Everything was going awesome for Jake.
He didn't have to hear his parents scream and fight anymore. He had TV, games, food, clean clothes, and people who actually smiled at breakfast. For a ten-year-old, Malibu life was pretty sweet.
And now that Charlie officially had custody, things got even better. Charlie hired tutors, made sure Jake's lunches didn't consist of chips and soda, and even checked his homework sometimes. Well, "checked" mostly meant staring at it with a confused face and saying, "Looks right to me," before he handed them to Lisa or Kate to check them.
At first, Jake actually did great. His teachers called Charlie to say he was "focused" and "engaged." Charlie thought that meant Jake was finally using his brain. But then, like clockwork, it all went downhill.
Jake started failing tests, ignoring homework, and falling asleep in class. Charlie got a couple of calls from the school. The first time, he brushed it off. The second time, he frowned. The third time, he said, "Okay, that's it. We're having a chat."
[That evening] [Living room]
Jake sat on the couch, controller in hand, mid-game. Charlie walked in, grabbed the remote, and paused it. The screen froze on an explosion.
"Hey!" Jake protested. "I was about to level up!"
"Yeah," Charlie said dryly. "And I'm about to level down your life. We need to talk."
Jake groaned. "Is this about the test thing?"
"Yeah, and the homework thing. And the 'sleeping in class' thing," Charlie said, dropping onto the armchair. "Jake, what's going on? You were doing great. Now you're acting like school's optional. Talk to me if you are having problems. Wait! Is someone bullying you at school?"
"No, it's not that," He replied.
"If not bullying, then what?" Charlie asked.
Jake hesitated, then blurted, "My friends said I don't need to study anymore."
Charlie blinked. "Come again?"
Jake nodded. "Yeah. They said since you're, like, super rich and famous now, and you're taking care of me, I don't need to do school stuff. They said I could just hang out and have fun 'cause you'll take care of me forever."
Charlie leaned back, processing that. Then he smiled... slowly, like someone who just remembered an old trick. "Ohhh, I see. So your friends think Uncle Charlie's your personal ATM-slash-lifeguard for life, huh?"
Jake shrugged. "Pretty much."
Charlie stood up. "Well, guess what? Your friends are idiots."
Jake frowned. "Hey!"
"Don't 'hey' me, kid. You know what happens to people who think that way? They grow up to sell timeshares in Fresno," Charlie said. "You think I got where I am by skipping everything hard?"
Jake squinted. "Didn't you?"
Charlie blinked. "Okay, bad example. But the point is, I learned my lesson the hard way. You? You're gonna learn it the smart way because, as your legal guardian, I can't let you go down the wrong road. And you might be angry and even resent me for what I'm going to do now."
Jake frowned suspiciously. "What does that mean?"
Charlie smiled like a shark with good teeth. "It means, starting tomorrow, you're going to the best and strictest boarding school I can find."
Jake's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"
"You heard me," Charlie said. "Uniforms, homework, curfews, and teachers who smell like chalk dust and disappointment. Oh, I heard they even do morning runs. You're gonna love it."
Jake gasped. "Morning runs? Like… before noon?"
"Yep," Charlie said. "Before noon. Like, the sun's still confused kind of early."
"But... but Uncle Charlie!" Jake stammered. "You can't do that! That's not cool."
"Oh, I can. I've got the legal papers and everything. You're officially mine, remember? So, I get to make sure you don't turn out like… well… old me or your dad and mom. Nope. That's not gonna happen on my watch."
Jake collapsed on the couch. "Uncle Charlie, you can't do this! What about family? What about love?"
'Look at this brat,' Charlie pointed at him. "This is love. If I didn't care, I'd let you rot your brain on junk food and video games. But I do care. So now you get to rot your brain on Latin and geometry."
Jake frowned. "Latin? People don't even speak that anymore!"
"Exactly," Charlie said. "That's how serious they are. They teach dead languages to wake up lazy kids."
Jake muttered, "This is child abuse."
Charlie grinned. "No, this is Uncle Charlie finally acting like a responsible adult. Write that down, it's historic. But tell you what... if you study hard and manage to crack high school with top marks, I'll teach you how to drive and get you a driving license. Then I'll buy you a bike and double your allowance. You crack college with a top score, I'll buy you a Porsche and your own apartment."
Jake jumped off the couch so fast he nearly tripped over the controller cable. "Wait, wait, wait! You're serious? You mean it? You're not just saying that to make me read a math book?"
Charlie smirked. "I've never been more serious in my life. Well, except that one time I promised to quit drinking tequila on weeknights. That lasted three hours. Old story, nevermind."
Jake squinted. "Because my dad used to promise stuff too. He said if I got good grades, he'd buy me that baseball set I wanted."
Charlie nodded slowly. "Let me guess. He didn't."
Jake sighed. "He bought a massage chair instead. Said it was for his back. Then he sold it a month later to pay for mom's yoga retreat."
Charlie chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, sounds like Alan. Always two bad decisions behind on a good one."
Jake frowned. "So how do I know you'll actually keep your promise?"
Charlie leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Because, buddy, when I say I'll do something, I do it. You got my word. You keep your grades up, I'll keep my end of the deal. No fine print, no Alan-style excuses."
Jake studied him suspiciously. "So… you'll really teach me to drive? And get me a bike? And a Porsche?"
Charlie nodded. "Yep. But remember, high school first, college later. You can't even drive a bike until you can spell 'bike' without autocorrect."
Jake grinned. "Okay. Deal."
Charlie grinned back. "Good. And speaking of baseball..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two glossy tickets, holding them up like a magician revealing his best trick. "Guess who's got VIP seats for the championship finals?"
Jake's eyes went wide. "No way! You got us baseball tickets?"
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "What did you expect, tickets to the opera? Come on, grab your cap. If we hurry, we can still make the first pitch."
Jake bounced on his heels. "This is awesome! You're the best, Uncle Charlie!"
Charlie stood and grabbed his keys. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Now move it, sport. Let's see if the parking gods are on our side tonight."
Jake ran toward the door, then stopped and looked back. "Hey, Uncle Charlie?"
Charlie turned, keys jingling in his hand. "Yeah?"
Jake smiled. "I'm sorry for earlier. And thanks for everything."
Charlie froze for a second, his smirk softening into something warmer. "Don't tell your dad. He'll write me a 12-page guilt email."
[Night time]
That night after dinner, Charlie found the best boarding school in Malibu and set everything up. He informed Alan about this, and Alan was surprisingly happy for once. Everyone knew why Alan was happy. Jake had called him earlier and bragged about Charlie's "get good grades, get a Porsche and an apartment" deal. Alan immediately started planning how to move into Jake's future apartment rent-free.
Lisa bought Jake a bunch of new clothes, shoes, and other necessary things, and Prudence might have slipped a new gen game console in secret when she came to visit Jake after hearing that he's leaving.
The next morning, Charlie woke up early, threw on his sunglasses, grabbed a coffee, and said to himself, "Alright, time to do paperwork like a real adult." He hated paperwork. But he loved Jake enough to tolerate it. Barely.
He drove to the school, signed multiple forms, and nodded through a long speech from the headmaster about "academic integrity and leadership development." Halfway through, Charlie whispered, "Does leadership development include teaching him to pick up his socks?"
The headmaster didn't laugh.
By noon, everything was official. Jake Harper was enrolled in Seaside Academy, Malibu's most prestigious, discipline-obsessed school. Their motto was "Discipline, Dignity, Determination." Charlie muttered, "They forgot Depression."
[Later that afternoon – Charlie's House]
Charlie walked in with a thick folder in hand. Jake was sprawled on the couch, playing a racing game with the intensity of a man competing for rent money.
Charlie dropped the folder on the table with a loud thud. "Alright, champ, pack your bags. You start school on Monday."
Jake froze mid-turn and crashed his virtual car straight into a wall. "Wait, what? Monday? That's like... in two days!"
Charlie smirked. "Good math, proud of you already. Now, go and start packing."
Jake groaned. "But Uncle Charlie, I thought boarding schools take forever to get into!"
"Yeah, they do," Charlie said. "But I told them you were a misunderstood genius and slipped in a donation. Let's just say, you'll get a private room and a mini fridge. No need to thank me."
Jake sighed dramatically and trudged upstairs like he was heading to war.
Lisa walked in from the kitchen, holding a tray of sandwiches. "So, it's all done?"
"Yep," Charlie said, grabbing one. "Our boy's heading to the land of rules and early mornings."
Lisa smiled. "You're doing the right thing."
Charlie nodded. "I know. But man, it's gonna be weird around here without him. No more cereal on the couch, no more random burps during dinner."
Laura entered, biting into an apple. "No more kid walking in when we're half-dressed, either."
Charlie pointed at her. "Okay, that one I will not miss."
Kate walked in next, followed by Lily. "He's really going, huh?"
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. He's a genius with a high IQ, and right now he's just wasting his talent. I want him to be someone and do something big with his talent. So, I did my best, gave him all the support, but I kinda spoiled him in the process. And now, I had to do it for his future. At the Seaside Academy, he'll get the best education and teachers to guide him."
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AN: I did a poll on pat reon. 90% wanted a little girl on girl action with MC's involvement during threesomes and foursomes. Still, I'll add a warning at the start of the chapter for such scenes.
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[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
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