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Georgie's POV
When I got home, I was greeted by my mother, Mary's face—twisted
into something that looked like a Japanese Oni mask, complete with fangs and
horns. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips, her glare sharp enough to cut
through steel. Yep, she looked exactly like a devil straight out of a kabuki
nightmare.
Of course, her mouth was already preparing to unleash a storm of
Bible verses and the wrath of her faith.
Standing beside her, my dad George had his
arms crossed and was glaring at me like he wanted to throw me across the room.
"Alright, before you blow up, I regret what I did and I swear
it won't happen again," I said quickly, trying to defuse the bomb before
it went off.
I heard a giggle beside me—Missy was desperately trying not to
laugh, her eyes darting away.
"…And I'll follow whatever program you two decide," I added,
though my lips twitched as Missy chuckled at my choice of words.
Mary exhaled deeply, her eyes flicking toward George, who was
still shooting daggers at me.
"I realize my mistake. I can't afford to
lose your trust," I continued, walking over to Missy. "And I know now that I
love my adorable little siblings way too much." I said this as I tugged on
Missy's cheek.
"OUCH! STOP IT, YOU DUNDERHEAD!" Missy shrieked,
smacking my hand away, but I didn't let go.
"Yeah, I love you guys so much that I forgot to take care of
myself," I said dramatically.
"LET GO OF MY FACE!"
"Maybe you're right," I said, finally letting go of her cheek.
"Maybe I do need help. I don't really understand what's going
on with me either." I paused and glanced at Mary and George again, grinning.
"But I can't be grounded just yet—I've got rehearsals with my band."
"I know," Mary sighed, her gaze still sharp. "But that
doesn't mean you're off the hook, young man! I can't believe you drank alcohol
unsupervised!"
They had no idea that the person behind that little disaster was
Kayla—and thanks to Fenley keeping quiet, she was the one taking the heat from
my parents.
"Hmm," George grunted, still glaring like he wanted to
knock me through the wall.
"There better not be a next time. You got that?!" Mary added firmly.
George grumbled, clearly annoyed I was getting away with just a
lecture this time. He looked ready to explode.
Not this time, old man, I thought. Unfortunately, the smirk that crossed my face gave me
away.
"…You!" George pointed at me, his face reddening,
clearly ready to lose it.
But just then, Sheldon walked into the room, saving me.
"Oh, hello, Brother," he said. "I was just about to call you.
Also—congratulations. You got an A+ on Miss Ingram's test." He handed me the
paper. "I didn't expect it. I may have been wrong. I'm sorry, Brother," he
added with a solemn nod.
I looked at the test paper, then at Sheldon again.
"Of course, you're my baby brother. I already forgave you," I
said, ruffling his hair. These little moments always got me—Sheldon might be
impossible sometimes, but I always ended up forgiving him.
He swatted my hand away and fixed his hair, then gave Missy a sour
look, his mouth twitching.
"Ahh, so you lost, huh?" I teased Sheldon with a grin.
Missy got up and walked over to me. "You don't have to thank me,"
she said with that cool, aloof look like she'd just pulled off a major favor
and wanted no recognition.
I glanced down at the paper she handed me—B+ on a math test.
Melissa Cooper. I smiled.
Sheldon grumbled and looked away while Missy raised her eyebrow
and gave me that wise, serious stare.
"What do you think?" she asked.
I looked at her, then at our parents, who were quietly observing
us.
"You're ignoring me?!" Missy yelled and drove her elbow hard into
my stomach.
"Ugh!" I groaned, completely caught off guard.
"Missy!" Mary snapped, shocked by what her daughter just did.
Sheldon took a step back, trying to avoid getting involved in any
of it.
"Hmph," Missy huffed, watching me clutch my stomach and drop to
one knee in front of her.
"Good job," I muttered, smiling through the pain and gave her a
quick kiss on the cheek.
Missy smiled but quickly tried to hide it. "That's more like it,"
she said and snorted, then wrapped her arms around me.
Mary and George let out a sigh, but I caught the soft smiles
returning to their faces.
"Oh no, did I miss all the fun again?" I heard Connie's
voice behind me. She was standing there with Veronica.
"Well, I brought some more fun with me—so don't start without me
this time!" Connie said, gesturing dramatically to Veronica like she was the
punchline of a comedy bit.
I smiled awkwardly. Veronica still wouldn't look at me.
I walked up to her. "I've already showered. Are you seriously not
gonna hug me?"
SLAP.
Not a hug. A slap. Right across the face. Yep, totally deserved
that one.
"Ooh, that's gonna sting," George hissed with a satisfied smirk.
He was enjoying this way too much.
Connie was smirking too. Mary showed no sympathy. Missy was
howling with laughter. Sheldon looked terrified and stepped further away until
he was standing right next to Mary.
They were all traitors.
Just as I was about to say something, Veronica pulled me into a
tight hug, and I melted into her warmth.
"I'm sorry," I whispered into her ear, holding her close.
"Hmm," she murmured, then pulled away. "There will be no next
time."
"No more next time," I echoed and kissed her gently on the
forehead.
That brought a sweet smile to her face, and she let out a little
purr like a kitten who didn't want to lose the warmth of her human.
Just as I was about to kiss her again—
"Yeah, yeah, just keep ignoring us," Connie snorted. "So? What
other drama are you all gonna drop on me today? Not that watching Georgie get
slapped wasn't entertaining enough already!"
"I'll be going to study in Dallas," Sheldon said calmly, dropping
his bomb of the day.
"No, you're not." I replied immediately, leaving no room for
argument.
Everyone fell silent and turned to look at us—especially Mary and
George, who had apparently just been told about the offer by Principal Peterson
earlier.
I looked at them both, cheeks still red from the slap. 'Now it really stings…'
"We just started talking about it," George said, glancing at Mary.
"Peterson's already been in contact with the headmaster at Wilmot Academy.
Turns out they accept kids like Sheldon. Gifted kids."
"What do you think?" Mary asked, looking at me hopefully.
"No," I repeated, locking eyes with Sheldon. "Do you really think
the difference in quality will be that significant compared to studying here? Besides,
Missy's going to miss you so much!"
"No, I won't!" Missy snapped. "I'm replacing his poster with Tom
Cruise the moment he's gone!"
"I don't know... They say it's a great school," Sheldon said, then
glaring at Missy. "It's not like I'll be gone forever."
"No," I said again. "You'll just end up relearning the same
material. It might be fancier over there, but honestly? I'd recommend skipping
ahead to university-level studies."
Sheldon's eyes lit up.
"I suppose... you're right," he said, nodding thoughtfully—already
plotting something in his head.
Mary sighed and smiled, clearly relieved—until George leaned in
and whispered, "How come when I said that, you didn't agree?"
That killed her mood instantly.
Sheldon took off toward his room.
"Tell Principal Peterson that if they try to pull Sheldon out of
this school, I'm leaving too," I said with a grin at Mary and George. "Do you
really think I don't know how much money the school's getting just for
'sheltering' Sheldon—the genius kid from Texas?"
I snorted and walked away, ignoring them both.
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Third Person POV
"How are you doing?" Veronica asked softly, her eyes looking up
from Georgie's chest as she traced the lines of his abs with her finger.
"What do you mean?" Georgie replied, absentmindedly playing with
her hair.
She took his hand in hers without answering.
"I'm good," Georgie added, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
They were lying together on a sturdy outdoor lounge chair in the
backyard of the Cooper home, wrapped in each other's arms beneath a sky full of
stars. The night was peaceful, the kind that made everything else fade away.
"Do you…" Veronica murmured, drawing little circles on Georgie's
chest with her finger, her voice playful, "...believe in happily ever after?"
Georgie raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her sudden question. "What?
Like in movies or cartoons?" He glanced down at her. "Wait... you're not
pregnant, are you?"
Veronica gave him a soft smack on the chest and let out a small
snort. "No! I'm just asking a random question!" she replied with mock
annoyance. "So? Do you believe in it or not?"
Georgie chuckled and ran his hand through her hair again. "I don't
believe in that," he said, his tone sincere.
Veronica took a deep breath, as if she'd expected that answer. But
her smile quickly returned—it wasn't the kind of answer she needed to be dreamy
or perfect.
"Yeah... I don't believe in it either," she said, burying her face
into his chest.
Georgie smiled slightly. "But I do believe in right now," he
whispered, eyes gazing up at the sky. "And right now feels pretty perfect."
Veronica nodded gently and nestled even closer into his embrace.
"Yeah... I guess we don't need forever to be happy."
Georgie kept his eyes on the stars above them. "Nah, we just need
each other. One day at a time."
There was a moment of quiet before Veronica teased, "Wow… that was
kind of cheesy. Are you secretly reading poetry or something?"
Georgie laughed. "Nope. Just hangin' out with a pretty girl who
makes me say weird things. Besides, I'm a musician and a songwriter, remember?
Most of what we say isn't all that poetic—we're just trying to make 'I hate
you' or 'I love you' sound more interesting. That's the trick."
Veronica blushed and pinched his waist playfully. "Weird... but
sweet."
They fell into silence again, letting the sound of Texas crickets
and the gentle breeze carrying the scent of fresh-cut grass surround them.
Then Veronica spoke softly, "Do you think we'll still be like this
in ten years?"
Georgie gently squeezed her hand. "I don't know what the future
holds... but I do know I want you in it."
Veronica closed her eyes, letting his words sink into her heart.
"You're such a cheeseball sometimes, Georgie Cooper."
Georgie chuckled low. "Only for you, Veronica Duncan."
Meanwhile, across the yard, Mary, George, and Connie sat quietly,
having witnessed the entire exchange.
"I didn't know kids these days thought like that," Mary said,
glancing at George beside her.
George snapped out of his thoughts with a snort. "Hmph. I had
smoother moves than that," he claimed, making Mary chuckle.
"Yeah, your motorcycle was your big move," Connie added with a
smirk.
George scoffed and shook his head. "Hey, that motorcycle got me a
second date."
Mary smiled, a mix of nostalgia and exasperation in her eyes.
"Yeah… your motorcycle. It almost got you killed too."
Connie laughed softly and nodded. "And yet you survived both the
crash and marrying Mary. Miracles really do happen."
George grinned awkwardly. "C'mon, that didn't kill me."
Connie raised an eyebrow and asked slyly, "The motorcycle... or
the marriage?"
George opened his mouth to answer, paused to think, and said
nothing. Mary playfully smacked his arm as Connie chuckled.
They all quieted again, eyes drifting back to Georgie and Veronica
still wrapped together under the clear night sky.
"They may be young," Mary said quietly, "but… I can see something
real between them."
George nodded slowly. "Georgie's always been the kind of kid who
loves hard. He messes up sometimes, but his heart's in the right place."
Connie looked at the young couple with a softened gaze. "And
Veronica… she's been hurt, but she's brave. That girl makes Georgie better. You
saw that slap? That wasn't nothing. That's how I know she truly loves him—not
just some girl chasing a band boy."
George raised an eyebrow at Connie. "Are you talking about
yourself?"
Mary chuckled, taking her husband's side as Connie narrowed her
eyes at George. "At least I didn't marry the first guy who could lift a couch
and call it romantic."
George gave a crooked grin. "Well, Mary liked it. Didn't hear her
complain."
Mary rolled her eyes. "It was practical, George. That's not the
same as romantic."
Connie smirked. "Don't flatter yourself. The dog listens better
and doesn't hog the remote."
Mary laughed loudly while George gave Connie a look of exaggerated
offense.
"That's just mean, you know," he said, taking a sip of his beer.
But he knew Connie was just messing with him. In her own way, she
loved him—just as she loved the entire Cooper family. Especially her kid and
grandkids.
Silence returned once more, broken only by the sound of wind
rustling through the grass and the steady rhythm of crickets. After a while,
Connie whispered, "All we can hope is that they grow up without too many scars."
Mary glanced toward Georgie, then murmured, "And that God guides
them… First love is often the most complicated."
George sighed and muttered, "Let's hope Georgie's smarter than his
old man."
Connie patted his shoulder with a wicked smile. "That's a pretty
low bar, honey."
The three of them laughed softly, letting the night carry on.
Then, Georgie began to hum gently.
Their eyes turned toward him and Veronica still curled up on the
lounge chair.
"Hmmm… hmmm… hmmm…" Georgie hummed as he played with Veronica's
hair, holding her close, gazing at the dark sky.
"Everybody's talkin' 'bout Heaven…" he began to sing softly, his
voice low and tender. "…Like they just can't wait to go…"
Mary snorted at the song choice but didn't dare break the moment.
George and Connie took slow sips of their beers, soaking in the quiet magic.
Veronica closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of
Georgie's heart against her ear.
"…Sayin' how it's gonna be so good… so beautiful…" Georgie looked
down at her, kissed her forehead, and whispered.
"…Lyin' next to you… in this chair with you…"
"I ain't convinced," he said, hugging her tighter as she snuggled
closer into his chest.
Mary and the others hadn't heard what he whispered, but Veronica's
soft giggle gave it away.
"…'Cause I don't know how… I don't know how…" Georgie continued
singing gently.
"Heaven," he murmured, kissing her cheek, "could be better than
this…" he said gently with a smile.
Their eyes met—two souls finding something unspoken in the quiet.
Smiles bloomed on both of their faces.
HMMmmmM Uhukk!
A loud cough and throat clearing ruined the moment.
"Oh, come on!" Georgie groaned, rolling his eyes as George
interrupted them.
"Kids, go to sleep!" George called out, taking another sip of beer.
"And nothing's better than Heaven, young man!" Mary added,
pointing sternly at Georgie.
"Well…" Connie began, but Mary shot her a look before she even
finished her thought. She already knew what Connie was about to say.
Veronica blushed furiously, quickly standing and retreating to the
house without a word.
Georgie stared at the trio, locking eyes with his dad—who was now
smirking at him.
"I guess I'm staying up all night," George quipped, earning a low
grumble from Georgie.