A few notes to preface this chapter:
*A lot of people seem to wonder why Jimmy is being such a jerk. There is an explanation rest assured!
*It took me a little longer to write this because nothing I came up with really clicked with me. This was probably the most difficult chapter to write because I had to rewrite it after deciding halfway through that I wanted to stick with the movie's plot instead of branch off into my own idea.
That aside, thank you again to all my readers and reviewers who fuel my motivation to continue this! Onwards to the last few chapters!
On Tuesday morning, Cindy woke up at 6AM after a night of restless sleep and bad dreams. She studied her reflection in the mirror. Her appearance reflected her internal turmoil. Wisps of blonde hair struggled to break free of the plait she'd made the night before, and her eyes were puffy and red. She was tired, so tired of going to being driven from activity to activity like a donkey. She was tired of being surrounding by hopelessly shallow people and harsh teachers. She was weary of her mother berating her constantly. Her feelings of malaise had hit an all time record.
She went through the motions of showering, brushing her teeth and throwing on a new set of clothes and a dash of makeup. She left the house at seven thirty, mother in tow. Sasha drove her to school and she lingered in the hallways with her backpack half-heartedly slung on one shoulder. The thought of going to classes made her feel anxious and miserable.
What if I just cut classes?
She stole into a nearby bathroom as the bell for first period rung.
In all her years attending public schooling, Cindy Vortex had never even considered cutting class. She'd elevated the action to something like a heinous crime against her quest to attain her letter of admission from Harvard. But now, in these last two months of school, would it really matter all that much if she skipped class? It wasn't like she didn't have an A in every class she was in (and an A- in Chemistry because of her stupid lab partner, who would inevitably be absent again).
Would it matter so much when…when she wasn't even sure of what she wanted anymore? Cindy leaned against the grimy bathroom wall. This would be one more strike against her. One too many, she feared. But a strike she was willing to take if that's what was required to send a clear message—
She was done with her mother making her choices for her.
Cindy bravely ventured out into the halls. They were empty, with the exception of a few students loitering near the other bathrooms and water fountains. Thankfully, these weren't students from Cindy's classes or anyone she really knew or cared too much about. She continued to walk down the hall and stopped in front of the first aid room near the gym. It was almost always empty, and she'd often come to the gym to sneak some painkillers after a hard soccer match or a killer track meet. She scanned the hallway and entered the room as quietly as possible, switched on the lights and found the cabinet with the Advil. She popped two and used sink water to wash it down. Turning to her left, her eyes fell upon some new file cabinets that she hadn't seen before. The sign above the cabinet read "Student Health Records."
Retroville High had always been pretty lax in terms of its filing systems. Cindy knew this because she'd done some administrative work over the summer to earn some money. Cindy didn't know what possessed her but a devious idea had begun to sprout in the back of her mind. She kneeled down and opened the first cabinet to find freshmen and sophomore files. She shifted her attention to the file cabinets to her left and rifled through the bottom of the third cabinet, looking for N.
Nabb, Naccari, Nagle, Nesbitt, Neutron.
She pulled out Neutron's file and stowed it in her bag. As she zipped her bag and stood up, she turned to face her gym teacher standing in the doorway with an injured student. "Excuse me Miss Vortex, are you authorized to be handling those files?"
"I can explain, Coach Patten—"
"You can explain to the principal, young lady. Tampering with confidential information isn't tolerated at this school."
Damn her luck.
Cindy sat silently across from Principal Willoughby, who had been promoted to the high school a few years ago.
"Now, Cindy, how is it a student like you has been missing classes and going through private documents? We've never had trouble with you before." Willoughby straightened his glasses and leaned back in his chair.
"I can explain—"
Cindy heard screaming in the hallway. "My Cynthia would do no such thing!"
She mentally kicked herself. This was not going to be fun in the least.
Sasha Vortex stood behind her a few seconds later, looking very angry and stressed. She took a seat beside Cindy, who immediately tensed.
"Ms. Vortex, Cindy here was found by a gym teacher going through some private records down by the gym. She's also skipped all her morning classes."
Sasha turned to Cindy, poised to attack. "First you lose the tournament and now this?"
"I didn't lose." Cindy said quietly. Third place isn't always a loss.
"Ms. Vortex, perhaps this isn't the time to discuss that." He suggested. Sasha backed down, pursing her lips in disgust. "Of course."
"Because Cindy is a good student and has no track record of bad behavior, we are willing to let this slide. She will be suspended for a week."
"Suspended? You have to be joking." Her mother's jaw clenched in rage.
"Cynthia is applying to Harvard."
"As the faculty is well aware, Ms. Vortex. But rules are rules."
Cindy's mother stood up, dragging her out of Willoughby's office.
"What were you thinking?" Sasha Vortex proceeded on the tirade of the century as she drove Cindy back home. "Do you want them to reject you? Is that what you want?"
Tears shone in Cindy's eyes as her mother continued to yell at the top of her lungs.
Cindy wanted to much to say that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she didn't go to Harvard if it meant keeping her sanity. But she knew that provoking her mother further would only incite a war. A war Cindy could not deal with right now. She was already sparring with Neutron and battling her own demons.
Cindy's mother dropped her off in front of their home before she returned to work. "When I get back tonight, we're having a serious discussion, Cynthia. And you better not do any more shit between now and then or god help you." She threatened, driving off.
Cindy unlocked the front door and trudged up to her room. She threw her bag against the floor, file forgotten. She looked out her window at the bleak sky. It was going to rain. She didn't care. She needed to feel something, anything other than this despondent sensation of hopelessness. She grabbed the keys and went back outside.
Her gaze latched onto the lab. She furiously made her way over. This was all Neutron's doing. He'd taken her happy little illusion of contentment and shattered it beyond repair, leaving her all alone to sweep up the pieces. She banged on the door indignantly, until Jimmy attended the door. She marched in resentfully.
"Everything is totally screwed up and it's all your fault Neutron."
"My fault?" She was surprised to hear his voice was calm, amicable even. She didn't care.
"I as well as lost my karate tournament, skipped school and got suspended. Harvard's probably going to turn me down. And it all just feels so pointless."
He stood with his back to her, so she couldn't even see his expression. But she continued on her diatribe of affronts.
"Then you came along and put these crazy ideas about how miserable my life really is into my head and it just got unbearable. And I don't even know why I'm here." She broke down at last, sobs erupting from her quivering lips.
He looked straight ahead, swallowing down a lump that had lodged itself in his throat. He struggled against every atom in his body not to turn around and let Cindy know the honest truth. But he couldn't. He could never do that…for his sake…and her own. And it went against everything he knew…these deep interactions between them. They belonged at opposite ends of the spectrum. He had tried in vain to see her as the perfect, enviable porcelain doll he'd always seen her as, but even he had to admit that she was layered, complex even. Cindy Vortex was not some air headed teenager. She was…inexplicably convoluted and much to his consternation, was far more than the blond haired GPA obsessed girl he'd originally taken her for.
"And the worst part is…" She took a deep breath to collect herself. "It's all so pointless, it's all so pointless. But when I was with you…" She paused once more. "It was different. It was nice. I felt like I had some purpose. I wasn't just some robot trying to please any number of people."
Jimmy closed her eyes as she continued mindlessly.
"And I don't care. I don't care where you're going to be next year or if you're really crazy. I just don't understand why you're doing all this to me—"
She collapsed into tears. He couldn't take this for a moment longer. He turned around and hugged her. She put her arms around him desperately, seeking an anchor to pin her down. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her without abandon. He took in her numbing jasmine scent as they pressed up against the wall of the lab. Their body heat melded as they fought each other for dominance. Jimmy ran his hands through Cindy's wavy blond tresses and reveled in this moment of great intimacy and synthesis. Cindy had most definitely been wrong— there was an undeniable chemistry between them.
An hour later, Cindy sat across from Jimmy on a couch in the lab, donning his navy blue science olympiad shirt and his coat. She laid her head on his shoulder and stroked his hair affectionately.
"How's Goddard been?"
"He's been fine, I guess."
Jimmy turned to her, captivated by her emerald eyes.
Cindy nuzzled her cheek against his fondly.
"Will I see you in school tomorrow? She ventured.
"I don't know." He admitted. "In fact, I don't know about any of this."
She sat up straight and tilted her head to one side, puzzled.
"What do you mean, Neutron?"
"I mean, a guy like me…I love my research more than anything."
She smiled. "I understand I'll always play mistress to your true loves- Math and Science."
He looked at her dead serious. "I mean, you have Nick, right? He's actually not that bad. Good for you. And Libby'll keep you on track…"
"Neutron, what the hell are you talking about?" The previously adoring expression in her eyes was replaced with her signature look of fury and disappointment.
He looked at the floor for a second. He couldn't bear to look at her.
"Let's just forget about it."
Cindy's eyes filled up with tears as she looked at him with utter hatred.
"Screw you, Neutron." She managed to shove his coat off herself and flung it at him.
"You just did." He offered weakly as she took off.
He simply sat rooted to his spot, and looked at the now empty space beside him.
He'd done what he had to.