Prologue
It's 2019. Sheldon and Amy have just won the Nobel Prize. Sheldon gives a speech apologising to his friends for not being a good friend and acknowledging their impact on his life. They all travel back to California. Howard and Bernadette return home to their children. Raj goes home alone. Leonard and Penny arrive back at Apartment 4A, and Sheldon and Amy happily walk into Apartment 4B.
Sheldon opens his laptop to see hundreds of emails from people from his childhood congratulating him. Among these were Principal Petersen, Dr Linkletter, Jim McAllister, and Billy Sparks, although Billy didn't know exactly what a Nobel Prize was.
Sheldon happily read every email until he stumbled across two he wasn't expecting. One was from Paige Swanson, his childhood academic rival. The other was from another female rival in his life, Kora Garcia.
Sheldon didn't think about Paige often, and he had buried Kora's name deep in his memory years ago. He took a long look at the emails, not wanting to open them. He stayed silent, washed away in his own thoughts until Amy came up from behind him.
Amy: What are you doing?
Sheldon: Oh, I'm just reading emails!
Amy: Who are Paige Swanson and Kora Garcia?
Sheldon: It's a long story.
Amy: Were you close with these two?
Sheldon: Amy, I'm afraid I haven't told you everything about my childhood. There is one piece of the puzzle that I left untouched.
Amy: Sheldon, it's been a lobg day! Can I just get a short answer?
Sheldon: I'm afraid not. We will need a couple of hours at least.
Amy: Let's just wait until tomorrow.
Sheldon and Amy went to sleep and walked across the hall to have breakfast with Leonard and Penny the following morning. They walked back to their apartment a couple of hours later
Amy: OK, lay it on me!
Sheldon: Lay, what on you? A blanket?
Amy: No! Paige and Kora!
Sheldon: Yes, of course! Paige was a girl I met in Dr. Sturgis' physics class in East Texas Tech, when I only took one class a week there. Dr. Sturgis thought it would be a "fun surprise." It was not. Paige's parents divorced, and it affected her deeply. She realized that she didn't want to be smart anymore, and we drifted apart
Amy: And Kora?
Sheldon: That is going to take a bit longer. It's best to explain it in multiple parts. Chapters, if you will!
Amy: *Sarcasticly* Why not just write me a book?
Sheldon: ...alright
Amy: Sheldon!
Sheldon: I'm sorry, is that a no regarding the book?
Amy: Just tell me!
Sheldon: Alright. Let's begin
*Please leave any thoughts you have on this chapter in the comments! Any speculations on what kind of person Kora will be?*
