章 50: Chapter 50: College Students
The hot summer movie season was in full swing, but Charles was just a spectator.
Outside the theaters in Los Angeles, large movie posters drew crowds inside. Blockbusters like The Matrix Reloaded, Bruce Almighty, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Terminator 3, and Hulk were either already showing or scheduled to be released soon.
The Matrix Reloaded had premiered more than half a month ago. It grossed $92 million in its North American opening, and by now, it had already made more than one hundred and fifty million.
Since the second and third movies were filmed back-to-back, the third installment, The Matrix Revolutions, was also set to premiere in November of that year.
Charles knew that Keanu Reeves had earned $75 million from the Matrix trilogy. While he got paid $10 million for the first movie, the subsequent two added up to more than $60 million!
Who could have predicted that the Wachowski Brothers would become the Wachowski Sisters later on?
Charles drove his vintage BMW Z8 to the Staples Center in downtown, even though the Lakers had been eliminated by the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
He just wanted to take a look at the Staples Center. In the past two years, he had been too busy to attend any Lakers games either. The Los Angeles Lakers were like a gold mine, and the Staples Center had become one of the most popular arenas.
This year, Michael Jordan had retired for good. He wasn't coming back this time.
Gazing at the Staples Center, Charles felt a twinge of envy. Los Angeles was a big market without a football club but had a baseball team.
"Someday, when I'm rich enough, I'll buy a team just for fun. The NFL is the biggest moneymaker, but I'd also get a basketball or soccer team to satisfy my casual fandom," Charles mumbled to himself.
Given a second chance at life, everything had become a game, and with his future knowledge, he could fulfill many of his past dreams.
After another glance at the Staples Center and the tourists, Charles got back into his car and drove away.
Not far away was the main campus of the University of Southern California (USC), home to the School of Cinematic Arts, the School of Architecture, the School of Journalism, and the School of Dance, among others.
The schools of Education, Pharmacology, and Medicine were located in the eastern part of Los Angeles.
The location of USC was ideal, surrounded by attractions like the War Memorial Museum, History Museum, Staples Center, and MacArthur Park. Food, drinks, and entertainment were all within easy reach.
Charles drove his $160,000 BMW Z8 past the entrance of USC, dressed casually in a T-shirt and trousers.
With the abundant California sunshine, it was easy to see why people loved driving convertibles.
As he drove, his eyes occasionally wandered towards the beautiful women around. It was summer break, and many college students were on vacation or doing internships.
However, this was before the internet boom, so USC wasn't yet a popular check-in spot for influencers.
Suddenly, a scantily clad, sexy girl waved at his car.
"Need something?" Charles lowered his sunglasses and asked as he pulled over.
"Hi there, are you heading towards Santa Monica on the 10 Freeway? I'm going to the beach. Can you give me a ride?" The sexy girl wearing a white USC T-shirt asked. She was clearly a USC student.
"Hop in," Charles replied. He was indeed heading back to Beverly Hills, and the 10 Freeway ended at Santa Monica.
"Thanks," she said, flipping her blonde hair as she got into the passenger seat.
"Nice car! I'm Elizabeth, a junior majoring in journalism at USC, looking for a summer internship job."
She pointed to the letters "USC" on her T-shirt.
"Just call me Charles," he said. His BMW Z8 had a long hood and a protruding nose. It looked a bit ugly from the side, but the front and rear views were sleek.
Most girls didn't like it, which explained why only about 5,000 units had been produced before it was discontinued.
Elizabeth seemed quite interested in the handsome guy driving the sports car. "Charles, what do you do?"
"I work in the movie industry, behind the scenes. There are a lot of entertainment jobs in LA," said Charles Carpe, who had never attended college in his current life but had gone to university a decade later in his previous life.
"Movies? That's so cool," Elizabeth said, brushing her hair aside. "I've been thinking about that too, but right now, I'm struggling to find an internship at a news agency!"
"Having a hard time finding one? Reporter, editor, PR, or advertising?" Charles was puzzled. USC's School of Journalism and Cinematic Arts was top-ranked; how could she not find an internship?
Man, these kids these days don't want to work hard! Charles recalled the early days when he did all sorts of odd jobs on movie sets, from gopher to assistant.
"Oh, Charles, I just want to find a job I like, with enough free time," said Elizabeth.
Los Angeles had a booming economy, with industries like shipping, aerospace, petrochemicals, electronics, and a strong entertainment industry, all underpinned by a warm climate.
California could be considered wealthy enough to rival a country. It was the most populous state, known for its diversity and inclusivity.
In less than half an hour, Charles drove to Santa Monica.
"Charles, my friends and I are playing volleyball on the beach, and tonight we're hitting a bar with a rock band performing. Come with us!" Elizabeth invited Charles.
"Oh, are they all as hot as you?" he teased.
"Big boobs and tight butts, all cheerleaders!" laughed Elizabeth.
With such an invitation, of course, Charles decided to join Elizabeth.
After parking at Santa Monica Pier, the iconic end of Route 66 was right there before them.
Next, there was a large amusement park and a long pier extending into the ocean, with over 15 miles of scenic beachfront on either side.
Charles, holding Elizabeth close, licked an ice cream cone, grumbling, "I don't really like coming here in the summer. It's too crowded."
"Venice Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach down south are less crowded," Elizabeth didn't mind, saying crowds made it more lively.
"Let's go find your friends!" Charles was eager to see what American college students were like these days.
*****
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