Realizing that Mike and Sheldon were together, Paige turned and greeted him. "Hi, I'm Paige."
"Hey, I'm Mike." Mike was still riding the high of absorbing all those Intelligence orbs earlier.
From what he knew, Paige wasn't just smart; she had a dangerously high EQ, making her far more "mature" and, consequently, far more "lonely" than Sheldon.
Becoming friends with her shouldn't be too hard.
Strictly from an "orb-farming" perspective, Paige might actually be a better target than Sheldon.
"I know who you are, Mike," Paige said. "I saw your football game on TV. You were amazing."
"Thanks," Mike replied, returning the compliment smoothly. "I like your hairpin, by the way. It's really pretty."
Paige was wearing a somewhat old-fashioned red dress, and the hairpin was definitely a bit dated. But she was cute enough to pull off the eccentric look, making it seem like a stylistic choice rather than a fashion faux pas.
"Thank you. You're much more polite than your friend," Paige beamed.
This smile seemed much more genuine than the polite mask she had worn earlier.
Meanwhile, Sheldon watched Mike and Paige chatting happily. To express his displeasure, he slammed his binder onto the desk with a loud thud.
Mike shook his head at the childish display.
In his opinion, Paige had Sheldon beat in both IQ and EQ. Trying to outmaneuver her was going to be an uphill battle for the little guy.
While Sheldon was busy sulking, Professor Sturgis walked into the classroom, chuckling to himself.
He went straight to Sheldon's desk. "Hello, Sheldon. Have you met Paige over there?"
Still fuming, Sheldon replied with an accusatory tone, "You never mentioned there would be another auditor in this class."
"I see you two have already become acquainted." John smiled, unfazed. "I thought it would be a pleasant surprise for you."
In John's mind, two ten-year-old prodigies should naturally be thrilled to meet each other.
However, Sheldon, whose ego had just taken a beating, begged to differ. "No. I do not like this kind of surprise."
"Fair enough. I don't particularly care for surprises either," John admitted. Surprisingly, the eccentric professor managed to read the room for once.
"Then why did you do it?" Sheldon pressed.
"Perhaps someone else enjoys this kind of surprise..." John glanced over at the girl beaming a few desks away.
"Yes, I love this surprise," Paige said, casting a not-so-subtle glance at the handsome Mike sitting nearby.
John then turned his gaze to Mike, who smiled and nodded, indicating he was also happy to have Paige there.
After all, they were the only three "kids" in the room.
"It seems my decision was correct. A sixty-six percent success rate." John raised both arms in a small victory celebration.
Sheldon responded with a look of pure disdain.
"Alright, let's begin the lecture." John awkwardly lowered his arms and headed to the podium.
As John lectured, Paige quietly opened her notebook, leaned sideways, and started whispering physics questions to Mike.
Of course, the difficulty level of these questions was several tiers lower than what she had used to grill Sheldon earlier.
But as their discussion deepened and the questions grew more complex, Mike continued to answer effortlessly. Gradually, a look of satisfaction appeared on the young girl's face.
Clearly, as a super-genius, Paige had her pride. This little Q&A session was effectively an IQ test for Mike.
And judging by the results, Mike had passed with flying colors.
If two people with vastly different intelligence levels try to force a friendship, it's exhausting for both parties. That probably explained why Sheldon had zero friends at school.
Birds of a feather flock together—a theory that applies just as well to geniuses.
Paige was having a great time. Sheldon, on the other hand, noticed the whispering and felt even more miserable.
He felt like his friend was being stolen. This feeling persisted until the end of class.
When the bell finally rang, Sheldon realized that he had been so busy being angry that he had wasted an entire afternoon of valuable learning time.
This realization only made his mood worse.
---
"See you next Friday, Mike!" Outside the university entrance, Paige waved goodbye to Mike with a smile before skipping toward her mother's car.
Halfway there, she stopped, turned around, and flashed a mischievous grin at Sheldon, who was standing next to Mike. "Sheldon, I hope by the next time we meet, you've figured out what Quantum Chromodynamics is."
"Quantum physics is nothing special. I will catch up in no time..." Sheldon muttered his arrogant retort before climbing into Meemaw's car.
He was developing a severe allergy to Paige's smile.
Mike waved to Paige one last time and hopped into the backseat with Sheldon.
As they drove off, Connie watched Paige disappear in the rearview mirror. "She looks adorable. Is she your new friend?"
"Yes."
"No."
Mike and Sheldon answered simultaneously.
"Haha, well, she seems like an interesting girl," Connie laughed.
Either way, she was just happy her grandson was meeting kids his own age. Plus, John had mentioned that the new auditor was a brilliant little prodigy.
"She is not my friend," Sheldon insisted, seeing Meemaw's smile.
"Okay, okay, I hear you," Connie said soothingly, using her 'handling a toddler' voice before focusing back on the road.
However, halfway home, Connie noticed in the mirror that her Moon Pie was still looking grumpy.
"What's wrong, Moon Pie? Something on your mind?" Connie asked.
"Nothing. I am simply experiencing some... unfamiliar emotions," Sheldon said, shooting a pointed look at Mike next to him.
There was a hint of betrayal in his eyes, as if accusing Mike of treason.
Seeing this, Connie realized something must have happened in class. "Mike, do you know what's eating Shelly?"
"Maybe he realized there's another kid his age who's smarter than him, so he's feeling a bit of jealousy," Mike analyzed calmly.
"No! I am not jealous. And she is not smarter than me," Sheldon shot back instantly. He then clarified, "She just knows a little bit more than I do right now. Like you, Mike. You have a broad base of knowledge, but I can say with certainty that you are not smarter than me."
Okay then. A grumpy Sheldon was apparently a combative Sheldon. Mike had just caught a stray bullet for trying to help.