On the school field, after giving Mike some more real-game pointers, George had him start full-on scrimmage drills—taking pressure from Aaron and Little George at the same time.
In a great mood, George decided to get a bit of exercise himself while he was at it.
Ever since Mike suggested that he stick to light daily workouts, George had been stuck in the classic "two days on, three days off" routine.
Changing habits quickly really does take a lot of willpower.
Off to the side, Missy watched Mike drenched in sweat on the field and couldn't help but feel like he was radiating charm.
She even started liking football just because she liked him.
After watching for a bit longer, the little girl hustled along on her short legs to catch up with George, who was "struggling" his way around the track.
"Dad~ I want to learn football!" Missy shouted excitedly.
George stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stared at his youngest in surprise.
Then he shook his head and explained patiently, "Missy, you're still too little for football. It's not really suitable for you. When you're a bit older, Dad will teach you, okay?"
It was very much the tone adults use to placate kids.
And to be fair, football is a high-contact sport, and young kids really aren't suited for it.
In official games, injuries happen all the time.
But Missy was too young to understand any of that. She pouted and turned on the cuteness. "Nooo, I wanna learn football."
"Alright, alright~" George caved. Unable to beat his daughter, he changed the subject. "How about this—later I'll grab a baseball, and we'll practice throwing and catching. Sound good?"
"I don't want baseball. I want football…" Missy said, sticking out her lower lip and doubling down on the adorable attack.
"…Fine." George rolled his eyes. "Later I'll find a football, and we'll practice passing and catching."
"Yes! I can play football just like Mike!" Missy cheered.
George (thinking): Kids are so easy to fool.
…
Meanwhile, over at Regina's house, Amy struggled back into the room carrying four cocktails.
Seeing this, Cady quickly stepped in to help.
Soon, the drinks were handed out to the girls. Amy passed the most colorful, eye-catching cocktail to Cady and said, "Since it's your first time here, this is a special drink I made just for you. I hope you like it."
"Thanks~" Cady took the glass, looked at the rainbow of colors inside, and sniffed it cautiously. "There's no alcohol in this… right?"
As a good kid, Cady wasn't old enough to drink yet.
Amy found her reaction amusing and flashed a mysterious smile. "Of course—you're still a kid…"
Taking that as reassurance, Cady lifted the glass and took a small sip.
Instantly, the taste of alcohol filled her mouth.
She coughed a couple of times in discomfort and looked at Amy, who was smiling beside her. "Are you sure there's no alcohol in this?"
Amy burst out laughing and finished her sentence. "Of course—you're still a kid. You should try more things. Alcohol isn't a bad thing."
Okay, now Cady fully understood Amy's twisted sense of humor.
Suddenly, Regina's odd personality made a lot more sense.
When Cady looked around, sure enough, the other three Plastics were all watching like this was prime entertainment.
They'd known from the start that the drinks had alcohol in them—and drinking was totally normal for them.
Realizing the situation, Cady didn't argue. She quietly set her glass down on the table.
Regina, meanwhile, didn't care about her reaction. "Alright, Cady. Come to my room—I'll show you something interesting~"
Compared to Cady's plain bedroom, Regina's private room was a full-on teenage-girl fantasy.
Star-shaped decorations hung from the ceiling, clinking softly with a ding ding ding whenever the air moved.
There was also a huge, eye-catching wardrobe filled with gorgeous clothes, neatly organized by style.
Just as Cady was getting overwhelmed, Regina pulled her over to the desk and took a notebook out of one of the compartments.
"This is where I write down my secrets," Regina said with a fake smile. "Want to see?"
Cady had joined the Plastics specifically to dig up Regina's secrets and use them against her.
Now that success was right in front of her, she nodded without hesitation.
"Good~" Regina handed her the notebook and added, "But if you read it, you'll have to grant me one wish. A fair trade—something for something."
Hearing that, Cady realized Regina was definitely plotting something again.
Still, driven by curiosity, she opened the notebook.
To her surprise, it wasn't filled with Regina's personal secrets at all—it was packed with gossip about people all over the school.
Most of it was private dirt on senior girls. Another section listed teachers and a few well-known students from other grades.
She even spotted Janis's and Damian's names inside.
There was even an entry for the principal.
When she flipped to the very last page, Cady froze.
Mike.
Mike: orphan, shut-in, pervert.
"What is this…?" Cady blurted out, staring at the page.
"Oh, I had someone look into him," Regina said casually, clearly proud of herself. "His parents passed away a few years ago. And like a lot of nerdy guys, he's into comics. As for that last part—do I really need to explain?"
Mike had been at the school for less than a month, and he already had plenty of girls around him. Regina even glanced meaningfully at Cady.
As for whether Mike was really a pervert, Cady felt like she had at least some right to judge.
With Regina putting it that way, Cady was almost convinced.
Still, kind-hearted as she was, Cady felt it was wrong for Regina to deliberately record so many people's private secrets.
If that notebook ever got out, it would cause huge problems for a lot of people at school.
Regina clearly didn't see it that way. She snatched the notebook back and joked, "Alright, you've seen it. Time to fulfill my little wish."
"Uh…" Cady hesitated, her attention still stuck on the notebook.
"What? Didn't get enough? Want to read it again?" Regina smiled like she always did.
"N-no, I'm good," Cady said quickly.
"Great. Then it's time for you to grant my wish…" Regina dragged out the words on purpose.
After enjoying Cady's nervous expression, she finally said, "Tell me a small secret about someone at school. Anyone will do."
Hearing that, Cady first felt relieved—but then realized the request was actually pretty messed up.
"Come on, just say something," Regina urged. "Anyone's secret is fine…"
At this point, Cady didn't know how to refuse. She thought back to Mike's entry in the notebook—aside from being an orphan, the other two were basically guesses.
Thinking she'd found a workaround, Cady paused for a moment and said, "Our math teacher, Ms. Sharon, acts kind of antisocial even in the teachers' office. I suspect she might be using illegal substances…"
Cady was doing really well in senior-year math, so she interacted with Ms. Sharon more than most students.
And honestly, anyone with common sense would know she was joking.
But Regina took it very seriously—pulling out her notebook and scribbling it down without hesitation.