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*3rd POV
Georgie stayed longer at the studio and let his family know. He didn't return until the next day—only to find Sheldon lying in bed with a red nose and a damp towel resting on his forehead.
Sheldon had an extremely weak immune system. He avoided physical contact with anyone sick, even those with something as common as the flu.
Which is why he always acted more dramatically than most people. Sure, he had a tendency to overthink, even self-diagnose in the most theatrical way.
But the truth was—he really was vulnerable to illness. He could catch something in the blink of an eye.
"Wow, look at you," Georgie said after knocking on Sheldon's door. Mary was still sitting by his side. "You look amazing."
Mary shot him a sharp look. "If you're just here to mock your brother, then you can turn right back around."
Georgie raised his hands innocently and walked over to Sheldon.
"I'm not joking. My little brother who's terrified of germs is now being hosted by germs himself. What happened?" he asked, leaning down to kiss Sheldon's forehead.
Sheldon looked up at him, eyes watery and voice thick with mucus. Yet he managed a proud little smile.
"I'm... being a Texan, brother," he whispered, followed by a weak cough.
"Nice!" Georgie grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.
Mary let out a heavy sigh. Watching the two of them was both endearing and stressful—especially seeing Georgie kiss Sheldon without a second thought.
"Get out of here. You're gonna get sick too," she said with concern. Georgie had just started climbing the ladder of showbiz, and she didn't want anything interfering with that.
"Relax, Mom. I never get sick," Georgie replied with a confident smile, then glanced back at Sheldon with a trademark smirk. "That's my superpower."
Sheldon snorted—then coughed again.
"You don't know what I'm going through, brother…" Sheldon said softly, a grim expression on his pale face.
"Of course I do," Georgie replied gently, brushing a hand over Sheldon's hair with quiet affection.
Sheldon didn't answer. He simply looked at him, silently, his eyes heavy. But he didn't push Georgie's hand away.
"Get some rest," Georgie said, slowly lifting his hand from Sheldon's forehead. "Let Mom sing you Soft Kitty."
Sheldon gave a small nod, his red-rimmed eyes shifting toward Mary. His face was tired, his nose even redder than before.
Mary leaned in a little closer, brushing her fingers through Sheldon's hair with motherly tenderness. Her expression, though tired, was full of love.
"Ready, baby?" she asked softly.
Sheldon gave a weak nod and nestled deeper into his pillow, eyes fluttering half-shut.
Mary began to hum the familiar tune—slow and gentle.
"Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur..."
Georgie stood near the doorway, arms crossed, watching with a quiet smile. He'd heard that lullaby more times than he could count growing up—but somehow, it never lost its warmth.
"Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr..."
Sheldon let out a slow breath, finally letting go of the tension in his body. Mary leaned down and kissed the top of his head watched as Sheldon finally drifted into a peaceful sleep, his breathing steady and soft.
With a quiet sigh, she stood up and walked toward Georgie, a gentle smile tugging at her lips.
"You're such a good big brother." she whispered, running her hand warmly down his arm.
Georgie smiled, then followed her out of Sheldon's room.
In the living room, George Sr. turned their eyes toward him.
"Is he asleep?" George Sr. asked, his voice a little awkward. He'd been the one who insisted Sheldon still go to school, despite Sheldon's protests.
Mary shot him a sharp look, clearly blaming him for their son's condition.
Georgie sank into the couch with a tired sigh. "Good call, Dad. If you hadn't pushed him, Sheldon would've stayed scared of every single germ forever."
"Yes, well... your mom didn't exactly agree with me." George Sr. muttered, eyes flicking back to the TV. He'd already called the school earlier, told the principal he was staying home to take care of Sheldon—though only until after lunch.
"Just look at him! So vulnerable right now!" Mary snapped, her voice rising slightly as she glared at George Sr., who did his best to avoid eye contact.
"Relax, Mom," Georgie said, eyes half-closed as he stretched out on the couch. "He's gonna be fine. Just needs some rest and your magical lullaby."
Of course, Georgie's words earned him another sharp glare from Mary—and a small snort—before she settled onto the couch beside him.
George Sr. raised an eyebrow at Georgie, trying his best to ignore Mary's look of disapproval.
"You wanna come with me to school?" he asked.
Georgie let out a sigh and leaned deeper into the couch, his eyes fluttering shut.
"I don't think so. I'll be heading back to the studio tonight anyway. Miss Rosie already set my schedule."
George Sr. gave a small nod, saying nothing more. But Mary, on the other hand, was clearly concerned.
"Are you okay with that schedule, honey? Maybe you should just get some rest for now," she said gently, brushing her hand over Georgie's hair.
"Ugh, Mom! I'm grown up, not a baby," Georgie groaned—but still didn't move her hand away. "Besides... you know, me and Veronica—"
"Ew!" Mary cut him off, smacking his arm.
"I don't wanna hear it," George Sr. chimed in as he stood up. "It's better if you wear a mask, anyway. Just like Sheldon said… this thing is a disaster." He motioned toward the TV, where the news was reporting on yesterday's outbreak at the school.
Georgie and Mary both turned their eyes to the TV, where the news was still covering the ongoing flu outbreak sweeping through the town.
"Hah, good for me—I'm still a teenager," Georgie said with a smirk, glancing at his dad. "That's for you, 'elderly'."
George Sr. frowned, his lips jutting forward in an annoyed pout. "Shut up, Georgie."
Mary raised an eyebrow at Georgie, giving him a sharp, mock-threatening glare. "And what about me? Am I 'elderly' too?"
Georgie grinned. "That's just for Dad. You're still a beauty."
He stretched, then stood up from the couch. "Well, I think I'm gonna take a nap for a few hours—beauty sleep, you know." He gave his mom a wink and sauntered off, leaving Mary smiling wide and full of pride.
George Sr. scoffed, "He said beauty, not young."
Mary's smile faltered as she processed the meaning—realizing Georgie had dodged the age comment entirely.
"Georgie!" she called out, her voice sharp but hushed so as not to wake Sheldon.
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*3rd pov
The school hallway buzzed like a beehive.
Lockers slammed. Sneakers squeaked. And every third sentence included the name "Georgie Cooper."
"Did you hear Georgie on the radio?"
"He's dating Veronica, right?"
"My cousin said one of the songs is about her. Yeah, right."
Veronica stood by her locker, brushing her hair behind her ear, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. But the corner of her lips curled—just a little.
"You must be so proud," a girl said dramatically beside her, eyes wide with gossip energy.
Veronica gave her a polite smile. "Yeah, well… he did good."
Most of the girls nearby kept things friendly—just a little jealous, not openly hostile. Still, eyes followed her more often these days, and the whispers had only grown louder.
From the far end of the hallway came the unmistakable sound of a sneeze—loud, messy, and quickly followed by three more in sequence.
Another student blew his nose into a tissue, groaning. Someone coughed directly into their hoodie sleeve.
Flu season had hit the school like a storm. Classrooms were half-empty, and the nurse's office had turned into a warzone.
But none of that stopped Tam from awkwardly shuffling toward Veronica, his signature nervous smile plastered on his face like a band-aid.
"Hello, Veronica," he greeted, voice low like he was trying to sound smooth—but cracked halfway through.
Veronica slowly turned her head toward him, brows slightly raised. "Tam."
Her friend leaned in with a whisper. "Didn't he tell Amber he co-wrote Georgie's song last week?"
Veronica sighed. "No. He's just nosy."
Tam let out a weak chuckle, scratching the back of his neck, standing his ground despite the growing tension.
Veronica's friend caught the vibe and took a step back. "I'll let you two talk," she said, shooting Tam a short glare before slipping into the crowd of sneezing students.
Veronica crossed her arms, her eyes sharpening as the hallway noise seemed to fade behind her. The flickering light above her locker added a cold glint to her stare.
She wasn't a loner. She wasn't fragile. And today—she was in no mood for nonsense.
"So," she said curtly. "What do you want?"
Tam shifted on his feet. "I'm... I'm sorry," he began, his voice smaller now. "I used Georgie's name to get attention from girls. I know it was dumb."
Veronica didn't answer. She just stared at him, silent and still.
The faint sound of a cough echoed through the hallway.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way," Tam added quickly, nerves creeping into his tone. "I just thought... if I said I was Georgie's best friend, or like, his lyric guy... people would take me more seriously. Maybe even... like me."
Veronica's eyes didn't blink.
"He's not mad," she said, voice flat. "He actually laughed about it. Said you've got more guts than sense."
Tam exhaled in relief. "So I'm not—"
"But you hurt Sheldon."
Her words cut clean through the space between them. Tam froze.
"What? I mean… I didn't do anything to him. I just—"
"You made him feel replaced," Veronica snapped, her tone rising slightly. "You called Georgie your big brother. Loudly. In public. While dragging around a girl like a trophy just to feel important."
Tam blinked, thrown off. "I didn't think it was that deep…"
"It is to Sheldon," she snapped again, stepping closer now. "You think he cares about cliques? About gossip? No. He doesn't care about any of that. But he does care about Georgie."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.
"He sees Georgie as his constant. His safety net. His Anchor. And the second someone else tries to insert themselves in that place, even as a joke, he feels like the floor's being pulled out from under him."
Tam looked down, guilt creeping in.
"You're Sheldon's friend," Veronica continued, her voice low and sharp. "Georgie's just a bonus. And believe me when I say—he could have better friends than you."
The words stung. Tam flinched.
But she wasn't finished.
"You're lucky Georgie still talks to you. And that Sheldon hasn't erased you from his life already."
Tam swallowed hard. "…What should I do?"
"Go apologize," Veronica said without hesitation. "Not to Georgie. To Sheldon."
Tam hesitated. "You think he'll forgive me?"
Veronica's expression finally softened—just a little. "Sheldon's not cruel. He might act like a robot, but deep down? He just like the rest of us. He needed friends, Even when he says otherwise."
She tilted her head slightly. "And Georgie… he's glad you're friends with his little brother. As long as you respect that bond."
A loud sneeze rang out somewhere nearby.
Tam nodded slowly, his throat dry. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll talk to both of them."
Veronica gave a faint smile. "Good."
Tam turned to leave, then paused.
"…For the record, you're really scary when you talk like that."
Veronica arched an eyebrow, then leaned in just enough to make him squirm.
"Good."
Veronica watched as Tam walked away down the corridor—shoulders hunched, hands buried in his pockets—completely unaware that Georgie and Sheldon hadn't come to school today.
She could've called out to him. Could've told him to wait. But she didn't.
Instead, she just let out a quiet sigh, her eyes drifting to the students around her.
Sneezes echoed from every direction. Someone coughed into a crumpled tissue. A teacher passed by with red eyes and a thermos full of tea.
Veronica tucked her books against her chest, exhaling slowly.
"I guess I won't be going to the Cooper house for a while..." she murmured to herself.
Then she turned, walking in the opposite direction—shoulders steady, eyes forward—blending into the chaos of a school caught between fame, flu, and the fragile things people didn't say out loud.