Thanks to everyone who left a review! I barely expect reviews when I publish stuff on here anymore, but was pleasantly surprised. Maybe this is a two-shot after all? I've had most of this written for a long time, and finally decided to just sit down and finish it, even if it doesn't end in a particularly creative way.
On Friday morning, Cindy awoke with a start to the sound of the alarm she'd set on her phone. It had only been one week of senior year and she was already wishing she could sleep in.
As she jumped out of bed and approached her dresser to pick her outfit for the day, she examined herself in the mirror. She had clear skin and her straight blonde hair was nice enough, but she couldn't help but wish she looked...more like a standout. Guys noticed her, and it wasn't like she'd never gone on dates before. But lately, she'd just felt kind of plain. Sure, she was smart, and she could karate chop an opponent into another dimension, and played piano beautifully. But she wished she were like Betty Quinlan. When she walked by, every eye in the room was on her perfectly curled tresses and the glow that seemed to emanate off her skin effortlessly.
Suddenly, it struck her. Damn it, Cindy, you know why you feel this way, don't you?
She tried very hard to shove down the voice in her head hinting that maybe she wanted to get the attention of Retroville's resident rocket boy for reasons that weren't bickering about lab report formatting or sniping about grades, while she reached for a pair of jeans in one of the dresser drawers. However, she felt compelled to make more of an effort today, (not because of that stupid Quinlan!) and so ended up settling on a dark pink dress that she rarely ever wore. She switched out her usual converse for a pair of patent ballet flats and a tote bag instead of her usual bulky backpack. She even set out a little makeup to put on after her shower.
Neither of Cindy's parents were home that morning, which was just fine by her. She'd just walk to the high school, or better yet, she'd 'bump' into her neighbor and see if her improved look had any impact, though she suspected it was more likely that he'd throw a dig her way about the fact she was wasting her time taking AP French when she could have opted for AP Physics.
She made her way out the door and across the street and knocked on the door to Neutron's clubhouse. To her surprise, he opened it, instead of pressing some button that would suck her down that dreaded tube and into his lab. It had become customary, she noted, that she had a sharp intake of breath every time she saw him these days. His hair was coiffed so perfectly, his blue eyes looked like little pieces of sky had been preserved in glass, and...the pièce de resistance was his rolled sleeves. She couldn't help but think, Oh crap, you've got it *so* bad for Spewtron.
"Hello Cindy. I was just on my way to school." He motioned towards the hover-car and started walking over as if her approaching his house was just a natural, every day occurrence.
"Any chance I can come with you?" She spit it out before she lost her nerve.
This made him turn on his heel to face her again. "I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me this early?"
"Yeah, well, turns out your presence isn't all that bad. I'll grin and bear it." She considered adding that no one was home to drive her, but she decided not to open that particular can of worms now. It wasn't his sympathy she was striving for.
He gestured towards the passenger seat. "Go ahead. Jump in. Just don't touch any of the controls. I still don't trust you to fly anything."
"That was years ago, idiot. I'm totally capable-"
"Follow my rules or feel free to walk."
She mentally kicked herself. This was not her plan. She had resolved to be nice for once, make herself sweet and charming and attractive like Quinlan. Instead, she was giving pitbull energy at 8:30am.
"Sorry." She muttered, climbing in.
"That's better, Vortex."
She watched him as he punched in their destination. He had to lean over her lap to press the autopilot button and she felt her face burning. She hoped to God he wasn't looking at her.
"You could have just told me to press it." She couldn't help herself. She wasn't used to being quiet. Around him, especially.
He shrugged his shoulders. "If you want something done right..."
She whacked him with her French textbook. "I have more chance of figuring out how to work this thing than any of our friends, and you know it, Neutron."
"Après vous, madame." He flashed her a tiny smirk as they landed in the parking lot. They'd spent the majority of the ride in an unusual silence. Cindy kept racking her brain for something to say that wasn't an insult or a provocation or something academic and nearly nothing came to mind. When the time came to get out of the hover-car, he offered her a hand to help her up, and she took it. Even this minute interaction made her nervous, and she had to suppress the urge to keep her hand in his grip just a moment longer.
With an awkward nod in each others' direction, they headed off to their respective classes.
Jimmy found AP Physics somewhat tedious. Though he already knew a great deal of the material they covered and suspected he could ace the exam if it were given to him right this minute, he usually at least took some comfort in the familiarity of the equations and figures he had studied for years. Instead, he spent the first hour of the school day wondering what had prompted the sudden change in Cindy. Not only was she wearing pink (and not her usual simple jeans-and-shirt combo), but he could also detect a tiny bit of perfume. And she'd knocked on his door for the first time in years to ask for a ride.
Of course he'd given her one because he'd known for quite some time now that Cindy's parents were probably not around. Besides, if all the gossip was true about her mother being somewhat of an alcoholic was true, she was probably safer with him anyways.
You were just helping out a friend. That's all, Neutron. He was able to set himself at ease with this justification. It's not like he had been surprised in a good way when she showed up or thought she should wear dresses more often or just about lost his mind leaning over her to turn on autopilot ...what did he care what fabrics Vortex decided to drape herself in or that she smelled really nice? He had more important things to think about. Like string theory or how to refute those crazy scientists who bought into intelligent design arguments. Or how much he wished she were sitting beside him in this class right now, so they could pass notes about the morons who couldn't even understand Maxwell's Equations.
Their first class together of the day was their third period Statistics class, where yet again, they were due to be paired up to work on problems together. He got to class early and slid into his seat in the front row. She strolled into class with two boys flanking either side of her, clearly hanging on her every word. He felt strange seeing her that close to members of the opposite sex that weren't him. I'm not jealous. Vortex is free to hang out with half-wits if she so pleases.
When she slipped into her seat next to him, he couldn't help the jab that came out immediately. "I bet your conversation with those two was absolutely intellectually riveting."
Was he mistaken or did she look like he'd kicked her? It didn't matter because she recovered fairly quickly and rolled her eyes. "It was certainly a better experience than talking to you."
"Careful, or you won't have a ride home, Vortex." He retorted.
Her cold green eyes bore into his with a fierce intensity. "What makes you assume I want a repeat of today morning?"
And with that, she got straight to work on the problems for the day on her own.
Nothing was working the way she'd hoped. She'd failed miserably at trying to be Quinlan and succeeded enormously at being Cindy Vortex: irate, shrewd, and ungrateful. He probably hadn't even noticed her dress even though others had. All they seemed to be good at was squabbling with each other.
At lunch time, she watched as a couple girls (clearly still stunned by his summer makeover) came up to their table to try and make small talk with him while she pretended to care about what Libby was saying regarding sales at the local prom store. At some point, she didn't want to be there anymore and abruptly got up and left, leaving Libby hanging and Neutron staring after her with a weird expression.
During their free period, he cornered her in the library.
"So what's your deal, Vortex?"
She didn't even look up at him, and instead ran a hand along a couple titles on the shelf beside her. She was not going to let him get to her.
He cleared his throat to get her attention. "I'm talking to you."
She glared at him. "And if I wanted to dignify you with an answer, I would have by now, so leave me alone." Ahh, it felt so good to not try to be Betty anymore. She much preferred being Cindy for better or for worse.
"First, you ask for a ride. Then you show up in..." he gestured awkwardly at her, "this...and then you continue to argue with me for no reason all day. So I'll ask again. What is going on?"
Cindy let out a cold laugh. "Really, Neutron, 'this'?" She pointed at her dress, and maybe she was imagining it but she could sense the tiniest hint of red coloring his cheeks. "When it comes to Quinlan, you could write a whole dissertation on her beauty, and yet, I've rendered a supposed genius speechless with my choice of clothing."
"Well, yeah..." He flailed wildly for the words. "I'm not used to you showing up at my door or...wearing that." She wasn't imagining it. He did look flustered. Good.
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a girl." She stated dryly. "And sometimes, girls like to wear dresses. Come now, can't be that hard to understand for someone who knows quantum mechanics."
"Yeah, sure you're a girl. But to me you're sort of just...Cindy. I'm not used to it from you."
He immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing as her face fell and she turned her back to him and stormed past.
He called after her loudly. The librarian shot him a murderous look.
Just Cindy. She couldn't believe it. How stupid she had been to believe that he would ever think of her as anything that mattered!
The worst part is that it didn't even compute to him that she was a girl, and therefore, she wasn't even on his radar beyond their academic rivalry and weird childhood memories.
She fetched her things from her locker, shoved them in her bag, and reluctantly made her way towards the gym for her final class of the day.
Cindy had severely misunderstood. He hadn't meant what he'd said in a hurtful way. All he'd meant was that she just wasn't like the other girls he knew. She was different. In a class apart in his mind. He didn't think of her as just any girl. Admittedly, it hadn't come out the way he would have hoped.
He couldn't even pretend nothing had happened and hope they would fall back into their usual insults in a couple days when she had cooled down and found someone else to be annoyed at. They had gym class together.
Cindy seemed determined to end his existence in this cursed gym class. Right before they started running drills, she 'accidentally' stepped on his untied shoelaces, sending him tumbling to the floor. Then, during the relay race, she deliberately skipped handing off the baton to him, and completed the race for their team instead. He was sweaty and tired and frankly pissed off with her.
Why was she being so hostile? He hadn't said anything all that awful.
He must have had a death wish, because he went up to her before she went to change in the girl's locker room after the bell rung. "What the actual hell, Cindy?"
She looked like she was going to shove him into an alternate dimension.
"I'm not just any damn girl Neutron. I will put you in your damn place even if the rest of the girls in this idiotic school are suddenly trying to ingratiate themselves to you."
He let out a sigh. "Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that."
"Yeah, well. I received your message loud and clear. Now, go greet your fans." She pointed at the gaggle of girls at the edge of the field who were obviously whispering and laughing among themselves about him.
"You sound, dare I say...jealous." He was playing with fire now, but he couldn't stop the words from coming out.
Cindy snorted. "As if. Those girls have no clue what they're in for with you and your big head."
"Cindy, I don't care about vapid cheerleaders. I never have and I never will."
"You say that now but when Quinlan is first in line to get 'homework help,' I'm sure you'll be eating your words."
"That's the second time today alone you have brought up Betty." His eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me if I don't enjoy seeing that bimbo drape herself over you every chance she gets."
"If you hate me so much why do you care?"
Cindy's lip quivered for a moment. She seemed to be contemplating what her next words should be very carefully.
"I've never hated you." Her voice went quiet. He found it disconcerting.
"The data suggests otherwise. Your actions in gym class today and oh, I don't know...for as long as we've known each other...prove that." He pointed out.
"Well the data can go screw itself. I wore a dress to impress you, you thick headed idiot." Cindy somehow looked both angry and vulnerable at the same time.
Jimmy felt like the Earth might swallow him whole. "What?"
"And we're back to the signature eloquence."
He stepped towards her. "Since when do you want to...impress me?"
Cindy let out a sort of nervous half laugh. "You don't want to know."
"Try me."
"Since we were kids." She admitted, looking mortified.
"Cindy." He gently moved a tendril of hair away from her face. The rest of the world went hazy: the students raucously walking home, the wind, the color of the sky, the piece of gum in his pocket.
She looked scared to say anything or to even meet his gaze.
"I didn't have the words earlier today but you look...stunning. What I meant is that you're just Cindy to me because you always look nice. But even more importantly, you have a sharp mind and I like talking to you."
Cindy swallowed a lump that had suddenly lodged itself at the edge of her throat. "Do you really mean that?" She looked up at him with her big, green eyes, and he nodded with the most earnest expression she had ever seen him wear.
"Of course."
His face grew hot and he ran it back just a little. "I mean, it would be nice if you eased up on me sometimes."
She shrugged as if to concede the point. "Sure, I've definitely been...prickly. Insulting. Must be confusing for you."
"It is. And it isn't. But I don't need a Betty Quinlan, Cindy. I like you. The way you are. And this...thing we have."
He took her hand shyly. There had definitely been a paradigm shift.