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3rd POV
After a long night filled with bickering, morning arrived. Veronica didn't stay that night, and after dinner she went straight home.
She had enjoyed having dinner with the Cooper family—it was fun, warm, and comforting. But at the same time, she didn't want to intrude. She wasn't part of the Cooper family.
Would it be nice to be a part of it? Sure. But she and Georgie were still just teenagers, barely stepping into adulthood.
Mary had made sure to remind them of that—very clearly.
"So… Veronica, huh?" George asked, eyeing Georgie over the rim of his coffee cup, a sly grin on his face.
"You serious about her?" he added casually.
Mary, who had been focused on the frying pan, immediately turned her attention toward them.
Missy, eating her breakfast, perked up with interest.
"Oh, I'm so into the idea of her becoming my sister!" she said excitedly.
Sheldon, after chewing his food exactly 32 times as per his usual habit, glanced at Missy.
"I told you, it's sister-in-law, not a real sister." he corrected.
George chuckled at their exchange, but Mary wasn't amused.
"No," she said firmly. "Your brother is going to study, graduate, and then think about marrying someone later when he reached atleast 27." she declared, making her stance very clear.
George laughed at her seriousness. He had only been teasing—he wasn't about to let Georgie get married young either.
Georgie grumbled, annoyed that his love life had become the morning's main topic.
"Come on, Mom. Of course, I'll do all that… hopefully…" he muttered under his breath.
Both George and Mary froze.
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Mary shrieked, waving her spatula in his direction.
George had also stopped laughing and was now staring at Georgie.
"I'm joking! Come on, it's too early for this," Georgie sighed, gesturing to his plate. "Can I just finish my breakfast in peace?"
George and Mary snorted but let it go.
Missy smirked, clearly enjoying the chaos.
Then, Sheldon—who had been quietly observing—spoke up again.
"Well, if Georgie has coitus with a woman and she gets pregn—"
George choked on his coffee.
"STOP IT, young man!" Mary cut him off immediately, pointing her spatula at him now.
Missy hummed to herself.
"…Oh, I love this morning." she murmured in amusement.
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Georgie's POV
"So, we're going all the way to Cape Canaveral just to see the space shuttle launch?" I asked Sheldon as we walked together through the school hallway.
Other students greeted me as we passed, some greeting Sheldon too—well, cautiously.
Sheldon had gained a bit of respect lately, partly because he had been helping Dad out occasionally, and also because I had been there to push him into certain social situations.
Even so, Sheldon still avoided physical contact with everyone.
I, on the other hand, simply smiled at the students, letting them know not to touch him.
They understood about it and not to try to get sarcastic chatterbox from Sheldon.
"Yes. We are only going to Cape Canaveral for the launch," Sheldon confirmed. Then he narrowed his eyes at me.
"No beach. No bikinis."
I raised my hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright, I was just joking about that you know. You are no fun Shelly!" I said jokingly to him.
Sheldon stopped walking for a second, then sighed. "…I am fun," he huffed. "Fine. I suppose we could stop by the beach for a moment before the launch."
I blinked.
Then I burst out laughing.
"Look at you now," I teased, ruffling his hair. "You're actually being considerate and not stubborn for once."
Sheldon swatted my hand away and immediately pulled out his pocket comb, fixing his hair with an annoyed grumble.
"But—I will be making a schedule to ensure we have time for it." he added.
I chuckled hearing that, "It's fine, Shelly. I was just messing with you." I said and we continued walking.
"We can still do that after we see the launch. I'm sure Dad will enjoy a little break at the beach too." I said.
Sheldon nodded, seeming satisfied.
Then, behind us, a female voice called out.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
"Hey, Georgie."
I turned around and saw Janna, smiling at me.
"Hey, what's up?" I greeted her casually, returning her smile.
"Nothing, I just wanted to say hi." Janna said sweetly.
"…You do realize I'm with my brother, right?" I said, gesturing to Sheldon, who was staring at her with a completely blank expression.
Janna finally acknowledged him, her smile faltering slightly.
"Hi, Sheldon." she said awkwardly, raising a hand in a weak wave.
Sheldon gave a brief nod, then turned to me, "I'm going to class first" he said flatly and walked off.
Janna let out a quiet sigh, but I didn't pay it any mind.
"Well, see you later, Janna." I said, turning on my heel and walking away before she could say anything else. Completely ignoring her.
I caught up with Sheldon and walked into class with him.
"I don't like her," Sheldon stated once we sat down.
"Well, good for you," I replied.
He gave me a weird look.
"Good for you because you held yourself back from saying anything to her," I added with a grin.
Truth be told—I didn't like what she do either.
I didn't like how Janna only acknowledged me and ignored Sheldon deliberately.
I didn't care what her reasons were—she wasn't like Veronica.
Veronica had been kind to Sheldon from the very start.
"Did you know that the space shuttle launch can get delayed or even canceled due to the weather?" I asked, giving Sheldon a heads-up.
"Yes," he replied. "There are several factors that can cancel a launch, mostly human error. But weather and even animals can also cause delays." he explained.
"In fact, Florida's weather can change very quickly, and launches often get postponed due to lightning, strong winds, or cumulonimbus clouds."
"Didn't the Challenger launch in 1986 end in tragedy?" I asked, leaning back.
"I don't understand why they still launch from there."
"Yes," Sheldon confirmed with a nod. "The Challenger launch should have been delayed. But they pushed ahead anyway, which led to disaster."
Our conversation caught the attention of some of our classmates.
One of them chimed in.
"Challenger, huh? I remember my dad watching the news about that shuttle," a student commented.
I glanced at the students around us, and Sheldon nodded.
"Yes, I remember that news as well. The shuttle was originally scheduled for launch on January 22, 1986, but it was postponed until January 28, 1986. Several engineers warned about the dangers of launching in low temperatures, and at that time, Florida was experiencing an unusually cold spell. The launch should have been canceled, but they went through with it anyway," Sheldon explained, addressing the classmates who had gathered to listen.
One of the students raised a hand.
"Wouldn't it be better to launch from Texas instead? I mean, we have tons of desert land in the west. And how old are you watching news ?!."
I nodded at his reasoning.
"He's six at that time and You're not wrong," I agreed. "But, like Sheldon said, weather is a huge factor. Van Horn might be a good place to build a space center and launch rockets. Or maybe Boca Chica, down in South Texas."
Sheldon considered it for a moment before nodding.
"I think Boca Chica is a good location," he said as he walked over to the World Globe in the classroom.
"If NASA doesn't implement my calculations to make booster rockets return to the launch site, then Boca Chica is an ideal spot for a space center." he stated, pointing at the location on the World Globe.
I stood up and joined him, looking at the globe. A few other guys followed us, intrigued.
Let's be real—every guy loves three things: Porn, Rockets, and Robots.
So, it wasn't surprising that they were eager to join our discussion.
"You see this?" Sheldon gestured at the globe. "Boca Chica is close to water, just like Florida. Rockets can be launched east or northeast, sending them far away from populated areas. That minimizes risk in case of failure."
He pointed toward the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
Another student chimed in, pointing at Houston.
"Yeah, and Boca Chica is close to Houston, where the Johnson Space Center is."
Sheldon nodded in approval, "You're absolutely right."
"…And the population there is small, so a failed launch wouldn't be a major disaster. Well—except for the pilot." another voice joined in.
We all turned to see Mr. Givens, who had just entered the classroom and was casually listening to our conversation.
"I've been there," he added. "And I can confirm that Boca Chica would be a great location for a space center. The weather there is also quite stable—not many disruptions."
Sheldon nodded, and we all returned to our seats.
"Well, that was an interesting discussion for you guys," Mr. Givens remarked. "Unfortunately, it's time to get back down to earth."
He attempted a joke—but it wasn't that funny.
"…Anyway, let's study hard." he added with a forced smile.
I shook my head, glancing at Sheldon, who sighed at Mr. Givens' awkward humor.
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3rd POV
Janna watched Georgie walk away, her expression shifting between frustration and disappointment.
"Pfft."
A snort from behind her made her turn around.
Veronica stood there, arms crossed, walking toward her with a smirk.
"You lost your chance with him, so back off, bitch!" Veronica said, glaring at Janna. "Georgie doesn't want to see you again after this."
Janna gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing.
"Shut the hell up," she snapped. "You better watch Georgie closely, or I will steal him from you."
She scoffed and stormed away, leaving Veronica smirking triumphantly.
"You don't have to say it—I won't let Georgie go." Veronica muttered under her breath.
She turned her gaze toward Georgie, who was now walking into his classroom with Sheldon.
"Hmph. You made me like this, and I'm not letting you go." she whispered, clenching her fists.
Of course, she knew that her threats wouldn't really stop Janna.
And Georgie is a nic guy too.
It's good, but that's not really helping her.
She would have to do more to make sure Georgie stayed hers.
Veronica had already grown close to Georgie's family. They had accepted her.
And that meant everything to her.
At first, she had only gotten close to them because of Georgie.
But now, the warmth of the Cooper family made her want to stay with them.
A soft smile crossed her lips as she thought about it.
She left the school hallway and headed to her class, silently hoping that the Cooper family would always accept her for who she was.
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3rd POV – Luminous Records
Inside the soundproof rehearsal room of Luminous Records, James sat on the floor, exhausted, chugging water.
Edo stretched out his wrists, shaking off the stiffness, while Kayla was already lying flat on the ground, completely drained.
"I'm so tired…" Kayla muttered, staring at the ceiling.
Alex, standing nearby, clapped his hands.
"Good job, everyone. You've all improved a lot. I'm impressed with your progress," he praised.
They had been practicing until 3 AM.
Even though Georgie had forbidden them from overworking themselves, they were teenagers—breaking the rules was practically a requirement.
And when it came to playing music, they lost track of time.
Rosie nodded approvingly, while Fenley let out a deep sigh.
When these kids had first come into the studio, Fenley already knew them.
But their music style was different from Georgie's.
They had to adjust to Georgie's country sound.
She had thought they might give up—but Georgie believed in them.
Fenley believed in Georgie.
She had trusted him so far, and he hadn't disappointed her yet.
Now, seeing the determination in James' group, Fenley and Rosie's doubts about them were slowly crumbling.
"Go get some rest," Rosie finally said. "You guys have gigs at bars later tonight."
The three nodded, too tired to respond with words.
"I want to see 90% perfection on stage tonight," Fenley said firmly.
She met each of their eyes.
"I hope you don't disappoint Georgie. He put his trust in you."
The three nodded again.
Sure, they had played at bars before.
But had Georgie ever done it?.
Fenley could sense their concern.
"You don't have to worry about Georgie," she reassured them. "I know he's ready to perform in front of a crowd."
"We'll see about that tonight." Alex murmured.
Beckie nodded in agreement, "Yes, we'll see if Georgie can handle it." she added.
Fenley didn't respond, simply leaving the room with Rosie.
As they walked, Rosie finally voiced her concern.
"Are you sure about Georgie?" she asked, glancing at Fenley.
Fenley didn't hesitate.
"Yes," she said firmly. "I believe he's going to make it. He'll perform in front of thousands, and one day, millions will watch him and listen to his music passionately."
Her voice was steady.
She meant it.
Rosie sighed.
"I hope so," she muttered. "Or we'll go bankrupt before we even get started."
Fenley smirked.
"I'm picking up Georgie from school," she announced.
Rosie rolled her eyes.
"I wish Georgie would just grow up faster and get his own car already," she grumbled. "I don't know why you always do this for him."
Fenley waved her off.
"We're still poor. Don't say stupid things."
Rosie snorted.
"Poor? Oh, sure. I believe you, just like I believe a meteor is going to hit the Earth and wipe out all of humanity tomorrow."
She walked off, leaving Fenley standing there, awkwardly staring after her.
"…What about the animals?" Fenley muttered under her breath.
Rosie stumbled slightly at the random comment.
"Shut up! Just go pick up our star already!"