w00t! The next installment! giggles I love it when people call chapters chappies and installments. It just cracks me up. Anywho, I got around FFNet's bitchiness, and since I'm all backed up, I've got a fairly long chapter in store!
I'd Rather be Anywhere but Here
By me, Cassi Mo.
Chapter 6: Star Wars and Surprises
The next day passed quickly, with Jimmy and Cindy spending much time together every time they had a chance. Cindy learned of Sheen and Libby's relationship (somehow Libby managed to forget to mention that in all of her emails), and Jimmy learned so much about Lexa he wished Cindy had made more friends in her town. Generally the day went very well, without one argument.
What Jimmy didn't know, however, was the reason for Cindy's agreeability. All day long she agreed with everything he said only because she was too distracted to disagree. She was busy planning her next prank, better thought-out, and now that she knew how sound of a sleeper Jimmy was, she knew her practical jokes could be more intricate and creative.
Finally, the hour after lights-out passed, and Cindy deemed it safe to go out, and make the trek to Jimmy's cabin. What she didn't know was that she was in for a huge surprise.
Twenty or so feet away from her destination, Cindy sensed something was wrong. Five feet closer and she realized her hypothesis had been right.
At one-thirty in the morning, one's cabin should be dark, not lighted, and if it's lighted, the light should be a white light clearly emanating from one source. What came out of Jimmy's cabin was a greenish glow that filled the room and oozed out the open windows with no source visible.
Cindy warily walked up to the door of the cabin, expecting intruders other than her. With Jimmy around, it was a safe bet to expect everything. But nothing prepared Cindy for what she was about to see.
There were no intruders, save her; the glow was coming from Jimmy! He was sitting upright in bed, glowing in the dark. Cindy had to grab the side of the doorway to keep from falling over.
"Jimmy?" Cindy whispered. "Why are you up at this hour?"
Jimmy smiled, clearly visible in the green glow. "Oh, sure just leave the elephant in the room unasked for. Well, I'm up because I'm a genius, and everyone knows geniuses only get caught off-guard once. That's what makes us geniuses. Of course, you wouldn't know about that, because you let your guard down in the middle of a prank war. Anyways, I was expecting you. Come on in, Goddard will get the door behind you. Goddard, the door, please."
Goddard appeared behind her with an apologetic look that to Cindy looked more like longing for more silverware, and shut the door as she stepped inside. "What's going on?" Cindy asked. "How are you glowing?"
Jimmy smiled and patted the foot of his bed. Once Cindy seemed comfortable, he began. "Did you ever read anything in the newspaper or a magazine about how scientists figured out that it was possible to separate and isolate the gene in fireflies that allows them to glow?" Cindy nodded. (a/n: This is true; I read it in a magazine.) "Well, they made a few mistakes, but legal ones, to keep people from getting the wrong idea. The 'scientists' was actually a singular scientist, me. I tried it out first on my mom's rosebush, and the plant glowed in the dark. So I tried it out on myself. I was… twelve? Anyways, it worked, and like a firefly, I can control my glow and everything."
Instantly the cabin became pitch black and when Cindy gasped, Jimmy re-lit himself and chuckled.
"Well, my flabber's just been completely gasted," Cindy commented. "Why did you do this? I don't see the gain."
"I'm afraid of the dark," Jimmy said simply. "I have been since I was ten. About the same time I lost the ability to whistle. Come to think of it, I started to rapturously enjoy mustard at about that time too," he said thoughtfully. He noticed Cindy looking at him strangely. "What's that look for?"
Cindy was eyeing him curiously. "Well, when I was ten, I woke up one morning knowing how to whistle, and mustard… lost its appeal…" Cindy's voice trailed off, and her eyes went wide, mirroring Jimmy's exactly.
"The brain swap!" they cried simultaneously.
"Great going, Nerdtron," Cindy said sarcastically. "I thought we were supposed to pick the most trustworthy people we know to fix our minds. Leave it to you to pick the Ultra-Dorks to fix my mind. That's the last time I'll ever trust them with anything of mine."
"Hey!" Jimmy shot back. "Libby was also involved, was she not?"
Cindy didn't reply, she just got up and strode over to an open window, her back to Jimmy.
He sighed. "I don't think it will alter our lives in any way. Well, any harmful way, anyways. Think of it this way: wherever we go now, we'll always have a part of the other with us."
Cindy turned back to Jimmy and smiled. "You know, that would actually be comforting if it wasn't so true." She shivered. "God, do you have to keep your windows open all night? It's freezing in here."
Jimmy pulled the top blanket off of his bed and held it out to her. Cindy could see at least two more blankets underneath, so she took the proffered covering and resumed her place at the end of Jimmy's bed. "I feel like a dog, sitting at the foot of your bed."
"I could say something mean here, but I will wisely keep my mouth shut," Jimmy replied with a smirk. "I could move over if you want. Would that make you feel more equal to me?"
In reply, Cindy stood up and waited for him to move. He scooted to one side of the twin-size bed and pulled back the covers, revealing to Cindy him dressed only in boxers. No wonder he has so many blankets, Cindy thought.
"What's with guys and blue plaid boxers?" Cindy asked after she was settled in. "Like, every guy I know has at least five pairs of them."
Jimmy turned and looked at her. "What's with girls and looking at them?" (That was an actual conversation between me and a friend. It was very amusing.)
"Touché," Cindy replied. All of a sudden, her ankle started to itch, the one closest to the edge of the bed. As she leaned to the side, trying to scratch the itch without disturbing Jimmy, she leaned too far over and fell off the side of the bed with a startled cry.
Jimmy leaned over the edge of the bed, laughing visibly. Cindy pouted. "You should ask them for a queen-size bed."
"Only if you were going to make this a habit. Come on, let's try this again."
As Cindy settled under the covers again, she felt Jimmy's arm slide around her shoulders. "Just so you don't fall again," he said when she looked at him. She laid her arm across his chest. "Just so you don't get any ideas," she replied with a giggle. "I'm not really tired. Do you have any movies?"
"Do I!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Goddard, come here and give me your movie remote, and go into movie mode. I decided it gets boring when you're grounded and your mother won't let you have a TV in your room. So I got prepared. I downloaded over 200 movies into Goddard and outfitted him with a 'big-screen' hologram projector. This makes the movies being viewed more life-like and fun to watch."
Cindy had been browsing through Goddard's movie library, and stopped at one. "Here, I want to watch this one."
Jimmy looked at the holographic "screen" and saw that she had picked out The Empire Strikes Back. He looked at her skeptically. "You're a Star Wars fan?"
"Well, I'm more of a George Lucas fan," She replied. "Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and THX 1138 are on my top movies list."
Jimmy shrugged and started the movie. It went on in silence, until they got to the scene where the Millennium Falcon had to stop in an asteroid for repairs.Jimmy watched the scene unfold, absolutely immersed in the dialogue between the Princess Leia and the space rogue Han Solo. Jimmy loved Star Wars; science fiction was what he lived for. When the two characters' kissing was interrupted by C-3PO, Jimmy chuckled.
"Do you remember all the times you and I almost kissed but got interrupted?" He asked Cindy, but got no reply.
He looked down, and saw that she was sound asleep, using his bare chest as an armrest and pillow. He smiled tenderly and told Goddard to shut off the movie and go into sleep mode before kissing Cindy's forehead and trying to fall asleep.
When the cabin was quieter, he heard a small snoring from the sleeping form on him, but it wasn't an obnoxious snore, just an I'm-not-perfect snore. It was almost cute, Jimmy thought. He fell into slumber soon after Cindy, having been lulled to sleep by her soft snoring.
The next morning, Cindy awoke to find herself in Jimmy's bed, fully clothed and partially sprawled out on his bare chest. His arm was still curled protectively around her shoulders. She tried to shift herself to get more comfortable without waking Jimmy, but she failed.
Jimmy woke up at the first sign of her movement, if slowly at first. As she looked up at him he opened one eye and kissed her forehead, whispering, "Good morning, Sunshine."
Cindy giggled softly and snuggled closer to him, sighing. Two seconds later she pulled away, and sat up, alarmed. "What is it?" Jimmy yawned.
"What time is it? I need to get back!" Cindy exclaimed. "I'm going to be so dead for spending the night here."
"Chillax, Cind, its only 6:32. The breakfast bell, my alarm,doesn't even ring until seven, and after you eat, you'll still have almost forty-five minutes to get ready. And don't worry about getting in trouble. I wasn't about to let you go back that late at night, no matter how many times you've done it before. Besides, no one cares about the counselors. The dorm advisor won't mind."
"Why won't he mind?"
"Because he spent last night watching The Empire Strikes Back with an amazing girl he has known for many years. If he were to get upset, I could just use that on him, and we're in the clear."
Cindy tried to process this through her foggy mind, and made a realization. "You're the DA!"
"Good one, Captain Obvious." Jimmy smiled sleepily.
Cindy sighed again and fell back on the bed, but she was up again soon enough.
"Uh, Cindy, can you get up for a sec?" Jimmy asked after she had lain back down. She conceded, and he looked at his arm, the one that had been around her shoulders and consequently under her the whole night, now motionless. "Did you gain some weight? I can't feel my arm at all.
Cindy looked concerned for a moment and started to laugh when Jimmy waggled his fingers and said, "Gotcha!"
She laid back down and they fell back asleep until the distant sound of the breakfast bell woke them both. Cindy started to get up, but Jimmy laid a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here."
"But I want to eat," she complained.
"You really want to eat what they serve?" Jimmy asked suspiciously. "I don't even think that stuff's made out of anything edible. Fortunately, I came prepared." He turned and pulled out from his bureau a box of Lucky Charms, two spoons and two bowls, and frowned when Cindy didn't automatically light up with happiness. "Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly. "I thought Lucky Charms was your favorite."
"It's really thoughtful," Cindy reassured him, "and I'm truly grateful. But where is the milk? Not everyone eats their cereal dry."
"That's all you were worried about?" Jimmy grinned. "Don't worry. I came prepared for anything." He bent over and retrieved a carton of milk from a mini-fridge concealed underneath his bed.
After they had eaten their cereal on Jimmy's bed, Cindy stood. "Well, I better go. I still need to shower."
Jimmy looked at her. "Shower? You're going to be in a lake all day. What's the point?"
"Hel-lo, I still need to shave."
"Your face looks fine to me. No wait, I see a little shadow there," Jimmy said, pointing at her cheek. "Yeah, I guess you're right. A shower is in order."
Cindy swatted his hand away. "No, 'tard. My legs."
"Ew," Jimmy replied, screwing his face up. "Go shave. There's nothing worse than a girl with gorilla legs."
"I do not have gorilla legs"
"Just go. Leave me to shave your gorilla legs. I understand."
"Fine," Cindy huffed, walking out, "but don't expect food whenever you show up at my door."
Jimmy chuckled as Cindy left and started to get ready for the day. He had made his bed, put clothes suitable to teach in, and was in his bathroom combing his hair when Goddard started to ring from the main room. "Put it on speaker phone." Who could possibly be calling me now? He wondered.
"Jimmy, I've made an amazing discovery!" Cindy whispered through her cell phone.
"Cind, I think cell phones are allowed here. There's no need to whisper."
"Yeah there is. Just get to my cabin, pronto. And don't go in. I'll meet you outside the front." She hung up, leaving Jimmy with his mind racing. She just saw him ten minutes ago! Why would she need to see him again? Was she in trouble?
Jimmy shrugged off his mental questions as he slipped into some flip-flops and went to go meet Cindy outside her cabin.
Ten minutes later, he found her outside her cabin, just like she said she would be. "I don't get this—" Jimmy started, but Cindy threw her hand over his mouth.
"Shh!" she whispered. "I don't know how to tell you what's in there. I don't even know how they got there, or how soundly they sleep."
"What—" he started again, but Cindy just pushed him toward her cabin. Jimmy silently looked in the doorway, finding nothing unusual, until his eyes landed on the bed. He started, expecting some feral creatures to be occupying her room, but what he saw made him nauseous.
Libby and Sheen were sleeping in Cindy's bed, their clothes in a pile on the floor.
Okay, I know it's kind of... well, really fluffy, and they seem OOC, but I thought it was cute. Much of my stuff is inspired by real life. For example, the blue boxers thing was a real conversation between me and a friend. Aaaand, I have two friends who remind me a lot of J/C in the fact that they like each other A LOT, but are in total denial and fight all the time. Needless to say, I feel like Libby much of the time.
Speaking of Libby, I didn't even know that was coming. I love cliffhangers. It's like, the best advantage the author has over the readers. Anyways, I have more coming, so stay tuned!
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