Back in the museum lecture hall, the female instructor droned on, and Paige's face was the picture of boredom.
Mike and Sheldon weren't faring much better.
The three of them had quickly realized that the instructor was essentially just reading the brochure out loud.
Paige, who already had a lot on her mind, couldn't take it anymore. She leaned over and whispered, "Mike, this is way too basic. We should just bail and go walk around."
Mike was thinking the exact same thing. Listening to someone recite a textbook was practically a crime against humanity for someone with an IQ pushing 180.
It was the kind of stuff you memorized after one read-through; you didn't need a lecture on it.
"I'm down," Mike nodded at her. He turned to Sheldon on his other side. "Sheldon, want to get out of here?"
Sheldon, who was also bored out of his mind, looked tempted. But his rule-following programming kicked in almost immediately. He shook his head. "We told Georgie we'd wait here for him to pick us up."
Typical Sheldon—terrified that deviating from the plan would cause the universe to implode.
Mike was about to try and convince him, but Paige, seemingly reading Sheldon's mind, cut in with a little smirk. "Forget it, Mike. Let's not worry about the little goody-two-shoes. Let's just go."
In a way, Paige was a little jealous of Sheldon.
Deep down, she knew she was smarter and more emotionally intelligent than him.
But she was also sharp enough to see that Sheldon, despite being "lesser" in her eyes, had something she didn't: a happy, stable family and a cool, smart friend like Mike looking out for him.
Paige probably didn't even realize it herself, but she was feeling a twinge of envy.
That was why she couldn't help but take little potshots at him whenever she could.
"Now's our chance."
Paige, having gotten her dig in, grabbed Mike's hand the moment the instructor turned to write on the blackboard. They bolted for the exit.
The thrill of doing something "bad" made her forget her troubles for a second. As they snuck out, a small smile crept onto her face.
Back in his seat, Sheldon watched his friend get kidnapped. Paige's "goody-two-shoes" comment echoed in his brain.
After a quick internal debate, Sheldon stood up with determination. Like a warrior marching into battle, he chased after Paige and Mike.
He wanted to prove he wasn't just a kid, and he definitely wanted to prove he wasn't lesser than Paige.
Outside the lecture hall, Paige let go of Mike's hand, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
Mike, in his simple white shirt and slightly messy hair, had that effortless, laid-back cool that was absolutely lethal to a teenage girl.
"Where do you want to go?" Paige asked, composing herself. "I know the area pretty well."
As mentioned before, her parents had brought her here last year.
"Let's find somewhere quiet to grab a bite," Mike suggested after a moment's thought.
It was almost lunchtime anyway, and a quiet spot would be better for talking.
Mike was already formulating a plan to help the girl with her problems.
"Okay, I know a dessert place nearby. We can try that," Paige smiled.
Just then, Sheldon came sprinting up on his little legs.
"Where are you guys going?" he asked, breathing hard.
You could tell the stress of cutting class was weighing heavily on him. This was a rare moment of rebellion for Sheldon Cooper.
"We're heading to a dessert shop. You coming?" Mike asked.
"I don't know... if we go too far, what if Georgie can't find us?" Sheldon hesitated.
Before Mike could answer, Paige shot Sheldon an annoyed look. "Mike, come on. Let's just go. Ignore the tagalong."
She grabbed Mike again and started pulling him toward the museum exit.
But as they passed the prehistoric exhibit, she stopped.
She stared at the diorama of a caveman family gathered happily around a fire. For a moment, she looked lost in thought.
"Guys, wait for me!" Sheldon, unwilling to be left behind, caught up again.
His voice snapped Paige out of her trance. She glared at him. "Why are you following us?"
"I am not following you," Sheldon explained earnestly. "Mike promised Georgie he'd watch me. Therefore, I cannot leave his line of sight."
It was a very Sheldon explanation, and logically sound.
"Alright, let's go get some food. If we're quick, we might even make it back before the lecture ends," Mike suggested, offering a reasonable compromise to distract the two prodigies.
Led by Paige, the trio arrived at a quiet little dessert shop.
The vibe inside was nice and cozy.
Once they were seated, Mike asked, "What do you guys want?"
"Fresh juice and a slice of strawberry cake," Paige ordered like a pro.
"A glass of milk and a fruit tart," Sheldon decided after consulting the menu.
"Is that it?" Mike asked. When the kids nodded, he flagged down a waiter, placed their orders, and added a milk and a fruit pizza for himself.
Once the food arrived, Paige picked at her strawberry cake for a while before finally looking up. "Mike, you said last time that you're a good listener. Offer still stand?"
"Of course. You can tell me anything, anytime," Mike replied.
Ignoring Sheldon, who was happily devouring his tart, Paige began, "I've noticed my parents fighting a lot more lately. They try to hide it from me and my sister, but I know they're getting ready to divorce..."
She paused, then added quietly, "If it wasn't for me, maybe they wouldn't be like this."
Clearly, Paige's high IQ had led her to the conclusion that she was the catalyst for her parents' arguments.
It was a crushing realization.
She had started to blame her own unhappiness and her family's breakdown on her intelligence.
In her mind, if she were just a "normal" kid, her parents wouldn't fight about her so much, and they wouldn't be on the verge of splitting up.
"Have you thought about how to fix the situation?" Mike asked gently.
"I've thought about going to live with my grandma in the country. Just starting over as a regular kid," Paige said. "If I'm not in the house, maybe they won't fight anymore."
You could see how mature she was. She was willing to hide her "gift" just to buy some peace for her family.
But because she was still just a kid, she couldn't see the root of the problem.
Pretending to be normal wouldn't actually solve anything.
"Running away doesn't solve problems," Sheldon suddenly piped up, mouth full of fruit tart.
Even though Sheldon lived in his own world, his interactions with Paige had led him to somewhat respect her as an equal.
"Well, what do you suggest I do?" Paige snapped, clearly annoyed at the interruption.
"I don't know," Sheldon admitted honestly after thinking for a second.
Coming from a happy home, he couldn't really wrap his head around what Paige was going through.