Cindy laid down sprawled out on her bed with one leg balancing on the other bent leg. Fortunately she had some music in her ears to pass the time. It was sometime late afternoon on a Monday.
"Hey girl, what's up?" The door to Cindy's bedroom opened slightly. A familiar face poked around the opened door. It was Libby, entreating her friend for entry.
Cindy didn't move much to take notice, she recognized the voice anyways. "What are you doing here Libbs?" her apathetic voice leaked.
"Your mom let me up. I'm here to help you with your submission for the science fair. Don't tell me you haven't started it yet?"
"It's over there. I've already finished it." Libby walked in through her room with care, taking notice. She saw indeed some sort of device rested on her dresser. Libby ignored it and went directly to her friend and sat on the open space on her bed.
"Girl, what's up?" Cindy only glanced her way for a moment then back to where she was staring before. She didn't have the energy to talk. "You're not yourself," but Libby figured Cindy already knew that, so she'll just have to jump right to the problem. "This has to do with Jimmy and about the possibility of him moving away to college, doesn't it?" Cindy's expression morphed into her true emotions. Libby hit the mark. "Please talk to me girl. I don't want to see you so sad like this. Have you even discussed this with him?" Cindy gave in and pulled her headphones off.
"He doesn't have to. I already know he's going to leave. He'll be accepted to the best school there is and I'll be left behind. Even if I try as hard as I possibly could, I'm studying very different things than he is. He's going to pick the best school for his dreams, and I honestly have to do the same, but that's not all." Cindy began again. "What if he finds another girl? I don't know- someone who shares his same love for science and can actually understand his ramblings."
"Now you know that wouldn't happen to you. He's crazy for you."
"But I'm not the smartest girl in the world, only around here. When he finally goes out in the world, he'll discover more amazing girls than me and they'll probably fall for him. You have to admit Libby; he's grown up to be rather hunkish," she smiled to herself, "and especially since he decided to sport a new hairstyle instead of that boyish chocolate swirl."
"I thought it was cute."
"Cute for a sixth grade, after that, not so much."
"Cin, I think you're crazy thinking he'll fall for someone else. You're the only one who can ignite that fiery competitive side of his and actually match him. He adores you for it and if you can't see how much, you've been blind for a long time. Besides that's not the only quality you sport that he's attracted to. Girl, look at you in the mirror. What other girl can compete with you? " Cindy looked in the mirror to see herself staring back at her. Very pleased to see she wasn't plain in the slightest.
"He does love me doesn't he?" she smiled.
"Since elementary," Libby affirmed. But then Cindy fell back on her bed with her arms over her head. She wasn't convinced it was enough to not cause a strain on their relationship if there was any chance that Jimmy would have to go away. If she wasn't by him, would he remain faithful? All sorts of scenario questions rotated through her head, like: What would I do if he left? What would he do? What would we do? Is there no way I can stop it? Should I try and stop it? Maybe he won't go away…
"Oh don't kid yourself Cindy." Cindy rebuked herself quietly in response to that last thought, but Libby heard it. She felt very sorry for her best friend. The situation seemed hopeless because Cindy had no hope in it turning out any other way. Libby looked back over to the motionless project Cindy abandoned.
"What are you entering this year?"
Cindy was only half interested in the question. Very unlike her, considering she loved to show off what her brain could offer. "It's just a prototype. You put the headphones on a none-English speaker and when someone talks to them in English it will pick up the vocal waves and translate to the listener what the English speaker said in their own language. I haven't developed much variety yet other than French, German and Spanish." Libby pursed her lips, impressed. "It's already finished so I don't really need your help this year."
"Well I'll be around anyway. Sheen's already left for Mexico, I said goodbye to him at the airport." Libby waited a minute before continuing, "You know I heard from Sheen that the science fair this year will be very important for Jimmy. If he wins it will mean a permanent leave from Retroville."
"What?" Cindy gasped.
"You have to let him talk to you about this, you can't keep moping here, it's not going to change anything but I think talking it out will help… a lot!"
"He really said that? I can't believe this. Then it really is true? And if he wins the science fair then it's all set in stone? No, I can't believe this. But why, what does winning this year's 12th grade division have to do with his future?"
"I can't be sure but remember how there's always those stuffed shirt types that come around judging time. Maybe they're deans or representatives from elite schools checking out possible future applicants?"
"Last year Randy Artisan won the 12th grade division and soon after he was selected for a scholarship at Cal Tech. That's probably what Jimmy was talking about!" Cindy let out a growl. "That dirty, lying, ratfink-Why didn't he tell me about this!"
"You didn't let him, remember?" her friend stated. Cindy blushed an 'oh yah'.
"But still." "Hmm...That gives me an idea!" Libby squirmed, Cindy had that look again. Although part of her was very happy, it was a Cindy characteristic that seemed to be coming back. "I've already finished my project but I haven't put a plan together for a sabotage of his project yet!"
"Don't do anything you're going to regret girl," Libby urged but it was too late, Cindy was far gone now. Way passed the hope of hearing good sense. "You don't want to ruin his chances at a good future do you?" Cindy caught her words but was prepared with an argument.
"Jimmy can attend any university he wants, if not a scholarship here, he'll find another one there. Maybe if I prevent this Jimmy won't leave at all. I may not stop it altogether but I can try and delay it. I won't go down without a fight!" Cindy replied rather factually. Libby groaned not to certain Cindy's thinking was right or that this was such a good idea at all. Cindy had grabbed some pens and paper and was already working on some layout for a booby-trap. Years before, it was for good natured competition to try and bag the opponents entry to win but this year it was just about getting Jimmy. Cindy could care less about her project now.
"Ooohoohoohoo… this is good." The calculating girl reviewed deviously. "Almost like a work of art." Libby shook her head while watching her friend loose herself, thinking there must be some sort of help classes for conditions like Cindy's. "You going to help or what?" Cindy tossed her a pen on command.
Libby gave in. "Alright, what you want me to do?"
"Hand me my science fair entry. I think I'll have to make a few adjustments before that baby will win any awards." Cindy's smile was not healthy.
"Can you repeat that Jimmy, I don't think I understand?"
"It's simple Carl, just step into that area, and place this on your head and when I say 'ready', press that green button on the band I placed on your wrist. This won't be painful I promise. It's just a preliminary test to help my entry for the fair this year. I need a quick study on how it tests, while hooked to the R.D.M."
"This has no abnormal side affects right?" Carl by now has built up a healthy concern for Jimmy's experiments on him.
"None whatsoever, I tested in on Sheen last week." Jimmy began setting up the machine for the trial run.
"That's very reassuring." Carl shivered. Jimmy signaled go. Carl pressed the button and electricity began sparking. He watched as Jimmy roved his hands all over the controls a few feet away. He couldn't hear clearly all Jimmy was saying to him through the heavy headgear of the R machine. As quickly as begun, the experiment ended and Jimmy walked over to help his guinea pig out.
"So, you're still alive. See Carl, no harm?"
"Yeah I guess Jimmy," rubbing the top of his head trying to feel if all his hair was still there.
"I'll just run diagnostics to see if it was a success. I should know in about an hour or so." Jimmy said, while pulling off the remaining wires on Carl. After, he headed over to another panel and flipped a few switches to begin diagnostics.
Carl walked over to where Jimmy was. "Hey Jimmy, what is this thing you've put together anyways?"
Jimmy remained distracted with his check-ups. "Oh it's all very complex Carl; I'm hoping it will be my entry for the fair, if it passes inspection and my satisfaction of course. That's why I have to do tests on it."
"Ohh." Carl understood only what he was capable of, but at least Jimmy could sometimes communicate to him in a language he could understand. "So have you thought about collage yet, Jimmy?"
James head bent down to inspect more closely on his readings, or perhaps it was his reaction to Carl's question that caused him to react as suddenly as he did.
"Yeah I've been thinking about it," replied a lower voice, head still bent in concentration.
"I'm not sure what I want to do yet but I've been thinking about zoology. Do you think that would suit me, Jim?"
"Why sure Carl, you love animals, especially llamas. I think it's a great idea Carl."
"Oh thanks Jim," pleased Jimmy thought so too. "I haven't decided for sure yet though."
"We'll I'm sure you'll find something that's right for you." Carl wasn't the best at reading people, especially people as complex as Jimmy was, if he even knew any, well besides Cindy, so he couldn't figure out what Libby had been talking about yesterday. He watched for signs of abnormal behavior in his friend but he seemed to be the same old mind-going-a-thousand-miles-a-minute, Jim. He was on the verge of asking but was interrupted.
"Cindy's heading towards the lab. She's been detected on Vox's radar." James rolled his chair over to the monitor to see if he was correct. "This could be an attempt to steal secrets or worse: sabotage!" Jimmy got excitedly worked up over the new development. He was going to have some fun with this.
"How does your Vox thingy know its Cindy and not someone else?"
James never refused a curious inquisition when they were about his own brilliant innovations. It gave him the chance to gloat and explain at the same time.
"Well Carl, it's simple really. I installed a scent detector. It's programmed to pick up Cindy's personal smell from a broad radius. The stronger the scent the more effective the sensors are. And Cindy only ever wears one scent: the perfume I got for her on valentines. She seldom wears little else," he proudly declared whilst fake buffing his fingernails to a shine on his t-shirt, topped off with a blow.
"Neutron, it's your girlfriend." The phrase rang loud as it was filtered down through the lab to Carl and Jimmy from outside where Cindy had talked into the intercom.
"Betty? You want to come down"? Jimmy replied back to the unseen Cindy trying to hold back his sarcastic snicker.
"James!"
"You know you're off limits. Cin. It's competition week."
Her sarcasm was very evident in her voice. "Yes, I'm so glad to know you're in the spirit of things but there is something you forgot to give me yesterday and I'm here to collect.
Jimmy thought back. What did I forget? "I don't understand what you're talking about?"
"A goodbye kiss, that's what. You didn't give me one last night." Jimmy relaxed back in his chair, glad it wasn't anything serious.
"Ok, ok." He waved his hands in submission. "But you stay up there. I'll be the one to come to you," he emphasized. The elevator shot up and the sliding door on the outside of the clubhouse slid open. Jimmy stepped out of the elevator with one foot remaining in. The whole thing was over in a flash. Jimmy had grabbed Cindy, pulled her in for a peck on the lips then was ready to head back.
"No wait!" Cindy hastily caught Jim before he left. "That wasn't a real kiss. Give me something more to savor," she begged.
Jim reluctantly turned back to try again for Cindy, hoping he wasn't pushing his luck by staying on the surface too long, mingling with his rival.
Cindy pulled him in this time with a kiss that stunned even Jimmy. His boy instincts kicked in fast and he gave into Cindy's passionate lip lock. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whole ordeal lasted at least a good minute. It took Jimmy a moment to overcome his dazed expression.
"Ok, I better get back now," he replied wryly.
"Thanks; babe." Her grinning appearance read more than one emotion and more than one motive.
Jimmy forced himself gone and Cindy turned around to greet Libby who had accompanied her to Jimmy's yard, but Jimmy never noticed her, too distracted obviously.
"That was quite the smooch you gave poor Jimmy there." she pointed out.
"I pride myself on being the only girl that can make him melt like that."
"Then why are you going through with this if you're confident about your grip on him?"
Cindy laughed. "No, I still think this is a good idea, besides, secretly I know he loves it."
"Loves what?"
"Never mind," she dismissed. It was a Cindy and Jimmy thing. "Now let's test this and see if I did a good enough job."
"You sure had enough time to plant it on his sweater," Libby finished with some eye rolling.
"Shh... it's picking up sounds," Cindy hushed. On her head sat a set of familiar headphones, coincidently they looked exactly like the ones from her science fair project.
"I swear that girl is up to something more than what appears on the surface." Jimmy relayed back to Carl.
"It's working!" Cindy exclaimed with excitement.
"You know this ain't ethical do yah girl."
"I know that, now quite or I wont be able to hear anything."
"Oh well. –Muffling- "Hey the diagnostic seemed to be complete." –Undistinguishable- "Hey Carl, success! The apparatus works. This'll kick Cindy's butt come Friday." Cindy growled at Jimmy's overinflated confidence.
"What's he saying?" Libby inquired, because there was only one set of headphones and Cindy hogged them.
"Shhhh." Getting annoyed, Cindy pulled the headphones off her head and plugged them into the amp she also brought so they could both hear.
"I should probably go now. I have to finish my essay for English tomorrow. See you later Jim."
"Oh no, Carl's down there and he's coming up." Right on time, the elevator shot up and out appeared Mr. Weezer who caught glimpse of the two guilty girls huddled around some electronics in the bush. The girls sheepishly stared back. Cindy subtly pushed the hopefully unseen headphones and amp behind her. Carl walked over.
"Why are you guys still here?"
"Uhh..." Cindy was at loss for words to cover-up her demeanor. "Garden...ing?" she pasted together crudely.
"Oh." The boy stared at them for a whole awkward minute. The girls weren't sure if he believed them or not. He bent down to pick up an object off the ground that neither had noticed before.
"You dropped this." Carl handed them a small garden scoop. Cindy reached out her hand to retrieve the offered tool then smiled like a cheeky little girl caught in the act.
"Thanks."
"See you guys around." Carl spun off to attend his own agenda. The girls gazed at each other in silent amazement.
"Where the heck did..." Libby broke.
"I have no idea, but thank the maker." Cindy wiped the sweat off her nervous brow, still clutching lifesaving object.
"Hey girls, are you here to see Jimmy?" Judy, Mrs. Neutron, emerged from nowhere.
Totally unprepared for a second disruption, hardly even gotten over the first, Libby refluxed a surprised greeting for Mrs. Neutron.
"Oh you girls found my shovel! I've been looking for it. I haven't been able to weed without it." Mrs. Neutron picked up the tool Cindy held unknowingly. "Thanks for finding it. You girls sticking around, I believe Jimmy's down in his lab... I can just let him know your here..."
"No that won't be necessary, Mrs. Neutron," Cindy scrambled to claim her things, "we were just leaving. Have fun weeding," she declared as she and Libbs bolted for their life before anything else could happen.
"Here, let's stop here, the park should be far enough away." Cindy dumped her stuffed and crashed on the bench to reclaim her breath. Libby did the same with her hand resting on her throbbing stomach.
"Well that got my adrenaline running." Libby chuckled. Cindy glared at her, but then let out a nervous chuckle of her own, before long it was hysterics and anyone who had planned on having a nice, quiet, pleasant stroll through the park that hour would've wanted to rethink those plans as the two completely unhinged girls laughed their nervous guts out.
After they got over it, Cindy hooked back up her eavesdropping contraption, hoping the distance would not affect the effectiveness of her new science fair project. For awhile all she could hear was static but the noise cleared up and the unmistakable voice of Jimmy Neutron was once again gracing Cindy's ears.
"He's talking to someone," she revealed to Libby, "but I think it's his dog Goddard."
"A few more modifications then I'm calling it a day." –Metal clanking- "Can you hand me those pliers, boy? The titanium loop needs to be tighter." –Undistinguishable noise- "The crystal gases are stable as long as they remain inside the orb. I'll have to make it completely impregnable for it to be affective. Hopefully if my calculations are correct the only thing that will be able to damage it enough to crack, shatter or burst which would result in the leakage of its gases is... :toothpaste." Jimmy sounded a little surprised. "Hmph," Jimmy stammered, "How unassuming. We'll I guess it's not that big of a deal. The fumes contained in the orb aren't harmful. It seems certain toothpastes contain contents that can eat through the molecular structure of the sphere. We'll I'll just work on it later, let's get you some lug nuts boy. In the background a familiar 'bark, bark' responded back to Jimmy.
"I think he's leaving his lab now." Cindy was in the action of pulling off her headphones when she heard some more noise. "Wait…" –muffling voices through static- "Never mind I think he just removed his sweater. That's okay, thanks to that little bit of valuable information he unknowingly shared with us, I think we have this all wrapped up. First we'll have to validate our info to make sure were correct on assuming it applies to his science fair submission, before we can proceed with our plans."
"Our plans? This was your hair-brained scheme." Libby couldn't remember her reasons for agreeing with Cindy to do this in the first place. It was worse than going along on Jimmy's childhood adventures. "You're fortunate your boyfriend talks to himself when he's alone," she retorted since there was no chance of winning Cindy's argument.
"He doesn't talk to himself! ...He talks to his dog." Cindy argued ineffectively. "Now; we know Carl was down there. Maybe he can tell us what that orb thing Jimmy kept mentioning is. You'll have to be the one to do it Libbs; Carl will suspect me since I'm Jimmy's competitor. Besides your approach would more subtle then anything I could do.