"Heh..." Mike didn't coddle little Sheldon. He let out a chuckle and stated firmly, "You're just jealous."
However, Sheldon, who staunchly refused to believe he was inferior to Paige in any way, retorted, "Then give me one logical reason why I would be jealous."
"Fine. One: You really look up to Professor John, but he seems to be paying a lot of attention to Paige..." Mike ticked off the points on his fingers.
Sheldon wanted to argue, but deep down he knew it was true. He couldn't bring himself to lie against his own conscience.
And Mike hadn't even mentioned the other part of it—he forgot himself. Sheldon, who already considered Mike a friend, also felt a pang of discomfort seeing Mike joking around with Paige.
Mike continued, "Two: You've always been used to being the smartest person in the room. Now Paige shows up, she's younger than you, and it looks like her IQ isn't any lower than yours..."
Mike was being generous here. If he had to be brutally honest, Paige seemed to have the edge in raw processing power.
"Three: Emotional control..."
Seeing that Mike was winding up for a long list, Sheldon couldn't sit still. He quickly interrupted, "Thank you, but I asked for a reason."
When it came to emotional regulation and social skills, Sheldon's low EQ was leagues behind Paige's.
Seeing Sheldon on the verge of a breakdown, Mike took the hint and stopped listing his shortcomings.
At that moment, Meemaw, who was driving, chimed in with a smile, "Sounds like that little girl, Paige, is really something. Shelly, I think you two should be friends."
...
However, Meemaw underestimated just how upset her grandson was. Even after they got home, she noticed he was still moping around.
Sheldon had never been in a funk quite like this before, which worried Meemaw. So, she gave Professor John a call.
"John, I think you need to show Shelly a little more attention. He seems to be jealous of that little girl, Paige..." Meemaw cut straight to the chase.
Personally, she cared much more about her grandson's feelings and wanted John to prioritize him.
After hearing Meemaw's concerns, Professor John thought for a moment and came up with a plan. "How about this? Let's give Sheldon another 'surprise.' Maybe he and Paige can become good friends..."
Professor John laid out his idea: he would have Paige and her family visit Sheldon and the Coopers tomorrow.
After all, two families raising super-geniuses should have plenty in common.
And in John's view, if Paige and Sheldon—two prodigies—could get to know each other better, they might actually hit it off.
Meemaw thought about John's suggestion and agreed it was worth a shot.
She passed the news on to Mary.
Mary was thrilled at the prospect of connecting with another family raising a child prodigy. Only she truly understood how exhausting it was to raise a kid like Sheldon.
Mary immediately started planning the preparations for hosting Paige and her family the next day.
On the flip side, when Sheldon heard Paige was coming over, he was extremely resistant.
But under Mary's persuasion, he eventually, reluctantly, agreed to give Paige another chance.
...
Early the next morning, Mary specifically cleared her schedule at the church and gathered the family at the door to await Paige's arrival.
Before long, a sleek, mid-range black sedan pulled up in front of the Cooper house.
Four people stepped out: Paige's dad, Barry; her mom, Linda; her sister, Erica; and finally, Paige herself.
Today, Paige was wearing a shirt with cute floral patterns, paired with denim overalls. It gave her a look that was both adorable and undeniably cool.
At the door, George and Mary warmly welcomed Barry and Linda.
Paige, spotting a reluctant-looking Sheldon, deliberately jumped in front of him.
After startling him, she smiled and asked, "Where's Mike? I heard he lives with you guys."
"Negative. Mike lives across the street at my Meemaw's house," Sheldon explained patiently, suppressing his annoyance. Then he added, "He's probably still sleeping in."
Usually, on Sunday mornings, the Coopers and Meemaw went to church, while Mike would enjoy a luxurious sleep-in before starting his own weekend activities.
"Really? That's surprising. I wouldn't have pegged someone like him as the type to sleep in," Paige smiled, looking at the house across the street.
In her mind, someone like Mike, who excelled on the football field, would be disciplined in his daily life. The fact that he slept in was an interesting contrast.
"Alright, please follow me. I have scheduled our activities for the next few hours." Having agreed to his mother's request yesterday, Sheldon had prepared a comprehensive itinerary for the visit.
Paige glanced once more at the house across the street before following Sheldon inside.
The two families split into three groups: Sheldon took Paige to see his room, the parents (George, Mary, Barry, and Linda) stayed in the living room to chat, and the other kids (Georgie, Missy, and Erica) went to play in the backyard.
"This is my desk, these are the books I've read..." Sheldon systematically introduced his study area.
However, Paige seemed completely uninterested in his tour. She picked up a giant Barbie doll from the side and exclaimed, "Is this Princess Anneliese from Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper?"
No matter how high her IQ was, Paige was still a little girl, and she couldn't resist a beautiful Barbie doll.
"Wait, that was a gift from Mike to Missy. You can't touch it..." Sheldon rushed to stop her.
"Mike bought this?" Paige was surprised. Then she asked, even more puzzled, "Wait, you share a room with someone?"
Paige's dad, Barry, was a dentist with a very comfortable income. As the doted-on child of the family, she couldn't quite grasp the concept of "cramped" living conditions.
Sheldon didn't care about the "cramped" implication at all. He asked back, "Don't you?"
"No, I have my own private room," Paige answered truthfully.
"Okay..." Sheldon responded casually. Judging by his expression, he didn't care about the private room issue.
He then continued with his planned tour. "This is a poster of Professor Proton, and it includes his autograph."
When introducing the poster above his desk, Sheldon's face clearly showed a look of pride.
Who was Professor Proton? He was the host of the science show on Sheldon's favorite educational channel.
"So..." Paige glanced at the poster, clearly unimpressed.
"Do you not know who he is?" Sheldon asked, shocked by her indifference.
"Of course I do. He's just a TV host," Paige said, rolling her eyes playfully. "But I don't really like him. When he explains science, he always talks down to the audience like they're idiots."
Since it was a show for the general public, Professor Proton's style was naturally entertaining and the content somewhat simplified.
"Do you like him?" Paige asked with a grin, noticing Sheldon's face darkening.
Actually, Paige didn't have any real bias against Professor Proton; she just realized Sheldon loved him and wanted to mess with him.
"I... I..." Sheldon struggled for a moment before lying through his teeth. "Actually, I also find his show quite mediocre."
Sheldon didn't want Paige to think he was an "idiot" because of his preferences.
Still upset, Sheldon dryly continued, "This is my desk lamp..."
"Pause." Paige decided hanging out with Sheldon like this was boring. She suggested, "Why don't we go get Mike and hang out with him?"
"Hmm?" Sheldon, who was also finding Paige's company torturous, lit up. "That is an excellent proposal."
...