Not real, but an experience that could help develop an interesting character.
Cindy heard a light music source, It wasn't external, it seemed to be coming from headphones nearby, Cindy recognized the music but was surprised because it was the kind of music Libby had gotten tired of hearing months before. "Hey Cin, did you hear that there is a new student?"
"Huh?" Cindy opened her eyes and was sitting next to her friend. "Libby, what are you talking about?, No tell me Jimmy ran away and went back to his lab" She said, looking at her clothes in surprise. "W-why did you wear this?" She was wearing dark blue jeans and a coral pink short-sleeved button-down shirt, she touched her hair to find it was in braids.
"What do you mean?, This is what she usually wears" Libby asked, Cindy finally looked at her and let out a small gasp. Libby was wearing her green clothes and her hairdo that she had given up since their adventure in Egypt.
"what is that?... " Cindy didn't realize she was on the bus until it stopped as they arrived at school.
"Cindy, please don't act like an idiot, I asked you if you heard about the new student?" Libby asked as she headed off the bus and Cindy followed her.
"I don't know, Libby, why are we in elementary school?" When Cindy got off the bus and looked around in astonishment, she felt that something was wrong and very strange.
She and Libby sat on a step before entering the main entrance of the school, and in the blink of an eye she found herself in her seat in Mrs. Fowle's classroom.
Mrs. Fowle announced "Good morning students, first of all, there is a new student to meet" She motioned for him to come in "Jimmy Neutron"
Cindy saw her old class, her clothes, and Mrs. Fowl enough to make her go megalomaniacal, and now Jimmy appears in front of her wearing his usual clothes but in blue shorts and his classic brown shoes. "Huh?, Neutron the new student?!"
Mrs. Fowle felt a little shocked and smiled at Cindy."Oh, you two seem to know each other" She pointed to the boy standing at the front of the class. "Anyway, introduce yourself to the students, Jimmy"
Jimmy was surprised that a blonde girl seemed to know him, he nodded and began to introduce himself. "Hi, my full name is James Isaac Neutron...am...I like things related to space and exploration, and I also have an obedient robot dog with amazing abilities that I created ... (He kept introducing himself)" Cindy's jaw slowly slides down until it reaches its limit, thought, ...Did Neutron use his watch on me and transport me to the past or Can someone tell me what's going on here?...
Jimmy sat in his seat, Cindy was going to approach him to ask him about all this madness, she was interrupted by the entrance of a boy who seemed from his appearance and smile to be wonderful and attractive, most of the girls in the class gasped dreamily, Cindy rolled her eyes and decided to get up and walk over to Jimmy's seat to ask him, accidentally dropped one of her pens. I repeat, accidentally!.
Again, that boy who seemed to be popular interrupted her, pulled the candy from his mouth and gestured dramatically to give her back her pen."I think you dropped something, beautiful"
Cindy felt her heart beat faster when Nick called her beaut-...Excuse me...Because she felt that this was a recurring situation and she suspected that she was already lost in the past.
She put the pen on her desk and before she could ask Jimmy, he spoke first, smiling "Hi, may I ask how you know me?" scratch the back of his neck "I know your house is opposite mine but we've never talked before"
Before she could complain, Sheen stood up from his seat and walked to the front of the classroom, carrying his toy.,... Oh god, every time someone has to interrupt me..., Cindy thought, annoyed. But this time, it was different. Sheen didn't have his Ultra Lord figure with him, and even his green shirt didn't have the Ultra Lord character on it. Instead, it featured another heroic figure.
Mrs. Fowle sighed in annoyance "Sheen, don't have nothing to share with students but your action figures?"
"Hey everyone! Look, I got a Goku figure in blue transformation, finally! after a long wait" Sheen announced, held up his toy to show everyone.
"Wow, Sheen! That's awesome!" one of the students exclaimed.
Cindy's eyebrows shot up in confusion. Since when did Sheen care about an anime character other than Ultra Lord?, the presence of Sheen basically means that there is definitely something wrong, she glanced around the classroom. expecting the usual snickers and eye-rolls from the other students, but instead, they seemed genuinely interested.
"I have all goku transformations except blue one, tell me how to get one!" another added.
Feeling even more confused, Cindy looked around the room. The decorations, the students, even the smell of the classroom—it all seemed familiar but wrong, like a distorted memory, she decided to play along for now and figure out what was happening.
Sheen continued to brag about Goku's personality, his kami-hame-ha moves, etc. and explained why Ultra Lord was considered a ridiculous and weak hero compared to Goku - something Cindy never thought she would hear from Sheen.
Cindy felt a strange feeling in her stomach. This wasn't right. Sheen has always been known for his obsession with Ultra Lord and always considers him the best show. What was going on here? She tried to get Jimmy's attention again, but he was engrossed in a conversation with Carl, who was explaining something about llamas—another oddity since because Carl was always too shy to speak up in class,...What day are we on?, there are so many different and weird things going on. She thought.
"And the best part" Sheen said, his eyes shining with excitement, "is that Goku can go even beyond this form!, I would do anything to get a figure of him in Ultra Insti-" Mrs. Fowle interrupted him "Sheen! We don't have all day long. Please take your seat...It's your turn, Jimmy. What do you have to share with your colleagues?"
Jimmy stood up and walked to the front of the classroom, holding a remote control "Like I said, I'm not just a smart, hard-working student, this is my latest invention. It's a remote control that can shrink and enlarge anything" he explained excitedly.
Cindy felt a sense of déjà vu. This seemed like a recurring situation, but there are some differences as a distorted memory. As soon as Jimmy tried his invention for the first time, it exploded in his face. He looked like a sullen loser as the students started laughing at him.
The scene suddenly shifted, and she found herself next to her locker. Jimmy was also nearby, messing with his tools. He closed his locker angrily, clearly still embarrassed.
Jimmy muttered under his breath "Damn!, that was only the first time and now I'm looking like a laughingstock to them" Jimmy just realized Cindy was there next to him just staring, he smiled at her "Hey...am...sorry I'm just upset,..ah.. would like to get to know you what's your name?"
"A..Cindy, what's wrong with you, Neutron?" Cindy replied, still very confused "Hey, don't let them get to you. They are just laughing idiots. you can invent something better"
Jimmy looked at her, surprised "Thanks, Nice to meet you Cindy"
Cindy smiled, feeling a strange sense of warmth. Jimmy seemed really happy to have her by his side, she realized how nice and unobtrusive he was being to her since it seemed like he had just met her for the first time today, but she was still confused, why did it seem like she was in another reality and time and there were differences, and what happened to Jimmy's clone even?
As they walked down the hallway together, Cindy wanted to make sure more about what was happening and broke the silence "Hey, Neutron" An idea came to her mind and she smiled slyly to ask him "Tell me about the cultural significance of the Oort Cloud in ancient astronomy"
Jimmy looked intrigued, but he didn't hesitate "Interesting question...The Oort Cloud is believed to be a vast shell of icy objects that exists in the outermost reaches of the solar system. Ancient astronomers, though they didn't know about it directly, often referenced celestial phenomena that could be related to objects coming from the Oort Cloud, like comets. Many ancient cultures, such as the Chinese and the Babylonians, recorded comet appearances and believed they were omens or messages from the gods"
Cindy nodded, impressed but not showing it "I thought the Oort Cloud was actually just a hypothetical concept proposed by modern astronomers and had nothing to do with ancient cultures. In fact, I read that it was first theorized by Jan Oort in 1950"
Jimmy's eyes narrowed, and he smirked arrogantly. "Actually, while Jan Oort did theorize the existence of the Oort Cloud, the concept of comets and their origins goes back much further. Ancient astronomers may not have known about the Oort Cloud by name, but their observations laid the groundwork for our modern understanding. It's a common mistake to underestimate the knowledge of ancient civilizations"
Cindy felt a surge of anger at his condescending tone, but she took a deep breath and stammered as if she had revealed her deepest, most embarrassing secrets "thanks...for ...the correction"
Jimmy blinked, surprised by her response. His arrogant demeanor suddenly disappeared "Uh, you're welcome, Cindy"
Cindy couldn't believe how easy it was. Jimmy's arrogance vanished the moment she responded with calm and appreciation. Instead of competing with him, she realized that this was her chance to see what could have happened if she had treated him differently from the beginning.
For the first time she suspected how ridiculous and time-consuming their arguments were, she laughed "Actually, Neutron, I already knew your answer before you corrected my deliberate mistake just to test you, because I'm also smart and hardworking"
"Deliberate mistake?...Come on, are you serious?, couldn't be happier to meet a smart colleague like you" Jimmy's eyes widened and he really looked like he didn't know anything about her "What a coincidence. I've always wanted to make friends who like science as much as I do"
She put her hand to her forehead, looking like she had a headache,...First, Jimmy's arrogant behavior suddenly disappeared. It seems like our first meeting, and here he is saying that I am smart so easily? Where am I and what is really happening?... When she was thinking with her eyes closed she didn't realize that she was suddenly transported.
She heard laughter next to her, she opened her eyes to be surprised that she was suddenly in the Candy Bar, Libby was laughing at the sarcastic jokes that Nick was making about Jimmy who was sitting with his friends Sheen and Carl, Cindy noticed that her clothes had strangely changed to the usual green shirt and brown pants that she actually wore these days.
She heard all of Nick's sarcastic jokes and Jimmy just stared angrily, Cindy just knew this was a recurring situation too,...It's weird, I must be dreaming, right?...,She doubted it.
Nick pointed to Cindy "Hey, Cindy, why don't you join in?"
Cindy was so focused on this farce and immersed in her thoughts. She began to doubt and knew she was dreaming when, It seemed to her that Jimmy was not united with his evil clone, which was strange. and wondered how she couldn't remember anything after that sleepover she had with Libby and Jimmy at her house.
"Cindy, are you okay?" Libby asked, concerned.
Cindy shook her head slightly, trying to piece everything together "I'm fine. Just... thinking about something"
Nick smiled at her "I see. You're thinking of the most ridiculous joke to defeat Neutron, right?"
Jimmy interrupted angrily "Shut up!, Nick. Cindy and I are classmates, she's my friend, why would she think of making fun of me?"
Cindy's one eye twitched involuntarily and she smiled nervously,...Yeah, it doesn't seem real, I must be dreaming...
And yeah, in fact, Jimmy is still stuck with his evil clone and he, Libby, and Cindy are asleep in her house. It is now 5:35 AM.
Nick raised his eyebrow and asked her "Is that true? you...you are this dwarf's classmate?"
She stepped on his foot hard!
"OH!, why did I do that?" Nick groaned, he couldn't move his toes from the pain.
"Sorry, my foot slipped, not me" Contrary to what Cindy said, it was very clear that she did it on purpose.
Nick, trying to change the topic and regain his composure, started a new topic. "Hey, have you guys heard about the legend of the Phantom of Retroville? They say he haunts the streets at night, looking for kids who stay out too late"
Jimmy rolled his eyes "Seriously, Nick? There's no such thing as a Retroville ghost. you're still watching crappy cartoons"
"Yeah, that's bullshit, even I don't believe it" Carl agreed.
Nick smiled at Jimmy "Oh really?, Because I smell your fears, Neutron. Don't think your arrogance will fool me"
Jimmy's face turned red with anger "And I know you're trying to tease me on purpose, I'm... not... scared!"
Nick continued to tease him for a moment, then turned to Cindy "look, doesn't he look like he's pretending not to be afraid?"
She gave him a dirty look, she wasn't the same Cindy she was a year ago.
"Come on, Cindy, he is a chicken" Nick tried again"Admit it, if he dares to do anything to you I'm here"
Cindy's expression became like she had just tasted the sourest lemon in the world "I can defend myself, Nick"
Everyone was silent for a minute and Cindy did not agree at all with Nick's mockery as he expected from her, she just remained silent even Libby was surprised by that
Frustrated, Nick pressed on "What's wrong, Cindy? Cat got your tongue?"
"I...have nothing to do with you!" Cindy finally broke her silence "This is silly and boring" Everyone burst out laughing at Cindy's response. Nick felt embarrassed "Don't you have a more important topic, other than your trivial ghost story?. Is there another fool here who would believe that?" She continued with a sarcastic face.
"I'm disappointed in you Cindy, you are boredom itself" Nick said with a frown before heading towards exit of the Candy Bar.
Jimmy looked at Cindy with a mixture of surprise and gratitude "Thanks, I didn't expect that"
Cindy smiled slightly "No problem, Neutron" She felt strange, and at the same time a comfortable feeling, it was rare to be on Jimmy's side and not his opponent.
After a strange silence, Jimmy broke the silence "Cindy, I'm not sure but... I don't think I've ever known a girl stronger and fiercer than you, and I'm a little impressed"
Cindy's felt very flattered by his words "I believe you are an expert in martial arts, can you tell me more about it, I am lacking in that" Jimmy asked her shyly.
Wait!, was that really Jimmy, who was known for being arrogant and pretending to be an expert in everything, the question Cindy didn't expect, she couldn't even remember when Jimmy needed her expertise, She face turned completely red.
Excitedly and a little shyly, she began to explain the basics of martial arts, her experiences, and why she found them so powerful.
Jimmy listened intently, nodding along "that's really impressive. Thanks for sharing, Cindy"
He gave her a look that made her heart skip a beat, signs that he liked her. Her eyes remained wide, her face felt hot and she couldn't get rid of the blush, thought to herself,...No, I must be dreaming for sure...and it's...it's the most beautiful dream I've ever had. I hope I never wake up...
She was dreaming of course, Jimmy had easily shown his admiration for her without denying it because since he met her they had never competed over anything or been stubborn with each other unlike the reality that she lived through which was full of disgusting arguments.
...as she stood there in the Candy Bar, still soaking in the strange and pleasant feeling, she started to feel a familiar tug, a strange sensation she recognized as the prelude to waking up from a dream. Determined to savor this surreal and sweet moment for a bit longer, she closed her eyes, willing herself to stay.
And then, when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a completely different setting. She was now in a spacious, well-decorated room filled with light. The air was warm and inviting. Looking around, she realized she was in a public and comfortable place, possibly a café or a lounge. She saw familiar faces, some old friends, and acquaintances from school, all dressed in professional attire. They were laughing, chatting, and enjoying themselves.
To her surprise, Jimmy was right next to her, and what surprised her even more was that he looked like a young man, you could tell he was in his early twenties, wearing a white lab coat and glasses that made him look even more mature and handsome. She checked herself to discover that she was also young, and seeing her leaning on his shoulder made her heart beat faster. She felt a wave of happiness wash over her, unlike anything she had ever experienced before,...Oh my God...I don't..I don't know what to say... She thought in a state of shock and extreme shyness.
"Life has gotten better since we first met, You're the best!" Jimmy said, his voice full of warmth and sincerity "Tell me if anything is bothering you." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. Cindy's face turned bright red, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Since we first met?" Cindy repeated, her mind racing. "How does that make sense? Haven't we had a few arguments?"
"What are you talking about, babe?" Jimmy smiled from his eyes and lay down in a peaceful position "The competitions that were between us, and the exchange of our experiences did not mean that we were arguing, on the contrary, we enjoyed each other's company a lot during our academic journey"
As she began to put the pieces together, curiosity struck and she asked "You...do you mean that neither of us has ever upset or belittled the other?"
He raised his eyebrow and replied "Yeah?, I think...I.. don't ever remember us having any arguments"
"Just..." Cindy's eyes widened, She felt a surge of excitement and hope "Just friends, I mean like any happy couple?"
Jimmy laughed softly "Often, why not?, Cindy, please don't worry. I told you my crush on Betty has faded. you are everything for me"
As Jimmy held her close, Cindy felt an overwhelming sense of contentment. But then, just as she was about to fully embrace this dream, something strange happened. She felt a sudden jolt, as if the dream itself was being disrupted.
A loud, insistent beeping noise filled her ears, growing louder and more persistent. She tried to hold on to the dream, but the noise was relentless. She felt herself being pulled away, back towards reality.
"No, not yet" she murmured, clinging to the last remnants of the dream. "Please, not yet!" But it was no use. The noise grew louder and louder until it drowned out everything else
I know XD, dreams cannot be so precise and undistorted, these conversations are being conducted as if they were real, but I wanted to ease Cindy's stress and fear of rejection.
I apologize for that philosophy, this chapter was supposed to be a long, standalone fanfic, I just wanted to make it clear that I expect Jimmy and Cindy's relationship wouldn't be toxic if they acted properly and respectfully from the first time they met.
And so this is a summary and I don't want to make it any longer, end of chapter definitely means Cindy wakes up, after this we will actually advance.