." Paige murmured, just loud enough for the three of us to hear.
"Shut up, Paige," I said, glaring at her. "Okay, I'm just bad with guy names..."
Pippa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Yet you aced history class? And I remember you reciting all the presidents by heart..."
Those are important men, not a nobody. I don't usually remember everyone—especially someone clearly not fond of me.
I changed the subject. "By the way, you look great in this dress, Pip. Although, somehow I preferred your colorful one," I said with a smirk.
"See, I told you," spoke Lauren.
"I just think you look good in anything," Ravi added, a bit awkwardly.
"That's because you didn't see her in the Enid costume," Cara chimed in.
Then Tasha returned, and I intertwined my fingers with hers. "Tasha, they're my friends from school," I said as I introduced her.
Paige leaned toward me and whispered, "One didn't seem very friendly to you..."
I pinched her.
"So what are you all talking about?" Tasha asked with a smile.
"I was just saying how great Pippa looks. But she looked even better at my Halloween party," I said without holding back.
They looked at me, astonished, clearly not expecting me to be so honest. (which is insulting)
"Totally! And I agree about the Halloween party too. She was the one who won the costume competition, right? Enid, if I'm not mistaken," Tasha said brightly, looking at Pippa.
"Wow, I was not expecting that reaction," Paige said, unsure
"Me neither..." I murmured. Is she playing for both teams?
Then Lauren uttered, "You're all so rich—I feel a bit out of place at a party like this. I don't think even our prom will come close to this."
"No way! This is all Regina," I exclaimed. "At prom, it'll be Cher and I too. We're going to make it legendary!"
"I hear my name," Cher approached.
"I was only saying bad things about you," I stated.
She rolled her eyes. "There's no such thing."
"I was talking about how our prom will be incredible."
"It sure will," Cher said with her trademark smile.
"By the way, you went to prom this year with Laura, right?" she asked, looking at me. "I want to go to the next one."
"Laura, the one that plays Chloe Sullivan?" Tasha asked. "She's so dreamy," she added.
My eyes twitched. "Okay, I'm starting to have mixed feelings about this."
She looked at me, completely clueless.
Soon after, everyone moved to take their seats for dinner. Even though it was a birthday celebration, it felt more like a graduation event. Everyone was dressed in formal attire, and we sat in a grand dining hall. After we finished the meal, the host stepped onto the stage next to the piano.
"Ladies and gentlemen, now we'll hear from Jacob Harper."
I stood up and walked toward the stage.
I sat at the piano and adjusted the microphone. "Hello everyone, for those who don't know me, my name is Jake Harper. Yeah, the host needed to cut the budget and made his daughter's best friend sing free of charge."
The guests chuckled lightly.
"It's been a while since I performed in the piano..." I said into the mic. "Let's see if I still have the touch."
Then I began to sing:
(Talking to the Moon)
♪I know you're somewhere out there, somewhere far away
I want you back, I want you back
My neighbors think I'm crazy, but they don't understand
You're all I had, you're all I had ♪
Before the guests could applaud, I transitioned smoothly into the next song:
(7 Years)
♪ Once, I was seven years old, my mama told me
Go make yourself some friends, or you'll be lonely
Once, I was seven years old ♪
"Ohh, this is the one he sang on his 13th birthday," Paige said with a little nostalgia.
♪It was a big, big world, but we thought we were bigger
Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker
By eleven, smoking herb and drinking burning liquor
Never rich, so we were out to make that steady figure ♪
"By eleven, smoking herb and drinking burning liquor... cool," expressed Sam.
"I knew he was a bad boy," said Carly, shaking her head. Her boyfriend, Griffin, seemed impressed.