Sheldon had dragged out breakfast a bit too long, so by the time Mike, Georgie, and Sheldon got to class, they'd just missed the bell.
Ms. Ingram (the math teacher) glanced past Georgie and zeroed in on Mike and Sheldon—the two straight-A kids standing in the doorway. She teased, "Care to explain why you're late today?"
In her mind, top students like Mike and Sheldon didn't make a habit of showing up late.
Especially Sheldon—with his personality, he'd never skip out on a single lesson.
Maybe it was her chill attitude that hit Sheldon's soft spot. Thinking back to his near-death sausage nightmare that morning, he spilled, "Ms. Ingram, I almost choked to death on a sausage this morning. That's why we missed the start of class."
He was dead serious about it.
But Ms. Ingram couldn't wrap her head around someone nearly dying from a delicious sausage.
Her gut told her he was making it up.
So she played along absurdly: "Sheldon, can you tell me—how big was this sausage?"
"About this big~" Sheldon pinched his thumb and forefinger to show maybe two inches—terrifying for him. "It got stuck right in my throat. I couldn't breathe at all..."
Seeing him so earnestly describe this wild story, and already convinced he was lying, Ms. Ingram couldn't hold it in—she cracked up.
In the class, most of the fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds had beef with Sheldon because of his know-it-all vibe.
Now, watching his "hilarious" performance? They finally had their chance and burst out laughing.
The room got so rowdy it felt like the roof was about to come off.
Even with Sheldon's low emotional IQ, he could feel the "malice" from the teacher and classmates.
He clammed up, looking bummed, and instinctively scooted a little closer to Mike and Georgie.
"Alright, settle down—no more laughing." Ms. Ingram saw how embarrassed Sheldon was and decided to let it go. Then she turned to Mike. "What about you, Mike? Why were you late?"
She tried to keep a straight face at first.
But Sheldon's excuse was just too funny. Two seconds in, she snorted and lost it again.
Playing it off as a joke, she added, "Mike, your reason isn't a sausage too, is it~?"
That cracked everybody up all over again.
Mike casually scanned the room and noticed the loudest ones were mostly the guys.
'Probably jealousy,' he thought, shaking his head. Ignoring them, he answered Ms. Ingram seriously: "Georgie and I were late because we were helping Sheldon get that sausage unstuck. It took a minute."
Hearing Mike back up the ridiculous story just amped up the laughter.
Even plump Ms. Ingram was doubled over, leaning on the podium for support.
"Is this really that funny?" Mike shot a cold look at the class, his expression hardening.
He wasn't super tight with most of them—they'd only been classmates a short time—but getting laughed at over and over? That crossed a line.
This was the first time anybody in class had seen Mike pissed. Remembering how he'd skyrocketed to school legend status in just two weeks—and that Sam beating was only days ago—a bunch of kids wisely shut up quick.
The slower guys caught on too after some girls subtly nudged them.
That's when Lina stepped up, showing why she was basically the captain of Mike's fan club.
She'd rallied pretty much all the girls in class.
The room quieted down fast, and Ms. Ingram awkwardly stopped giggling. Looking at Mike's serious face, she asked, surprised, "You're... actually serious?"
"Of course. No reason for me to lie." Mike nodded slightly.
"Okay then. Guess I misunderstood you guys." Ms. Ingram was pretty cool—she owned up to it right away.
Then she let the three of them take their seats.
Because of the mix-up, Sheldon spent the whole math class sulking and didn't raise his hand once like usual.
Mike had already figured out he couldn't keep "farming" points off Sheldon in class anymore, so he'd dialed back his enthusiasm too.
The whole morning dragged on, super boring.
At lunch, Mike ditched Georgie and sat with Lina and a few others.
His tablemates were all core members of his fan club.
He thanked them for having his back during that classroom mess.
Over in the senior section...
Janice eyed Katie across the table—she'd switched up her look today—and gossiped, "So, Katie, did you lock down Mike yet?"
Katie was rocking a red tee, her blonde hair in a high ponytail—looking way more confident and put-together.
Hearing her friend's question, she shook her head, bummed. "Nah, feels like I missed my shot."
Thinking back to that heated look in Mike's eyes the other day, she was sure he was into her.
All they needed was the right moment to take things further.
"Then you gotta step it up, girl. Guys are visual creatures—they get distracted by any flashy chick who comes along." Punk-girl Janice acted like a love guru, even though her own figure wasn't as killer as Katie's.
Effeminate Damien nodded big-time at Janice's take. He pointed for Katie: "Look over there—isn't that Mike?"
Sure enough, not far off in the junior section, Mike was chatting and laughing with a few girls from his class.
Seeing what was on Katie's mind, Janice hyped her up: "Go talk to him. We've got your back."
Katie grabbed her tray, nodded at her friends, and headed over.
She knew he liked her—how come after just one day, he was already vibing with those junior girls?
When it comes to crushes, anybody can get petty. Katie was no exception.
"Katie, watch out for Regina. I heard she's got you in her sights because of Mike," Damien whispered as a warning to her back.
But right then, Katie only had eyes for Mike—she might not have even heard it.
Once she was out of earshot, Janice went on: "I've got a feeling Katie doesn't stand a chance against them."
Damien shook his head. "You still don't get guys. Katie's drop-dead gorgeous—she's got a real shot. Just depends if she plays it right."
...
At the most eye-catching table smack in the middle of the cafeteria, the three mean girls were dishing about Mike too.
Regina: "So, how's the digging going on what I asked?"
Karen: "I checked. The girl who got that 'date' with Mike was Katie from our class. But word is, it didn't go great."
Gretchen: ...
"Huh, that's good news." Regina glanced over at Mike laughing with those junior girls and spat bitterly, "How do those little sluts even compare to me? And that clueless country bumpkin..."
Mid-rant, she felt Karen tugging her sleeve. Annoyed, she looked up—just in time to see said "country bumpkin" walking right past.
Regina instantly switched to a dazzling smile, all sweet and soft: "Hey, babe. Can we chat?"
The queen bee was already super charismatic—this fake charm? Irresistible, even to girls.
Katie heard her, looked around confused, then pointed at herself. "You talking to me?"
"Of course, Katie. Come sit~" Regina's voice had this hypnotic pull.
"I've noticed you for a while, Katie. You're so amazing..." After the fake compliments, she showed her fangs, all "sincere": "Katie, would you like to join our Hot Bod Squad?"
Katie had gotten Damien's warning—she knew Regina was into Mike too. Seeing her pull out all the charm stops, Katie thought it over quick and decided to infiltrate the enemy.
Know your rival, win every time.
Those junior girls? Still too green in the figure department anyway.
So Katie faked excitement, gasping, "Really? I'd be so honored!"
The two "new friends" hugged enthusiastically to celebrate.
But as their cheeks brushed past each other, both their smiles iced over cold.
When they pulled back face-to-face? Bright, beaming grins again.
That flip? Oscar-worthy.