The three of them finally decided on the approach for the next phase of work: Beginning in two weeks, on the 22nd of September, Michael would work at the Cafe for 3 hours, from 5:30 to 8:30 on weekdays three times a week and from 2 to 8pm on weekends every other weekend. Initially, this time would be spent working on the projects he had proposed - implementing a more secure local network as well as setting up remote administration tools. Once that was completed, the cafe would pay him a retainer fee for up to 30 hours a month, as well as provide him with working space.
If he wasn't needed and there were no other projects underway, he was welcome to work on anything else. The reasoning Ben and Jeremy cited was that having on-site IT staff would allow them to get a better rate on their insurance, as well as cutting down on maintenance costs. Michael wasn't going to argue with the logic since he was under the impression that the two of them knew more about how to spend their money wisely than he did.
It meant that his evenings would mostly be spent at the cafe, but since he was doing all of his exercise in the morning, it wasn't a big deal. He'd just need to talk to his parents about the fact that he wouldn't be around for dinner much anymore... this couldn't be too much of a problem, could it? Michael's smile faded a bit as he thought about how quickly life was moving forward. Was this just the System? Or was this just part of growing up?
Ben excused himself to go down and let his sister head off for the evening. He told Jeremy and Michael to relax and finish up their conversations. They waved him off and chatted about school, some of Jeremy and Valeria's exploits in the game and movie releases from the summer - regular stuff. Eventually, Jeremy got around to asking a question that seemed to have been bugging him a bit.
"Hey, you're not bothered about working with me on this, are you? I mean, it's kind of weird for a couple of 14 year olds to be talking about contracts and retainers and junk. I'm kinda used to it, but... maybe that's not such a good thing, you know? And I'm sure you must be wondering about some stuff about my family, right?" Jeremy seemed to be dreading the conversation a bit, but had apparently resolved himself to discuss it.
Michael shook his head. "If talking about contracts and stuff is weird, then we're both pretty weird. As for your family - everyone's got their family stuff. I figured you'd tell me about it when you want to talk about it. So what if you've got some money? You don't act like a jerk, or treat people any differently, so why should I care?"
Jeremy smiled, relieved. "Cool."
At this point, it was Michael's turn to look a bit uncomfortable. "Though, I did want to ask..."
"...Yeah?", Jeremy asked, a bit reluctantly.
"...It's just... Why do you trust me so much? We only met last week, after all, and we're hanging out, you're lending me stuff, and we're getting into business together. What's the deal?"
"Ah! That's easy," he chuckled. "My grandfather always said there were two aspects our family has more of than anyone else, and they're largely why we've been successful - luck, and instincts. Trust your gut, even if it seems crazy. I believe him, and I have pretty good instincts. First day I saw you I thought - that dude's gonna be a great friend."
"Simple as that?"
"Simple as that."
"Cool."
---
Michael said a final goodbye to Ben and Jeremy a little while later, shortly before 7pm, and stepped into a taxi to take him home. He had looked around a bit for Rebecca, but to his disappointment she had already left. He was only mildly disappointed, though, since he had no idea what he would say if she had been around, and he cringed when he recalled how their initial interaction went.
"Computers? Wow, Michael... that's a new level of awkward," he murmured to himself as he stared out the window and watched the streets roll by. If this new job worked out, though, he'd be seeing her a lot more frequently, and he'd have to figure that out. For now, though, he had bigger things to worry about - like how to convince his parents. He'd also need to figure out a longer-term solution for transportation. It was a bit of a long walk to be doing later at night, and he couldn't take a taxi all the time. Maybe he should think about getting a bike? That was exercise, right?
As he contemplated potential solutions, the taxi arrived at his home. He could see that the lights in the kitchen were off, but the lights in both the living room his parents' office were on. He came in, greeted his sisters who were watching TV in the living room, and went up to his parents' office to talk about the new job offer. They were understandably concerned, and repeatedly asked him if he was certain that he could handle the workload he was under, and that he wasn't overloading himself. They also made him promise that the moment his health, his studies, or his overall well-being suffered, he would scale back. He readily agreed. They also made him promise that he would be home for dinner every Sunday night, so they could all start the week off right. This also seemed like a reasonable compromise, and Michael agreed to that, too.
After hashing out these details, Michael went back downstairs to make himself dinner and work on his homework - his parents had finished their reviews of his latest draft earlier that day. While he didn't have English class tomorrow, he was hoping to drop off his essay in Ms. Aldrich work mailbox so that he could strike it off his list. His parents also let him know that the renovations on the bathroom should be completely finished by the end of tomorrow, too. Michael was elated at both pieces of news. It was time to get some of those items off of that list, instead of continuing to add more!
As he barrelled his way downstairs, his parents stared at the door for a bit, a bittersweet look on their face.
"He really is growing up, isn't he?"
"Yeah."
"Doesn't matter. He's still my baby..."
"Of course, love."
---
Several chicken breasts and half a dozen eggs later, Michael was back down at his computer reviewing the changes in his inbox. He only had an hour left until he needed to be in bed, and he wanted to spend the evening going over the mathematics textbooks he'd scanned. He quickly implemented some of the changes suggested while rejecting others that he felt were more a matter of opinion, and printed off a copy for submission tomorrow.
"Not bad!", he thought, pleased with himself. "Over two weeks left til it's due and I'm already done. I wonder if this is a record! Now if only I could do the same with my other classes...", he thought, wistfully. Though really, why couldn't he? If he finished all of the work in the books, maybe he could use that time in other ways? Other than exams, of course. School just went by so slowly, and ate up so much time!
Michael wasn't necessarily in a hurry to grow up, but he was certainly in a hurry to finish all of his missions and get to the good stuff - the System's promised 'magic'! He still had a bunch of research to do for the extra credit mission, as well as having the mathematics competition, all of his coursework, and of course... the games. He decided to try to come up with a plan on how to tackle the immense amount of training he needed to do this weekend. Having at least the semblance of a way forward with it helped to take some of the weight off of his mind, and he spent a few minutes before bed going through his regular breathing exercises.
That feeling of spinning was becoming more and more pronounced, and it was becoming easier and easier to stay focused on his breath coming in and out of his body. It had been a very busy day, with several events taking place. It seemed to be a new thing almost every day, recently, and finding an opportunity to recenter himself was really valuable. He opened his eyes at the end of his practice with renewed energy and a calm smile on his face, before he lay down and closed his eyes to enter his Lucid Space.