Legendary Frob: I am back in the zone baby! LOL, I'm so glad you think so. I hope I stay in the zone for this chapter too! I'm also glad that you liked my dream sequence. I was so, well, not really inspired per say, well-you know what I mean!

Darkgem499: Hey, you reviewed three times in a row! Cool, and thanks!

Yokai no Miko: Dreams are often very weird Oo. Actually, the dream sequence was pretty different from the one I had written in the beginning.

Princess Angel Rose: I know, I like it too-updations. It's sounds so…wordish, yet so not wordish at the same time. LOL.

Reddistherose: Thank you! Thank you! Yeah, I wish we could bottle unique talents and sell them. Or emotions. Buy your very own bottle of love-it's pink! LOL, it's been a long week.

Everybody else: I think I got everybody who reviewed for this chapter, but if I happened to forget you, well, I'll say it now: Thanks for reviewing! This also goes for everybody I've not replied to in my past chapters.

If you didn't read my other story (it had a semi-important author's note in it), some time in October (I'm thinking middle-ish. 15th, 17th? Somewhere around in there) we are beginning a new four day week! Which means, we will only go to school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I get Fridays off to do just about whatever I want for the rest of this school year-go me! So that means-you guessed it!-I have more free time to write.

Shameless plug: I have written a short story and it is posted on Fiction Press, so I'd be so greatly grateful if you were to go over there for a little while and read it. My pen name, if you just so happen to visit, is Unrequited Love 118.

Um, I can't think of anything else that I need to say right now, so I guess it's onto the story!

Chapter 8: Jealousies of a Fifth Grade Blonde

Cindy examined her newly pedicured toenails. They glistened in the bright light of the salon when she wiggled them. The white on the tips sharply contrasted the black of her strappy sandals, and she began to rock back and forth on her feet, impatiently waiting for Jimmy to come out from the changing room.

After waiting for a few minutes she called out, "Come on out Jimmy! You've been in there forever! And we have to go back to the salon in-"she paused, and checked her watch, "fifteen minutes! Let's move it!"

A muffled reply came back, "I'm not coming out!"

Cindy crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Why are boys so difficult? "You have to!"

"I'm not coming out! I look ridiculous, and I hate tuxedos! Why couldn't I just go in my normal, everyday clothes?" Jimmy whined.

"Because, Mr. I-have-no-style, you don't go to dances in street clothes. Everybody knows that!" From inside the small room littered with articles of clothing, Jimmy scowled. I don't care what she says, I'm not coming out. I look ridiculous, and this suit is so uncomfortable. I wouldn't go to a dance in it if she paid me!

On the other side of the door, Cindy wore a wicked, mischievous smile. I know just how to make him come out! "Fine, be that way. If you won't come out, I guess I'll just have to-"

Leave? Jimmy thought hopefully.

"-come in there and get you-" Cindy was cutoff abruptly by the opening of the door. Thought that'd do the trick! She then got a good look at Jimmy-and began laughing her head off. Dressed in a lavender suit with tiny baby blue and green polka-dots on it with a white dress shirt underneath the jacket and a dark blue tie, Jimmy did look rather comical. Cindy told him so. "You," a giggle escaped, "look so," another giggle, "so-purple!" Cindy clutched her stomach and laughed harder.

Sending a death glare at her, Jimmy said through gritted teeth, "I told you I looked ridiculous."

Cindy took a deep breath to steady herself, then nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, you do. Now, go change back into the first one you tried on. The black one."

Mumbling something about girls and stupidity in the world of fashion, he turned and went back into the dreaded changing room to put the black suit back on. Nothing good can come of this. Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

And so the first few hours free from school before the festivities began went for Jimmy and Cindy.

XOXOXOXO

An hour later Cindy led a dolled up, hair styled, slightly emotionally aggressive Jimmy out of the local salon. Needless to say, the past hour was an experience he would never forget nor would want to repeat ever again.

"Get a move on Neutron- I still have to get dressed!" Cindy huffed as she dragged the silently rampant boy toward the exit and toward his awaiting hovercar. It had been four hours, and still she was not ready! Jimmy fumed the whole while it took them to get to the doors. However, as the way of being in a hurry usually is, something usually pops up to distract you even more and results in you being even later than you already are. This was the case as Cindy was about to drag Jimmy through the doors.

This plan would have succeeded, if not for the fact that at the exact moment they were walking out, Betty Quinlan happened to be walking in. And being the love-sick twit that Jimmy was, he stopped to goggle at her. Cindy took no notice of her presence until she felt a catch on her arm: the Jimmy she was dragging had stopped and had caused her to stop too. She whirled on him angrily. How dare he look at that…that…other girl when he was with her? "Neutron! Let's go! I still have to get ready!"

Betty, as if noticing him for the first time, turned and gazed at him. "Wow Jimmy, you look nice. Are you going to the dance tonight?"

"Dance…tonight…nice…yeah…." Jimmy somehow managed to get a few words out. Then, as if realizing what he looked like (which from Cindy's point of view would be a drooling monkey), he shook his head to clear it of wedding bells and lace-covered Betty, and stuttered, "Um, I mean, uh, yeah. I'm going to the dance tonight. Are-are you?" He smiled overly big at her.

Cindy rolled her eyes at his pathetic excuses. Big brained showoff. Does he really think he has a chance with Ms. Perfect? Yeah, right, and Ultra Lord actually exists. She stood aside as Jimmy tried (or in her mind, tried and failed royally) to converse normally with his desire in size 2 with the brunette locks and huffed. What does he see in her? Really-am I that different from this…this…sixth-grade 'superior'? I mean, it's quite obvious she's a few stars short of a galaxy. And it's clear that she has no romantic interest in him at all. So, just why does he look at her and not at me?

Cindy started at that last thought. Do I really want Nerdbomb looking at me? I must be loosing a few pennies from my fountain. Sheesh! But as she pondered it a while longer, she realized just how much she really did want his blue eyes to fix their gaze on her.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Theme music trilled from a small, grey, rectangular hand held device. On the screen, a few choices popped up, and the owner of the mechanism quickly pressed several buttons in rapid concession. A few more graphics popped up, and the holder began to make the pictures on the screen do all sorts of different things. So engrossed was he in the portable box that he didn't hear the girl behind him say his name.

"Sheen."

Music continued to rise from either side of the screen, and the happy boy remained completely oblivious to his surroundings.

"Sheen," said the voice, a bit more forcefully this time.

And still the music played, and still the boy lived in blissful oblivion.

"Sheen!" the voice screeched at the back of the Hispanic's head.

When still the game-engrossed child did not tear his gaze from his ultra-charged game, the Egyptian-descended girl was forced to take drastic measures: she vehemently snatched the Game Buddy from Sheen's hands.

Surprised that suddenly he was empty handed; he looked up with his mouth agape, only to look into the eyes of an agitated Libby, who was frowning down at him in a quite distasteful manner.

"Hey! Why'd you do that for? I was on level 54, and I had almost beaten the Green Glob Menace from planet Gloop!" Sheen exclaimed.

Rather than answer, she let her actions speak louder than words when (with still one hand on her hip) she pulled a black tuxedo from somewhere near her and held it out for him to view.

Sheen grinned sheepishly. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand nervously, he muttered, "Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Say, listen, how about you and me just forget the dance completely and go to the Candy Bar for the post-dance party?"

"Don't you mean 'pre-dance' party?" Libby asked, puzzled.

Sheen appeared thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure it's a 'post-dance' party." He nodded again for extra emphasis on his theory.

"Sheen, there is no way I'm going to go to some 'post-dance' party."

Looking crestfallen, he replied, "Why not, oh my beloved dancing queen of the Nile?"

Choosing to ignore the pet name altogether, she responded (while trying to push Sheen towards the nearest area he could change in), "Two reasons: one, I'm not real big on parties centered around dances, and two, YOU CAN'T HAVE A POST DANCE PARTY WITHOUT HAVING A DANCE FIRST!" She screamed the latter part of her explanation at him as she shoved him into the nearest empty room so he could change into more fitting, formal attire.

As she shut the door on him, she straightened her own formal, knee-length pink dress and took a deep, calming, nervous breath. Tonight will be the death of me. Or Sheen…but that's a completely different subject altogether. She listened through the door as the hyperactive, easily distracted boy attempted to, as much as she could decipher from the muffled, mumble-jumbled words Sheen was uttering to himself, put his bow tie on. She smiled, as no one could see her.

Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all…

Hmm…yes, this seems like a good place to stop. "What a tangled web we weave…" I'm sure that's a quote. I just wish I could remember the rest of it…

Anywhoo, it's taken me absolutely forever to finish this chapter. I think it turned out pretty good though, really. Don't you? In any case, it was a really fun chapter to write.

Next up, the chapter you guys have all been waiting for, the big finish, the grand finale (which, when translated, I do believe actually says 'big finish'): Chapter 9! The dance scene is supposed to be next, so cross your fingers that I get done with it and get it posted before Christmas. Yeah, let's hope so. Wouldn't that be a great early Christmas present? I think so…

Ick. The awful, tiresome subject of my next story. I really, really wanted to do a crossover, but I've suddenly found inspiration for a new story (in a new cartoon category) and I'm thinking about doing it first. Not really sure what I'll do now, though, so, um, yeah.

Of course I know what I'm doing! What kind of amateur doesn't? LOL. Let's go with that. Please, review! I'll give you, erm, I'll give you a piece of butterscotch. Mmm…butterscotch…yum.