Cindy had replayed it in her mind countless times, each recollection more confusing than the last. One second they were fighting off league of villains, and the next his lips were on her cheek. And one time they were in their own world as Libby immediately exposed them and then later his lips met hers! She had been so close to saying something she could never take back. *I love—* What had she been thinking?

Yet, what haunted her more wasn't the kiss—it was everything that had come after.

At school, Jimmy acted like nothing had changed. He was still that pompous know-it-all, still made her blood boil. He barely even looked at her, let alone addressed what had happened. *Is it possible that he didn't mean anything when he kissed her twice?* The thought gnawed at her, an irritating whisper in the back of her mind. He'd kissed her, not the other way around. So why did he seem to forget, did he use her as a doll to teach him how to give Betty a perfect, real kiss?

Speaking of Betty Quinlan, Cindy hadn't forgotten asking him to get rid of those pictures. She needed him to let go of Betty—completely. But had he?

Cindy found herself seething at the idea. *What if he's still hung up on her?* Was she just a placeholder? A distraction until Betty suddenly took an interest?

She felt a strange pull in her chest. If he had continued flirting with her no matter where they were, even for a week, maybe she would have built up the courage to confess her feelings. She had tried, but he... at school, he still pretended to hate her.

"Uh... girl?" Libby cleared her throat before breaking the silence. "You haven't made it official yet, have you?"

"Official what?" Cindy finally looked down at her untouched food and the lunch period was almost over.

Libby pointed with disgust in the direction of where Jimmy was sitting at a nearby table with his friends Carl and Sheen, who was complaining about the postponement of the release of the new Ultra Lord movie.

Cindy stared at Jimmy who seemed to have failed to calm Sheen down. Her eyes returned to Libby with an annoyed look, she knew Libby was being too fierce and it was too late to deny anything.

"I still see that duck-lipped lady standing near him... almost every school day" Cindy crossed her arms and muttered jealously.

It didn't take Libby long to figure out who Cindy was referring to. And for some odd reason Betty was seeing and talking to Jimmy a lot more than she used to before.

"I see," Libby said boredly, taking a sip of her grape shake. "I'm not sure if she likes him... but either way, hurry up, or are you going to sit here and wait until Betty decides to make it official between them?"

"I don't know what to do, Libby!" Cindy said in a loud voice, which made Sheen turn around for a moment, then return to his grumbling.

"If Carl can differentiate between reality and his dreams, then I think Jimmy really likes you... Still insecure?" Libby said frankly.

"What... do you mean, and what does Carl have to do with this?" Cindy raised her eyebrow and said in confusion.

"He told me" Libby said immediately calmly.

"W-what?" Cindy felt like melting.

"He told me. the kiss" Libby responded faster and calmer.

Cindy still didn't realize it but she swore she heard the word 'kiss'.

She asked stupidly "Are you saying Carl got a kiss or what?—" Suddenly her eyes widened and she felt like her hair might turn white.

*Oh Guys... you'll be back, right?*

How could she have thought they were alone when this happened right in front of the fat, chubby boy who was asking for help to free him from a wooden board?

While her face was still frozen, she screamed internally, *CAAARL!... your damn mouth!*

"Come on... girl" Libby cleared her throat again.

Not Libby. Cindy shook her head, snapping out of her internal meltdown, only to realize she had broken the plastic spoon in her hand. She stared at the shattered piece for a moment, feeling the heat rising in her face. *Great... just great* she thought.

"Oh... I can't believe how I missed that," Libby muttered in frustration, finishing her grape shake. "If only Carl had recorded that somehow... a picture! At least—"

"When did he tell you that?!" Cindy interrupted loudly, her voice rising as she leaned forward. Libby stepped back, surprised, her lips parting slightly. "Does... another fool know!?" Cindy's outburst drew attention from everyone in the cafeteria. Luckily, bell rang just in time, cutting off the awkward stares.

.

The only one who looked genuinely nervous was Carl, who glanced over at his friends and did his best to act casual, his eyes darting around nervously.

"What did she mean by 'Does anOTHER FOOL kNOw!'?" Sheen blurted out, still sulking. "Who cares, do you guys know who the big fool is? The one who caused the release of the greatest movie ever to be postponed!"

.

.

As they left the cafeteria, Libby linked arms with Cindy, trying to calm her down. "Hold your nerve, Cin, I don't think anyone knows but me and Carl. Why would Carl tell anyone else? Except, uh... Sheen, maybe. But come on... It's not my fault he's so honest."

"honest?!" Cindy tried her best to be calm. "Was he on trial or something?! didn't he have anything to talk about except this?"

"Well, we are your friends why not?" Libby folded her arms, tired of Cindy's exaggeration. "If Jimmy had tripped right now, you'd tell pretty much everyone and make a fool of him."

"A... This is trivial." Cindy rolled her eyes.

"So why don't you think that what you're worried about is also trivial... Cindy, does just because he kissed you mean that you've lost something, or are you in danger?" Libby said as she adjusted her headphones.

"I'm in real danger!... They will definitely laugh—I mean..." Cindy said nervously then sighed.

"I understand," Libby closed her locker and showed a small smile. "That's because you had to just be, uh... yourself, and not like a tsundere. Your arguments became a source of fun in this trivial school."

"We are known for our arguments?... fun?" Cindy was starting to feel frustrated. "This makes sense, so it wouldn't be so ridiculous if Quinlan dated Neutron, Huh?"

"Nope... I think some boys might be jealous of Jimmy," Libby said boredly then became serious, She's tired of Cindy's awkwardness. "It's your call, Cindy Vortex, if you want to have it... don't stand here acting like the shyest girl. Why don't you try to make Betty look like she's his worst choice?, I don't know just use your intelligence." Then she walked away.

"Where to? We are in the same class." Cindy called after her.

"To meet a boyfriend... you know, there are things between us that you will never understand so don't follow me." Libby's smile widened before she walked away further.

Cindy rolled her eyes and muttered annoyedly to herself. "Oh what a boyfriend... Yeah, I never don't understand what she likes about Sheen."

Cindy mulled over Libby's parting words all day. *Why don't you try to make Betty look like she's his worst choice?* It had crossed her mind, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to risk it. Jimmy would definitely accuse her of meddling. The last thing she needed was another disaster. *That stupid magic show* she thought bitterly, remembering how everything had spiraled out of control.

As evening fell, the scene shifted to the outskirts of Retroland, where Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen were just leaving after another fun-filled day of rides and games.

"I can't believe we spent three hours at the Blasto Coaster!" Sheen beamed, adjusting his Ultra Lord helmet. "I felt like a real hero soaring through space."

Jimmy smirked, "It's just a roller coaster, Sheen. Though I will admit the velocity was impressive."

Carl waddled behind, clutching his stomach. "I think I ate too much cotton candy... again. Do you think they have a limit on how much you can eat before they ban you?"

Jimmy looked over at his two friends. "There's no limit—only the laws of your digestive system. And Sheen, you've got to stop pretending every ride is an Ultra Lord mission."

Sheen waved him off dramatically. "Psh, says the guy who spent half the day sketching out ideas for a new rocket. Don't act like you weren't distracted."

"Distracted? Hardly. It's just... I've been working on something important," Jimmy said, slipping into thought.

Sheen grinned mischievously, "Something important like... kissing Cindy again? Ooh, are you secretly plotting your next smooch?"

Carl's eyes widened, and he glanced nervously at Jimmy. "Uh-oh... don't say that around Cindy. She might karate-chop you."

Jimmy rolled his eyes, though a faint blush betrayed him. "Would you two knock it off? I've got bigger things to think about." He muttered under his breath, *Nah, Carl must have told him, that's to be expected.*

They continued walking through the quiet streets of Retroville, the lights from Retroland fading behind them. Though Sheen and Carl were still bickering about Ultra Lord and stomachaches, Jimmy's mind was elsewhere—Betty or Cindy?

"Again Cindy...that's your decision, maybe you should just go ahead and ask her." Libby said seriously.

"I don't even want to see her face!"

"Of course you are... This is the tenth time your mood swings like a predator whenever Betty appears." Libby's right, she and Cindy were trying to have a good time browsing Facebook and such, every time she came across pictures and videos of Betty, which makes sense because she's a popular girl.

"So?" Cindy ignored, while she moved on to other social media platforms.

"You have to ask her... 'Hey Betty, if you have a boyfriend, can I know who it is?'... That's it, in less than a minute you'll be rid of all that worry."

Cindy just wanted to turn off her computer and go to sleep, but not with Libby here, and it was still early anyway. "And if she says it's Jimmy—"

"Come on, she told you that Jimmy is all yours, or did you lie to me?" Libby frowned.

"No she really said that to me... but I'm not sure she was just trying to shut me up—" both just heard the sound of a small pebble.

Looking out the window, other pebbles hit the bottle.

"Whoever this idiot is, It's been a long time since I punched someone!" Cindy immediately got up to look out the window, as soon as she looked down a small pebble hit her forehead, but it only caused a slight scratch, yet she felt like a volcano about to erupt.

Cindy wiped her forehead, and as soon as her eyes fell on Sheen who was holding a bunch of pebbles, not caring at all about the predicament. "You better have a good reason, before you realize this is imprinted on your face!" She pointed with her fist.

"No need to brag, we all have our own fist prints... Anyway." Sheen said boredly, then shouted, "I'm here for my Ultra queen!... We have an date, and I don't have time to flex your muscles."

"Date with Ultra what?..." Cindy was confused and then turned around to find that Libby wasn't in her room now.

"Remember, Cindy... whatever you decide, just make it fast." Libby shouted, who had just left Cindy's house to grab Sheen's hand. Cindy returned to the window with a raised eyebrow.

"By the way Cidny... you're too far away to get your fist in my face." Sheen said with a semi-sarcastic smile.

Cindy was thinking of a harsh response to Sheen as she boiled over, but Libby and Sheen had already walked away. "see you at school tomorrow." Libby shouted.

*Since when did she prefer spending time with him more? This will probably be a date where he shows off his silly dolls.*

Her anger slowly turned into frustration she had never felt before as she focused on their intertwined hands as they walked away.

"I...ah" Cindy couldn't say anything, it wasn't that Libby was spending so much time with Sheen lately that was sad, it was something else.

She went back to her room and didn't even realize that she had been standing there for a few moments, just staring. She muttered to herself very sadly. "If only I was like Libby... Even though he's just a weirdo, she simply became his girlfriend. He's nothing compared to Jimmy, genius and... kind of brave, and yet I'm still afraid that he might not feel the same way about me."

*Something important like... kissing Cindy again? Ooh, are you secretly plotting your next smooch?*

*Uh-oh... don't say that around Cindy. She might karate-chop you*

Jimmy was adjusting his invention while Sheen and Carl's teasing about his like for Cindy kept replaying in his mind. Goddard was helping him, and he should have finished early if it weren't for those thoughts running through his mind.

He's just confused and wondering when he might get the true love of his life even though he suspects Cindy has feelings for him ever since that day he let out a 4 minute long scream.

*Nerdtron!*

He shivered as he still vividly remembered the screams of the adult version of Cindy.

*You're supposed to clean my mother's feet!*

"Ugh... why Vortex, why me?" He muttered to himself and felt like he was going to throw up.

*Cindy, can you not call me Nerdtron?... Now that we're married*

Jimmy took every breath ready to scream again, but he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and sighed.

"Very cool, I didn't expect even 0.01% that my annoying rival would turn into my annoying wife... This is crazy and how did this happen?" He wondered, and he had every right to be confused since Cindy was always different and calm towards him when they were alone.

He opened a drawer to get one of his tools, only to find one of Betty's pictures. "Oh, I almost forgot... I have to get rid of this, but the question remains... Why, Cindy?"

It reminded him of something that made him shiver. *I lo—...I Love...*Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

He slammed the drawer shut in anger.

.

He collected all the pictures of the first girl he liked and didn't even think about keeping one. He hesitated for a moment before firing the laser from his watch at the pile of photos, burning them as he watched, sad and a bit angry. "Why did I even like Cindy... Could it be that the effect of the love potion hasn't worn off. Sheen still likes Libby, and Carl... Ugh."

"I'm... supposed to hate... Cindy." His hands turned into fists and he was about to lose his temper. "I've expressed my feelings enough... I kissed her twice and then what, nothing. She just... got shy of me."

He walked over to his robot dog and petted it. "Goddard, will she ever tell me about her feelings... supposedly, otherwise how did we end up together in the future?"

"Or as for her telling me now that she has no feelings for me, so that I can focus on Betty only."

The next day - Cafeteria

"So… Cindy, did you ask her or not?" Libby broke the silence as they sat at their usual table.

"No," Cindy replied immediately, her gaze fixed in irritation on Carl and Sheen, who were sitting across from them, whispering amongst themselves. She's still mad at Carl because he's the biggest reason her friends know about her feelings for Jamie, even though Libby knew a century ago. However, she didn't want to hurt Carl or even yell at him, so she just ignored him.

Libby leaned in closer and whispered, "Do you think if Betty wasn't so attractive, Jimmy would still like her?"

Cindy's eyes narrowed, not wanting to give the question any real thought. "I don't know, and I don't care," she muttered, though her gaze drifted back toward Carl and Sheen, who were clearly up to something.

Sheen, nudging Carl under the table, whispered, "Dude, why are we even sitting here?"

"Betty excused us. She needed Jimmy's help with something," Carl mumbled back. "Did you forget?"

"You two idiots—where's Nerdtron hiding?" Cindy's voice cut through the air, dripping with annoyance. Carl and Sheen exchanged nervous glances, unsure of how to respond.

"What matters to you?... Nerdtron doesn't have time to argue with you today." Sheen defended.

Libby nudged Cindy's elbow lightly, drawing her attention away. "What?" Cindy asked, confused.

Without answering, Libby nodded subtly toward the back of the cafeteria. Cindy's patience wore thin as she whipped around to see what Libby was hinting at. Her eyes locked onto Jimmy, sitting at another table with Betty, who was smiling and thanking him.

"What the—" Cindy's words were cut off by Libby quickly clamping a hand over her mouth before she could cause a scene.

"Cindy is totally jealous, isn't she?" Carl whispered to Sheen, his eyes wide.

"Carl! How is this the first time you've noticed? Were you in a coma or something?" Sheen whispered back, sounding genuinely surprised.

.

At the far end of the cafeteria, Betty smiled brightly as she closed her notebook. "Thanks, Jimmy. You're the best."

Jimmy, distracted and not fully present, muttered, "No… problem." His eyes kept drifting back toward Cindy and Libby's table. He could feel the weight of a certain blonde's glare burning into him, which only made him more uneasy.

Betty noticed his unease and asked, worriedly, "Uh... Jimmy, everything okay?" Without waiting for a reply, she followed his line of sight and immediately understood. "Oh... big mouth lady."

She raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer. "Tell me, Jimmy. What's going on between you and her?"

Jimmy sighed heavily, resting his cheek on his hand. "Betty... at first, I thought she was just being her usual annoying self. And she was hating on you for some reason." He paused before continuing, sounding more frustrated, "But lately, I've started to think that Cindy is... jealous."

"You like her, despite her behavior, don't you?" Betty asked with a serious expression. She wasn't oblivious, and Jimmy knew she had been picking up on things just like Libby.

He hesitated before responding. "Well... no... I mean, not at first, but since we were stranded on that island... yeah." He admitted it, almost as if it was a relief to get it off his chest. Even though he still liked Betty, he couldn't deny his feelings about Cindy anymore. "A week ago, during the kids' news segment... I kissed her." His voice was tinged with frustration and something like sadness.

Betty would've been happy for them under different circumstances, but her own curiosity needed closure. "She didn't respond at all? Not even a hint?"

Jimmy shook his head. "No... although... she did hold my hand, and we walked home together, so I've got suspicions that she might actually like me. But that's it."

Betty tilted her head, carefully asking, "Do you want to be her boyfriend?"

Jimmy sighed deeply again, his frustration mounting. "No... I've tried expressing my feelings, I'm just not sure how things would work out even if we became a couple... Honestly, I regret kissing her."

.

Meanwhile, back at Cindy and Libby's table...

Libby leaned in close, her voice low but pressing. "You still think he doesn't like you? Just look at his face, Cindy."

Cindy, who had stubbornly refused to admit anything, hesitated this time. She focused on Jimmy across the cafeteria. *She was sitting near him just yesterday, and now he looked strangely distant... sad even.*

Carl, overhearing their conversation, chimed in, "He's been like that since this morning."

Libby, Cindy, and Sheen all turned toward him, unimpressed.

"So what?" Libby asked, not really sure where Carl was heading with this.

Sheen, fed up with the drawn-out tension, threw his hands up. "He told us he burned all of Betty's pictures when we just casually asked him!"

Libby's eyes widened, and Cindy finally felt a pang of guilt tug at her heart. Was Jimmy really that affected? Had he already moved on from Betty... only to feel let down by her?

Sheen, seeing their doubtful expressions, added, "Yeah, and if you think I'm just some Ultra dork, go ask him yourself." His tone grew serious—especially when it involved Cindy. She had insulted him more times than he could count, mocking his love for Ultra Lord. But even Sheen could see when something was off with Jimmy, especially if Cindy was the reason.

An awkward silence fell over the group until they noticed Jimmy walking toward them.

Without even glancing at Cindy or Libby, Jimmy said, exhausted, "Carl, Sheen, let's sit somewhere else." He didn't wait for a response and started walking away. Carl and Sheen exchanged glances, then followed him.

"Wait, what about us?" Libby called out, a bit hurt. "Aren't we your friends too?"

Jimmy paused, glancing back for just a second, but then turned and kept walking without a word.

Sheen, already several steps behind Jimmy, waved casually and called out, "Take care of yourself, my Ultra Queen!"

Libby shrugged. "Well, that's all. Doesn't matter, I guess."

Cindy, still staring at Jimmy as he left, asked. "What do you mean 'that's all'?" Her voice was unusually soft, and her heart sank for reasons she couldn't quite explain. *What's wrong with him?*

Libby sighed. "It's clear, Cindy. Jimmy's not trying to win Betty over anymore."

She shifted the conversation to something else, but Cindy couldn't focus. Sure, she realized Jimmy wasn't chasing after Betty anymore, but now she felt something far worse—*Could it be that I lost him too—Is he mad at me or am I just exaggerating?*

Jimmy and his friends will test his new invention, will it work or will something go wrong as usual? We will find out in the next chapter.