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3rd POV
While Georgie and Veronica were off enjoying their date, back at the Cooper household… something was about to go down.
Missy and George Sr. could both feel it…the calm before the storm. They sat together in the living room, the TV flickering in front of them, the air unusually quiet for their house.
Missy glanced at her dad. He looked relaxed enough, but she caught him sneaking quick looks toward the kitchen, where her mom was preparing lunch.
Usually, Missy thrived on chaos. But today? She prayed for peace. Maybe it was because Georgie and Veronica were out on a date, and she'd promised herself to be a good girl…at least until Georgie took her out for that fancy lobster dinner.
*Slurp…
Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
Mary finally finished in the kitchen and walked past them. George Sr. did his best not to meet her eyes, focusing harder on the TV like his silence alone could say: Don't drag me into this.
Missy squinted at him, "…Don't look at me," George Sr. muttered out of the corner of his mouth after Mary gone, "If they start a war, just play dead."
Missy shrugged and turned back to the TV, savoring the rare calm.
Meanwhile, Mary headed to the garage. Sheldon was there, wearing a little engineer's cap and guiding his train across the tracks. The sight was adorable but Mary knew it wouldn't last.
"Hey, Shelly… I want to talk to you," Mary said gently.
"Hold on. I have to get this train to the station," Sheldon replied, his eyes fixed on the tracks. "They'd like to get home to their families."
"…Okay," Mary said, biting back a smile.
Once the train pulled into the station, Sheldon switched it off and looked up expectantly.
Mary took a deep breath. "I've given it a lot of thought. And I'm afraid I can't allow you to go to Houston with your friends."
Sheldon's eyes widened. His parents hadn't objected yesterday when he first brought it up, so why now?
"Why not?"
Mary kept her tone calm. "Well… you know your brother's planning a barbecue tomorrow, right? Do you really want to miss that? Do you want to make him sad?"
Sheldon sighed, like it was the smallest of inconveniences. "I already spoke with Brother. He gave me his blessing for this trip. Yes, it's sad to miss it, but I really want to go with Libby. I made a promise, and I don't intend to break it."
Sheldon smiled triumphantly, thinking he'd made his case.
But at the mention of Libby, Mary's expression hardened. "…Well, I'm afraid I can't allow that," she said firmly. "But! We can go together. I'll drive you to Houston to meet your friends there."
Sheldon frowned. "But what about the barbecue night?"
"They can manage without me," Mary dismissed without hesitation.
"I don't want my mommy taking me!" Sheldon protested, his voice cracking. "I'm a… high school student!"
"Then you're not going!" Mary said flatly, her voice leaving no room for argument.
She turned and walked away, leaving Sheldon staring after her in disbelief.
{Anger is an ugly emotion…Unbridle rage even more so. When it bubbled up inside me, i channeled it to the only way i knew how.} - Adult Sheldon.
Mary left the garage knowing full well that Sheldon would explode sooner or later. She stepped back into the house, her face set in annoyance but her decision firm.
"…You two are hilarious," Mary muttered when she saw George Sr. and Missy pretending to be asleep—or dead—on the couch.
She had no patience to play along. Better to brace herself for her little boy's inevitable storm. She walked into the kitchen, poured herself some water, and tried to steady her nerves.
Sheldon wasn't like other children. Where most kids might throw a tantrum when told no, Sheldon always found a… different outlet. Something that made him strangely productive, even if it drained everyone else around him by just looking at him.
From the living room, Mary caught fragments of a whispered exchange. "…Dad, we're clear," Missy whispered.
Mary heard George Sr. let out a long breath. "Phew… that was close."
Mary could only shake her head at them for whatever they're doing right now.
CLICK!
The front door slammed open.
"Someone better get me cleaning equipment!" Sheldon's voice rang out, sharp with rage.
"What happened to you two?!" he snapped, glaring at his father and sister. They immediately shut their eyes again, doubling down on their act.
Sheldon didn't bother with them for long. Fury radiated off him in waves as he marched straight into the kitchen. He didn't even greet Mary, he just shot her a sidelong glance as he yanked open the cabinet, pulled out rubber gloves, and headed for the sink.
{I clean The House like a man possessed} - Adult Sheldon.
But Mary stepped in, stopping him. "No, Sheldon. You need to eat first." Her tone was calm, but firm.
Sheldon froze, then gave a stiff nod. "…Alright. After lunch, nobody disturbs me."
He turned on his heel, leaving Mary standing there.
Back in the living room, Missy exhaled in relief. "…I think we're clear, Dad."
George Sr. nodded solemnly. "…Phew. I'm proud to say we're heroes for avoiding war."
Missy nodded back, her face proud and serious.
"Lunch is ready!" Mary's voice called from the kitchen.
"Oh! I'm STARVING!" Missy squealed, springing off the couch, immediately forgetting her survival pact.
George Sr. shook his head in disbelief, muttering as he stood, "Well, soldiers need food too."
Mary just rolled her eyes at the sight of them piling plates. "You two are unbelievable."
Sheldon, meanwhile, didn't care about any of it. He had only two goals: eat lunch… and unleash his fury on every speck of dust in that house.
—---
*3rd POV
After dinner, Georgie and Veronica return home—to the Cooper house, of course.
When they walked that door, the first thing they saw, Mary is waiting in the living room, arms crossed, her eyes locked on Sheldon. He sits in front of a family photo frame with a cotton swab in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other, carefully scrubbing away at the dust lodged in its corners.
His expression is deadly serious, his brows knit tight in a frown. He isn't just cleaning but he's furious. Rage seems to radiate off his small frame, and Georgie instantly understands. This is how Sheldon vents his anger: not with shouting, but with obsessive, exhausting work.
Mary finally glances at Georgie, worry written across her face. She hopes he'll say something, calm Sheldon down, because he's been at this for hours. She's terrified he'll make himself sick. At one point he even demanded George Sr. fetch him a ladder so he could scrub the roof. Of course George Sr. refused which only made Sheldon angrier.
"Hey," Georgie calls, frowning at his brother.
Sheldon lifts his head, his frown sharpening. "What." His tone isn't a question but it's a command to tell him what he want.
Veronica grabs Georgie's arm, as if warning him not to snap. Mary, equally startled by Sheldon's harshness, she is about to scold him herself but Georgie steps in first.
"…Did you clean my room yet?" Georgie asks, arms crossed.
"Yes," Sheldon replies flatly, then turns right back to polishing the frame, ignoring him completely. "Good job" Georgie said again with a small nod to him.
Veronica and Mary are left speechless, especially at Georgie's smug, almost arrogant tone.
"Georgie!" Mary snaps, pointing toward Sheldon. "Talk to him, don't encourage him!"
Georgie just shrugs. "Hey, I'm not the one who got him like this."
Veronica pinches his arm hard. "Georgie… you need to stop him."
"You can't stop him unless you give him a logical reason," Georgie argues, his gaze shifting pointedly to Mary. "...And do we even know why he's doing this?" He directs his words to Veronica, but his accusing look is aimed straight at his mother.
Mary scoffs, glaring back at him. "I don't want my little boy going to Houston with some teenage girl!"
Georgie frowns in confusion, "You do know Tam is going with them too, right?"
"Tomato–tomato," Mary huffs. "Point is, I don't want him riding around with a teenage girl."
Sheldon whips around, anger flashing in his eyes. "Mom! Libby is a good driver! She told me she's been to Houston plenty of times!"
Before Mary can respond, Missy strolls into the room with a grin plastered across her face. Her eyes light up when she sees Georgie and Veronica.
"Heyyy, how was your date?" she chirps, then leans toward Veronica with a devilish smirk. "I'm surprised you didn't stay the night at a hotel. Did Georgie treat you well?"
She delivers the line like they're besties sharing secrets, her cuteness doubled by her mischief. A perfect little devil stirring chaos, especially in front of Mary, who is, after all, her own mother.
"Melissa Cooper!" Mary snaps, glaring at Missy for stirring up fresh chaos while the real problem is still standing right in front of her.
Veronica's lips twitch—she's suddenly the subject of the awkwardness. "Alright, young lady, don't start more trouble with your mother." She takes Missy by the arm and leads her out of the way.
"Relax, they've been at this all day," Missy shrugs, completely unbothered by Mary or Sheldon's moods. She grins up at Veronica. "Now tell me everything about your date with my brother!"
Veronica chuckles nervously, sneaking a glance at Mary's still-fuming face. So she quicken her steps until they both out of Mary shots.
Mary wants to scold Missy again, but she forces herself to focus back on Sheldon. Her voice sharpens and accurately at him, "How do you even know Libby is a good driver? Have you ever actually tried driving with her?"
"…No." The word stalls Sheldon for a second. Mary has a point with her words, but his determination wins out. "…But I want to go! Please, Mom!"
Mary turns her eyes to Georgie, her expression softening just slightly at Sheldon's plea.
"There you are. Problem solved." Georgie says calmly, though both Mary and Sheldon look confused by his words. He elaborates: "You don't know her driving skill yet? Then meet her and see for yourself. If she passes your standards, she drives him to Houston. If not, case closed." He shrugs casually. "Heck, maybe Libby can even drive you around the block and show you herself."
Sheldon's frown eases as he nods. "That is very reasonable." and he looked at Mary, waiting for her answer.
Mary hesitates, still torn. But Georgie's logic leaves her no room to argue—especially with George Sr.'s voice in her head reminding her that all high school kids drive.
"…Alright." Mary sighs, finally giving in. She fixes her eyes on Sheldon. "But I'm meeting this girl first. And I need to see for myself that she can get you to Houston and back safely."
"Thank you, Mom!" Sheldon beams, though his forehead is damp with sweat and his arms ache from hours of angry cleaning.
Mary opens her arms, inviting him into a hug. Sheldon steps forward and hug her, but even as he leans into her, his eyes flick toward Georgie. "What took you so long? If you were here earlier, you could've convinced her already."
Georgie throws up his hands. "Hey, I was on a date, having a nice moment with my girl!"
Sheldon just grumbles into Mary's hug, too exhausted to keep arguing. His anger had fueled him for hours, but now his body is begging for rest.
Mary glances at Georgie again, her eyes narrowing now because Missy's earlier 'hotel comment' still echoing in her mind. She's just grateful Georgie and Veronica came home at all, and not… somewhere else. Only God knows what they might have done there.
"Ahh, good! Looks like everyone's made up!" George Sr. suddenly appears out of nowhere, smiling like a proud peacemaker.
Mary turns her head slowly and shoots him a glare sharp enough to kill. That, of course, is George Sr.'s cue to shut up immediately.