Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

As Miss Fowl was preparing her students for the next upcoming math test, Cindy made an attempt to keep her composure by looking at the board, straight ahead, or at her notes and not on the young genius sitting next to her. She may have had to sit next to Jimmy in the front of the classroom, but she didn't have to speak to him.

What had made class interesting was Jimmy and Cindy's infamous arguments over who was right or wrong, more right than the other, or the friendly competition the couple always engaged themselves in. After the pair started going out, they even worked together as partners much more frequently on many various projects. No one, not even Cindy, had any fathomable idea what went wrong or why Jimmy was acting the way he had lately.

He answered every single question correctly in the review. Only when asked would Cindy even bother to give an answer—she knew them about as well as Jimmy did, and there wasn't really a point in trying to prove to him or anyone that she could get an A in the subject, even if her so-called boyfriend was doing so much better than her. This was how the morning went.

In Social Studies when the class was watching a film on Africa, Jimmy had tried to put his arm around her, kiss her cheek—even hold her hand. Seeing as the teacher had yet again fell asleep due to the lack of interest the documentary provided, Jimmy had some opportunity to attempt affection on the heartbroken female sitting next to him. But each time he made an effort to place any moves on Cindy, she would pull away, scooting her desk even further away from the boy. Continuing his position to attain one of the most beautiful girls in school was going to be a little more difficult than the genius previously thought. But he was not, under any means, going to give up yet.

Writing a note to Cindy was another tactic that came to mind as everyone continued to watch the movie. He quickly grabbed a piece of paper from his notebook and scribbled out a short message:

Cindy,

I'm sorry that I've hurt you. I was hoping we could talk today at lunch—I can explain everything if you just give me the chance.

I love you.

Jimmy

He promptly folded it and threw it over on her desk. The girl glanced at it and rolled her eyes as she quickly skimmed the note. A few seconds later, she crumpled it in her hand and tossed it to Libby to throw in the trash.

She closed her eyes, remembering a particular event in her life that changed everything between them…

It was a cold, quiet night—perfect for a party. Cindy decided on throwing a spur of the moment party with a few friends…namely Jimmy, Libby, Carl and Sheen, but you know how it is with parties…once the word is out, the whole neighborhood knows.

She went through her closet for hours until she found the perfect outfit—a glittery pink tube top and a rather cute stretch pair of black pants. She wanted Jimmy to notice her for more than her brains…but her beauty. Jimmy had spent the whole school year fawning over Betty Quinlan—a girl that hardly had any interest in him at all whatsoever. Cindy wanted Jimmy to ask her out. She was tired of being alone, especially since everyone she knew already had boyfriends. No one would be able to fill the void she was feeling deep down inside except for him. Betty could never feel the way that Cindy felt towards Jimmy.

She had, however, underestimated exactly how undersized the tube top actually was when she had purchased it a few days ago. After she pulled it over her head it was a lot shorter than anything her mother would ever let her wear. She could only remember the lecture she got from her when she was caught wearing that 'Special Girl' outfit as part of 'The N Men.' Her mother had completely disapproved of her having it on because of the fact that it exposed more of her stomach than she wanted anyone to see. She even had the gall to say that the outfit was "way too revealing for a girl her age to be wearing." But considering her mother wasn't even home that night, she had decided to take her chances—it was however, only showing about as much skin as the super hero outfit, which she knew would spark Jimmy's attention as well as the rest of her appearance. And besides, it wasn't anything like what she had seen girls flaunting in the music videos she occasionally watched.

She wore her hair down and added a little more makeup than usual to enhance the exact look she was going for. Out of all the guests that showed up that night, Cindy had gotten more looks than she ever received from anyone.

Over 25 kids were packed into the Vortex household that night for food, music, and talking…until Nick suggested the unexpected: spin the bottle.

Cindy was extremely nervous as the group sat around in a huge circle with an old bottle in the middle. She and Jimmy had only kissed once, but had recently begun to fight off and on the past few days. Nothing was official between the couple as of yet. Her best friend Libby, however, was excited. She had already made Cindy aware of the small crush she had on Sheen, so it was pretty evident that if she got a hold of that bottle, she'd make sure she got who she wanted.

Fate, however, took a different turn when the bottle had eventually came to her. She took a careful aim at Sheen, but when the bottle had eventually stopped spinning, it landed on a most unlikely character—Carl Wheezer. She frowned as they headed into the washroom, which had been decided upon as the designated spot for the big 'make-out sessions.' As always with this game, the person you get when you spin the bottle goes with you into a room with no one watching to make-out with that particular guy.

It had been only about a minute when Libby came running back towards the circle with a look of disgust on her face.

"Don't tell anyone, but we both decided not to—we're so not into each other," she whispered to Cindy as the bottle was being handed to her.

She could feel a blush creep over her cheeks, as well as with Jimmy as she nervously set the bottle on the floor and started to spin it. It seemed like an eternity as the bottle continued to spin in circles. But as the bottle came to an abrupt stop, all eyes immediately started to fall on Jimmy.

Libby nudged her with a wide grin on her face.

"At least one of us got their crush!"

Giggles and suppressed oohs could be heard in the background as Cindy nervously looked over in Jimmy's direction.

"Cindy has a serious thing for him," whispered one of the girls from the far side of the room.

The girl timidly stood up and walked towards him. She couldn't mess this up…it was her final shot she had with the genius she had secretly been in love with for two long years.

They headed towards the laundry room without even looking back at the crowd that was staring at them. Jimmy had been extremely quiet the whole night, which had been a bit of a shock to Cindy, having been accustomed to hearing at least one insult. He looked her over the moment he arrived at her house earlier—nothing more. Not one word was spoken, one compliment given, or a smile revealed. But now they were alone as they entered the dimly lit room full of cleaning products and a washer/dryer set.

Cindy's body felt incredibly weak like Jell-O as the pair stood a great distance apart from each other looking at the floor. After a few moments of silence, she quietly spoke.

"It—it's a little dark in here, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jimmy replied almost as quietly, "I wonder what we're going do for the next fifteen minutes…"

The blonde shyly gazed up at him, carefully wording exactly what she wanted to say.

"We're supposed to…um…"

"M-make out," he replied, completing her thought.

Jimmy nervously paced back and forth while Cindy slowly turned to face one of the walls.

"We don't really have to do this…do we?"

The moment he had made that statement, Cindy's whole world came crashing down on her. The way he had said that remark lacked the enthusiasm Cindy had only dreamed he would have. A few tears fell down her cheeks as she remained facing away from the boy.

"No," she whispered, trying to hide the disappointment and tears in her voice.

Jimmy could tell something was wrong the moment she responded to his question. He never wanted Cindy to know the one secret he had been holding back since school started. He was in love with her. He noticed how much she had changed from the beginning of the school year. Her long, free flowing blonde hair was as captivating to the eye as it was to his emotions. Her body had also become more curvaceous, which was very rare for most eleven-year old girls. It was no wonder most of the other girls in the whole 5th grade had become envious of her since the majority of other females her age didn't develop until they were at least thirteen. He could no longer deny the fact that Cindy Vortex was indeed…extremely desirable.

Not only was she the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon…she was smart, much more refined…not as insulting or as rude as she once was. Their arguments never lasted as long as they once had, and Cindy was more quiet and reserved, especially in school. She minded her own business and said little to anyone except for Jimmy and Libby. No one really knew what the sudden change in attitude signified…not even Jimmy himself, but…in that brief moment…pieces of the puzzle that were once fuzzy, were now becoming much more clear.

He eventually was able to hear Cindy's quiet crying when he came out of his deep thoughts. Maybe Cindy was feeling something towards him…maybe…she had feelings for him after all.

"Um, Cindy," he started, "We…well…I mean—"

"No…it's okay," she replied softly, "It doesn't matter."

He sighed. He wanted to kiss Cindy, but he had thought many times about her reputation. The Cindy he had grown accustomed to never in a million years would have wanted him to touch her, much less make out with her. There was now that new found possibility that Cindy did not care about her reputation any longer, and the only way he would ever find out if the quiet, more mature girl had any serious feelings for him is if he made the first move.

Jimmy slowly advanced towards the broken girl. Once he reached her he gently took her hand, pulling her into his arms before she could even turn to face him. He didn't question the strong emotions and feelings he had at the moment—he just did what he knew in his heart felt right. Cindy laid her head on his shoulder, gazing deep into his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her.

"It does matter…" Jimmy said softly, inhaling her fragrant apple scented hair.

She continued to quietly snivel as the tears continued to fall down her face. Jimmy wiped a few of her tears as she looked into his eyes.

Cindy felt as if she was taking advantage of not only the moment, but Jimmy himself. She couldn't force him to become her boyfriend if he didn't want to be, no matter how jealous she became every time she saw him with another girl. He had a mind and heart of his own and she couldn't bear to live with herself if anything she tried to force upon the genius was to interfere with his happiness. The situation at hand appeared to be nothing more than an impulsive move made by the girl herself—playing upon his emotions with her tears as well as her tempting appearance.

She pulled away from his embrace with a look of guilt spread over her face.

"Jimmy, this isn't right…I've been taking advantage of you."

Jimmy frowned with a look of disappointment as he stared at the attractive blonde that was backing away from him.

"Why?" he asked.

"I made myself desirable so you would notice me. I…I like you, Jimmy, for more than a friend…but I know you don't feel the same way that I do, and I don't want to force you into this silly dare."

He began to take several steps forward as Cindy continued to move away from him with a look of fear on her face.

"Jimmy…let's just leave, okay?"

He took a hold of the girl's shoulders, pulling her back within arm's length of each other.

"Cindy," he began, running his fingers through her hair, "I never realized you felt this strongly about me…I guess, what I'm trying to say is…I've been denying the fact that I would ever have any feelings towards you."

He paused, waiting for a response from Cindy who could only find herself lost in Jimmy's deep blue eyes without an answer or response to anything.

"I'm not saying that there aren't other people our age that probably have such strong feelings for another person as you have for me, but I tend to think that pre-teen love is more experimental than actual."

"What are you saying?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm saying that…Cindy you're smart…and pretty…and ever since you've started being nicer to me…and started dressing nice…I've started becoming attracted to you."

He slid his arms once more around her slender figure, pulling her even closer than she ever imagined before. Cindy was extremely speechless, shocked with the sudden change in emotions unfolding at that moment. She closed her eyes as she felt her skin begin to tingle while Jimmy nervously rubbed her lower back. She couldn't believe the boy of her dreams was in her arms and began to imagine what it would be like to spend more time with him alone…at the movies...top secret explorations…to even sharing secrets she knew he wouldn't mention to anyone.

For Jimmy, all he could think about was how soft her skin felt between his fingertips and how dangerously close their faces were to each other.

"Cindy," he whispered, leaning closer, "you're right and I'm wrong."

Cindy's heart began to race even faster as their breaths began to mingle in sync with one another.

"About what?"

"I'm not sure," he said, "but maybe this might answer your question."

The pair slowly leaned forward as their faces got closer. As their noses brushed past each other and Jimmy's lips almost reached the destination he desperately sought, he immediately pulled away at the sound of footsteps and voices getting close to the door.

Both Cindy and Jimmy dejectedly pulled away from each other as they heard the argument that was erupting outside between Nick and Sheen.

If her heart could physically break, she would have died a miserable person. Why did something always have to interrupt the moment she desperately wanted? Sure, a soft peck on the lips a few weeks ago for saving his life in a nearly-devastating hovercraft crash was sweet, but she wanted so much more than that. She wanted a kiss that conveyed something a lot more than a 'just friends' attitude…a kiss that conveyed their true feelings towards each other…a deep, romantic…dare she even say it—lingering kiss!

Cindy crept over to a small corner of the room and buried her face in her hands as tears flooded her cheeks once more. Many other guys had already asked her out towards the end of the approaching school year, but she had turned all of them down. She only felt comfortable being held by only one guy. She wouldn't be happy with anyone else, no matter how good of a kisser or even a talker they might be.

Creeping towards the door Jimmy grabbed a stool and set it on the floor. He climbed up to the second to the last step and peered out of the door's small little window to notice Nick, Sheen and a few other kids watching outside the small window overlooking the washroom.

"This is boring, Sheen," yawned Nick as he looked in on the pair. "I don't see the point in standing here all night waiting for something to happen."

"Hey, this wasn't my idea. You bet me twenty dollars that they would make out!"

"Well, you're the one that wanted to spy on them! Come on, dude, face it. They won't do it."

"Stop blaming Sheen for this!" defended Libby, "You just want a picture of them kissing so you can embarrass my best friend in front of the whole school!"

"Can I help it if she wants to date a nerd instead of me?"

"You had your chance with her at the beginning of the school year when she had a huge crush on you, Nick. You broke her heart when you turned her down for a date to the Men Pretending to be Boys concert!"

"I don't even see them in there anyway!"

The arguments continued outside as Jimmy stepped away from the door.

"Cin?" He asked quietly, scanning the room for any trace of the gorgeous girl who literally broke his heart every time he hurt her in any way.

It hadn't taken very long before he could took notice of a few quiet sobs from the right hand corner of the room. And at that very moment, he didn't care who was going to see or not. Jimmy finally had the courage to do what they had came to do—he and Cindy were going to make out, and if anyone gave her any trouble about it, he'd see to it they would never have anything more to make against it.

He quickly made his way towards Cindy, who had somehow managed to slump herself onto the floor in an awkward position. The last thing he wanted to see was her tears…but he couldn't blame her. He was the one who instigated the almost-kiss, then pulled away at the last possible minute. If anyone had a right to be disappointed in him, it should be her.

He crouched next to her, pulling her into another warmer, romantic embrace.

"Please don't cry," he said desperately, stroking her hair as he looked deep into Cindy's tear-filled eyes, "I—I'm sorry…"

He held her for a long time, letting the young female cry every single last tear. He already had perfection staring him in the face…and he knew that this would be his only shot to have a pretty girl notice him…no one else hardly ever did. He never even knew exactly what Cindy saw in him except for the fact that he knew she thought he was cute, and a genius.

He nervously looked down at her glossy pink lips, completely terrified at what he was about to do. He wasn't very good at kissing…it wasn't exactly something that came natural to him. An idea struck him that would take some of his fears away. This could be an experiment, or a trial run, and Cindy could be his test subject. If all went well, and she really wanted to go out with him, he'd know the experimentation was a complete success.

He slowly brushed a few strands of her hair away from her eyes as his mouth got closer to hers. Then, finally, the couple's eyes closed and Jimmy's soft lips softly brushed against Cindy's. The girl began to gasp in surprise as his arms wrapped around her tightly and the kiss had started to become deeper. She kissed him back as she nervously wrapped her arms around his neck.

Every few seconds he would pull away to catch a quick breath and start kissing her again, feeling more confident by the way he was being kissed back that Cindy was enjoying it as much as he was. Cindy had also become accustomed to his kissing, letting Jimmy dominate the whole session willingly. She couldn't admit to him how horrible she was at kissing, as it would have been a weakness. To Jimmy, it mattered neither, knowing he was kissing the most beautiful girl he had ever met.

His fingers slid across her silky lower back, through her hair and back to her face with gentle ease. The kissing intensified and became more powerful than it had a few minutes ago, and continued to progress steadily. There wasn't any other place Jimmy or Cindy wanted to be except where they were right then and there, finally setting their feelings free.

About a half-hour later, they both pulled away, completely breathless. For the first time, finally, there were no interruptions…just a flawless, perfect moment, and two young preteens, extremely happy beyond belief.

He gently pressed his forehead against hers with a grin spread across his face. Although he felt nervous, he continued to remain positive that his question would have a positive answer.

"Cindy…will you go out with me?"

Her eyes lit up with joy as a soft giggle escaped from her just-been-kissed lips.

"Yes!"

When they left the room hand in hand, they finally knew where they belonged. And as the other guests snuggled in sleeping bags for the unexpected sleepover Libby naturally suggested later on (knowing all too well Cindy's mother wouldn't be home until late the next night), her and Jimmy couldn't have been happier, as they curled up inside of a large sleeping bag in each other's arms with faint smiles on both of their faces.

She sighed sadly, returning to the present as a few tears fell down her cheeks. Why was Jimmy so determined to manipulate her emotions? Worst of all, why would he emotionally hurt the girl he truly loved?