Previously on Young Sheldon...
I waited at school for an hour and had to walk home.
No one even called.
Mandy went into labor.
I had to go to the hospital.
She had the baby and no one told me?
And what exactly is it that's wrong with your bed?
My husband's in it.
So, you're just gonna keep sleeping here
instead of dealing with it?
I'm helping with the baby.
She'll still be crying tomorrow. Go home.
Uh-oh.
CUSTOMER: Ten dollars on pump two.
CASHIER: You got it.
Hi, uh, ten dollars on pump, uh...
whichever that one is.
Ain't you young to be driving?
Oh, I'm just pumping gas for my dad.
He's in the bathroom. Might be a while.
(scoffs) Been there.
I'm on pump number three.
You?
Two.
Nice.
(phone ringing)
Hello?
Hey, it's Missy.
I stole my dad's truck,
I'm running away. Want to come?
You're running away? Sounds dangerous.
Oh, um...
well, my dad taught me how to drive and...
I'm messing with you. Come and get me.
* Nobody else is stronger than I am *
* Yesterday I moved a mountain *
* I bet I could be your hero *
* I am a mighty little man *
* I am a mighty little man. *
Why didn't we do this years ago?
My feet wouldn't reach the pedals.
(snoring)
Dad, wake up. There's a problem.
What? What's wrong?
It's Saturday morning and no one's cooking bacon.
Oh. So go cook bacon.
But Mom cooks bacon.
Well, she's at your meemaw's.
Which is why I'm waking you up.
Sheldon, you're a very intelligent little boy,
I'm sure you can handle bacon.
I'll wake up Missy.
No, wait... (exhales)
She's mad at the world right now.
Just leave her alone.
Then I'll call Mom.
(groans) Okay...
I'll make your stupid bacon, happy?
I've been better.
This is the best day of my life.
First time running away?
Pretty much.
Think your parents know you're gone?
They barely know when I'm there.
Missy, there's breakfast. We saved you a little.
What about somewhere with a beach,
like California?
We've already driven five hours east,
so we might want to keep heading that way.
East. You really are smart.
I get there was a lot of yelling last night.
Just want you to know I'm here when you're ready to talk.
I mean, if you want a beach,
then Florida's in the right direction.
Oh, and it's almost spring break.
Like MTV Spring Break? Mm-hmm.
If you expect me to apologize, you can sit in there forever.
Great. Then we're going to Florida.
Let's pay and get out of here.
Or...
let's not pay and get out of here.
Fine, ignore me. I'm eating your bacon.
Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.
You know, there's a more spatially efficient way
to do that. It's good enough.
Is that what you tell your football players?
I make them run laps. That what you want?
You're funny. I like our weekends together.
(pots clattering)
Oh.
Hi. Um...
I didn't see your truck.
I just came to grab a few things.
Yeah. It's fine.
Hi, Shelly. How you doing, baby?
I'm all right, although the dishwasher looks like
it was loaded by Gustaf Dalén.
He won a Nobel Prize in physics. And was blind.
What do you mean you didn't see my truck outside?
It's not out front.
Yes, it is.
I was just out there.
The hell's my truck?
It's a '86 Ford F-250.
And you didn't hear anything? No.
What about you, ma'am?
Well, um, actually...
Oh, she hasn't slept here in days.
She's just getting her things.
I was taking care of the baby.
We have a new grandbaby. (chuckles)
You mentioned you had a daughter.
Any chance she saw something?
(chuckles) I doubt it.
She didn't even come out of her room.
You haven't seen her at all?
No. She's mad at me.
Mind if we ask her?
Missy.
Open up.
(gasps) Missy?
Son of a bitch.
Huh, your truck's gone and she's gone?
What are the odds of that?
She took my truck, Sheldon.
Oh, more chaos. Got it.
We are breaking so many laws right now.
I feel like Thelma & Louise.
Me too.
Have you seen that movie?
No.
Me neither. (giggles)
How could you not know she was missing?
I thought she was giving me the silent treatment.
You know, teenage girls.
I don't.
Moody, moody, moody.
Sheldon. When was the last time you saw your daughter?
Uh, well...
Hard to say. We just... Lot going on.
Well, at 6:15 she made a plate of food
and took it to her room,
which I said, "is how you attract ants,"
and she said to mind my own business,
and I said it is my business
because her bedroom shares a wall with mine...
6:15, got it. No one saw her after that?
Well, at 7:22, she had to use the restroom,
but she had to wait because my dad was in there.
Probably due to all the beers.
Thank you. Happy to help.
And then at 7:45, she tried the bathroom again,
and luckily, by then my father had...
Sheldon, when was the last time you saw her?
Well, at 9:15 I brought her a can of Raid for the ants,
and she told me to go to hell, which is rude.
And then at 11:06 I tried to communicate with her
via walkie-talkie to no response.
I can't believe she would do this.
How does she even know how to drive?
All right, now, take your foot off the brake
gently put it on the... (tires screech)
(Missy laughing)
I bet your mother taught her.
She could be lost, she could be in an accident,
she could be in a ditch
by the side of the road somewhere.
* So I wake in the morning *
* And I step outside *
* And I take a deep breath *
* And I get real high... * There's a cop.
(turns volume down) Be cool. Be cool.
* Scream from the top of my lungs *
* What's going on? *
(turns volume up)
* And I say, "Hey-ey-ey." *
Okay, well, if you hear anything,
please give me a call.
Thank you.
Nothing.
Any word?
No. None of her friends have heard from her.
The police are looking for my truck, but still no sign.
I can't believe that girl.
Did she even think about how worried we'd all be?
Wow, you became a dad fast.
Well, it just kicks in.
(sighs) I don't know who else to call.
What about Paige?
Are they still in touch?
They saw each other a few weeks ago.
Although Paige was quite inebriated.
What? It means drunk.
We know what it means.
And Paige has run away from home before.
If I was going on the lam,
that's certainly who I'd contact.
"Lam." What a fun word.
I'm glad I got the chance to use it.
Lam. MARY: Hi. Linda,
this is Mary Cooper.
Um, I'm sorry to call out of the blue,
but is Missy there with Paige?
No. Why? What's going on?
(sighs) Well...
Missy has run away, and we thought...
That my daughter would have something
to do with it? Oh, no, I'm not accusing her.
No, that's exactly something she would do.
Hold on.
Paige.
I'm thinking she might be with Paige.
Paige?
(opens door) Damn it.
Hey, can I drive?
Better not.
My dad'll be pretty mad if something happens to his truck.
Like what, if somebody stole it?
Oh, my God, I'm a criminal.
Yeah. It's pretty cool, right?
I'm gonna be in so much trouble.
Only if you go back.
I guess you're right.
I mean, don't worry.
When we get to Daytona, everything's gonna be great.
Think so?
Yeah.
Hey, maybe we should change our names. Really?
And I hate my name.
Paige. What am I, a congressional aide?
Yeah, totally.
So, what name are you gonna pick?
I'm thinking Ginger.
That is so good.
Ginger's not a boring scientist.
Ginger's fun. She's alive.
I'm gonna pick Susan.
No, Suzie. Much cuter.
Ginger and Suzie. Ginger and Suzie.
* Call me up and tell me... *
Wait, is it too late to change my name to Brandi?
Too late. Come on, Ginger.
I can't believe the last thing we did was yell at her.
Now, don't go blaming yourself.
Uh, I was blaming both of us.
So, we weren't supposed to punish her?
Kids do stupid stuff, parents yell at them.
Yeah, y'all did it to me, I'm gonna do it to my kid.
Calm down, Daddy.
I know y'all are worried, but this ain't helping.
She snuck out and stole my truck.
I mean, how is this our fault?
Well, maybe she was right.
She does get ignored around here.
I liked being ignored.
Let me get away with all kinds of stuff.
Please stop helping.
We need to get the police back on the phone.
I know how to find them.
Really? How?
Right, well, based on the time they've been gone
and the average speed limit, I've calculated that this circle
is the maximum distance they could have traveled.
And what are the pins? I'm glad you asked.
To help narrow down the search, I've identified
points of interest to teenage girls.
The big four-- malls, beauty salons,
horse stables and roller rinks.
And what are the blue pins?
Those are places that I'm interested in
that we can swing by after we find them.
For example, Peaster, Texas...
No one cares.
Peaster, Texas-- birthplace of Robert E. Howard,
regarded to be the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre.
Sheldon, this isn't about you.
But it's a good start.
Why don't you go narrow that down even more?
I'll check in Missy's room for clues.
If she took her roller skates, this case is closed.
Think your parents are freaking out?
Probably having a party.
And then Sheldon will complain about them having a party,
and they'll stop because he gets everything he wants.
I know. Try being the golden child.
Everybody's always expecting big things from you
'cause you're a genius.
What do you want to do?
I don't know.
Something simple, easy.
You know, I heard there's a place in Florida
where you can get a job as a mermaid.
Really? Really.
Don't get mad at me, but you are a genius.
Just don't tell the other mermaids.
(siren chirping) Oh, crap.
Well, how fast are you going?
I'm not going too fast. Maybe I'm going too slow.
Should I speed up?
Don't speed up. What are you doing?
I don't know.
Just... Maybe it's not for us.
Pull over and let him pass.
What do we do?
We need to get our stories straight.
We're cousins, you're 16, you forgot your license at home,
and we're on our way to the hospital to visit our grandma.
Okay.
I'm only 13, I stole my dad's truck
and we didn't pay for breakfast at the diner.
We just left.
Okay. And who's this?
My cousin, Ginger.
Is anyone hungry? I can make sandwiches.
No, thanks.
Not hungry. I could eat.
Then make yourself a sandwich.
Maybe you should. Are you cranky?
Okay, I figured it out.
Based off the pictures
she's ripped out of magazines,
she's a big fan of actor Luke Perry.
Who is that? He plays Dylan on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Your classic bad boy.
Your classic bad boy?
Yeah, like me.
The show not only takes place but is also filmed
in Los Angeles, California.
That's obviously where she's heading.
(phone ringing)
Cooper residence.
Now, given the amount of time since she's left...
They're okay! They've found them.
Oh, thank God.
Where are they?
Uh, about an hour east of Baton Rouge.
Apparently they were on their way to Florida.
That's not where Luke Perry is.
Let me speak to them.
Copy that.
All right. Your parents are on the way.
Are they mad?
If my daughter stole my car and ran away, I'd be mad.
What if she had a good reason?
Do you have a good reason?
Well, my brother's really smart
and my older brother had a baby and they were ignoring me.
You might need a better reason.
Are you taking us to jail?
No.
Great, so we can go?
No.
But I'm not taking you in either.
Why not?
I got a kid your age. I get it.
Oh, God, I'd rather sit in jail
than have another adult tell me how much they get it.
Not me. Happy right here.
I'm real sorry for whatever Paige got Missy into.
Thanks, but I think this one's on Missy.
I doubt it. Last month she swiped my credit card
and bought a plane ticket to Hawaii.
Nonrefundable.
What did you do?
What could I do? I dropped her off at her dad's
and I went to Hawaii.
(chuckles) Trust me,
Missy's never gonna do anything like this again.
Aw, bless your heart.
I'm serious. School and home, that's it.
No TV, no friends, no shoes.
Let's see her run away barefoot.
That's your plan-- make her hate us even more?
I'm not trying to be her friend, Mary.
I'm trying to be her parent.
What do you think I'm trying to be?
Oh, I don't know. Her neighbor?
Is everything okay?
Yes.
I've just been staying across the street
taking care of our granddaughter.
(chuckles) How long you gonna keep using that excuse?
I am so sorry. It's been a stressful week.
You don't need to apologize. I've been there.
Right.
I know it's not my place, but...
Barry and I used to keep a bunch of stuff bottled up,
and we know how that turned out.
We're not getting divorced.
Yeah, over my dead body.
Yeah, that's exactly how it's gonna end.
Oh, boy.
(sighs)
What was Missy thinking? Why Florida?
Why does it matter?
I made a solid hypothesis backed by data.
Where did I go wrong?
You tried to predict a teenage girl.
Perhaps when she gets back
we can take her in for a brain scan.
Maybe what Missy needs
is for us all to be a little understanding.
I'm trying to understand.
That's why I need the brain scan.
Look, your sister's going through a lot these days.
She's feeling overlooked,
confused, angry, sad.
She's feeling all those things at once?
Yeah.
And I can't scan her brain?
That is so unfair.
So, what exactly was your plan?
We were gonna go to Daytona Beach.
Like on MTV.
And what were you gonna do for money?
I don't know.
We would have figured something out.
Yeah, she's an actual genius.
Sorry.
Don't get a lot of geniuses back there.
Mostly stupid folk.
I'm just saying, I have a good relationship with Missy.
Yeah, I taught her how to throw a ball.
Taught her how to drive.
You taught her how to drive?
Oh, uh...
You know, just the basics in-in a parking lot.
Hey...
She made it all the way to Louisiana
without getting into an accident.
I think I did a pretty good job.
Unbelievable.
If y'all want, I can recommend
the marriage counselor me and Barry used.
(snorts)
What's... (snorts)
Y'all got divorced. (chuckles)
How good can he be?
Well, she...
(snorts) Stop with the... (snorts)
Oh, like she's not gonna be on your side?
It's not about sides.
She helped us realize we were staying in our marriage
for the wrong reasons
and it would be better for everyone if we split.
I'm not sure it was better for Paige.
Paige's issues have nothing to do with our divorce.
Sure.
How much she have to pay the counselor to tell her that?
At least my daughter didn't steal my truck,
and none of my kids are having babies.
Okay, we all have our stuff.
(snorts)
Here comes another one.
(beeps) Fifty-eight.
How does it know?
It calculates the speed based on the Doppler shift
of the reflected radio waves.
See? Genius.
My brother's like that too, but she's way more fun.
(car whooshing)
(beep) Ninety-one.
All right, buckle up.
Yes!
(siren wailing)
MISSY: Show me how to use your gun and I'll cover you.
If you need a break, I can drive for a bit.
I'm okay, thanks.
I could take a turn. Not a time for jokes.
You may never drive again.
And you are not hanging out with Paige anymore.
That's not fair. It was my idea, not Paige's.
You really think that's helping your case?
Liked it better when you two weren't talking.
Well, too bad, 'cause we are.
If you're feeling ignored, don't worry.
We're gonna be laser-focused on you from now on.
ADULT SHELDON: This marked the beginning of
what our family would come to call
"Missy's difficult period."
Despite my repeated assurances
that I could solve the problem
with a brain scan and some low-voltage
electric shocks, I was
never given the opportunity. Such a shame.
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