I dedicate this chapter to all my Jimmy Neutron friends, new and old, who have gotten me through some rough times in my life this year. Thanks so much for being good friends. And to my two new Jimmy friends, Justine and Joanna, I just know you guys will be awesome friends and I hope we can become really close in 2005.

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

Cindy (cont'd)

I had eventually stopped crying and went to bed early that night. I was extremely exhausted from the excruciating emotional ordeals of dealing with Jimmy Neutron. As I was sleeping, one unfortunate dream kept playing in my head over and over again—what happened yesterday. I couldn't get the images out of my head—why was he so convinced that we couldn't be together all of a sudden?

We had overcome so many obstacles while we were stranded on the island together, from saving each other from snakes to finally getting the courage to be more open and honest with each other. And, best of all, we were able to spend a whole day together having fun—that's something we rarely ever get to do. However, there was one unforgettable moment I'll remember forever—our last night on the island. It's hard for me to believe I'm actually even saying this, but after he gave me that necklace I felt like I was the girl he truly cared about all along. Just being with him made me happy, and made me feel guilty at the same time for ever hating him.

Another thought also came to my mind as I was dreaming. Here I am, eleven years old and I'm falling in love with Jimmy. I mean, I always had that girl-next-door crush on him, but then I really disliked a lot of the things he's done, yet I believed that even with all of our faults combined that we could somehow make this relationship work. Even though I already have a best friend that I can share anything with, I really needed something more. I wanted to be with Jimmy more than he could possibly fathom, and I was getting a bit annoyed about the denial stage that he still hasn't overcome.

I've been in denial a long time too, but Libby already knew about what had been going on between us ever since I laid eyes on him a little over two years ago. After what happened a couple of days ago, I knew I had to get over pretending to hate him and change my whole attitude on life.

I had finally awoken from my dream and all of my thoughts to the sound of my phone ringing. I glanced at the clock which read exactly 11:05 a.m. Saturday morning—Libby had just gotten back in town the night before, and I was supposed to have met her an hour ago at the mall.

I quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Girl, where are you? You were supposed to meet me here over an hour ago! What's taking you so long?"

"Libby, I'm so sorry! I overslept this morning. Last night was pretty rough for me."

I rummaged around through my closet looking for something to wear as I quickly got dressed. I hate being late, especially when the mall is having their once in a lifetime mega sales!

"Cin, something's up, and I think I know what it is. You couldn't possibly oversleep on a Saturday when there's a huge sale going on in all of our favorite stores—that's not like you."

I sighed. She was going to bring up Jimmy and I again, and I was definitely not in the mood to discuss the matter that day.

Pretending as if I didn't know what she was talking about, I asked, "What makes you think something's up? I'm fine."

"Cindy, you're not fine. I know you went to see Jimmy yesterday. Sheen told me about it."

Sheen? Of all people, Neutron has to tell him about what happened yesterday.

"What makes him think that I would actually go see Neutron?"

I could hear Libby sighing impatiently. "Cindy, I really wish you'd quit pretending to act like you hate Jimmy. You've had a thing for him for as long as I can remember."

"Libby, do we have to talk about this now? I'm really not in the mood!"

"You're always not in the mood every time I talk about your secret crush. We need to talk about this and we need to talk about it now. You've been out of it for weeks—barely even talking to people, showing up late at every single function, oversleeping. Sheen even told me yesterday that Jimmy saw you crying in your room from outside his window."

I was growing quite impatient and rather annoyed with this conversation. "I don't even know what you're talking about. I don't care what Jimmy says about me and you know it."

Oh, great. I just said Neutron's first name again. Believe me the argument gets worse from here on out.

"There, see? You just said Jimmy's first name. You do like him."

"No, I don't! Look, can we just talk about this later? I'll meet you at the mall in a few minutes." And with that, I quickly hung up the phone and proceeded to get ready for the day.

Jimmy

I still couldn't get the previous day's events out of my mind. First Cindy apologizes for treating me cruel and kisses me, then we get into an argument, and finally she tries to convince me that we should be together. It was all too much to absorb.

I am going to be honest, though. Deep down inside, I really do care about Cindy, probably more than she would ever know. I just wish we weren't at such a difficult age. At eleven years old, you're not exactly a teenager and definitely not a kid anymore, but somewhere in between. If other people in elementary school were to see us together, we'd be a laughingstock each and every single day. I do have a reputation to uphold, and I couldn't afford to throw it all away on a relationship, could I?

I had just awoken to one of the most awkward Saturday mornings I ever had. I looked out the window and into Cindy's. I could see her talking on the phone, most likely with Libby and could only imagine what kind of conversation they could be having. It could be about the situation between Cindy and myself, clothes, gossip, anything. I had a hunch however, that she was talking with Libby about us—I don't know why, but I just knew.

I started to feel somewhat guilty about yesterday. I never meant to hurt Cindy's feelings, but at the same time I felt like I had done what was best for both of us. It's not like I'm a mind reader—I didn't know what was going on in Cindy's head to make her start acting the way she had acted the day before.

Some people, however, would call what happened one of the "crazy things that people do when they are in love". I don't even know what to call it, nor can I comprehend what love really is. One of the most simplest definitions of love is when two special people really care about each other and are willing to do anything to show it, whether it be by affection, or by risking everything just to be with that person. I have always risked my life to save my friends because they mean so much to me. If anything were to happen to any of them due to something I caused because I let science get in the way of my good judgement, I would never be able to forgive myself.

I had let my mind drift off into my deepest thoughts, and forgotten that I had been staring into Cindy's window that whole time. It was when I saw her eyes make contact with mine that snapped me out of my trance. A look full of hurt was written all over her face that was meant for me, and only myself—no one else. I continued to stare back into her emerald eyes with no emotion whatsoever. I didn't know what to say or what to think. It was as if there was this omen telling me that I had one shot with this girl, and that I either had to take it now or live to regret it later on.

I really didn't know at that point what I wanted to do, or what I even wanted out of life anymore. Things were so much easier before I moved here. I had very little to worry about—I was and still am a straight-A student, I was always able to fit in and find a few friends to keep me company along the way, and I had Goddard, who has been a great help to me as well as one of the few inventions of mine that actually worked. It was one thing for certain, however, that I didn't have to worry too much about girls because I was busy with my studies or working on my experiments. I was content with the way my old life was, and I had no desire to ever want to change it.

When I moved to Retroville though, all of these things began to change. I had to leave my old friends behind, which was a bit hard for me, but I was able to quickly make some new friends and I was able to adapt pretty well. When it came to competition, I was definitely not ready to compete with a girl who's practically almost as smart as I was. Cindy Vortex came into the picture, and my life had taken a different turn, and things haven't ever been the same. We've been competing for the last couple of years about who is better—her or myself. We even got into the most annoying arguments over the most miniscule of issues—who's stronger, who's tougher, who can come up with the best insults, and most of all, who's smarter. Life sure didn't have to be the competition Cindy was making it out to be.

When I first laid eyes on her, I actually thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever met. I really thought we could just be friends because we had so much in common, but she didn't want that. I had taken away her number one spot in school, and she was going to do whatever it took to reclaim what I supposedly stole from her, but I am going to be up front about this—I never stole anything from Cindy. I felt I had earned my spot because I am naturally a genius, and Cindy was still a bit far from being one. But ever since we were stranded together, I now don't feel exactly the same way that I used to anymore. I don't want to fight her anymore, but then I don't want to be too nice to her at school either—I've been teased and tormented enough!

What now stood in front of me was the most difficult decision I had to make, and I had very little time left to decide.

A/N: I am trying to improve on trying to make these chapters longer, which is definitely one of my weak spots when it comes to writing fanfiction. I hope that you are enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it! Please R&R and let me know how I am doing. I really appreciate the reviews from each and every one of you guys.