So yes, it's been WAY over a week, and I have absolutely no excuse aside from three nasty midterms that very likely have kicked my butt. So not only was this chapter written on an extreme lack of sleep, but my debt to the nighttime has made it so I can now sleep 14 hours and still feel utterly exhausted. A big woo hoo for that.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I can't express how happy I am to see 51 reviews, and I love each and every single one of you. Really, I do! I may not know you all, but if you like my stuff you must be good people, right:P (pottergal gets smacked upside the head with some common sense) Ehhh, all right, all right, I'll get on with it.

Standard disclaimer still applies: Nick owns JN and I don't. I'm just borrowing the characters for some harmless and non-profit fun.

To Cross the Rubicon
By: pottergal

Chapter Seven: Mysteries, Messes, and Mayhem

Jimmy slowly opened his eyes, and blinked when he found that the sky had turned a strange off-white. Wasn't it normally blue? What had happened to it? And why… why were there several different sources of light? Had they suddenly gained three new suns without his knowledge? And if so… why hadn't they been fried to a crisp yet? Wouldn't the Earth be scorching under that amount of radiation?

"Jimmy?"

He blinked again at the soft voice and his eyes slowly focused. He realized that he was indoors and that he was staring up at a foreign ceiling; that was why the sky had looked so funny. He looked around a little more, his head tilting slightly so he could see to his left, and he found a wall covered with wooden cabinets and a large counter with a sink. There were several jars of popsicle sticks (which he suddenly realized were tongue depressants) and cotton swabs resting on the counter, and he frowned. Wherever he was certainly wasn't his classroom, and it wasn't a hallway…

"Are you feeling all right? You fainted so I brought you to the nurse's office."

A cool hand began to gently smooth back his hair, bringing a smile unbidden to his lips, and he shut his eyes while sighing contentedly. The person's touch was so tender… it dimly reminded him of his mother, and how she used to sing him to sleep when he was much younger.

"I was so worried, Jimmy," the voice continued faintly and Jimmy struggled to identify it. He felt as though he were trudging through thick fog, like his brain purposely wasn't working right, and it was starting to frustrate him.

"What happened?" he said, his voice no more than a groggy whisper, and he leaned into the person's caress, his thoughts strangely murky. It had to be a girl, he decided. And since none of his friends would ever be this affectionate, that left only one person…

"We were just talking," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. Whatever they'd been talking about must've been nice… "But then you went all rigid and you collapsed. The nurse couldn't find anything wrong with you, but she still called your parents. I think your mom might be coming to get you, though I'm not sure…"

"I feel fine now," he said, opening his eyes and expecting to see a certain dark-haired girl smiling down at him happily.

"I'm glad," she said, and Jimmy blinked. Wait a minute! That wasn't Betty…

Leaping leptons!

"Cindy!" he shouted in disbelief, jerking upright and nearly falling off the small hospital-style bed in the process. "What're you… I mean, why are you… what's going on!"

He watched as Cindy frowned at him, her confusion apparent, but before she could respond, the sound of a door opening made her turn.

"Oh, good, you're awake," a new voice said and Jimmy looked from the girl sitting at his bedside to see the school nurse entering from the reception area. Cindy stood and graciously let the woman have her seat. "I was beginning to worry about you, as it's been nearly an hour."

"I was unconscious for that long?" Jimmy asked, slightly astounded, and the feeling grew as his memories slowly began to return. As the nurse placed a thermometer under his tongue, he glanced over her shoulder at Cindy, who was hovering impatiently, worry etched into her features.

"Miss Vortex, you may return to class now," the nurse said somewhat curtly, and when Cindy opened her mouth to protest, the nurse sent her a rather stern look. "There is no need for your presence, and as much as I understand your concern for Mr. Neutron, it looks as though he's fine."

Please leave, Jimmy thought anxiously as Cindy frowned. Please oh please oh please let her leave...

"I'll probably be releasing him soon enough, so if you don't see him in class, you'll see him at recess," the nurse continued and Cindy slumped slightly, defeated. "Now scoot; you're beginning to agitate my patient."

"Yes ma'am," Cindy said, and after giving Jimmy a smile, she turned and left.

Thank you, he thought as he relaxed and breathed a small sigh of relief. I need to think of some way to keep her away from me. Too bad I got rid of the Jim Tech; it would be perfect in this situation.

But then again... he frowned slightly. After seeing how much Cindy's behavior had changed, she just might find a way to dismantle it. No, he needed to come up with something else. Holographic projections to keep him hidden might work… maybe if he created one of himself running in the opposite direction?

Before I can figure out what happened to her I need to find out exactly what she ate yesterday. Maybe there was something in the food that reacted strangely with the incense... Jimmy thought as the timer for the thermometer went off and the nurse plucked it from beneath his tongue.

"Hm, your temperature is normal," she said, sounding somewhat perplexed. "What did you eat for breakfast, young man?"

Jimmy thought for a moment before grimacing. "Um, I didn't eat this morning," he said and the nurse clucked in disapproval. "I woke up late and had to rush to get here on time, so I grabbed a piece of toast on my way out the door."

"A solitary piece of toast isn't nearly enough to sustain a growing boy," the nurse said before writing out some instructions on a pad of paper. "Take this to the cafeteria and see that you get a decent meal in you." Jimmy took the piece of paper she handed him as he slipped from the bed and the nurse began writing in a notebook.

"See that this doesn't happen again, Mr. Neutron," she said as he moved to the door. "It's a mark of irresponsibility that I never expected from you. Geniuses have to eat as well, don't they?"

The tone in her voice irked Jimmy, his hand tightening around the door knob, but he held his tongue. It wouldn't do to upset the school nurse, who had say over their health care, even if she had insulted him.

Jimmy did what he was told and made his way to the cafeteria, whereupon he received a toasted bagel with some cream cheese as well as a fresh plate of scrambled eggs and two small cartons of orange juice. As he ate on the stage (none of the tables had been set up yet), swinging his feet slightly and enjoying the leisurely moment, he wondered absently if it had been something in the cafeteria food. Cindy normally brought a lunch, but what if she'd actually eaten a school cooked meal yesterday? Everyone knew school food was suspicious, so what if there'd been some kind of dormant chemical that had kicked in when she'd been exposed to the incense?

It warrants some investigation, he thought as he finished off the orange juice and tossed the two cartons into the trash bin nearby. Taking a bite of his bagel, he started back for the kitchens under the pretense of returning the plate and fork.

Now naturally there were some pretty big flaws in his hypothesis, as no one else seemed to be experiencing the kinds of symptoms Cindy was exhibiting, and surely many of the other students had also eaten in the cafeteria. So why weren't they stampeding towards him like Cindy had?

No, it couldn't have been the school food, as I know Sheen bought a lunch yesterday, Jimmy thought, frowning around his bagel. You don't see him trampling Cindy to get to my side. At that, he muttered a fervent 'thank goodness'; Cindy, though his rival, was thankfully female. He might've internally combusted on the spot if it had been Sheen in her place.

But I'm still no closer to a cause, he thought as he handed back the plate and utensil. He rejected his theory about the cafeteria food, but he supposed it made things easier, as now he wouldn't have to try and find samples from leftovers to examine.

The ringing of a bell made him glance up at the clock, and he blinked slightly. Was it recess already? He finished off his bagel and started for his classroom, figuring that he should check in with Miss Fowl and see what he'd missed as well as find out the lesson plan for the day.

Me irresponsible, ha! He thought indignantly as he started to weave his way through the throngs of students. Most of them were heading for their lockers or the playground, which unfortunately happened to be in the opposite direction of his class. After being yelled at by a rather tall girl for running into her, he resigned himself to waiting in an alcove by the drinking fountains until the steady stream thinned out and he could continue onwards more easily.

"Jimmy, there you are!"

Oh no...

He froze at the sound of Cindy's voice, and he glanced over his shoulder slightly to see her fighting against the flow of students, trying her hardest to get to him. Fortunately they hadn't made eye contact, as she was forcing an apology out of a third grader who'd stepped on her foot, so Jimmy took the opportunity and ran.

He knew that it was impossible to beat her at speed, but he hoped that with enough of a head start that he could make it into the classroom or at the very least a discreet closet somewhere. He needed to hide until she gave up trying to find him and left the building…

There it is!

He could see his classroom up ahead, but as he neared the door opened and he crashed headlong into the person exiting. It was just his luck that the person happened to be Nick Dean.

"Ow! Dang it, Neutron, watch where you're going!" the taller boy exclaimed, his tone slightly outraged, as Jimmy fell to the ground, blinking and gasping for breath.

"Oh, Nick, are you all right?" he heard Brittany coo in concern, and he could almost see him brushing her off slightly.

"I'm fine. But why the rush, Neutron? Did you go into withdrawals from not being in class this morning?" he asked, chuckling, and several girlish twitters of laughter cropped up around him. "I guess a guy like you can't take being out of class for that long."

Jimmy pushed himself up and found a small group of people staring down at him curiously, most of whom were girls from Nick's constant entourage. He looked over his shoulder worriedly before answering.

"For your information, Nick, I happen to be running for my life!" he shot back as he picked himself up and brushed himself off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to hide before-"

"Jimmy!"

Cindy's voice floated down the hall, and Jimmy swore that his heart stopped for a moment in fear. He slowly turned to look over his shoulder and found the blond girl happily skipping towards them.

"Too late…" he muttered as Cindy promptly latched onto his right arm, giggling as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I was so worried about you, Jimmy! I went to the nurse's office right after class, but she said that you'd gone to the cafeteria, so I checked there," she said, not noticing the wide-eyed looks of shock she was receiving from Nick and his group. "But they said that you'd left as soon as the bell rang, so I went back to the halls, and there you were! But you vanished before I could catch up… it's so lucky that I ran into you here!"

"Um, Cindy? Could you let go of me, please?" he asked, his voice slightly strained, and she blinked up at him.

"Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?" she asked and he nodded several times. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jimmy. I didn't realize! I was just trying to display my deep affection for you," she said as she let go of him, and he noticed that Nick's mouth had fallen open in a look of utmost astonishment.

"When did this happen?" he asked as Jimmy started to edge towards the classroom. "Did you do something to her, Neutron?" That sent a flash of resentment through him and he couldn't help glaring at Nick.

"I didn't do anything! Why does everyone just automatically assume that when something goes wrong, it's my fault!" he retorted heatedly and Nick gave him a look. "I don't know why she isn't swooning over you like she normally is! I've been trying to figure it out, but I haven't come up with anything!"

"Why would I be swooning over Nick?"

Everyone, save Jimmy, stared at Cindy in amazement. Brittany looked even more confused than usual, the two other girls were opening and closing their mouths silently, and Nick just gaped at her. Cindy glanced at each of them in turn before looking back to Jimmy and frowning.

"What's the matter with them?"

"Cindy, like, what's the matter with you!" Brittany finally spoke, and Cindy glanced at her while raising a single eyebrow in a silent question. "First you start hugging Neutron, but now… now you're insulting Nick?"

"Um, hello," Cindy said, rolling her eyes slightly. "How could I possibly like a guy who cares more about his hair and styling products than my well-being?" All the girls in the group gasped, looking slightly outraged. "Sure, Jimmy is a showoff, but he's got more heart and courage than Nick could ever hope to."

"All right, Neutron," Nick said at last and Jimmy gulped when he found that everyone (sans Cindy) was glaring at him. "You're going to fix this, and you're going to fix it now."

"Yeah! Cindy would never say these kinds of things of her own free will!" a girl from the back yelled and Nick cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"I already told you, I didn't do anything!" Jimmy shouted desperately, slowly retreating until he felt his back hit the wall of lockers. "If it were within my power to put Cindy back into her right mind, I would!"

"Jimmy, I am in my right mind!"

"No you're not! If you were, you wouldn't be saying these kinds of things about me!" he shouted at her and he watched her expression darken.

"And I'm telling you that I am!" she yelled back, and started pushing people out of her way to get to him.

"Move!" Another round of gasps was heard when Cindy shoved Nick aside and stood before Jimmy, glaring down at him angrily. "How could you doubt me? I haven't done anything out of the ordinary!"

"Cindy, you just insulted Nick, as well as pushed him out of the way," Jimmy reasoned, casting worried glances at the other boy. "He's your crush, remember? Your hero and all that? I'm the guy you pick on every day!"

"And I already told you that's impossible!" Cindy snapped loudly, making him wince slightly. "You're the one I love; not that pretty boy!"

Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut and clasped his hands over his ears just as even more gasps were heard from the girls. "I didn't just hear that," he said and could almost feel Cindy's look of disbelief. "I didn't just hear that. Cindy didn't just pronounce her love for me again; this is all some sick joke she's come up with to humiliate me and get me in trouble…"

"I say we pound him!"

Nick's enraged shout did manage to break though his mantra of denials and his eyes snapped open in fear. He found Nick and his gang of girls looming over him dangerously, but suddenly Cindy was there, settled into one of her martial arts stances.

"Touch one hair on his oversized head and you'll find yourselves in a world of pain," she growled, and all the girls backed off instantly. Nick hesitated for a moment, as though debating the kind of damage she could do to him, but he soon took a small step backwards.

"You're lucky my mom taught me never to beat up girls," Nick said before motioning for his entourage. "This isn't over, Neutron. You won't always have someone to hide behind, and when that time comes, I'll be there," he said as they sauntered off down the halls, and Jimmy slid to the floor in a mixture of relief and dread.

"Good riddance," he heard Cindy mutter before turning to him. "Oh no, Jimmy! Are you all right? Why are you on the floor?"

"I just felt like it, okay?" he said, his gaze focusing on her sneakers, and he blinked when she offered him a hand.

"Come on, I'll take you through what you missed," she said, the smile back in her voice, and Jimmy hesitantly took her hand. She then hauled him to his feet and began to drag him into the classroom. "It really wasn't all that difficult, and I'm sure it'll be cake for someone as smart as you."

Could this day get any worse? Jimmy thought absently, unaware that the phrase, when put into words, typically did make any given situation much, much worse.

Woo hoo, back to almost my regular length. Sorry for those of you who got used to the longer chapters, but I thought this was a good place to stop. I probably could go on for a while longer, but oh well. So what do you think of the story thus far? Hopefully this is different enough not to be called a rip off of the Valentine episode; can you tell I'm really worried about that?

Anyhoo, what do you think is going to happen? And will Jimmy finally find the solution he's been looking for? Stay tuned!