"What are you doing here?!"
The moment Jimmy stepped into the library, a voice shouted from the back, catching his attention. As he turned his head, he couldn't help but say, "Sheldon, what a surprise."
"An unpleasant one, I suppose."
But Jimmy, who didn't hear that last comment, walked over to the table where Sheldon was sitting and sat down. He greeted the boy sitting next to Sheldon as soon as he got to the table. "I'm Jimmy, nice to meet you."
"I'm Tam, Sheldon's friend."
"That's nice. Honestly, I didn't think he had any friends given his recent behavior, but I'm his new neighbor." Jimmy began having lunch with them.
Sheldon was slightly annoyed to see Jimmy invading his space, but after noticing that Jimmy didn't seem to care, he let it go.
"Sheldon, I really don't get it. Does my presence bother you that much? Ever since we met, I've felt this growing hostility from you, and it's honestly starting to get on my nerves." Jimmy looked directly at Sheldon, who remained silent.
"I don't think your IQ is higher than mine—isn't it valid for me to be upset?" Sheldon believed Jimmy was lying about that because he couldn't accept that someone could be smarter than him.
Jimmy, who understood the reason behind Sheldon's attitude, smiled and said, "There's nothing to prove. We're completely different people, and each of us shines in our own way. However, if you doubt my abilities, the only way to show you that you're wrong is to show you my inventions."
"What inventions?"
"These!" Jimmy reached into his leather briefcase and pulled out... absolutely nothing. Only then did he remember that his mother had stopped him from bringing any of his inventions with him.
Damn it.
"What brilliant thing are you going to wow us with?"
"It's not…"
"Not here, or not real?" Sheldon raised an eyebrow, creating a robotic aura with his expression.
Jimmy smiled slightly and said, "It's not here, but I have them at home. For security reasons, I'll only be able to show you one of them."
Tam looked at Jimmy and asked, "Security reasons?"
"Yes. Since I moved to this city, my inventions have been classified because I plan to start my own company later, so I can't show you everything I've made." Jimmy had no intention of showing them all his inventions—just one. That was enough.
Sheldon, on the other hand, thought Jimmy was lying, so he said, "Fine. We'll meet at your house after school."
"But I have to help my parents with the shop…" Tam didn't want to get involved in this kind of argument.
"I'm sure it won't take long," said Sheldon, almost certain Jimmy was bluffing.
But what Sheldon didn't know was that Jimmy was currently an aerospace engineer, physicist, astronomer, biochemist, computer programmer, and now practicing other fields thanks to his chewing gum that allowed him to learn an entire book in seconds.
These inventions could sell for millions, but due to legal issues, he couldn't release any of them since many people might go crazy.
Jimmy even suspected that the government might be interested in his inventions and end up confiscating them.
"Alright, see you at my house," Jimmy said. He didn't have anything else to say. It felt like a complete waste of time to have to prove his abilities with an invention to these kids—but he had no choice.
He wanted to shut Sheldon up. He didn't like to admit it, but he was also arrogant in some ways.
…
When school ended, everyone went home on the school bus. Jimmy knew this outdated mode of transportation would get him close to home. He could've used other, more advanced options, but didn't want to cause any trouble in this new place.
Jimmy could have invented several ways to get to school faster, but because of the problems in his previous city, he couldn't afford to stir things up again.
Sheldon, walking calmly and focused on the idea of humiliating Jimmy, said, "Fun fact: people who lie frequently eventually do so impulsively, losing control over their behavior."
"I understand your point, but it's important to note that the claim about impulsive lying is based on psychological research. Studies show that when people lie repeatedly, it can become automatic and less controlled over time. That could also apply to phobias," Jimmy said, subtly highlighting Sheldon's numerous phobias—some of which he might not even be aware of.
He enjoyed beating people at their own game just to make a point—and to annoy those who were hostile toward him.
But Jimmy wasn't entirely confrontational; he simply wouldn't let himself be manipulated or criticized so easily. At the very least, people with prejudices against him would think twice before messing with him.
Tam, on the other hand, had no idea what he was doing in the middle of this fight, but he was curious to see if Jimmy had really created something as impressive as he claimed.
"Come on, leave your stuff on the wooden table to the right of the door," Jimmy said as he walked toward his room. In less than a minute, he had changed into more casual clothes for being at home.
When he came out of his room, Sheldon and Tam were waiting for him, their eyes filled with curiosity about what they might find in this place.
"I don't know if you're messing with us or not, but your so-called innovative inventions aren't visible anywhere in the house. Still, since I'm so kind, I'll stay quiet until you show us something amazing."
Jimmy frowned slightly, a bit annoyed, and pointed to the door leading to the basement. "Follow me, and try not to pee your pants."
Sheldon glanced at Tam, then followed Jimmy, confident there wouldn't be anything impressive in that basement, so he walked with steady steps toward the unknown.
"This has all the makings of a horror story…" Sheldon followed far behind Tam, ready to bolt at the first sign of anything strange.
But when they reached the door—which was already open—Tam bumped into Sheldon, who seemed to have completely frozen.
Being taller, Tam looked up, and his once calm eyes suddenly filled with surprise: "Is that… a robot dog?"