Jimmy's Second Move: The Theater

Jimmy was sitting in the chair in front of his main computer workstation, a very odd expression on his face. His legs were spread wide apart with both feet planted on the floor. In between his legs, Jimmy was holding a brutal-looking object. This object was a branch. It was the largest, thickest branch he had been able to find in his backyard. Now, the branch itself wasn't all that extraordinary. While it was certainly big, the only thing that separated it from any ordinary branch was that it had a word carved lengthwise along the bark.

This word was 'stupid.'

Jimmy lifted the branch up high, so that it was above and parallel to his head. He stared at it with deadened eyes. "This is the stupid stick," he told himself. "When you do something stupid, you get hit with the stupid stick. When you do something that's not stupid, you don't get hit with the stupid stick. Unfortunately, you did several very stupid things earlier this afternoon, and now you have to pay."

The genius tightened his grip around the stupid stick. For a brief moment, he wondered if he really deserved this. His self-doubt was transient however, and he reassured himself that he had earned everything that was coming to him. He put in his protective mouthpiece and began violently administering his own punishment.

"But what was I thinking?" he garbled to himself as he struck his head again and again. "'I think this ride's gonna be a lot of fun'? Taking her to the Bat Outta Heck? Consuming meats with questionable ingredients? No wonder it was a disaster!"

Jimmy was about to give himself another particularly severe whack when something stopped him. He looked up at the stick, which was poised above his head, and found that a white synthetic hand had grabbed a hold of it. Gently but firmly, Goddard pulled the stick out of Jimmy's grasp and placed it on a workbench safely beyond Jimmy's reach. The genius tried to go after it, but Goddard's white hand zoomed downward and blocked Jimmy's path. The hand's forefinger wagged back and forth.

"Alright, I get it," Jimmy said. "Blunt trauma never works." Jimmy removed his mouthpiece, sat back down on his seat, and slumped in despair. Although it had felt sort of good, he supposed that in the grand scheme of things, destroying his brain cells wouldn't help very much. Even if said brain cells were traitors.

"But that was about the worst afternoon in my life," Jimmy moaned. "It took them an hour to fix the power glitch, and when they did, Cindy threw up three more times. And if that wasn't bad enough, they had to close down the entire theme park because they couldn't find Francis. Apparently, the tunnels to Bat Outta Heck feed into the old Retroville sewer system. He wandered all the way underneath City Hall before they found him."

Jimmy sighed. He leaned against his chair, so that his head settled on the back of it. He gazed up at the ceiling. "And the worst part is that I didn't make my move on Cindy. Every time I tried, something happened, and even when I was trying to ask her out during lunch, she didn't seem to get it. If she really had feelings for me, she would've reacted in a different way. I just know it."

Goddard drew up beside Jimmy. The robotic dog softly ascended into the air, so that he was at eye level with his master. He licked Jimmy on the cheek.

"Let's just face it Goddard. After an afternoon like today, there's no way, just no way I'll ever be able to come up with an alternative plan to win over Cindy.

Ten minutes later, Jimmy was standing once again in front of his dry-erase board, the picture of happiness. "I've come up with the perfect alternative plan to win over Cindy," he told Goddard, who was sitting on his hind legs and facing Jimmy like a good dog. He had let Jimmy reclaim the 'stupid stick', and now the genius was using it to gesture at his board, where he had written a brand new plan of action.

"I don't know what I was thinking, taking her to Retroland," Jimmy scoffed. "It was far too juvenile, and attempting to curry her favor with the suspension bridge effect was nothing more than a cheap parlor trick. This time however, my plan is foolproof."

Jimmy swatted his stick at the first line on the board. "The Movie Theater," he said, as if this was the greatest three-word sentence known to man. "It's the perfect place. It's casual enough that Cindy won't be suspicious of my intentions, yet it's romantic enough that if the mood becomes just right, I can make my move and Cindy will be mine!" Jimmy slammed his fist on his palm in emphasis.

The panel on Goddard's chest lifted. Words soon entered the screen.

'Don't you think we should ask Libby for help?'

"I'm sure she could help, but I think I can do this on my own." Jimmy fingered his chin. "I know Cindy just as well as she does, and I'm hesitant to start going to her whenever I have Cindy issues. We'll use her as a last resort."

'How about Sheen? I hear that he knows all the tricks on how to get the ladies.'

Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "And who told you that?"

'I am not obliged to say.'

Jimmy shook his head. "Look, it's plain and simple. Guys have taken girls out to the movies for decades. There's just so many opportunities." Jimmy began tapping the various lines on the board. "We could bump hands while simultaneously reaching into the popcorn bowl. We could grab each other during tense or scary scenes. We could fall asleep on each other's shoulders." Jimmy smiled as he considered a final possibility, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. "Or we could just make out the whole time."

Jimmy's smile widened, his eyes growing dreamy. "I can just see it all now."

A shriek echoed across the movie theater as the curvy teen (who looked a lot like Betty Quinlan) bounded out of the kitchen and into the living room. She paused at the intersection between the front door and the stairs leading to the second floor. There were two paths she could take to escape the killer. Either she could exit the house and enter the cornfield, where she could hope to lose him, or she could go up the stairs to her bedroom and hide behind the locked door, where she could hope that he couldn't break it down. Leaving her fate to chance, she flipped a coin and caught it on her wrist. It was heads. The Betty lookalike cursed and ran up the stairs.

Eyes fixed on the screen, Jimmy and Daydream Cindy simultaneously reached into the popcorn bowl. When their hands touched, Cindy quickly removed hers, blushing visibly in the glow of the screen.

"I-I'm sorry Jimmy," she said, unable to look Jimmy in the eyes. "If only my bowl was larger. Then we could avoid bumping hands and move on to other romantic clichés.

The bowl Cindy was holding was about an inch in diameter. It contained exactly two pieces of popcorn.

Another shriek came from the movie screen. Betty was pushing against her bedroom door, trying to keep the killer at bay, while the masked madman hammered at the wooden panel with everything he had.

The sudden scream caused Cindy to seize Jimmy by the arm. Once again, she blushed when Jimmy looked at her. A few moments went by and Jimmy, smiling devilishly, slipped his arm around Cindy's shoulder. This caused the blonde to blush for the third time. She stared at Jimmy out of the corner of her eye, grazing him with a meek smile. Tenderness shone in her twin emeralds.

Hurling her miniscule popcorn bowl over her shoulder, Cindy tackled Jimmy out of his seat and ferociously kissed him, sounding very much like a tiger while doing so.

Jimmy nodded after the daydream ended. Another daydream, another success. He had been very satisfied with his imagination lately.

Jimmy and Goddard were standing in the lobby of the movie theater. The former was peeking out the glass entrance doors every so often, hoping to spot Cindy before she arrived. Jimmy wanted to get there early in case they were delayed, as well as to give himself extra time to cool his nerves. He had planned on coming alone, but Goddard volunteered to go with him. The mechanical canine reasoned that Jimmy might need some help. In reality though, Jimmy suspected that Goddard was only interested in what films were playing.

"So here's the plan," Jimmy said. He spoke in a discreet fashion, as though people might try to eavesdrop. "We scrap the humor. I'm no good at telling jokes, and I probably never will be."

'You can say that again,' Goddard wrote on his monitor.

Jimmy shot his dog a sharp look before continuing. "We also rely less on the science. The suspension bridge effect may still come into play, since a scary or thrilling scene can serve the same effect as a roller coaster, but we're no longer including it as a key element in our strategy. I never thought I'd say this, but there are some answers that science can't provide."

The symbol 'O_O' appeared on Goddard's screen. This drew yet another glare from Jimmy. Before he could say anything however, something registered on his periphery. He glanced out the glass doors and saw that Cindy had arrived and was walking up the steps to the entrance. Jimmy leaned closely toward Goddard, anxious to finish explaining his plan.

"The idea is to use the situation and my masculine charm to my advantage. I'll go for the usual: bumping hands, grabbing each other during tense scenes, slipping my hand around her shoulder, and falling asleep next to one another. And, if the moment's right maybe even getting in that kiss. Jimmy smiled, overconfident in his abilities as usual. "To facilitate the process, I'll just flirt it up and be as smooth as possible."

A glass door opened and in strolled Cindy. She did a quick sweep of the room before locating Jimmy and Goddard. The blonde headed toward them, regarding them with a frigid stare. Jimmy gulped.

"Hey there Cindy," he said, waving once and smiling. Cindy did not smile back.

"Hi," she said in a tone that matched her eyes.

Jimmy felt his stomach drop. He hadn't counted on this. "Still upset about yesterday?" he asked, pressing his teeth together.

"Why would I be upset?" Cindy growled. "Other than getting stuck upside down for an hour, yacking up my lunch and breakfast, and scarring some random kid I've never met before, I had a great time."

"You're…still upset," Jimmy answered.

"Let's just say it's a good thing you're treating me to a movie today."

"Of – Of course. I'm paying for everything."

"Right. And since I essentially lost two meals yesterday, you won't complain when I make up for it by ordering everything on the menu."

Jimmy felt a twinge of pain. He thought it originated somewhere in his wallet. He stuttered horribly as he got his next words out. "D-D-Did you say e-everything?"

"Correct again!" Cindy said without a moment's hesitation. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, sticking her nose up in defiance.

"Well maybe we can share some of the provisions, right?"

"If you want me to stay mad at you, be my guest," Cindy said, uncrossing her arms and opening her eyes.

Jimmy lowered his head. He knew a moot point when he saw one. "As you wish."

Cindy's face brightened. "Thank you, farm boy." She brushed past Jimmy, leaving him to contemplate the impending doom of his allowance. It was several seconds until Cindy's statement made its impact on Jimmy. That exchange they just had was similar to one he had seen in a movie. The girl had called the boy 'farm boy.'

Jimmy snapped to full alertness. Could it be? Did she actually mean what she had just said? Not the words themselves, but what was behind the words. Did she really feel that way about him? Did Cindy Vortex–

"So, what movie should we see?"

His train of thought interrupted, Jimmy decided to re-board at a later time. He jogged over toward Cindy, who now stood in front of the sidewall of the lobby, examining the movie posters. Goddard padded behind him.

"Hmm," Jimmy said, scanning through the posters. He stopped to focus on one that depicted a tall, lanky boy who was wearing a steel leg splint and was charging three aliens with a spear. "How about The Final Battle? I heard it got excellent reviews from the critics."

"I'm not in the mood for an action flick," Cindy said. She pointed at the poster directly in front of her. This one showed two figures lying on a beach, holding hands, and gazing up at the stars. "I want to see The Longest Night."

"A teen romance?" Jimmy said as he skeptically eyed the image. "Aw Cindy, can't we see something else?"

A dark look from Cindy told Jimmy they couldn't. He let out a dejected sigh. So much for grabbing each other during intense action scenes.

"As you wish," he said. He waited, wondering if she'd reply in the same way she had before. Cindy, however, simply brushed this aside.

"Now, minus the drinks and candy, I want everything on the menu except for a hot dog. All the sizes will be large unless directed otherwise. And don't even think about making any smart comments about the hot dogs…"

About midway through the seventh grade, Cindy started giving Jimmy tai-chi lessons. The purpose was in case he ever got in an off-planet fight and lost access to weapons, he could at least defend himself. Cindy had made Jimmy go through rigorous conditioning exercises, and as a result, Jimmy was actually in pretty good shape nowadays. He wasn't the most disciplined of students however, and when Cindy gave him a list of exercises to do at home, he usually ignored them. On some occasions, Jimmy wished he followed Cindy's training plan more faithfully and did the extra workouts, so he could be more athletic. This was one of those occasions.

"So…many…items…" Jimmy gasped while trying to get a better handle on the many cups, plates, and packages he was carrying. He moved in a very disorderly, zigzag fashion. One wrong step and everything would tumble to the floor. Including Jimmy. He didn't think he had the strength to get up if he fell, so he was even more careful about safeguarding his cumbersome load.

"There's no way you're going to eat all this stuff," Jimmy wheezed. He then gave Goddard a rather unfriendly look. In contrast to Jimmy, the mechanical canine was completely unburdened and hadn't offered so much as a paw to help.

"Sure I am," Cindy said. She slapped her stomach. "An active girl like me works up an appetite."

They continued their trek from the concession stand. They were heading for the corridor with their theater number when Cindy turned and peered down at Goddard. The robotic dog was shuffling along happily in front of Jimmy. The blonde furrowed her brows at Jimmy's pet.

"Why'd you bring Goddard with you?" She then added in a conciliatory manner: "No offense boy."

Goddard barked in affirmation.

"He likes movies," Jimmy said, shrugging as if even he didn't understand it.

"Really?" Cindy resumed her study of Goddard, like she was seeing him for the first time. Although she hung out almost every day with Jimmy, it still seemed like there were things she had to learn about his best mechanical friend. She knew Goddard was special, but perhaps there was more to him than she had originally thought.

'Really-really,' Goddard responded on his monitor.

Cindy smiled at this. "Well I'm impressed. You really do like watching movies, don't you boy?"

Goddard barked.

"Hey! You kids!"

Jimmy, Cindy, and Goddard all halted as they approached the theater corridor. Manning the entrance station was a squat, balding man, vested in the uniform all employees wore. The squat man looked at Jimmy and Cindy, then at Goddard. He pointed overhead, where the wall began above the large opening for the corridor.

"Didn't you see the sign?" Before Jimmy and Cindy could read it, he relayed the contents in a deep baritone. "No dooogs, allooooowwwwwed."

An irate Jimmy popped his head above a box of pizza. "Did you have to sing it?" he said, wrinkling his features in disgust.

Goddard bowed his head in embarrassment.

"It's one of my duties kid," the squat man told Jimmy. He lifted his eyebrows. "I even had to audition for the singing part in my job interview."

"Well they picked the wrong guy," Cindy said. "If there's a no dog policy, then they should have put it at the front of the building. Second, Goddard isn't even a real dog." She motioned at Goddard. "He's a machine capable of artificial intelligence built with the shape and characteristics of a dog."

"That is correct," Goddard, said. He had chosen to speak in his monotonous robotic voice instead of using his monitor. "I cannot even pee on the rug, even though sometimes I really want to."

"But – But I–" the squat man protested.

"Let me make this easy for you," Goddard intoned. "If you let me through, then I will not spend the next two hours explaining to you why your life is unfulfilling."

The squat man's shoulders sagged at Goddard's logic. "I do spend a lot of time thinking about that," he admitted.

"So then may I pass?"

The squat man studied the floor for a minute, thinking. When he raised his head back up, he regarded Goddard and nodded with a warm smile. "Well, you seem like a pretty smart dog," he said, staring indulgently at Goddard. "Alright. You can pass."

"That is swell," Goddard said. "You have made me so happy. If I were a woman, I would find you very attractive right now."

"Aww," the squat man said, waving off Goddard's compliment and blushing. He peered at the dog with tears brimming in his eyes. "Enjoy the show."

"I will be sure to do that."

That being said, Goddard padded past the squat man and into the theater corridor. He was followed by a very impressed Jimmy and Cindy. The trio made their way along the carpeted floor, keeping their eyes peeled for theater ten, which was all the way at the end. When they passed theater eight, Jimmy stared longingly at the screen above its entrance, which indicated the movie that was showing. Theater Eight was playing 'The Final Battle'.

As he gazed at theater eight's sign, Jimmy, who wasn't paying attention to where he was going, crashed right into something. Rather, he crashed right into someone. Jimmy groaned as he fell on his back, along with all of Cindy's snacks. He lifted himself off the ground and pushed off a particularly large container of nachos. He looked at the person he had collided with.

"You!" Francis spat, pointing at Jimmy with an accusatory finger. Jimmy couldn't help but notice that this finger was also bandaged. As the genius got a good look at Francis, he saw that there were many things about the boy's appearance suggesting malaise. Beside the bandage on his finger, he also had gauze wrapped around his forehead and his right arm was propped in a sling. He had a very noticeable bald patch in his long blond hair and dark, heavy bags underlining his eyes. In addition, his overall demeanor was one of a nervous wreck.

"You, you stay away from me!" Francis ordered. The nervous boy's eyes bulged as Jimmy rose to his feet. "Stay away!"

"Francis, what – what happened?"

The blond teen's rapid breathing slowed down a little. Jimmy's question appeared to have placated him. "Look, I didn't sleep last night okay?" he said. He held his arms out. "I've been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours."

Cindy drew up beside Jimmy while the genius scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I heard you had a little sewer mishap," Jimmy said.

Francis scoffed at this. "That? Hah! My night was just getting started."

"What happened to your hair?" Cindy asked, pointing at the bald spot.

Francis looked warily at the blonde. "I got in a fight with a bunch of sewer rats," he said, as though unsure whether Cindy was a safe person or not.

Cindy crossed her arms. "Sewer rats?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"They set a trap for me!" Francis said. A frown flashed across his face. "They're actually quite cunning."

Jimmy and Cindy didn't know how to respond to this.

"Anyway, you two vomit monsters just stay away from me, okay? You guys already ruined one of my favorite outfits and I'm not letting you do it again."

Jimmy turned to Cindy, about to suggest that they leave, when he saw a painful expression on her face. He traced her line of sight over to Francis. Smack-dab in the middle of the sweater the boy wore was a greasy smear of butter. It must have gotten there when he and Jimmy collided.

"What are you two…?" Francis peered down to see what Jimmy and Cindy were staring at. When he spotted the butter stain, he clapped his hands against his jowls in a very faithful imitation of The Scream. "NO! NOT MY SWEATER!"

Tears began trickling down Francis's cheeks as Jimmy and Cindy watched in uncomfortable silence. "My grandma-ma knitted this for me!" he blubbered. "It was the last present she gave me before she turned into a hobo."

Cindy couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Your grandma's a hobo?"

"Just stay away from me okay?" Francis hollered. He dashed diagonally across the corridor, heading straight for theater nine. This theater was also showing 'The Longest Night.' "I'll watch this film. Teenage romance always cheers me up."

Jimmy and Cindy stared at the entrance to theater nine long after Francis disappeared behind the doors. There weren't many things to say after scenes like that occurred. What broke the silence was when Cindy turned and examined the mess of containers Jimmy had dropped on the floor. It didn't take long for Jimmy to notice this. Upon doing so, he cracked a nervous grin.

"So, hehe," he said. "Are you gonna help me pick those up?"

It was with great relief that Jimmy (and Jimmy alone) finally set down Cindy's many containers of food. They had chosen seats in the eleventh row, which was fine by Jimmy since that meant he only had to climb one flight of stairs. He carefully assembled Cindy's spread on the two chairs to his left. He still thought that she had ordered too much food for her own good, and he wanted to place himself in between her and the enormous pile.

Cindy, as it turned out, had other plans. Instead of sitting next to Jimmy on his right, she sat three chairs over on Jimmy's left, next to the food pile but away from the genius. A second later, Goddard hopped up on Cindy's rejected seat to Jimmy's right. The robotic dog opened his chest panel in response to Jimmy's drooping facial features.

'Oh the things that happen to you,' Goddard typed. 'I changed my mind. I think that you would make an excellent comedian.'

"One more word out of you and I'm uninstalling your personality!" Jimmy threatened.

Goddard closed his panel and faced the blank movie screen.

Jimmy fumed silently as he waited for the trailers to begin playing. The crunching and munching coming from Cindy's direction only served to worsen his mood. She had a buffalo wing in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other. Both had significant bites taken out of them.

She really does work up an appetite, Jimmy thought.

He continued staring at Cindy until, perhaps sensing that she was being watched, she turned and stared back. Although it was difficult to determine under the dim lighting, Cindy appeared to pale, seemingly self-conscious that someone had seen her feasting so shamelessly. After a closer inspection, Jimmy realized that she also had buffalo sauce sticking to her nose and cheeks.

Jimmy cupped a hand around his mouth. "You got a little…" He wiped his nose and cheeks with an imaginary napkin, demonstrating Cindy's predicament. The blonde picked up a real napkin from amongst her containers and set about dabbing her face. She pulled the napkin away and looked to Jimmy for confirmation.

"You still have a little on your nose," Jimmy whispered. He spoke discreetly since he knew how embarrassed Cindy got about such things.

Cindy dabbed herself again with the napkin. Jimmy shook his head. The stain was still there. When Cindy dabbed herself for a third time and failed, Jimmy got up from his seat and walked over to hers. Without a second thought or moment's hesitation, he plucked Cindy's napkin away from her, brushing her fingers in the process, and pressed it against her nose.

"There," he said after removing the last of the sauce. "Good as new."

He was about to crumple up the napkin and set it in a coaster when he saw that Cindy was still staring at him. He meant to retract his gaze but found that he couldn't. Those mysterious green orbs held him with their cryptic power. His hand was only an inch from her face. He brought it even closer, index finger slightly extended. How he longed to graze her cheek. To feel her skin beneath his touch. She sat completely still, her complex eyes never leaving his. Waiting. Watching. Abiding. Jimmy held his breath, heart thrashing like a caged animal as he contemplated his next move.

Jimmy sighed. He had almost decided to withdraw his hand, ready to throw in the towel, when for some unknown reason he kept it there. Like he was controlled by some foreign intelligence, Jimmy stuck out his thumb and used it and his already extended finger to lightly pinch Cindy's nose. He turned it side-to-side, causing her head to wiggle in synchrony. He then stopped and resumed staring at her, still clamping her nose.

The two looked at each other. And then burst out laughing.

Jimmy finally let go of Cindy, relieved at hearing genuine laughter from her again. He had been growing worried that she might never forgive him for what had happened at Retroland. Her wrinkled nose and high-pitched giggles loosened the tightened ball that had formed in his chest. Once again, Cindy had demonstrated her influence over his emotions.

"Stop l-l-laughing Neutron!" Cindy cackled, trying to do the same herself but utterly failing. "It's not that f-f-funny!" She extricated a tear using her knuckle and sounded out the last of her giggles. Her lips were formed into a pleased smile. Jimmy didn't know if it was his imagination or if she really was harboring that same relieved feeling he thought he detected yesterday.

"Well that was unexpected," Cindy said, chuckling again. She looked at Jimmy, her amusement gradually melting into appraisal. Her twin emeralds lingered on him for one-tenth of a second longer than necessary. "Oh alright, you've suffered enough. Come on, let's move some of these containers so you can sit next to me."

The two teens quickly relocated the plastic and paper packages and bowls to Cindy's left. Soon enough, Jimmy was seated on Cindy's direct right. Goddard floated over so he was sitting on Jimmy's right as well. The trailers soon began playing and Cindy passed Jimmy one of her personal pizzas. A feeling of contentment settled over the genius. Things were good again between him and Cindy, and he now had his happening. He intended on making the most of it.

'Smooth and flirtatious', Jimmy told himself. He let his confidence well up inside him. Time to make a move.

Giving a big fake yawn, Jimmy stretched out his left arm and brought it around the back of Cindy's seat, just below her shoulders. He peered at Cindy out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling back at him. He waited for her to notice his arm, to make some kind of reaction, but she never did. Impossibly, she seemed completely unaware that he had just performed one of the oldest tricks in the book. She just smiled at him for a second longer and returned her attention to the screen.

Jimmy waited several minutes while the trailers ran, but it made no difference. Cindy never once noticed his boldly extended limb. The genius clenched his jaws together. It appeared he'd have to up the ante.

As inconspicuously as possible, Jimmy lifted his hand off the back of Cindy's seat. He carefully guided it through the air, closer to Cindy's head, until it was mere centimeters from a dangling lock of golden hair. He swallowed his reservations and gingerly grabbed a hold of that lock with his thumb and forefinger. Jimmy instantly nailed his gaze to the screen. He began playing with Cindy's hair.

An intensely dopey bout of pleasure stabbed Jimmy's heart. He wanted to protrude his front teeth and laugh out loud in a goofy voice. Even Nick Dean wouldn't have attempted a move so perilous. Jimmy waited eagerly for Cindy's response. There was no way she wouldn't react to this maneuver.

And react she did. Cindy's hand immediately went for her besieged hair lock and her fingers enclosed around Jimmy's. The blonde's head turned to the left, then to the right, where she saw that Jimmy was in fact the culprit. She frowned at him while using her left hand to remove her hair from his grip. She brought the tampered-with strand in front of her eyes, inspecting it. A grin suddenly burst on her face.

"Hey, you got my dreadlock out!" she exclaimed, happy as could be. She released her hair and patted Jimmy on the shoulder in a way that was anything other than romantic. "Ugh, I've been trying to get rid of that thing for days. Thanks Jimmy!"

Jimmy ground his teeth together. His confident mood was beginning to waver. He sat in silence for a few minutes, mulling over his next move. He supposed he'd have to be more direct. If he wanted to make his intentions known, he would need a straightforward approach. One that couldn't be rationalized or misinterpreted.

Jimmy took a deep breath and exhaled. There was no going back after this one. "So, Cindy," he said, leaning closer to her. He let his eyes droop to a half-lidded level. He read somewhere that females loved that. "You look, shall we say, rather…hot…today."

Like the previous day, Cindy just stared at Jimmy, and then her eyelids fluttered in rapid succession. His heart beating wildly, his brain ceasing to function, Jimmy went for broke. "L-like lava. Hot like lava. Like the molten liquid bubbling down the peak of an active volcano. K-Kīlauea perhaps?"

Cindy continued staring at Jimmy. She then wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist. "I know, what is it with this place?" She clutched her shirt and flapped it back and forth. "The air-conditioning must be busted. It's like ninety degrees in here."

Jimmy was about to protest when he noticed, to his consternation, that it was actually quite hot in the theater room. His own shirt had grown slightly damp, though he couldn't be exactly sure whether this was due to temperature or anxiety. He crossed his arms and sat back in his seat with a flump, a very mean look on his face. Foiled again. Why was it that none of his evil plans ever worked?

As he was pouting, the genius glanced over at Goddard. The mechanical canine was looking directly at him. Jimmy could have sworn that if Goddard had the ability, he would have been smirking right then. Since he had no facial elasticity however, Goddard simply opened his front panel and entered his thoughts onto his screen.

'You are doing it all wrong.'

Jimmy's lip curled at this. "What do you mean by that?" he whispered. "My moves were perfect. It's her defense system that's impenetrable."

Goddard shook his head. 'You are still not being straightforward enough and your timing needs improvement. Perhaps it would be best if I showed you an example of what you should be striving for.'

Jimmy snorted. "Oh, and what do you know about hitting on girls?"

'Just sit back and watch. I will show you how it is done.'

In spite of his churlish attitude, Jimmy couldn't help but be mildly impressed as Goddard padded self-assuredly over to Cindy's seat. He wondered what Goddard's strategy would be.

Cindy was stuffing herself with popcorn, interestedly watching the current trailer, which was about a young girl spending the weekend at the house of a boy she secretly loved, when she felt and heard a loud clunking. She peered downward and found that the source of the clunking was none other than Goddard. The robotic dog was looking at her, tongue hanging out, panting happily.

He was sitting on her lap.

"Uh," Cindy said, not sure what to do or say. "Good boy?"

Goddard's front panel opened and he began typing. He was positioned at such an angle that Jimmy could see the words appearing on his monitor. 'Yes, that is correct. I am a good boy. A very good boy. However, if you prefer bad boys, I can be one of those as well. I happen to excel at both.'

Cindy was aware that her lower jaw was hanging down, but she couldn't seem to bring it back up.

'So how about that national debt? Do you think they should try to balance it by reducing spending, increasing revenue, or both?'

"I…you…"

'If you are not doing anything later, how about we go back to my place after the movie? We could play a rousing game of fetch, and then, if you would like, I could put on a smooth jazz record.'

Cindy jabbed a finger at Goddard's nose. "Okay, you're seriously starting to bug me!"

'That is quite all right. I actually prefer you when you are angry.'

Cindy waved her fist at Goddard. "Listen you bucket of bolts! I tweaked your language algorithms for you and I can just as easily un-tweak them. If I see one more stupid remark on your monitor, I'll–"

Cindy broke off mid-sentence. She felt a sudden extra weight drop onto her right thigh. When she bent her head to see what it was, she found a small pile of screws, nuts, and washers on her leg, right underneath Goddard's hindquarters. Cindy's visage contorted. "What is that?" she screeched.

'Oh my goodness,' Goddard typed. 'This is so embarrassing. I could just about die.'

"I better go wash this off!" Cindy exclaimed. She stood up, scattering Goddard's metallic droppings on the floor. She went to brush her pants off but decided against it. "Biological or not, who knows where that stuff has been?" She threw her hands to the side with a huff and stormed off.

"Wait, Cindy!" Jimmy said, raising his hand as he tried to hold her off. "It's one-hundred percent sterile, I swear!"

"It's one-hundred percent gross is what it is!" Cindy snapped back, not slowing down a bit. Jimmy watched in frustration as she marched down the aisle and disappeared around the corner. He threw Goddard a very nasty look as his faithful companion padded past him.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Jimmy said.

Goddard hopped on his seat next to Jimmy and re-opened his chest panel. 'You are correct. Her defense system is impenetrable.'

Jimmy slammed open the door to the men's bathroom, not caring whether he struck someone in the face, which fortunately he didn't. He stalked his way over to the urinals, barely able to keep his anger at bay. It was bad enough when he embarrassed himself in front of Cindy, but Goddard too? Since Jimmy had built Goddard, he was a reflection of Jimmy himself. If Cindy took issue with the robotic dog, what would she think of Jimmy?

These things and more flurried through Jimmy's mind as he unzipped his pants and started conducting his business. He was thankful that, for the time being, there was no one else in the restroom. This gave him the opportunity to talk out loud, which he'd been finding very therapeutic lately.

"Hopefully she's not too upset about Goddard," Jimmy told himself. "Although it's possible that this will work to my advantage. Next to Goddard, I'll look like Prince Charming. Not that I wasn't charming already, but every man can use a boost now and then."

Jimmy waited a few seconds, but his bladder still hadn't finished emptying. Gee, I got to go easier on the Purple Flurp. Since it appeared he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Jimmy resumed his monologue.

"There still are a few things I haven't tried yet. And it's possible that I'll have to plan more outings after today. Making a move on Cindy is turning out to be more complicated than I expected." Jimmy sighed. "Still. Slow and steady wins the race Jimmy. You just gotta hang in there."

Jimmy heard the bathroom door open and halted his talking. He kept his eyes on the wall ahead, hoping that the newcomer hadn't heard what he had been saying. All he needed was someone he knew to have caught him. Once that happened, the rumors would spread, and any advances he wanted to make on Cindy would triple in difficulty.

The newcomer settled at the urinal next to Jimmy. The genius rolled his eyes. There was another free urinal on the far left. Didn't this guy know about the man rule?

"Hey, what are you up to?"

Reluctantly, Jimmy craned his neck to the left. He saw the familiar chubby face and bulky body of Bob the plumber. The boy genius wanted to vanish on the spot. Why did he keep running into irritating people? This guy wasn't as bad as Francis, but still.

As best as he could, Jimmy smiled up at Bob. "Oh nothing," he said in a nonchalant tone. "Just…just peeing."

"Oh yeah?" Bob asked with a smile. "Good for you." The big man left Jimmy in silence for a moment.

Jimmy really wished that he hadn't drunk so much Purple Flurp.

"So you and me are pretty much pals now, right?"

Jimmy looked up at Bob. He couldn't believe his ears. "Well a-actually, we just met yesterday."

"Do you ever watch the Ultralord show?" Bob's smile didn't falter for a minute. Either he truly didn't recognize Jimmy's indifference, or he simply chose to ignore it.

"Actually, I detest cartoons."

"Remember that one where Ultralord defeats Robofiend on that giant cruiser? Only he tries to implode the cruiser, knowing that he has to sacrifice himself to beat Robofiend? Man that was a good episode."

Jimmy decided not to say anything. There was no point in even talking anymore.

"I uh," Bob began, trailing off. He gave a nervous laugh, like he was debating whether to say something. "I wrote an Ultralord fanfiction last night," he said, nodding his head, though more to himself than to Jimmy. "I wanted to expand on that scene. You know, the one where Ultralord thinks he's sacrificing himself?" Bob set his gaze on the wall in front of him. "You could check it out if you want. My penname's Bobtheplumber. It's all one word." Bob nodded to himself again. "I haven't gotten any reviews yet but I figured, you know, I'm a new author so it'll take 'em a while to see if I got the goods or not. Small fandom, you know?"

Jimmy didn't respond.

"Plus, everyone there loves Ultralord Robofiend slash so much that I can't expect to get too many reviews if I don't write about it, know what I mean?"

Jimmy all but collapsed on his seat next to Cindy. Between meeting odd people and trying to win the heart of the girl he loved, the past two days had taken quite a toll on him. He gazed expectantly at the blonde, wondering what her current mood would be.

"You took a bathroom break too?" she asked. Her tone had a soothing effect on Jimmy. She harbored no resentment toward him over what had happened with Goddard.

"Yeah," Jimmy said. His voice lowered to a mumble. "It was really weird."

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing," he replied with a smile. Cindy smiled back and returned to watching the film, where the two main characters were engrossed in building argument. She reached out to grab the last bowl of popcorn, which was half full. Jimmy was impressed. He had thought Cindy wouldn't be able to eat all her food, but he had been wrong. Granted, he had ended up helping, but it was still an impressive feat.

As Jimmy watched Cindy put her hand inside the popcorn bowl, he saw his chance. Quickly, without even thinking about it, he threw his own hand inside, so that their fingers touched. Cindy quickly looked at the bowl and then at Jimmy.

"Whoops," he said, withdrawing his hand so that he could raise both of his in a shrugging gesture. "How clumsy of me."

"That's okay Jimmy," Cindy said. She giggled. "It's not like I have cooties or anything, right?"

"Well," Jimmy said, doing his best Jet Fusion impression. "I haven't analyzed you under a microscope yet." He pointed at her and lifted his eyebrows, like it was the coolest thing he could have done.

Cindy gave him a rather odd look and turned away. Jimmy kicked himself on the ankle.

What happened next more than made up for Jimmy's gaffe. A loud clap of thunder rumbled from the theater's speakers, which was felt by everyone in their seats. Cindy grabbed Jimmy's arm so suddenly that it took him nearly five seconds to realize what had happened. He observed her slim white fingers, forgetting to savor the way they felt on his skin.

"Sorry," Cindy said, releasing him immediately. "I just wasn't expecting the thunder."

Jimmy stared at Cindy's profile more heavily than he had the entire day thus far. His eyes went to her shoulders, her limbs, her midsection. He recalled everything he had ever read about body language and tried to apply that knowledge to his blonde friend. He remembered her farm boy comment, the way she looked at him when he was cleaning her nose, how she had seized his arm just now. What did it all mean? Did Cindy have any feelings for him? Was she attempting to send him small signals, hoping that he'd eventually catch on? Was it like Libby said, how Cindy wanted the guy to make the first move? He remembered when he was under the influence of the love potion, how she, who hadn't been exposed to any pheromones, seemed to get mad every time he failed to take the romantic initiative. Was that what she wanted him to do now? To take the initiative?

Jimmy gulped. This was a big decision. A big one. He could make a major move right now. The timing was perfect, and it was possible that Cindy even wanted him to do it. All he had to do was lean forward. Just give her that kiss before she could react, in the darkened movie theater, just like he had imagined while he was waiting in the lobby with Goddard. He could do it. He could end all the reservations, and questions, and suffering, once-and-for-all. He could find out whether Cindy felt the same way about him by making his move right here and right now.

He hesitated. Her eyes were fixed on the screen. She wouldn't even see him coming. He felt a brief moment's panic and then squashed it. He made up his mind. He was going in.

Jimmy hesitated one last time. Then he thrust his head forward and went for the kill.

He got about a foot away from Cindy when suddenly, she raised her bowl of popcorn in the air and brought it in between her cheek and Jimmy's lips. The boy genius wound up planting a big fat kiss on the paper bowl, right over the 'O' in 'Retro-Theater.' There he let his lips remain. Jimmy was an incurable self-punisher, and he felt that he fully deserved to make out with an inanimate object.

"Hey Jimmy, did they give us any extra packets of butter? Jimmy?" Cindy retracted her bowl and found Jimmy staring at her from a rather close distance. She pursed her lips in surprise. "Oh. I didn't see you there."

Jimmy just gazed at her. He was moments away from giving up all his belongings and joining Captain Betty on the high seas.

"Do you have any extra butter packets?" Cindy repeated. Slowly, the world began to make sense again to Jimmy. He shook his head in response to Cindy's question.

"Darn," the blonde said. "This popcorn's so dry. I guess I'll head over to the concession stand after this scene and get some more."

Jimmy had finally returned to reality when Cindy had finished speaking. He placed his fingertips on her shoulder. "No need. Goddard has extra butter in his condiments reservoir."

Cindy cocked an eyebrow. "Condiments reservoir?"

Jimmy nodded. "Comes in handy." He waved Goddard over. "C'mon boy. Let's give Cindy her butter."

Cindy eyed the robotic dog suspiciously. "As long as he doesn't start hitting on me again."

"Don't worry," Jimmy said with a laugh. "I think he learned his lesson."

A taciturn Goddard hopped onto Jimmy's lap and turned ninety degrees, so that his right side was facing Cindy's bowl. Jimmy guided the bowl closer to Goddard's right. He lifted a panel on Goddard's left side and began pressing buttons. He tapped a final button when he saw the icon of a stick of butter enter the small screen above the keypad. He waited, expecting the butter to come out Goddard's right side any minute.

Unexpectedly, Goddard shuddered like he was experiencing an internal earthquake, and Jimmy heard the sound of highly pressurized liquid being released. He watched in horror as a spray of purple fluid hurtled through the air. It landed with a splash on someone at the end of the fifth row.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jimmy glared furiously at Goddard. "Did you mix up your vials again?" he shouted

"Uh, Jimmy? Cindy tapped nervously on Jimmy's arm, pointing over to the aisle, where a sprawled figure laid convulsing on the floor. Jimmy rose to his feet to get a better look. Rage rattled his skull as he recognized the figure.

"He ran into the other theater, not this one!" Jimmy bellowed.

"Why would you do this to me?" Francis wailed. His soaked arms were bent in the air at odd angles as he rolled around in agony. He couldn't have known the identity of his attacker, but he addressed whoever it was nonetheless. "Why? I'm allergic to Purple Flurrrrrp!"

"Oh come off it!" Jimmy said. "No one's allergic to Purple Flurp! I bet he's faking it!" The genius wasn't normally so crude, but he had had it with this kid always ruining his moments with Cindy. He had to be doing it on purpose; there was just no other explanation.

"I think he's breaking out," Cindy remarked.

Sure enough, under the glow of the movie screen, Jimmy made out faint hives blossoming on Francis's soda-splashed skin. Angry though he was, Jimmy's apathy had its limits. He grumbled under his breath as he moved down the row past Cindy, en route for the suffering boy.

"My sweater!" Francis moaned as he rolled. "My beautiful sweater. The last thing I loved in the world, ruined."

Jimmy had exited his row and was starting to walk down the aisle toward Francis when something made him leap onto a nearby seat. Several large, dark objects went by him. As Jimmy watched them, he got the strange impression that the objects were alive. His eyes grew wide when the objects finally reached Francis. They actually began positioning themselves around the teen. When Jimmy got a better look at them under the light from the movie screen, he finally confirmed their identity.

"What's this?" Francis said. He had been so busy somersaulting that he hadn't noticed the seven furry creatures assembled at his hands, feet, head and torso. He looked at them in disbelief. "What is this?"

The furry creatures began dragging Francis away. They did so at a slow but steady clip.

"Come on!" Francis shouted. He gestured wildly at the seven large rats that were tugging him along the theater carpet. "You got to be kidding me! I get hosed by a random wave of Purple Flurp, and now this?"

The movie forgotten, all eyes in the theater watched as Francis was pulled away.

"Who does this happen to? Who gets carried away by rodents? Anyone? Anyone?"

No one answered.

"Hey, hey wait a minute. Wait a minute!" A hint of fear entered Francis's furious tone. "Where are you guys taking me? I said, where are you taking me?" Francis struggled to remove himself from the rat's grips, but they were surprisingly strong. The androgynous teen jerked and twisted in vain. "I know what's happening! You're taking me back to the sewer aren't you? Aren't you?"

The rats paid Francis no mind. Unperturbed, they continued their steady work.

"Mommy look," said a little girl sitting at an end seat. She tugged on her mother's arm and pointed over at the strange procession moving down the aisle. The little girl suddenly laughed, as only small children could. "Those rats are funny!" she said.

"Help, somebody!" Francis screeched, doubling his efforts at escaping. Even so, his thrashing was futile. "They're taking me back to their lair! I don't want to go back I tell you! You have no idea what it's like down there!"

Francis's words had no effect on the other moviegoers. The simply watched the outrageous spectacle unfolding before their very eyes.

"They're not normal rats!" Francis hollered. His entourage had reached the end of the aisle. They began rounding the corner. Francis's body started disappearing feet-first. "They're not normal I swear!"

Francis left claw marks in the carpet as the rats finally dragged him out of sight.

"My grandmother turned into a hobo!"

Disclaimer – I don't own Jimmy Neutron nor any other referenced media material.

AN: Hello you crazy cats and dogs. I apologize for taking so long to update Make a Move, and for my general lack of fanfic activity for the past couple of months or so. Like so many of us all know, life is a fluid business, and it can be difficult to predict when things can come up. I don't know how long it will be until I return to updating, but rest assured - I have not departed the JN fandom just yet.

I am uploading this Author's Note to make an announcement. In three weeks, on Saturday, September 22nd, myself, quietthinker, and EL CHUPACABRA (a writer once active within the fandom who has since deleted his stories) will be making a video. As it turns out, we've all stalked each other and found out where each other lives, and whaddya know - we're within driving distance. You won't see our video in theaters, but you should find it sometime afterward on youtube via your friendly neighborhood internet connection (maybe Sunday, September 23rd). Basically, we plan to discuss our stories, Jimmy Neutron, writing in general, and any other questions you might have.

Please, we encourage you to message us with any questions (appropriate ones that is, lol) you might have. We'd really love to interact with you.

I've also repeated this message in my profile page and at the end of The Longest Night - just wanted to increase our exposure for this event :)