"Jimmy," Mrs. Neutron called out in a sing-song voice.
"Yeah mom?!" Jimmy replied. He had to speak loudly because he was in his new room, which was on the second story of his new house, and his mother was all the way downstairs.
"Come down here. I want us to go and introduce ourselves to our new neighbors."
"Can't we do that later?" said Jimmy. He still had several boxes to unpack, never mind the countless inventions he had to install like his new laser beam toothbrush.
"It will only take a minute dear! Your father needs some extra help with the boxes too, and maybe they can lend a hand."
"I told you mom, just let me fire up the Robo Mover Five-Thousand, and we'll be done in no time."
"We are not using the Robo Mover Five-Thousand Jimmy!" Mrs. Neutron said in a severe voice. "Now get a move on!"
"I promise it won't malfunction again."
"I said now Jimmy!" With a reluctant sigh, Jimmy pushed aside the boxes cluttering his floor and stumbled his way out of his room. He thought it was very insensitive of his mother to make him stop his unpacking and force him to go meet some people he could care less about. They had all day to do that, or tomorrow even. He also thought that she should have let him use his invention. So what if he had broken one of his dad's favorite glass ducks; he had hundreds of them.
Jimmy bounded down the stairs and met up with his mother, who gave him one last stern look, as if to deter him from any further complaining. Jimmy fought not to scowl.
"Okay, let's go!" Mrs. Neutron said in a much chirpier tone.
"What about dad?" Jimmy said.
"I think he has enough to do right now," Mrs. Neutron said. Jimmy saw her make a weird face and then shake her head. "That's why I'm hoping the people across the street can help him out." Still feeling resentful, Jimmy mumbled under his breath.
"I heard that young man!"
When they had crossed the street, Mrs. Neutron led the way up their neighbors' driveway. A red sedan was parked in front of the garage. The two Neutrons climbed the steps up the front porch and Mrs. Neutron rang the doorbell. A second later, the clicking of a lock was heard and the front door opened. An austere woman with dark hair and green eyes now stood before them.
"Hello?" she said. Jimmy didn't like the way her voice sounded. It was much colder and more uncaring than that of his mother.
"Hi," Mrs. Neutron greeted pleasantly. "We're the Neutrons from across the street."
"Of course, you're the ones who just moved in," the woman said in the same cold, slightly haughty manner.
"Yes," said Mrs. Neutron. "Anyway, my husband's having some difficulty with all of our boxes. We were wondering, if your husband's home, if he could spare a second."
"Sure thing," the woman said. "He's in the backyard, follow me." The woman came outside the house and headed toward the garage. There was a small path between the garage and the house that led to the backyard.
"Why don't you stay here Jimmy?" Mrs. Neutron said. "This shouldn't take long." Jimmy grumbled in return, but quieted after a sharp look from his mother. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled around a bit. This day was turning out to be the biggest chore of all time.
"Hey mom?!" A girl about the same age as Jimmy exited the front door and joined Jimmy on the porch. She had bushy blonde pigtails, bright green eyes and some fading, childish freckles. She didn't notice Jimmy until, after failing to find her mom, she turned to go back inside.
"Oh," she said with a start. Jimmy looked at the girl for a moment and then crossed his arms. The last thing in the world he wanted to do now was talk to some stupid girl. He jutted out his lower lip and frowned.
"Who are you?" the girl asked. Jimmy sighed heavily and unfolded his arms.
"I'm Jimmy," he answered wearily.
"Oh. I'm Cindy." An awkward silence passed between the two children. A bird or two chirped. Jimmy sighed again. His arms crossed once more.
"What's that thing on your shirt?" Cindy said, breaking the silence. She was pointing at a space above Jimmy's arms, which showed his trademark atom insignia.
"It's an atom," Jimmy responded.
"It's a what?" Jimmy clenched his teeth irritably. Leave it to a girl to ask a dumb question like that.
"It's an atom!" he repeated, this time more forcefully.
"I know what it is," Cindy said. "I just wanna know why you have it on your shirt."
"If you have to know, I wear it because I'm a scientist. I'm also an inventor, and all great inventors have to have a logo."
"You're an inventor?" Cindy said with a chuckle. "What are you, like six?"
"I'm eight-and-a-half, thank you very much!" Jimmy hated it when people mistook him for someone younger. It happened all the time, just because he was so–
"Short for eight-and-a-half, aren't you?" Cindy sassed. Jimmy felt the blood rush to his cheeks. With each passing second, he found himself liking this girl less and less.
"Yeah, well all the more humiliating for you when I wipe the floor with your face in school next week."
"Sorry, I don't go to preschool," Cindy mocked, chuckling even more. Jimmy cringed. Something about her voice was so aggravating. He had to shut her up.
"I'm enrolling in the third grade at Lindbergh Elementary, Cindy!" Cindy sneered.
"Well, I guess we are gonna be classmates. Just don't get your hopes up at beating me Jimmy. I'm the smartest kid at school, ask anyone."
"I don't care how smart you think you are," Jimmy challenged. "I was the smartest kid at my old school!"
"What was that, nursery school?" Cindy was now pink from laughing so hard.
"Just you wait…blondie! Just you wait!" Cindy laughed even harder at this. Jimmy couldn't figure out what her big mouth found so funny. His blood was boiling so furiously he thought he was going to explode. One more second, just one more second of that laugh and–
"Ow!" Cindy cried. Unable to stand that high-pitched cackling anymore, Jimmy had grabbed one of her pigtails and yanked it as hard as he could. "What was that for?!" Cindy hollered.
"To make you be quiet!" Jimmy shouted in reply. "I swear, in the name of Albert Einstein, you are the most insufferable female to ever walk the face of the earth!" Jimmy leapt off Cindy's porch and marched across her front lawn, en route to his own house.
"Oh yeah, well…same to you soft-serve! I hope that thing's a wig!"
Jimmy ground his teeth so hard it hurt. He could scarcely remember another time in his life where he had been so mad. That Cindy was the worst kind of girl he could have over hoped to have met, let alone live across the street from. In fact, she was the epitome of why he hated girls so much. For this reason, he could hardly wait until school started the following week. There he'd shut her up once and for all.
I don't care what mom and dad say, I'll never like a member of the female species, Jimmy vowed as he opened his front door. He turned around to glare at Cindy, who stuck her tongue out at him. Especially that one.
Disclaimer - I do not own Jimmy Neutron, it characters, nor any other shows, characters, music, and/or movies that may be referenced.
