Ha-ha, if you are reading this it means that you are planning on reading my story, or this chapter at any rate! YEAH! Anyway, after that slightly frightening intro, this is a story I wrote 'cause it popped into my head, it entails the gang meeting at their high school reunion, James told me that someone already wrote a fic about a high school reunion, but I have read it and I assure you this will be much different! Enjoy:
Disclaimer: You know I really don't see the point of these. Anyway, don't own JN, or anything else, ah, the tragedy.
Our Messed Up High School Reunion
James Neutron felt the cool breeze play at his face; it felt refreshing against his bare skin. He was wearing an open button-down Hawaiian shirt and a bathing suit. He set down the Oakley sunglasses he had on his head and tossed his shirt on top of them before running into the blue Pacific, diving into the crest of an oncoming wave and swimming out, he felt his legs kick and his arms power him away from shore. He rode a large wave up before diving underneath, special contacts allowed him to open his eyes freely and he looked around at the undersea wonders that characterized the islands of Hawaii. His new and improved air-pills allowed him to stay underwater for extended periods of time, so he swam down to the bottom; enjoying the warm seawater and watching brightly colored tropical fish go by.
He finally surfaced and swum to shore again, toweling off and heading back to his large house on the beachfront. It was a beautifully built villa that he had seen on an Italian lake and had taken apart and rebuilt on his private tropical island.
He padded, barefoot up the back steps, it was pure white, marble and other materials such as limestone that he had made impervious to weathering with an invention and was lined with tall Roman pillars, there were large impressive steps on all sides that led up in between the pillars to the open air lounge area that surrounded the house and could be closed off by glass at the touch of a button. The house was four stories tall and beautiful at all times of the day, there was a tall fountain in the courtyard out front and a beach that seemed to stretch on forever, and ringed the island, with clear blue water and huge waves on the east side.
He walked in between the pillars, where his aide and butler offered him a Margarita; he accepted the drink and sunk into a cushioned lounge chair to watch the glorious sunset. His messy hair made him look even more attractive in the eyes of all the women he met and he ruffled it up a bit with his free hand.
He could see his huge yacht docked further out on a pier that extended from the far left corner of the beach and he also had speedboats, windsurfing gear, scuba equipment and a large seaplane in addition to his spacious private plane at an airport further inland.
As Jimmy sat there, drinking his margarita and watching the scarlet and pink sunset he thought of his life.
He was successful by anyone's standards and this was one of his many estates and mansions around the world, which included penthouses in several major cities. He had planes, his main one a luxury 747 he had specially built that was as luxurious and comfortable as Air Force One (The president's plane, a converted 747) and his company was hugely powerful, he made rockets, planes, computers and cars and came out with new inventions every month. He had amassed a personal fortune that, by last check made him the second richest person in history, the first being John D. Rockefeller.
But something was troubling him; just that morning he had received a call inviting him to a High School reunion.
Under normal circumstances he would have been delighted to go, but he and Cindy had broken up a while ago after an event that had torn his life in two. Everyone in Retroville hated him now, only Carl stood by him...whatever the situation though, he had decided he was going to that damn reunion, and he was fixing his life and making things right again!
The next day in Retroville, Carl and Sheen were standing in their old high school's gym with Libby and Brittany. Libby, Carl and Sheen were in charge of the Reunion from start to finish and Brittany, who still lived in Retroville, had, much to Sheen's annoyance, volunteered to help.
"So, Carl, tell me again how you plan to pay for all of this?" Libby asked, looking at Carl's PDA at a list of all of the things he planned for them to get for the reunion.
"I got a sponsor." Carl said unhelpfully.
"What do you mean a sponsor, gimme that?" Sheen asked and snatched the PDA from Libby, he skimmed it and his eyes widened.
"Carl, tell us who's going to pay for this." Libby said, she had made a ton of money from her singing career, but she didn't want to pay for the whole reunion, neither did Sheen, who had made a small fortune as CEO of the Ultralord company, Carl was a wealthy llama rancher, but none of them planned on paying for this thing, especially since Libby and Sheen had an elaborate and expensive wedding planned and Carl was planning to go on a space trip, which costs a fortune.
"Well…I called to invite Jimmy and he asked for the list of things we would be needing, I sent it to him, and well, he sent us a check." Carl said hesitantly.
"Like, how big of a check?" Brittany interrupted.
Carl grabbed his PDA and pulled up a file with the amount on it.
"That big of a check." Sheen whistled softly and Libby's eyes widened.
"T-that's more than we could possibly use." Brittany said.
"Yeah, but he's getting a club built especially for the reunion too."
"No." Said Libby flatly.
"What?" Carl asked.
"No. We are not letting that arrogant jerk come in and try to make up for what he did with a check."
"But." Said Carl.
"No, you know what he did to Cindy, and all of us." Libby said.
"It wasn't his fault, he didn't…" Carl started.
"NO!" Libby said forcefully.
"Well then you pay for it." Carl challenged.
"Maybe I will."
"Too bad, I already bought everything and the club's being built as we speak." Carl said.
"Damn you." Libby said the profanity sounded foreign coming out of her mouth and it took Sheen a minute to process it.
"…Yeah Carl, we could've found a way to pay for it, we don't need HIS charity."
"It's not charity, he graduated in the same class as us, if we can contribute to the reunion, why can't he?" Carl said defensively.
"Because he's trying to make us forget about what he did."
"NO! It's not right that you judge him because of something he didn't even do!"
"I think Carl's right." Brittany said unsurely.
Libby turned and attacked her instead. "And how would you know? You don't even know what he did! You have no right to come in and defend him when you have no idea what that monster did!" Libby shouted.
Carl opened his mouth to speak but never got a chance, "You don't even try to defend him! You're just trying to apologize for him because he to much of a stuck up bastard to do it himself alright!" Libby shouted at him.
"Well then, I suppose the stuck up bastard is still being falsely accused."
They all turned in shock to see Jimmy walking towards them. Brittany gaped at him, his well-defined muscles filling out his designer suit and his messy hair accentuating his handsome features.
"Hey Carl." Jimmy said and Carl's face lit up.
Carl ran at him and hugged him.
"Yeah, nice to see you too." Jimmy said awkwardly.
"Well." Jimmy started, as Carl let go of him.
"Just shut up." Libby spat at him, she tuned on her heel and stormed out, Sheen just glanced at Jimmy before running after her.
Brittany looked thoroughly mystified. She stammered slightly as she tried to introduce herself to the handsome, tanned billionaire whom she only faintly remembered.
"Jimmy, remember Brittany." Carl said, coming to her aid.
"Yeah, how are you?" Jimmy.
"F-fine…y-you saved my little sister's life Mr. Neutron."
"Cancer?" Jimmy asked, he had developed a cure two years ago that along with his other inventions, had made him the richest, and probably most admired man on the planet.
"AIDS." Brittany said.
"Ah yes, I think I remember…was your family the one on TIME?" Jimmy asked.
"Yes." She said breathily.
"Well, I'm glad to see that my work is helping others." He said.
"You wanna go check out construction Carl?" He asked his friend.
"Sure, I think they're just doing the roof." Carl said.
"God I missed Retroville." Jimmy said in wonder as they walked down the sidewalk, he had opted to walk to the site so he could take in as much of his hometown as possible.
"Well, they still think it was your fault." Carl said sadly.
"Where is Cindy living?" Jimmy asked curiously.
"Beverly Hills." Carl said.
"Acting?"
"Yup."
"Is she coming?"
"We're not sure, she didn't answer the phone, or our invitation, or her email, we even called her agent." Carl said. "We think she doesn't want to talk to any of us after…well, what happened." Carl said nervously.
"I think I can talk to her." Jimmy said confidently.
"But how?" Carl asked, stymied.
"I know a few people." And he left it at that.
"Nice watch." Carl said, trying to initiate conversation.
"This? It's not bad." Jimmy said, tugging at his Rolex.
"So, what happened to the rest of the old crowd?" Jimmy asked, referring to their graduating class.
"Nothing big. Nathan and that girl he was always following around got married, and Nick's an actor."
"Oh." Jimmy said and they fell into silence. Jimmy looked down, watching his feet.
"So, is Cindy married?" Jimmy asked, he knew all to well what celebrity marriages and couples were like, having dated a few actresses.
"Um, I don't think so, I think she's been dating Nick." Carl said.
Jimmy who had been drinking a bottle of water, spit it out all over the sidewalk, coughing.
"What?" He asked, hoarsely, bent double.
"Cindy and Nick are dating, it was all over the magazines." Carl said matter-of-factly.
"You get those magazines?" Jimmy asked incredulously. To Carl it seemed that this was all he cared about, but really he was crushed, she was going out with Nick, NICK! Anyone else he could deal with, but Nick, that arrogant self-serving idiot…he was just about ready to go looking all over California for him and strangle him, he would…
"Jimmy, are you alright." Carl asked, his voice betrayed his concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine…I just, didn't expect that…" Jimmy said, lost in thought.
"Tell me about it, and guess what else, Nick is now Mr. Nice Guy who donates to all sorts of charities.
"I need his phone number." Jimmy muttered.
"You're kidding, Libby probably knows it, and Sheen as well, but they won't tell you, and they won't tell me 'cause they think I'll tell you. He's an actor, how are you gonna get his number?" Carl said.
"Hah." Was Jimmy's only reply, he drew a cell phone from his inside pocket and dialed a number.
"Hello, I need Nick Dean's number, yeah, call me back." Jimmy said, snapping it shut and replacing it in his pocket.
"Who was that?"
"My aide. I know a lot of the people in the movie business, so…" Jimmy said, trailing off. By now, they had reached the construction site, where the roof was almost finished.
"How did they do it so fast?" Carl asked in wonderment.
"They are good." Jimmy agreed.
"Oh, have you seen Chris recently?" Jimmy asked, remembering something.
"Yeah, yesterday." Carl said distractedly, Chris was Jimmy's 16-year-old younger brother.
Just then, Jimmy's cell phone rang.
"Hello." He said, before listening intently.
"Shit…." Jimmy said, hanging up and dialing another number.
"Bring the car…to the construction site, oh and pick up Chris would ya. Hurry!" Jimmy said urgently.
"What's up?" Carl asked.
"Cindy, at the airport, just landed." Jimmy said, not bothering with full sentences as a Jaguar stretch limo pulled up, screeching to a halt in front of them.
"Come on." Jimmy said to Carl, opening a door and getting in, Carl stood in a daze for a second before following his friend.
"Hey." Jimmy said, looking at Chris, who was sitting opposite from him.
"What's up, asshole."
"What'd I do?" Jimmy asked.
"You know what you did." Jimmy winced, Chris, it appeared, was still going out with Cindy's sister, who was around his age, but was from a different father, as Cindy's had died and hated Jimmy for what they all assumed he had done.
"I didn't." Jimmy tried to defend himself, but his brother shot him a look of deepest loathing and grabbed a soda from the bar.
"How's school?" Jimmy asked.
"I quit, I'm back at Retroville High." Chris said disdainfully.
"But why?" Jimmy asked.
"I hated it, I'd much rather be at Retroville High with Sarah and Catherine and Juan." Chris said cuttingly, Sarah being Cindy's sister, Catherine being Libby's younger sister and Juan being Sheen's cousin who lived with his parents. Jimmy smiled faintly, it reminded him of when he had quit college and decided to go back to Lindbergh, they were just like him and the old gang…god how much he wished they would understand that he HADN'T done it.
"I understand; I would hate it too." Jimmy said, referring to the private school he had paid for Chris to go to.
"And all these preppy know-it-alls, who in fact no nothing at all." Chris continued, Jimmy's younger brother was a genius, not as smart as Jimmy had been, but hey, he was still probably the smartest person for a few states in every direction, except maybe Cindy's sister, who was arguably his equal, Jimmy smiled as he remembered his childhood with Cindy.
"Look, I know you didn't do it." Chris said, Jimmy grinned, he knew his brother believed him.
"Well, it's hard to be with people like them, when you do actually know it all." Jimmy said and they both laughed.
"Say, what do you want for your birthday, I seem to have not gotten you a present." Jimmy said, Chris' birthday was that day, oddly enough.
"A car…a jet…a rocket…a way to strand Sarah with me on a desert island…oh shit!" Chris said, his face turning red.
Jimmy laughed. "Crash the hovercar bro." He said.
"No seriously, find and island, and then cause an engine failure, oh, and make sure you fall into water, bring a parachute I suppose." Jimmy said.
"No pearl though, I copyrighted that move." Jimmy said.
"Fine!" His brother said huffily.
"So, how long have you two been in love." Jimmy asked.
"Do you have to say it that way?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I can do whatever I want!" Jimmy said.
Chris muttered something along the lines of, no fair, rich…before reverting to discernible speech. "She looks just like Cindy, not quite as smart though."
"Hah! I beat you!" Jimmy said.
"Cindy hates you."
"Not after the reunion she won't!"
"I'll help." Chris said.
"Thanks, a lot. So, you said a car, a jet, a rocket or the island, I told you how to get her on the island, so how bout a flying car that goes into outer space." Jimmy suggested.
"Great!"
By this time they were speeding through town.
"STOP!" Jimmy yelled, the driver managed to hear him through the supposedly soundproof divider and came to a halt.
Jimmy pressed a button and the limo door opened.
"Alright, this is your stop." Jimmy said to Chris, gesturing to Cindy's parents' house, where Sarah now lived with Sasha and Cindy's stepdad.
Jimmy tossed his brother roses and a wallet.
"Dinner." He said. And Chris checked the wallet, grinning.
"Wow, your brother's pretty cool." Carl said, speaking for the first time in the whole car ride.
"Yeah." Jimmy agreed, leaning back.
"I'll get in the front." Carl offered, getting out and opening the passenger side door in the driver's part of the limo.
It took only five minutes to reach the airport, and Jimmy stepped out of the limo as it came to a halt in front of the main entrance. He put on black sunglasses and strode through the doors.
Two minutes, five autographs and three journalists brandishing cameras and tape recorders later, he was waiting in the baggage pickup area.
As he approached the main carousel (That's the baggage pickup thing) he was mildly surprised to see over a two dozen people waiting, upon closer inspection he found out that most of them worked for magazines like People and Us, the rest were just paparazzi, how they had gotten in he had no idea, although he suspected some of them had purposely gotten ticket's on Cindy and Nick's flight.
Jimmy smiled widely, this was better than expected, he walked past them, never facing them so they didn't recognize him and approached the entrance from the customs, immigration and security area. The guard there stood impassive.
"Hey." Jimmy said.
"Who are you?" The man said rudely, looking thoughtful.
"James, James Neutron." He said confidently. The man's jaw dropped.
Jimmy brushed by him. He stood off to the side as Cindy and Nick approached.
He confidently approached Cindy.
"Excuse me, Ms. Vortex, can you step over here for a minute?" He asked.
"Sure." She said hesitantly, Nick moved to follow, but Jimmy stopped him.
"Ah, Mr. Dean, that won't be necessary, this will only take a minute."
Nick glared at him and stepped forward. Jimmy sighed and flashed an airport security badge.
Nick glanced at it, he shot Jimmy a piercing look before walking into the baggage area, where he was besieged by paparazzi.
"What do you want?" She asked offensively.
"Nothing really, just to save you the trouble of an extra half an hour to get out of here, gesturing through the doorway to the baggage claim area, where Nick was being attacked by journalists, and most of the people there, who had recognized him.
"Oh. Well who the hell are you."
"Look, Cindy…um, remember what happened, in high school, well there's something you don't understand, It wasn't my fault." Jimmy said pleadingly.
He tossed the confused guard his badge.
"Neutron?" She asked, Jimmy nodded.
"After what you did." She said, her voice rising, she stood stock still and slapped him, hard, before storming away.
"Fuck, he said, touching the red mark on his cheek, the guard at the door shot him a you-tried look and Jimmy nodded. He had some serious work to do.