Hi everyone!

So this is it, the end of this story. Dangerous has been my baby since I had the sudden urge to return to fan fiction back in October. I hope you've all enjoyed the ride like I have. I couldn't have asked for a better journey back into fanfiction like this story right here.

Dangerous

"Open it, Cindy."

"I want you to open it, I can't do it."

"I'm not the one who applied to go to Princeton. It's your mail!"

"Maybe Libby will open it. Or Jimmy."

My mother sighed, clearly frustrated. I was going to be to late to school if this kept up any longer. I heard the front door open and close and knew it had to be Jimmy. He was probably wondering why I wasn't getting into his car right about now so we could ride together to school.

"Is everything okay?" He asked as he came into the kitchen.

"Tell her to open the letter!" My mother yelled with her head stuck inside the fridge.

Jimmy followed my gaze to the counter, where a crisp envelope featuring the Princeton emblem sat. I swore that it was staring right at me, taunting me.

"Cindy, open it," he said. He looked happy - he seemed convinced that I was going to get in. I kept saying that he was going to jinx me but he never listened. He'd been telling anyone he thought might care for the past six months to hear that his girlfriend was going to Princeton.

I was a little afraid of what would happen if I didn't get in.

"It can wait until after school. We're going to be late!"

I started pushing Jimmy towards the door and both him and my mother gave me a look. So what if the letter had been sitting on the counter for nearly four days now? So what if I kept making excuses as to why I didn't want to open it?

The one piece of paper was going to make or break me. I'd gotten into every other school I applied to but none of those mattered unless I was forced to use my back-ups.

And I hadn't been the only one that applied to go to Princeton. Jimmy had gotten in there, along with every other Ivy League and prestigious college in the US. He told me he was keeping his options open just in case. I wanted to ask what just in case entailed but I was too afraid.

I was afraid of leaving home, leaving Libby, Meredith, and my mom. I was afraid of losing Jimmy but I never spoke those fears aloud to him. Surely our relationship would be able to withstand long-distance for awhile if we happened to be at two different schools - but how long until it makes me crazy?

I was also scared he would choose to go to the same school as me for the wrong reasons. Following your significant other was always the worst thing to do. I had a hunch that I was at least part of the reason as to why he hadn't graduated early.

The rest I blamed on Betty, of course.

These were all the thoughts that had been floating throughout my head since the day I sent off all the applications. I felt like I was going to explode from internalizing everything, but things were going good; my collarbone had healed nicely, I was getting along with my mother, Meredith was always there if I needed to talk. The old desire I had to leave Retroville and start a new life at Princeton had faded. I didn't feel as if I needed to go to Princeton anymore. I still wanted to go but I realized somewhere along the way that I'd probably been more in love with the idea of leaving, not the destination I'd been planning on going to.

Jimmy let me push him out the door without much protest but I knew he would force me to talk about it sooner or later.

On the way to school, he said, "Is there a reason you won't open it? Did you change your mind?"

I guess it would be sooner and not later.

"I haven't changed my mind. I just...need a little time."

"You know you have time, right? We don't graduate for another two months and then we have all summer before school starts again."

That sounded like I would be spending my summer saying goodbye to him. Maybe he'd made his decision already.

"I'll open it today, alright? Can we just drop it now?" I snapped and he fell quiet. I immediately felt bad. He didn't deserve to be yelled at just because I was internally struggling.

When we got to school, he kissed me on the head before walking off with Sheen and Carl, leaving me with Libby at my locker and I knew he wasn't mad. I was grateful that he seemed to understand me even when I didn't understand myself.

"Hey girl," Libby said. "What's up?"

"I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to say the first thing that comes to mind, okay?"

"This is a weird game for first thing in the morning, but sure."

"Where am I going to go to college?"

"Uh, Princeton? Isn't that what you won't stop talking about?"

"Ugh, you're no help!"

"Did you get in?" She asked excitedly. "Should be about time you get your letter, right?"

"Maybe you could come over and open it for me," I told her like it was the best idea I'd ever had. "I just can't do it."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "No way. You're crazy. Open it your damn self!"

"I gotta go talk to Mrs. Lawrence."

Libby groaned as I walked away. The guidance counselor had nearly banned me over the past few months because I was in her office so often, trying to perfect my admissions essays and applications.

I knocked on the door rapidly before walking in. Mrs. Lawrence looked up at me warily from behind her computer. "Cindy...welcome back."

"Hi, I know you're probably tired of seeing me, but this is urgent."

Her face softened slightly. "What can I help you with, honey?"

"I don't know what to do about Princeton."

"You got in?" She asked excitedly. "Congratulations!"

I held a hand up to stop her. "I don't actually know that yet. But if I do get in, I'm not sure if I want to go."

She went from looking happy to stunned in record timing. "But Cindy, Princeton has been all you've talked about since I knew you as a freshman. What happened?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really sure."

Her brow furrowed. "Are you sure things are okay with you?"

"Things are more than okay! I'm happy. I just...don't want want anything to change, I guess."

She tapped her pen against her desk and studied me. "Life is all about changes. Good and bad. You're not the only one who's been having these feelings so close to graduation. Just take it one day at a time, okay? I'm always here if you want to talk."

A knock at the window on the door to her office caused us both to look. Jimmy waved me from the other side and I smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lawrence," I said. "For everything."

I was going to miss her. Maybe the next school I went to would have a Mrs. Lawrence and a Libby to make the place feel more welcoming, although I doubted any kind of replacement for either would suffice for the real thing.

Jimmy was shaking his head when I stepped out of her office. "I had a feeling I'd find you in there," he said fondly.

"Just having a little visit," I said lightly, taking his offered hand as we walked to our first class.

"So you weren't discussing going to Princeton?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He just shook his head again. He was used to my avoidance techniques at this point, even though I know it probably frustrated him to no end. Old habits die hard, and even though William hadn't been my real dad, I was still raised by him for over half of my life and he'd unintentionally handed off his most undesirable trait.

I did my best to fight through it, though. I haven't seen or spoken to William since I got hurt over a year ago, and that was fine. I didn't need him in my life and I think he was too proud to apologize. Maybe someday. In the meantime, I had more important things to worry about...like planning out the rest of my life.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Jimmy

Life calmed down a lot after Cindy and I started dating. I hadn't realized how much drama had consumed our lives until Betty was completely out of the picture - and it felt like a huge weight had been taken away after she graduated. Although all three of us were able to navigate the school without much confrontation, things were still a little tense.

Cindy was still technically a cheerleader, and even though she wouldn't ever admit it, I knew it was because she liked the sport and being in charge as the sole team captain for her senior year. She told me that the only reason she'd become one was to be apart of the competition that would cause her to get 25k if they won. She wasn't healed in time to compete, but Retroville didn't win anyway. I knew she'd been extremely disappointed by not being able to participate, but I was glad that her health had been more important to her than pushing herself too hard.

I didn't know where Cindy's internal struggle with opening her Princeton letter suddenly came from, but I had a feeling that she was avoiding it and the topic of college because she afraid we would break up. I couldn't do anything be reassure her that I wasn't planning on leaving her, but I don't think it made much of a difference. I knew she trusted me but she didn't have a great track record with the men in her life, namely William Vortex.

I was hoping that with a little time and coaxing that she'd make the decision I knew in her heart she wanted to make.

When lunchtime rolled around and Cindy was nowhere to be found, I wasn't worried. She appeared five minutes after we all sat down, coffee in hand. Typical.

"Teachers lounge again?" Libby asked.

"How did you know?"

Libby and I shared an eye roll. Sometimes she was too predictable.

"You'll never guess who's throwing our graduation party," Sheen said excitedly.

"I heard Brittany was throwing it," Libby said. "Why is that so spectacular?"

"She is, but guess where it'll be at?!"

We all stared at him expectantly.

"Betty's house!"

Cindy literally spit out some of her coffee onto the table and Carl cringed. Libby started laughing loud enough to gain the attention of the tables around us. Sheen just looked sort of confused. I grabbed a napkin and threw it on the coffee spill and looked over at my girlfriend.

"We might need to improvise again like we did for the holiday dance," I told her. Usually, the seniors had one large party for their graduation so that the entire class could attend it. Apparently Betty had been nice enough to offer up her house.

"I'm not going to any party thrown by her. I don't care how much time has passed," Cindy said.

"Oh, c'mon guys!" Libby teased. "Isn't that where your whole relationship started?"

"Shut up, Libby."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Cindy

I went to Jimmy's house after school and we went up to his room. I laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. I knew it was time to open the damn letter. I needed to stop being a baby. I heard Jimmy clear his throat and I looked over at him. He had something in his hand.

"What is that?" I asked. He handed it to me and I sighed. It was the letter from Princeton.

"Jimmy-"

"Just hear me out," he interrupted. "I'm going to love you whether you did or didn't get in - although I know you did. I'll also love you no matter where you decide to go to school."

"Will you love me if I stay here and attend a state school?"

He rolled his eyes at me half-heartedly. I wouldn't do that unless I had no other choice and he knew it. He leaned down and kissed me on my forehead, cheek, jaw, and then finally my lips. "You're silly," he murmured with his mouth still against mine. "I'd love you if you wanted to stay in Retroville forever, or if you joined the circus, or if you wanted to move to a foreign country for the rest of your life."

"I wouldn't love you if you joined the circus. That's where I draw the line."

He kissed me, effectively stopping my teasing. We took advantage of the fact that neither of his parents were home and took things further than kissing...let's just say I was happy for the distraction.

Jimmy seemed to forget about the letter after that, and later that night after we'd both dressed and tried to make it look like we weren't a couple horny teenagers that had been left alone in the house for too long - I found it again near his bed.

He glanced at me from where he sat at his desk and saw I was holding the letter in my hands.

"If you open it, I may just tell you where I've decided to go to school."

I ripped the envelope immediately, struggling a little to get the letter out around the jagged edge I'd made. My hands were shaking a little, too.

Dear Cynthia,

Congratulations! The committee has reviewed your application and we are happy to offer you admission to the class of 2022.

I kept reading, stunned, and Jimmy got too impatient and came over to read it himself. He rested his chin on my shoulder and we stayed quiet for awhile, even after I'd read it more than once.

"I knew you would get in."

I elbowed him in the stomach and he grunted.

"Okay, so tell me what you've decided."

"Well, are you going to Princeton?"

"Why are you asking me that? We shouldn't base our decisions off of each other."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, and maybe you should just decide what you want to do before I tell you what I'm thinking."

"That puts a lot of pressure on me," I grumbled.

"I've already decided where I'm going to school, Cindy. If you really want me to tell you now then I will, but I'm trying to make things easy on you."

I sighed. "Why do you have to make so much sense all of the time?" I tossed my acceptance letter back onto his bed.

"Just remember what I said," he said, dropping a kiss behind my ear. "I'll love you no matter what, and you and I can get through anything."

This is was one those moments I wished I had his unwavering confidence. "I love you too," I replied. "I wish I didn't suddenly have doubts about Princeton."

"Do you have doubts about me? Or us?"

"What? No, of course not!" I said indignantly. He just laughed.

"Well, me neither. When it comes to you I'm always sure about what I want."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

In times of hardship, I was always comforted by Meredith. We'd become very close in the past year and a half. When trying to make a decision about college became a little too much for me, I went to her apartment. A few days had passed since I'd opened the letter and I was starting to panic even more.

"Your mother told me you got into Princeton! I'm so proud of you!" She said, enveloping me into a warm hug as soon as she opened the door.

"Thank you. That's actually why I'm here."

She pulled back and frowned. "I should've known something was up. You don't look happy."

"I am happy, trust me. I'm just kind of freaking out."

She led me inside and Coco immediately jumped on the couch next to me, begging for attention.

"What's got you so freaked out?"

"What if I hate it there? What if Jimmy goes to school ten hours away from me and we can't handle it? What if I miss home too much?"

"Woah, calm down, honey. That's a lot of what ifs."

"I know, but they're all valid."

"No one can predict the future," she said wisely.

"No, but I would like a little insight on mine. I just want to know if I'm making the right decision or not."

"Cindy, there's no way I can tell you what you should do because only you know that," she said gently. I felt a little defeated by her response. I wanted more guidance than that. "But I can tell you that life is pretty short. Too short to not do what you want, anyway."

"What does that mean?"

"Ask yourself what you want. Don't give yourself time to overthink it. If you find that what you wanted isn't making you happy, then it wasn't right for you. Simple as that."

Simple as that, indeed. I knew I wanted to go to Princeton and to be with Jimmy. It was the details that I was caught up with. I nodded, letting her words sink in.

"Besides," she continued. "You've made it this far. You've been accepted. Why give up only halfway through the journey?"

"You're right," I said.

Meredith patted my knee, smiling. "I know that look. Your father had the same one when there was something he wanted to do."

"What look?"

"Determination. Maybe a little persistence thrown in there, too."

I couldn't help but smile. I had a feeling my own mother would say the same thing.

-0-0-0-0-0-

My heart was beating fast when I arrived at Jimmy's house like I ran the entire way there from Meredith's, even though I drove.

"He's upstairs!" Judy Neutron called out cheerfully from the kitchen as I barged into the house without knocking. She had a great knack of knowing when I was there even if I tried to be quiet.

"Thank you!" I yelled from the stairs.

I didn't knock on Jimmy's door either. He was seated at his desk and looked to be busy. "Hey baby, just give me a second to finish this and I'll -"

"Jimmy."

He turned around fully at the sound of my voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. But I'm going to Princeton," I told him excitedly.

He grinned at me. "I know you are," he said lightly. "I just wanted to give you time to figure it yourself."

I smacked his arm at that, and he used my hand to pull me into his lap. "You're an ass," I told him, even though I wasn't serious. Of course he knew me better than I knew myself. "So, spill. Where are you going to go?"

"Well, I applied to every Ivy League," he said thoughtfully. "And got into every single one, as you know."

I rolled my eyes. "Save the bragging for someone who's not dating you."

"The thing about Ivy Leagues is that they're all great. They all have a lot to offer, and even if I decide on one now I can always choose a different one for advanced education if I want."

"Really? You think it's necessary to build up the anticipation like this?" I complained and he put a finger over my my lips.

"I'm just trying to preface this by saying that I'm not basing this decision on you. I know that's not what you want, and it's not something I would want you to do either. I made this decision a few weeks ago and already notified the school to tell them I'll be going there, if you don't believe me. I believe our relationship would work pretty well as a long distance one..."

Even though I knew he was right, my heart sank anyway. He just kept talking.

"...but that's not something we'll have to worry about. A lot of notable figures are associated with the school I chose. You know even though Albert Einstein didn't attend there, he still technically worked at Princeton or close by. Being so close to the Institute of Advanced Study will be a bonus."

"Princeton?"

"Yeah, I hope we don't break up. Might make things sort of awkward."

I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face even as I asked, "Jimmy, are you sure about this?"

"Now, Vortex, not everything is about you. Give me some credit." I hugged him and he wrapped his arms around me just as tight, but he pulled back quickly. "I have something for you."

He pulled out a box from under his desk and I opened it. It was a black jacket that had the Princeton emblem on the left side. "Since you wear this so often I figured I would get you a new one," he said, tugging on the sleeve of the jacket I always wore - the one he let me borrow so long ago and never gave back to him.

"I love it," I told him. "But you know I'm still going to wear this one, right? You're not getting it back."

He just grinned and pulled me down for a kiss.

"Fine by me."

-0-0-0-0-0-

This took me a long time to write because I reaaaally debated on where Jimmy should go to college. I think I also promised that Betty would be featured again but I decided against it.

So - love it or hate it (I personally am happy with my decision), the story is written and it's over. I feel like I've written two endings to this story already from the previous chapters, and so writing this almost felt...unnecessary? I don't know. I hope it's not disappointing to anyone! Please leave a review!

I'll be posting my NEW story soon! I already have a two-shot posted, and you may need to go to my profile if you haven't seen it. It has a higher rating and you won't see it unless you adjust your filters when on the main JN page. So go check those out soon! Continued support from you guys means so much to me. Thank you! :)