Author's Note: Hello friends. New update. Yay! This is another chapter that took some reconstituting, from the great computer crash of 2016. I feel like this chapter is a bit rushed, but if I dwelled too long on James's trip and to Boston, it would be boring and a waste of time. This chapter gets a lot of plot development, and gets into more of the story line. Let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
"This stuff is pretty powerful," James said to himself as he examined a drop of Megalomanium under his microscope. "I'll have to dilute it. I don't want to go too crazy with power. I just want enough to stay focused on the task. Using Megalomanium to take over the world is too easy. I need a challenge, but dammit if I let Cindy Vortex distract me. Now, how do I dilute this stuff?"
There was a knock on the laboratory door. James flipped his computer screen to camera mode and saw Cindy holding a paper in her hands. James was tempted to let her in, but thought better of it and chose to ignore her all together.
"Look, James. I know you're in there. I don't know what I did last night to upset you so much, but I am sorry," Cindy began, her voice projecting over the speakers. "I just wanted to thank you for dinner last night, and say goodbye before I leave. When you're ready to come to Boston, give me a call. I'd be happy to have you stay with me instead of in an overpriced hotel. I've got an extra bed, and my place is super close to the hospital. At least think about it. It was really great seeing you and catching up." She placed the paper under the doormat and walked away.
James had been listening and watching the whole time. He needed to fix the Megalomanium, and fast. He was fighting himself not to run after Cindy and apologize for last night.
After several minutes, James stood and walked up to retrieve whatever it was Cindy had left under the doormat. As he reached the top of the stairs he had a thought on how to dilute the Megalomanium. If he mixed in some Adderall, it would put more of an emphasis on the focusing instead of the power, but still leave enough of the power drug to keep himself focused on the specific task.
James picked up the paper under the doormat, wiped some dirt off of it and opened it up. It was Cindy's Boston address along with the hospital's phone number and address. At the bottom of the page, written in Cindy's curly handwriting, "Thanks for always being there, even when I didn't deserve it."
James folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. He locked the laboratory door and headed over to Sheen's place.
James knocked on the scuffed wooden door of Sheen's apartment. The smell of marijuana and cigarettes wafted through the hallway. If Sheen wanted to get away from that lifestyle, this was definitely not the place he should be living.
James knocked on the door again thinking that he should have called to make sure Sheen would be home. The door was opened by Sheen who looked like he had just woken up from a nap.
"Hey, Jim. How's it going?" Sheen asked through a yawn.
"Hi, Sheen. Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to return the comic books," James replied handing over the comics.
"Thanks, man. Did you get what you needed from them?"
"Yeah, I did. Thanks," James looked anxious.
"Are you okay, Jimmy? You look pale," Sheen asked. "Do you want to come in?" James nodded as Sheen moved out of the way. "Have a seat. I'll get you a glass of water."
James sat on the tattered couch, and waited for Sheen.
"Here," Sheen said handing James the glass. "Are you sure you're okay? You look really nauseous."
"I'm really sorry, Sheen."
"Sorry for what?"
"Everything. I mean, I feel so unfulfilled, but when I think of all the shit you went through, it makes me realize my problems are so minuscule."
"You don't have to apologize. My poor life choices shouldn't make your problems any less valuable to you."
"Look, don't get mad, but Cindy told me about what happened in high school to you. I can't help but think that it's all my fault"
"That's right, you had a date with Cindy. How'd that go?" Sheen asked, smiling suggestively, ignoring the comment.
"It wasn't a date. It was two old friends catching up," James replied.
"Fine, how did, whatever it was, go with Cindy?"
"We went to the bar and had a good conversation. It was a lovely evening. Now I have a favor to ask you Sheen," James said ultimately avoiding the question.
"Don't give me that. You went out with the girl you've always liked, and all you're going to tell me is that you had a 'lovely evening'? What's wrong with you?!" Sheen nearly shouted.
"Sheen, we're not kids anymore. I don't have to tell you anything. Now, about that favor."
"You're not getting off that easy, Jim," Sheen eyed James.
"Fine! We went to the bar, had a bit to drink, and may have ended up in her hotel room," James gave in.
"Seriously? Dude, I thought you would have just kissed her, but you're not foolin' around!" Sheen looked impressed. "Crap! I'm late for work. Sorry Jim, I've got to go. The spare key is in the bowl on the counter, you can let yourself out whenever. See ya!" Sheen ran out the door.
James was left in silence. This is almost too easy. James thought to himself. He stood and wandered over to the dirty bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and found a half full bottle of Adderall he knew Sheen still had to take. He took half, knowing Sheen could never tell the difference, placed to bottle exactly as he found it, and let himself out of Sheen apartment. James headed back to his lab. He had one week to create and perfect his new form of Megalomanium. One week before he flew to Boston to get the cells he needed. One week before he saw Cindy Vortex again.
After visiting Retroville, James flew back home and had been furiously working in his NASA lab for three days. After several attempts, and over a dozen power hungry lab rats, James thought he finally found the right dosage of Adderall and Megalomanium. He made the new drug in pill form; easier to travel with than explaining why he had a bunch of medical needles. James was ready to put the drug to a test on himself, but didn't want to waste any of the pills. The disadvantage of adding the Adderall was that now the Megalomanium's effects wear off after several hours. He didn't have any more Adderall, and didn't dare go back to Sheen's. The test would just have to wait until he got to Boston.
James picked up his phone and called Cindy. It was time to man up and finally accept her offer of hospitality.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Cindy. It's James."
"James Neutron. Never thought I'd hear from you again. Oh wait. Let me guess. You just want to know if I'm still going to give you those cells? To be honest, yes. A promise is a promise, even if you—"
"Can you stop talking for, like, one minute?" James was trying to not let Cindy get on his nerves.
"O-kay. Sorry?"
"Look, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted last time we saw each other. I might have overreacted a bit, and—"
"A bit? I thought you were going to rip my face off."
James took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "And I just wanted to know if your offer still stands for a place to stay when I get to Boston." There was silence on the other line. "Cindy? I know I was an ass, but—"
"You could say that again," Cindy scoffed.
"You know what, never mind. I don't need a place to stay that bad. I'll just see you when I get to Boston."
"Jimmy, wait. I'm sorry. People don't change much after all, I guess. We're both just as stubborn as we always were. I mean, here you are, swallowing your pride and apologizing, and I'm being snarky and interrupting you. I think we both—"
"Get to the point, Vortex."
"Yes, you are more than welcome to stay with me. I'll do you one better as well: let me pick you up from the airport. What time does your flight get in?"
"Wow, thanks, Vortex. That's totally unnecessary though."
"Nonsense. When does your flight get in?"
"My flight is supposed to get in at four pm on Thursday."
"Perfect, I'll see you then. Bye Nerdtron," Cindy teased.
"See ya, Vortex," James sighed, rolling his eyes as he ended the call.
The plane pulled into the terminal and the sound of seatbelts being clicked off and people shuffling about filled James's ears. He was finally in Boston, and was finally going to get what he needed to finish his plans.
James wandered through the terminals, until he found his way to baggage claim, where Cindy was waiting for him. He looked around trying to find her. He was getting anxious to see her, until he remembered he needed to take his Power Pill (that's what he decided to call it).
Finally, after several minutes, James saw Cindy smiling and waving at him. She held a sign like a limo driver that said "Nerdtron." He smiled and rolled his eyes as he wandered over to her. "Hey, Vortex. Thanks for the sign."
"Hey, yourself," Cindy smiled. "I thought you would like it." Cindy gave James a long hug, to which he was shocked and took too long to respond. Cindy pulled away. "Sorry. I thought—"
"No, I'm sorry. I'm being awkward. Thanks for picking me up."
"Happy to. Let's get going," Cindy said.
James followed Cindy out to her car. He was barely listening to her as she babbled on about something. He thought that he should have taken his Power Pill as soon as he got off the plane.
To be honest, James felt exhausted. He had barely slept in the last few days as he tried to perfect the Power Pills. All he wanted to do was fall asleep, but knowing Cindy, she would have plans in mind.
"How long has it been since you've been back in Boston?" Cindy asked.
"A few months I guess. I got hired by the Goddard Space Flight Center a month before graduation, so I moved to Maryland to start work. My professors allowed me to finish my classwork online. I came back for graduation, and that was it. I didn't even want to walk at graduation, but my parents insisted," James replied.
"I know the feeling. Part of me thought it was a great opportunity to walk but another part of me thought, 'what's the point?' In the end, I'm glad I walked though."
"Me too, I guess."
"Are you hungry? We can go get something to eat," Cindy asked as they entered the parking garage.
"Honestly, Vortex, I'm really tired. I kind of just want to take a nap," James replied sheepishly.
Cindy laughed, "Okay old man. That's fine, I'll just head home. We can have a late dinner or something."
"Thanks, Cindy."
When they reached Cindy's apartment, James was practically asleep. Cindy tapped him lightly and he jolted awake. "Sheesh, calm down there, Neutron. It's just my apartment building." James face turned red as he unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his one duffle bag. He followed Cindy into an elevator.
"Not to sound nosey and rude, but how do you afford this place on your own?" James asked as they entered the apartment.
Cindy sighed, "Well, I have a roommate, but she's getting married, so she practically lives with her fiancé. She's already paid for the rest of the lease here, but that's why I was visiting my parents. I needed to borrow some money so that I can find a new apartment. Living in the city is so expensive."
James nodded. "Sorry to hear that. I hope your parents were willing to help you out." James let out a yawn.
"Okay, let's get you settled so you can take your nap, old man," Cindy teased, avoiding a response to James's comment. James followed Cindy into her room. "Since, I never know if or when my roommate will be here, you can use my room."
"Are you sure? I don't want to put you out," James asked in a concerned tone.
"Don't worry about it. I can just stay in my roommate's room… or sleep on the couch or something. It's fine."
"Cindy…"
"Really, Jimmy. I'm fine. Just take your nap. We can argue about sleeping arrangements later."
James woke up a couple of hours later feeling better than he had in several days. As soon as he woke up, he had taken his Power Pill, ready to test them out. He walked out of Cindy's room and saw her sitting on the couch reading a book. She looked up when she heard the door open.
"Hey, you're up. Do you feel any better?" Cindy asked, placing her book on the coffee table.
James nodded. "That was the first time I've slept in a couple of days. It was much needed."
"A couple of days? Jimmy, you should probably still be sleeping if you haven't slept in a couple of days," Cindy scolded.
James rolled his eyes and sat next to her on the couch. He was hoping that his Power Pill would start to take effect soon. He needed to see if his experiments had been worth it, or if he had been wasting his time, when he should have been working on his plans for the cell mutations.
"Are you hungry? We can go out, or I can whip something up," Cindy suggested.
James shook his head. "No thanks. I could go for a drink though."
Cindy laughed. "Well, I have work tomorrow, so if you want a drink, it'll have to be whatever I've got here."
"I just meant like water or something, but if your offering…" James teased.
Cindy rolled her eyes and stood up to walk over to the kitchen. She opened the fridge to find it contained no alcohol. "Dammit," Cindy muttered under her breath. "Looks like I forgot to run to the store. All I've got is Purple Flurp, sorry," Cindy apologized to James.
"Purple Flurp? I haven't had that in ages. I didn't even know they still made that stuff," James responded.
"Do you want some?" Cindy smiled. She grabbed two cans and a couple of wine glasses.
James smiled and nodded as Cindy made her way back to the couch. She set the glasses down, to which James smirked at her choice of drinking ware. She rolled her eyes and handed him the soda can.
"This is kind of exciting. I feel like a kid again," James almost giggled. He poured the contents of the can into the wine glass. "Where did you find Purple Flurp?"
"They only sell it in this obscure market in town. It's kind of expensive, but so worth it," Cindy replied, pouring her own drink. The two old friends clinked glasses and each took a swig of their sodas.
"Oh my god," James practically sighed. "I forgot how good this was." He took another long swallow, savoring every minute of his favorite childhood drink.
Cindy laughed and set her glass down on the table. "Jeez, Neutron. Get a room."
James playfully flipped off Cindy as he finished the remains from the glass. It might have been the nostalgia, but James was feeling more like his old self. He felt comfortable around Cindy, as if they had always been friends. This scared him, because he knew the Power Pill still hadn't taken effect.
"You know what I find funny?" Cindy asked, ignoring the obscene gesture. James just waited for her to continue. "We both lived in Cambridge, yet we hardly ever saw each other. We would occasionally see each other at the grocery store or something, but other than that, it's like we were living in two completely different worlds."
"We pretty much did," James replied eyeing Cindy's half full glass. She rolled her eyes and handed it to him. James continued, "I mean, you were Miss Harvard, and I was an MIT geek. We avoided eye contact out in public, and we had no reason to see each other. And besides, I spent most of my weekends in Boston."
"What was in Boston that was so interesting?" Cindy pried.
James took a sip of his drink and cleared his throat before answering, "Betty," he finally replied.
"Quinlan?!" Cindy laughed. "You and her dated?"
"She was the only one who talked to me in high school. Why is it so funny that we dated?"
"I'm sorry. It's not funny," Cindy tried to stifle a giggle.
James rolled his eyes at Cindy's lame attempt. "Well you'll be happy to know that it didn't work out, obviously."
"Why not?"
"Betty was using me. She was at risk of losing her scholarship, so I helped her with her homework," James replied nonchalantly.
"Helped?" Cindy eyed James suspiciously.
"Helped, did for her, what's the difference? They're synonymous, Vortex."
Cindy sighed at the excuse. "So what did she do for you in return?"
"And what makes you think that?" James asked.
"Oh come on, you expect me to believe that after all the shit you dealt with in high school that you would just 'tutor' someone for free?"
"She was my girlfriend, of course I was going to help her."
"She must have been pretty good then," Cindy muttered.
"I cannot believe you just said that," James was shocked.
"I didn't say anything. You are simply inferring that I meant sex."
"Like it wasn't implied, but for the record, yes Betty and I slept together."
"After your study sessions, right? Now let me guess: you only ever went over to her place. She never came to yours. How long after she passed her classes and got to keep her scholarship did she break up with you? Did she ever say thank you or I lo—,"
"Fine, Vortex, You're right. God," James finally shouted.
"Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but you have to stick up for yourself. You're worth a lot more than people give you credit for," Cindy tried to calm him down.
"Well it doesn't matter anyway. That was a long time ago."
"Apparently it does matter. You're still hung up on it. I bet Betty hasn't even given what she did to you a second thought."
"Wow, thanks, Vortex. That did make me feel better," James replied sarcastically as he stood to leave, fed up with the conversation.
"Jimmy, wait. Forget about her. There are so many other people in this world that do care about you."
James paused and turned around to face Cindy. "Like who?"
"Like your parents and Sheen. And me."
James scoffed. "You're just trying to make me feel better.
"Well, duh. But it's true. I do care about you. A lot. And I don't know why you don't realize that."
"Cindy the first time I've talked to you in over eight years was a week ago. Excuse me if I have a hard time believing you."
"God, you're an ass. You can't take a compliment. I'm trying to rekindle our friendship, or whatever it was that we were. You think that I would have invited you for a drink, or offered you a place to stay if I didn't care about you? That egotistical brain of yours can't fathom the idea that somebody might actually like you, and it won't allow you to open yourself up to liking someone else," Cindy raged.
"I never said I didn't like you, Vortex. I just don't understand why you would want to be friends with me again. I mean, after middle school, we drifted apart. Eventually I shut you out. I shut everyone out. Give me one logical reason why you care about me."
"I don't need a logical reason. There is no logical reason. You're so dense. How many times do I have to tell you? I like you, Neutron. Ever since that day you moved in across the street. I hated you and I liked you. I knew that you were going to give me a run for my money, but I didn't care. All I ever tried to do was impress you," Cindy admitted.
James was still skeptical. "Cindy, I like you too. You know that. But it doesn't make any sense. I mean scientifically speaking—"
"Since when did science have anything to do with love? I don't need science or logic to tell me how I feel."
"…Love?" James stammered.
Cindy groaned, "You know what I mean."
"Okay, Cindy. I'm sorry. I'm tired of fighting." James sat back down. "I just have a lot on my mind." He leaned forward placing his head in his palms.
"I'm sorry too. Old habits die hard I guess. We're just so used to arguing with each other, even when we're trying to be friendly."
They sat in silence for several minutes. They were both thinking the same thing: "we can never just be friends. There's always going to be something getting in the way."
James finally stood up. "I'm going to bed. Thanks again for letting me stay here."
Cindy looked up. "You don't want to argue about the sleeping arrangements?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
James smiled weakly. "You're not tired of arguing yet?"
"I don't think I ever will be. At least not with you."
James chuckled and shook his head. "Goodnight, Vortex." He walked into Cindy's bedroom and closed the door. He was upset that the Power Pills had not worked. He had wasted an entire week of lab work, and he still let Cindy have an influence over him.
James was settling in when there was a light knock on the door. James walked over and opened the door to see what Cindy wanted.
"Sorry, I need my—"
James kissed her and pulled her into the room.
A/N: Please don't expect a new post again anytime soon. This chapter took up most of what I had written, so I've got a lot of catching up to do, and with the school year ending, I feel busier than ever. Prepping 10-year-olds for testing and a program is hard work! Summer will be here soon and I hope to have more writing time. Thanks for sticking with me through this!