~*HEADS UP*~:
This chapter skips ahead a year after the first chappie.
Ok, here's chapter 2 of What Hurts The Most for the reviewers who reviewed.:)
Reviews:
Yep: Don't worry on that, I WANT to finish this, because it's just so awesome to write.:D (This response also applies to the second Yep)
gabec66: Thank you, thank you. I tried to make it as conflicted as possible, and here's the second chapter.
Ok, this story will most likely be a two-shot, but if I get more ideas for this, it'll become a full-fledged story. It all depends on how well this story is received and, of course, my muse. Of course, writer's block is also a major problemo, but meh. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Disclaimer: Nope, I sadly don't own JN and co.;(
Chapter 2
Cynthia smirked as she walked into Retroville High after the 2-week long spring break. Usually, she was greeted with nothing but silence and invisibility, but today was now different. Today she wasn't walking into the school alone.
People were looking at her, yes, but more at the person next to her, who happened to be Liberty "Libby" Danielle Folfax. She had moved back to Retroville over the break, and also had registered as a junior for the rest of the second semester before.
Libby smiled and waved at everyone she recognized in the hallways, loving the attention she was getting. Cynthia stood next to her, smirking at everyone, noticing that most weren't as shocked about Libby being back, but that Cynthia herself was walking and talking with another human being.
"Hey, let's go to the office. I still need to get my schedule and locker number." Libby said, steering them over to the main office.
"Okay. There's still enough time before the bell rings, anyways." Cynthia shrugged and let herself be led by Libby.-+
When they both walked into the office, the secretary looked up. She looked at Libby and smiled. "Ah, I assume you're the new student?" the secretary asked. Her name slipped Cynthia's mind, no matter how much she tried to remember.
Libby smiled. "Yes ma'am," she said.
"Can I have your name sweetheart?" she asked.
"Liberty Folfax ma'am," Libby responded, smiling at the woman. Cynthia looked over to her desk and noticed the name. Mary. She suppressed the urge to snap her fingers in discovery, and settled for smiling at the woman.
Mary typed in the name and nodded. "Yes, here you are. Liberty Folfax, a junior." She printed out Libby's schedule and locker number and handed it to her. "I hope you like it here," she looked at Cynthia, "and Miss Vortex, I expect you to show Liberty around." She smiled kindly at Cynthia, who returned it. She nodded.
"Of course I'll show her around Mary. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't, now would I?" She smiled as she said the last part Mary smiled also and nodded. She motioned to the door.
"Well then, get going! You two wouldn't want to be late, would you?" They both shook their heads, and went out the door. Soon, they were both in front of Libby's locker, and Libby was opening it with the numbers the secretary had given her.
"So," Libby began, "Mind showing me your schedule? I need to see if I have any classes with my girl." She turned to Cynthia and smiled. Cynthia smiled back and nodded. She looked through her and pulled out her schedule for the second semester. Libby took it and examined hers and Cynthia's before nodding.
"We have Government and P.E. together, and we have the same lunch," she told the blonde, who nodded. Libby handed back her schedule, and Cynthia put it back in her binder.
"I have AP physics for first period, but I need to stop by my locker first." Libby nodded and they walked together to Cynthia's locker. She opened it with ease and took out her AP physics book. She closed it again and turned to Libby. "What's your first class?" she asked.
Libby looked at her schedule again and replied. "I have German." Cynthia nodded.
"That isn't too far from the science building, so I'll show you where it is." She began walking towards the classrooms, and soon noticed that Libby wasn't walking. She turned around and gestured for Libby to come with her.
"Come on Libby! We need to get to class!" Cynthia said.
Libby looked around, and Cynthia realized she was searching. For what, she didn't know. "Cin, can you help me find Sheen?" she asked. Cynthia stifled her surprise at her old nickname and sighed. It had been a long time since she heard that nickname. She nodded and walked in the other direction. She motioned for Libby to follow. They walked outside, where Sheen was sitting alone on a table, furiously scribbling away at a paper. He felt the two girls' presence and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw Cynthia, the work forgotten.
"C-cynthia? What are you doing here?" he asked, bewildered. She never came up to him or talked to him, and it confused him beyond belief as to why she was standing in front of him.
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Hello Sheen. Look next to me." Sheen did as he was told, and his eyes widened even more, if possible.
"L-libby?" he asked, in shock. Libby smiled warmly at her boyfriend.
"The one and only. Hi Sheen." Sheen immediately stood up and wrapped his girlfriend in a tight hug. Libby laughed warmly and hugged him back.
"I missed you so much, Libby," Sheen mumbled. She smiled again and kissed his cheek.
"I missed you too, you hyper ball of fun," she said, repeating the words she had told him when she moved away. In response, he hugged her tighter.
All the while, Cynthia was off to the side, watching the whole scene. She was happy for Libby, of course. She had a loyal boyfriend who still loved her, and nothing looked to be wrong in her life. She just wished that were her. She sighed.
She wished she had told Jimmy that she loved him, she wished that he had stayed, she wished that he was her boyfriend, she wished he loved her, she wished she could see him again. She wished a lot of things, a lot of things that would never come true. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked to the ground.
This was the reason why she shied away from the crowds at school, why she was always helping the secretaries, the principal, the librarians, and such. Having to watch all the happy couples walk around the school is enough to make her depressed.
Libby pulled away from Sheen's hug and sat down on the table, gesturing with her hands for both of them to sit down also. Sheen immediately sat down to the right of Libby, while Cynthia took the left side.
Libby began to fire off questions for the both of them. "Ok, mind telling me what the hell is going on here? Why did he call you Cynthia? Why did you look surprised when Cindy came over here? Where's Carl? WHAT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GONE?"
Cynthia sighed. This was going to take some time to explain, and the bell to go to class was going to ring soon. "He called me Cynthia because that's what everyone calls me now. He was surprised to see me because we never talk to each other. Carl is somewhere in the school, and many things happened when you left." Cynthia finished. She sighed again. Sheen just nodded.
Libby gaped at Cynthia, unable to speak for a few minutes. She finally closed her mouth and stared off into space. She then looked at Cynthia after and in her eyes were a million questions.
"Ok, first off, explain to me why no one calls you Cindy no more." Libby said. She looked Cynthia straight in the eye and refused to look away. Cynthia stared back and finally sighed. She looked down.
"Do you know how it feels when you lose two important people in your life?" Cynthia whispered quietly. Libby barely understood her. This question caused Libby to cock her head to the side in confusion. Libby looked up and glanced at Sheen, who was looking at Cynthia with sympathy. What did she mean? She touched Cynthia's shoulder gently, and in response, Cynthia looked up at her. Libby gasped. In her best friend's eyes was so much sadness and loneliness that she immediately hugged her.
"Honey, tell me everything that happened," Libby whispered in Cynthia's ear. Cynthia nodded and pulled away. She took a deep breath and exhaled, and looked Libby in the eye.
"When you two left, I guess I just couldn't handle it," she mumbled, looking at the ground. "My best friend had moved away, and the only person who made me want to work harder went to Harvard. I stopped talking to people, not wanting to depend on anyone anymore, because I was scared that they would leave too." She then looked up and met Libby's gaze. "It hurt too much when people called me by my nickname, so I began to respond only to Cynthia, since no one but my mother called me that. Slowly, everyone began calling me that, and now no one dares to call me Cindy anymore." She looked to Sheen. "As far as Sheen and Carl, I guess they were too scared of me to talk to me, so they never came up to me." She took another deep breath and mumbled once more while facing the ground. "Since I had stopped talking to people and Sheen and Carl never came up to me, I became the loner." She looked at her friend in the eye. "I still am the loner. That's why everyone was so surprised when we came through the door. They were surprised that I was talking to someone my age; that I wasn't heading straight to library or the office like usual."
Libby stayed silent, too shocked to say anything. After a few minutes of silence, Cynthia finally looked up and looked at Sheen.
"Wasn't expecting to see my vulnerable side, huh?" She smirked at him. Sheen just stared at her. Cynthia sighed and talked again. "If you say anything to anyone about this, I'll make sure you never say anything else in your life, got it?" At this, Sheen did respond, and he nodded feverishly. Satisfied, she began to collect her things, just as the bell rang to go to class. She smiled and stood up.
"Well, it's time to go class. Come on Libby, I'll show you where your German class is." She began to walk away, expecting Libby to follow her.
Libby blinked, returning to reality, and stared after her friend. She turned to Sheen and pecked his cheek. "I'll see you later Sheen," she said. He nodded and she walked off with Cynthia to class.
WHTMWHTMWHTMWHTM
With Libby back in Retroville, Cynthia began to open up once more. She talked to other people and sat with Libby at lunch, and because of it, she also sat with everyone she used to talk to on a daily basis. They all welcomed her back graciously, no questions asked. Cynthia couldn't have been more grateful for their generosity, and thanked any god she could for having awesome friends.
Soon enough, Cynthia's birthday came along, and the end of the year also. The last day of school was also her birthday, and Cynthia and Libby decided to have the party on that same day. The plans were made, and all that was left was for June 5th to come.
"Happy birthday, girl. How does it feel to be one year closer to old age?" Libby asked, coming up to the blonde, smiling.
Cynthia laughed, and her eyes sparkled. Even though the shine wasn't as bright as it was when they were eleven, it was still there, and Libby couldn't help but smile even wider. Her best friend was coming back.
"Haha Libs. You'll be turning seventeen too, so I wouldn't be saying anything." She smiled widely at her and looked around at the people who had come to the party. Since Mr. and Mrs. Vortex had left on their second honeymoon— they had left a present for the birthday girl beforehand, of course— the house didn't have any parental supervision. It was perfect for the party to be held, as Libby had put it.
The statement caused Libby to laugh also, and when she was done, she grinned at Cynthia. "I know, but I still have six months until mine."
Cynthia shook her head good naturedly at her friend and laughed a little. The doorbell then rang across the house, and Cynthia walked to the door to open it. She was still giggling slightly at Libby's comment, but when she opened the door to reveal the person on the other side, her smile and laughter immediately dissipated.
James Isaac Neutron was back.
He had a present in his hands and was smiling at her. She forced a smile and called Libby. The girl instantly came to her best friend's side, and suppressed a gasp when she saw who was at the door. "Look who is back in Retroville, Libby." Cynthia said sweetly, clenching her teeth.
Libby smiled weakly at the boy in front of them. "Hi Jimmy," Libby said, sending a small wave. She knew instinctively when Cynthia was mad, and right now, her best friend's temper was bursting through the roof. She didn't know why, but she had to figure out the reason and calm her down before she did anything she will regret later on. "Come on in," she told him, moving Cynthia away from the doorway as she did so. "Just put the present on that table over there please," she called over her shoulder as she hauled Cynthia upstairs to her room. "We'll be right back, enjoy the party!"
As soon as they were in Cynthia's room with the door securely locked, Libby turned to Cynthia.
"Okay girl, tell me why you're mad," she demanded. Cynthia was glaring hatefully at the door, and sighed angrily.
Cynthia answered a question with a question. "What the hell is he doing here?" she growled. She began pacing the length of her room in an attempt to calm down.
Libby sighed. That was the answer. "Girl, sit down." Cynthia bit her lip angrily and complied, sitting on her computer chair. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.
"Why in the hell is he here after four years of ignoring us?" She looked up at her friend. "And he decided to drop by on my birthday, no less." She laughed humorlessly and stood up. She began pacing again. "Why now, of all days? Why today?" she said, frustrated.
Libby sighed again and chose to sit down on Cynthia's bed. "I don't know Cin. But what I do know is that you can't just ignore him or look at him like you're going to kill him. Try to act as if his presence doesn't affect you. It's your day, and you shouldn't be wasting your time getting mad."
Cynthia nodded absently, deep in thought "Yes, it's my day, and I won't let him ruin it." She finally stopped her pacing and faced Libby, smiling. "Now let's go and have fun, shall we?" Libby nodded, and they both descended down the stairs.
When Cynthia and Libby came down the stairs to the living room, they noticed that Jimmy was talking to Sheen and Carl, probably catching up after four years. She plastered a smile on her face when they approached them.
"Hi guys," Libby said. She pecked Sheen's cheek and smiled at Carl and Jimmy. "Enjoying the party?"
Sheen smiled. "Yeah, now that you're here." That made Libby giggle and Cynthia roll her eyes.
"Hey Carl, where's Elke? Isn't she here?" Cynthia asked politely. Carl nodded.
"Yeah she's here. She went to get your present Cynthia," Carl responded. Cynthia nodded and looked at Libby.
"I'm going to get some water, I'll be right back." Libby nodded to her and Cynthia began to walk away.
Jimmy grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her. She looked back with a furious expression, and Jimmy suppressed the urge to back away in surprise. Instead, he smiled at her. "I'm going with you," he told her. She bit back a response and just smiled, although it was a bit strained. She didn't say anything and continued walking to the kitchen. He followed her wordlessly and when they reached the kitchen she finally turned to him, her eyes sparking with anger.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded to know. He backed away a little in surprise and a confused expression creeping onto his face.
"What? What are you talking about Cin?" he asked.
"Don't call me that," she snarled, the question forgotten. His eyes widened and he became even more confused.
"Why can't I call you Cin? Everyone calls you that don't they?" he asked her. This enraged her even more, and her fingers began to twitch, wanting to hit something, mainly him.
"Haven't you been listening? No one calls me Cin or Cindy anymore." She spat out the nicknames. His eyes narrowed.
"And why won't anyone call you by those names then? Tell me if you don't want me to call you that." He demanded. He came close to her, and attempted to touch her hand.
She realized what he was about to do and pulled back her hand. "Don't touch me," she growled. He backed away, his hands up in defense. His eyes narrowed again.
"What the hell happened to you Cindy?" he asked, now angry too. "Why the hell are you acting like this?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I changed Neutron," she hissed. She pointed a finger at him. "I'm like this because of you." She stalked towards him. "It's your fault I'm like this, and you have no one else but yourself to blame," she whispered, her voice low.
His eyes began to light with anger. "If I made you like this, then tell me what I did wrong! Tell me what I did to make you become this, this, different person!"
"Are you really that clueless?" She all but yelled at him. The angry spark in her eyes increased tenfold, and she forced herself to calm down. She closed her eyes and turned away from him, taking in deep breaths. She put both hands on the counter and reminded herself that it wouldn't do any good if she exploded right now.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Cindy, are you o-" Cynthia turned around and slapped him. He cupped his cheek, shock written all over his face.
Her eyes shined dangerously. "Don't call me Cindy. Or any other nickname. My name is Cynthia, and if you ever call me Cindy again, I will make you regret ever opening your mouth. Got it Neutron?" she was visibly shaking with rage, and Jimmy remembered the expression 'If looks could kill.' He kept down the urge to shudder and narrowed his eyes.
"I'll call you whatever the hell I want Vortex," he spat. She glared at him intensely, and he returned the favor. They stayed like that for several minutes until Libby came in.
She had wondered what had taken Cynthia so long, and came to find out. It wasn't that time consuming to get a glass of water. She walked into the kitchen and saw them glaring at each other, and sighed.
She approached them and she noticed that Jimmy's right cheek was red. 'He made her mad,' she thought. She touched Cynthia's shoulder and squeezed, a motion that Cynthia recognized immediately. She turned to her best friend and smiled warmly. She backed away from Jimmy and faced Libby, and Jimmy relaxed, leaning on the countertop to observe the two friends talking.
"Hey Libs. Needed something?" Cynthia asked. Libby sighed once again.
"Yeah. What I need is for you two to stop fighting. It gives me a headache, and I'm sure everyone would appreciate the silence." She looked at Cynthia. Her eyebrow was raised, daring her to say anything contradictory.
She turned to Jimmy, and the smile gracing her face disappeared as soon as it had come. She glared at Jimmy, who glared back. She looked at Libby again and said, "Fine. I'll be outside." She looked at Jimmy again. "And you'll answer my question later," she said, pointing at him.
With that, she walked out the back door to her backyard, her blond hair flying behind her. Libby sighed again and looked to Jimmy. She raised an eyebrow at 'the question,' but she let it slide, settling on asking why her friend was mad
"Sorry to ask this, but what the hell did you tell her?" Libby asked. Jimmy shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
"Nothing. I didn't tell her anything." He sighed and leaned against the counter again. Libby sighed and crossed her arms.
"She didn't get mad for no reason. Tell me everything you told her," she said.
Jimmy sighed. "She asked me what I was doing here, and I got confused. I asked her what she was talking about, and she snapped, telling me not to call her Cindy. I as—" He got cut off by Libby sighing and shaking her head.
"That's why she got mad." She looked up at him. "She doesn't like or want to be called Cindy anymore. And don't ask me why, the one you need to ask that is Cynthia." She raised an eyebrow once again. "And you can also ask her about 'the question.'"
Jimmy sighed again, running a frustrated hand through his hair yet again. "How the hell can I ask her if she's going to act like that?" he said.
Libby shrugged. "Don't get her mad," She simply said. She then smiled. "And later we'll talk about you and the past four college years." She winked at him. "I assume you had fun, eh Jim?" With a laugh, Libby walked out, leaving a speechless and blushing Jimmy.
He shook his head and stood there for a bit, contemplating on whether or not her should go out there and talk to Cin—Cynthia. He sighed.
"What happened while I was gone?" he asked himself quietly.
He finally decided to go outside. He hesitantly stepped out and looked around for Cin—Cynthia. He found her on an old swing set in the corner, swinging softly and staring at the night sky, a far off expression on her face. He smiled gently and approached her.
She had known since the patio door was opened that it was Neutron, but chose not to acknowledge that she knew. She just stared at a distant star in the sky and absently swung herself, waiting for him to get closer.
He stood in front of her and breathed in deeply. "Listen Ci- Cynthia. I'm sorry for making you mad. It's your birthday, and I shouldn't have ruined it," he said. It hurt his pride a lot, but he said it anyways.
Cynthia looked up at him, sincerely surprised. He had apologized to her? Him, James Neutron, had apologized to her, Cynthia Vortex? She must be dreaming.
"Did you just say what I thought you did?" she asked, baffled. Jimmy sighed and nodded. He sat down on the swing next to her.
"Yes, yes you did." That comment made her shake her head and smile slightly. They sat in silence for a few minutes until she spoke.
"You changed Neutron. Before, you were so prideful and stubborn that you never admitted that you were wrong." She smiled again and her eyes became unfocused; Jimmy assumed that she was remembering the past.
Instead of starting another fight by disagreeing again, Jimmy chuckled. "You've changed too Vortex. You've told me yourself. You're still impatient and have a quick temper, of course, but it seems as though you've learned to rein in your anger. Although that outburst in the kitchen proves my theory wrong, huh?" he said. She snapped out of her reverie and raised an eyebrow.
"You live to make me mad, don't you?" she asked. She was smiling slightly though, so he knew she wasn't trying to start arguing. He smiled back.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. That's up to you to decide, Cin." He held up a hand so she wouldn't talk when she opened her mouth. "And don't tell me not to call you Cin or Cindy, because like I said in there," cue the point to the house, " I'll call you whatever the hell I want," he finished, smiling.
She shook her head. "I stand corrected. You're still stubborn." She said. He laughed at that comment, and the corners of Cynthia's lips curled up ever so slightly. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Jimmy spoke up.
"How about we go back inside the house? I bet everyone's wondering where the birthday girl is." He got up and held out a hand to Cynthia. He smiled at her once again. "Happy birthday Cindy." She smiled back and took his helping hand to get up.
"Thank you Jimmy." She started walking back to the patio door, knowing that Jimmy was standing there like an idiot, surprised that she had called him by his actual name. She smiled to herself and turned around.
"Well, you're coming inside, aren't you?" Jimmy turned to look at her and nodded. He ran to where she was and they both walked in.
And there it is. Beware though, this is only part one. Part two of the birthday party will come in around two weeks, more or less, because I'm almost done with it. I still need to start on my other story's ninth chapter, and that might take a while.
Review please, and BYE!
