Quickly the week had passed.
With my constant morning runs, training at school, and adding some strength exercises as recommended by Coach Wilkins. Gradually, I was gaining endurance; I didn't get tired as quickly, and I could run as fast as I can a few seconds more. Along with the strength exercises and Sheldon's advice, my throws were gaining more power every day, enough to please Mr. Cooper.
"I'm sure that if you keep improving the way you are doing, we can win the game coming up in two weeks," Mr. Cooper commented after Friday's training with a wide smile.
I put all my effort into each training session, giving my all in the passes, trying to execute the plays as outlined in the book, and supporting my teammates when they needed it. Coach Wilkins and Mr. Cooper noticed my dedication, often congratulating me in front of everyone in the locker room after training.
Regina also noticed, along with the cheerleading team, who constantly cheered my name on the field.
This seemed to trigger some jealousy among my teammates, as they started viewing our activities as a competition. They frequently challenged me to races or asked for more challenging passes. Overall, the training sessions were very productive for both me and my teammates.
After school, Georgie and I played with Gabe at home, practicing some of the plays from the book while having fun. Occasionally, Mr. Cooper or Bob would join us to spend quality time together.
Throughout the week, I continued to help Teddy with her homework. Even though she seemed not to need my assistance, she was always happy to accept it while telling me about her day and the school gossip.
Gabe would continue to practice his guitar for a few hours before bed, which helped me relax a bit.
In other words, I was living a happy life with my family and friends.
Today is Sunday, and I'm at the comic book store with Gabe, waiting for mom to return with the purchases.
"PJ, do you think if a radioactive spider bites me, I'll get powers like Spiderman?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the comic book.
"I highly doubt you'll find a radioactive spider, buddy. But even if you do, no, I don't think it'll give you powers," I replied, flipping through a Doctor Strange comic, which apparently is his real name, not just a nickname.
Leaving the comic where I found it, I looked through the other shelves to see what caught my attention. Superheroes were never really my thing, although I heard about some famous movies in my previous life, I never got around to watching them, so I don't know what the big fuss is about.
Near some action figures, I picked up a book with a guitar on the cover. On the book cover, I read "Learn to Play Guitar: A Guide to Playing the Best Songs." This would be perfect for Gabe, who was just strumming the guitar without much guidance from me. I can't teach him much, so this book will be a great help.
"What do you have there?" Gabe suddenly asked, standing behind me.
"It's a book to learn how to play the guitar," I said as I handed it to him, "take it, it can be useful."
I noticed in his other hand he had several comic books and some dollar bills. With a frown on his face, he was evaluating what to buy.
"Leave it, I'll give it to you as a gift," I said, taking the book back.
"Perfect, thanks PJ," he quickly replied and ran off, probably thinking I might change my mind.
Mom didn't give me money to buy comic books, but PJ had a few hundred dollars saved up hidden in a sock and since Bob knew I made it to the team, he had been giving me money daily. "You deserve it, quarterback, my son. Don't tell your siblings; I'll keep giving them their allowance only on Sundays," I remember him saying with pride.
After paying for the book for Gabe, I waited by the counter as he finished purchasing the comics he had in his hand. When he was done, we left the store.
"Come on, Gabe, I want to go into RadioShack," I said as we crossed the street.
Inside RadioShack, there was a lone salesperson who forced a smile upon seeing us. "Hi, welcome to RadioShack. I'm Dave. How can I help you?"
"Hey, Dave, I just came to ask a few questions," I replied, trying to mimic his cheerfulness.
"This place will be here forever!" suddenly, I heard someone shout from behind me in a high-pitched voice.
Turning around, I saw Sheldon and Mrs. Cooper entering the store.
"Oh, hi, PJ, what a pleasant surprise to find you here," Sheldon said cheerfully when he met me, "Gabe," he continued with less enthusiasm.
"Hey, robot, are you here for more parts?" Gabe asked without looking up from his book, which he had opened when we entered the store.
"Hi, Sheldon, good morning, Mrs. Cooper," I greeted, returning the salutation and acknowledging her mom while giving Gabe a small nudge discreetly.
"Hello, PJ, Gabe, good morning. Are you here with your mom?" Mrs. Cooper greeted us happily, stretching her neck to look inside the store.
"Yes, but she's shopping. In fact, she shouldn't be long; we were at the comic book store not too long ago," I replied.
"Ah, comics," Sheldon scoffed playfully. "Sure, children's books," he said, trying to mock Gabe.
"Yeah, you wouldn't understand; you're a robot," Gabe retorted, still not taking his eyes off his reading.
Disappointed that his attempt to offend Gabe failed, Sheldon walked away to talk to Dave.
"Well, I hope we can meet up. George wanted to invite your dad for a barbecue and watch the game, so I thought about inviting your mom to have tea with me," Mrs. Cooper said with a smile.
"If you'd like, I can tell my mom. Oh! Forget it; there she comes," I said, pointing outside the store where Mom was walking in with a paper bag full of groceries.
Taking the bag from her hands, I separated from the ladies, who had started a conversation.
Dave was talking to Sheldon in front of a computer. "This is the Tandy 1000; it's a somewhat old model but still very functional," Dave said with his salesman smile. "Don't tell anyone, but it's rumored that the Tandy 1000 SL will arrive in stores in a few months," he continued, whispering to Sheldon.
"That's a great computer, Dave. I have a question for you," I said from behind them, making both of them jump in their places.
"Of course, tell me what you need. Maybe a floppy disk or possibly a Walkman to listen to music," he said quickly while grabbing things from the shelves.
"No, nothing like that. I just wanted to know what you know about Microsoft," I asked quickly, cutting off his sales pitch.
"Microsoft was founded in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen," Sheldon answered while playing with the computer beside him.
Seeing that I wasn't going to buy anything, Dave excused himself and approached another customer a few steps away.
I didn't know much about the stock market, but thanks to my paramedic partner who never stopped talking about it, I knew that 10 years after Microsoft's founding, their stocks were worth $20. If someone had invested those $20 in a stock for 1990, they would now have $6,000, and by the year I died, it would be $49,000. If I could invest my money right now in Microsoft stocks 15 years after its founding, I could become rich.
I need to act fast, but I also need to get more money. At the moment, I only had a few hundred dollars. Lost in thought about how to get more money and watching Sheldon use the computer, I didn't notice the time until Mrs. Cooper called out, "Shelly, it's time to go. See you later, PJ. Goodbye, Gabe," as she called for Sheldon.
"Let's go too, PJ," said Mom, who had her hands on Gabe's shoulders, and he still had his face buried in the book.
On the way home, Gabe quickly ran inside, saying, "I have to try this," holding the book in his hand.
Alone with Mom in the car, I touched her shoulder and asked, "So, when will you tell Dad about the pregnancy?" My question seemed to surprise Mom, and she remained motionless in the car.
"Well, it's not the right time yet, you know. Your dad is so happy about the new job, finally, Teddy is smiling more, and you're getting along so well with her and Gabe. I'm starting to work again tomorrow. I'm not sure if I can tell him. What if I ruin all the happiness, or what if your dad gets even more stressed? What if-" I interrupted her gently, pressing her shoulder, "That won't happen, Mom. It's just your emotions talking," I reassured her.
"You're right, PJ, but I can't do it today. Your dad is with George, watching the game. I don't want to bother him. Maybe tomorrow," she said, pointing to the Cooper's backyard, where Bob and Mr. Cooper were in front of the grill with beers in their hands.
Getting out of the car, I accompanied Mom inside the house, leaving the grocery bag on the kitchen table. "You can tell him whenever you're ready, but I think the sooner, the better," I said as I began to put things away.
Noticing her unusual silence, I finished putting things away and turned to check if she had heard me.
With a small smile of pride on her face, Mom said, "Teddy was right; the bump to your head made you much more attentive and wise," she pulled me into a tight hug, "thank you, PJ. Now, go join your dad and Mr. Cooper; they might need help," she continued as she let go of the hug.
At the Cooper's house, Bob, Mr. Cooper, and Georgie were tending to some cuts of meat on the grill. The adults had beers in their hands, while Georgie had a soda.
When they saw me approach, Bob said with pride, "Here comes the best quarterback Texas has."
"The team captain! Bob, let me tell you, thanks to PJ, all the other players are working so hard during training," Mr. Cooper said, happily taking a sip of his beer.
"That's my son, the role model," Bob said, puffing his chest and patting my shoulder. "Tell me, what did he do?" he continued, turning to Mr. Cooper.
Leaving the adults to talk, I approached Georgie, who had moved to a cooler a few steps away from the grill.
"Hey, superstar," Georgie said, giving me a friendly punch on the shoulder before handing me a soda.
"I ran into your brother at the tech store," I told him as we took a seat in the Cooper's garden chairs.
"He was probably buying some parts," Georgie said disdainfully, making fun of his brother.
With a laugh, I said, "That's what Gabe said". "You're lucky to have a normal brother; I'd do anything to trade him," Georgie said, laughing at the coincidence, "you have Missy, and Gabe is my brother, I wouldn't change him for anything," I replied.
We continued talking about unimportant school things for a few minutes until Mrs. Cooper arrived with Sheldon and Mom, Teddy, and Missy, who seemed to be talking with the older girl.
Bob asked Georgie and me to bring a folding table from our garage.
Everyone sat around the folding table in the Cooper's backyard, enjoying the grilled meat while watching the game on the TV, which Mr. Cooper had set up with extensions.
Teddy constantly asked Missy, her little friend, questions about the game. Georgie, more accustomed to Teddy's presence, was watching the game with a furrowed brow.
"You know, Amy, George says your son has a girlfriend," Bob said with a teasing smile, causing me to choke on my food, and Mom let out a cheer of excitement, "is that true? What's her name PJ?" she asked excitedly.
Before I could answer, Georgie quickly said, "Her name is Regina George, and she's totally hot," patting my shoulder playfully with a hint of envy in his smile.
"Yes, she's well-known at school. I even know who she is. Everyone talks about her," Sheldon said, cutting a piece of meat carefully.
With another cheer of excitement, Mom said, "Why didn't you ever tell us about her?" with enthusiasm.
"Because she's not my girlfriend; she just does her cheerleader job when we train. Keep watching the game and stop making up nonsense," I said, playfully giving Georgie a little tap on the back of his head.
"Sure, her ´´job´´ as a cheerleader. She only says hello to you and always does cheers with your name," Georgie said, munching his food, rather disgustingly.
"She is totally interested in you" Teddy said suddenly, "totally!" Missy echoed.
"You two as well?" I said to both of them, "She's not my girlfriend, she's just a friend who needs help studying," I said exasperatedly.
"Oh, sure, you mean a study date," Teddy teased, making fake kissing noises in the air, followed by Missy mimicking her.
Laughing at what they said, "That bump made you more attentive, but completely blind to girls, it seems. She likes you, PJ," Mom said happily.
"Whatever it may be, even if she does like him, she can't be his girlfriend. The school rules don't allow relationships between students," Sheldon said haughtily.
"Oh, Shelly," Mrs. Cooper said, embracing her intrigued son's head.
We continued in the Cooper's backyard until it started to get dark. Mr. Cooper brought the TV inside the house, and Mrs. Cooper put her younger children to bed for their night routine. After saying our goodbyes, Georgie and I returned the folding table to the garage and parted ways.
I went to sleep with many questions in my head about Regina. She couldn't actually like me, right?
The next day, I woke up early, as my body had become accustomed to it. I turned off the alarm before it rang to not disturb Gabe's sleep and got ready to go for a run.
The early mornings were very quiet; occasionally, I'd pass a woman running her morning jog or people walking their dogs. At this hour, there were many elderly people slowly strolling along the sidewalk.
After running my course, I returned home and did some push-ups in the front yard, followed by squats and a few crunches.
Entering the house, Bob was already sitting, reading the newspaper while having breakfast, and Mom was preparing packed lunches in paper bags, dressed in her nurse uniform. With a quick greeting to both of them and grabbing a glass of water Mom had poured for me, I headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
Back in the kitchen after my morning hygiene routine, I grabbed a banana from the counter and said, "I'm running out of shampoo, Dad. Can you pick up another bottle on your way home later this afternoon?" I asked.
With a surprised look on his face, Bob said, "What? Are you almost finished with it? But we bought it not even a week ago. How can you be running out of shampoo already?" he asked incredulously.
"Well, I shower every day, and as the barber recommended, I use it twice a day," I explained as I continued eating my banana.
Noticing the silence from my parents, I looked up to see them with wide eyes, astonished.
"What?" I asked as I took another bite of the fruit.
"Bathing every day is a big surprise," Bob explained, "well, with your morning runs, you naturally need to take a shower. You arrive sweating a lot," Mom said.
"Yes, exactly. That's why I shower daily; otherwise, I'd stink when I get to school," I said.
"You already stink," Gabe said suddenly, entering the kitchen.
"That's not true. Yes, you used to smell really bad," Teddy also entered the kitchen, "but now, you smell nice. Is that some kind of cologne?" she asked after taking a whiff.
"Yeah, I use a little cologne after my shower. Smells good, right?" I responded, bringing my shirt up to her nose.
"Yes, it smells nice," she said, taking a seat to serve herself some cereal.
After finishing breakfast, Mom, along with Gabe and Teddy, said their goodbyes, "PJ, remember you'll be going home with Mary Cooper today. Your dad won't be able to pick you up, so she'll do you a favor and bring you home for a few days."
"Okay, good luck on your first day, Mom," I said as I bid them farewell.
Arriving at school, Bob stopped me before I could get out of the terrible van after opening the door, "good luck today, son," he said, "and be a gentleman with Regina. That's how I won your mother over," he continued, giving me a few friendly taps on the shoulder.
"We're just going to study-" I was about to say, but Bob interrupted, "see you later, PJ," he said, pushing me out of the van.
School went like any other day, with classes in different periods happening as usual. Sheldon and I competed to answer questions and submit work quickly. I constantly lost because my friends and classmates kept stopping me, asking questions that I happily answered.
In the cafeteria, we were discussing yesterday's game when David interrupted us, "is that your mom, Georgie?" he said, pointing to the cafeteria entrance where Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Cooper stood. As Georgie noticed them, Mrs. Cooper pointed to her youngest son, who was sitting alone at a table, eating.
"Yes, she is," He quickly replied, lowering his gaze and ignoring his parents.
"I think she wants us to eat with Sheldon," I said after waving to Mrs. Cooper.
"He's not going to let that happen; he even told you that he didn't want to," Georgie said. "No, he told me he didn't want to eat with you because you smell bad, which is true, Brock, buddy, when was the last time you used deodorant?" I asked my big friend sitting next to me. "Deodorant?" he asked confused.
With a complicit smile, Alan said, "Never mind, big guy."
Laughing, I stood up to talk to Sheldon, "where are you going?" Georgie quickly asked. "I'm going with your brother. I'll keep him company for a few minutes. I'll be right back."
As I turned to start walking, I bumped into someone. "Oops, sorry Karen, are you okay?" Karen, whom I had bumped into, was rubbing her head as she nodded to my question, "yes, she's fine. It wasn't your fault, PJ," Regina, who was standing next to her friend, quickly said, "good morning, by the way, how are you?" she said with a charming smile while playing with her hair.
"Good morning, Regina, Gretchen," I replied, "I'm fine, thank you," I answered her question, standing in my place. A few seconds later, feeling a bit awkward, I said, "well, see you later," and prepared to leave. "Wait," Regina said, holding my arm to stop me, "last week we agreed that you'd help us study. How about today after school?"
"I can't today; I have to leave early, but how about tomorrow during the free period in the library?" I responded apologetically. We hadn't set a date yet, but today I had to go with Mrs. Cooper, and she always picked up Sheldon early.
With a forced smile, Regina said, "sure, tomorrow during the free period in the library. Sounds great, doesn't it?" she said the last part to her friends, who simply nodded.
"Perfect, then see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Regina, Gretchen, sorry about the bump, Karen," I bid them farewell.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. By the way, PJ, you smell really nice," Karen said as she said goodbye with an exaggerated wave.
"Thanks," I replied, "it's a lotion I use in the mornings," I continued.
"See you tomorrow," Regina quickly said, pulling her friends along.
"You have to tell me your secret, friend," Brock said, sitting behind me.
"Yeah, how do you get the hot girls to talk to you?" Georgie asked.
"Well, I just treat them with respect and smell good. You guys should try it," I teased them.
"It must be your position on the team, Superstar," David said, also jealous.
"Whatever it is, it works," Alan said as he continued eating.
"Anyway, I'm going with Shel—" I was about to say when the bell interrupted me; it was time for the next period.
The day continued as usual, and at the end of school, I said goodbye to my friends and followed Sheldon to the school's exit, where Mrs. Cooper was waiting in her car with Missy and Teddy, who were talking about different things, ignoring Gabe, who still had the guitar book open in his hands.
"Hi, Shelly, PJ, how was your day?" Mrs. Cooper greeted us when we got into the car, "it was a good day, Mom," He replied, "I answered 62% more questions than PJ," Sheldon said, puffing out his chest as he smiled smugly.
With an uncomfortable smile, Mrs. Cooper said, "and how was your day, PJ?"
"It was a good day, thank you, Mrs. Cooper," I said before turning in my seat, "I took it a bit easy, but starting tomorrow, I'll get really serious," I joked a bit with Sheldon, who was sitting in the back seat with Gabe.
Immediately losing his smile, Sheldon said, "weren't you serious before?" surprised, "no, I've been answering slowly because I also help my friends and your brother," I responded, not giving much importance to the matter, "well, thanks for that, PJ," Mrs. Cooper said as she drove.
"I saw that girl today, very cute, was she Regina?" Mrs. Cooper asked, remembering.
"Yes, she was Regina with her friends Gretchen and Karen, who, by the way, got hit by PJ's chest," Sheldon said.
"Great job, PJ, that's how you win a girl over, hitting her friends," Teddy teased, "yeah, next, you should put glue in her hair," Missy added.
The teasing continued in Mrs. Cooper's car, and Sheldon didn't say much on the way home; he had a frown on his face as he thought, and Mrs. Cooper tried to get information about Regina from me, which I didn't have to give; I didn't know her well.
"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper," I said as I got out of the car, "see you tomorrow, Sheldon, bye, Missy," I continued saying my goodbyes.
At home, Gabe quickly ran to our room, where I could hear some music coming from his guitar.
With Teddy, I sat at the kitchen table to start our homework, as we had done routinely.
"So, Regina, do you like her?" she asked, trying to hide her interest by pretending to write in her notebook.
"I don't know, Teddy. Yes, she's cute, but I don't know her well," I replied. To me, Regina was just a teenager; it didn't make sense for me to like her, despite being in the body of a teenager like her.
"Well, you'll study with her, won't you? There, you can get to know her better," she said, still writing in her notebook.
"Yes, but I won't just study with her, I'll also study with her friends," I clarified as I continued doing my homework, "let's change the subject. What happened at school today? Did you hang out with Baja again?" I asked as I continued with my work.
Time passed quickly, and at some point, Mom came home from work, followed a few minutes later by Bob.
Sitting at the dining table, serving food, "Mom, how was your new job?" I asked.
"It went very well. Almost everyone is very nice. I met all the doctors there and ran into Dr. Richards again, the one who examined you when you hit your head. He asked about you," she said, smiling.
"Almost everyone is nice?" I asked, "was there someone annoying?"
"Yes, this doctor. Everyone respects him; they say he's an excellent doctor, a genius, but he's very unpleasant," she said with a disgusted look.
"Unpleasant in what way, dear? Should I go 'talk' to him?" Bob said as he chewed his food.
"No, not unpleasant in that way, just very condescending. He wouldn't take any patients, even though I was handing him their files," she said, annoyed.
"And if he doesn't accept patients, why do they let him work there?" I said, now a bit annoyed as I cut my meat on my plate.
"Well, according to the head nurse, he's a highly renowned infectious disease specialist. I think his name was Gregory, Gregory House," she said, recalling.
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Author's Thoughts
I am not American, and I know absolutely nothing, not to mention less than nothing, about the stock market. The data I used for this chapter comes from the website MyWallst.com, and I'm not sure if the information is correct.
Boom! This chapter is somewhat short (just kidding, it's long). Thank you so much for putting my story in the top 47 of the weekly Power Stones ranking. I hope this week we can climb higher in the ranking, but for that, we need more Power Stones (MORE MORE!!).
I'd like to clarify a few things:
1. In the previous chapter, the MC tells Teddy to wait one more year. In the original series wiki, it's stated that PJ is two years older than Teddy, but for the sake of the plot, we'll ignore that and say he's only one year older.
2. Dr. House takes place in New Jersey, but let's imagine together that the hospital in Medford is a big hospital, big enough to have House there, so let's pretend it's in Texas.
3. Another difference between the original DAD and this novel is that there's no system. I'm sorry if you were expecting there to be one.
And that's it, I think that's all.
As always, if you find an error, please comment, and I'll correct it right away.
Thank you very much for reading.
Leave a review; I really appreciate hearing how I can improve.
PS: I started uploading the novel to ScribbleHub as well, in case anyone wants to leave a review there too. It's under the same name, and you can find it using my username.