Kermit kept his creepy smile plastered on as he looked down at a trembling Sheldon. "If you can't cough up the cash, that's fine. You've got another option."
"What is it?" Sheldon asked, on the verge of tears.
"I hear you're buddies with Mike?" Kermit asked, finally showing his true colors.
Mike's popularity with the girls had naturally painted a target on his back for certain guys, and Kermit was definitely one of them.
It also just so happened that Kermit was a huge Regina George fanboy.
Recently, Regina had been dropping hints that she wanted to take Mike down a peg.
So, when Kermit spotted Sheldon, a bold plan formed in his mind—one that would let him mess with Mike and score points with his crush.
"Mike is my friend. Why do you want to see him?" Sheldon sensed something was wrong immediately. He quickly added, "Mike used to be the quarterback on the football team. He has a very violent temper. You really shouldn't mess with him."
"That's none of your business," Kermit snapped. "Tomorrow after school, you bring Mike to the front gate, or you pay up. Your choice."
Without giving Sheldon a chance to respond, he waved dismissively and walked out of the classroom.
Leaving Sheldon standing there, completely dazed.
---
It was an hour before Sheldon finally wandered out of school, looking like a lost soul.
Even after getting home and sitting through dinner, he was still completely out of it.
George assumed his youngest son was just sulking about having had detention, so he didn't pay it much mind.
Georgie, however, noticed something was up. He pulled Sheldon into his room. "What happened after school?"
As a seasoned slacker, Georgie was no stranger to detention and knew exactly the kind of people who hung around there.
"I..." Sheldon hesitated for a long time before finally spilling the whole story.
"Kermit? That guy's bad news. If he's looking for Mike, it's definitely not for a study session," Georgie said, frowning. He thought for a second. "Maybe you should just pay him. How much do you have?"
Sheldon, who had just made a deal with Missy recently, admitted he was broke.
"Well, that's a problem." Georgie dug through his pockets but only managed to scrape together less than ten bucks.
The Cooper finances had been tight lately, so allowance wasn't exactly flowing freely.
"Why don't you just tell Mike? He'll probably know how to handle it," Georgie suggested.
"That is what I was thinking. This Kermit character seems to be targeting Mike specifically..." Sheldon was terrified, but he was still smart.
Once he calmed down, he realized something was fishy.
It was just Sheldon's bad luck that he got caught in the crossfire this time.
Even if Sheldon hadn't been in detention, Kermit probably would have found another way to get to Mike just to impress Regina.
---
The next afternoon, as agreed, Mike took Sheldon to the Math Olympiad room.
Since it was just a simple qualifying test, the paper Ms. Sharon gave Sheldon wasn't too difficult.
Sheldon, being a genius who had also prepped with Mike, naturally aced it.
Under Ms. Sharon's approving gaze, Sheldon was granted "auditor" status for the Math Olympiad team.
This was a big deal for the sports-averse Sheldon. It meant that from now on, he could just hang out with the math team during the afternoon activity block instead of doing anything physical.
"What's wrong, Sheldon? You don't look very happy about making the team," Mike asked, noticing Sheldon sitting next to him looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Sheldon had been acting weird all day.
"I..." Sheldon was about to tell Mike about his predicament when he caught Ms. Sharon's strict glare from the podium.
He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Mike, I need a favor after school."
"Okay," Mike nodded, not knowing what it was but agreeing anyway.
Just then, Ms. Sharon barked from the front, "Quiet down! Save the chatter for after class!"
---
Once the math session wrapped up, Mike turned to Sheldon. "Alright, spill it. What kind of trouble are you in now?"
Since Sheldon hadn't been able to come up with the protection money, he only had one option left.
He told Mike everything that happened after school the day before, including his theory about Kermit's motives.
"Is that so?" Mike thought for a moment. He was pretty sure he didn't know anyone named Kermit, so this guy definitely had an ulterior motive.
But if someone was looking for trouble, Mike wasn't going to back down.
"Don't worry about it, Sheldon. I'll head to the gate and sort this out," Mike said calmly.
"Really?" Sheldon let out a breath he'd been holding since yesterday, but then looked worried again. "Be careful. He looks very strong."
"It's fine. I'm stronger." Mike laughed it off. With Cady by his side, he headed for the school gate.
At the gate, Kermit and his crew were already loitering around, blocking the exit.
Their presence forced the more timid students to take the long way around.
But plenty of others were hanging back to watch the show.
Kermit had a reputation, and everyone was curious to see which poor soul was on his hit list today.
"Mike, I remember who Kermit is now," Cady suddenly said as they got closer. "He's a senior who got held back a year. He's always hanging around with a bad crowd. If he called you out, it's definitely a trap..."
"Relax. You know what I can do," Mike reassured her. "Someone might get unlucky today, but I promise you, it won't be me."
After calming Cady down, Mike had her stay back with the crowd while he walked toward Kermit alone.
The onlookers realized what was happening, and a wave of surprised murmurs rippled through them.
"So, you're Kermit?" Mike walked up to the group, locking eyes with the burly white guy at the front. "You looking for me?"
Seeing Mike actually confront Kermit caused an uproar among the spectators.
Regina, sensing trouble, quickly rallied a dozen girls from the "Mike Fan Club" to back him up.
Sometimes, teenage girls are scarier than any guy.
Case in point: a dozen girls started yelling and heckling Kermit, drowning him out completely.
Kermit, his head spinning from the noise, roared, "Pretty boy! You just gonna hide behind a bunch of girls?"
"Pretty boy? Who taught you that insult...?" Mike found it funny. If this guy had ever seen him on the football field, he wouldn't be saying that.
Besides, Mike wasn't about to let his fan club fight his battles. He shot Regina a look, signaling for her and the girls to step back.
Seeing Mike's "bodyguards" clear a path, Kermit let out a sigh of relief but kept up the tough act. "At least you've got some guts."
He sneered, "I won't even gang up on you. If you can beat me one-on-one, you walk away..."
---