"This is a new variation I developed," little Sheldon explained with a touch of smugness. "I've introduced this 'Wizard Piece'—it possesses the magical ability of 'Apparition'..."
According to Sheldon's logic, if the board already had Kings, Knights, and Pawns, then a powerful Wizard deserved a seat at the table too.
Of course, a "Wizard" appearing on a standard chessboard made zero sense. It was clearly something Sheldon had cooked up on the fly just to get under Paige's skin.
"I appreciate your creative spirit, but tell me: if your Wizard can teleport anywhere, how is an opponent supposed to ever checkmate your King?" Paige asked mockingly.
According to Sheldon's rules, the Wizard could swap places with the King at any moment. Under those conditions, the player with the Wizard could never lose. It was a total game-breaker.
Sheldon thought about it for a second, realized she was right, and silently tucked the "Wizard" back into his pocket.
To save face, he added, "Fine. You've officially earned my respect for being smart enough to notice that."
Paige responded with a look of pure disdain for his condescending tone.
And with that, the two young prodigies began their actual game.
---
Over at the Cooper house, the two sets of parents had naturally started talking about their brilliant children.
Trying to build a bridge between the families, Mary offered up another anecdote. "You know, Sheldon has these little quirks. Every time he goes to the supermarket, he can't help himself—he has to organize the shelves so every label is facing perfectly toward the customer..."
"Yeah, the stock boys at the grocery store absolutely love him for it," George added with a chuckle.
"Of course, that kind of obsession can be a real headache, too," Mary continued. "For instance, Shelly once refused to use the bathroom because he noticed the floor tiles weren't perfectly aligned..."
"He ended up bathing in the kitchen sink for a week," George said, laughing heartily. "We had to hire a contractor to come out and re-tile the whole floor before he'd step back in there." George was genuinely enjoying sharing these stories; it was clear he loved his son, quirks and all.
The Coopers' stories had Barry and Linda laughing along, and the vibe was becoming quite friendly.
Then, Mary asked, "Does Paige ever do anything like that? Any strange habits?"
Sharing "parenting war stories" is usually the fastest way for parents to bond, and Mary was waiting for them to open up.
"Oh, well, Paige..." Barry started to say.
But Linda quickly cut him off. "Our Paige is very well-behaved. She doesn't have any issues like that." She gave her husband a sharp look that said shut it.
Barry's expression stiffened, and his smile vanished. "Right. Paige is very sensible."
The laughter in the room died instantly.
Mary felt a sting of resentment at their lack of honesty. She felt like she had bared her soul and shared her son's struggles, only for them to act like their child was perfect. It felt like they were looking down on her.
"I'll, uh... I'll go get some more fruit for everyone," Mary said with a forced, tight smile, pulling George into the kitchen with her.
The moment they were behind closed doors, Mary's face dropped. "They're lying through their teeth! They aren't being sincere at all. I must have been crazy to think we could be friends with people like that..."
George, ever the peacemaker, tried to calm her down. "Take it easy, Mary. Maybe their kid really is just that perfect."
That only made Mary angrier. She wasn't about to admit that her son was any less "perfect" than theirs. After snapping at George for a bit, she grabbed the fruit plate and stormed back out.
Back in the living room, Barry and Linda could tell the atmosphere had shifted. Linda gave her husband an urgent look, prompting him to fix the situation.
"So, George, I heard you work with the football team. That must be exciting. Tell me about it," Barry said, trying to restart the conversation.
But he only succeeded in making things more awkward.
"Actually, I'm not with the team anymore. I'm working at the sporting goods store in town," George said, his voice tinged with a mix of regret and frustration.
"Oh, man... I'm so sorry," Barry stammered. He wasn't even sure why he was apologizing, but as a dentist with his own private practice, he didn't really know how to talk to a former coach turned retail clerk.
The conversation hit another dead end, and the room went cold again.
---
Meanwhile, at Meemaw's house, the first game between Sheldon and Paige had reached its climax.
Sheldon looked like he was sweating bullets, while Paige looked like she was barely breaking a sweat.
"Sheldon, what's your take on the Many-Worlds Interpretation?" Paige asked casually.
Sheldon was trying to focus on his next move and wanted to ignore her, but the topic was too juicy to pass up.
After moving a piece, he couldn't help but answer. "Naturally, I've studied Stephen Hawking's work on parallel universes. It's fascinating."
"Is it?" Paige made a move almost instantly. "I find the theory to be a bit of a paradox. If a duplicate world exists, that means there's a duplicate version of us."
Sheldon thought about it. "According to Hawking, it's highly probable. They would possess the same level of intellect as we do..."
The idea of another "Sheldon" out there who was just as smart as he was always made him feel better. It made him feel less alone in the world.
"But if the other version is exactly like us, what's the point of them existing?" Paige asked.
As they debated back and forth, the speed of their moves increased without them even noticing.
"Perhaps they exist in a different timeline," Sheldon argued. "In that world, I might already be an adult, perhaps even a Nobel Prize winner." He was radiating confidence in his own potential.
"I guess you could be right..." Paige mused.
Hearing her concede, Sheldon let out a triumphant smile, thinking he had finally won the argument.
But before he could savor the moment, Paige slid a piece across the board right in front of Sheldon's King. She cheered, "Checkmate! I win! Looks like I'm the smartest person in the room!"
It hit Sheldon all at once—he'd been played. All that talk about parallel universes was just a distraction to pull his focus away from the board.
Sheldon's brain was redlining. He tried to tell himself to stay calm.
But when he saw the smug, gloating grin on Paige's face, he snapped.
He hadn't been this angry since... well, the last time he lost.
Blinded by rage, Sheldon flipped the chessboard, tucked his arms tightly to his sides, and stormed out of the house, heading straight for home.
Startled by his outburst, Paige looked over at Mike, who had been watching the whole drama unfold like a spectator at a movie. "Is he always like that?"
"Normally? No," Mike chuckled, giving her a knowing look. "But he's still a kid. It's understandable."
As he spoke, Mike crushed a glowing orb he had just picked up from the spot where Sheldon lost it: [Intelligence +1].
He had to hand it to Paige—she had a real gift for pushing Sheldon's buttons.
And for Mike, that was nothing but good news.
---