"Mike, what's the plan for today? Chess or video games?"
It was another morning at Meemaw's. As soon as Connie headed out after breakfast, Paige looked at Mike, who was clearing the dishes in the kitchen, and asked with genuine interest.
It had been three days since the young prodigy arrived. Already familiar with the neighborhood, she had quickly adjusted to her new life as a houseguest. From the looks of it, she was thoroughly enjoying her one-on-one time with Mike.
"I've got plans today..." Mike said, scraping leftovers into the trash. "Why don't you head over to the Coopers' and play with Missy for a while? I'll come find you when I'm free."
Babysitting once in a while was fun, but Mike wasn't interested in being a full-time camp counselor. Compared to debating academic theories or playing brain games with Paige, he much preferred playing "grown-up games" with Cady and Lena.
He had already invited the two girls over for a little "relaxation" session.
Paige had met Cady and Lena over the last couple of days. Being the genius she was, she immediately connected the dots. She shot Mike a sharp, knowing glare, but eventually played along with surprising maturity.
"Fine. I'll go find Missy. I wouldn't want to stay and ruin your... big plans. Have fun~" she said, tossing her hair with a huff before marching out of the house.
"Man... why do I actually feel guilty?" Mike watched her walk away with a look of abandonment, and it tugged at his conscience. He had promised Paige's parents he'd look after her, and she really was a sweet, smart kid.
But Mike shook his head, physically rattling the distracting thoughts out of his brain. When it came down to a choice between "cute" and "exciting," cute didn't stand a chance. Mike wasn't a saint, after all.
Shortly after, Cady and Lena arrived. It wasn't long before the three of them were busy enjoying each other's company behind closed doors.
---
"What do you guys want for lunch?" Mike asked later as he cleaned up.
After a vigorous workout, it was nearly noon.
"I'm craving Beef Stew..." Cady said lazily from the bed.
"I'll go with Tomato and Egg over rice. That sweet and sour flavor sounds perfect right now..." Lena licked her lips, her face still slightly flushed.
After spending so much time together, the girls' palates were starting to sync up with Mike's.
"You got it. Rest up for a bit, and I'll get everything ready," Mike said with a grin. He was still full of energy. Thanks to his [Lunar Glow] perk, Mike had basically become a mini-superhero. While he hadn't officially tested his max strength or speed, his stamina was off the charts. He could "plow several fields" at once without breaking a sweat.
Just as he was heading to the kitchen, there was a knock at the door.
He opened it a crack to find Paige standing there. He let her in. "Back for lunch already?"
"No. It's Sheldon. He needs your help." Paige's eyes darted past Mike to the two girls in the background.
She might be young, but her high IQ made her incredibly socially perceptive. Seeing the "glow" on the girls' faces, she knew exactly what Mike had been up to. Even though she'd expected it, she still couldn't help but curl her lip in a little pout.
"Sheldon? What's wrong now?" Mike asked flatly, not moving an inch. Compared to when they first met, the amount of "value" he could gain from Sheldon these days—both in quality and quantity—was pretty limited. Consequently, his enthusiasm for Sheldon's drama had cooled significantly.
"It's a long story, but he really needs you..." Paige saw Mike wasn't budging and made a point of looking back at Cady and Lena.
The two girls were savvy enough to take the hint. They exchanged a look and stood up. "Mike, if you've got business to take care of, we'll take off. School starts the day after tomorrow anyway, so we'll see you then."
With the end of break approaching, they both had things to prep at home.
"Alright, see you at school~" Mike said, seeing them out.
After saying their goodbyes to Mike and giving Paige a friendly wave, the two girls left together. Despite everything, they actually liked Paige—who could resist such a cute "little angel"?
However, as soon as the door closed, that "little angel" let a smug, triumphant smirk crawl across her face. She looked exactly like a cat that had just caught the canary.
"Alright, the coast is clear," Mike said, turning back to her. "Now tell me what's actually going on with Sheldon."
He was starting to sense that something was fishy.
"It's... it's the refrigerator. Sheldon took it apart to fix it, and now he can't put it back together..." Paige explained, looking a bit sheepish.
As a child prodigy, Sheldon's senses were far more acute than the average person's. Over the last few days, his sensitive hearing had picked up a high-frequency, piercing hum coming from the fridge. It was driving him crazy, causing headaches and keeping him up all night.
He had complained to George Sr. and demanded a repair, but the rest of the Cooper family couldn't hear a thing. George had flatly denied the request. Driven to a breaking point by the ultrasonic torture, Sheldon waited until his parents were out to take matters into his own hands.
Unfortunately, Sheldon's "Theory of Everything" didn't account for one major flaw: his terrible motor skills.
---
"Fine, let's go take a look." Mike figured he had nothing better to do, so he followed Paige over to the Coopers'.
Walking into their kitchen, he saw the fridge standing there, seemingly put back together. However, there was a small pile of leftover screws and components sitting on the floor next to it.
Sheldon truly was a "special" kind of genius.
"Hear you need a hand?" Mike asked, looking at Sheldon, who was staring at the fridge with a deep, frustrated scowl.
"No. I have it under control. Just give me another hour..." Sheldon replied stubbornly.
It was obvious he hadn't asked for Mike's help; Paige had just dragged him over on her own authority. Mike shot the girl a look but didn't say anything.
"Give it up, Shelly. You've been messing with it all morning," Georgie chimed in from the living room, sounding smug. "Look, just give me a hundred bucks, and I'll clean up this mess for you."
"In your dreams!" Sheldon snapped. To a kid with no income, a hundred dollars was a fortune.
"Suit yourself. But when Dad gets home, you won't be so lucky," Georgie said nonchalantly. "Calling a professional repairman will cost at least three hundred."
A small fridge like theirs probably didn't cost more than a thousand new, and you could get a used one for three or four hundred. But that's not how appliance repair works. Georgie wasn't lying—between parts and the service fee, three hundred bucks was a realistic estimate.
Hearing Georgie's constant tallying of the costs, Sheldon yelled, "Shut up!"
He was clearly panicking because he knew Georgie was right. A three-hundred-dollar repair bill was a huge hit for the Coopers' budget. When George and Mary got home to find the fridge in pieces, Sheldon was definitely going to get an earful.