Libby's Warning
Four years later…
It had taken many months of hard work, but Jimmy's efforts had finally paid off. Once he reached puberty, Jimmy found that getting up in the morning was quite possibly the most difficult task known to mankind. To assist himself in this daily struggle, he spent many long nights in the lab, searching for the perfect alarm. Jimmy was well aware of the concept of negative reinforcement, and how it caused people to regard their alarms with disdain, and even fear. To counteract this, Jimmy sought to develop an alarm that was not only pleasant, but one that he actually looked forward to. So it was thought that once Jimmy had succeeded in this endeavor, he had cured himself of all early-morning issues.
Unfortunately for Jimmy, on this particular morning, he would not wake up to his alarm. Instead of hearing the sweet yet resonant rendition of Westminster's Chimes he had programmed into his special clock, he heard a loud voice shouting directly above him. Instead of the gentle, artificial light that emanated from his clock onto his face, he was assaulted by a harsh, sudden burst of natural sunlight. And instead of his blankets being slowly slipped of his body by a careful pair of robotic hands, his blankets were ripped off by a rough pair of human ones.
"Wake up Neutron, your lab's on fire!"
Jimmy burst awake and shot upright in his bed, eyes bulging and chest heaving. Even during unconsciousness, he only needed to hear that dreaded phrase once. Jimmy rolled off his mattress and fell unceremoniously to the floor. Ignoring the pain from his landing, he scrambled to his hands and feet and half-ran, half-crawled toward the door. He'd enter the lab from the clubhouse entrance since he didn't know where the fire had broken out.
"Quick, you'll need these!"
Jimmy turned around just in time to catch a pair of boxers floating through the air. They were green with yellow ducks on them, but he didn't care. He needed something to beat at the flames.
The boy genius had nearly exited his room when suddenly, he stopped. He had been in such a rush to save his lab that he hadn't taken a moment to consider the circumstances. It was a Friday morning. It was the first day of summer vacation. He had been roused out of bed at an earlier time than expected. He wasn't working with any flammable chemicals. In fact, last year he had revamped the lab so that it had an automatic fire extinguishing system. On top of that, he developed a clear, non-toxic flame retardant that he sprayed over every nook and cranny of the place. And if that wasn't enough…
Jimmy's train of thought derailed as he realized what was behind this latest morning mayhem. Standing next to his bed, with her arms crossed and a pleased-as-punch smile plastered across her features, was Cindy Vortex.
Jimmy sighed, feeling his anxiety ebb away. It was just Cindy. He had almost accepted the notion when reality hit. He was suddenly aware that he was standing in his doorway, wearing nothing but boxers, and that a girl was in his room. And not just any girl.
"Cindy, what–" Jimmy's face went beet red as he finally got out the words "–WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?"
"Oh, I live here now," Cindy said, taking great pleasure in Jimmy's apoplectic reaction. "My mom and dad moved to Chicago, so your parents said I could stay here with you."
"Your parents live across the street, I can see their cars through the window!"
Jimmy jabbed a finger at his bedroom window, which he and Cindy could see through now that the latter had pulled back the curtains. Jimmy's face scrunched up even tighter when he realized that anyone walking down the street could peek through and see him in his current state of undress. He glanced at the duck boxers he was holding in his hand, comprehension finally dawning on him.
"You were in my underwear drawer?" he shouted at Cindy.
The blonde's infuriating smile only widened. "Yeah, Fridays and Saturdays are my cross-dressing days. It helps give me that spice of life feeling, know what I mean?"
"Never mind that," Jimmy snapped. He throw his boxers to the floor, unsure of whether he was truly angry, or just embarrassed. "Who let you in my room?"
"I let me in your room," Cindy replied, still acting like it was no big deal.
Jimmy's brows knitted together in panic. A horrifying thought occurred to him. He quickly took a step forward, turned around, and slammed his door shut. "What if one of my parents sees you?" he seethed. "Do you have any idea what this looks like?"
There was a knocking on Jimmy's door, and then, without warning, it opened. Mrs. Neutron was standing in the hall, bearing an armful of freshly laundered boxers.
"Here you go sweetie," Judy said, handing Jimmy six pairs of underpants. "I think we'll have to go to the mall again this weekend. These ones are getting awfully small on you."
As if Jimmy's morning couldn't get any worse, Judy poked her head above Jimmy's shoulder and smiled. "Oh, good morning Cindy."
"Good morning Mrs. Neutron," Cindy said in the voice she used to win over her teachers.
Jimmy didn't buy that precious smile for a second.
"You two are off to an early start this morning."
"First day of summer vacation. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts."
"Oh, I remember the days."
Judy suddenly frowned. She took stock of the situation, the fact that Cindy was unexpectedly in Jimmy's room, next to his bed, and the fact that Jimmy was standing near the door, breathing heavily, sweating profusely, and wearing nothing but a pair of underwear. Judy narrowed her eyes at her son.
"Young man, what's going on here?" she asked him. Her maternal gaze probed her son. "Are you…doing something you shouldn't be doing?"
Jimmy's blue eyes went as wide as dinner plates. He desperately waved his hands in front of his mother. "It's not what it looks like mom, I swear! No one's doing anything!"
"Mm-hm," Judy said in a doubtful tone, her eyes sweeping down Jimmy's scantily clad figure. "If you're bringing friends in your room, then I want this door kept open." She then shot Cindy a kind look. "Not that I don't trust you Cindy," she said, on the verge of laughter. Her gaze then switched back to Jimmy, her eyes becoming noticeably less friendly. "This one on the other I'm not so sure of. He's been very hormonal lately."
Judy held Jimmy's gaze for moment longer and then disappeared down the hall, leaving her son feeling very sulky, and very embarrassed. It was a while before Jimmy could turn around and face Cindy. The blonde's boisterous laughter gave him the motivation he needed.
The angrier Jimmy looked at his friend, the harder she laughed. "Best…morning…ever," she chuckled, wiping away a tear.
Jimmy bent over and snatched his many pairs of boxers off the ground. He stalked over toward Cindy, mad as a hornet.
"If you're not out of my room in five seconds…"
Cindy grin only grew bigger. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Help, Mrs. Neutron! I told him to stop but he just won't take no for an answer!"
"Quiet," Jimmy snapped.
"And he's trying to gag me too!"
Jimmy sighed, shaking his head. He yanked open his dresser drawer and stuffed the boxers inside, before slamming it shut. He was about to bump his way past Cindy when he saw that she was no longer standing next to his bed. Jimmy's flushed features changed from beet red, to an even brighter shade of cherry.
"You're in my closet?" he hollered.
"Hmm, what should I wear today?" Cindy said, like she was performing for an audience. The blonde riffed through several pairs of Jimmy's pants before selecting a pair of blue jeans. To Jimmy's horror, after she removed them from the hanger, she actually began putting them on.
"Gimme those!"
Jimmy swiped his jeans from Cindy and furiously stuck his leg inside them. He was about to put his second leg through when he realized that he had them on backwards. Cursing under his breath, Jimmy tore off the pants, flipped them around, and began putting them on the proper way.
"Don't forget your shirt."
Jimmy was about to comment when said object landed on his head, obscuring his vision. He shook the shirt off so he could finish buttoning and zipping his jeans, and then picked the shirt up off the floor. He struggled, as always, to pull it past his overlarge head.
"Would it kill you to update your wardrobe?" Cindy said, gesturing at Jimmy's closet. Hanging on the racks were all of Jimmy's clothes, ninety percent of which were red tops and blue jeans.
"I'm a scientist Cindy," Jimmy said, his head finally popping through his shirt. "Not a fashion icon."
"I'm just saying," Cindy said. "You haven't changed your style since fifth grade."
"Well maybe if you minimized your time worrying about outfits like me, you wouldn't rank second in the class. Again!"
Cindy pointed a finger at Jimmy. "Who got the top score on our last American Literature exam? That's what I thought."
"I was busy writing a review article for Nature," Jimmy said as he jogged over to his desk. He always kept his valuables in the top drawer while he slept. "Besides, who needs to know about Ernest Hemingway when you plan on leading the world's next scientific revolution? Now let's see…" Jimmy muttered to himself as he picked through the contents of his drawer. It was in dire need of a serious cleanup. "Got my wallet, my watch, Goddard's lubricant, and…aha. House key."
Jimmy collected the items out of his drawer and stuffed them in his pockets. "So anyway," he said, making sure his belongings were snug and secure. "Why'd you wake me up so early?"
The anger was gone from Jimmy's voice, replaced by plain curiosity. These days, he and Cindy mixed arguments with normal conversation like it was perfectly natural. It was one of the many things that made them two of Retroville's most unique teenagers.
"'Cause Libby, Sheen, and Carl are already at the Candy Bar, and we're gonna be late."
"I told you we could sleep in today." Jimmy flashed Cindy a smile. It was a smile he only reserved for one thing. "To celebrate the first day of summer, we're gonna try out my latest invention."
"Which is why I woke us up early," Cindy said. She and Jimmy began walking out the door. "Since when do your latest inventions ever work?" she finished.
Jimmy jutted his lower lip. "My success ratio is significantly higher than it was four years ago, and I've got repeated-measures statistics to prove it."
"Like what, a measly paired t-test?"
As the duo's banter moved further and further away, Goddard finally settled himself at the foot of Jimmy's bed. Once again, those two had caused such a ruckus that they jolted him out of his sleep cycle. Goddard wasn't one for complaining, but over the years he had grown accustomed to waking up at ten am on weekends and vacation days, and he didn't like it when this pattern was disrupted. Giving a final irritated glance, the mechanical canine drifted off to a peaceful sleep.
"Alright," Jimmy said at long last. "Shoes on?"
"Check."
"Super-adhesive velcro straps activated?"
"Check."
"Backup shoelaces tied?"
"Check."
"Wind-resistant goggles installed?"
Jimmy and Cindy exchanged a glance. They were both wearing a pair of thick, albeit clear, plastic goggles that almost completely sealed their eyes from the outside environment. A black elastic band was tightly wrapped around the back of their heads. Cindy nodded and gave Jimmy the thumbs-up. "Check."
"All right Vortex," Jimmy said. He and Cindy were standing on the sidewalk next to his front lawn, hands clenched into fists, knees bent. The sky over them was a clear blue. "Prepare for takeoff."
"These new shoes of yours better be fast," Cindy said. She peered down at her feet, which were hidden inside a rather awkward-looking, bulky pair of sneakers. Etched onto the back and sides was a familiar atomic insignia.
"I already told you Cindy," Jimmy said. "These shoes are up to ten times faster than the ones I made when we did Macbeth in Space. We'll be at the Candy Bar in no time."
"These shoes of yours better get us to breakfast in time."
Jimmy rolled his eyes. He rotated his watch so Cindy could see. "It's only nine-thirty. Depending on the amount of wind-resistance we meet, we should get there in a few minutes. Worst-comes-to-worst, I'm pretty sure we can run there and still make it before ten."
"These shoes of yours better not get us killed."
"Alright, I get it!" Jimmy looked at Cindy, wishing he could relay his thoughts to her via osmosis. "Look, that's why I installed the super-stick straps and the backup shoelaces." He proffered his heel in emphasis. "There's no way these things will fall off."
Cindy snorted. "Yeah, and if we're soaring through the air and we suddenly stop flying?"
Jimmy went a shade or two paler. As usual, he had missed a small, but critical detail. "We uh…we fly low?"
"Well then I guess all our problems are solved," Cindy said with a sarcastic wave of her hands. She adjusted her goggles a final time. "Come on fly-boy; let's get this over with."
"O-kay," Jimmy said. A fierce grin broke out on his face. As he looked to the side, he saw that Cindy had donned a grin as well. Despite her often catty remarks, he knew that she enjoyed trying out his new inventions just as much as he did.
This was one of the many reasons why Cindy had become his best friend.
"On 'go'," Jimmy said. He assumed a running position, clenching his teeth in anticipation. New inventions always fired up his nerves. "Ready…set… …"
A thought occurred to Jimmy. Quickly, before she could protest, he grabbed Cindy by the hand. The feel of her palm brought shivers down his spine and goose bumps to his flesh, but he swiftly quashed the sensation. He couldn't let himself go at a time like this.
"What are you doing?" Cindy asked. If Jimmy didn't know any better, he would have thought that at that moment, she sounded almost scared. The slight widening of her eyes and lifting of her brows confirmed this. Which begged the question; what was Cindy scared of? But they had less than thirty minutes to make it in time to the Candy Bar, and Jimmy couldn't afford to ponder these things before takeoff.
"It's just precautionary," Jimmy said. "In the unlikely event that one of us malfunctions. This way one of us can intervene."
Cindy studied Jimmy for a time, and then slowly nodded. "…Right. Good thinking."
"Thanks," Jimmy said. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. He allowed himself the briefest moment to enjoy his physical contact with Cindy. He carefully adjusted his grip on her hand, making sure that it wasn't too loose, or too tight. "Okay, on 'go.'"
Jimmy took a step forward and arranged his free arm at ninety degrees, so that his fist was near level with his chin. Cindy mirrored his positioning.
"Ready…set… …" A bead of sweat rolled down Jimmy's temple. "Go!"
They took off, hand in hand, at a medium pace that was slightly slower than that enabled by Jimmy's earlier jetpack backpacks. As they floated above the ground, a satisfied grin grew on Jimmy's face. The ride was smooth as silk. Not even an ounce of turbulence. Glancing at Cindy, Jimmy found a grin blossoming on the blonde's face as well. The friends noted each other's expressions, and then, after some wordless communication, nodded their heads.
Jimmy and Cindy shot through the air like bullets, all concerns for their safety long gone. Their grins only intensified as they soared high above the neighborhood, dozens of meter over the tallest houses. The lawns, trees and driveways flew beneath them. It was like being in an airplane as it rose into the atmosphere.
"Way to go Neutron!" Cindy shouted above the wind. "I think you've sang the eulogy for internal combustion."
Although Cindy was looking right at him, Jimmy wasn't entirely aware. He was too busy staring at her long golden hair as it flickered in the wind, never quite repeating the same movement twice. How would it feel to bury his head in that hair? To inhale its fragrant scent, as he gently traced her pale jawline with a finger. As he cradled her body to his, unable to get any closer, yet never getting close enough.
"Jimmy?" Cindy said. No response.
An incredibly dopey look appeared on Jimmy's face. It was the look he had given Cindy over four years ago when, overcome by pheromones, he had fallen in a deep, unshakable infatuation with her. This time, he was not influenced by an artificial dose of the chemical, but he was influenced by something alright. Jimmy had been giving Cindy this look with increasing frequency over the past year or so.
This was the look Jimmy wore when he was daydreaming.
"Jimmy?" Cindy repeated. Again no response. "Jimmy! Jiiiiiimmmmyyyyyy…"
Jimmy and Cindy were soaring through air, like they were doing in the real world outside of Jimmy's head, except that this scene looked a little different. The sky was a bit bluer, the clouds were a bit puffier, and the sun shone just a little bit brighter. In addition, Jimmy and Cindy were not merely flying, but they were sweeping through the air like something one could only describe as anti-gravity ballet. They flipped and dipped and spiraled, all the while holding hands and laughing like a couple of clichéd teenagers from a black and white film.
It was a scene so happy and ridiculous, it would have put Mary Poppins to shame.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha," Jimmy and Cindy laughed as they looped again and again. They finally came to a standstill in midair, interlocking both sets of fingers with one another.
"Oh James," Cindy said. For some reason in Jimmy's daydreams, Cindy always spoke with a slight English accent. "You are such an a-mazing scientist." Her eyes sparkled like starlight glittering upon the midnight sea.
"As are you my sugarloaf blossom," Jimmy said. In this particular segment, he was wearing a moustache. "Together, you and I shall lead the world in both of our industries. Science…and love."
"Oh my modern-day Da Vinci," Cindy gushed. "Your words captivate me even greater than your brilliant deeds."
"Then you can return the favor by captivating me…with a kiss."
"That works."
Jimmy shook his head. For another strange reason, Daydream Cindy occasionally dropped the elegant lady routine and spoke and acted like the real Cindy instead. The transitions were a bit jarring, but he supposed he'd get used to them eventually.
With a quick spray of his own, patented breath freshener, Jimmy was all set. He bore into Cindy's eyes, eyes that he wanted to fall into like green pools of passion. He leaned forward, as did she, their lips, lover's lips, searching for each other. The seconds slowed to a crawl as they closed in, mere moments away from that most romantic display of public affection.
"Jimmy…Jimmy...Jimmy?"
"Hey Jimmy!"
"Whuh?"
Jimmy snapped to full alertness and found three pairs of eyes staring at him. He was sitting in his customary corner booth at the Candy Bar, and was joined by Cindy, Carl, Sheen, and Libby. They had all been talking about one thing or another, but at some point during the conversation, Jimmy had zoned out and completely lost his bearings.
"Is there any particular reason you've been staring at the table for the past five minutes?"
It was Libby who had interrupted Jimmy's ruminating. It was also Libby who had asked Jimmy this most recent question. The boy genius stared at the girl, wondering why it was always she who caught him spacing out like that. He peered at the others, hoping that they weren't as discerning.
"He's probably just thinking about algebra again," Cindy said, guiding a forkful of chocolate chip pancake into her mouth. She gave Jimmy a sassy smirk while she chewed.
The blonde had been particularly ruthless during their meal thus far. While her and Jimmy's flight to the Candy Bar had gotten off to a good start, their luck didn't last. As it turned out, Jimmy hadn't done such a good job of creating a way to reduce their speed. In fact, he forgot about the breaking system altogether. When he and Cindy discovered this, it took their combined skill to pilot their way to the restaurant, avoiding cars, trees, and pedestrians as they zoomed by in excess of sixty miles an hour. They managed to arrive well before ten am, but they had destroyed Sam's front door, as well as one of his tables in the process. It was only with an Oscar-winning performance from Cindy that they avoided lifetime banishment from the Candy Bar.
"I thought about algebra once," Sheen said. He shuddered. "Worst three seconds of my life."
"Even worse than when they cancelled that Ultralord marathon in the seventh grade?" Carl asked.
"Don't be ridiculous Carl. Of course I wasn't including Ultralord-related incidents."
Libby put a hand to her forehead. "I can't believe you still watch that show."
"I can't believe you're still dating a guy who still watches that show," Cindy added. She giggled, downing another piece of pancake.
"Well I can't believe you're still best friends with a girl who's still dating a guy who still watches that show," Jimmy chuckled.
The other three all stared blankly at Jimmy. They looked at him like he was some strange type of creature, who was spewing out nonsense. Humor had never been Jimmy's strong suit, and over the years, it seemed he only got worse at it.
"As I was saying," Cindy slowly said, as if she were expecting another bizarre comment to come out of Jimmy. But before could continue, Sam approached carrying a platter stacked with pancakes. He dropped the platter rather brusquely in front of Jimmy, causing it to wobble on the table for a bit. As Jimmy inspected his order, he saw that most of the edges were burnt.
"Here's your food kid, yeah," Sam said. He glared at Jimmy for an uncomfortably long period of time before turning away.
"Oh, he wanted blueberry," Cindy said. Sam stopped in his tracks. He gave Cindy an even meaner glare than the one he had given Jimmy. Tough as she was, the intense dislike Cindy saw simmering behind those spectacles made her slump in her seat. "Cause you know…that's what he always orders," she squeaked.
No sooner than this was said, an object flew through the air, over the kitchen counter, and straight for Jimmy's table. As the five teens watched it, they realized that the object was in fact a pancake. The breakfast item landed perfectly on Jimmy's platter, right on top of his unwanted stack of pancakes. Unlike the previous ones, this one had blueberries in it. Jimmy watched in wonderment as two more blueberry pancakes flew from the kitchen, arriving neatly in front of him. A final pancake followed these last two. Unlike the others, this one smacked Jimmy right in the face.
"Oops," Sam said as the goop oozed down Jimmy's cheeks. "I guess my chefs threw that last pancake too fast. If only they had remembered to install a braking system!"
Sam shot Jimmy his meanest look yet before stomping away. "And I expect you to pay for both those orders, yeah!" he added without turning around.
Jimmy's table went silent for several seconds.
"Can you pass the syrup?" Sheen said. He looked at Jimmy, unfazed by the mess covering his friend's face. Wordlessly, Jimmy passed Sheen the clear-plastic container.
Carl used his napkin to clean up Jimmy's mug.
"Changeup?" Cindy asked. She was speaking to Jimmy. The genius nodded and slid his platter next to Cindy's. They each picked up one of the other's pancakes and placed it on their own, respective platter. They performed the trade with ease, as though they had done it hundreds of times.
Libby gazed strangely at her two friends. Something stirred within her brown irises.
"So," Carl said, sucking cream off his thumb. "What are we gonna do today Jim?"
"I dunno," Jimmy said. He felt better now that there was food in front of him, and that his face was presentable. "What do you guys want to do?"
"What have you and Cindy been up to lately?" Libby suddenly asked.
Jimmy had no immediate response to this. Fortunately, Cindy covered for him.
"What do you think we've been up to Libby?" the blonde said dismissively. She exchanged a wry glance with Jimmy. "Does the word 'lab' ring any bells?"
"Ringing bells huh?" Libby said. She placed her hands on the table. "An interesting choice of words Cindy." Her tone grew slightly guttural. "I wonder why you'd phrase a sentence like that?"
Cindy coolly regarded her friend. "What, are you talking about?" She took another bite of her pancake.
Libby whipped her hands off the table with a grunt of disgust. "Are you seriously that stupid?"
Cindy plucked her fork out of her mouth and settled it down on her platter. She refused to make eye contact with Libby.
"I don't know if you were aware of this," Sheen said, eying his girlfriend, "but those two have the highest grades in the entire class."
"We were up to our elbows working on a new invention," Jimmy said. He was nonplussed at the back and forth between the two girls. "What did you expect?"
"Never mind," Libby mumbled. She scowled as she dug a utensil into her pancake pile.
"So," Carl said after a few moments of quiet eating. "Is anyone planning on going to this Retro-Dance next Saturday?"
As they were leaving, Jimmy made sure to leave an extra-large tip. He knew it would be a while before Sam looked at him with anything shy of loathing, but he also knew that no matter how angry he had made the man in the past, he had always been forgiven. This was one of the reasons why Jimmy rarely complained in front of the Candy Bar's crotchety owner. If their roles had been reversed, Jimmy probably would have also thrown pancakes at his customer.
Jimmy had just exited the restaurant, behind Sheen, Carl and Cindy, when he felt someone grab him by the arm. He turned to his left and found himself face-to-face with Libby. The brown-eyed girl put her finger to her lips and cocked her head at their three friends up ahead. Jimmy stood in silence, waiting for Libby to speak.
"I'm gonna make this quick," she said. She stole a glance at the other three, making sure that none of them had noticed her and Jimmy were missing. She brought her gaze back to Jimmy, where it settled for a second or two. "Exactly how long have you been in love with Cindy?"
"What?" Jimmy exclaimed. Libby slammed her finger against her lips. The genius cringed at his foolish outburst.
"Tell me the truth Jimmy," Libby said. Her brown eyes softened, allowing the emotions to seep through. "I know you love her. I can see it in you every time you two are together. I'm amazed she's dumb enough not to see it herself."
Jimmy's eyes widened, but Libby calmed them with a flick of her hand. Her intent was communicated. Cindy knew nothing.
"Look, I played along four years ago when you guys started being friends and all. And I'm glad you two aren't fighting as much as you used to." She paused. "But Jimmy, the clock is ticking. If you don't tell her how you feel soon, one of these days, someone else is gonna wind up taking her. And all the time you've been spending with her? That's going seem a whole lot emptier when that happens."
"Do you…" Jimmy grappled for the words. "Has she…told you how she feels about me?"
Libby crossed her arms. "Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. I'm not the one you should be asking that."
"Hey Libby, Jimmy, c'mon!" Sheen called. "We're taking the snot mobile. We'll be home in no time."
Next to Sheen, Carl already had a large green bubble coming out of his nose. With another boost from his inhaler, he continued his blowing. On the other side of Carl, Cindy had her hand over her mouth, trying not to lose her breakfast.
"I'm gonna tell you this once Neutron," Libby said, "and after that, I'm not going to say it again." Libby stared hard at Jimmy, making sure that he was hanging on her every word. "Regardless of what she says, Cindy's the kind of girl who wants the guy to move first. So for her sake, and all the rest of ours…" Libby leaned in to bear her steely gaze into Jimmy. "Make. A. Move."
She turned around and walked away without another word.
Disclaimer – I don't own Jimmy Neutron nor any other referenced media material.
