Leonard was head over heels in love with the head cheerleader. It was his last year in high school and he swore to himself that he would ask her to go to prom with him. Every time he tried to approach her, he was somehow interrupted by either one of her many admirers, her nosy girlfriends or by a tall and lanky young man, with dark hair and porcelain skin who did not understand why his best friend would want to risk his life by asking out the most beautiful girl they've ever seen.

"Leonard, in what universe would the head cheerleader agree to go to prom with you?" asked Sheldon.

"In all of them, that's the point!" Leonard exclaimed.

"You can't just invent 26 dimensions just to prove I'm wrong!" retorted Sheldon.

"Really? Then what did I just do?" Leonard replied defiantly, showing Sheldon his notepad entirely scribbled with equations and theories.

Sheldon just threw his arms in the air and rolled his eyes. He does this every time his best friend says something stupid.

The pair was walking in the hallway of their high school, deeply engrossed in a discussion about string theory when a giant figure shoved them against the lockers, and ripped open Leonard's backpack, making all the contents drop on the floor.

"ZACH! Leave them alone!" shouted a feminine voice.

"Oh come on babe, I'm just having fun with these two little nerds." replied Zach, shoving them a bit closer to the lockers.

"I said leave them alone." replied the blond girl with hazel eyes, which were burning a hole in Zach's face as she spoke.

"Alright alright." Zach replied, turning around and leaving the shaking young men behind him.

The young girl kneeled down and helped Leonard pick up his books.

"I'm so sorry. Zach is such a jerk! He doesn't deserve to be quarterback of the football team." The girl said to Leonard.

"I..It's okay." mumbled Leonard, suddenly in shock, realizing who this girl was.

"Hi, I'm Penny" she said, extending her hand for him to shake.

Leonard was frozen. His mouth seemed incapable of forming words nor would his hand raise to meet hers. The head cheerleader had just helped him escape a bully and was helping him with his books. The girl he'd been dreaming about for almost a year was right in front of him, with a genuine bright smile on her beautiful face. He was about to pinch himself to see if this was all a dream.

"Leonard, I think it is social convention to shake a hand when it's extended to you." whispered Sheldon behind him, breaking him from his trance.

Leonard gulped and quickly got back to his senses, vigorously shaking Penny's hand.

"I'm Leonard." he finally managed to say.

"It is nice to meet you." She replied with a beaming smile. "Listen, I'm late for practice, but I'll see you around?" Penny asked him, as she got up, handing him his books.

"S..Sure!" replied Leonard with a huge smile.

"Great." Penny replied then she turned on her heels and headed to the gymnasium, then looked back at him with a small smile.

Silence was reigning between the pair of aspiring physicists. One of them was still all shaken up after the encounter with Zach, the other was smitten after his crush basically saved his life. They gathered their things, straightened their jackets and resumed walking.

"Our babies will be smart and beautiful." Leonard said finally. This time his voice wasn't shaking.

"Not to mention imaginary." hissed Sheldon under his breath.

"I heard that." protested Leonard.

"You were meant to hear that." Sheldon replied flatly.

They were headed to Mr. Gonzalez's Spanish class. He was an extravagant, chubby man, in his 40's. He had a collection of hats, and he wore a different one each day of the week, a commitment that Sheldon admired a lot, as he himself was committed to a specific t-shirt for each day. The pair was headed to their seats when Mr. Gonzalez stopped Sheldon, by patting his shoulder, which made him flinch as he was reluctant to any form of physical contact.

"Sheldon! I have something for you!" the teacher said cheerfully.

"Really? What is it?" Sheldon asked happily. He hated birthday parties, celebrations, or gift exchange, but when it came to school and homework, Sheldon loved surprises.

"Your pen pal replied to your letter!" exclaimed Mr. Gonzalez, holding a white envelope in his hand.

"Ugh, great." said Sheldon without much joy, grabbing the letter and already turning around to take his seat.

"Don't be so disappointed young man! It's a great experience! You'll see, you'll thank me one day for forcing you to talk to strangers." continued Mr. Gonzalez, who was not losing his joy. He was way too accustomed to Sheldon's mood swings.

Sheldon simply rolled his eyes. He had his back turned to his teacher, and calmly sat at his table in front of Leonard's. He put the letter on the table, and retrieved his books from his backpack. He then proceeded to follow the course, never once touching the envelope.

"Aren't you going to open this letter?" Leonard whispered behind him.

"Not now." Sheldon replied calmly.

"Why not? Aren't you curious?" Leonard questioned.

"Leonard, I am always curious about everything. But right now is not the time to open this letter." Sheldon explained.

"Give it to me I want to read it!" Leonard asked him cheerfully.

"Absolutely not!" Sheldon protested.

"But I want to know who your pen pal is. Is it a guy or a girl? Is she a cute little blond, a tall brunette, a linguist, a fellow scientist? There are so many questions to be answered." Leonard rambled.

"Well then it's too bad your pen pal didn't reply back to your letter." said Sheldon sharply.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious about his mysterious correspondent. But as he was in class, he was not going to do anything except follow the lesson. He had principles, and he was not going to break the school's rules, or worse, his own rules, over a stranger.

The time ticked by and he still had 37 minutes before the bell rings. He was shifting in his seat, something that Leonard noticed. His palms were sweaty and his fingers itched to rip open the envelope and read its content. But he was strong, he would not let his inner urges rule his actions.

23 minutes to go. He's never been so eager to escape a classroom before. 1380 seconds and he would be out. He started counting down in his head.

9 minutes. He couldn't take it anymore. He lifted his shaking hand and brought it to the envelope. His fingers brushed the soft paper and he couldn't help but be surprised by the quality. It had a sharp and crisp texture. He brushed his fingers through the impeccable writing saying Sheldon L. Cooper, fascinated by everything on that small rectangular piece of paper, including the letters AFF , written in beautiful calligraphy at the bottom left of the envelope with a vibrant purple ink. But suddenly, as if he was struck by lightning, he removed his arm and hid it under his desk. Coming back to his senses, he gulped and tried to focus back on what the teacher was saying.

When the bell finally rang, he gathered his books as quickly as possible, holding his letter firmly in his hand and didn't wait for his short friend to follow. He was already in the hallway. He was heading to the men's bathroom. Leonard followed him like a lost puppy. But a giant dark haired guy was not far behind them.

"Hey Lads!" Zach shouted.

"Hide in the toilet, quick!" Sheldon hissed under his breath.

Leonard wasn't quick enough. As Sheldon locked himself in a stall, he heard the unmistakable sound of Leonard's whimpering as the bully approached him. With a sigh, Sheldon opened his door and grabbed Leonard by the collar and dragged him inside before locking both of them, before the short boy would be destroyed.

"How many times have you saved my life this week?" Leonard asked.

"Three, including the time I prevented you from eating green jell-o at the school's cafeteria." Sheldon replied.

"Oh, right. Well, thank you buddy." Leonard said with a shy smile.

"You're welcome. I'm sure you would have done the same if you had my strength, agility or wit." Sheldon simply said.

They stood inside for a few minutes listening for Zach.

"Ok, I think he's gone!" said Leonard, after about five minutes. He opened the door and got out. Sheldon stayed inside and carefully sat down on his backpack. He finally had the time to analyze his letter. He slowly ripped off the edge, and all of sudden, a subtle smell of lavender hit his senses. He breathed in the delicious and feminine sent that was coming from the piece of paper in his hands. He opened the letter and proceeded to read carefully.

Dear Sheldon L. Cooper,

My name is Amy Farrah Fowler, not Stephen Hawking, (although I met him several times and I can say he's a bit of a diva). I am 17 years old as well, and about to graduate from St Barnaby's High School in London.

Since your IQ points matter so much to you, I should let you know that mine is 189. I should be in college too by now, but I guess my "silly" mother did not approve of my intelligence either.

I also like Science fiction, but unfortunately I don't have any info on the upcoming Star Wars movie. Disney just acquired the rights, so be patient.

I would like to become a neurobiologist, so I can squeeze hot needles into people's brains, especially the most arrogant ones.

Oh, and I am surprised you needed to ask, but String Theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. Easy peasy.

Hasta la próxima, Mr. Cooper.

AFF.

Sheldon's jaw dropped as soon as he read the first line. Her IQ was two points higher than his?! How was that even possible? And she's a girl! He was outraged. He quickly unlocked the door and came out of the toilets to find Leonard waiting for him.

"So? A boy or a girl? Is she cute? Does she like science?" Leonard was ecstatic, even if Amy was not his pen pal.

"A girl. I don't care if she is "cute" or not. And yes, I believe she likes science, if neurobiology could be considered a real science." Sheldon snorted.

"Oh nice! I hope she'll send you a picture soon. I heard British girls are beau-ti-ful." Leonard said with glee.

"I. DON'T CARE!" Sheldon exclaimed suddenly, putting emphasis on each word. He was fuming.

"What's wrong buddy?" Leonard asked his friend, concerned.

Sheldon took a deep breath to calm himself.

"This hotsy-totsy from London has just become my new nemesis." Sheldon replied flatly.

Thanks for everyone reading and reviewing, I hope you like it so far! Can't wait to be on spring break so I can write more. Let me know what you think of Amy's letter! xx Sabrina