"Mike, how about two more rounds?" Paige asked expectantly after they had gathered the scattered chess pieces from the floor.
"No problem—" Mike readily agreed.
Although he knew he wasn't her match, from Paige's expression, it seemed she wasn't truly interested in playing chess.
It was clear from her face that she had too many things on her mind and wanted to confide in someone.
And it was true; as soon as the chessboard was set up, Paige suddenly said, "Do you know? I'm actually not that outstanding. And my family isn't as happy as outsiders perceive…"
As she spoke, Paige's face lost its usual optimism, replaced by a hint of melancholy typically seen in adults.
All along, Paige's "excellence" had been her mother's wishful thinking; she wanted a smart, sensible, and well-behaved daughter. As for her daughter's feelings, she had never considered them.
Yet this daughter was too intelligent; she knew her mother had sacrificed a lot for her. So deep down, she didn't want to disappoint her.
This contradictory and complex situation was almost suffocating the girl.
On the other hand, Paige, with her high emotional and intellectual intelligence, also discovered that her parents were not as loving as they appeared; they were even on the verge of divorce.
Part of the reason for this was Paige herself.
Because Linda had poured all her attention onto her youngest daughter, neglecting her husband, Barry.
Humans are emotional beings, and after giving, they often desire positive feedback.
Barry provided the necessary financial support for the family but did not receive the treatment a head of the household should.
This situation, prolonged, would inevitably lead to family discord.
Paige had discovered this but was unable to change it, even though she was a super-genius with high IQ and EQ.
Therefore, this was also the cause of her pain.
Moreover, Paige, unable to solve her family problems, was starting to attribute the issues to herself.
She thought, if she hadn't been so smart, perhaps her mother wouldn't have valued her so much, and thus wouldn't have had conflicts with her father.
Yes, Paige was now wishing she were just an ordinary child.
Mike also realized that Paige wanted to confide her inner turmoil to someone, which might make her feel a little lighter.
So, Mike patiently took on the role of listener.
Meanwhile, at the Cooper family home, George and his wife had lost their previous enthusiasm and were in the awkward stage of small talk with the Swansons.
Just then, Sheldon pushed the door open and stormed towards his room.
"What's wrong with him? Did Paige bully him?" Linda said, rising to find her youngest daughter.
Seeing that she was about to confront her youngest daughter, George quickly advised, "It's alright, Linda. Sheldon is often like this; he'll be fine in a bit. As for your youngest daughter, I think Mike will take good care of her."
Mary, standing by, also agreed with her husband. Although she didn't plan to become close with the Swansons, she didn't want to see their family have problems because of her youngest son.
"Alright then, I'll ask Paige about it later." Linda also realized that this was someone else's home, and it seemed inappropriate to discipline her youngest daughter right now.
Seeing Linda sit down, still looking preoccupied, Mary, fearing the atmosphere would become even more awkward, said, "Let's talk about something else. Does your eldest daughter get jealous of having a smart younger sister?"
When there's no topic, talking about children is always a good choice.
"No—" Linda shook her head and said, "Erica absolutely loves her sister and takes great care of her."
Seeing that she was still not speaking from the heart, Mary also smiled and said, "Really? Actually, our Georgie is also a well-behaved child; he takes great care of his brother…"
Isn't it just praising one's own child? Mary indicated that anyone could do that.
Unbeknownst to them, the two sets of parents had entered a phase of comparing their children.
Meanwhile, the well-behaved and sensible children they spoke of were gathered in the backyard, complaining together about their smart younger brother (or sister).
"You know what? Sheldon is such a pain. He always makes me feel as stupid as a gorilla," Georgie said, glancing at Erica subtly.
Erica, only in eighth grade this year, was dressed very maturely and seemed to be in her rebellious phase. She echoed, "Paige too. The family has completely spoiled her like a little princess… And she always picks on me, saying my room is as messy as a dog's kennel…"
"Sheldon has intermittent obsessive-compulsive disorder." Missy, sitting on the swing nearby, tried to join the conversation of the two older children.
However, Georgie and Erica, who had already caught each other's eye, completely ignored Missy.
Georgie said ingratiatingly, "Really? Sheldon is like that too. He tattled last time and made Mom confiscate my important 'study materials'."
Erica deeply empathized with Georgie's statement. So the two teenagers, sharing similar experiences, slowly drew closer to each other.
"Cough." Missy raised her hand, "I'm still here."
His moment interrupted, Georgie glared at his sister in annoyance, then struck what he thought was a cool pose for Erica, inviting her, "I saw an abandoned TV in the alley earlier. Do you want to go throw rocks at it with me?"
Erica thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Sounds fun~!"
As the two prepared to go to the alley, Georgie saw Missy also wanted to follow, so he said, "Missy, I have some big firecrackers hidden in my room. Go get them, and we'll use them to blow up the TV later."
Missy didn't think much of it and ran into the house. It was clear that being able to play with firecrackers made the little girl very excited.
"Alright, let's go," Georgie invited Erica again after his sister left.
"Aren't we waiting for her?" Erica asked.
"No, in fact, the firecrackers are on me," Georgie said proudly, pulling out a thumb-thick firecracker from his pants pocket.
Clearly, Georgie was annoyed that his sister was disrupting his "date" with Erica, so he deliberately sent her away.
"You're so naughty~" Erica realized Georgie's intention. She playfully scolded him, and suddenly found him even more interesting.
Just as George and his wife and the Swanson were praising their children, a loud explosion came from the backyard.
"What was that?" George was startled and got up to look out the window.
The other three in the room were in a similar state.
"Georgie is a liar, I knew why I couldn't find the firecrackers in his room…" Missy, hearing the explosion, emerged from Georgie's room, complaining.
"Missy, what do you know?" George asked sternly.
"Of course, Georgie abandoned me and took Erica to the alley in the backyard to blow up the TV." Missy revealed the truth.