Sheldon grunted as he plugged the WiFi-router to its power supply, sighing in relief when it finally turned on. Shyly, he had asked his uncle to get him a list of all the specific WiFi routers he could find and buy the one that Sheldon picked. It took a lot of guts, but he really needed it.
He had a lot of trouble finding the right one for him, what with his limited budget, but any kind of WiFi was fine with him as long as there was one.
Excited, he opened up his laptop and turned it on, looking down the screen to see how many bars he was able to get. His face turned blank when he saw it. One. Only one bar. Will that be enough to keep him alive? He has never tried getting by with one bar, but it never hurt to go through it.
Testing, he opened up a social media website, trying to see how fast it would load. It took 4 minutes, but he was able to enter. Those 4 minutes... although small, was really getting on Sheldon's nerves. Usually, it would pop out in a second, two if it was being slow. It came out in four minutes.
He groaned and closed his laptop, feeling that there was nothing else he could do on it without the WiFi. Sheldon stood up and looked around the room. Just a day ago he had already unpacked all of his things, and the room was already starting to look like his.
Conveniently, there were shelves on the wall. He thought that once the delivery came with the numerous boxes that contained his main things, he would be able to place all of his books there. Although, he would have to get a bigger shelf installed... not all of his books would fit.
Just outside of his door, he heard a gentle knock, "Sheldon, honey, do you want to go and buy some groceries with me?" Auntie Josie.
Sheldon walked over to the door and opened it, "Of course." he said with a smile, to which Josie replied with a grin of her own.
The both of them headed down where they rode inside of the car he came in. The road was as bumpy as ever, but the scenery never ceased to amaze him.
Sheldon's heartbeat grew faster, but not in a bad way, the closer they got to the bus stop. The area where he arrived, and the place where he first saw the ginger-haired girl. He didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe he was looking for the usual glowing butterflies? However, when he was met with nothing, he didn't know why he was so disappointed.
Turns out, just a little further down the road you would be able to see a small little town called Mistystone. Sheldon wasn't surprised when after looking around throughout the drive, he wasn't able to see any malls.
Stopping by at a little grocery store, Josie stepped out of her truck with a bright smile on her face, saying, "Come on! We don't have a lot of things to get since it's just the three of us in the house, but I wasn't able to make that feast for you since you disappeared and all that."
"Sorry again..." apologized Sheldon as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's alright now, Sheldon, no need to apologize anymore. You've been saying sorry quite a lot these days, is that a habit?" asked his auntie Josie as she looked around for a grocery basket.
Sheldon was trying to keep his pace with the speedy lady, making sure not to wander anywhere. He was slouching by a bit, which was unusual because he usually had perfect posture, but this was a special case because right now there were people around.
Sheldon was able to survive as along as he stayed with his aunt, and nobody even spared him a glance, so that was alright. However, when it came to the part where he had in line... that was something else.
"Sheldon, dear I forgot a little something, you stay here while I go get it, alright?" said Josie who was rummaging through the basket, double-checking if indeed she did forget.
Josie wasn't able to detect the small twitch Sheldon made at her request. He was exactly next in line to get the groceries checked, any time now the person in front of him can leave, and if they do, Sheldon would be forced to do it by himself. What if Auntie Josie takes a while? He would have to do it... but, but, but-
"Alright." his mouth was a traitor.
With his response, Josie left the line and went back inside the array of aisles in search for what she had forgotten.
This wasn't good.
Sheldon peeked over the person's shoulder, trying to see how long until he had left until it was his turn. He was halfway through his basket. No..... no, no, no, no, no..... for a while, Sheldon just stayed standing awkwardly behind them, occasionally looking around to see if his aunt was already done, but still no sign of the.
What was he going to say? Should he just put his basket on the counter like the others? What if they would notice that he was copying them? Would they speak it out? Would they notice how nervous he was?
"Um, sir?" the guy at the counter asked unsurely. The person before him had already left, and behind him was a line of impatient people.
Sheldon's heart skipped, "I-I uh, um, uh...-"
"Just put your groceries on the counter already!" yelled one of the guys behind him.
"Sorry I- I'll do it right now, um-ah!" Sheldon accidentally spilled the contents of his basket on the floor, causing a number of people behind him to groan in annoyance, "I'm sorry I... I'll p-pick it up..." Sheldon whispered, his breathing was already starting to grow uneven. He knelt down and started picking up the groceries one by one.
The guy behind the counter ran around and started to help him.
Sheldon froze, he opened his mouth to protest, maybe something like 'It's okay I can do it by myself!' but he couldn't get anything out. His mind was going into overdrive.
"What are you doing!?" the same guy yelled.
"I... I-" Sheldon shook from where he knelt, the man's angry face giving him flashes of his father's face.
"Sheldon!?" his auntie Josie came into view, her hands filled with lettuce. "Move!" she pushed the people away and gasped when she saw him on the floor.
"Josie, this here is your boy? He's causing a scene!" yelled the same man.
Josie ignored the other in favor of tending to her nephew, "Sheldon, sweetie, what's wrong?" she tried to sound as gentle as possible but for some reason, he wasn't replying her. "We'll leave right now, I'm sorry everyone for the inconvenience!" she tugged Sheldon up, who responded with nothing and walked away without the groceries.
Behind the grocery store, Josie was putting Sheldon inside of the truck as carefully as she could. You couldn't imagine the fear she was going through and the immense worry that was suffocating her chest.
"Sheldon? Sheldon, please talk to me..." She whispered from her place.
Sheldon shook his head, closing his eyes shut. "I-I... I'm sorry- I, the- uh-" he made a noise similar to someone who was choking, and suddenly breathed in a sharp breath, "Sorry- I'm sorry..."
Josie looked at the boy, her heart clenching at the sight. A long time ago, one of the last times she had spoken with her little sister, she had mentioned that Sheldon wasn't as well as the other children. Something about a mental problem, but she didn't expect this.
Swallowing, she breathed in a shaky breath and gathered Sheldon in her arms, "Shhhh... it's alright, dear. Just calm down..." what was one supposed to do at times like this? She had no experience.
"I'm sorry- Auntie J-Josie, that groceries I- I left them I dropped them-" with every stutter, Sheldon was trying to breathe as if he was underwater, whatever he was trying to say after that was gibberish.
This boy...
"Sheldon... do you have some medication that you should be drinking?" asked Josie who was sitting at the other side of the table, "I'm sorry, Honey, I didn't mean to come off as rude, but it's just that-"
"It's alright... I understand." replied Sheldon calmly as he poked the canned beans that were on his plate, "No... I don't have medication."
"I see..." the silence was comfortable, Sheldon didn't want to answer any more questions, but Josie still had some left unanswered, "What happened back there?"
Sheldon brought a spoonful of beans into his mouth, chewing slowly so that he had time to think of an answer. After swallowing, he said, "I... I'm not very good around people. I can't handle them very well. I don't know how to act around them. Everyone walks around as if they know what to do, and sometimes I wonder if they all have a handbook that tells them what to do in life."
Josie paused a while, her eyes a little wide. That was the most words Sheldon had said since the moment he arrived, and it was a little shocking. "Sheldon, you don't need a handbook to tell you what to do, just do what you think is good."
"But- I don't know what... I-" Sheldon frowned and finished the last of his beans, "I'm sorry, Auntie Josie, but I think I'll be going to my room now." he picked up the plate and headed for the kitchen.
"Alright then..."
She didn't understand. She didn't understand what Sheldon went through every day. It's not her fault, she had the handbook, but Sheldon didn't. How was he supposed to get one? How was he supposed to explain that he didn't like talking to people? How was it that everyone else was able to respond to someone so naturally, while Sheldon was left a mess trying to think of something else.
Everyone else had the instructions, but Sheldon was left to discover it on his own. Sometimes he thinks that if his parents had exposed him more often around other people, he would know how to speak like a normal person and behave like other kids his age did.
Sheldon looked at his digital watch. It was already Wednesday. That day was coming closer...
There's another problem. Now that he was living with his aunt and uncle, he would have to go to school. Go to school. He had to go to a school filled with people, sit in a crowded classroom with people, eat lunch with many people, and walk through the halls with people. Sheldon wasn't sure how to deal with the sudden change.
It was still next week, but Sheldon was already trying to mentally prepare himself. At times, he wouldn't sleep. He would stay up all night thinking about what to do and what to say when someone would speak to him. Thousands of scenarios playing at the same time inside of his mind.
Sheldon looked out the window, seeing the afternoon clouds forming together. Perhaps it would rain soon. He sat on his bed for a while, just staring outside of the window, waiting for the first drop to fall. His eyes focused on the little splat of water that crashed onto his window.
The next thing he saw was a glowing butterfly hovering around the bushes right next to the first tree that he scarred.
Jumping, Sheldon looked closer to make sure if it really was what he thought it was. Indeed, it was a glowing butterfly, no mistaking it.
Sheldon ran to his closet, rummaging around to find his raincoat, and put it on in a rush. He looked out to see if the butterfly was still there, but it was already starting to float away into the forest.
He rushed down the stairs, careful not to alert his aunt, and ran outside the door. He felt a little stupid for chasing a butterfly, but he really wanted to see it again. Sheldon rushed through the forest avoiding stray branches, rocks, and other things that could block his way.
Reaching the field, he frantically looked around panting. Where was it? From the corner of his eye, he saw another glow. There! He turned and ran towards that direction. Before he knew it, he was back in front of the road.
The ginger-haired girl smiling from the other side, her petite fingers wrapped around the usual umbrella.
Sheldon's eyes lit up the moment they came upon her figure, immediately, ran to his side of the road, "You- AH!" but the first step he took was a little too strong for a ground that was covered in mud.
At the sound of his face making contact with the ground, the girl winced and tiptoed in order to get a better look at him. She tilted her head with worried eyes as if asking if he was alright.
Sheldon groaned, and picked himself up, he didn't know if he was relieved that his face didn't make contact with the mud or feel absolutely unlucky that it hit the asphalt instead. "I-I'm fine..." he said loud enough for her to hear.
The girl covered her mouth and laughed, he wasn't able to hear anything other than the rain, but it was enough for him to know that she found his fall hilarious.
At the sight of her grin, Sheldon couldn't help but chuckle. When it reached the girl's ears, she clapped her hands and jumped up and down, her eyes sparkling in delight. She had heard him make a 'happy sound' and was excited about it.
Sheldon cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly... it wasn't his fault. Her smile... it was just so contagious.
Thank you for reading the 4th chapter: Life's Handbook! Don't forget to comment what you think about the story, and if you enjoyed this chapter please press the like button down below! If you want more stories like this, all you have to do is follow the author (me) and you will get it~!
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