Author's Note: Well, here's another story I've been working on inbetween Nine Months. These two stories will probably be my last new ones until they get finished, and then I'll post new stuff afterwards. This is also going to be sort of longer and much more dramatic than the other pieces I've written, but I hope you all enjoy! :) Thanks for reading, and please leave a review and tell me what you think!
I do not own Jimmy Neutron. If I did, it'd still be on air. :P
Missing
Chapter 1: Rejection
It wouldn't be a typical Tuesday afternoon at Retroville High School if Sophomore students Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex weren't bickering about their Chemistry exam results in the middle of the school hallway.
"You don't even belong here! Just go to college and leave us all alone!" A very ticked off Cindy Vortex exclaimed. She had received a perfect one-hundred percent on her exam, but of course, her biggest rival since elementary school had to one-up her by showing off his one-hundred and fifty-eight percent result.
"Been there, done that! I'm happy being here and accompanying my favorite blonde-haired demon all the way to graduation," Jimmy explained with a smirk on his face as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Besides, your life would be boring without me!"
"Yeah, I wouldn't consider constantly risking my life to save your butt exciting, either," Cindy responded as she swiftly pushed the boy genius off her shoulders and into the nearest locker. "Oh, and please refrain from touching me; unless you want everyone to witness this blonde-haired demon kicking your butt!"
"What is your problem, Vortex?" Jimmy shot up and got within inches of Cindy's face. He could feel his face becoming redder by the second as his temper started to rise.
She did this every time. She would rub it in his face how amazing she did on her test or project, and he would counteract by showing her his results. It wasn't his fault he simply did better than she did, and he tried his best not to rub it in as much as he would have when they were kids. He's been trying to keep his ego down a notch, but Cindy wasn't letting him succeed.
"My problem is that I've been competing with a certain big-headed freak since elementary school and I can't catch a break!"
"Well, in case you haven't noticed Cindy, we're not in elementary school anymore! You don't need to constantly compete against me! Why can't you just get it through your thick, strange head that I'm not competing with you anymore?"
Cindy opened her mouth to respond, but noticed the crowd of students surrounding them, wanting to see how their fight was going to go this time. Some students were even starting to make wagers. "Five bucks says the blonde girl makes the big-headed kid cry!"
Jimmy rolled my eyes and looked back at Cindy. He just wanted this ridiculous competition to finally end between them. As much as he hated to admit it, he really wanted to be her friend without all the fighting. Maybe even more than a friend. He has been strangely attracted to the girl for as long as he could remember, but their rivalry prevented him from being able to pursue anything past the occasional kissing or hand holding here and there. Plus, she would never admit that she felt a mutual attraction, at least not when she was too busy trying to best him at everything.
Cindy's face began to beat red as she noticed all the attention she had brought toward her and Jimmy. She wasn't sure if it was because people were actively witnessing their bickering or because she had finally had enough of the fighting as well, but she turned around and pushed herself through the crowd of students. She was done and over this day completely.
The crowd began to disperse and Jimmy was left standing there, sighing and watching Cindy walk away from him. He wanted to chase after her, tell her he was sorry for something he had never meant to do, and just hold her soft, pale hand. He knew it would be miraculous if he were able to get to that point without her punching him in the gut, first. Jimmy rolled his eyes at the thought of her aggressive demeanor and walked off to his next class.
Jimmy laid on his bed that evening, confused and lost in his thoughts. How could someone so beautiful and smart cause him this much trouble for so many years? He couldn't wrap his mind around it. He tried playing along with her games in elementary school. He tried being nice to her when she was stressed with her demanding home-life. He tried giving away as many hints as possible to show he actually cares about her for who she is, not for her brain. He just could not win, because in her eyes, he was always wrong.
"What am I supposed to do?" Jimmy asked himself as he buried his face in his hands.
"Give up on her, dude." Jimmy shot up to find his two best friends in the doorway of his bedroom. "She's a mess."
"Wha-what are you talking about?" Jimmy asked, trying to pretend he was not thinking about his blond-haired neighbor.
"We heard about the fight you guys had today," Carl said as he walked over to Jimmy.
"Yeah, she's crazy, Jim. Just leave her alone for a while," Sheen suggested. "Maybe she'll cut off all her crap if you ignore her for the time being. It works, trust me."
"The same way it worked that one time when you ignored Libby for two whole minutes because you were upset with her for not coming over to watch Ultra Lord, but then you missed her too much to leave her alone?" Carl asked with a smirk across his face.
"Carl! Whose side are you on?" Sheen shouted.
"I don't know, guys," Jimmy intervened. "I just don't think I could ignore her. I mean, aside from you two, she's probably one of my best friends, and I don't know, sometimes I want to be more than that. But when she acts crazy like this, I have second thoughts about pursuing anything more than a friendship with her. Maybe we're just meant to be rivals."
"Well, you can't just keep letting her get to you like this, Jimmy," Carl said. "Maybe you should just give yourself some space from her. It could help you both figure out what you guys want."
Jimmy thought about it. He knew his friends were right. The only way Cindy is ever going to change is if I stand my ground, he thought. Maybe she needs the space, too.
Cindy laid on her bed and rubbed her eyes softly, trying not to rub her mascara into her eyes. When will this demanding life ever end? She thought, as she held back the tears she has been holding back since she was eleven years old. Cindy lived a demanding life for a sixteen year old. She had to please her parents by doing everything they asked of her, her teachers by being a straight-A student, and her friends by being around for them all the time, even when they weren't always there for her. Never did she think of a way to please herself, because she was too busy trying to please others.
She never liked being dramatic about it, either. In fact, most of her friends had the slightest clue how her home life really was. Except for Jimmy Neutron, for she has poured her heart out to him several times about how much she wanted to run far away from here. She has even tried to convince him to take her to their deserted island, where they could forget about all the pressure they face in their lives. Jimmy wasn't convinced enough to go. He actually enjoyed his life in Retroville with his family and close friends.
Cindy sat up, walked into her bathroom, and started her bath water. Maybe a nice hot bath is what I need, Cindy thought. She undressed and slowly got into the tub full of hot water. She felt instant relief as her problems started soaking away. She closed her eyes and drifted away into her imagination.
This was the best part of her demanding life; being able to disappear into her own thoughts as she tried to relieve the tension. He's right, you know, the little voice in head told her. And if you don't stop this, you will push him away for good.
Cindy's eyes shot open and she felt uncomfortable from the idea that Jimmy wouldn't always be around if she kept up this behavior. He has been around since day one, whether she liked it or not. The thought of him leaving her alone bothered her more than him constantly beating her academically. He was truly her best friend, even when she didn't act like it.
"He drives me crazy," Cindy whispered to herself. "But maybe I should apologize." She enjoyed the whippy-dipped head in her life, not that she would ever admit that to him.
The next day at school was very calm. Cindy felt her stomach flip around and go into knots at the thought of apologizing to her long-term rival, but she knew it had to be done. She was finally over all the fighting and she was starting to feel hopeful for a stable friendship with him.
She searched all around the school for Jimmy until she found him across the hall, talking to his two childhood best friends. She inhaled a deep breath as she walked toward the three boys.
"Hey," Cindy greeted softly as she approached Jimmy. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Uh oh," Carl said. "Let's go, Sheen. I don't want to be caught in the crossfire of these two."
Cindy watched as the two friends walked away, leaving Cindy and Jimmy behind.
"What do you want, Vortex?" Jimmy spat out a bit more harshly than he intended. Normally Cindy would slap him across the face for speaking to her in such a tone, but she wanted to make amends, so she held her hands behind her back before she ended up making a big mistake.
"Look, Neutron. I just wanted to say-"
"I don't care."
"What?" She was thrown back from his sudden response.
"I've been thinking a lot lately and I just don't care anymore, Cindy. I've tried and I've tried to be civil with you, but all you want is a rivalry with me. This five-year competition has gotten way out of hand."
"But-"
"I just want you to leave me alone for a while. You can be so exhausting sometimes, Vortex."
"I'm exhausting? Try keeping up with someone with an IQ of 210!"
"That's what I mean, Cindy. I never asked you to keep up with me! You just assumed you had to. I already know you're smart, probably the smartest girl in this entire school. I don't know what you're trying to prove or who you're trying to prove it to, but until you can stop this nonsense, I think it's best we just stay away from each other for a while. At least until we both figure out what we want."
Jimmy gave Cindy a gentle kiss on the cheek and walked away. She lightly touched the spot his soft lips were placed, as she watched the young genius walk over to his friends, not once looking back at her. Cindy Vortex just came face-to-face with her biggest fear; rejection from Jimmy Neutron.
