A/N: Hey to all of you still reading this story sorry for the hiatus! Hopefully this answers some unsolved questions some of you may be having! Warning in this chapter for swears, kissing and normal teenage angst and stupidity.

"What's going on Cindy?"

She let his question hang there in silence between the two of them, until she could practically feel the impatience rolling off of him.

"She's part of dance committee, so we've just been spending more time together." She said finally. In all actuality it wasn't a lie.

"But you said, you don't like anyone from dance committee, not to mention the fact that, you being on dance committee is a total waste of academic—" He started but she cut him off.

"Since when do you care?" She sighed out exasperatedly. He was making this way more difficult than he had too. Per usual.

"I've always cared," he shot back. "It's not my fault if you haven't been paying attention lately!" This time it was his turn to get up and pace the futon in front of them.

"What do you mean?" She asked carefully, watching him warily. It had been a long time since she'd seen him like this—he was almost demented looking. His hair sticking out at all different angles, his bright blue eyes, dancing chaotically. His hands, which were usually so calm, measured and steady, were shaking. In all honesty, it scared her.

Without meaning too, she found herself propelled from her seat on his futon. She stood directly in the path he'd taken up after she'd tried wearing a hole in the floor. Reaching out, she grabbed one of his trembling hands and held it in her two.

"Jimmy." She said quietly, "there's something I—something I'm supposed to do, something I have to tell—" But she couldn't finish her thought.

He'd reached out with his free hand and tucked a stray strand falling from her hastily pulled back hair. Instinctually she closed her eyes, and he took the moment to gently lay his palm across her cheek.

She didn't realize she was crying until she felt him gently wiping the moisture off her face. She opened her mouth to protest but was stunned into silence, by his facial expression. He looked sad and lost, as though he hurt, simply because she did. But there was more there, more in his face that even if she wanted to she couldn't deny.

"On the island"—she started barley a whisper at first but gaining strength as she watched his face relax, and his eyes widen. "Do you remember, how before I knew how dire our situation was—I was really worried about being late for my piano lesson?"

The corners of his mouth turned up as he replied "And the inevitable probability of faded clothing"

"Yes—exactly. My—mother hasn't changed much believe it or not. She's always insisting I join academic and co-ed extra curricular activities. You know…" she trailed off. "Always trying to find me some extra edge."

He nodded, following along. He watched her slowly detach their hands as she spoke. She began wringing them together.

"Cindy—" he spoke slowly. "Where is this going?"

"She kind of pushed me into dance committee, not just because it's another bullet point on a resume, but her boss's daughter is our formal chairman."

"Betty?"

"No, no, not Betty. She's just a part of the committee. An unfortunate snag in the details."

He nodded. And when she said nothing he tried again.

"So why have you been hanging out with her—all of them?"

She looked at him, really not sure how to respond. How could she answer that for him, when she certainly couldn't answer it for herself?

"It's just sort of happened. A lot of things have just sort of happened…" When just before she had no idea how she was going to respond now she couldn't stop running her mouth—"And I—they—well she…"

"Vortex!" He finally snapped. "What in Newton's name is the matter with you?" His friendly demeanor was gone. His blue eyes flashed as he caught himself, from cursing her out, she was sure.

"Please"—he breathed out, in a sigh of utter exhaustion. "Just tell me."

"She likes you. Betty Quinlan likes you."

XXXXXXX

He stared at her for a beat and then two, waiting for her to continue. Did she think he didn't know that?

Did she really think he hadn't noticed the special attention Betty had been paying him, the over done pleasantries in the hallway, the flirtatious smiles she sent across the cafeteria, the way she'd tried to causally lay her hand on his forearm when she brushed by him in the lunch line.

Maybe the small voice in charge of the "Vortex Reasoning" part of his brain whispered, she didn't. And with that, Jimmy felt the realization that he'd been waiting for, the one he'd been pondering just inside his car—come crashing down around him.

Not only did Cindy not know that he was aware that Betty Quinlan liked him—but she thought he might still have feelings for her? So then Cindy—was still utterly and completely in the dark.

And with that Jimmy laughed. He laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes and he had to pull a very alarmed and very quiet Cindy along with him to sit back on the couch. After a few more chuckles he was able to get a hold of himself and take in his stony faced partner.

"Good for Betty Quinlan."

"That's what you have to say?" She asked finally coming out of her stupor to look exasperated with him. "You just laughed like…well kind of like a total psychopath just now—I was hoping you might be happy?"

"Were you really hoping I'd be happy about that?" He asked carefully watching her facial ticks.

"Well like I said—you were laughing."

God was she trying to be obtuse? Or was she simply not seeing it? Or Jimmy thought sadly does she not want to? No, no it was because—it was because of their last kiss, and his inability to follow through, where he inevitably lost her.

He turned to find her uncomfortably staring at him, as though she did fear he'd lost his mind. Don't lose her again. It was a simple thought, but it rocked him to his very core.

"Cindy," he asked slowly. "Were you supposed to try and get me to… date Betty Quinlan?"

Looking down at her Converse she scuffed her toes together.

"Yeah that might have been a thing." She admitted still not looking at him.

"Is it still?" Don't lose her again. His mind echoed.

"No, of course not, you clearly don't like"—but before Cindy could even finish her thought his mouth was on hers.

He kissed her like he feared she truly would disappear any moment, and he reasoned with himself, that could be true. He hadn't exactly stopped to ask her permission on the matter.

She tasted like vanilla, and strawberries and a hint of spearmint gum he'd seen her pop in her mouth in their second to last period. His overly pubescent mind had gone down a dark road—what would it be like to taste that gum in her mouth with his lips on hers? And here was, actually doing it! Well, he was for about another three seconds.

She pulled away, at first with a small smile on her face, her eyes dancing in a way that dare he say it made Jimmy feel absolutely giddy. But then the smile faded and her eyes darkened as she drifted away from him.

XXXXX

"No, of course not, you clearly don't like"—and just like that he was kissing her. Really kissing her.

This went so far past their gentle, chaste past moment, the birthday peck included. Cindy felt the desperation pouring from his mouth to hers, his frantic need for connection, and their connection.

But Cindy could hardly even relish what he tasted like (Coke, and Mentos, she'd seen him pop into his mouth earlier walking to last period.) No, she could barley enjoy the moment when her heart was about to bust from her chest, as her lungs refused to work and her brain began to scream DANGER in flashing neon. So she pulled away, not because every nerve ending in her didn't sing a chorus of Hallelujah, but because she still had to make him somehow understand. She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it.

"I've been waiting to do that for three years." He said, unabashedly, while trying to catch her eye.

Why didn't you? Why didn't you sit next to me years ago? Why didn't you ask me to formal, spring fling, even to hang out with you? She wanted to scream at him.

"Because" she heard Betty's voice echo in her mind like a leaky faucet that never fully shut off. "If he wanted you, he'd have made any effort to get you."

"Vortex?" He called quietly, no doubt trying to bring her out of her sullen fog.

"So why kiss me now?" She found herself asking, the butterflies in her stomach becoming a think flock against her beating rib cage. "If you've wanted too for all this time, then—"she trailed off. "You don't need to kiss me to prove you aren't into Betty Quinlan alright?"

"Whoa—" Jimmy cried out, once again raising his hands in the symbol of surrender. "That's not at all why I kissed you!" He exclaimed looking at her as if she'd told him she'd hit her head and suddenly couldn't remember even the first six digits of Pi.

"I kissed you because I like you, I like you Cindy!"

XXXXX

Shit. Fuck. Shit fuck.

He'd actually said it. Out loud. To her.

Of course he'd known this. Even though he claimed that box buried deep within him that harbored all feeling related to her had been locked up tight, he'd recently learned that nothing ever stays buried. He was about to retract his statement, fake temporary insanity, anything to get her to forgive and forget his transgression when he saw the smile appear again, timid but there.

"You like me?"

"Yes." He answered immediately. "I have… for a long time."

"Do you?" He swallowed; she always made him so nervous, "Do you maybe, have you thought about whether you have feelings for me?" He finally managed to gag out.

"Jimmy." She said, this time so quietly that he had to lean closer to hear her (not that he minded one bit) "This isn't about me."

"Well of course it's about you!" He all but scoffed at her. "How could it be about anyone other than you—" but before he could finish she was interrupting him.

"Betty asked me to try and get the two of YOU together not ME and you!"

"So what?" He yelled back. Both of them standing now, subconsciously leaning into one another's personal space bubble.

"So! Didn't you listen to a word I said before? If I don't do what Betty says, I wont fit in on the committee, and then Betty will get Juliana to kick me off…" She was struggling to catch her breath now, panic filling her face and Jimmy naturally held out his hands to steady her waist.

God this feels right. Gently, he pulled her towards him, not quite hugging her but enough to calm her shaking form. It was then that his treacherous brain began to hatch a plan.

"Cindy?" He asked, watching her beautiful jade eyes swim with tears that refused to fall. "You said you had to get me to go out with Betty right?" She nodded solemnly and he continued.

"Well, what if it was just one date?"

XXXXX

"Just one date" Cindy thought. She was sure that wasn't what Quinlan had in mind. But no one could certainly force Jimmy to date her.

"I guess…then I'd be doing what Julianne asked of me." She replied, watching his brilliant eyes dance.

God she was in love with him. And was he still holding her waist?

"Then I will go on a date with Betty Quinlan." He answered, "On one condition."

"And what's that?" She asked fear creeping into her chest, the jealousy monster brewing and the self-esteem demon cackling.

"I get to take you out first." He said simply.

This wasn't part of the plan…Not only would Betty be super pissed but she was sure her heart couldn't take finally getting a date with Neutron only to have her last bit of hope ripped from her—when he undoubtly chose Quinlan over her anyway.

"That's my condition, my friend take it or leave it." He finally said. Moving away from her to settle himself on the arm of the laboratory couch smirking as he did so.

He has no idea, the emotional toll he's putting me through. To him this is all just some game.

"Fine." She finally spat out, turning on her heel as she did so grabbing her bag and her stupid English class work that had gotten here and alone in the first place.

"Excellent." She could hear his smug tone with her back turned as she began to head towards the lab's far exit. "So I'll pick you up tomorrow then, 6?"

"Tomorrow?!" She squeaked turning from the air chute to see him suddenly standing quite close behind her.

"Absolutely," he all but whispered as he leaned forward and tucked her bangs behind her ear in a way that felt way too intimate than it should.

"We wouldn't want to keep Betty waiting right?" As he quickly pressed the Shute lift and Cindy went flying upwards and out of the truly evil geniuses lair.