Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.
Chapter 12: Cynthia's Secret
"I think I should go talk to Cynthia," Jimmy declared suddenly. Cindy had believed James after their one-on-one communication, so maybe the same would work with Cynthia. He hoped so, anyway, and he was just about willing to try anything.
"What good's it gonna do?" Cindy snapped angrily. It seemed as if James' bad mood had started to rub off on her.
"I thought we weren't going to give up," Jimmy commented, his lips pursed together in a slight frown.
"Well, maybe I changed my mind," Cindy huffed. "It seems like there's nothing I can do to prevent myself from turning out this way. My life is meaningless. It might be better if I ceased to exist at all."
Jimmy was stunned. Was she suggesting suicide? That would hardly be an answer to the problem! Things were beginning to seem a bit desperate. "Cindy, don't you ever say that," he scolded her. "Your life is not meaningless."
"So says Jimmy Neutron, my arch rival," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"And your future husband, whether you like it or not," he reminded her firmly. Immediately he bit his lip. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to come back with...
Cindy looked up at him in surprise. "Wow," was all she could manage to say, causing his cheeks to flush.
"So, you want to talk to Cynthia alone?" James interrupted. Somehow it seemed as if all he ever did was get in the way of things. Nevertheless, Jimmy nodded, and James went on, "Well, Cindy, you can't stay here alone. Do you mind sitting in during my class?"
Cindy shook her head vigorously. "Not at all!" she exclaimed. Such a prospect was way too interesting to pass up—and might also prove to help her get her mind off of the impending problem.
"Then it's settled," James concluded. "We'd better hurry out the door—I try not to be late, but somehow I always am."
Jimmy knocked on the door of the apartment, as he had the other day. This time, however, it was Libby who appeared to welcome him in.
She shook her head. "I'll warn ya now: she's a lot worse than last time." Jimmy gulped. Things couldn't get that much worse...could they?
He was led into the living room, and as soon as Cynthia laid eyes on him, she sighed in exasperation. "Not you again. Haven't you ruined my life enough already?"
Jimmy cringed. He tried to tell himself that it was worth it, then explained, "I just want to talk to you. Cindy was in the way last time."
"Oh, so now I'm in the way. Thanks a lot," Cynthia snapped. "I'm just so in the mood for insults right now. Libby, did you call the clinic for me yet?"
Jimmy felt a little frustrated at how ornery she was behaving. He was expecting her to treat him kindly, like she had before, but maybe he was setting his expectations too high. After all, even James' behavior had changed after last evening's incident.
"Girl, I already told ya what I think about the whole abortion thing," Libby sighed, answering Cindy's question.
Abortion. Jimmy's face went pale at the very mention of the word. Surely he hadn't heard right. She wasn't honestly considering killing their children—she couldn't be. The divorce was bad enough, but he couldn't allow this to happen. "You're—you're not saying—"
"Oh, I am," Cynthia cut in. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be a single mother—especially not of twins. Do you know how demanding that is? Besides, what if one—or both—of them look like him...like you? What would I do then? I'm just not putting myself through that."
"You can't do this!" Jimmy burst out. "It's—it's murder!"
"Oh, and since when did you become pro-life?" Cynthia scoffed.
"Since they were his kids," Libby put in matter-of-factly.
"Look, if you really won't come around, then I'm sure that James will take them off of your hands!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Didn't you see how excited he was when he realized you were pregnant?"
"That's just what I said," Libby commented. "But—"
"But I don't want to go through that whole battle in court," Cynthia responded. "Besides—you're not required to tell your husband about the abortion, and you don't need their approval, either. So I have nothing stopping me. Why, he'll never even know until it's actually over."
"And ya say this as you're tellin' him..." Libby shook her head, smiling ruefully.
Cynthia's eyes widened. "Oh, great..." she muttered to herself. "Why, why did I even bring it up in front of him?"
"Cynthia, I need you to listen to me," Jimmy pleaded. "I was up all night with Cindy. She was crying her eyes out because you won't believe the truth. And today she said her life was meaningless. It's not just James you're affecting. Can't you see what you're doing to yourself?"
"What do you care?" she rebutted, her tone more anxious than sarcastic this time.
"Cynthia, I care...a lot," Jimmy choked out. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to tell her, but he just couldn't bring himself to say what he really desired. "I know you don't realize it, but I care a lot more than you think." He blinked suddenly. Wasn't that almost exactly what he had said to Cindy? It seemed that was all she wanted, younger or older: just the satisfaction that someone cared. That he cared, specifically.
"No, you don't," Cynthia protested, growing a little teary eyed. "You never did. It was always about you." She shook her head sadly. "He promised me he'd never leave again, but in a way...he did. And he didn't even bother to come after me when I moved in with Libby."
"When did he leave you?" Jimmy asked, unsure as to what exactly she was talking about. Neither she nor James had mentioned him walking out on her. Now, that was something which would definitely explain her paranoia.
"It's going to happen in just a few months from the time you're at right now," she sighed unhappily, bringing to memory what had happened to destroy their relationship years ago. "You're going to go away to college, but this time, for good. And I won't be able to handle that."
"You mean, I'm going to go back to Pomona?" he questioned curiously. It hadn't been that long since he had given up the opportunity. He never realized he'd be reconsidering it within a matter of months.
"Yes," Cynthia confirmed. "And I won't speak to you because of it. We won't keep in touch, and it will be six years before you see me again."
"But...why?" Jimmy wanted to know, his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. Surely he'd come home for breaks—his parents wouldn't allow it otherwise. He could keep in touch with Cindy. Why, there were phone calls, letters, e-mails. It didn't take that much effort.
Cynthia stared straight into his eyes, and a chill went down Jimmy's spine. "Jimmy, she loves you," she whispered softly. "She really does. Why do you think she tried so hard to bring me back?"
"But why would it be so hard for me to call her? Or write?" he demanded. "I'd be back for breaks. I could see her then."
"You don't understand," Cynthia sighed in exasperation. "It's going to break her heart that you choose to leave at all. She won't want to keep in contact."
Well, then that's her problem. Jimmy bit his lip to keep from saying it. That kind of comment would really be beneficial right now. Not. Cynthia was really hurting, and he didn't think it was all her fault. Sure, she was jumping to conclusions, being stubborn, and considering terminating the twins, but deep down it was due to an underlying problem that had never been fixed properly. After he had chosen to leave for college, she kept suspecting that he would leave again for something else. She didn't have that sense of security that she needed. So when Betty had spread the rumor, the most obvious thing to do would be to believe it.
"I'm sorry, Cynthia," Jimmy said, his tone full of remorse. "I know you see no reason to believe me, but I honestly do—" His voice caught. He'd never been able to fully admit it to himself, let alone tell her what he felt about her.
"Do what?" she prompted him. She sensed what he was trying to get at, but she wasn't going to dismiss it there. She wanted him to say it, and really, truly mean it.
"You know," Jimmy laughed nervously. "That..." His cheeks felt like they were on fire from embarrassment. It didn't help that Libby was still there, watching the whole thing.
As if Cynthia could read his mind, she turned to her best friend. "Libby, do you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes? I think Jimmy would feel a lot more at ease that way." Libby nodded, rose, and stepped into the next room. Cynthia turned and leaned toward Jimmy, putting her entire focus on him. He drew in a breath, a little surprised at how close she came. "Now," she whispered. "I want you to tell me exactly how you feel about me...or if it helps any, exactly how you feel about Cindy."
Jimmy swallowed hard. If he could bring himself to tell her, it might solve everything. But what she was asking for seemed way too big a task for him to accomplish. "Cynthia, I...I can't..." he choked out.
Her face immediately fell. "I knew it," she muttered. "It's because you don't really care as much as you say."
"That's not true," Jimmy protested. "I do care! I—I'll show you."
"Wh—" Before she could complete her sentence, he leaned in even closer and kissed her. Just like that. It wasn't long, or drawn out. It was just a simple peck on the lips—and yet that one small action sent Cynthia's mind whirling.
"I—uh—I—" Jimmy stuttered, feeling as if he could sink into the floor and disappear. What had he just done?
"Jimmy, do you realize that you just kissed a 20-year-old?" Cynthia asked, trying to act as calmly as possible. "I know I may be the same girl you have a crush on, but right now I'm nine years older than you."
"What happened?" Libby burst out, coming back into the room.
"He kissed me!" Cynthia exclaimed, still not able to fully grasp that fact.
Libby's expression turned into one of disgust. "Um, ew! Big age difference!"
"I thought you were in the other room," Jimmy commented.
"I was...close enough to try an' hear what was goin' on," she replied with a laugh.
Jimmy felt utterly humiliated. He had only been trying to get Cynthia to realize how much James really did love her...how much he loved her. Plus, she'd put her face so close to his that he'd just gotten that sudden urge to...well, to kiss her. Could they honestly blame him for that?
A/N: Surprise, surprise. Another chapter. And this time it's not as short. I spent my entire lunch break today working on it, ha ha. I just got this sudden urge to write...and I had finished all my homework for today, so it's all good. Spring Break is in 5 days! I'm going to spend a couple days with my dad, so I'll try to get another chapter out then, too. The key word there is try, LOL.
If you haven't guessed already, I am pro-life. This is mostly due to the fact that I actually survived an abortion—no joke. My mom had internal bleeding, so the doctors performed an abortion on her without telling her, in order to save her life. When they found out I survived, they told her that I would probably be retarded or deformed...and I'm neither. Quite the contrary, actually. Even if I wasn't pro-life, though—everyone wants the twins to live.
Lady Lola Laflaunda: Roger that. I honestly don't hate her character on her show as much as it seems...but in my story, she's the devil. XD
Stay-Away: Thanks! I thought this was a pretty fast update. What about you?
acosta perez jose ramiro: Thank you. I definitely thought it was time to throw Sheen in. Carl might appear soon as well, but I haven't really worked all the details of his future out yet...ha ha.
LadyFM: Nope, I'm not abandoning it yet. My dad and I are going to talk about me moving in with him over Spring Break. He doesn't want to ruin my relationship with my mom, but if I have to move, he's totally going to make sure it happens.
FredandGeorgetwinsoftheC.O.C.A.: Wow, I've never been thanked for updating. Thank you for reviewing:) I'm happy you're still reading, and I think you will like the ending (but remember I'm not promising anything!). Carl might be making an appearance soon, and I'll try to go into more detail with him and Sheen.
Vampire of Romance: It's not bad to have a wedding in October, as long as you're out of school... ;) Glad you liked the chapter.
mrmuscle: Hope this update was soon enough! Thanks for the review!
I'll-hold-you-close: Thank you! I will definitely try!
xtigerlily23x: Thank you! I thought this was a soon update (at least compared to the last gap between chapters).
jimlover54: Thanks! Here's the update!
starrlightstarbrite: It's OK, I understand. I'm glad you liked them. Thanks for the prayers. They mean a lot. :)
Aaliyah93: Thanks for understanding. And here's that surprise you were hoping for:) Wow, I write like a mature adult, huh? I'm not even 15 yet! I have always been extremely mature for my age, though. I'm glad it shows in my writing.
Poisoned Moonshine474: Thank you! I'm a HUGE J/C fan, and I try my best!
THeFaCeiNTHeMaSK: Thanks! Glad you like it! Here's the "more" you wanted. :)
Sarah: Thanks! I will!
Hermione Granger63: They are cute. It just fills my heart with joy, LOL. Thanks for your permission on me having a life. ;)
KittyKiChi: Yay! I lifted someone's spirits! Now mine are lifted:) This update was ASAP!
Andre.ar: I know, it would be a very sad time for them. We already saw a bit of James' reaction in the last chapter, but goodness knows it will be worse during the actual thing. I don't want them to get divorced either, but they do have free will...or so they think... ;)
The Fire Lord's Daughter: Here's that chapter! LOL. I hope you liked it!
general shadow wolfsbane: Thanks for understanding. I checked out your fic and reviewed. Keep writing. :)
