Chapter 15 – Grind Now, Build Later
The sun hadn't even crept over the rooftops of Sherman Oaks when Jake threw off his blanket and sat up, wide awake. The house was still, the air cool, and the sky outside just beginning to shift from gray to gold.
He dressed quickly—sweats, hoodie, old sneakers—and slipped outside before Judith had even stirred. The driveway was damp with dew, and the street was dead silent. Perfect.
Jake started with jumping jacks. Then push-ups. Sit-ups. Lunges across the driveway. He was slow, uncoordinated, and sore by the end—but he kept going. Because he had decided something the day he chose Caltech:
If he was going to take on the world, he needed more than just brains.
He needed discipline.
By the time Judith wandered into the kitchen around 7 a.m., Jake had already showered, changed into clean clothes, and was sitting at the table with a notepad and a glass of water like a miniature CEO preparing for the day's battle.
She blinked, rubbing her eyes. "Why… are you up?"
"Early start," Jake said, scribbling something in his notebook. "Also, I need to talk to you."
"That's never good," Judith muttered, grabbing the coffee pot.
"It's not bad. Just expensive."
Judith paused. "I don't like the sound of that."
Jake leaned forward. "I need a computer. A real one. And a broadband internet connection. Dial-up is killing me. I can't monitor the market, I can't research, and I can't trade properly on a connection that freezes when someone picks up the phone."
Judith sipped her coffee, narrowing her eyes. "You're ten."
Jake nodded. "And I'm preparing for Caltech. And running an investment portfolio. I already have the trading account Dad helped me set up, but I can't use it efficiently with the setup we have now. I need speed, memory, and a stable line."
Judith gave him a long stare, unsure if she should be proud or terrified.
"You're serious."
Jake gave her a look. "Mom. I've already made money off tracking a biotech dip and a bounce-back on Cisco. I'm not playing with paper trading—I'm working."
Judith pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is so far beyond anything in any parenting book I've ever read."
Jake softened his tone. "I'll use the money Grandma gave me. I'm not asking you to pay for it. I just need you to help set up the internet account in your name, and sign off on the computer."
Judith stared at him for a long moment, then finally sighed.
"Fine," she said. "But if I walk in and find you playing some bootleg video game or chatting with people pretending to be Swedish supermodels—"
"It's 2003, Mom. That's still mostly AOL chatrooms."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
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Later That Day
The shopping trip took hours. Jake had researched every model in advance. They returned home with a powerful desktop tower, a CRT monitor the size of a microwave, and a broadband modem that Judith had to sign for while muttering something about "raising a tiny stockbroker."
Jake set everything up in the corner of the living room. Neat, efficient, and already optimized for performance. He logged in to the trading account he and Alan had opened together the week before. The dashboard loaded quickly—real-time graphs, updated quotes, and tickers moving like heartbeats across the screen.
Jake cracked his knuckles.
He wasn't guessing anymore. He was in the game.
And this time, he had the tools to win.