Several months had passed since Jimmy had started his company. Since then, he had launched all kinds of products into the market, which had become incredibly popular due to their innovation.
But what stood out the most was the creation of handheld consoles, which had become the most famous on the market. Jimmy had set out to revolutionize global technology for the good of humanity, and because of that, the world's biggest companies began working harder than ever.
It was true—many felt the pressure of competing against someone like Jimmy. But the reality was that they simply couldn't catch up to him, no matter how hard they worked.
Jimmy was on a completely different level. Just his invention of a sugar that didn't harm the body had been praised and recognized as the best invention of the year.
But not everything was perfect—Jimmy had been dragged into a summer vacation that he had secretly planned to use to keep working on his most secret invention.
Of course, Judy wasn't about to let her son spend his entire childhood locked up in a laboratory, so she practically dragged him along on that family trip they had agreed on long ago.
"Let's be nice to the Burke family when we get to their house," Judy said. She knew better than anyone the kind of attitude Jimmy might have, so she decided to give him a little warning before they arrived.
"Yes, Mom, I won't say anything weird," Jimmy replied.
His appearance had changed a lot compared to how he looked before arriving in Medford. Now he looked more mature, as if he were older than his actual age.
It wasn't that he wanted to skip his childhood because he longed to be an adult—he just wanted to look better so people wouldn't pick on him for his appearance. If he could make matter enter the network, how could it not be possible to alter some aspects of his own body?
Genetic alteration, to Jimmy, was just fun—something he used to improve himself in certain ways.
Hugh looked at his son and said, "Son, believe me, you're going to like it."
"You say that because there's nothing around except a few houses?" Jimmy asked, eyeing his father with suspicion.
"Haha, of course not. Like you asked, we rented a house in town. What I mean is, the forest in the area we're going to is absolutely beautiful. You'll fall in love with nature," Hugh said, laughing absentmindedly as he began telling stories of being taken hunting by his own father.
Jimmy muttered, "Sure, the forest would be interesting... if electronic devices didn't exist."
"Life in the forest is like eating cereal without milk—it sucks."
Goddard, now programmed to make the occasional sarcastic comment and even hold conversations with Jimmy, let that one hang in the air as he wagged his tail.
Jimmy smiled. Goddard had received many more upgrades to become the best assistant in the world. Of course, there were still a few quirks to iron out.
…
A few hours later, they were getting closer to the Burke house.
During that time, the dirt road seemed endless, each pothole a small personal affront to Jimmy's dignity. With his arms crossed and a deep frown, he stared out the window of the family car while Virginia's rural fields passed by like an old movie no one had asked to watch.
"What are we even doing here?" Jimmy wondered, still not understanding why he had agreed to come.
Jimmy, a 13-year-old boy who was already the founder of several tech startups, an unrecognized visionary, and a brilliant mind trapped in a teenager's body, was being dragged to the middle of nowhere thanks to a ridiculous family vacation.
"It's good to get out of the city, to disconnect for a bit," Hugh kept saying every time he saw something he found interesting—like a cow.
At the end of the dusty trail, the Burke family's house came into view: old, tilted, and charmingly rundown.
"Perfect…" Jimmy thought. A house with no WiFi and probably more bugs than electrical outlets.
But before Jimmy's pessimistic thoughts could ruin his day any further, a girl around his age came out of the house, which looked like it was barely standing.
Leslie came out to greet them with a huge smile—one of those that can only come from a life free of productivity stress.
Jimmy sighed. Apparently, he was going to have to socialize with a girl bursting with positive energy. "This is going to be a nightmare."