Faith is a petty thing...

[Cindy Vortex]

“Cindy, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Libby Folfax frowned, raising an eyebrow disbelievingly at her friend. The poor girl wasn’t fine. She hadn’t been fine ever since she’d gotten into that damn fight with Jimmy. The whole “high school relationship” thing was taking its toll on Cindy Vortex, unfortunately. Unexpected, but there it was. It was the first time it had really honestly backfired on her. On the bright side, it had taken a whole couple of months for this to happen…?

There was no use in excuses or optimisms. Libby had done everything she could to comfort the inwardly distraught Cindy--all she would show now was her anger toward the boy--and send dirty looks the perpetrator’s way in the school hallways. She was well aware that Cindy had barely skated her way through school today, doing everything she could to avoid Jimmy and pretend he didn’t exist. Libby figured her friend was more relieved than imaginable now that she’d escaped the line of fire.

“Call me later, alright? I’ve gotta run.” Libby grabbed Cindy’s hand and squeezed it briefly in encouragement. She had jazz dancing lessons at the community center to get to, although she would have stayed with the distressed girl if she’d been able to.

She had been entirely correct about what was going on over on Cindy’s side of the spectrum. The heartbroken teenager had done her best to become entirely numb to the situation, but as she watched Libby leave, Cindy wished so badly she could have stayed; she was on the verge of having to spill everything she was feeling once again. Desperately, she assured herself that she could hold out. She’d always been able to before.

What was the matter with her? Being left alone with her emotions had never intimidated her like this before. She had been sure she was fine, that she could keep herself composed until Jimmy came crawling back to apologize, as she had convinced herself he would do. But she found that now she was having doubts, as she hadn’t once over the past twenty-four hours. It was the first time she’d considered the fact that maybe that cursed ego of him would force him to stay away from her and they would be stuck perpetually on either side of the line, neither one of them willing to step over it.

But for now, she was here by herself. Crossing her arms, she stared blankly down at the cushioned red booth seat beside her, breathing deeply through her nose and briefly closing her eyes to clear her mind. Everything was going to be alright.

If only she could bring herself to believe it.



{ o o c : Well, there you go. Another wonderful piece of crap. Humor me with a birthday present. I turn 16 on Thursday the 19th. *throws confetti in an unthrilled manner* I'm too tired to be excited. Anyway, well... umm... happy January 15th. That's the date, right? It's too early. }

[Betty Quinlan]

Betty Quinlan walked into the Candy Bar floating on air. She had been dating Nick for quite a while now...and things were going perfectly. She already had plans for inviting the sophomore to prom (which was approaching quickly! Yikes - how was it possible that she hadn't bought a dress yet. Note to Self - do that soon!), and they had several dates already lined up for this week. Perfect happiness where that was concerned.

And the perks of being a senior were finally starting to kick in! The aforementioned prom was rapidly arriving, and though she did not have a dress, she was so (emotionally) ready for this. The senior class trip was the very next week, and though her precious little boyfriend was not going to accompany her, Betty was set on having fun anyway!

And then...graduation! She was almost out of this hell-hole (which actually wasn't so bad nowadays...) called high school! And though she hadn't yet actually fessed up to any of her friends or family members that she was planning on traveling in Europe for the year, or even admitted to not applying to a single college or university...Betty was still very, very, excited for graduation.

Except for the part where she would have to leave her boyfriend behind for a while, but Betty would cross that bridge when she came to it. Right now, she wanted a sundae.

But, as she approached the counter, something caught her eye. Or, more appropriately, someone caught her eye. A familiar little blond girl sitting a booth. Cindy! And she did not look so happy...

Waving her little fingers at Sam to signal her usual, she skipped over to Cindy's booth, sliding in next to her. This seemed like a job for Betty Quinlan - Senior Sister (or so she imagined herself).

"Hey Cindy...you don't look so good. Well," She laughed, "I mean, you look -good-, you don't look -happy-." Tilting her head to get a better look at the girl's face, she smiled up at her. "What's up?"



(((Eek, I'm a little rusty. =P Don't worry, I'm just warming up!)))

[Cindy Vortex]

|All I have to do is forget how much I love
All I have to do is put my longing to one side|

That something as stupid and small as an elementary school crush could magnify to what it was now was beyond Cindy in every way imaginable. It was infuriating, but in the same token, it was almost enlightening. She should have known this was what she was getting herself into… and yet, somehow, she hadn’t. She hadn’t taken into account all the faults and follies of the past years with him. She hadn’t thought that perhaps their relationship wouldn’t completely turn around. She should have known. But she’d ignored the facts.

|Tell myself that love’s an ever-changing situation
Passion would have cooled and all the magic would have died
It’s easy, it’s easy|

And just the day to make her day even better had the good sense to walk in the door at that moment. Betty Quinlan. Perfect, just what Cindy needed. The sarcasm would have been all too evident had these thoughts escaped her lips. And, of course, she had been immediately noticed. What did the world have against her? Was this all karma for some absolutely appalling deed she had accomplished in a past life? Had she committed a murder or something? It would be the only thing to account for this hell. She’d been born at the feet of Brahma. Great, just great.

|All I have to do is pretend I never knew him
On those very rare occasions when he steals into my heart|

Well, of course I don’t look good! I’ve only been holding back an absolute break-down for three days! thought Cindy bitterly as Betty spoke, but, again, found it appropriate not to voice her feelings. She swallowed down the lump in her throat for the millionth time since the fight, twiddling her thumbs, taking deep breaths in an attempt to make herself seem collected. And for the time being, the tactic was working alright.

|Better to have lost him when the ties were barely binding
Better the contempt of the familiar cannot start
It’s easy, it’s easy|

[/b]

The only thing to do was forget. The only thing to do was move on. The only thing to do was keep her dignity and walk away. But she couldn’t, she just couldn’t. She would have loved to… but her heart kept her pinned to one side. And yet, she couldn’t just go apologize to him. Her pride wouldn’t allow that. Her damned pride. It had always kept her grounded. If only she could have thrown it away. Impossible.

|Until I think about him as he was when I last touched him
And how he would have been were I to be with him today|

She wanted him back. But she simply couldn’t have him. Not anymore. Neither of them would ever forget, but neither of them would return. Damn pride once more for its binding tendencies. So be it. “I’m—“ Cindy faltered, cringing slightly as her voice cracked with restrained emotion. “I’m fine.” So far from the truth it was almost sickening, the comment had been far from convincing by anyone’s standards. But such had her entire way of life been since it had happened. And the façade continued painfully.

|Those very rare occasions won’t let up, they keep on coming
All I ever wanted and I’m throwing it away.
It’s easy, it’s easy as life|

{ o o c : Random whirl of thoughts on Allison’s part. And don’t worry, I just got back into the roleplaying vibe for some of my older genres. You’ll be up to speed really soon! So happy you’re back, though, seriously…

Lyrics from Aida, by the way, the song “Easy As Life”. Disclaimer and such. LOVE that musical so much! I've been installing lyrics in RP posts lately, so I thought I'd carry over. }

[Betty Quinlan]

Betty raised an eyebrow and stared at the obviously not fine girl next to her. Sure - Cindy was fine, and Betty was a Twonkie. Betty knew fine. Fine was bouncing into the Candy Bar with only the object of getting a chocolate sundae (low fat, of course). Not fine, on the other hand, was sitting in the far booth, arms crossed, with a determinedly emo look upon your face. Cindy was most definitely in the latter sort of mood.

In the life of a typical high school girl, there could only be four major things that would get a girl this upset. One - trouble with school. Well, that couldn't possibly be it. Cindy was a bright girl - heck of a lot smarter than Betty - there was no way she could be struggling to the point of depression. Two - trouble with the best friend, and as Libby had just been observed exiting the Candy Bar not so much angry as concerned, Betty doubted this was the cause. Three - trouble with the family. Betty didn't know a lot about the Vortex family, but from little tidbits she had heard from Nick, she knew that family was almost permanently broken.

But the far more likely choice was trouble in paradise. Boyfriend trouble. Neutron trouble. Betty searched her mind for any gossip she had heard about the sophomore couple, but could find nothing. She was too caught up in her own world to register anything about the relationships of others. But by the look on Cindy's face, this most definitely had to be the cause of the problem. She always knew the little genius would be a struggling failure of a boyfriend.

She focused her attention back on Cindy, and gave her a worried little smile. "Cindy, I know fine. Me - this is fine. You, on the other hand, " She said, looking her over. "Are definitely not fine. You seem to be quite broken."

Linking her arm through Cindy's, she leaned against her. "What's the matter?" She paused for a moment before she dared express her thoughts. "Neutron trouble? What stupid mistake has he made this time?"



(((Mwee, everything I write seems so short. =P)))

[Cindy Vortex]

|I once knew all the answers
I stood on certain ground|

That Betty Quinlan was in the least bit observant had always been far-fetched in Cindy's book, but the opinion was altered almost immediately as the brunette began questioning her, jumping straight to the conclusion of Problems With Jimmy. Cindy nearly groaned, ignoring the fact that Betty had linked arms with her and was now attempting to provide comfort. She was too upset to care about much of anything that had once annoyed her so, when she had time to consider that sort of thing.

|A picture of true happiness
Of confidence so effortless
No brighter could be found|

A sigh escaped the blond girl as she stared at the artificial table top, thinking over the possibilities. She could wait until Libby came back, in two hours. Or she could actually tell Betty, who would find out through the grapevine eventually anyway. it was the way things always tended to work. At least it wasn't like her mother. Yes, Mrs. Vortex had jumped to the same conclusion, but approached it in a much different manner. "What did I tell you? Didn't I tell you that boy would give you nothing but grief? It was stupid to become involved with him in the first place, Cindy! I only wanted to protect you, but no, you were convinced I was thinking only of myself, and now look what's happened. What did I tell you?"

|I never asked the questions
That trouble me today|

Perhaps Betty knew something. Perhaps she was more experienced, but perhaps--just perhaps--she didn't know what it was to truly like someone in the way that Cindy felt for Jimmy. Not love, not yet; love didn't occur at this point in life. But it was as close as you could get in high school, she was sure. Glancing at Betty, she took a deep breath. Yes, fine, she would confide. It would do her no harm.

|I knew all there was to know
Love worn lightly, put on show|

"Yeah." she replied, in a voice no louder than a mere murmur. "Yeah, Neutron trouble." She thought for a moment, shaking her head in a defeated manner. "And it was my fault. Not his. I was expecting him to screw up the first time... but it was me instead." It was almost a realization. A thought pattern she had never gone through before. And it was the strangest thing she'd considered since the affair started. Surprising. Shocking. Enlightening.

|An empty room is merciless
Don't be surprised if I confess
I need some comfort there|

{ o o c : Nah, your posts aren't that short. Mine only look long because of the lyrics. Just a cute trick.

Lyrics: Aida; "Not Me" }

[Betty Quinlan]

Truth be told, Betty was not expecting Cindy to answer her in such a way. Maybe some snappy "Mind your own business" thing, but not so much an actual confidence. This was surprisingly unlike Cindy and perhaps one of the only times the girl had acted relatively civil toward her. Gosh - Neutron must have got her bad.

She and Nick never had these kinds of problems - at least not yet. So far, they had been blissfully happy and at peace with each other. No arguments, no fights, not even any harsh words. She wondered how it was even possible for her to give sound advice to Cindy when honestly, she had no idea what she was going through. However, years of reading teen magazines had given Betty something more than a great fashion sense.

"Well, we all make mistakes," she said, comfortingly, "and I'm sure Jimmy knows that, what with the plethora of mistakes he's made over the years. I'm sure almost destroying the city - how many times is it now? 103? - ranks a lot higher than some high school relationship mistake. Just talk to him about - if it's really your fault, then I'm sure he'll accept your apology."

She unlinked her arms from Cindy, leaned back and shrugged. "That is, of course, if it is your fault at all. I don't know what actually happened, so this is all based on your opinion of what happened, which may or may not be totally biased."

"Or...something." She blinked, trying to recall anything else she had learned in the recent issue of Teen Girl. No...that was about it.

She shook her head. "If you told me more, I could offer more advice. But if you want to keep it to yourself, I understand." She smiled comfortingly.

Wow...she was being sickeningly sweet and offering advice. What a change from the conniving teen who had only months ago egged Cindy on knowningly in the mall. I blame Nick... She thought, smiling to herself.


((Heh, someone's in an Aida mood. I'm in a Les Mis mood, myself. =/ Think I'm going to go play "On My Own" seventy times now.))

[Cindy Vortex]

What am I thinking? had indeed run through Cindy's head as she confided--at least somewhat--in Betty. It was a strange and awkward situation. But what else was there to do? The only reason Betty had ever come up in her mind during the last two months was when Jimmy had teased her about her jealousy. But that wasn't the problem anymore and the problem had absolutely nothing to do with Betty, and everything to do with Cindy's relationship. Yeah, she'd screwed it up. No, she wasn't sure if she could fix it. And that's all there was to it.

Cindy sighed, leaning her head back against the booth, her mind straining to come up with something, anything, as Betty spoke to her. Why wasn't she trying to repair this? Why wasn't she trying to do something... just... anything... to get him back? And then it came to her.

She was too scared. Too scared that he'd turn her away. Too scared that he'd refuse her apologetic advances.

But with good reason. They had both always been a little too petty. A little too stubborn. A little too proud. Her mind was chasing itself in circles. Why wouldn't she tell him she was sorry?

Because she already had and he'd walked away.

It never occured to her that maybe--just maybe--she had approached the issue too soon. It had taken her no more than ten seconds to say she was sorry, or try to, at least. Perhaps she should have given it more time. But in her head, Cindy was convinced that, if she tried to apologize now, he would do the same exact thing. She might have been wrong. But she couldn't believe it.

"You don't know Jimmy very well, do you?" she observed monotonously, not knowing whether this assumption was true or not. She wasn't willing to admit to herself that Betty and Jimmy were at all friends. She didn't know one way or another and she had convinced herself that they were not. She didn't want to know. But yet she'd asked a rhetorical question that was bound to be answered. It didn't matter now.

"I just... I said some things." she said, looking back down at the tabletop, blinking back tears provoked by the lump in her throat. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't cry. Not here, not now, with Betty sitting beside her, giving her all-too-fake advice and trying to make her feel better. "And I don't think he'll..." She stopped there, unable to go any farther. There wasn't anything she could do. She had to stop the tears from flowing.

|I could hurt someone like me, out of spite or jealousy
I don't steal and I don't lie, but I can feel and I can cry
A fact I'll bet you never knew
But cry in front of you, that's the worst thing I could do|

[/b]



{ o o c : LES MIS LOVE! And yes, I've been in an Aida mood for two weeks straight.

Lyrics: Grease; "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" }

[Betty Quinlan]

There was no doubt about it. The girl was about to cry. Betty could barely handle comforting in general - she didn't know how well she could take tears. But she scolded herself for thinking that way. If Cindy needed to cry, of course Betty would lend her shoulder. But if she could stop Cindy from crying, well, that would be good too.

"Well, sure, I don't know Jimmy that well at all. I mean, yeah, we used to be kind of friends, back when we were younger, but nowadays - sure, definitely don't know each other so well." She didn't want to give the exact time as to when she and Jimmy stopped "knowing" each other - truth be told, she used to tease and flirt with Jimmy up until this year when he finally started going out with Cindy. But then, somehow, wasn't that the point?

"Really, the only thing I know about Jimmy," Betty said, smiling and putting her hand on Cindy's, "is that he's crazy about you."

As if that hadn't been obviously since, like, the beginning of time.

"Ever since I've known you guys that's been the case. And I don't believe that could ever change, at least not now - now that you're finally together. And I know that no matter what anybody said or did," she smiled, kind of wistfully, "that he's still as crazy as ever about you."

Oh please don't cry, please don't cry...



(( So short, so short! XP Argh. But I think lots of dialogue makes up for shortness...somehow... >.> <.< ))

[Cindy Vortex]

It should have been obvious years ago. But it wasn't. Nothing had ever been clear, when it came to Jimmy and Cindy. Even the simplest exchanges had become the most perplexing of puzzles. This, unfortunately, was no different. Together or not, she didn't understand him any better. She never would. He was more complex than the vast number of guys she had come in contact with. He analyzed. His focus wasn't strictly on a single attribute. He knew it all. Above all, this intimidated her the most. If there was something wrong with her, he would be the first to know. The thing she wanted the most was to seem perfect. That perhaps he would appriciate her no matter what happened hadn't yet become an option for her. She wanted to be perfect... for him.

She could never be.

That's what had made her so angry up until this year, when confessions had finally been made and bliss had at long last been reached (at least briefly). Betty, in the eyes of most men, was perfect. Only the women could find anything wrong with someone like Betty Quinlan. That was where Jimmy had been mortal in Cindy's eyes. But she'd wanted that so badly. Back then. It was entirely different now.

Maybe he was as scared as she was. No, she thought. It just wasn't possible.

Taking a deep breath, she buried her face in her hands, refusing to cry, simply shaking her head, trying to find the words and failing. There was nothing inhuman about Cindy Vortex now. She was susceptible, very vunerable. Especially now. Now that she felt like the world was falling down around her ears, even if it wasn't. Her mind wasn't telling her life would go on without him, even though, somewhere deep within her subconcious, she knew it well.

Recovering slightly, she sat up again, knitting a hand in her hair and breathing steadily through her nose. "I don't even know. I never did and I don't now. It was a mistake to think I could. I'll never get him." she said, almost more to herself, though her voice still addressed Betty. Eyes closed and head tilted toward the ceiling, her mind filled with memories she couldn't erase.

|Never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by
You don't have to ask me and I need not reply
Every moment of my life from now until I die
I will think or dream of you and fail to understand
How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand|

{ o o c : *laps up dialogue* The best part of roleplay. The interactive. LURVE the dialogue!!

Lyrics: Aida (again!); "Written in the Stars" }

[Betty Quinlan]

It almost kind of very excruciating annoying that Cindy didn't seem to be listening to Betty. She was off in her own world, thinking her own thoughts, presumably ignoring every bit of advice Betty could dish out. And Betty was not exactly used to being ignored. People listened to Betty Quinlan, whether they liked it not.

She pulled her hand away from Cindy, and almost felt bad. Sure, the girl needed comfort, but what was the point if she wasn't going to listen. Not to mention that Betty and Cindy had never been the best of friends; heck, they had never been any sort of friends, really. It wasn't as if the very presence of Betty was any comfort. It was probably better if she just left.

Before she could make any movement, however, a hand landed roughly on her shoulder. Jumping a bit, she looked up and saw Sam hovering over her, extending her sundae, as grumpy-looking as ever. She smiled sweetly, taken the sundae from him. "Thank you ever so much, Sam. Just put it on my tab, 'kay?" She threw in a wink, and the old man left grumbling, though not altogether displeased.

Betty, however, wasn't feeling the sundae anymore. Standing up abruptly, she looked down at Cindy. "Well, you probably won't listen to anything I say, but let me just let me tell you one thing: You aren't going to accomplish anything just sitting in here, lamenting and thinking about the past. You're just going to be depressed for all eternity, and nobody likes that. So whenever you get tired of this emo thing, go DO something about it. Go get what you want! Take it from me; I always get what I want - and I didn't get it by just sitting there holding back tears."

She stared harder at Cindy. "But if you're just going to sit here and moan, then here." She shoved the sundae in Cindy's direction. "Take that. Comfort food."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the Candy Bar.


((( Sorry I disappeared for a bit. ;D Got sucked into an anime. Managed to watch 64 some episodes in the week I stopped posting. @_@ But I'm all out of subbed episodes, so I think I'm back to the Jimmy world now! Sorry!! )))

[Jimmy Neutron]

After standing to the side, waiting for Betty to exit through the glass doors and pass him, Jimmy entered the Candy Bar and almost instantly spotted Cindy. (It wasn't all too hard, as it was a fairly slow day for Sam, so Jimmy didn't flatter himself with the idea of having a psychic magnetism with Cindy -- especially since this was the fourth place he had come to in search of her.)

He sauntered over, panicing for a moment as he realized he had nothing at all to say or any means of defending himself if she were to throw him a wild punch. As soon as he came nearer, close enough to see the hurt and pain in her eyes, it didn't matter -- he would have forgotten any carefully planned conversation. He felt very stupid once again, and very sorry for making her so upset. Were she to still throw that punch, however, or a swift kick, he would be no better off than before.

Looking down at her dreary features, her slumped shoulders, he thought she did not have the heart for it. She looked positively miserable, in fact, and he felt miserable for knowing he had made her so.

He sighed heavily, still staring at her forlornly, wondering how they had gotten into a situation like this for how well they knew each other.

Well... presumably knew each other. Jimmy would have bet Goddard that the ice cream sitting before her would have been Pecan Ripple, but for some unknown reason today it was it was a sundae.

He couldn't remember if he had announced his prescence, and he felt very ridiculous, standing there with his arms limply hanging at his sides, staring openly. In an attempt to make up for the empty moment of silence, Jimmy's thoughts overlapped as they came tumbling from his mouth. After a choked, introductory grunt and a halting first start, he managed to get out, "So why didn't you talk to me today?"

{OOC: How rusty am I, eh? Still, I think you can find some way to respond to this.}

[Cindy Vortex]

Cindy didn't bother looking up as Betty walked away. The departed's words echoed in her mind, to every solitary track of mind, eating at her insides and encouraging the manic paranoia that had already begun to set in before their conversations. Because as little as she wished to admit it, Betty was right. Cindy hadn't wanted to tell herself that she'd screwed up, even if she had. Who was to blame? It didn't matter, did it? The fact was, she was sitting her doing nothing.

As she picked up the spoon in the sundae, she poked and prodded at the ice cream, sighing. Vanilla. How boring. There was barely anyone here today. When did Libby get out of dance? Cindy thought of everything, anything to get her mind off the cell phone in her pocket that was currently burning into her thigh. She should call him. She had to call him.

Her left hand inched for the device as her right hand continued occupying itself with the spoon.

But it seemed she didn't have to call him. The second she heard his voice beside her, her entire body seized up and her breath caught in her throat. If it had been on her time, she would have been prepared. She would have been able to leave a message on his voicemail telling him very pathetically to call her, but at least she would have been able to speak. That luxury had just flown out the window in her mind that had been open ever since their fight. Just his awkwardly muttered introduction had reduced her to less than the wallowing mush she had been moments before.

His next comment, however, didn't grant him so much leway.

How he could provide an inquiry so rediculously dim-witted, so blatantly obvious, was beyond her. That he could think a night's sleep would make everything okay infuriated her. That he was here asking her this had pushed her over the edge. Moments ago, she had been teetering between redemption and anger. The latter had now been breached.

Throwing the spoon in her hand down on the surface of the table in front of her, she turned to him, jaw set, expression deadly, trying to hide the tears welling in her eyes. "Think long and hard and tell me what you think. I thought you were supposed to be a genius." she snapped, shaking her head, as she looked him up and down disapprovingly before shoving her sundae away from her and turning her head away to hide the tears.

Ironic, wasn't it?

I don't know why people run.
I don't know why things fall through.

{ o o c : You're not too rusty, don't worry. And of course I found a way to reply. Duh. Have fun with this. ^_^ So glad you're back! }

[Lyrics: "The Next Ten Minutes"; from "The Last 5 Years"]