(The next day, Leonard emerges from his apartment at the same time as Penny, who's on her way to get her mail. She hesitates upon seeing Leonard, who looks at her confused and hesitative, and then she crosses the hall to him.)

P: (apologetically) Listen, Leonard, about last night-

L: (quickly) before you say anything, I just want to say, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you yesterday.

P: No, no, I should be apologizing. Amy and I had a talk last night, and you know what? I'm over it. (free-spirited) Let's just get on with our lives, okay! (Cheerfully) So, my party is tonight. Are you and Sheldon…?

L: Oh, yeah, of course!

P: Great! So, I'll see you tonight?

L: (firmly) Yes.

(They continue in slight chatter until they part ways at the end of the stairs. Meanwhile, back at apartment 4A with Sheldon and George...)

G: You know, come to think of it, I think mom told me that you had a girlfriend one time before. I think I thought she was pulling my leg.

S: I never understood that expression. 'Pulling my leg,' how does that relate to lying?

G: I thought you were the one who knew all these factoids about all these weird things? Frankly, I'm surprised you don't know the entire backstory to the creation of that phrase.

S: I suppose I had better things to do any other time I've heard it, more specifically, improving and nourishing my increasing intellect in theoretical physics.

(The door is knocked on. George opens the door to reveal Penny on the other side, looking apologetic.)

P: Hi, George was it? I was thinking, maybe we got onto the wrong foot yesterday. So, I was wondering, do you have free time today to maybe join me for a cup of coffee or something?

S: (from the back behind the door) I don't drink coffee, so that's a no go.

P: (awkwardly) No, sweetie, I mean just between me and your brother.

G: (Disinterested) Like a date?

P: (Quickly) NO, no, let's just avoid that concept completely. Absolutely nothing like a date, just friends talking.

G: (More cheerfully) Oh, okay, sure. (Turning toward Sheldon) Do you mind?

S: I thought you said you'd help me put the finishing touches on my Lego lightsaber?

G: Well, finish it without me.

S: (Annoyed) Fine, it's probably for the best, anyway. You know absolutely nothing about Lego architecture. My blue lightsaber is completely crooked on the left side!

G: (Getting his coat and leaving) yeah, my bad.

S: You tried to make me sign a lease for your assistance! Assistance, which, you claimed was 'top-notch.' According to Google definitions, that means you claimed your services to be of the highest quality.

G: I'll type you an apology email for my behavior today. Cya~

(Penny tries to make short small talk with George on their way to Starbucks.)

P: So, how was life growing up with Sheldon?

G: Everyone always asks me that, it's uncanny.

P: Well, I guess people just think it's weird that someone was Sheldon's sibling and, you know, didn't kill him at some point in the middle of the night...

G: I actually don't have a problem with how Sheldon is.

P: (surprised) you mean he never crossed you as weird, or annoying, or narcissistic, or crazy, or...?

G: (jokingly) oh, don't get me wrong. My brother's insane. (Pauses) He's not that bad, though.

P: Not that bad? Okay, you gotta tell me- in what universe is Sheldon 'not that bad' to you?

G: To tell you the truth, I've always looked at him as a sort of misunderstood genius. That, or a big mystery. (Somewhat to himself) He's actually more complicated than what meets the eye; it's just that no one bothers to get to know him.

P: I've known him for years! I think if there was anything more than an egotistic know-it-all, then I would have seen it by now.

G: I beg to differ. I know for a fact that you could literally know this guy for twenty years and he would never change in the slightest. In other words, he might acknowledge you as someone he likes but he wouldn't trust you enough to talk to you like a regular person. He keeps a professional stance in all situations.

P: (skeptically) Are you saying that underneath the whole cold, hard, robotic exterior, he has a heart of gold somewhere inside?

G: Well, no. Not exactly, see... All I'm saying is, I don't believe him when he tries to be so cold towards everything. He acts like nothing affects him.

P: I know. (Honestly) I think I see what you're getting at. I think Sheldon is actually really sweet and innocent. He can be really obnoxious and annoying, but his heart is always in the right place.

G: (Shyly) that sounds right. I think you've got it, sort of.

P: I'm just wondering though, did you guys really talk in your youth?

G: What do you mean?

P: Well you know, did you ever really do things together? I remember me and my sister used to do each other's nails, pick out cute clothes, braid each other's hair, watch the football game together...?

G: (sarcastically) Yeeeeeah, I didn't braid his hair.

P: Seriously, I mean did you do anything brotherly?

G: (smirking) Yeah, I held him down until he said Uncle, I made him eat bugs- that was fun- and I used to love doing the whole put-your-finger-on-his-shirt-and-flick-his-nose prank. Oddly, he never learned not to look down.

P: (hesitantly) oh that sounds...sweet of you.

G: Oh, and I'd threaten to open up one of his still-packaged comic book toys if he didn't eat my broccoli for me.

P: Is that really what brothers do to each other?

G: Yeah, if you had a brother, you would get it.

P: Oh, I do! For your information, I never did anything like that to him.

G: No, no, I mean, he would do those things to you. You know, because girls are sissy and doily.

P: First off, a doily is not an adjective, second off; we were perfect angels towards each other! Besides, he knew that if he tried, I would hogtie him like a calf making a run for it and dangle a loogie over his face.

G: Seriously?

P: That, or saturate my finger with spit and stick it right in his ear.

G: And you say you and your sister would dress up with your frilly pink kitty jammies and have pillow fights and paint each other's nails and braid each other's hair?

P: Yeah, of course! Before watching the football game, it was like a tradition.

G: Ah, how could I ever not have guessed?

P: That statement felt grammatically incorrect somehow, but it still made sense?

G: Oh dear, your inner Sheldon is showing.

P: Is not! I just happen to be pretty smart.

G: Despite your looks?

P: As further contributing evidence of a hypothesis you might make based off of my looks!

G: I thought blondes were supposed to be dumb?

P: Well, maybe you shouldn't make conclusions about people based off of first impressions. I don't sleep with all the guys I meet! I happen to have standards.

G: You're right, I'm sorry. I should have gotten to know you better.

P: Why, thank you! That's very big of you.

G: You know, I happen to be a good judge of character. I'm surprised I apparently got you all wrong.

P: Well...you were right, to a certain extent. I may have, in the past, slept around a lot. But I've never cheated on anybody, and now that I'm in an actual relationship, I haven't been picking guys up left and right like everyone seems to think.

G: No one thinks you're picking up guys left and right. (Pause) I think it's interesting that a girl like you would actually settle down with someone. You know, in an actual long-term relationship, not a one night stand.

P: Well, Leonard's a great guy. He's sweet, he's innocent, you know... I'm so used to the jerks. The smooth-talkers, the guys who know all the tricks in bed. It's so hard to tell if a guy is actually sincere, or if he's just another ass or a cheater or whatever.

G: I see, so you wanted someone who felt more grounded?

P: More grounded?

G: As in... Someone you know actually cares about you.

P: (hesitantly) Well...yeah... (Nodding) you could say that.

G: Okay, I think I'm starting to get you.

P: ...where are you going with this?

(They both pause, stopping in their tracks)

G: You're like my brother, you know. You put up this emotional wall so people don't see the side of you that's insecure, but you do it in opposite ways. While Sheldon rejects emotional attachment, particularly sexual relationships, you may tend to build your walls with emotional attachment, particularly in sexual relationships. Instead of sucking everything in and putting it all under lock and key, you over-express yourself out to show everyone you're in a stable state with yourself.

P: Where did you get that from!?

G: I'm not finished yet. (Slight pause) You were born here, right?

P: (Hesitant, but going along with curiosity) No, I was born in Nebraska?

G: (surprise) Oh? Well then why did you move out here?

P: (Hesitates, then deep sigh) Well, it had always been my dream to be this big star. I was just this country girl living in Nebraska, and well, I guess I just wanted to make something of myself- give my family something to be proud of. I started getting into acting and paid for all these acting lessons, then moved out to California thinking I could do some shitty job in the meanwhile before some big movie producer picked me up and made me into a big actress. From there, I thought I would be a big deal in California. I thought this is the place where dreams came true! You know, you hear all these stories in California, but none in some barely-known state like Nebraska. It was California or New York.

G: (comfortable again) Oh, okay, that makes sense. I was under the impression that, being born in California, you felt influenced to go along with the whole Californian blonde girl routine, where you were raised to believe all this valley girl nonsense.

P: Pfft, yeah right, I grew up in a farm.

G: (continuing his sentence) But now I got a different hypothesis, and I think you and Sheldon have got yet another thing in common.

P: (sarcastic skepticism) and that is?

G: You both suffer from a sort of 'satisfying existence complex.' There's probably some specific scientific name for it, but I'll explain. You both feel unsatisfied with your life unless you make some big contribution to the world. If you're unable to succeed, you feel something is lacking.

P: What's that supposed to mean? Everyone wants to be famous!

G: Yeah, but most people are also satisfied being just regular every-day people. You guys feel that, unless you become known to the world- some sort of figure in history that others should aim to be, or anything even slightly important in the universe- if you can't do that, then your life is pointless. Let me go at a different angle here: if you are unable to succeed in one big destination in the span of one lifetime, you feel life was unsuccessful. Suddenly you're just one pebble in the middle of a huge flowing river, and life becomes an unsuccessful pursuit. This leads with a sort of emptiness or disappointment the longer this dilemma goes on.

P: That's so not what's happening! I don't have some ego dilemma.

G: (ignoring her point) Life has probably felt pretty empty to you. You feel like you want to be a bigger piece in the scheme of things, not just some nobody in the middle of Nebraska. (His voice lowers to a sadder tone) Feeling like a nobody in contrast to someone who seems to be worlds more successful than you is a really rotten feeling. Especially when everybody seems to point it out, even if they don't realize that they're doing so. If the world crushes you down and makes you feel insignificant, it's easy to actually start believing it. This is difficult for the world not to do because of the structure of society. We put so much stress on the equality of race, of gender, of culture, of where you come from, but we so easily and blindly make the rich and the famous look superior. Human equality is therefore downgraded when-

P: Wait, wait, you're getting too deep! I can't keep up! What does this have to do with me?

G: it's okay to shoot for goals, even high goals that may seem out of reach at times, but it's not okay to think of yourself as worth any less than others based off of their rule in society compared to your own. If other people appear more successful, if they're more widely known or richer or whatever, then we often see them as better human beings. This isn't the case; I believe all humans are very literally created equal. Quality in life shouldn't be based off of quantity of dollars that person has, or has the potential of having, but on the richness of character. Or even off of the fact that that person is alive- that alone should be a blessing worth acknowledging. Even though it's so rarely acknowledged unless it's suddenly put in jeopardy.

P: (long confused pause) (sudden epiphany) so you're saying that I shouldn't judge myself based off of financial success? Instead I should...look at what's inside?

G: In summary, yes.

P: (Almost to herself) that's actually very helpful advice. (To him) Too helpful, is that something Buddha said at some point? Be honest.

G: (inward sigh) No, 'regular people' are capable of offering engaging, useful advice. That would be the point. It's just that no one listens to the 'weaker man in the game of life.'

P: Ah, I see.

G: (skeptically) Do you?

P: ...you know, I think we're getting off topic. We were getting to know each other right? What do you do for a living?

G: (monotone joke) Work. (Unable to hide smile at his own joke) I don't have a job at the moment, actually.

P: Really? Where do you get money to pay the bills?

G: I smooch off of my parents. I'm trying to find a job though, it's no big deal.

P: Ah, I know the feeling.

G: Is this the good start you wanted?

P: ...that was kind of quick and out there, but yeah. I'd say so.

G: Good! First impressions are key, I always say.