A/N: Hello wonderful readers! Here's chapter 6. Thank you for your patience. This chapter is pretty pivotal in the story so I wanted to make sure I got it right.

Content Warning: se*ual a*sault and mentions of suicide.

Enjoy.

I was heading to my temporary locker to switch out my books for class when I was yanked into the janitor's closet as I passed by. "Is this going to be a regular occurence?" I asked as Jimmy closed the door discreetly.

"If you keep acting like a crazy bitch and making threats to me, then yes," Jimmy replied. "Why the fuck would I break up with Betty? What purpose does that serve you?"

"I thought that it was obvious. If you break up with Betty, then we can be together."

"Why would I want to be with you?"

"I know you like me, Jimmy."

"Are you deluded? Why would you think that?"

"Oh come on." I rolled my eyes. "Why else would you choose me, of all people, to fool around with?"

"Like you don't already know."

"Why, because I'm a slut? I would think that the resident boy genius would be smarter than to believe some rumors without corroborating them first."

"Let me make something perfectly clear: No one actually likes you. I mean come on, you seriously thought that Wendell wanted anything more from you besides banging one out? You were using me too, so stop acting like I owe you anything. You're nothing."

His words stung. He thought I was nothing? I felt tears start to form in my eyes, and I was grateful for the dark closet. I did not want him to see me cry. "You have twenty-four hours to break up with Betty before I tell everyone everything," I was able to state before I opened the door to walk out and the tears started to fall from my eyes.

"Cindy?" I heard as I was closing the closet door. I turned and saw Libby standing near the closet. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just stay out of it," I replied as I walked away, wiping under my eyes.

"Cindy, are you okay?" Libby called after me.

I stopped. What could I possibly say to her? No, of course I wasn't okay. The guy I liked said I was nothing. My mother's boyfriend was using me for his personal entertainment, and the entire school thought that I was a dad-fucking whore. "I'm fine," I said unconvincingly as I sniffled.

Libby walked over to me and gave me a hug. I tensed. Why was she being nice to me? "I don't know what's going on, but it's going to be okay," Libby whispered in my ear.

I cautiously lifted my arms to return the hug. Libby's embrace tightened when she felt my hands on her back. I wasn't sure why Libby was comforting me, but I was grateful. She was the only person to show me any kindness in a long time.

I felt Libby tense slightly before she released me. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Good. I've got to get to class, but maybe I'll see you later." She headed down the hall in a hurry. I turned around and saw her chasing after Jimmy.

Shit. I thought. She must have seen him leaving the closet. Now Libby knew why I was crying. I hurried to my locker to change out my books and head to class. The best way to forget about this whole thing would be to focus on my schoolwork.

I made it through the day, staying mostly distracted. Betty glaring at me in the one class we shared was not lost on me however. Her death glares only fueled my fire. Jimmy may have upset me, but that didn't mean that I wasn't still obsessed with him.

I had gym last period and was in the locker room changing back into my regular clothes. The other girls had already left, hurrying out before the cheerleaders came in to get ready for the basketball game after school.

"Cindy!" I heard someone call me from behind. I turned around and saw Betty walking toward me.

"Betty, hi. It's nice to see you again." My voice dripped with saccharin.

"Cut the crap, Vortex. I don't consider myself the jealous type, but you need to stay away from Jimmy."

"What are you talking about?" I feigned innocence.

"I know that you've been threatening to blackmail him."

I dropped my facade. "And I told him that he can't prove that."

"I don't know what you think you have on him, but stay the hell away from my boyfriend."

"Feeling insecure?" I smiled. "I guess I can understand that. I've known Jimmy for a really long time, and we've shared a lot of memories together. I can see why you're jealous."

Betty laughed. "Me? Jealous of you? You must be joking. He would never want to be with someone like you."

"Who says he hasn't?"

Betty's face fell. She said nothing. I could tell she was trying to process what I had just implied. "Just leave us alone, or I'll get you expelled." Betty finally said, turning to leave.

"Betty, wait!" I hollered after her. She turned around, looking annoyed. "I want to show you something." I walked up to her and pulled up the picture I took of the photo from Jimmy's nightstand. "Look at this." I turned my phone around so she could see.

Betty rolled her eyes, but humored me and looked at my phone. Her face went white, while the smile on my face grew larger. "Where…? How…? What…?"

"Are you going to finish any of those questions?" I huffed, as I put my phone away.

"Where did you get that?"

"That's not nearly as important as what I plan to do with it."

"What?"

"How do you think your parents will feel, knowing their daughter is a slut?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Or maybe I'll just send it to the whole student body. You can be the new school whore. We can make a club!"

"Cindy, you can't—"

"No, listen here you fucking bitch. I'm the bad guy, I can do whatever I want. Either break up with Jimmy, or the whole school will know you're not so pure and innocent."

Betty's eyes started to fill with tears. "I only took those because he and I promised that we would wait."

I laughed loudly. "You think he waited for you? I better not see you with Jimmy anymore, or I'll be sure that my face is the last one you ever see." I didn't wait for a response. I just turned around and left.

I got home from school and let myself inside. My mother was working late tonight and would still be at work for a couple more hours. I was grateful for the solitude. I made my way up to my bedroom. I had some homework to do, given that I had skipped several classes this week and my grades were beginning to slip. Graduation was in a few months and it was my only ticket out of here.

I sat at my desk and was studying for my calculus test I had tomorrow. I heard the front door open and close. My mother was home earlier than I thought she would be. I was slightly annoyed and prayed that she wouldn't come up to check on me. I just wanted to be left alone.

I heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. They didn't sound like my mothers. My door was opened, and I saw John standing there.

"Cindy," He said, surprised. "I didn't know you were home."

"What are you doing here? And why are you in my room?"

"Duh, I was looking for you." He smiled that smarmy smile at me as he closed my bedroom door.

"Leave me the fuck alone."

"Listen here, you little brat. I can't have you telling your mother, or my daughter about this. And I know the perfect way to shut you up." He walked over to me and grabbed my arm. I tried to pull free, but he was too strong. His grip tightened as he pulled me to my feet. He grabbed on to my upper arms, pinning my arms to my side, and he leaned down trying to kiss me. I swerved my head away, but he grabbed onto my chin and forced me to look up at him. "You're not getting out of this that easy." He pushed me over to my bed and shoved me down. I was terrified. "You're only good at being bad. No one will ever believe you," John whispered. I blacked out after that.

I woke up, confused. I remembered that John had been in my room, but he wasn't here anymore. I felt gross. My mouth tasted awful, my hair was disheveled, and there was some god-awful cologne scent lingering around me. How long had I been asleep? I looked at my alarm clock. It was four forty-five. I had only been home for about an hour, so I hadn't slept for too long.

Whatever the smell was, was overbearing. I stood up so I could take a shower. I started to walk over to my bathroom and I kicked something on the floor. I looked down and saw my shorts I had on earlier. I touched my hip to confirm that I wasn't wearing anything besides my underwear. My heart started to pound in my chest. What happened? I closed my eyes, trying to remember, but all I could remember was John saying, "no one will ever believe you." My breathing got shallow as I realized what had most likely happened. I ran into the bathroom and vomited into the toilet.

I'd hit rock bottom. I couldn't imagine how things could get any worse. I felt myself start spiraling. I was losing control of everything, and now I was getting blackouts. I took a few deep breaths to try to calm down. Something in my head was messed up. It had to be.

I walked back into my bedroom and put my shorts on. I started pacing. I needed to get out of here. I heard a car door slam closed outside. I ran to the window, hoping it wasn't my mother. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw she wasn't home yet. I noticed John's car was gone too. An engine started and I saw Mrs. Neutron backing out of the driveway, Jimmy was in the passenger seat. Jimmy. He would know how to fix this. He always knew how to fix everything. He must have something that could fix my brain. He would never help me though. I would need to get into Jimmy's lab. In order to do that, I would need some hair samples to scan on the VOX system. I would have to sneak into Jimmy's house to get some hair strands, then sneak into the lab.

I looked out across the street and saw Mr. Neutron in the front window, messing with the curtains. On second thought, I could just go over there and be invited in.

I walked over to Jimmy's house and knocked on the door. I fixed my hair while I waited. Jimmy's dad opened the door. He looked at me, confused, before saying, "Hello, Cindy."

I smiled sweetly. "Hi, Mr. Neutron. How are you?"

"I'm fine. What can I help you with?" he responded.

"I'm just here to work on a school project with Jimmy," I lied.

"Jimmy's not here."

"He's not? That's weird. He told me to meet him here."

"He just left with his mother. They should be home soon." Mr. Neutron started to close the door. It was time to turn on my charm.

"Oh, okay." I started to sniffle and fake cry.

Mr. Neutron stopped closing the door. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just looking forward to coming over here. Your home is so welcoming and cozy. Not like my house."

"I'm sorry. Is everything okay?"

"No, not really. My mother is late coming home from work, and her boyfriend is coming over soon. He always makes comments about me that make me feel uncomfortable. I just really don't want to go home." I found it only slightly pathetic that I didn't need to completely lie to get sympathy.

Mr. Neutron sighed. "Why don't you come inside and wait for Jimmy here?"

"Really?" I wiped away a tear. "Thank you so much, Mr. Neutron." I followed Mr. Neutron into the living room and he motioned for me to sit down.

"Have you talked to your mother about her boyfriend?" he asked.

"Yes. She didn't believe me though," I lied. "She said that if I lied to her again about him, she would kick me out. But where am I supposed to go? I'm still in high school."

"I see. Well, you are always welcome over here."

"Thank you, Mr. Neutron." I smiled sweetly. "I remember that out of all my friends' parents, I always liked you best. You were always so kind to me."

Mr. Neutron left me on the couch and went to get me a glass of water. I needed to hurry. I didn't know when Jimmy would be coming back. I still needed to get some hair samples, and then I would need time to look around the lab. Mr. Neutron came back into the living room and handed me the glass of water. I took a few sips and chatted with Jimmy's dad for a few minutes before asking to use the bathroom. Mr. Neutron nodded and said something about fixing a snack. He walked into the kitchen and I walked upstairs to Jimmy's bathroom.

I closed the bathroom door and turned on the faucet to mask any rummaging sounds. I pulled open drawers and scanned them looking for a hairbrush. I finally found a hairbrush and plucked a few strands from the bristles. I placed them in the sandwich bag that I brought and shoved the bag into my pocket.

I walked out of the bathroom back into Jimmy's room. I looked around and I could feel my heart start to race. Being in here again was thrilling. I looked at his things, noting a new bottle of cologne sitting on the dresser. I glanced over at his closet. His scent was probably all over his clothes.

I quietly closed the door, leaving a crack so I could hear anything happening in the hallway. I opened the closet door and looked inside. I touched all the shirts hanging up. I found a hoodie on the floor that had slipped off of its hanger. I picked it up and buried my face in it, inhaling Jimmy's scent. It made me dizzy. I slid my arms into the sleeves and wrapped myself up in it. I sprayed a small amount of his cologne on myself and made my way out of his room.

I walked back downstairs and saw Mr. Neutron sitting on the couch, watching the news. I said something about my mother texting me to come home for dinner and he looked at me, concerned, but I told him I would be fine. I thanked him for the hospitality and walked out the front door.

I walked over to the club house and pulled the bag of hair strands out of my pocket. I selected a piece and held it up to the VOX scanner. I smiled as the door clicked open. I walked inside and made my way down to the lab.

Once downstairs, I completely forgot why I was there. I was overwhelmed with my thoughts. I loved being in the lab. This was Jimmy's sanctum. There were very few people he let in there. I felt my heart racing. The last time I had been down here was my birthday. That seemed like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a few days.

I sat down in the captain's chair, something that I was never allowed to do when Jimmy was here. I jiggled the mouse, waking up his computer. It was time for some fun. I messed around trying to figure out how to turn the cameras on so I could see when he got home. A small squeal of joy escaped from my mouth as Jimmy's living room appeared on the screen. I could see Mr. Neutron sitting on the couch and I could hear the local news playing from the T.V. Now I just had to wait for Jimmy to get home.

I'd been sitting in the lab for about ten minutes when Mr. Neutron turned his head and stood up. I perked up. Jimmy and his mom must be home. Mr. Neutron walked out of frame for a few minutes, and I tried to find the other cameras to watch, but eventually Jimmy and his dad came back into the living room.

"Dad, did you turn the security cameras on?" video Jimmy asked.

"I don't think so. Why?" video Mr. Neutron replied.

"Well, the recording light is flashing."

I smiled to myself. The show was about to begin.

"Hmm… That's strange. I guess I could have accidentally turned it on from my phone."

"I don't know. I better go to the lab and check it out."

"Oh, Jimbo? Before I forget, your friend Cindy was over here a little while ago."

I saw Jimmy stop and turn around.

"What?"

"Yeah, she said you guys were going to work on some school project. You must have forgotten."

"You didn't let her in did you?" I enjoyed hearing the panic in his voice.

"Well, she was complaining about her home life. I felt bad for her, so I let her in. She didn't stay long. We chatted for a bit, she went to the bathroom, and then she left."

"Fuck!" I saw Jimmy run out of frame and prepared for him to come down to meet me. I shut the camera off and waited for him.

I heard the club house door open. I heard feet running down the stairs. Jimmy rushed in and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me sitting in his captain's chair.

"What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!" Jimmy yelled at me.

I started laughing uncontrollably. "I like when you get mad," I said.

"Seriously, Cindy. Are you insane? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I guess," I paused as I stood up and made my way over to Jimmy. "I'm pretty glad that you're alone."

Jimmy started to back up. "What do you mean?" I could sense a little fear in his voice.

I tilted my head. "Are you scared, Jimmy? What do you think I'm going to do?"

"I'm not scared. I just want you out of my lab." He said.

I stopped. "But you used to love it when I was in your lab. What changed?"

"What changed is that I have a girlfriend. Who is terrified of you, by the way. What did you say to her?"

I giggled. "You said she's scared of me?"

"Yes, why shouldn't she be?"

"I mean. I don't see what she sees, but maybe that's 'cause I'm wearing your cologne." I smiled slowly as I continued to walk toward Jimmy.

"You really are psychotic."

My smile vanished. I remembered why I came here in the first place. My brain was messed up and Jimmy knew it too. I suddenly wasn't enjoying the mind games anymore. "Is that really what you think of me?"

Jimmy paused. "Given the week of hell you've put me through? Yeah, I'd say so."

"Why aren't we friends anymore?"

"You're really asking me that?" Jimmy questioned. I just shrugged. "Because you changed. And not for the better. I don't even know you anymore."

"You haven't figured it out yet? I'm a bad guy. I mean that has to be the reason, right?"

"Reason for what?"

"Why everyone hates me! I mean, you hate me, right?"

"I never said that."

"But you don't like me. Nobody likes me. My old friends don't like me, even my own mother doesn't like me. The only thing I'm good for is a fuck toy. I mean, that's what you did. Once you had no more use for me, you became so cruel. And then there's…" I trailed off before I shared anymore details of my pathetic life.

"Cindy I'm—"

"And the worst part is, you're right. You're always right. No one cares about me. Everyone's life would be so much better if I weren't here."

"Cindy, that— that's not true," Jimmy said, a hint of concern in his voice.

"You don't have to lie to me, Jimmy. I know you wish I was dead. You said it yourself: I'm nothing. Well, you won't have to worry about me anymore." I tried to leave, but Jimmy grabbed my wrist.

"No, Cindy. I'm not letting you leave. You need help."

"You can't always be the hero, Jimmy. Some people aren't worth saving." I started to cry. I tried to pry my arm out of his grip, but he wouldn't let go.

"Just stay here a little bit longer. I promise help is coming."

"What are you talking about?" I heard the clubhouse door open upstairs.

"Jimmy?" Someone yelled.

"We're down here, Mom," Jimmy called back.

"What's going on?" I asked nervously.

"You need help, Cindy."

Mrs. Neutron and an EMT came running into the lab. "Oh thank goodness," Mrs. Neutron sighed.

The EMT came up to me. "Cindy? Everything is going to be okay."

I only vaguely remember being placed in an ambulance.

A/N: I'm kind of nervous to know what you think. Sometimes I feel like this chapter is rushed, but I also didn't want to drag anything out longer.

*side note: the part where Cindy mentions how her birthday felt like a lifetime ago? Yeah, that's a little nod at my hiatus. That part was posted like three years ago. Very grateful to be back and posting again!

Thanks for reading!