Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.
Chapter 11: October Weddings
Cindy woke up the next morning to find her head buried in Jimmy's shoulder, and her arms wrapped around him in an embrace. Immediately her eyes widened. What the heck was she doing? Had she lost all complete dignity and reserve? Within a few moments she could almost feel her blood boiling. She remembered drifting off, but not like that. She instantly shoved him away, only to realize that his arm was around her shoulders!
"Wh—what?" Jimmy asked in bewilderment, looking around frantically. He blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the light streaming in through the window. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" Cindy repeated angrily. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong!" She sprang to her feet and smoothed out her shirt, and then crossed her arms and glared at him. "I demand to know exactly what was going on, Neutron!"
"Well, wh—you fell asleep!" he exclaimed, now fully alert.
Cindy rolled her eyes. "Duh, as if I couldn't figure that one out, genius."
"But I have a justification!" he protested.
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"Your head was tilted to the side, so I went to move it. I mean, otherwise you would've woken up this morning with a serious neck cramp," he explained nervously. "But when I lifted it up, you turned and latched onto me. I didn't have anywhere else to put my arm, so I rested in on your shoulders."
"And why didn't you wake me up?" Cindy demanded, still skeptical of his intentions.
"Because I knew you'd yell at me!" Jimmy burst out in exasperation.
"Well, I'm doing that now, so it doesn't make much difference!" Cindy retorted.
"Pukin' Pluto, don't get so upset!" Now he was frustrated. Why was she so insistent on making a such a big deal out of this? Maybe this was what he got for being nice to her last night.
"Well, gee, I wake up to find myself hugging you; don't you think that would seem like a big deal?" she huffed, calming down just a little bit.
"Well, I can definitely understand what you mean," he said awkwardly.
"So...do you wanna go see if James is up?" Cindy changed the subject, shifting her wait from one foot to the other. "Maybe he'll let us use his closet again." It was almost ten a.m., and she was still in her outfit from yesterday. Apparently James hadn't installed a "mall" in every single room of the house.
They found him in the living room, getting ready to leave for a class that he taught at the university. "James, I'm so sorry!" Cindy rushed to him and hugged the tall genius wearing a lab coat.
Jimmy rolled his eyes, a little irked by Cindy's burst of affection. She got mad when she hugged him, yet she wasn't the least bit ashamed to glom onto his older self? Something was wrong there.
Cindy was expecting James to smile down at her like usual, but instead he seemed distracted. "Thanks, Cindy," he mumbled. Looking over at Jimmy, he said, "I was thinking...it might be a good time for you two to leave."
"What?" Cindy asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. She let go of him and looked up into his face. "Why?"
"I don't want you to be here when I tell Cynthia that I..." His voice faltered, and he stopped abruptly.
"Tell her what?" Jimmy asked, not able to hide the fearful tone in his voice.
"Tell her that...I...I'm just going to have to let her go, I guess..." James replied. His eyes seemed faraway, and his face was emotionless.
"You can't do that!" Jimmy cried out. Both his and Cindy's eyes were widened in horror. "Do you know what you're doing? I spent all night last night trying to comfort her! She fell asleep on my shoulder, for crying out loud!"
James' interest was perked. "What did you say?" he asked incredulously.
"Oh, you just had to go there, didn't you?" Cindy snapped at Jimmy, crossing her arms. "Why don't we go tell the whole world about it?"
"Gee, I didn't know it was a secret!" he retorted, blushing all the while. He looked down and kicked his foot into the carpet. "Besides, it's not like I told him about anything else..."
"There's more?" James almost laughed. "Well, go on," he urged.
"Fine, since Jimmy can't keep his mouth shut, I might as well tell you," Cindy decided grudgingly. Before she could continue, however, James' cellular phone rang and he held up a hand as he pulled it out of his pocket.
"Hello?" he said into the receiver. There was a pause as whoever was on the other line answered him. "No, Sheen, I haven't forgotten."
Sheen! Being caught up in the situation with Cindy, Jimmy had totally forgotten about his two best friends.
"Yes, I know," James sighed. Another pause. "Of course I'm in a bad mood! My wife is divorcing me! What kind of mood do you think I'd be in?...Yes! She came over yesterday and put on this whole act, and then shoved the papers in my face!...Look, I'm just saying be careful. She is Cynthia's best friend, after all...Well, who gets married in October anyway?...No, I don't mean that. I'll still do it...OK, I've got to go now...Yeah, talk to you later...Bye."
As soon as he hung up, Jimmy blurted out, "Well?"
"Well what?" James asked.
"Aren't you going to tell us what's going on?" Jimmy continued.
"Yeah, what's this talk about getting married in October?" Cindy wanted to know.
James sighed. "Sheen's wedding is next week, and I'm the best man," he explained. "He just called to remind me about it, which he'll probably do every day until it's actually time. I just don't get why they picked October."
"Oh my gosh! Is he marrying Libby?" Cindy squealed.
James nodded.
"Well, why the heck didn't she tell us?" Cindy demanded.
"I don't know; why don't you ask her?" James snapped back. Cindy's eyes widened at his tone of voice. Usually James was so sweet. "It's kind of hard to be excited about someone getting married when you're going through a divorce!"
A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone. It's hard enough having homework to take care of, and harder with trying to keep this hidden from my mom. I'm debating on whether or not I should move in with my dad after I earn my associate's degree...if any of you pray, please pray that God gives me wisdom with that! On the positive side, I just got back a paper I wrote from my English teacher yesterday. He's a really hard grader, but I got a perfect score - not one point off. Definitely something to feel good about! I'm also debating on getting an English minor now, but my mom isn't very supportive of that idea. Also - I've reached 100 reviews! How exciting! I owe it all to you. Don't stop now that we've come this far!
greenleaf62: Yes, that chapter was adorable! I hoped that I wasn't rushing things any. I'm glad that you liked it! I tried to write this one ASAP, but I've been all tied down with school. Blech.
acosta jose perez ramiro: I'm glad that Jimmy's getting involved, too. It always seems that Cindy's the one pushing for their relationship to go further in the show, at least to me. Going back to their own time might help, but in light of the prequel that I'm writing to this, it might not. They'll probably both forget the whole situation by the time it comes to pass, and by then they'll have to go through this all over again. Gosh, time travel is confusing...
Lady Lola Laflaunda: It is sweet! Let's just hope that it results in a positive outcome. It doesn't seem like James is going to be able to hold on much longer...poor James...
Samanthe2121: Thanks! To answer your question: it would be more beneficial for them to go back in time two or three months, rather than two years. However, they're too oblivious to realize that option, and it would end the story way too quickly...I have a lot more ideas in mind.
Sarah: Thank you, I will! At least, I'll try to!
FredandGeorgetwinsoftheC.O.C.A.: OK, calm down! The title is a spoof off of Avril Lavigne's song, which is in fact very sad. However, don't jump to conclusions. You'll have to wait and see the end of the story before you can decide whether or not it's happy. I like keeping my readers in suspense, if possible, and the fact that you don't know what the ending will be is a good thing. Just relax, hold on, and again - don't jump to conclusions.
Sonomi-chan: I'm sorry; I know this update isn't very soon at all. And it looks like we might be on the same page with what I'm about to do; just don't tell anyone, OK? The rest of the readers don't know yet... Of course, it might not happen - it's just highly likely. And, yes, it will break their hearts...if they can't get through to her in time.
WAYAMY27NARF: Are you kidding me? That is too weird. I don't watch or read Harry Potter, so I would have absolutely no idea of the author's schedule or anything to do with that at all. Really freaky... Now, I know that everything would be a lot easier if they just went back in time a couple of months, but I don't like it when stories are predictible. And neither does my English teacher, for that matter (ha ha). I do have somewhat of a plan developed on how they'll work it all out, but for now, you'll just have to wait and see how it plays out. You don't mind, do you? Also, to answer your first question: well, I'd have to say 20-year-old Jimmy, but that's only because I'm an obsessive Jimmy fangirl. ;) And, no, I don't listen to either of those artists. I don't really listen to Avril Lavigne either; I just know a couple of her songs, and My Happy Ending seemed to strike me as the perfect parallel to my fanfiction idea.
rohe2geth4evr: That is a good question, and it shows that you're thinking. Nice job. However, I'm writing a prequel to this, and Cynthia's mind wouldn't necessarily change simply because Cindy's been convinced. You see, a lot can happen in the course of nine years, and it's very easy to forget things that you learned when you were eleven. So, yeah, the solution isn't quite as simple as that, but I have things all planned out.
Hermione Granger63: I know; no one wants them to give up, especially not me! But I have to admit...Cynthia's got major problems. Sorry the update wasn't sooner - I explained why in the author's note.
Sheenfreek: Yes, it is very sad that marriages sometimes turn out this way in real life - and usually it does end in divorce. I myself come from a broken home, so I can totally relate. This was as quick of an update as I could manage - sorry! I hope that you're still enjoying the story, despite the long waits.
Andre.ar: Long chapters rock. I don't think this one was too long, though, so I'm sorry. I was trying as hard as possible to get something up for you to read. Thanks for the review!
Aaliyah93: Nope, I haven't given up, although sometimes I want to. I just can't abandon this story! Yeah, James does get in the way a lot, ha ha. It's nice to see some Jimmy/Cindy once in a while, too. I love those fluffy J/C moments:D And I'm VERY pleased to see that I've reached 100. Yay, me! Well, yay reviewers, actually. ;)
fergalicious1210: Aw, did you come read this because of my post on IDOJ? That's awesome. I'm really glad you like it so far. Here's some more, although I know it will be hard to wait until Chapter 12 now...LOL.
MidnightSuburbia: Man, that really did make me laugh out loud! That was so hilarious. Thanks for lifting my spirits, girl! LOL. Hopefully the beginning of this chapter answered your questions...too funny.
jimlover54: I know this wasn't soon, but it was an update! Hope you liked it!
Vampire of Romance: Thank you, I'll try to.
vany: Thanks! I will!
drake hernandez: OK, just for the record, threatening me is a sure way to get me to do the opposite of what you want. Let's keep the language to a minimum, shall we?
general shadow wolfsbane: Thanks! I try my best. :)