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3rd POV
On the edge of Medford, near a dry ravine, three teenagers were looking for tektites.
Sheldon crouched down, using a small tool to pick at the rocks.
Tam, wearing a red jacket, pushed aside small stones.
A short distance away, Libby held a stick, poking the ground as she looked around calmly.
"...Sheldon, your brother's coming home soon, right?" Libby asked, glancing over at him while he stayed completely absorbed in his hunt for tektites.
"Yes. Veronica and Missy are picking him up in a car driven by my mother," Sheldon replied, muttering under his breath as he failed to spot the tektites Libby had been talking about.
"How come you didn't go with them, Sheldon?" Tam asked, keeping his tone casual while masking his real motive.
Sheldon glanced over at him. "Of course not. I already made a commitment to search for tektites with you two. It would be bad manners to break a promise once it's been made."
Tam's mouth twitched at the answer.
Yes, he wanted to be alone with Libby.
Libby looked at Sheldon, "How about we go to your house after this?"
Sheldon didn't even ask why. No curiosity, no follow-up. Just—"No."
He went right back to scanning the ground for tektites.
Tam and Libby exchanged a glance. Neither of them knew that Sheldon had been teased at home before and if Libby showed up there, it would only make things worse. Of course he'd reject anything that felt like a threat to his safety.
Libby shrugged, accepting his answer without a fuss. If Sheldon didn't want her to come, she wasn't going to push it. In her mind, there had to be something odd about his family but it wasn't her business. Good manners meant knowing when to leave it alone.
"Oh! Look, Sheldon! Tektites!" Tam held up a small, dark stone like he'd struck gold.
Sheldon glanced at it, unimpressed. "My brother is right… it looks like raccoon feces."
Tam snorted at the remark, Libby leaned in for a better look. "Yeah… tektites are usually small and black, but this doesn't seem right…."
Tam stared at it for a moment, then gave it a light squeeze.
Nope.
Definitely not tektites.
Tam dropped the stone, or NOW he knows it as the feces, and glanced at the two of them, both wearing the same deadpan stare. "...Thank God it's dry." he try to make a joke about it but… of course failed.
Sheldon immediately held up a hand.
"Don't come anywhere near me until you've thrown those gloves away."
Libby gave a small, awkward smile. After a few days hanging out with Sheldon, she'd picked up a few of his quirks and most noticeably, his deep hatred of germs.
"Yeah, that's definitely not a tektite…" she said.
As a budding geology expert, Libby could tell the piece Tam had just dropped wasn't the real thing. The one in her hand, however, was.
"...This is a tektite," she explained, holding it up for them to see.
Sheldon eyed the black glassy stone but stayed where he was, about five feet away. After watching Tam squeeze raccoon feces earlier, he had no intention of getting closer.
Tam stepped in to get a better look at Libby's find.
"...It's a rock, Tam. I know what tektites look like." Libby said, pulling it slightly back as Tam's fingers twitched like he might squeeze it again.
"Just making sure," Tam mumbled with an awkward grin.
Sheldon rolled his eyes. Tam and raccoon droppings—an unholy combination.
On the other side, the drive from Houston to Medford was filled with…
Silence.
Georgie kept stealing awkward glances at Veronica, who had been quiet since the start of the trip, her gaze fixed firmly out the window.
Mary, watching from the rearview mirror, could tell something had happened. Missy, meanwhile, was grinning like a maniac, fully enjoying the tension.
"Ohh, this is a lot of tension right now…" Missy said, pretending to sound like some wise old sage when in reality she was just trying to stir the pot.
Mary shot her an annoyed look, but then sighed before glancing at Georgie in the mirror, "What did you do??"
"…I didn't do anything…" Georgie muttered, though Veronica's sideways glare and the little snort she gave were more than enough to prove him guilty.
"Oh, he did a lot, Mom!" Missy said eagerly. "You see, back at the studio, Georgie and Kayla— HMMMPHH!"
Before she could spill the beans, Georgie clamped a hand over her mouth and pinched her cheek.
Veronica snorted again at the sight, it was like watching someone try to hide a dead body that the bloodhounds had already sniffed out… and the police had already marked the exact spot.
"…George Cooper Jr. Sit down," Mary said sharply, shooting him a glare before looking at Missy. "Go on."
Alright… she only wanted to hear a juicy story right now. And it was just her family in the car, so why not?
Georgie gave her an awkward smile and reluctantly let Missy go, sighing heavily.
Veronica crossed her arms. "Why are you sighing?! I'm the one who should be sighing!"
"Here we go…" Missy muttered, eyes darting between them at the front seat.
"…" Georgie gave Veronica a sheepish smile. "…You know I didn't cheat on you, right? It's Kayla messing with your head…"
Veronica scoffed. She knew that—of course she knew that. But Kayla's words had still gotten under her skin, and Georgie was the only one here… so naturally, she took it out on him.
Mary leaned toward Missy and whispered, "…You need to tell me what's going on. I'm the only one who doesn't know anything right now."
Mary, having spent her earlier time in Rosie's office, had no clue about the drama that had unfolded in the other room.
Naturally, Missy was more than eager to fill her in, "You see, when we were at the studio and Veronica and Georgie were being all lovey-dovey, Kayla walked in and saw them. She told Veronica that he'd only be home for a few days before coming back here!"
Mary glanced at Georgie through the rearview mirror, then gave Veronica a little shake of her head. Veronica caught the look and told Missy to go on.
Missy continued with great enthusiasm. "When they were about to fight, of course Veronica won the trash talk because Georgie's her boyfriend, Georgie took Veronica and me out of the studio to avoid a full-on fight."
Mary gave a small nod, pleased that Georgie had handled it maturely.
"...Don't be too glad about that, Mom," Veronica cut in, shooting Georgie a pointed side-eye. "Go on, Missy."
Georgie leaned back in his seat, clearly uncomfortable—with the seat and with the conversation.
"As we were leaving and walking down the hallway, Kayla came running toward us with a guitar in her hands. Turns out she told Georgie he left his guitar in her room!"
Mary's eyes snapped wide as she glared at him through the mirror. "...Oh, Georgie!" she scolded.
"I know, right?!" Missy shook her head like Georgie had committed some grave sin.
Georgie glanced awkwardly at Veronica before finally caving, "I already told you—she was borrowing my guitar to practice. That's all. I never cheated on you, sugar. You trust me, right?"
Veronica sighed, letting him hold her hand. "I know… She's just trying to mess with me. I'm just… upset about it."
"Yeah, well, she said you left it in her room—" Missy started to stir the pot again, but Mary's hand quickly covered her mouth.
If Mary hadn't stopped her, Georgie's hand probably would've been the next thing silencing Missy.
"I know, sugar…" Georgie said again, trying to ignoring Missy. "How about we go on a date tomorrow?" He pulled Veronica into his arms.
"...What exactly do you have in mind?" Veronica allowed herself to rest against him, a small smile on her face.
"Whatever you want, sugar…" Georgie kissed her forehead, looking at her with that soft, loving gaze.
"He doesn't actually know what he wants to do, V," Missy smirked at Georgie worlds. Veronica smirked too, giving him an expectant look.
"Hmmm… how about we go see a movie and have dinner?" Georgie said, glancing at Missy with a sly smirk. "I know a place with lobster so good it's basically heaven."
Missy twitched at that, turning her head just enough to shoot him a sharp side-eye. Georgie caught it but pretended not to care. "It's a fancy place, you know. And since I just got paid from selling a song to George S., I figured… why not? So, what do you think?"
Veronica thought for a moment, then rested her head against Georgie's chest, leaning comfortably into his arms again.
Georgie smiled, gently running his fingers through her hair, the way you would calm a purring kitten.
"…I'll allow it for now. I'm not some child who gets jealous over everything," Missy said, turning back toward them with a mock-serious face. "But don't spend all your money in one day! You still need to take me to dinner too!"
Of course, it was jealousy.
Georgie laughed, and Veronica chuckled along with him.
"What about your mother, Georgie?" Mary asked from the driver's seat, a small smile tugging at her lips. She was just messing with him—clearly not bothered at all.
"…Good Lord. How about we just have a backyard gathering on Sunday night instead?" Georgie countered. "You know, like before—barbecue, invite a few neighbors over?"
Mary's smile softened. She liked the idea because it was a good way to bond with the neighbors, and partly because, well… bragging a little about her son's success wouldn't hurt either, right?.
Missy, on the other hand, frowned. "What about my fancy dinner?!"
Georgie smiled at her. "Well, we can have a fancy dinner, Princess…" He let the words hang before adding, "…you know, under the moonlight, with the stars lighting up the night—"
Missy cut him off with a loud snort. "Are you talking about that backyard gathering on Sunday?! No! I want a fancy dinner with lobster!"
"…So you want to eat with a lobster? That's absurd, Princess." Georgie shook his head.
"Brother!!!"
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3rd POV
At Pastor Jeff's house, the walls were lined with neatly arranged books on faith and theology. He sat in his favorite chair, reading in quiet comfort. Lately, Selena had been unusually calm—no arguments, no complaints.
That alone made Pastor Jeff happy. She hadn't brought up the credit card he'd taken back, and she seemed to be making an effort to act like a devoted wife.
Glancing toward the couch, he saw Selena watching TV, her posture relaxed. Closing his book, he studied her for a moment before speaking.
"Selena… how about we have dinner tonight?" Pastor Jeff asked with a warm smile.
Selena flinched slightly at the sound of his voice before letting out a slow breath and turning toward him. "…I would love to. Where we are going?" she replied in her careful, broken English.
His smile widened at that—especially lately, since she'd been making an effort to speak more English with him.
"Great! We can change our clothes and have a lovely dinner tonight!" he said cheerfully.
Selena gave him a small smile, watching as he left the room to get ready.
Pastor Jeff had no idea that her recent change in behavior wasn't born out of love, but out of fear.
Something had happened—something exposed.
A secret of hers had been seen by someone else. Someone who not only knew her… but also knew Pastor Jeff, and even his 'family' of christian.
She was terrified that the truth might already have reached him.
But what Selena realize for now was that Pastor Jeff still knew nothing. To him, nothing was wrong.
And that someone who knew her secret… was Georgie.
Selena chewed nervously on her finger, wondering what he wanted. Why hadn't Georgie told Pastor Jeff yet?
The thought made her uneasy. She couldn't stop imagining what Georgie had been doing at that motel. The most likely scenario in her mind? The same thing she'd done with another man.
But the consequences were different. For Georgie, the worst outcome would be breaking up with his girlfriend. For Selena… she'd have to move to another city, divorce Pastor Jeff, and leave behind the stability she'd built.
She had no choice.
She needed to speak with Georgie—before it was too late.