Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, early February had arrived—the start of the new semester.
As the ice and snow began to melt and the weather gradually warmed up, students shed their heavy winter coats, filling the campus with a fresh burst of youthful energy.
"Hey, Mike! How was your winter break?"
The moment Mike and Katie—who had won "Prom King and Queen" (or "Most Popular Couple") last year—stepped onto campus, they drew a crowd.
Mike, in particular, was looking more charming than ever, making him absolute eye candy for the girls. He hadn't even been on school grounds for five minutes before several groups of fashionably dressed girls came over to strike up a conversation.
Mike handled the attention with a polite smile, nodding to each of them.
Walking beside him was Little George, decked out in a flashy suit with his hair slicked back, trying way too hard to look like a grown-up. He, however, was entirely focused on the girls who were finally back in their short skirts.
"Man, I love high school," George sighed, taking in the view.
He knew that sticking close to Mike was the best way to catch some runoff popularity. He'd dressed up specifically for this moment. If he'd shown up alone looking like that, staring at girls' legs, he would've been labeled a total creep.
"Alright, Katie. You guys head to class," Mike told the group as they reached the main building. "I'm going to take Paige to the office to handle her enrollment paperwork."
"Okay, see you at lunch!" Katie, who had fully adjusted to campus life, flashed a bright smile and waved goodbye.
She headed off solo to the Senior (12th grade) classrooms.
Meanwhile, Li'na (Missy) and George waved to Mike and headed toward the Junior (11th grade) wing.
Trailing behind everyone was Little Sheldon, who looked thoroughly miserable and practically invisible.
"Sheldon, are you feeling okay?" Mike noticed his mood as they split up.
"No, I'm fine," Sheldon insisted, emphasizing the word to sound convincing.
Then, he shot a subtle, dirty look at Paige, who was standing next to Mike, before turning and storming off in a huff. His behavior clearly screamed that he was not fine.
"Weird. Did you mess with him today?" Mike asked curiously.
"No," Paige shook her head innocently. "My presence probably just makes him feel threatened."
Strictly speaking, Paige was two months younger than Sheldon and slightly ahead of him intellectually. Having a classmate who was younger and smarter—basically a "super genius"—was naturally stressful for the self-centered Sheldon.
"Whatever, let him be." Mike figured it out and chuckled, turning to the little girl. "Come on, I'll take you to the Principal's office."
Paige's parents had already handled the transfer paperwork, but she still needed to sign a voluntary transfer form with the principal before officially starting.
---
"Hey, Mike..."
On the way to the office, girls dressed to the nines kept coming up to flirt with Mike. Some of the bolder ones even slyly slipped him notes with their numbers.
Mike was basically the face of Medford High now. Any girl who could get close to him would instantly become part of the campus elite. For high school girls obsessed with status, he was a massive magnet.
"I didn't realize you were such a lady-killer," Paige teased as they finally escaped the crowd and reached the office door.
To look a bit more mature today, Paige was wearing a little formal dress. She had also ditched her usual cute pink headband, letting her smooth blonde bob flow freely. She didn't realize that her attempt to look like a serious "little adult" just made her look incredibly adorable to everyone else.
"It's probably just the back-to-school hype. It'll die down in a while," Mike explained. He crumpled up the slips of paper filled with phone numbers and casually tossed them into a hallway trash can.
Mike actually knew exactly why the girls were suddenly so aggressive.
The Plastics.
Regina and her crew were taking a break from school to capitalize on the hype from their new song and debut as a pop group this spring. Since the "Queen Bees" were away, the other girls felt the suppression was lifted and that Mike was a free agent.
They weren't going to let an opportunity like this slide.
Most of the girls approaching him were hoping to swoop in while the "Queen" was away, thinking they could steal her spot and ride Mike's coattails to popularity. After all, in their eyes, that's exactly how Katie snagged the "Most Popular" title last year—by attaching herself to Mike.
---
"Let's go in." Mike knocked on the door.
He was wearing a brown jacket that, combined with his height of over six feet, made him look tall and dependable.
Paige, trailing behind him, broke into a happy grin when she saw him toss those phone numbers in the trash without a second thought.
"Come in."
Hearing the Principal's voice, Mike opened the door and led the little girl inside.
Compared to last year, Principal Tom's hair was thinning even more, and he looked a bit more worn out.
Seeing it was Mike, he asked kindly, "What can I do for you, Mike?" Schools always had a soft spot for their star students.
"It's about Paige. I brought her to finish up her enrollment," Mike stepped aside to reveal the little girl behind him.
"Hello, Principal Tom. I'm the transfer student, Paige," she introduced herself with professional poise.
"So, you're Paige..."
Principal Tom was surprised by how young she was. He smiled and said, "Welcome to Medford High. I have your file ready..."
Schools love super geniuses like Paige and Sheldon. Principal Tom, who was nearing retirement, was delighted to recruit another prodigy in the twilight of his career.
Under the Principal's benevolent gaze, Paige signed her name on the transfer documents. With that, she officially became a student of Medford High.
"Alright, Mike. Could you please walk Paige to her class and help her get settled?" Tom asked warmly as he filed the papers.
Per her request, she had been placed in the same homeroom as Mike.
Leaving the office, Paige seemed extra lighthearted. She walked closely behind Mike, practically skipping on her tiptoes, looking every bit like a happy little princess.
---
Since it was the first day back, there weren't really any heavy lessons scheduled.
In the Junior classroom, students were buzzing, swapping stories and gossip from winter break. The room went quiet the moment Mike walked in with a little girl.
Whispers started immediately as people tried to guess who she was. She just looked way too young for high school.
"Ms. Elizabeth, this is Paige, the transfer student," Mike announced to the homeroom teacher, who was standing at the podium with a stern face.
"Is this the transfer the Principal mentioned?" Ms. Elizabeth eyed Paige critically for a moment before her expression softened. "Alright, Paige. Come up here and introduce yourself."
"My name is Paige, and I'm ten years old..."
She walked up to the podium and introduced herself without an ounce of stage fright.
Hearing that she was another child genius, the class erupted in amazed murmurs. But since they were already used to Sheldon, they accepted Paige pretty quickly. Plus, Paige seemed much easier to get along with than Sheldon, earning her immediate goodwill from the crowd.
After her intro, she headed to the front row and took the seat right next to Mike.
Because everyone was still in "vacation mode," the morning classes were turned into study hall. Ms. Elizabeth reminded everyone not to forget about cleaning out their lockers and organizing the room that afternoon, then left them to it.