I'm real sorry this chapter couldn't be longer. I promise chapter four will be a whopperjack.

It was 6:30 in the morning. Little did Jimmy know that at this time Cindy was sitting in a bus going miles and miles away from there.

Jimmy sat on his bed staring at the ceiling with his stereo booming loudly. But not loud enough to piss his parents off. He was wearing a long sleeved blue shirt with the usual picture of a neutron on it and blue jeans.

"You could never publish my love, you could never publish my looove," Jimmy sang along with the song. He moved his hands from behind his back and sat up.

Jimmy wished so badly that things would go back to the way they were. He wished that he was still the ten year old genius in Retroville that caused destruction and Cindy was still the girl who reminded him of each and every one of them.

Even though Jimmy did screw up a few times now and then, but not as much as he used to. And even if he did, he never heard the same old, "Neutron, you moron!" or "Way to go Neutron, you've done it again." and if he did hear it, it wasn't coming from Cindy Vortex. It was coming from someone else, and Jimmy didn't like to hear it if it was coming from someone else.

He can't believe that he desired Betty Quinlin over Cindy Vortex. Betty Quinlin was so dry and boring. I mean sure, for the ten year old back then she was beautiful, but now that didn't even matter. Betty Quinlin was beautiful but Cindy Vortex was drop dead gorgeous. Well, as gorgeous as a thirteen year old can get.

But on top of that, Cindy Vortex was a lot more interesting than Betty Quinlin was. Cindy Vortex takes Tai Qi and likes studying, she likes reading True Crime books and eating sushi. Were as Betty Quinlin, she liked... Um.. clothes, was it?

You see the point. Jimmy Neutron easily became bored with Betty Quinlin, but he felt so bad about it. I mean how can you get bored of a person? If he tried to explain that to anyone, they'd just think he thought he was too good for her or something.

And on top of all that, isn't Cindy Vortex the slut of the school? Not surprised. The pretty girls are always the whores.

Jimmy puts his shoes on then looks out the window. Libby Folifax is across the street, sitting on the frontsteps of the Vortex residence, and there is a patrol car in the driveway.

What's going on? Jimmy wondered. Did Cindy finally get caught having sex? Jimmy gasped. Was she pregnant?

Just what we need, another firey-head Vortex running around.

Jimmy turns his stereo off, announces to his parents that he's going to school a tad early and goes outside. As soon as Jimmy stepped onto the welcome mat, he heard a faint crunch. He looks down and sees an envelope addressed to him. The handwriting seems familiar but he can't quite place it.

He picks it up and opens it, and as he is reading it, Libby gets up, walks across the street and stands next to him waiting patiently.

He stares at the second to last sentence. I love you. I love you. I love you.

How can this be?

How could he not have known? After all this time? How could he let her slip right through his fingers?

Then his heart pounded. How could he be so stupid to listen to Nick Dean's lies? How, how, how?

Jimmy looks up to find tears collecting in Libby's eyes.

"You knew?" Jimmy asks.

"Knew what?" Libby sniffles.

"You knew that she liked me and you never told me? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Jimmy demands.

"I didn't tell you because I promised to her I wouldn't." Libby replies. Then she sniffles again. "Jimmy that's not the point. Cindy's gone. Gone."

"Why didn't you guys do anything about those rumors?" Jimmy goes on furiously. "Why did you guys let everyone believe that stuff? Why didn't you guys tell at least me the truth? You guys always went with me on most of my crazy adventures, doesn't that count for something?" Jimmy began to circle Libby without realizing it.

Libby sighs. "Because Cindy doesn't care what people think about her. If you believe the rumors, you do, if you don't, you don't. I thought at least you wouldn't have gotten sucked into it." Libby cocks her head forward. "'Guess I was wrong." Jimmy growls lowly.

"I'm sorry, I'm not perfect." Jimmy snaps.

Libby laughs. "Believe me, Cindy and I know that."

"Well, what should we do?" Jimmy asks. "I can't believe she's liked me all this time. All the taunting, the teasing, everything.."

"Was just an act." Libby finishes. "It's kind of obvious, Jimmy. If someone that young likes someone they usually try to cover it up by being especially mean to the person." Libby shrugs. "Common social knowledge."

Jimmy groans. "How come I didn't know that?"

"Maybe you did," Libby says. "Maybe you just kept telling yourself it wasn't true. I'm not sure about now but it was pretty obvious you liked her back then too. 'Course she doesn't know that, either." Jimmy sighs. "I tried to tell her I thought you liked her but she kept denying it, as if that was absolutely impossible. So you did like her back then, right?"

Jimmy pauses and chews his lip. I still like her now.

"Yeah whatever," Jimmy waves her off. "I need to call Carl and Sheen."

"What good will they do?" Libby asks doubtfully putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, the more people that know the better," he nods towards the patrol car. "What's up with that?"

"Cindy's dad called the police." Libby informs him. "He wants them to file a missing persons report or something."

"Hah," Jimmy snorts. "The police don't do diddley squat on missing people. They just take care of the more important things like murders and drug busts. The only way he'd have about a fifty percent chance on finding Cindy is if he hired a private investigator."

"Cindy's dad wouldn't pay a dollar to have his daughter found." Libby remarks nastily.

"That's what I thought," Jimmy agrees nodding his head. Then Libby looks at him, eyes as wide as the moon.

"You can find her," Libby says quickly. "You totally can. You've done crazy things, Jimmy. You've defeated the Yolkians, you've saved us from a herd of psychotic pants, c'mon Jimmy. You've found other people before, I bet you could find Cindy." Jimmy chews his lip again.

"Yeah," he says. Then his eyes narrow. "Just what makes you think I want to find her anyway? I mean, just 'cause you and Cindy say that all those rumors aren't true means that they really aren't."

Libby growls. "Jimmy. Who are you going to believe? People like Nick Dean, Butch, Arnie, Abraham, Courtney Tyler and Britney? Or Cindy Vortex and I?"

"I guess you're right." Jimmy admits. "I still can't believe you let everyone believe that stuff. I wouldn't even show up at school if I was labeled a manwhore."

"Cindy's a strong person." Libby says proudly.

"I suppose so," Jimmy chews his lip again, and it starts to bleed.

Sorry. I'd have more but blah.