Missy grinned. "Told you. Debate isn't about being right. It's about making people feel like you're right."

Missy, chewing a piece of toast, shrugged. "Fine. But I'm not using your weird hand gestures."

At the DDC, held in a sterile high school library, Sheldon faced his opponent: a lanky, smug eighth-grader named Todd. Todd opened with a beautifully structured case for STEM, citing GDP growth and technological innovation.

Sheldon opened his mouth to deliver a prepared argument about resource allocation. But Missy kept going.

She handed him her spare Yoo-hoo. He took it, examined the chocolatey brown liquid with scientific curiosity, and for the first time, didn't complain about the sugar content.