On the other side of the cafeteria, Sheldon carefully unwrapped the sandwich lunch Mary had packed for him.
Enjoying a good meal was one of the few things that consistently put Sheldon in a good mood. However, the moment he took a small bite of the sandwich, the expression on his face froze.
"What's wrong, Sheldon?" asked Dan, who was eating curry rice across from him, noticing his friend's odd reaction.
"There is something wrong with this bread..." Sheldon frowned, staring at the sandwich in his hand, lost in deep thought.
"What's wrong with it? Is it spoiled?" Dan asked with concern.
"No..." Sheldon shook his head. He focused intensely on the aftertaste. "The food company changed the formula. It's too sweet."
"Is that so..." Realizing it wasn't a quality safety issue, Dan shook his head and went back to eating.
But seeing Sheldon still staring at the bread with a conflicted look on his face, Dan spoke up again. "If you don't want the sandwich, I can trade my lunch for it."
Because they were outsiders, life in Texas wasn't exactly easy for Dan's family. Their tight budget meant that a sandwich—a totally ordinary food item to most—was considered a "luxury" to Dan. Looking at the sandwich in Sheldon's hand, packed with a meat patty and fresh vegetables, a hint of longing appeared in Dan's eyes.
"No, thank you. I don't want to eat curry rice." Sheldon looked at the mushy yellow rice in front of Dan and shook his head. The strong smell of curry wasn't something everyone could stomach.
Sheldon put the sandwich back into his lunchbox and stood up to leave. "Take your time enjoying your lunch. I'm heading back to the classroom."
Dan watched his friend walk away. Sensitive and feeling a bit inferior, he opened his mouth silently to say something but ultimately didn't have the nerve to ask him to stay.
---
By the afternoon, students from every grade were organized by their homeroom teachers for a big start-of-term cleanup.
Since Medford High had custodians, the students' workload wasn't heavy. They just had to tidy up the classrooms, wipe the windows, and sweep the floors. Consequently, on the first afternoon of the semester, the students were released early.
Mike, having finished his cleaning duties, walked out of the school accompanied by Paige, Katie, and the others.
"Excuse me, are you Mike? The one who writes songs for The Bombshells?"
Several commercial vans were parked at the school gate. A group of reporters wearing press badges were holding microphones and questioning passing students.
Although Medford was a public high school, outsiders generally weren't allowed on campus outside of weekends and holidays to ensure student safety.
"Those reporters move fast," Lena said worriedly, looking at the scene at the gate. "Mike, maybe you should lay low for a bit? Reporters can be vultures. I can call the fan club to come over and escort you out."
"Forget it, no need to go through the trouble." Seeing that some students were already looking his way and pointing him out to the press, Mike decided not to hide.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Mike walked confidently toward the school gate.
"Hi, I'm a reporter from Glamour Magazine. Are you the Mike who composed 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'?" A decent-looking female reporter rushed to the front and shoved a microphone toward him.
"That's me," Mike nodded.
"Great! Can I ask you a few questions?" After confirming that the incredibly handsome guy in front of her was indeed Mike, the reporter clearly got more excited.
"Mike, is that Christmas song an original composition?"
"Mike, what is your relationship with the three girls in The Bombshells?"
Before Mike could answer her, the other reporters swarmed in like sharks smelling blood. A barrage of questions threw the scene into a bit of chaos.
Seeing the microphones practically getting shoved up his nose in the crush, Mike spoke up. "Please, don't rush. If you're willing, we can move over to the side for a proper interview..."
It was right when everyone was leaving school, and the commotion at the gate was blocking the students trying to get home. After getting the reporters to agree, Mike led the group over to a patch of grass by the roadside.
Before long, a large crowd of students gathered around the lawn to watch the show.
"Mike, did you write that song entirely by yourself?"
"What's the deal with you and The Bombshells?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Which of the girls in the group do you think has the hottest body?"
As the interview went on, and Mike answered some questions truthfully, the reporters started pushing the envelope with bolder inquiries.
Realizing this would go on forever if he didn't put a stop to it, Mike answered one last relatively tame question and then cut them off. "I've told you everything I know. Please don't disturb me anymore."
"Don't be like that, Mike. Can you tell us about your hobbies?" The only female reporter used her position to squeeze closer, trying to cozy up to him. Judging by the hungry look in her eyes, she probably wanted to know what color boxers he was wearing.
Unfortunately for her, Mike wasn't your average teenage boy. With plenty of experience under his belt, he had zero interest in this barely-above-average reporter.
"Alright, please make way. I need to go home." Ignoring her question, Mike brushed past the surrounding students and walked away.
Georgie noticed Mike's impatience and stepped up to run interference, blocking the reporters who tried to follow.
---
Half an hour later, having shaken off the press, Mike arrived at the Cooper house, escorted by Katie and Lena.
"Do you guys want to come in and rest for a bit?" Mike asked.
"No, we should head home, too."
Katie and Lena exchanged a look before saying goodbye to Mike, adding that he could call them anytime if he needed anything.
Judging by the reporters' behavior, they obviously weren't going to let a hot topic like Mike go easily. And as The Bombshells' fame continued to blow up, the number of reporters flocking to the small town of Medford was only going to increase in the coming days.
After seeing Katie and Lena off, Mike took Paige into the Cooper house.
Inside, Sheldon was in the middle of a debate with Mary about bread. Since Mike had stayed behind at the school gate earlier, Sheldon had already made it home.
"I am very certain the food company changed the formula. The taste has changed significantly..." Sheldon said seriously, holding the leftover sandwich from lunch.
"Really?" Mary took the sandwich, tore off a small piece of bread, and tasted it. "There's nothing wrong with it. Tastes fine to me."
"No, I am certain this is not the flavor I want." In some ways, Sheldon was a creature of habit; he hated change. Even when it came to the taste of bread.
And thanks to his eidetic memory, he could recall familiar tastes with vivid clarity.
"Hey, Mike, Paige, you're back. Dinner will be a while, so you can watch some TV," Mary greeted the two as they walked in.
Then, her gaze returned to her stubborn younger son. "Okay, Shelly, I'm also certain the bread is fine. But if you insist, I can get the ingredient label for you..."
Mary took her son's moods very seriously. She knew that if the bread issue wasn't resolved, Sheldon's lunch was going to become a major problem moving forward.
"Heaven knows why the price of a bag of bread went up by a whole dollar..." Mary muttered an unconscious complaint as her annoyance grew, rummaging through the kitchen for the new bag of bread.
For a housewife, the price of daily essentials was something they were always sensitive to.
"Oh, found it. Here are the ingredients..." Mary handed the entire bag of bread to her son.