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*3rd POV
"Then BAM! He was sprawled on the floor!" Georgie recounted his fight to Missy, who was looking at him in awe.
"Awesome…" she responded. They were in the living room, chatting. Georgie sat between Sheldon and Missy, while Sheldon read a book but still listened to Georgie's story.
"Why would you waste energy and hurt yourself like that? You people are barbarians." Sheldon sighed, clearly disapproving. He was still struggling to make friends and often found social norms baffling.
"That's how men solve their problems." Georgie replied, but his statement was quickly interrupted by their mom, Mary.
"No, no, no! Don't listen to your brother. Fighting is bad; it only creates a devil cycle."
"How is that possible?" Missy asked. When Mary began to explain, Georgie cut in.
"Well, when you lose, you feel anger, resentment, and bitterness. You want revenge to satisfy yourself. What happened when you win the fight ? You might feel good for a moment, but then comes regret. And what happens when your enemy loses? Their loved ones feel the same way and come after you. And when they succeed, your loved ones feel the same way in turn. That's the 'devil's circle' Mom's talking about." Mary looking at him with scrutinize gaze but she said nothing.
Missy and Sheldon listened intently as Georgie explained. Sheldon, however, couldn't hold back and asked, "Then why do you do something you know is bad for you? Doesn't that make you a hypocrite?"
"Sheldon!" Mary warned him, but Sheldon, still a child, didn't grasp how his words might hurt others, Well the adult ones is not thinking how the others feels too when he said whatever his mind is. Missy looked at Georgie, noticing he wasn't upset, and curiously asked, "What does 'hypocrite' mean?"
Georgie didn't answer Sheldon. Instead, he turned to Missy to explain. "Hmm… A hypocrite is someone who says one thing but does the opposite. Like if I claim honesty is the most important thing in life but constantly lie to others. Or if someone promises to keep a secret but spreads it around anyway. That's being a hypocrite—it's like being a big pretender in a harmful way."
After explaining, Georgie noticed Sheldon still waiting for an answer. He shrugged and said, "Well, it's simple… because I'm not a good person, Sheldon." grinning at him.
Mary and Missy both wanted to protest, but Sheldon spoke up first. "If you're not a good person, then you're a bad guy. But you're not a bad guy—at least not to me—Maybe for them you are a bad guy?"
"…." Georgie was momentarily surprised but then smiled. "Because I love you two—Missy and you. I love Dad and Mom. I love Meemaw too. That's why I'll always be an amazing family member for y'all!"
"I love you too!!!" Missy exclaimed, hugging Georgie. Mary smiled at the heartwarming moment.
"But you're always bullying me!!" Sheldon complained. Georgie laughed. "That's proof of my love for you!"
"Why just me and not Missy?!" Sheldon protested, wanting to escape being Georgie's sole target.
"Because she's my princess!" Georgie teased.
Sheldon grumbled, turned away, and resumed reading his book. But Georgie keep ruffling Sheldon's hair, making him furious and Sheldon couldn't retaliate. Instead, he resorted to his usual response: "MOM!!!"
"Oh, come on, Shelly…" Mary said as she watched Georgie mess with Sheldon, who tried to shield himself. Then Missy joined in, pinching Sheldon's cheeks, making him almost cry.
"OKAY, ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" Mary finally intervened.
"Hehehe…" Georgie and Missy stopped, but Georgie hugged Sheldon, who disliked physical contact and began to complain.
After letting go, Georgie noticed the book Sheldon was reading. "How to Win Friends and Influence People? Why are you reading this?"
Sheldon glared at Georgie but answered, "To make friends, of course. And just for the record, I'm doing this for Mom's sake—not yours."
"Sure, sure…" Georgie replied dismissively. "…And there's no Asian kid in the library…" Sheldon muttered softly, which made Georgie laugh.
"You don't need to worry. Sooner or later, you'll make a friend—or maybe even a girlfriend?" Georgie teased.
"Oh, what about me? Can I have a boyfriend?" Missy asked, looking at Georgie expectantly. He gave her a deadpan stare. "Over my dead body." he said, making Missy grumble.
The sound of a car pulling up outside interrupted them. Moments later, the front door opened, and George Sr. entered the house. Sheldon walked over to him.
Georgie grinned mischievously and whispered to Missy, "Watch your brother, hehe."
Sheldon approached George Sr. "Hello, George. How was your day, George?"
George Sr. looked confused, glancing at Mary and the kids in the living room. Mary gave him an awkward smile, indicating she had no clue what was happening either.
"What??" George Sr. asked.
"You look… remarkable in that outfit, George." Sheldon said, attempting to compliment him.
George sighed and walked past Sheldon. "Sheldon, if you're angling for another train set, I'm not buying you one until Christmas... but thanks."
"I'm not asking for another train… well, I do want one now, but I'm practicing the principles in this book." Sheldon held up the book. Missy and Georgie chuckled at Sheldon's antics, but stopped when they noticed Mary's stern look.
"I know Mom's worried about me not having friends, so I'm determined to change that." Sheldon said with resolve.
George grabbed a beer and looked at Sheldon, trying to think of a way to get him to leave him alone. He glanced at Georgie, who quickly looked away, clearly caught staring at him. "…Why don't you practice on someone your own age? Take Georgie and Missy as practice targets for… that." George suggested.
"…You have a point. Practicing on someone four times my age is illogical." Sheldon admitted, sighing.
"I'm 38!" George protested, but Sheldon ignored him and turned toward Georgie and Missy.
Sheldon approached them, and Georgie gave him a look. "Hey… if you want to practice making friends, why don't you go to Billy Sparks? It's better to practice directly with someone outside the family." Georgie said, motioning for Sheldon to leave.
{My dad and brother told me I should test my skills on others to get accurate samples and avoid bias from family. So, I decided to apply Carnegie's principles on someone my own age.} – Adult Sheldon.
{Looking back… maybe I should've just befriended a chicken.} - sighing after adult Sheldon said that.
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*Georgie's POV
After watching Sheldon's awkward attempt to talk to Billy Sparks—oh, it was hilarious, He still hadn't made a friend, but Missy came up with an idea for him to use the names on the library's checkout cards to find potential friends.
Meanwhile, I was stuck in detention for punching someone. I sat there, unable to talk or act out, so I pulled out some paper and jotted down a few words that had been swirling in my mind.
"Hmm…" I mused, glancing at the paper.
On it were words like Perfect, All of Me, Thinking Out Loud, Can't Help Falling in Love, and Just the Way You Are.
"What should I sing…" I muttered softly, twirling my pencil.
"What are you doing?" a voice beside me asked. I turned to see a 15-year-old boy with blonde hair peeking at my paper curiously. "I know Can't Help Falling in Love is Elvis, but the others? Never heard of them."
"These are… my songs." I replied, looking at him. 'Well, I'm definitely better looking than this guy,' I thought to myself.
"I'm James. James Knight." he said. I noticed the piercing on his lip and a few more on his ears.
"Georgie Cooper." I replied, flashing him a smile. I wasn't one to judge people—if someone was nice to me, I'd be nice back.
"Nice punch, by the way." James said, glancing behind us. I followed his gaze to see someone glaring daggers at me.
"Well, looking at him like that, he's bound to come after you, man. You better watch your back. I know that look—he's going to play dirty." James warned.
"No talking!" Mr. Givens snapped, glaring at us before returning to his book.
I leaned in slightly and smirked. "Don't worry about him. As long as he doesn't bring a gun, I can handle him and his boyfriends." I said, throwing a sly grin at the still-fuming Brian.
James stared at me for a moment before smirking himself. "I like you. We should hang out sometime."
I froze, feeling a shiver run down my spine at the way he said that. "…I'm not judging you or anything, but for the record… I like women." I clarified cautiously.
James blinked, processing my words. When it finally clicked that what he said could be taken ambiguously, he shot up from his seat and yelled, "I AM NOT GAY!!"
"MR. KNIGHT! SIT DOWN!" Mr. Givens bellowed. "…And save discussions about your personal preferences for after detention." he added with a disgusted look, leaving James speechless.