The weekend flew by in a blur of pleasure, and soon it was Sunday afternoon.
"Mike, you can come visit us in the Big Apple this summer. I'll expense all your travel costs..." Regina, flush with cash and visibly glowing from the last two days of attention, hugged Mike and issued a summer invitation.
The three Plastics had already put their academics on hold and had no intention of participating in the graduation exams next month.
They were in the thick of producing their debut album and had only taken time out of their busy schedule to give Mike a birthday surprise.
Having signed with a powerhouse like Miracle Records, a high school diploma from Medford High was statistically irrelevant to them now.
In fact, once the Plastics became famous, Medford High would likely be begging to present them with honorary diplomas.
After all, leveraging celebrity alumni to boost a school's profile was standard operating procedure everywhere.
"Mike, thank you for the songs you wrote for us. I love them..." Following the Queen Bee's lead, Gretchen also stepped up to give Mike a parting hug.
Being more emotionally attuned, she understood the immense value of those new songs.
They were practically a guaranteed catalyst for their stardom.
It was easy to predict that Love Story, with its fresh, romantic style tailored for teenage girls, would become their breakout hit once released.
"Mike, I'm going to miss you..." Karen, the last in line, approached for a hug, her expression genuinely emotional.
Unlike the Queen Bee, Karen didn't possess burning ambition. Joining Miracle Records was largely a result of being swept along by her best friends.
Lacking strong personal agency, she found the company's rigorous training schedule difficult to adapt to.
Now that Mike had re-strategized their album, if successful, their workload would only increase.
This was a major variable contributing to Karen's unhappiness.
"Keep in touch. I'll miss you guys too..." After comforting Karen, Mike waved goodbye to the three girls as they got into their private car and drove off.
"Mike, I need to go home as well, or my parents will start to worry." Once the Plastics were out of sight, Lena also bid her farewell.
Coming from a stricter household, being out for two consecutive nights of partying was already pushing her limit.
"Mike, I have to go too. See you at school on Monday." Katie, currently at a crossroads in life, needed to return home to discuss her post-graduation plans with her parents.
With twelfth-grade graduation exams looming, she needed to finalize her trajectory soon.
After sending off the last two girls, Mike turned back to face the empty, chaotic house. He picked up a rag and began the cleanup operation.
"I wonder how Paige is doing. I assume she's capable of self-maintenance..." An hour later, having restored the house to pristine condition, Mike prepared to head over to the Cooper residence.
Preoccupied with his quintuple date, he had admittedly neglected Paige.
However, the Coopers were practically family; they would have ensured the little genius was well looked after.
"Georgie, are you aware that you grind your teeth, snore, and emit noxious gas while sleeping? Scientifically speaking, these are pathologies. I strongly suggest you seek medical evaluation..."
Inside the Cooper house, Sheldon was currently voicing his dissatisfaction.
Because Paige was occupying his room for the weekend, Sheldon had been exiled to share a room with Georgie.
"I haven't even started on you! Who turns the lights out that early? That's also a sickness. You're the one who needs a doctor..." Georgie glared back at Sheldon with equal disdain.
The brothers were chemically incompatible.
Georgie's bedtime ritual involved blasting rock music on his stereo—one of his few hobbies.
Sheldon, on the other hand, was hypersensitive, required early sleep, and demanded absolute silence.
Their conflicting living habits meant that over the two days they roomed together, they had argued for exactly two days.
"Dad! When can I return to my own room? I do not wish to cohabitate with Georgie any longer. It is driving me to the brink of insanity..." Sheldon pleaded with his father.
"I don't know, son," George thought for a moment. "But Mike should be wrapping up over there soon."
Just then, Mike walked into the Cooper house.
"Mike! You're here... I mean, have they departed?" Seeing Mike, Sheldon was so excited he was practically incoherent.
It wasn't entirely his fault; only those who are particular about their sleeping environment understand the torture of being displaced from their sanctuary.
"Affirmative. Regina and the others have left," Mike answered honestly.
"Excellent! I can finally return to my fortress of solitude!" Hearing the good news, Sheldon did a victory lap around the living room.
Talk about trauma.
However, Sheldon's eccentric behavior rarely surprised anyone anymore.
The neural pathways of a genius are often incomprehensible to the layperson.
Shaking his head, Mike greeted the others in the living room.
It was almost dinner time. Mary was in the kitchen preparing food, while the others were waiting to eat.
Among them, Mike spotted Meemaw, who had returned from her own date.
"Meemaw, when did you get back?" Mike asked.
Having occupied her house for two full days, he felt a slight pang of guilt.
"I returned around noon..." Meemaw was grateful she had extended her stay at Dr. Sturgis's place by a day. If she had come back yesterday, she would have been homeless.
Then, a mischievous glint appeared in her eye. She teased, "Two whole days. Mike, your stamina exceeds my projections..."
Judging by her gossipy expression, her next question was likely going to involve detailed inquiries about his performance metrics.
To avoid that awkward conversation, Mike quickly pivoted. He looked at Paige. "Paige, how were the last two days for you?"
"I was fine. Thank you for your inquiry," Paige replied with a mix of haughtiness and lingering resentment.
However, seeing her sitting close to Missy, it seemed she hadn't had a bad time.
Girls of that age usually bonded quickly.
Sensing the little girl's grudge, Mike wisely decided not to poke the bear after hitting a soft wall.
The group tacitly agreed not to bring up Mike and the girls again, and the atmosphere settled into a weird, quiet calm.
"Mike! You're here. Perfect timing for dinner." Just then, Mary popped her head out of the kitchen, saving Mike from the awkward silence.
---
As summer approached, the weather grew progressively hotter.
Amidst the stifling heat and restless atmosphere, late June arrived, bringing with it the final exams.
In the oven-like classrooms, the twelfth graders finished their two-day academic assessments and officially entered graduation season.
"Mike, I've decided to accept my parents' arrangement. I will be accompanying them to Africa to study wildlife..."
After taking her high school graduation photos, Katie found Mike.
Katie's parents had originally brought her to Medford to let her experience a normal high school life.
Now that Katie had overachieved on that plan, it was naturally time for her parents to close down their local lab and return to their field research in Africa.
However, heading to the harsh conditions of the African wild during the peak of summer heat was going to be a challenge.
"Do you require any assistance?" Mike asked.
"Just walk with me around the campus..." Having made her decision, Katie seemed to have shed her confusion, carrying herself with a newfound sense of freedom.
Summer, sunlight, campus...
Dappled light filtered through the trees as the teenage boy and girl walked slowly along the shaded path by the sports field.