Chapter 31: Because I'm Batman
As they chatted, Professor Alicia Harper arrived.
Class officially began.
"...Does anyone know the answer?"
Every time Professor Alicia Harper asked a question, young Sheldon, sitting front and center in the first row, immediately shot his hand up like he was competing on Jeopardy. She wanted to ignore him, but seeing his earnest face and eager eyes, she had no choice but to call on him.
Then, as expected, young Sheldon stood up and, while answering, turned and craned his neck to look at Chuck in the back row with a smug expression.
Apparently, after several days of recovery with help from Dr. Beverly Hofstadter—a neurologist, psychiatrist, and parenting expert—young Sheldon's previously shattered confidence had healed, and his arrogance had returned in full force.
Cheryl, sitting next to Chuck, found this cocky little kid both amusing and oddly endearing.
But her best friend Justine, sitting on her other side, lowered her raised hand with a frustrated expression.
Class participation counted toward their final grade. For someone dependent on her academic scholarship, young Sheldon's determination to monopolize every answer—and getting away with it simply because he was an 11-year-old prodigy—was seriously bad news.
Under Professor Alicia Harper's protective gaze, Chuck didn't take the bait.
It wasn't that he couldn't or didn't want to respond.
It was because young Sheldon had been "clever" this time, merely offering a smug look without actually calling him out by name or issuing a direct challenge.
Chuck's sharp instincts told him that responding in this situation wouldn't earn him any brownie points, so he followed his natural inclination and didn't bother engaging.
Professor Alicia Harper breathed a sigh of relief.
She was terrified that young Sheldon would storm out of the classroom in tears and march straight to the dean's office again—that would be way too much drama to handle.
The bell rang.
"Alright, that wraps up today's class,"
Professor Alicia Harper said with a smile, concluding the lesson.
Everyone began packing their textbooks and backpacks, either heading straight for the door or, for the more ambitious students, stopping by Professor Alicia Harper's desk to kiss up before leaving. Professor Alicia Harper nodded politely in response, smiling as she gathered her materials.
Then her smile wavered slightly.
The small figure had already approached her desk, looking up at her with expectant eyes.
"Mr. Cooper, do you have a question?"
Professor Alicia Harper asked, though it was a question she dreaded asking.
"Of course,"
young Sheldon nodded seriously.
This was his favorite after-class "improvement session."
Yes.
Even though she was the professor, there were still many teaching deficiencies that needed correction from a student of his caliber to enhance the educational experience.
Since high school, every single one of his teachers had absolutely "loved" these sessions.
Young Sheldon frowned at the thought and instinctively glanced back.
If Chuck hadn't ruined that first class, this beneficial routine should have been established after the very first lecture. Then Professor Alicia Harper wouldn't be looking so confused right now.
"Aaahhh!"
Young Sheldon turned around and saw a dark figure looming behind him, blocking out the fluorescent lights. This made him shriek in terror. He tried to step backward, but since he was standing at the edge of the raised platform, he tripped and landed hard on his backside.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The fallen young Sheldon cried out in both pain and fear.
"Mr. Cooper, are you alright?"
Professor Alicia Harper rushed forward with concern, her mind racing. Was it really that severe? Was he this terrified of Chuck now?
"How did you sneak up on me like that?"
Young Sheldon didn't answer Professor Alicia Harper's question, instead staring at Chuck with wide, frightened eyes.
In his eleven years of life—nine years since he could form memories at age two—being afraid of dogs, birds, germs, and pretty much everything else, he had developed a hyperactive awareness of his surroundings as a survival mechanism.
Maybe a small Chihuahua or a pigeon could sneak within a few feet of him before he noticed, but Chuck had been standing just over three feet behind him, radiating an overwhelming, intimidating presence.
He should have sensed it immediately.
But there he was, standing in Chuck's massive shadow, completely oblivious until he happened to turn around.
This completely shattered his understanding of the world,
and predictably, he was absolutely terrified.
Chuck paused for a moment in response to Sheldon's panicked question, then said in a deep, gravelly voice, "Because I'm Batman."
"Ha!"
Professor Alicia Harper, who had been wondering if Chuck was actually bullying Sheldon, suddenly burst into laughter when she heard Chuck deliver this iconic line with such deadpan seriousness.
Even though she wasn't into comic books, she'd seen the Batman movies and knew this classic line that supposedly explains all the mysteries of the universe.
She had previously thought of Chuck as a quiet genius type, like her husband, but she hadn't expected him to have such a dry sense of humor.
"You're NOT Batman!"
Sheldon shrieked, unable to find any humor in the situation.
As a devoted comic book geek, while he might resemble The Flash in his tendency to run away from problems, it was only natural that he should relate to Batman, a superhero with superior intellect.
"What's this about Batman?"
Just then, two women—one tall, one short—walked into the classroom. It was Monica and Paige. Monica looked at Professor Alicia Harper standing near Chuck, her smile becoming strained.
She instantly understood why Chuck, already holding a PhD, was pursuing a second degree.
Who could resist a woman like that?
Even her gorgeous former roommate Rachel couldn't compete, at least not in terms of sophistication and intelligence.
"He's NOT Batman!"
Young Sheldon, noticing the newcomers—one of whom was Paige—immediately launched into his story, insisting emphatically.
"He's Dr. Chuck Wolfe."
Paige studied Chuck and suddenly grinned. "I think he'd make an excellent Batman."
"Paige!"
Young Sheldon looked at Paige like she'd committed the ultimate betrayal.
Although he'd always resented Paige for being academically superior to him, he felt that Paige, being roughly his age, should side with him against the infinitely more annoying Chuck.
But now the exact opposite was happening, and he couldn't handle it.
"Hi there, I'm Paige."
Paige extended her hand to Chuck. "Monica's friend."
"Actually, it's Monica—that's just her nickname for me. My full name is Monica Geller."
Monica only had eyes for Professor Alicia Harper. Hearing what Paige said, she explained to Professor Alicia Harper somewhat awkwardly.
"Nice to meet you, Monica."
Professor Alicia Harper smiled warmly and nodded at her. "I'm Alicia Harper."
(End of chapter)
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