The English Billionaire

Chapter 8

Forest's POV

I give a large grin to the cameras and people waiting outside, it was fake, but I had practiced my camera grin so many times it had become realistic. I wave as I am herded inside the building where my grin drops instantly. I am lead through a door and then another and then another and then another. By then I feel like we're just walking in circles but then we stop and Chris gives me a small smile and pats my shoulder.

"Good luck out there," he says. "Don't fall asleep, look happy, they're excited to see you." He had given me this pep talk before every speech I had ever made, so I rolled my eyes at him.

"Have I ever failed you?" I asked raising an eyebrow, Chris opened his mouth and held up his fingers to start counting. I shoved him with a chuckle, "Thanks, buddy."

"Anytime," he grinned just as I heard a roar from behind the pair of doors that we stood in front of. "Sounds like your cue," Chris said with a small smile, "I'll see you when you come out alive."

I barely had time to give him a small laugh before I was pushed out of the door and my camera grin was back.

-

Emma's POV

I was cheering and Grace was cheering and everyone was cheering and then there he was.

His whole face was illuminated by his grin and he was waving and shaking hands with the principal and waving some more as he walked toward the now empty podium. When he reached it he held up his hand for one last wave and everyone quieted down a little, before total silence gripped the room one girl screamed; "I love you, Forest!" The billionaire flashed an even bigger grin in the general direction from where the scream came from. I was sure that whoever had shouted that was probably highkey freaking out, he had a nice smile.

"Thank you all so much for having me," Forest said still grinning. Grace grabbed my arm. This was actually happening! "And congratulations to all of the students seated before me for making it through the first round. The second one is just a bit harder." A soft chuckle echos through the crowd, the second test would narrow the number of people sitting here from fifty to ten. Just a bit harder. Ha.

"I just wanted to come and give some more information about me and the tests," Forest continued, his natural smile becoming strained. "I know there are many of you who don't quite understand what exactly it is that I am doing, or why it is I am doing it." His fingers strayed to the podium that he stood behind, probably messing with some papers filled with notes that none of us could see. "I inherited much of my wealth from my family, when they passed I decided to do some good."

As the Brit began to talk about the "feeling in his gut to help others" and how he "wanted to make a difference by helping people with what had been provided to him" I began to allow my eyes to drift around the room. When someone talked for a long period of time my mind began to wander. The stands were packed-- I had noticed that before-- all the people who just wanted to catch a glimpse of this teenage boy who had captured America's heart so easily. Everyone's faces showed different levels of understanding, sympathy and awe.

Next I took in the students who had made it onto the next round. They were all wide eyed and excited as they watched Forest speak. Maybe one of us would make it and be one of the few students chosen. Maybe one of us would win.

My eyes then wandered to the front of the room, behind the makeshift stage where Forest stood talking (he had moved on to how he had worked hard to make this a good testing system to find the students he thought were worthy of recognition and attention). The principal of the school stood there along with two burly men who were scanning the mass of people. They were both wearing black and seemed quite menacing-- body guards probably. There were some other teachers and administrators along with what looked to be the school's security guards. But the person who caught my eye was a tired looking lanky boy who looked to be my age and seemed oddly familiar. He had black bags under his eyes and kept stifling yawn after yawn. The thing that had snagged my attention was how he rolled his eyes whenever Forest said a horrible joke or a slightly off track statement.("'There's got to be another way sir,' the man had said to which I replied, 'Oh yes, lets just hang them by their toes and see which ones stay conscious the longest.'" Crowd chuckles slightly. Boy rolls eyes and stifles another yawn while shaking his head.)

I studied the boy, then I studied Forest, then the boy, then Forest, the boy, Forest, the boy, Forest.

Then suddenly everyone started clapping.

Dang I'd missed most of the speech.

I started clapping anyway.

Forest gave a bow and a wave to the crowd and with one last "Thank you!" he was hopping down the stairs and out the gym doors. The principal tried to say something but the crowd was too noisy and all I could hear was a "thanks... coming... luck.... Night!"

Everyone started moving at once. It was absolute chaos.

I grabbed Grace's arm before she could escape or disappear into the crowd and we made our way towards one of the exits. As we walked, everyone we squeezed by was talking about Forest and how excited they were about the tests and who they thought would make it through to the next round and everything that had to do with the competition and the handsome billionaire.

I almost copied the boy who had stood against the wall's eye roll.

-

Forest's POV

The moment the doors closed I was quickly shuffled along the hallways we had followed to get to the gym and into the car that was waiting for us outside. Chris climbed in behind me and gave me a pat on the back.

"Well done, Forest," he said with just a little sarcasm in his tone which was a good thing seeing as I am a horrible speaker.

"Home." Was my answer.

Chris laughed as the car moved into traffic towards the airport.

"Home." He agreed with a grin.

I mirrored his smile then looked out the window hoping that when we got home we could both catch up on sleep and proper rest before we had to travel back to see when the playing field had evened out. The crowd that I had just spoken to flashed in my brain. Where there any people who stood out? Was there anyone who would be good enough to make it as far as they could to win or where they all not quite good enough.

I sighed. I needed to stop worrying so much and just sleep.

Sleep is good.

I should sleep.

________________________________

Author's Note

heyyyyyy lol sorry for not updating :/ I know I suck sorry

Any who I have a supes cool computer now so I am hoping to get some more writing done and be able to update stuff more!

Thanks for reading :) please vote and comment bc I love reading your comments and all that jazz.

Its almost 1 am so I should probably sleep <3

Arya :)))))