A/N: To answer JC4EVAH's question, Jimmy was wearing feety pajamas cuz that's what his mom packed for him. It was a gift from some crazy aunt.
Chapter 3
Ahh, the Amazing Canoe War... Where to start, where to start...
Oh, I know. How about the beginning? So, anyway, it all started out like this. (Imagine a big purple flash before the monitor changes to a scene where Jimmy's standing off to the side of a lake.)
Jimmy patiently checked his canoe for any damage as he waited for his rival to come out to the water. Thankfully, his mother and Cindy's mother had decided that this "challenge" would help their social growth, as well as their friendship. But Jimmy often thought, Pssh, what friendship?
"God, I hope this weather keeps."
The bleak morning had changed to a nice, sunny setting, as if fate itself was determined to get the two together. (Ooh, I like playing Fate.)
And as Jimmy scanned the lake's placid surface, he noted a large buoy near the middle.
"That'll do for a checkpoint."
Jimmy continued looking on, smiling as he noticed a young boy and his father fishing off to the side of the lake.
"Can we get this over with, Mr. Feety-Pajamas?"
It was Cindy, scowling as if she would be anywhere but here.
She was wearing a dark green turtleneck, navy blue jeans, and beige Uggs. The scowl was still plastered all over her face as she carefully climbed down to join Jimmy on the dock.
Jimmy wasn't looking half bad, either, as he stood with a paddle in his hand, the wind blowing his new haircut awry. He was wearing a plaid button up shirt, a white t-shirt underneath, dungarees, and black steel toed boots.
"What's the hurry?" he asked in bafflement.
Cindy snatched the paddle from Jimmy and she struggled to climb down onto the canoe Jimmy had dragged into the lake for her.
"I don't want to be seen hanging with you, okay?"
Jimmy's breath hitched slightly as he hid a flicker of hurt in his eyes. He held his hand out and helped Cindy into the canoe.
"Alright," he muttered. Then he climbed into his own canoe, only a few feet away from Cindy's.
"Okay, here are the rules," started Jimmy. But Cindy, unwilling to let him take over everything, interrupted.
"Wait, how come you get to pick the rules?"
Jimmy sighed in exasperation before gritting his teeth. "Okay, why don't we work out the rules together?"
Cindy smiled smugly and began. "Okay. How about we row out to..."
"The buoy," suggested Jimmy. He smiled slightly to show he was helping and not being a know-it-all jerk. But that didn't go over well.
"Okay, Mr. Feety-Pajamas... We row out to the buoy, circle around it and come back. First one back wins."
Jimmy nodded, trying desperately to help the situation. Cindy accepted this and began rowing.
"Hey!" shouted Jimmy. "You didn't say go!"
Cindy didn't look back as she continued rowing in a ferocious manner. "I said it in my head!"
Jimmy made an odd growling noise before rowing out after her. The scene was actually quite funny, a girl and a guy who werestunningly attractive competing against each other to reach a buoy in the middle of the lake.
But that's when disaster struck.
Cindy, in her hurry to reach the buoy, had looked back to see where Jimmy was, smirking as she noticed he was far behind. But as she was paddling, she struck the side of the canoe, and it began rocking crazily from where it was floating. But a well aimed hit from Jimmy's paddle sent it flipping upside down, Cindy landing in the murky depths below.
She flapped uselessly about, still clutching onto her paddle, using it as more of a weapon than a floatation device.
"Neutron, I'll get you for this!" she screeched, and she spit out mouthfuls of dirty lake water.
Jimmy was roaring with laughter, also clutching his paddle, but for a different reason than Cindy.
But she was not going to let him have the last laugh. So she grabbed the side of Jimmy's canoe, grinning wildly as she flipped it over.
Jimmy let out a yell as he landed in the chilling water, a few inches away from Cindy.
"What was that for?" he demanded angrily, throwing his useless paddle to the side. Jimmy treaded the water as best as he could in his steel toed boots.
"Hey, I said I wasn't going to let you have the last laugh, didn't I?" she replied smugly. Cindy was breathing hard, the exertion of staying afloat and flipping Jimmy's canoe over had worked a number on her.
"Why are you such a bitch, Vortex?" Jimmy ducked underwater and then flipped his head back, making his hair slick back smoothly.
Cindy scowled still, sticking her tongue out before replying. "Why are you such an asshole, Nerdtron?"
"Good tactic; answering my question with another question... You've gotten better at comebacks, Vortex."
"Well, you're such a-- Wait, what? Was that a compliment?"
Jimmy looked away for a moment before saying anything. "It might've been."
"W-Wow... A compliment from Neutron. Who would've thought?"
There was an awkward silence as they tread the water that threatened to bring them down. Then Jimmy broke the silence.
"We should try swimming back soon before we catch something."
He started back in the direction of the dock, making tiny ripples as he went forward.
"Hey, wait! Don't leave me behind!"
They hastily began swimming off to the docks, the boy and father, who were fishing, a little ways away staring at this odd sight.
"I hate you, Neutron, you ruined my Uggs!"
Jimmy snorted, but received a mouthful of water in the return. "Uggs? They belong ruined. Sounds like some caveman swallowed something down the wrong tube!"
Cindy glared at him and climbed onto the warm wood, gasping at the sky.
"I really, really, really hate you, Neutron, you know that?"
Jimmy glared back and pulled his boots off, throwing them off to the side after pouring the water out.
"Hey, I could have been dry if you didn't flip me over!" he growled before getting up. Jimmy swung his boots by the shoelaces over his shoulder before walking off in the direction of their campsites.
"Hey! Don't leave me here!" shouted Cindy angrily as she trailed after Jimmy. She blew a strand of hair off her face and clunked away in her sodden boots.
Jimmy and Cindy sat, covered in blankets and in front of the fire Hugh had built clumsily for them. Cindy glared at Jimmy before she grumbled, "I can't beliebe you did dat. Now look ad me, I'm all thick. God, I hade you."
"Shud up, Vordex. Id's nod like I'm nod sick, you know."
They sat in silence, watching the flames flicker before them. Then Judy came out, accompanied by Sasha, carrying a bowl of something indistinguishable.
"Mom? Whad is dat?"
Judy looked at the bowl with a look of distaste, but struggled to hide her urge to throw up.
"Oh.. Um.. It's.. It's gruel. Your father made it for you two to eat... He said it'll clear your sinuses right up!"
Cindy looked at the bowl of gruel in horror, and nudged Jimmy in the side.
"I am nod eading dat," she hissed inconspicuously.
Jimmy nodded slightly, agreeing with what Cindy had said.
Judy handed the bowl of steaming gruel over to Jimmy, and Sasha handed over two spoons.
"Enjoy, cupcake," smiled Sasha, showing pearly whites directly at Jimmy.
He cringed before scooping up a small amount of gruel onto his spoon. It made a slurping noise as he lifted.
"I can'd beliebe your dad made dis gross... Gross... Ding!"
Jimmy strectched his neck out as he watched the two mothers wiggle into their individual tents. Then he threw the whole thing into the bushes not so far away.
"So, whad were we dalking aboud?" he asked.
Cindy sat in surprise, her mouth open. But soon after she recovered, closing her mouth quickly.
"Uh-uh-uh... We were jusd dalking aboud how sdupid you were."
Jimmy opened his mouth as if he was just about to talk, but he closed it quickly, glaring at her with all his might.
"Hey!"
She smirked at him before tightening the blanket around her shoulders.
"Id's gedding lade. I'm going do my dend."
With that, she was up and away, closing fast on the tent a few feet away.
"See you lader, Neudron."
He waved in a daze, most likely since he had a head cold, but a slight chance of something else...
A/N: Wow, that turned out to be a long chapter... Did you like it?