Cindy's heart was racing when she closed the door of her room behind Jimmy. She turned and leaned against it for support, knees weak like Jell-O on a hot summer's day. Reaching her hand up, she placed it over her beating heart, she took deep breaths and exhaled sharply.
"Calm down!" Cindy inwardly demanded her heart and body.
"Why am I so worked up about this? Its not like he kissed me or anything!" Sliding down the door to a sitting position, Cindy brought her knees up to her chest and sighed. Cindy was relieved that Jimmy was home, safe, and willing to help her with her science class, and homework. He was not pushy, he was not the "in-your-face" Jimmy that he used to be, and he definitely was looking good.
"Stop that train of thought right there missy!" She chided her own thoughts. Jimmy was there to help her, not be her boyfriend, right?
With an even larger sigh of despair, Cindy got up, trudged over to her bed and flopped down. She did not get a chance to let her brain wander too far when her cell phone chimed.
"Want to talk?" It was Jimmy's cell number.
Smiling, Cindy leaped out of bed, walked to her window and looked out. She could make out a smudged shadow like figure on the curb across the street from her house. In any other case, she would consider it stalker like or creepy even, but with Jimmy, she thought it cute.
Picking up her phone, she punched in a few quick words. "Thx 4 the help. I needed it."
"Anytime, but that is not what I was referring too."
Confused, Cindy decided that she needed an explanation. Instead of hitting the chat bubble to text, Cindy tapped the green phone that would call Jimmy.
"Tired of texting me already?" Jimmy answered after two rings.
She could hear the smile in his voice "No, but I thought this would be easier." "Plus I want to hear your voice and your laugh…" Cindy shook the thoughts away. "Why do you think we need to talk?"
"Cindy, Im not going to play dumb with you. I could see the look on your face. You didn't want me to leave your room. What is up with that?" Jimmy commented.
"Maybe I just wanted to keep you here so that I could do my homework and if a question came up I could ask." Cindy countered, not wanting to admit to Jimmy, or to herself really, that she wanted him to stay because she felt attracted to him.
"No Cindy. It was more than that. I know you, and even though I have been gone, I am pretty sure that facial expressions do not change. You looked like you had just received bad news or something." Jimmy ran his free hand through his hair. "Look, if you don't want to talk, its fine, I'll go inside and see you tomorrow."
"No, it is okay, Jimmy. We're talking now, aren't we?" Cindy looked down through her window again and could see the figure pacing back and forth. "Jimmy calm down. Its not that big of a deal. I just wasn't ready for my mom to barge in and tell us that it was time to be done. Honest."
"LIES!" Her thoughts screamed at her.
"Okay. Well then, goodnight, Cindy." Jimmy looked up to the window and Cindy thought she saw a wave.
"Goodnight, Jimmy." With that both hung up their phones.
Cindy watched as the figure of Jimmy climbed the porch stairs and opened the door.
"Guess I better go to bed now. School tomorrow and all." Cindy started readying herself for bed. She took one last look at the photo beside her bed and exhaled, rolled over and went to sleep.
Jimmy closed the door and was surprised that neither his mother nor his father was there to greet him.
"It is late." His mind reminded him as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom.
Goddard was there to greet him. "Bark!"
"I missed you too, Goddard. I'm sorry I couldn't bring you. I hope that everyone has been taking care of you." Jimmy sat on his bed. Gone was the room of rockets and space sheets. In its steed were light blue plaid sheets and pictures of friends from numerous explorations. "I'm graduating in December, boy, if I can keep up projects, and do some teaching. I hope that tutoring Cindy qualifies."
"Bark, Bark!" Goddard wagged his mechanical tail and climbed into the small bed next to Jimmy's.
Jimmy patted Goddard's head and rolled over. It had been so long since he slept in his own bedroom that he forgot how soft the pillows were, how the mattress just pulled him in as he lay down. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep, dreaming of a blond who knew absolutely nothing about the way he felt.
The next morning came quicker than Cindy wanted it to. The alarm screeched and hollered at her until she got up and turned it off. Groggily she walked to the bathroom for her morning routine of shower, brush hair, and putting on make-up.
When she exited the bathroom, she made a mad dash to her bedroom a few feet away upon hearing her phone singing, "Stop in the name of love!" It was Libby's ringtone.
"Libbs, what's up?" She asked her best friend.
"You tell me, missy. It is after dawn and you have not texted, called, emailed, video chatted, OR facebooked me at all! WHAT IS UP! I expected you to tell me how it went with Mr. tutor last night."
Cindy smiled at her best friend's nosiness. "Okay, ill fill ya in, but can I get to school first?"
"Meet you there in like a Nanosecond girl!" Libby hung up her phone and rushed to get her belongings together.
Cindy, like Libby rushed to grab everything she needed for the day. Rushing down the stairs, she stopped briefly in the kitchen to get something to eat.
Cindy smiled as she walked out the door and looked at the Neutron's house. It seemed friendly today. Not that it never did before, but something in her knew it was because Jimmy was back. She hopped onto her bike and headed for the school.
Libby didn't even give Cindy a chance to lock her bike before stopping her and pleading for details. "Girl give me the dirty dets! Did you guys work or did you look longingly into each other's eyes and kiss?"
A part of Cindy longed for what Libby said to be true but she pushed that part to the back of her mind and allowed herself to speak while locking her bike to the bike rack. "Nope, he brought me some ice cream and a shake from Sam's then we just worked on the chemistry homework I had. He even explained it so I understood it, Libbs! It was great."
Libby looked at her friend as they walked into the school. Her starry eyed gaze mad Libby believe that something else was already going on.
"Why do I not believe you? What else happened?" Libby lowered her voice and whispered to Cindy as they entered the building.
"Well, after he left, he texted me, and then I called him. We talked and then went to bed." Cindy rushed through the last part, causing Libby to stop.
"Hold up girlfriend, you cannot leave me hanging like that. What did you talk about?"
"Its nothing Libby, besides, he would never be interested in me like I am in him." At the realization of what she had just said out loud, Cindy clasped her hands over her mouth and turned away from her friend.
"I heard that, Cindy. You cant hide it from me now. I knew you would admit it sooner or later!" Libby dance joyously.
The conversation was cut short by the bell ringing.
"See ya at lunch, Cin." Libby waved and went off to class.
"Yea, see ya." Cindy whispered after her.
Cindy walked to her locker, put her backpack in it and closed it shut. She began walking to her first class of the day, PE when something, rather someone, made her stop.
Jimmy walked through the halls of the school accompanied by the principal. When he passed Cindy, he turned and smiled.
"What is he doing here?" Cindy wondered as she made a dash to the physical education room to begin changing for class.