I love writing scenes like this, so if you've read this before from me, sorry, I'm not sorry. :) I love you all.

(I DON'T OWN ANYTHING)

Pecan Ripple

"Neutron, open this door right now!"

"No!"

"Will you at least stop hiding?"

"No," he repeats through Vox's speaker system.

"I am not leaving until you explain!" She bellows.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"If you don't let me in there, I will do some serious damage to this stupid DNA scanner."

"How did you know it was a DNA-" Jimmy gasps as she raises her fist, "Wait, please don't do that!" He quickly amends.

"I'll give you to the count of three! One, two-" she hears a familiar noise, and then she's falling down a long tube. She lands hard on her butt and winces. Neutron is sitting at his computer, he's wearing his lab coat, and she can see the image of a graph on the screen. "Who do you think you are, Neutron?"

"Again, I'm sorry, I-"

"I waited for an hour at the Candy Bar! Do you know how ridiculous I looked? Everyone was asking who I was waiting for. I even ordered two bowls of ice cream! Yours melted before I finally figured out that you ditched me."

"You did what?"

"I ordered ice cream, idiot. That's what going to the Candy Bar usually means."

"You know what ice cream I like?"

She rolls her eyes and snarls. "Of course I do, Neutron because I pay attention!"

"To me?"

She notices his genuine surprise, and it makes her heart squeeze with guilt. She feels a flush of anger and embarrassment flood her cheeks. "Maybe."

Silence falls between them. Goddard, who is watching from the corner, tilts his head at her curiously. Cindy shrugs, and Goddard whines and lays down on the floor.

"You are the one who," she gulps and forges ahead, "you are the one who kissed me."

The boy genius blushes but nods. "I know."

"You walked me home while we held hands. We agreed to meet at the Candy Bar. Or did I dream all that?"

"No!"

"Why did you do that if you were going to stand me up?"

"Look, Cindy, I care about you. Gas planets, sometimes when I look at you, my head goes a little fuzzy. However, we are both stubborn and competitive. It's those elements that create tension and tumultuous feelings between us."

"Are you saying you didn't mean to do that stuff?"

"What? Where did you get that? Ugh, this isn't coming out right!" He exclaims, running his hands through his hair with desperation and fury.

"Surprise surprise, genius Jimmy can't deal with his feelings," she snaps back.

"Will you stop antagonizing me? See, this is what I'm trying and failing to say. I never know how you feel about me because it seems like most of the time you don't even like me at all."

"Oh my word, I can't believe I have to spell this out for you. When you didn't show today, I started to wonder if you regretted what happened yesterday. Then I started feeling stupid for thinking you liked me too." Her words bounce off the walls, echoing her confession back to her.

"Aha! You do like me then!

"I said I did, didn't I?" She asks quietly, her shoe digging into the cement of the lab.

"Oh, that's good to know."

"Now, are you ready to stop being a complete idiot?"

"I am not an idiot!"

"I have firm evidence that proves otherwise, Neutron."

"You are impossible," Jimmy hisses. She hears him mutter something about confusing feelings under his breath.

Cindy takes the opportunity to plunge the conversation forward. "You will be meeting me at the Candy Bar tomorrow at three. You'll be paying. If you are a no show again, you will get no third chance. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good," Cindy nods firmly, then turns to go.

"And Cindy? Your favorite ice cream is Pecan Ripple. I pay attention to you too, even if you don't think I do."

It wasn't exactly a confession, but she'd run with it. "Good to know."

As she walks back home, her heart is pounding, and her head is spinning with giddy anticipation. Even though this was still new and delicate like dew in the morning, she can't help but think it could be quite fun.