"The name's Mike. I'm a junior over at Medford High. If you're looking for payback, you know where to find me..."
Mike crouched down, forcing the man to look him dead in the eye. He continued, "But if I find out you've tried any of your shady business with anyone else here, I'll show you what 'cruel' really means."
With his physical stats well over three hundred, Mike carried a natural "aura" about him—a primal weight that felt like a predator pinning down its prey.
Under that gaze, the man felt like a kitten facing a tiger. He didn't have an ounce of fight left in him.
Looking at the pathetic mess on the ground, Mike shook his head slightly. "Get lost."
The man, who had been looking for an exit since the moment things went south, didn't dare utter a single comeback. He clutched his side and limped away from the Cooper house as fast as his legs would carry him.
"You think he'll cause any more trouble?" Meemaw Connie asked, walking up as the man disappeared into the distance.
"Nah," Mike thought for a second. "Bullies like him only pick on people they think are weaker. After the beating he just took, he won't be coming back for seconds."
He was right. The man was absolutely terrified; the last thing on his mind was revenge. However, losing face so badly at the Coopers' left him feeling incredibly bitter.
When he got back, he tried to take that pent-up frustration out on Veronica's mother. That was the final straw. For the first time, she saw his true colors clearly.
They had a blowout fight, and she ended up kicking him out for good. She had suspected his true nature before, but she'd been so desperate for a "pillar of the house" that she'd looked the other way.
But once they broke up and she calmed down, the reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She realized that by letting that man stay, she had put her own daughter in danger.
After some serious soul-searching, Veronica's mother showed up at the Cooper house that evening.
She explained that she had cut ties with the man, apologized profusely to her daughter, and said sincerely, "Come home with me, Veronica. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again."
At the front door, Georgie saw the conflicted look on Veronica's face. "Veronica, whatever you decide, I'm behind you," he said. "If you don't want to go back, you can stay here as long as you need."
This time, George Sr. and Mary—who were standing nearby—didn't stop him or complain about his impulsiveness.
---
Meanwhile, over at Meemaw's porch, three figures were watching the drama unfold.
"What do you think she'll choose, Mike?" Paige asked.
"Blood is thicker than water," Mike replied.
Honestly, the moment Veronica's mother apologized, the choice was probably already made. Family ties are hard to break, no matter how messy things get.
"I figured," Paige said, as if she'd already calculated the outcome. She turned back toward the house. "Let's get back to the game. I'm more interested in how you got so much better at chess anyway."
Now that Mike's intelligence had hit 193, he could actually go toe-to-toe with Paige in a game as mentally taxing as chess.
It baffled her. She'd even joked that Mike's brain must have gone through a "second puberty" for his skills to jump that much in such a short time.
To test this theory, Paige had even dragged Sheldon over to play a few matches against Mike. Sheldon was stunned by Mike's improvement, too. After losing several games in a row, he'd had a total existential crisis and refused to play Mike ever again.
Mike, on the other hand, had finally found the fun in the game after crushing Sheldon. Like right now—he'd much rather play a balanced match against Paige than watch the neighbors' drama.
They headed back inside to finish their game.
---
Back across the street, after a bit of an internal struggle, Veronica chose to forgive her mother.
Before leaving, she thanked George and Mary, and even waved a sincere thanks to Meemaw Connie watching from the porch.
Finally, she walked up to Georgie. "Georgie, thank you for everything. Truly."
She stepped forward and gave him a big hug. Catching the scent of her perfume so close, Georgie's heart nearly beat out of his chest.
Thinking they'd made some real progress, he couldn't help himself. "Veronica, would you want to be my—"
"Georgie, right now I just want to focus on school. I really want to get into a good college," Veronica said, skillfully cutting off his confession.
She had been through a lot lately, and it had brought her a moment of clarity: given how messy her home life was, education was the only way she was going to change her future for good. She didn't want any distractions.
Seeing the look of determination in her eyes, Georgie swallowed his disappointment and forced a smile. "I hope you get in."
As he watched Veronica and her mother drive away, Georgie shook off the rejection and immediately turned his gaze toward Erica. His intention was clear: if things were off with Veronica, it was time to pivot back to Erica.
"You're a good guy, Georgie," Erica said, patting him on the shoulder like one of the bros before walking over to Meemaw's house.
Just like that, Georgie got hit with two "breakups" in one day. Call it karma for playing the field.
---
Two days later, Christmas break was officially over.
The students returning to school were still buzzing with holiday spirit, gathering in the halls to swap stories about their vacations.
Naturally, Mike and The Bombshells' appearance on the Holiday Joy Special was the talk of the town. Mike and the girls were already popular, but now they were local celebrities.
Within minutes of walking into class, Mike was swarmed by groups of girls asking for autographs. Even though Lena and his "fan club" helped fended off the most intense ones, being constantly watched was starting to make Mike a little uneasy.
Fortunately, the distraction didn't last long.
As soon as class started, the teachers announced that Finals Week was coming up.
While the GPA system meant the finals weren't the entire grade, the fact that the school mailed the report cards directly to the parents' houses put everyone under a massive amount of pressure.
In the world of high school, that final report card basically dictated how much freedom—or how much "grounded" time—a student was going to have for the rest of the winter.
---