A Cindy-rella Story

Chapter 1: The Flyer

Hello and welcome to my very first published story, I hope you enjoy!

Cindy Vortex sat in her 4th block AP history class listening to the teacher drone on and on, Mr. Nibbs was known for boring lectures but today he seemed to be even worse. She groaned as she thought about the fact that it was only October which meant she had to endure another eight months of this, but then she thought about the fact that she was graduating in June and that thought lifted her spirits. She wasn't even entirely sure why she had elected to take this class, while she enjoyed history she already had the required credits and this particular teacher was very boring. The only thing that kept her going was the chestnut haired, blue-eyed genius that sat behind her.

Her and Jimmy weren't the enemies they used to be as kids, as they grew older and matured they realized it was pointless to fight over every little thing all the time and had agreed to try being friends. They still debated with each other but it was more witty playful banter than actual hate and they realized they didn't actually hate each other, they had come to respect one another. He had also finally hit a growth spurt and now stood at 6 feet while she stood at 5 3'', so she could no longer make fun of his height. He had done away with his ridiculous hair style in middle school and now wore a normal short but still shaggy haircut.

What also helped their friendship grow was the fact that their best friends were still dating so they had to find a way to get along. Sheen and Libby had been going strong since the fifth grade and Sheen had actually calmed down some, he finally got help for his ADHD and the medication really made a difference. He had also stopped the whole Ultralord phase when the show ended in their seventh grade year, these days he just stuck to regular comics and superheros like Batman and Superman.

"Alright class there's only 5 minutes left and it's the last class of the day on a Friday so go ahead and pack up, but remember you have a quiz on chapter 3 Monday!"

The class immediately broke out in conversations as everyone turned to talk to their friends.

"I'm gonna smoke you on that quiz Vortex" Jimmy gave her a smug smile.

Cindy turned around in her seat to talk to him and rolled her eyes but smirked back, "in your dreams Neutron, I'm gonna beat you so bad you'll be asking me for study tips"

"You willing to put your money where your mouth is?"

She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, "what exactly are you suggesting?"

"I'm simply suggesting a little wager; loser buys the winner a milkshake at the Candy Bar, what do you say?"

She thought for a moment, "alright Neutron you're on, but don't forget to add whipped cream and sprinkles when you order my milkshake" then she winked at him.

He was about to retort but just then the bell rang before he had a chance to.

Cindy was almost out the door when Jimmy's voice rang out and stopped her, "Wait, Cindy?"

She turned around and faced him, "yeah?"

He almost looked nervous for a moment, then he said "we never shook on it, it's not a proper bet if the two parties involved don't officially shake on it"

She wasn't sure what she was expecting him to say, but for some reason she was almost disappointed that that's all he wanted, "right, of course" she then walked over and took his extended hand in hers. As soon as he took her hand she couldn't help but notice how much larger his was than hers and she felt a strange tingling sensation. She began to blush and quickly shook his hand and left before she could do or say anything embarrassing. The truth was she knew she liked him as more than a friend, she had finally admitted it to herself after he had kissed her in the fifth grade. After that however he never did or said anything else so she assumed he didn't actually feel anything romantic towards her and she stopped waiting around for him to make a move. She had even dated Nick Dean for a month in the 6th grade until the two decided they were better as friends, after that he started dating Betty Quinlin and the two were still together so it worked out for the better. Surprisingly she no longer hated Betty, though she supposed she never truly did if she was being honest with herself. The only reason she even disliked her at all was because Jimmy had a huge crush on her when they were kids and drooled like an idiot whenever she was around, but that changed after Betty had actually taken Cindy aside one day and told her she didn't return Jimmy's feelings. Cindy was so happy she could fly and she realized that Betty was actually a very nice person so hating her for a reason that wasn't even her fault seemed pretty ridiculous.

She quickly stopped at her locker to deposit any books she wouldn't need over the weekend and was about to exit the building when a flier caught her attention, it was an announcement for the upcoming Halloween dance happening next Friday. The thought of her and Jimmy going together made her smile; dressing up in cute matching couple costumes, riding there together like a proper date should be, taking dorky pictures together in the photobooth the school always set up at dances, slow dancing close with arms around each other holding tight, her head on his chest, then they look at each other and start leaning in...

She wasn't sure when it happened but suddenly she was at her car, so she sighed then unlocked the door and got in. The ride home took all of 15 minutes and when she got there she noticed she was the only one home.

Her parents had gotten divorced when she was 13 and since the house was in her fathers name he got to stay there and her mother was the one who had to move out, she had the option of going with either of her parents but chose to stay with her dad in Retroville rather than leaving to live in Austin with her mother and Aunt Susan. Her mother had actually (and surprisingly) been calm and mature about the whole situation, she agreed that it wasn't fair to take her from the only life and house she'd ever known and place her somewhere new so she agreed to let her live with her father under the condition that she would still see her mother regularly.

She poked her head into the kitchen and noticed a note on the refrigerator, "I'm going to be at work pretty late tonight so you're on your own for dinner" this actually happened quite often. Her dad was a lawyer, one of the best in Retroville, and he was always working. Even if he was home he was in his office so most of the time he barely even registered he had a daughter, let alone knowing what she was doing. She felt she could literally not come home one night and he wouldn't even notice, it's not like he paid attention to what she was doing when they were both home anyways. She decided to call Libby, if she was going to be stuck here alone to fend for herself again she might as well have the company of her best friend.

The phone rang for a few seconds before Libby picked up, "hey girl what's up?"

"Well my dad said he's going to be working late again so I'm stuck here by myself, I was thinking you could come over and keep me company? We can order pizza and watch a movie or something"

"Sorry Cin I'm actually going out with Sheen tonight, but I happen to know a certain genius who probably wouldn't mind keeping you company" she knew Libby well enough to know she was smirking and raising her eyebrows.

"And why on earth would I want to do that?"

"Girl do not play dumb with me, we both know you have been crazy about that boy since the day you met him! We graduate this year, are you finally gonna tell him how you feel or are you gonna let him go off to college and meet someone else while you cry to yourself 'oh no I should have told him! Why oh why didn't I listen to my amazing best friend who's always right about everything?'"

She rolled her eyes "okay first of all I am not that dramatic, and second even if I did have these 'feelings' for him and decided to tell him who says he feels the same way? He clearly doesn't so why should I put myself out there?"

"Alright ask yourself this, do you see him having 'witty banter' with anyone else? Do you even ever see him talking to any other girl besides you? And you've never caught him lookin' at you the way I have, trust me he's got feelings for you too. I'm not saying ask him to marry you on the spot, just start small by inviting him to hang out and maybe even bring up the Halloween dance and see what he says"

She pondered this for a moment then sighed, "I suppose it's worth a try, and if anything else it's better than sitting in this empty house with only Humphrey for company"

"There ya go you just completed the first step and I'm proud of you! Now I'm gonna let you go so you can give bighead a call, and you better tell me everything later!"

She rolled her eyes, "aye aye captain" and with that she ended the call and scrolled up on her contact list until she reached the name she was looking for, then hit dial.