A/N: Here's chapter four! I hated this chapter before, but after a lot of revising, I actually quite like this one now! Always revise and edit your work!

Enjoy!

Cindy was adding the finishing touches to her make-up for her date when the doorbell rang. She hurried down the stairs to answer the door before either of her parents could get to it. Nick was standing on her doorstep, looking amazing. "Hi Nick."

"Hey Cindy. You look great," Nick said.

"Thanks, you too."

"You ready to go?"

"Yep!" She grabbed her house key and hollered to her mom that she was leaving and closed the door behind her before her mother could come in and say something embarrassing. She followed Nick out to his car. They drove into town, making small talk. Cindy was only a little nervous. She and Nick had been in the same friend group for years, and she had had a crush on him nearly the entire time.

Nick and Cindy had a great time on their date. They were both funny and charming and enjoyed each other's company. After dinner and the arcade, they decided to go to the Candy Bar for some milkshakes. They ordered at the counter and found a booth to sit in. Nick excused himself to the bathroom and Cindy sat and reflected on her evening. She was really enjoying herself.

The bell on the entrance door chimed, and Cindy saw Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl walk in. They were laughing and shoving each other obnoxiously. She turned around, trying not to draw attention to herself. Of course he's here. Cindy thought to herself.

Nick came back and they were chatting quietly. Cindy glanced over at the boys once or twice. They were being really loud. "They are having too much fun over there." Nick laughed as Sheen yelled something Cindy didn't understand.

"I need to use the restroom." Cindy stood up and walked away. Why was she letting Jimmy ruin her date? This was so stupid. She had been having a great time with Nick, she thought they were really hitting it off. Jimmy was so irritating. She knew he probably didn't mean anything by it, but him being at the Candy Bar was making it difficult for her to have a good time.

She pulled herself together in the bathroom and fixed her hair. She wasn't going to let him get to her. She was going to go out there and enjoy the rest of her evening with Nick. Cindy opened the door to the bathroom and nearly bumped into Jimmy. "Neutron."

"Vortex."

"Excuse me. You're in my way," Cindy said, trying to shove past Jimmy.

"You're right. I wouldn't want to keep you from your date," Jimmy spat.

"At least Nick can actually get a date."

"Don't think I didn't notice you called me Neutron," Jimmy changed the subject. "I thought that was 'weird and childish.'"

"Well you said to act like we normally do. So that's what I'm doing."

"There's no one else here right now. Why do you need to be acting?" Jimmy argued.

Cindy didn't respond. He had a point. Why had she called him that? It felt right in the moment. Like it was something she had done a million times. "Whatever," Cindy finally said. She started to walk away.

"Wait," Jimmy called after her.

Cindy stopped and turned around, annoyed. "What?"

Jimmy hesitated. Not sure why he stopped her and not sure what to say. "You, um, you look nice."

"Why are you being weird?" Cindy turned back around and walked back out to the dining area.

Nick smiled at Cindy as she sat back down. "Everything okay?"

Cindy nodded. "Perfect. Thanks for waiting." She pretended not to notice Jimmy as he walked by.

"I was just thinking about that paintball fight we had a while back, remember that?"

Sort of. Cindy thought. "Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I think I still have a bruise on my leg from where you hit me." Cindy playfully teased Nick.

He laughed. "Sorry about that. What was that battle cry that you and Neutron came up with?"

Cindy shrugged. "I don't remember." She couldn't remember even if she tried.

Nick nodded. "You guys creamed everyone. Next time we go, I want you on my team."

"Definitely."

The entrance bell chimed again, and Betty Quinlan walked in. She scanned the room and smiled when she saw Sheen, Carl, and Jimmy. She walked over to their table and sat down.

"Man, this place is buzzin' tonight!" Nick commented. "It seems like everyone is here."

Cindy just smiled, her eyes incessantly darting over to Betty and Jimmy. She felt that weird sensation in her stomach. Why did she care who Jimmy hung out with? She saw Betty whisper something to Jimmy and he laughed. Cindy clenched her fists under the table. What is going on with me? Cindy thought to herself. Betty is my friend. Why should I care if she talks to Jimmy?

"Are you okay?" Nick asked, a concerned look on his face.

Cindy realized she had been sitting in silence with a scowl on her face. She took a deep breath and relaxed her face. "I'm sorry. My stomach is bothering me a little." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Oh, shoot. Do you want me to take you home?" Nick asked. Cindy nodded. They walked toward the exit, passing Jimmy and his friends on the way out. Jimmy stared longingly at Cindy as she walked by. Cindy noticed him looking at her. She gave him a small wave as she walked out the door.

Nick walked Cindy up to her doorstep. "I had a really great time tonight, Cindy."

"Yeah, me too."

"I'm sorry you don't feel well. I hope it's nothing serious."

Cindy nodded. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

Nick stepped closer, intending to kiss Cindy. This is really happening. Cindy thought. She felt her heart race. She wasn't ready for this. She had never kissed anyone before. "Um…" Cindy hesitated.

Nick stopped. He smiled at her. "We don't have to."

"I'm sorry, I just…" Cindy trailed off, feeling embarrassed.

"You don't have to be sorry. I guess I misread the signals." Nick laughed.

Cindy smiled. "I really did have a great evening. I just need some more time I think."

"Sure. I would like to take you out again another time if you're up for that."

Cindy hesitated. She didn't know what she wanted. She liked Nick, but seeing Jimmy with Betty had made her confused. She finally looked at Nick and smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Cool. Well, I'll see you Monday then?" Nick said.

"Yeah. Have a good night, Nick."

"You too." Nick turned and walked back to his car.

Cindy walked into her house, contemplating her evening. What was wrong with her? Nick was a great guy. He was funny and charming and he really liked her. Why was she hung up on Jimmy? Jimmy irritated her with his smug sense of superiority and his bossy attitude. The only reason she spent any time with him was because he was helping her with her memory loss. She wondered if she had always felt that way about Jimmy, or if it was just because of the ultimatum he held over her.

Cindy sighed and headed up to her bedroom to change out of her clothes and put on some sweatpants. She turned on her light and pulled some clothing out of her dresser. Her phone began to vibrate. Someone was calling her. She looked at her phone and saw that Jimmy was calling. She huffed as she answered the phone.

"What do you want?"

Jimmy answered, "Well hello to you too."

"Hi. What do you want?"

"How was your date?"

"None of your business."

"Not well then?" Jimmy said. Cindy could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Is this why you called? To question me about my date?" Cindy snapped.

"No, actually. I called to apologize."

Cindy didn't say anything. She wasn't expecting him to say that. "Why?" She finally asked.

"Because I've been a jerk. You were right: I did tell you not to force your feelings for me, and it's not fair for me to stop helping you just because I was mad. I'm sorry."

"Well, thanks. Does that mean that you're still going to help me?"

"Yeah. Who knows, maybe something will trigger your brain and you'll remember something. I've still got quite a lot to do to fix the device, so in the meantime anything we can do to help your memory would be good."

Cindy smiled. "Thanks for apologizing. I'm sorry too. I should have told you about Nick sooner."

"Yeah, well…"

"Wait, how did you even know I was home?" Cindy asked.

Jimmy laughed. "I can see your light on."

Cindy walked to her window and looked out through the blinds. She looked across the street and saw Jimmy standing by the window in his house, waving. She waved back. "I should probably go. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Cindy."

Cindy ended the phone call. She wanted to ask him about Betty, but had thought better of it, since he had agreed to help her again.

She closed her blinds and tossed her phone onto her bed. It bounced off and fell to the floor. Cindy sighed, annoyed, and bent down to pick it up. She noticed her old diary under her bed as she grabbed her phone. She hadn't written in it since eighth grade. If Jimmy was really as big a part of her life as she thought he was, there was bound to be some stuff in there about him. Stuff that she probably didn't share with anyone else. She grabbed her diary and opened it up to the last entry:

We went to the Helix Nebula today. Jimmy said he needed to collect stardust for something, but he wouldn't tell me what. Libby and Sheen were making goo-goo eyes at each other the whole time, and Carl was complaining saying he was allergic to stardust. It seemed like one of our typical adventures, but I don't know. Something about it seemed off. I just have this feeling that it was our last big adventure. Maybe it's because we'll be going to high school next year, but it just felt like it was one last hurrah.

I don't mean that we won't ever hang out with each other ever again. I don't think that could ever happen. But it seems like blasting off to space, or saving the town from destruction won't be a regular occurrence anymore. We'll probably do more teenager type things, like hanging out at the Candy Bar or something. I guess that's okay. I just wish there was a way for me to know. If I knew ahead of time, I could cherish the moment and remember it forever.

Cindy didn't read the rest of the entry. It made her sad. She obviously enjoyed spending time with Jimmy when she was younger. And while she didn't actually remember any of the stories, based on what he had told her so far, he liked spending time with her too.

So what happened? Jimmy had mentioned that they were 'friendly enough.' He said that they weren't actually friends, just that they had the same friend group. So what changed? Why had they stopped enjoying each others' company?

Cindy put her diary in her nightstand drawer. She would do her own Jimmy homework in her free time. She knew her diary would be a raw and honest account of all things Jimmy, since they came from her own mind.

Jimmy continued to look out his window, even after Cindy had closed her blinds. He was glad that she had forgiven him for getting mad, but that wasn't why he wanted to apologize. He was going to come clean about the whole thing, but he panicked at the last second. He knew if he told her that she would refuse to talk to him ever again. He knew he was being selfish, but he just wanted what little time he had left to spend with her before all her memories came back and she hated him forever.

The next day Sheen, Carl, and Jimmy were all down in the lab. Jimmy was working on the memory device. Carl and Sheen were trying to get Jimmy to confess his feelings about Cindy and Nick's date the night before.

"Come on, man! Admit it. You were upset," Sheen begged.

"Cindy can do whatever she wants," Jimmy responded.

"But we know you like her. You must be even a teensy bit mad."

"Yeah, Jim. It's okay to be mad," Carl chimed in.

"Guys, even if I did like Cindy, and I'm not saying I do, it wouldn't matter anyway. She doesn't like me. We only hang out with each other because of all you guys," Jimmy said, setting the memory device down. "We tolerate each other at best."

"But you guys totally creamed everyone at paintball. You seem to work really well together if you just give it a chance," Carl explained.

"That's different. That was like when we were kids."

"I don't really see how it's different. You should just talk to her. Maybe her date didn't go that well."

"Yeah, right. It's Nick. She's only had a crush on him since the fifth grade."

Sheen sighed. "This is boring. Carl, he's never going to admit that he likes Cindy. Even though we both know he does."

Carl shrugged. "I guess you're right. So what are you working on, Jimmy?"

"Just trying to fix this memory device," Jimmy said as he grabbed the device off of his desk.

"Is that the one you used to fix Sheen's brain when he forgot about the third grade?"

"Yeah, but it broke, and I need to fix it. Fast."

"Why?"

Jimmy paused. "Can you guys keep a secret?"

"I can," Carl said. "I don't know about Sheen though."

"Hey! I can keep a secret!"

"Okay, so Cindy broke this last Friday, but the problem is that it wiped out her memory. That's why I need to fix it so fast. I have to help her get her memories back."

"Wow, that's intense. How much of her memory got wiped?" Carl inquired.

"That's the weird part. Any memory containing anything to do with me is gone. But just me. She seems to remember everything else. Even my parents."

"That's freaky," Sheen commented. "So she, like, doesn't remember anything about you? Not even that time when you 'accidentally' got sprayed with that love potion stuff and you confessed your love for her?"

Jimmy glowered. "That was an accident, you got sprayed too. And I wasn't actually in love with Cindy. We fixed the problem with Carl's Cheese of the Month, remember?"

Sheen shrugged. "I don't know, man. Then explain why Libby and I are going out and why you're still hung up on Cindy."

"I'm not hung up on Cindy. And you and Libby dating is pure coincidence. By your logic, Carl would still be in love with my mom."

Both Jimmy and Sheen turned to look at Carl for an answer. "I'm not!" Carl said defensively.

"So what you're saying, Carl, is that Jimmy is just naturally hung up on Cindy? That has to be the only logical answer," Sheen theorized.

"How did we end up talking about this again?" Jimmy groaned. "The main problem here is that Cindy has no memories of me."

"Right. And why does that bother you so much?" Sheen asked, already knowing the answer.

"Shut up," Jimmy growled. He started tinkering with the memory device again. "For your information, she asked me to help her get her memories back," Jimmy explained. "That's why I'm trying to fix this stupid thing!" Jimmy threw his screwdriver in frustration.

"Woah," Sheen and Carl said in unison.

"Sorry. I have a lot going on. I have that stupid science project that Mr. Glover won't let me work alone on, I have to write my acceptance speech still, and then there's this whole mess with Cindy. I'm overwhelmed." Jimmy sighed.

"Then maybe you should let Cindy do the science project," Carl suggested. "She's really smart. You guys will get an A no matter who does the project."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can do it by myself."

"By the way," Sheen chimed in. "Did you ever decide who you were going to take to your science banquet thing?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Jimmy said as he stood up to find his screwdriver.

Cindy and Libby were lounging in Cindy's room Saturday afternoon. Libby had come over to hear all about Cindy's date with Nick. She was completely engrossed in the story and was so excited for her friend. Until Cindy told her how it ended.

"You mean you chickened out?! Libby sat in shock.

Cindy shrugged. "I don't know. We had such a great time, and I kinda knew that he might try to kiss me, but I just don't think I was ready."

"I can't believe this. Is it because of someone else?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Is it Jimmy?"

"Ew, no. Why would you even say that?"

"Oh, come on. I know you had a crush on him in middle school."

Cindy said nothing, she couldn't confirm or deny that. She needed to say something to Libby about what had happened last weekend.

"And don't tell me you forgot about your first kiss."

Cindy's eyes widened. "My first kiss? I haven't kissed anyone before."

Libby scrunched her face, confused. "Yes you did. With Jimmy. After our last news broadcast? You told me about it."

Cindy was freaking out inside. She had already had her first kiss? And it was with Jimmy? This was all becoming too much to handle on her own. Cindy sighed, tired of pretending. "Libby, I have something to tell you. Last weekend I was at Jimmy's trying to work on our science project. I was messing around with some invention of his and I wiped my entire memory of him. This past week he's been trying to help me remember things. So, yes I did forget about my first kiss. Apparently."

Libby sat in silence for several seconds. "So you don't remember anything about him?" She finally said.

"As far as I'm concerned, I met him after I regained consciousness last Friday afternoon."

"You don't even remember when you two switched brains?"

Cindy laughed. "That was one of the things he told me about, but no I don't actually remember anything about it, only what he told me."

"And you were, what? Just not gonna tell me?"

"Would you have believed me?"

Libby thought for a moment. "Actually, yes. Given that I know Jimmy and that sounds exactly like something that would happen. So what are you going to do?"

"Well, he's been telling me about some of the big things that have happened to us over the years, hoping maybe something would trigger my memories, but nothing has. He's also trying to fix that device that I broke but I don't know how much he's progressed on that. He won't let me help."

Libby laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like Jimmy."

"So that's like a thing? He doesn't let me help him with stuff?"

"Not just you, anybody. You were pissed when Mr. Glover paired you guys up for your science project. How's that going by the way? Have you guys even worked on it at all, or have you just been reminiscing?" Libby teased.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "It's only reminiscing if I remember things, which I don't. I haven't done anything on the science project. Mr. Glover refused to let me work alone, and Jimmy was mad at me yesterday, so I don't really know what we're going to do."

Libby shrugged. "Same thing Jimmy always does: finish it by himself."

Cindy felt that same feeling in her stomach. The instinctive one she had whenever something about Jimmy ticked her off. "That's annoying. Why can't he just let me help?"

Libby shook her head. "Here we go again."

A/N: Now we're gettin' somewhere! There's a whole lot of plot stuff in this chapter, and I'm excited for you all to see what's next.

I didn't want to make Nick into some sleazy guy for this one. It's been done a lot (by me as well) and while I do like it when he's written that way, I didn't want the subplot to take over the main story.

Don't freak out too much about Betty! We'll get to that in the next chapter.

*This is just a side note, and it's not too important to the story, but this takes place in the gang's sophomore year of high school. There still fifteen, just barely turning sixteen (well, Nick is already sixteen). I only mention this because it plays a somewhat important role later on (no spoilers!).

Thank you for reading, and don't forget to leave a review.