Yo! My novel has currently ended Season 1 on my Patreon. I'm planning to continue it with Season 2. Does anyone still want it? And feel free to give me suggestions for something else that could be included in the story.
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3rd POV
The night carried on, laughter and gossip floating freely across the Cooper backyard. Neighbors mingled with teachers, the smell of barbecue still heavy in the air, while the arrival of Pastor Jeff had added a different kind of energy to the men's circle. At first, the dads hadn't known how to act around him, what to say, what not to say, but once George Sr. brought up Georgie's name and a few things, the conversation spiraled naturally into stories, jokes, and gossip.
Pastor Jeff, despite his title, was just a man. And tonight, he allowed himself to laugh along, even as the others unconsciously held back a little, as though his presence demanded restraint.
On the other side of the yard, Georgie and Veronica sat surrounded by the younger ones. Sheldon was seated calmly at his brother's side, while Missy and Bobby ran back and forth between the children and adults, carrying bits of gossip like mischievous little messengers. Billy, meanwhile, sat quietly next to Sheldon, his gaze fixed on the star-filled sky.
"I wonder…" Billy said at last, his voice uncertain. "Is there really a God up there?"
Sheldon frowned, knitting his brows. "We don't know that. As a future scientist, I cannot answer such a question. No one has been able to prove God or any other higher existence. The only place you'll find Him is in religious texts. We've never met Him, though some scientists have studied those texts who have aged tens of thousands of years."
Billy shifted his eyes from the stars to Sheldon. "I never met Him either," he said flatly.
Georgie and Veronica both chuckled at the exchange, it was hardly the kind of talk you'd expect from kids.
"Well," Georgie said with a playful smirk, raising his eyebrows, "you gotta make an appointment first if you want to meet God."
Veronica smacked his arm, making him grimace and pout.
Billy tilted his head, still confused, until Sheldon cut in with his usual blunt delivery. "He means you have to die if you want to meet God." His tone was flat, entirely unamused.
"Oh." Billy nodded slowly, finally understanding. He turned to Sheldon, his face suddenly firm. "I don't want to die. My mom will be sad if I die."
"Don't listen to him, Billy," Veronica said gently, shooting Georgie an annoyed look. "He's just saying stupid things."
"What are you talking about?" Missy asked as she and Bobby wandered over.
Sheldon jumped slightly when Bobby plopped down beside him, nudging him out of his spot next to Georgie. Sheldon looked ready to protest, but one fierce look from Bobby was enough to silence him.
Missy, meanwhile, made herself comfortable by climbing straight onto Georgie's lap, as if that seat had always belonged to her.
Veronica was amused, watching Georgie's twitching expression.
"We're talking about God," Billy explained casually, as though he were discussing cookies or pudding.
"What about Him?" Missy tilted her head back to look at Georgie.
"....Why are you looking at me? Billy's the one who asked," Georgie said, twitching his mouth and pointing at Billy.
"Yes, but you're the one who answered," Missy shot back matter-of-factly, as if that settled it.
And just like that, the heavy burden of theology had landed squarely on Georgie's shoulders.
Veronica chuckled at the sight of him struggling for words. "Well," she said lightly, "your mother believes in God. Why don't you all just believe too?"
"I can't do that," Sheldon countered immediately. "As a future scientist, I must research and take results from my research. Whether God exists or not… I don't know."
Georgie exhaled and looked around at all of them. His voice was calm, steady. "I know God exists. I believe so. But—" he stopped when Sheldon opened his mouth to argue, "—that's what I believe. I don't know about you. You have to find your own belief, from your own heart."
Sheldon fell quiet. Then, surprisingly, he gave a small nod. He respected that Georgie hadn't tried to force faith on him the way their mother did.
"You do?" Veronica asked, raising her brows at Georgie. Sure, he often sang about God, but she hadn't realized he believed so wholeheartedly.
Georgie met her eyes with a firm, steady gaze. "Yes, I do." Then, just as quickly, he broke the tension with a grin. "So, Missy, is the meat done yet?"
Sheldon, who stayed silent after Georgie's words, then gave his brother a small nod before rising from his seat. Without another word, he walked toward the men gathered around the grill.
"Yes, do you want some too, Brother?" Missy tilted her head up at Georgie.
"Yes, please. And bring some for Veronica too," Georgie replied with a nod. His eyes, however, drifted toward the grill.
Well, he'd be damned. Georgie and Veronica both noticed it—the energy by the grill had shifted. The men weren't just laughing and gossiping anymore. They were watching. Watching him.
"Uh… why are they looking at us?" Missy frowned, tilting her head as she stared at the grill. "Come on, Bobby! Let's see what's going on." She hopped up with Bobby right behind her, and Billy quickly followed to fetch some meat as well.
"…Am I in trouble again?" Georgie muttered under his breath, leaning closer to Veronica.
Veronica kept glancing toward the grill, spotting Sheldon among the men. "…I think your little statement just shocked them, that's all," she said, lips twitching with amusement. Her eyes landed on Pastor Jeff, who was grinning far too wide.
"Right… I am in trouble," Georgie sighed, rubbing his temple.
"I don't think so," Veronica giggled softly. "What you said made sense. It's just… Sheldon repeated your words, and that probably shook them even more."
Moments later, Missy and the others came running back with plastic plates piled high with meat.
"Brother! You won't believe this!" Missy exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Sheldon said he wants to go to Sunday class at church!"
"…Yeah." Georgie slumped back, already bracing himself. He knew exactly what that meant…George Sr. and Mary were going to corner him about this later.
Sure enough, Sheldon and Billy returned as well, each holding their own plates.
"Why is everybody acting so shocked?" Sheldon grumbled, his face scrunched up as he sat back down. "I just want to learn more. That's all."
"That's great, Sheldon. We can go to church together!" Billy said with an innocent smile.
"No, Billy. I'll go with my family. And you'll go with yours." Sheldon corrected him flatly, bursting his bubble in one sentence.
"Oh. You're right." Billy nodded, still unfazed.
Veronica nudged Missy with a grin. "Well, if Sheldon joins Sunday Class… you know you'll be forced to go too."
Missy's eyes went wide. She turned on her brother with an angry glare—but a few seconds later, she just shrugged and went back to eating.
Veronica stared, mouth open. That was… fast. Too fast for Missy to accept so easily.
"This is good," Georgie said simply, chewing his steak with calm acceptance. Like Missy, he'd already made his peace with it. Whatever questions Mary and George Sr. would throw at him later about Sheldon and Sunday School, that was a problem for another time.
The night rolled on, carried by the scent of barbecue and the chorus of laughter. Pastor Jeff and Selena blended in surprisingly well, Jeff especially, encouraged by Sheldon's unexpected interest in Sunday School.
For Georgie, it felt like the stress of the entire week had melted away. Smiling, he stood and began walking toward the house—only to realize someone was following.
Selena.
She caught sight of him and rose gracefully from her seat. "Mary, may I use the bathroom?" she asked with an innocent smile.
"Georgie, could you show Selena the way?" Mary called, stopping him just before he disappeared inside.
Georgie hesitated, eyes flicking between Mary and Selena. "…Sure," he said at last. But already, his gut told him trouble was coming.
Selena nodded politely to Mary, then followed Georgie into the house.
The hallway was quiet, only the distant hum of laughter outside seeping in. Georgie walked ahead in silence, Selena's heels clicking softly behind him.
"This is the bathroom," Georgie said flatly, pointing toward the door. Selena paused, glanced at it… then turned her eyes back to him.
"…¿De verdad vas a hacerte el tonto?"(…Are you really going to play dumb?) she asked in Spanish, her brow furrowing.
Georgie turned to her, his expression bored. "No sé de qué estás hablando. Y no quiero meterme en tus líos." (I don't know what you're talking about. And I don't want to be involved in your mess) he replied—also in Spanish.
"Yo también te vi." (I saw you too.) Selena's smirk curved as she jabbed a finger into his chest. "¿Niñito jugando con fuego? Estudia duro, entra a una buena universidad… no jugando con mujeres." (Little boy playing with fire? Study hard, get into a good university… not playing with women.) Her words dripped with mockery.
Georgie looked down at her finger, then met her eyes with his own sharp gaze. A slow smirk spread across his lips. "...¿Una puta quiere educarme, eh? No puedo creer que hayas conseguido casarte con un pastor. ¿Cuánto necesitabas una green card para quedarte en América?" (...A whore wants to educate me, huh? I can't believe you managed to land a pastor for a husband. How badly did you need a green card to stay in America?)
Selena froze. Fury flashed in her eyes. Her hand, still pressed to his chest, suddenly lifted—ready to slap him across the face.
But Georgie caught her wrist midair, gripping it firmly. His gaze locked on hers, sharp and unyielding.
"¿Crees que por ser la esposa de un pastor estás por encima de los demás? ¿Crees que te tengo miedo?" (You think being a pastor's wife puts you above everyone else? You think I'm afraid of you?) Georgie's smirk deepened. *Lo peor que me puede pasar es que mi novia termine conmigo. ¿Pero tú?" (The worst thing that could happen to me is my girlfriend breaks up with me. But you?)
His eyes narrowed, his voice dropping lower.
"Tú tienes mucho más que perder." (You've got a hell of a lot more to lose.)
Selena stared at him, this time her gaze unsteady, fear beginning to flicker across her face. Georgie's smirk stayed in place, though inside he felt nothing but relief.
They both held secrets about each other, and Georgie simply wanted Selena not to poke at him anymore. He had already planned the words he'd use to brush her off, but the way she kept pressing him was really starting to annoy him.
What Georgie didn't know was that his words were exactly what Selena had feared all along.
"I don't care whose dick you end up in, as long as you don't bring… unnecessary things into my family," Georgie said coldly. He let go of Selena's wrist, then grabbed her chin, holding her still. "Then we're good." A smile curled on his lips as he said it.
Selena slowly nodded, her eyes fixed on Georgie—seeing not just a teenager, but something else, something dangerous she had never encountered before.
Georgie released her at last. "Good," he repeated, then turned and started down the next door, his room.
Selena remained where she was, breathing unevenly. She snorted softly, exhaled a long breath, then finally stepped into the bathroom. But her nightmare wasn't over yet.
She froze when she heard Georgie's voice again.
"Hmm... I changed my mind." Selena saw the bathroom door creaked open and Georgie emerged from behind it with a smile on his face, "...Suck my dick first. A whore needs to do her job properly," Georgie said lightly, unzipping his pants as he walked toward Selena.
"You don't want your husband to know, right?" Georgie said with an innocent smile.
"... No..." Selena said, keeping her back away from Georgie.
"Don't make me ask you twice..." Georgie said, his voice dropping low. The threat Selena felt was so strong that she swallowed her saliva and looked at Georgie fearfully.
"Good girl..." Georgie said after seeing Selena kneeling in front of him. "... Good girl," Georgie said again, patting Selena's head with a smile.