Re:life with Karmic Gacha (Modern Family)

Chapter 34: A Swift Solution.?

(Enjoy~ Also, I had kept a list of recommended songs. I can't put all hits on one album right? Haha)

[Edward's POV]

As the songs needed to be edited, I only managed to sing, Toxic, The Lazy Song, Grenade, It Will Rain, and 7 years today. The rest of the time was spent creating the melody, adding the bass and other musical accompaniment, listening back to the vocals and the song, and much more.

"Abby. Wipe please." I asked while using the sound equalizer to mix up all the sounds together.

"Here." Abby wiped my sweaty forehead with my own handkerchief, causing Haley to roll her eyes.

"Are you guys playing surgeon?" Haley remarked sarcastically.

"Well. I do want to see her in a nurse's outfit. So maybe later." I replied, causing Abby to pinch my arm to retaliate. I ignored her and continued, "Maybe she'll give me an examination, as I lay helpless in the bed."

Haley rolled her eyes and wanted to make a snide remark, but someone else was faster than her.

"Okay. Stop. I'm right here." Ted suddenly interjected as he was standing behind Abby the whole time.

Mitchell had returned home after pulling Harvey together with him for him to save me from getting mauled by the cougars.

"Dad. You don't know what you're missing. Find a girlfriend, and do it soon." I teased, not minding his apprehension on my flirting.

It wasn't the fact that I had a girlfriend that was making Ted annoyed, but he kept thinking that I was purposely showing affection in front of him to make him jealous. It was true. I did it on purpose. The old guy had been single long enough.

"Play it. Let us hear it." The sound engineer said. The sound engineer was a long haired old guy in his 50's, dressed as a hippie, and even smelled like one too (Marijuana).

Although I had the knowledge and the melody inside my mind, the old man had been showing me how to get the melody out by using the control panel. With my enhanced IQ, I only needed an hour of learning to level up my skills in music creation using studio equipment.

"You know. You're very cool before." Haley said with a bit of dissatisfaction. She enjoyed seeing me sing and creating my own songs, but now that I had eased up and flirted with Abby, she could only swallow the bitter pill as she wanted to watch the album creation on her own.

Of course, this time I had spoken to her about taking paparazzi pictures or secretly recording videos about the session.

"He's cool all the time." Abby said and hugged me while standing behind me, the back of my head was suddenly cushioned by her soft chest.

"That's true." I said, earning an eye roll from Haley. I could joke around as I had finished editing the melody for the 7 years song. Then, I played the result for all to hear.

The hippie sound engineer shook his head in acknowledgement as he heard the melody that I had created. "It seems I'm no longer needed here. Will I lose my job now?" He muttered underneath his breath.

While we were enjoying the finished song, the entertainment company CEO was busy catering to the needs of a young pop star artist.

"Hmm...He didn't even notice that I'm here." Taylor said after watching the recording session with Pepper

"When he's creating, he usually tunes out all the other distractions." Pepper said in defense. Not once did I turn to the room they were sitting in – the VIP room. It was created for investors who wanted to hear and see the song creation without bothering the artist.

"Even me?" Taylor S. pouted cutely, causing Pepper to be disgusted. "I said all Distractions." Pepper stressed again, almost snarking when facing the young woman. Taylor rolled her eyes and was silently watching me for my entire recording session.

"He's good. Very skillful. He knows what he wants, and didn't doubt himself a bit in creating the song." Taylor complimented as she licked her lips seductively. "Too bad he's 14."

"He's good enough for the opening act. You can send the management to come see for themselves. Why would you come here yourself?"

"Hey. You're the one who offered." Taylor took offense because Pepper's words sounded like accusations.

" I didn't think you'd accept. Aren't you busy?" Pepper snarked.

"Well. I am creating a new song right now. But...I can't seem to find the right melody for it." Taylor confessed. "So I came here for inspiration. And my luck gave me a very cute boy."

"Your luck didn't give you anything. Don't do things that would send you to jail before your career even blossomed." Pepper said facetiously.

Turning to his 50 grand wristwatch, Pepper said, "It's almost 8 pm. We should end the session for today." He stood up from the luxurious chair and walked outside the room. Taylor hummed and followed Pepper from behind uninvited.

"Edward. Great job for today!" Pepper walked in excitement and patted me on the shoulder. Smiling softly, I said, "I always do a great job. It's a curse. I can't seem to be bad at something."

"Don't worry. You're really bad at being humble." Ted replied, making the people around me laugh. Then, I saw the sight of the young girl behind Pepper. With her twirly one piece dress, Taylor waved lightly as she met her eyes with mine.

"Wait. Taylor...S?" I asked with a shaky voice. (A/N: Although there is similarities, just remember this is a parallel world. )

"Yeah. I'm glad that you recognize me!" Taylor said excitedly while displaying the most bright, innocent, country girl personality that had a big dream to become a popular star in the world. I stood from my chair and approached Taylor before reaching out my hand for a handshake, which she accepted.

"I really like your songs. Of course I'll know you...What are you doing here?" I said while maintaining eye contact with Taylor and gave a glance toward Pepper at the same time.

"Did I not tell you about it before? She is the main act for the concert next week." Pepper explained.

"Pepper. You keep being forgetful nowadays. Are you okay?" I asked with some concerns. Pepper smiled softly and said, "I am well. It just slipped my mind. That's all."

Taylor couldn't wait any longer and interjected, "Your songs are really good too. I adore all the songs, especially Toxic. I'm sure that you'll reach a platinum record on your first Album."

With a shy smile that made Taylor's heart palpitate quicker, I said,"Thank you. That means a lot coming from a top star."

"Edward..." Abby suddenly called out when she saw my embarrassed face while meeting the top star. Turning to Abby, I said to Taylor, "That's my girlfriend. Abby. And the little chibi next to her was Haley."

"Is she your girlfriend too?" Taylor asked while maintaining her innocent facade. Haley widened her eyes, and Abby started to feel uncomfortable by Taylor's presence.

"No. She is just my friend. I think..." I turned to Haley and asked, "Are we friends?"

"We're not?" Haley asked in confusion.

"I think we are." I answered my own question.

"Hey. It's not like I'm judging you or anything if you want to keep 2 of them." Taylor teased. "Both are really pretty too."

"Nah. My love is only for one girl." I said with a bright smile. Abby breathed in relief after she heard that. Although she knew the relationship was only for 2 more months, she couldn't accept it if she needed to share me with someone else.

We got to talking for a little while as the worker there started to clean up the studio. Ted waited with Haley and Abby outside while I talked with Taylor. Mostly Taylor was instigated by me to share her experience when she debuted.

"I am preparing for my next album right now." Taylor suddenly said.

"What's it called?" I asked.

"Fearless." Taylor replied. As I thought hard about the album name, I finally realized the timeline difference between the two people. In my previous world, Taylor released her album Fearless in 2008, but here, she hadn't released it yet.

"What are you thinking so deeply about? I only told you my album name." Taylor giggled and hit my arm softly as she saw my serious thinking expression.

"Nothing. I am wondering about your songs. Why don't you sing me a bit about the song you'd written?"

"Eehh...That's a bit embarrassing. The songs aren't completed yet." Taylor giggled while blushing slightly, moving her eyes away from mine.

'Is she putting her moves on me? Or is this her technique to make a guy go crazy? Anyway, as I don't want to become one of her songs, I need to make sure to not fall for her traps.' I thought secretly.

"Which song are you working on right now?" I asked.

With a bit of frustration in her face, Taylor replied, "Love Story and You belong with me."

'Damn. Both are kind of the important song that shoots her right toward the global pop star stage.' I thought in awe. "Will you sing some snippets of it?" I asked with twinkling eyes. Although I didn't want to become a song, there was no way I could not care about a future global artist that was sitting in front of me right?

"I got the lyrics. But the melody..." Taylor said with some exasperation. She had been working on the songs for months now but she couldn't find the right melody for it. Her Album had to be pushed back for months now because of it.

"Why don't you sing it...And I'll give you my opinion on it? I may be a newbie in this music industry, but I do have a lot of experience in the classical music industry."

"Yeah. Child prodigy right? Okay. Tell me what you think." Taylor said and sang the first verse of the song Love Story after picking up the guitar inside the studio. The worker there had to wait for us before shutting down the light, leaving both of us alone together while everyone else had exited.

Taylor: We were both young when I first saw you...I close my eyes and the flashback starts

I'm standin' there...On a balcony in summer air...See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns...See you make your way through the crowd...And say, "Hello"...Little did I know...

"Okay. That's it." Taylor said with a teasing smile, not expecting anything from me even though she acted as if she did. My perfect pitch and brain neurons superimposed the musical notes and melody of this song and the song I had heard in my previous life almost instantaneously.

"Can you let me try something?" I said as I gestured for Taylor to give me the acoustic guitar she was holding.

"Sure." Taylor said and handed the guitar.

I played the melody that she had played before perfectly without even missing a note, and then I played the melody from my previous life.

"Sing now." I said while picking the guitar strings.

Albeit confused, and a little dumbstruck, Taylor did what I asked and sang the first verse of the song as she did before. But this time, the melody got smoother and the songs finally fit!

"Oh my god!" Taylor squealed and hugged me tightly while jumping around. "I can't believe it! You'd solved it! Now, the other part!" Taylor said hurriedly. But then, Pepper reentered the studio with a fuming expression.

"Come on outside. What are you guys still doing here? We're all going to go home now." Pepper ordered.

"Be right there." I said from afar and then turned to Taylor. "Maybe next time."

"Why don't...you come to my studio next? We can talk more about the song there. Or maybe even my place..." Taylor invited me.

"Maybe after the concert. I'm too busy right now." I replied casually.

Raising one of her eyebrows, Taylor asked as if offended that I had rejected her only-a-polite invitation, "Busy doing what?"

Flashing a teasing smile, I said, "Creating a few softwares, my songs, concert preparations, stock market research, and you know...school stuff. I am in Middle School in the first place."

Taylor paused, her expression was in disbelief after she heard my statement.

"Wait. You're not in highschool yet?"

"Nope. Still in middle school. In fact, this May 4th is my birthday."

Taylor's jaw dropped after she heard what I said and finally released her hands from my body. But I caught her faking her reaction as the upper corner of her lips were rising upwards.

We walked outside to where my dad's car was. Abby and Haley had waited for half an hour for me and Taylor to come out and now had a sour expression on their faces. "Did you guys eat a lemon while I was not here?" I asked teasingly.

"By the way, I wanted to say it before, but I didn't have the opportunity. That's a nice dress." Taylor complimented Abby.

""Thanks."" Both Abby and I answered at the same time. Taylor giggled while looking at me. "Why are you the one answering it?"

Abby grabbed my arm and said teasingly but with a hint of hostility, "Because. He was the one who made it. Just. For. Me."

Taylor didn't seem to mind the deliberate way of talking and she didn't even acknowledge Abby next. While looking in my direction, Taylor opened her mouth a little bit and asked, "You can make a dress too? How talented are you?"

"Hmph!" Abby groaned while I smiled softly. "I guess I am talented. Okay, you have my number. You can text me later." I waved goodbye at Taylor before sitting next to the driver.

"Hey!" Haley called out after I sat on her seat, but there was no chance for me to give it back to her. Helpless, Haley sat angrily at the back seat.

"Bye~" I waved Taylor goodbye before Abby pressed the gas pedal and drove us off from the studio at high speed.

[3rd Person POV]

"Damn. He's tough." Taylor muttered as she watched Edward leave.

"Or...you know....He's 14. He didn't understand your signals yet." Taylor's female co-songwriter said as she entered the car.

"Nah. That's not it. He understood, but he's purposely keeping away from me. And that just makes him more desirable." Taylor said jokingly. However, her co-writer didn't believe in her even a bit.

"4 years will pass quickly. Just wait till then." Her co-writer said.

"Maybe..." Taylor replied ambiguously.

On another road, Pepper was giving Ted a ride because the car he borrowed had totally broken down and had to be towed to the mechanic.

"Why didn't you ride with your son?" Pepper asked.

"Are you kidding me? He's targeting me and wants to convince me to get a girlfriend. I'm not taking a ride with him." Ted replied.

"That reminds me, Edward asked me to introduce you to some whore- I mean nice girls. We're going to see her right now. If you don't want to talk to her, just consider we're going for a drink." Pepper said and took a different street when they got to the city, going to a bar instead of going home.

"Pepper!" Ted called out in disbelief, but he couldn't fight Pepper on this one. After all, the man had done so much for his son. Letting out a sigh, Ted said defeatedly, "Fine.."

...

[Edward's POV]

"Are you mad at me?" I asked the pouting Abby who was avoiding looking at my face as she drove. Although she looked cute with the puffed out cheek, I couldn't let her continue being angry with me.

Haley interjected and said accusingly, "Why wouldn't she be mad at you? You were totally flirting with Taylor."

Nodding my head in understanding, I said, "I didn't flirt with her. But she flirted with me."

Abby gave me a death glare in which I responded by smiling brightly. "I understand why you're mad, but you don't have anything to worry about." Putting my hand on her thigh as she drove, I continued, "I won't ask you not to get mad, or jealous. It's a normal reaction to have, in fact, I am pretty glad that you like me so much that you're getting jealous when other girls talk to me."

"I-I'm not jealous. Who says I'm jealous? I'm MAD!" Abby reiterated.

"Okay. I would be jealous if you're talking with some popular artist and he was flirting with you too." I said calmly. Then, I hit her with my best charismatic smile and said, "You're the only one from me. I won't even look at other girls when I'm with you."

Abby removed one of her hands from the steering and pinched the back of my head that was on her thigh, picking it up using the pinch and throwing it back to my side, and then held the steering wheel with both hands again.

"That's not healthy. People look at the opposite sex all the time. You can't promise that you won't look." Abby said, her angry tone gradually diminishing. She turned to look at my face for the first time and said with a longing tone, "I won't get mad anymore. You don't have to worry about me."

"No. We're going to talk about this." I said, causing Abby to be taken aback. "If our talk is going to make us fight, then we'll fight."

"Okay. You want to fight? Then, how come you didn't stop Taylor when she's flirting with you?"

"Because. She's a senior in the industry. Pepper is giving me so much trust that he created a company just for me. I need to get closer to her , but not go out with her. I stress this again, so that I can understand how the industry works, and even learn about her distribution, her marketing strategies, and all of that. I can't just sing and hope that people will just buy my album, you know?"

"Oh." Abby exclaimed flatly, but Haley who was listening from behind suddenly interjected, "Then, why do you guys need some alone time in the studio? Just the two of you?"

"Well. She was talking about her next album, and needed some privacy. That's all. Do you really think she would make a move on me? She is 19 years old. It's a crime to do that."

"Oh." This time, Haley was the one who exclaimed flatly.

"Any more questions?" I asked without teasing them this time.

"You know. The fact that you're answering it smoothly makes me feel that you had thought about the matter a lot." Abby started to fight again.

I smiled and turned toward the traumatized girl that had a pathological cheater and liar dad.

"I'm being honest. You can even ask me if I did check out her body, and I will answer it honestly."

"Well...Did you?" Abby asked meekly.

"I took a quick peek. But I like 'em big so I lost interest." I replied honestly. Abby finally breaks into a smile, but she quickly covers it up.

"Haley. Wear your headphones!" Abby ordered. "NO!" Haley replied with a smile on her face. "You got a chance to hear all of his words truthfully. There is no way you're leaving me out of this."

"Fine!" Abby said, and then she started asking me some questions. "Am I the first girl you kissed?"

"No. I had another girlfriend before. But you're the first one I'd make out with." I replied. "It was also when I'm 12, so we don't even know what we were, in fact, dating."

"I see. Then...Did you..." Abby turned to Haley in wariness, but Haley was only smiling and leaning forward to hear the conversation better. "Just consider that I'm not here." Haley said happily.

"Why did you agree to date me?"Abby asked.

"Because you're really smart, funny, gorgeous and sexy too." I replied. "Honestly, I got a crush on you the moment I laid my eyes on you."

Smiling widely, Abby asked, "really?"

Leaning my face closer to hers, I said, "really." Then, we shared a kiss together in front of Haley.

"Ugh! Don't make out in front of me! Focus on the road!" Haley interjected.