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3rd POV
George and Mary stared at Georgie in stunned silence. He was still proudly showing off the old bracelet he bought for just five dollars—for the pair! That meant five dollars for two pieces!.
"Stop staring at me! I know my charm has doubled since I started wearing this bracelet." Georgie said smugly, striking a dramatic pose with one hand under his chin and a playful smile on his face.
Oddly enough, George and Mary had to admit—he actually did look cooler and more handsome with that cheap accessory.
But, George snorted and turned back to the TV. "You look ridiculous." he muttered.
"Why didn't you buy a pair of shoes or a jacket instead?" Mary asked, glancing at Veronica who was sitting beside her.
"I tried," Veronica sighed. "Shoes, jacket, even a cowboy hat. He refused them all."
"Oh, come on! This is way cooler than any of those," Georgie replied, smoothing his hair with flair.
"Stop it!" Veronica pushed his shoulder, ending his little show.
George scoffed again, adjusting his shirt collar with cool pose. "Nope." Mary said, shaking her head. "What? What did I do now?" George asked, pretending to be innocent—but no one bought it.
Mary ignored him and turned to Georgie. "So? How was your test today?" she asked with a soft smile.
"I'm good" Georgie replied, casually flipping his wrist to show off the bracelet again with dramatic elegance.
"Stop flashing that thing around, for God's sake!" George barked.
"I did well too, Mom." Sheldon said, eyes still on his book.
Missy, sitting beside Georgie, looked down at her sparkly shoes and smiled sweetly. "I'm really popular right now!" she announced.
Georgie kissed the top of her head, letting her rest against his chest. "Of course you are. Just make sure you take them off before bed, alright?"
"Sure." Missy said with ease—prompting Mary to mentally note that she'd have to take the shoes off once Missy fell asleep.
"And you, Veronica?" Mary asked, smiling at her.
"Well, surprisingly, I could answer most of the questions easily. I don't know what happened, but I think I nailed it." Veronica said.
"You nailed what exactly?" Sheldon asked, clearly confused. "Aren't we talking about the test?"
Georgie chuckled. "Sheldon, it's an idiom. She means she did really well on the test."
"Oh. Got it." Sheldon said and returned to his book.
"So, Georgie, where's your next gig?" George asked, eyes still glued to the TV. "Uh-uh, no way, Mister. You're not going back to the bar!" Mary snapped, glaring at him.
"If Dad goes, I'm going too!" Missy declared defiantly.
"I'm not going! I just asked him a question. What's so wrong about that?" George replied, frustrated that no one seemed to believe him.
Missy stared at him suspiciously, then turned to Veronica. "If Veronica goes, then I'll go too!"
Veronica blinked and pointed at herself. "I don't even know where Georgie's performing later!"
"I don't even know where I'm performing yet…" Georgie added, shrugging.
"Well alright then…" George muttered quietly, and snorting again—clearly thinking Georgie was keeping it secret and siding with Mary right now for his amusement!.
Missy looked around, then focused on Georgie. "If Georgie goes, then I—"
"Not a chance, young lady!" Mary cut her off sharply, eyes wide.
Sheldon, having no desire to get involved, wisely kept silent.
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*3rd POV – Luminous Records
"James!" Fenley called out across the studio. James was practicing with the rest of the band, which had grown recently. They now had an acoustic guitarist, a banjo player, and a backing vocalist.
"Yes, Miss Fenley?" James stopped strumming and walked toward her.
"Did you give it to Georgie?" Fenley asked, smiling.
"Yes?" James replied, confused. "Didn't I already report that to you?"
"You did. But what did he say?" she pressed, eager to hear more.
"Nothing, really. He just accepted it and went back to Veronica and the others," James said with a shrug. "I also told him we have another gig tomorrow."
"Alright..." Fenley said, her tone deflating slightly at the mention of Veronica. "Thank you, James." She turned and walked away.
James gave her a puzzled look and returned to the group.
"What's wrong?" Edo asked, with Kayla also watching curiously.
"I don't know," James replied, shrugging. "Let's run that new song?"
"Sure."
"Alright."
They all agreed, since Georgie would be performing that song at the upcoming concert, along with a few others.
Meanwhile, Fenley walked into Rosie's office, a heavy look on her face.
"What happened?" Rosie asked, pausing her work. "Is it about Georgie?"
"No," Fenley sighed, shaking her head. "I'm going to ask the principal to excuse Georgie from school tomorrow."
Rosie nodded. "If you can, make it a week. Or even a month. Does Georgie have good credits at school?"
Fenley thought for a moment, then nodded. "Last I checked, he's doing well academically. I'll head to the school later."
Rosie narrowed her eyes at her. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"What? I just like my student." Fenley said with an innocent smile.
Rosie didn't buy it. She studied Fenley's face closely. Fenley returned the look, still smiling.
"Alright," Rosie said, looking away. "Maybe I'm just overthinking."
Fenley stood and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine. "Oh, you're not," she said, still smiling. "I slept with him."
Rosie stared at her and exhaled deeply. "I know," she muttered, shaking her head. "You slut."
Fenley shrugged. "Well, thank you."
Rosie knew there was no stopping her. What could she do? Call the cops? This woman was her best friend—and now her business partner.
"You know that's a dead end, right?" Rosie asked, grabbing her glass from Fenley hand. "I know. That's why I'm telling you. You're my best friend," Fenley said, pouring the wine. "I just want to have fun. Nothing serious."
Rosie took a sip and frowned. "You weren't like this in college. What changed you?"
"Him." Fenley replied, sipping her wine slowly.
"What about your family?" Rosie asked.
"What about them?" Fenley said with a smile that told Rosie all she needed to know—she didn't care.
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3rd POV
It was just another morning for Georgie. He followed his usual routine and returned home at the same time as always. His body had long adapted to this rhythm—he never needed anyone to wake him up.
"Morning," Georgie greeted as he walked in and spotted Veronica already sipping her coffee. He leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"You stink! Go take a shower before you kiss me." Veronica said, scrunching her nose and pushing him away.
Georgie laughed and stole a quick kiss on her cheek anyway. "Come here!" he teased, grabbing her face while Veronica giggled and tried to dodge him.
Their little moment was cut short by the sound of footsteps.
"Morning!" Mary called out warmly, a gentle smile on her face. "Georgie, go take a shower first!"
With a shrug, Georgie obeyed and headed for the bathroom. As he passed George, who had just walked in, his father slapped him on the back—perhaps with a bit too much enthusiasm.
"Morning!"
BAM
Yeah, that slap had a little too much spirit in it. Georgie winced, offering a tight smile and shooting George a deadly glare before walking off.
George just chuckled and turned to Mary's unimpressed face and Veronica's awkward smile.
"What?" he said, already making his way to the coffee pot.
Then came the sound of quick, energetic footsteps—Missy. She twirled into the room like a hurricane, full of excitement, "How do I look?!".
"You look beautiful, sweetie," Mary replied, admiring the new shoes Missy proudly showed off.
"You look really pretty, sis!" Veronica chimed in, giving her a big thumbs up.
George sipped his coffee and offered Missy a silent thumbs-up too—his quiet way of saying he approved.
Beaming, Missy twirled again. "I'm going to be more popular than ever from today onward!"
But a familiar voice quickly rained on her parade.
"You said that five times last night," Sheldon chimed in flatly, walking in with a thick book clutched in his arms. Clearly, he was the only one not thrilled about going to school—or anything at all, really.
Missy scowled at him. "Shut up, nerd!" she snapped, glaring.
Sheldon simply avoided eye contact and sat down next to Veronica at the small table.
"What's wrong, baby?" Mary asked gently, casting a quick glare at Missy for what she said to Sheldon. "Is someone bothering you?"
"That's impossible," George muttered, and Veronica nodded, "Yes, if anyone bothers Sheldon, Georgie will takes care of it." Veronica said.
"He's got a bit of a reputation…" George added with a shrug.
Even the teachers had heard the whispers in the halls. Gossip moved fast when it involved Georgie Cooper.
"What reputation?!" Mary asked sharply, narrowing her eyes at George and Veronica.
They exchanged glances, clearly trying to telepathically decide which of them would take the fall for Mary's growing irritation.
But before anyone could speak up—
"I'm fine, Mom. I just don't learn anything new at school anymore." Sheldon said, letting out a tired sigh.
"That's absurd. There's always something to learn." Georgie said, re-entering the kitchen after his lightning-fast shower.
"Are you sure you actually showered?" George asked, pointing at him with his coffee mug.
"Yes! Geez. I've got a low body fat percentage—I'm faster than you." Georgie said with an eye roll.
George blinked, clearly caught off guard with Georgie remarks and he didn't know what to say anymore. "Y'all are mean to me," he muttered, sipping his coffee with mock sadness because he know if he fight back, Georgie will bring him to exercise like before!.
Sheldon looked at Georgie, still confused. "I've already learned everything they teach. I even corrected their mistakes."
Mary placed plates of eggs and bacon in front of him and Missy. "What about friendship and social life?" she asked.
"What about it?" Sheldon replied flatly.
"Yeah, he doesn't have one!" Missy muttered, cutting into her bacon.
"Let me help you, Mary." Veronica offered, stepping in at the stove. Georgie joined her. "What've you got in here?" he asked, opening the fridge.
"What? Are you gonna cook?" George asked. "Make more for me!"
Missy's eyes widened. "Dad can have mine! I want Georgie's!"
George glanced at her half-eaten plate, "Hell no! I've got a big belly. Georgie, make it big!"
Mary looked at them both, exasperated. "I can't believe y'all are ditching me."
George turned to Missy, "You hear her. Don't make your mama sad," he said, turning back to Georgie and giving a firm nod.
Mary glaring at them and took over the kitchen again, "That's it! Everyone sit down—I'm the one making breakfast!"
Georgie shrugged and walked over to George. "Sorry, Big Man. It's her domain," he whispered, "There's nothing in the fridge anyway."
Mary shot them both a look. Veronica giggled but stayed beside Mary to help.
"I do have a social life. I have Tam. And I'm popular among the students." Sheldon said, glaring at Missy.
Missy turned to Georgie. "Is that true?" she asked, shoveling more bacon and eggs into her mouth. "Because if it is, I don't know what's going on with your school. That's so weird!."
George chuckled. "Actually, yeah. Students greet him even when Georgie's not around."
Missy's eyes widened, "Really? Were they brainwashed or something?" she said and looking at Sheldon.
"No," Sheldon replied. "It's just what I do." He stood up to take his plate to the sink.
"Here, let me." Veronica said, taking the dish and washing it for him. Sheldon gave a small nod.
"What exactly do you do?" Missy asked as he sat back down.
"I'm cute and a genius." Sheldon replied, stating it like a scientific fact.
Georgie laughed. "Yeah, mostly because he helped the school team win."
George nodded. "Yeah, mostly that."
Missy thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Whatever. I'm still more popular than you," she said, finishing her breakfast.
Just then, Mary and Veronica returned with plates and set one in front of Georgie.
"Where's my plate?" George asked when he noticed the missing serving.
"Make your own breakfast!" Mary snapped, venom in her voice.
George pouted. "Y'all are so mean to me…"
Mary gave George a meaningful look, signaling him with her eyes.
"Sheldon, Missy, let's go." he said firmly. George understood immediately about that signal and take action.
Sheldon nodded obediently, but Missy groaned, "Can I go with Veronica and Georgie instead?!"
"Let's go!" George repeated, leaving no room for negotiation.
Georgie glanced at them briefly, then just shrugged and let it slide.
Mary gave Veronica a small nod before turning her gaze back to Georgie.
"Georgie…" she began gently, a warm smile on her face. Her tone caught Georgie's attention, and he looked at her, puzzled.
"Your father and I had a talk earlier."
"You guys thinking about having another baby?" Georgie asked, raising an eyebrow with genuine curiosity.
Veronica nearly choked on her drink, and Mary shot Georgie a look of exasperation.
"What?! No!"
"Oh relax," Georgie said with a grin, pointing his spoon at her. "I'd be a cool big brother! I did a great job with Missy and Sheldon, didn't I?"
Mary paused, considering his words for a moment, then shook her head with a soft sigh.
"No. I mean, yes—you are a great brother to them. But that's not what this is about."
Georgie chuckled and leaned back slightly, waiting for her to continue.
"Georgie," Mary said carefully, "your dad and I want you to come see a psychologist with us."
Georgie's smile faded.
"No."