Warawa haimetsu! Warawa rosuto isshiki hoopu eba shoji Jimmy Neutron.

I'm crushed! I've lost all hope of ever owning Jimmy Neutron.

I also don't own the theme song for Ultraman, the last verse of which, I used in this chapter. However, the words are changed from Ultraman to Ultralord.

And just in case if you were planning on asking, I don't own Ultralord either.

I apologize to those of you who actually know Japanese. I'm sure my grammar more than sickens you. To those of you who don't know Japanese, I speak it fluently and my grammar is flawless. Thanks go out to all of my readers! Please read and review.

When Jimmy and Goddard finished their walk, they slowly returned to the lab. Jimmy had been in such a hurry this morning, but now he felt slow, calm, tranquilized. He pondered over the events of the day.

Why was Cindy being so difficult?

Maybe it was just one of those "girl things" that guys were never meant and never hoped to understand. It shouldn't be so complicated, but it is.

Jimmy plucked a hair from his head, his DNA proof that he really was Jimmy Neutron, and entered the lab, Goddard close behind. He was working on his teeth modifier in no time.

Thirty minutes passed, and Jimmy was done. His invention was complete. "This is great, Goddard! Now, I just have to…. Darn!"

Goddard tilted his head.

"I don't have anyone to test this on! What should I do? I don't know anyone else with braces. I could test on myself, but it would be the risks would be enormous… Maybe I could have someone help assist me, supervise me, and be ready to address attention if something should go wrong… But who?"

Goddard's green, luminescent screen popped up again. "Sheen."

"Tokyo, remember?"

"Cindy."

"Ha! After that performance?"

"Carl."

"Hmm, Carl might work, but I haven't seen him in awhile," he paused. "Ah well, it appears he's my only option. VOX, call Carl, speaker phone, please."

VOX responded, "Calling. Phone ringing."

"Hello?" Jimmy recognized Mrs. Wheezer's masculine voice.

"Hello, Mrs. Wheezer? This is Jimmy. I was wondering, is Carl available?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but Carl's a little preoccupied right now."

"Well, could I just talk to him? It seems like I haven't heard from him in ages."

"He can't talk right now, either. I'm sorry, but I really have to go. You caught us at a bad time."

"Oh, all right. I understand. Thank you for your time."

She hung up without saying goodbye.

Jimmy didn't feel so enthusiastic about science right now. He headed outside with Goddard, just in time to see Mrs. Wheezer shut the car door and drive off.

"I wonder what's up with Carl," Jimmy sat down on his doorstep. Goddard sat down next to him, observing the conversation silently. "We're next-door neighbors. It shouldn't be so hard to get together, or at least talk to each other." Right then, Jimmy's eye caught Cindy's door across the street.

"This is turning out to be one long summer vacation," he rested his chin on his palm and watched the grass grow.

Not long after, his thoughts were lost and drowned out by some singing, coming from down the street.

"Te ni shita gang a byubyun to unaru! Kaijuu taiji no senmonka! Hikari no kuni kara Chikyuu no tame ni! Kitazo warera no Urutorajoutei!"

Jimmy looked up, searching for the owner of the soulful voice. He saw Libby, Cindy's best friend, who was apparently going to pay a sojourn to said best friend's house.

Jimmy didn't mind Libby. She had spunk, and plenty of it to go around, and she was never afraid to speak her strong mind. However, all in all, she was a pretty gregarious girl.

Normally, Jimmy and Libby didn't really socialize too much. Libby usually hung around Cindy, and Cindy was often so tight-strung that Jimmy couldn't help but argue with her. Whenever Libby really did hang around with Jimmy, Sheen was the one talking.

Although Jimmy and Libby were acquaintances, friends might be considered too strong of a word.

Jimmy was so bored and lonely; he didn't really consider much of a difference at the moment. "Libby!"

She had her headsets on, and was clearly absorbed into whatever she was listening to. "Urutorajoutei, Urutorajoutei! Kitazo warera no Urutorajou-"

"Libby!" Jimmy ran over to the edge of his side of the road.

Libby lifted the earpiece of her headphones, "Jimmy?" She stopped in her tracks and looked around. She'd been so absorbed in her singing that she hadn't really paid to much attention to her whereabouts.

"Hi, Libby!" he had a huge grin spread across his face. It was nice to see a friendly, familiar face.

Libby pulled her headsets off and crossed the street to greet him, "Hey, Jimmy, whatchu doin'?"

"Well, I've been working in the lab, lately. I just got out of summer school and I-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Jimmy the genius in summer school?"

"Actually, I was scrubbing floors. Remember that one month where I had eight consecutive birthdays in a row?"

"Oh, oh right, gotchya... Hey, are those what I think they are? Them braces, Jimmy?"

"Yeah," he said dejectedly. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice…"

"Wouldn't notice? What's the big deal? I had braces when I was little; now look how straight my teeth are. The only thing I didn't care for was the whole chewing thing. The first few days, they pained me whenever I just chewed. I was reduced to eating applesauce for awhile."

"Heh, yeah, I know what you mean. I had pancakes this morning, and I was in a hurry too. They still feel a little irked. Well, I've been meaning to ask someone… You don't think they make me look, dorky, do you?"

"Ah, Jimmy! You worry too much 'bout what other people think. And no, they don't make you look dorky," she emphasized the word by making bunny signs with her fingers and bending their ears. "In fact, they make you look kind of cute. I'm sure you-know-who would love them."

"I-know-who?"

"Oh come on now, you must be buggin'. Cindy! Everyone knows you two like each other. Would it hurt if you let each other know?"

"Like each other! That's up for debate!"

"Yes, I'm sure it is."

"No, Libby, you 'must be buggin''! Everyone knows we can't stand each other."

"Mhmm, Jimmy, I'm sure," she replied nonchalantly, placing the headsets back on her head.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I didn't say nuthin'," she turned up the volume of her music a little louder.

"So you said something?"

"What?"

"You did not say nothing, so you said something."

"Come again?"

"Two negatives equal a positive. You said something."

"You're getting your numbuhs and yo' grammah all switched up now."

"No, it's true! You did not say nothing, so you must've said something."

An amused grin naturally appeared on her face, "All right, Mr. High and Mighty Genius Boy. What did I say, then, if I said sumthin'?"

"Well, I don't know, I was asking you."

"No, I think you was just changing the subject."

"Defensive? I'm not being defensive!"

"I didn't say you were being defensive."

"Then what did you say already?" Jimmy stood up, eyes wide with anticipation.

"I already told you, I didn't say nuthin'!"

"So what'd you say!" It was no longer a question; it was a demand.

Libby was tired with where this conversation was going, "You wanna know what I said? I said, 'Why don't you march yo' skinny little behind ovah to Cindy's house and ask her out?"

"I've already tried that!"

Libby stopped her cd. "You wha'?"

"I told you. I already tried talking to her and asking her out. She blew a fuse! She started screaming like a rabid spider monkey! It's a wonder to me if she isn't diseased!"

"Yo' both diseased, Jimmy. You got the same thang."

"What's that?"

"Love sickness. And denial. That too."

"What is this? A soap opera? Love sickness? Where'd you hear that?"

"My mom's made me watch a good share of re-runs of General Post Office in my day. That's not the point, though. If one of you could just let the other know how you really feel, you'll get your happilay evuh aftah. You just wait and see."

"Wow, Libby. I had no idea you were such a drama queen."

"This comin' from the drama genius who thinks his braces are just about the most hideous thangs that walked the face of the earth?"

"My braces don't walk, thank you very much."

"I can see why Cindy blew up at you."

"No you can't, Folfax! You weren't even there!"

She sighed, "Oh well, we're on last name terms now, Neutron? I'm guessin' the conversation's over then. See yah 'round." Libby headed up Cindy's doorsteps and entered her house.

Jimmy was alone, again, except his robotic dog and his brain.

And right now, he didn't really feel like thinking.