Kim Possible Fan Fiction ❯ Tales of The Awkward ❯ Popular Stoppable ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

His message to her replayed back and forth, over and over, and she tried to believe in his words. It was probably the most reassuring words that she had heard from him that week.

'I'm the same old Ron.'

It was almost endearing the way his slacks fell down on cue when he said that. She was almost convinced that he was the same goofy blond that she knew no less than two weeks ago.

Now if only the girls of Middleton High realized that.

Back in the 'same old Ron' days, the boy was a little better than an extra-strength girl repellant. These days, however, Monique and herself weren't the only ones that began to take notice of the former bumbler, but a handful of girls began to turn their heads at the sight of his as well. Not just the Tara's and the Penny's of the world that had liked him long before he decided to make a 'small change,' as he described it, but the more established ones, the more popular, the ones on the upside of the Food Chain began to turn an interested eye toward the blond.

For instance, a girl with long blonde hair and fairly nice features gave the sidekick a nice hello the other day. Thing was, Ron didn't even know the girl. Out of just being shocked at the greeting, the sidekick still gave her a wave. The redhead had to smile in spite of the strange happenings. He certainly was attracting more girls, but darned if he could understand them, or talk to them for that matter.

'I'll get used to it,' Kim thought as she turned out the light. It had been a long weekend... Why make it longer staying up thinking about changes that she couldn't control?

Of course, not everyone was impressed or believing that the sidekick had turned over a new leaf. The spearhead of these nonbelievers was none other than...

...OK, Take a wild guess.

"The tags say 'name brand', but he still says 'I'm a loser'," came the discouraging words of one Bonnie Rockwaller, the perennial discord distributor of Middleton High. Her entourage exchanged giggles and murmurs throughout the circle. Perhaps it was coincedence that Ron was overhearing this conversation on his way to Math Class. His first inclination was to simply ignore this blatant assassination of his character. Then again, that was what he had used to do... He really didn't feel like doing it again. What he really wanted to do was tell her off. That would have given him a thrill, but at what cost?

Strangely enough, his third impluse was to bash her face in with a skillet, but since he didn't have said skillet on his person, that was out of the question.

He followed his defeatist first motion and ignore this. Besides, karma always came back to haunt people. Didn't it?

"What do you know? If it isn't the textbook definition of the term loser!"

loser (loo·zer) n.

1. One that fails to win

2. One who takes loss in a specified way

3. One that is bad in quality

4. The Boston Red Sox

5. The Buffalo Bills of the Early 1990's

6. Ned

7. Ron Stoppable

Of course, this incited more annoyance from the blond. Why couldn't she just let him be? How could someone so pretty be such a pain in the... rear? The laughs of the hangers-on tweaked him even more. Forget about ignoring her... It was time for the Ron-dawg to stick up for himself.

Shooing away the pangs of doubt that stuck itself to the pit of the boy's stomach, Ron cleared his throat loudly enough for people to hear and let it rip.

"Oh yeah, Bonnie?" He challenged. "Well you are the textbook definition of a prissy, stuck-up, self-centered, gold-digging, snooty, conniving Ho-Bag!"

The shockwaves! The consternation! The sheer unpredictability of it all! If only the students of were prepared for such an outburst from the outcast. If they had only knew the frustration that lay dormant in the now active Ron Stoppable! If only Bonnie had known about trying to put out fires with gasoline.

If only Ron had actually said what he was thinking.

(Reeeeeewind)

The laughs of the hangers-on tweaked him even more. Forget about ignoring her... It was time for the Ron-dawg to stick up for himself.

"Oh yeah, Bonnie?" He challenged. "Well you are the textbook definition of..."

Why did everyone stop what they were doing to look at him? The sidekick gulped. They all stared daggers at him as if to say "What's he doing sticking up for himself?"

"...The textbook definition of what?" Asked Bonnie. One hand cocked on hip.

Now the boy was getting hot under the collar. Was he going to rise to the challenge and say what he had always wanted to say to this prissy, stuck-up, self-centered, goldigging, snooty, conniving Ho-Bag? Or would he simply shrink away?"

"Eh... The textbook definition of... a strikingly beautiful young woman that has no business acknowledging losers like me," He said in full retreat mode.

Whoever didn't think the latter was going to have a bad time with his or her bookie...

Amidst the heckles and catcalls of 'coward' and 'loser' that he received from the mindless sheep, Ron continued to Italian class. The strange thing was that he did manage to silence the brunette... Maybe she finally decided to lay off.

It had been a long, long, long weekend for Kim Possible, from the eye-catching exploits of her best friend to two (Count `em), two solo missions on the day before. She knew she was going to have a tough time this Monday. It had already begun when she woke up about forty-five minutes late to class.

She was reprimanded on the spot by Mr. Barkin and was let off with a warning. You would think a globetrotting super-heroine would catch a break every once in a while, but no. Not in high school.

Second period was right around the corner, so she waited for the bell to ring... and indeed it did. The herd of students passed by as the bell continued to sound off. She was waiting for Ron. Strangely enough, he never came. So, with a shrug, she went forward to her next class... pne lateness was enough for one day. As she got to the stairway corridor, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hi," The tapper, a girl greeted.

"Uh, Hey," Kim said uneasily.

"...Aren't you Kim Possible, the..."

"...Teen Superhero? Yeah that's me," Kim said. It was kind of unlike her... But a good ego stroke could do wonders for your day.

"Oh... Yeah, that too. But... Aren't you Ron Stoppable's best friend?"

"Yeeeah," She said, not exactly liking where this was going.

"Have you seen him?"

"No. Not yet."

"Oh," The girl said in a disappointed tone.

OK... This was definitely not something she would expect from the 'Same Old Ron.'

"Well, when you see him can you tell him that Alexis said 'Hi?'"

"Sure," She said with ever-narrowing eyebrows.

The black-haired girl went about her business leaving the auburn-haired girl about as confused as a blonde in a Chemistry class. Alexis? Who the heck was Alexis? Where did she come from? And why in the world did she want Ron to know that she said 'Hi'? These probing questions swirled around like hurricanes in the Atlantic. This might have been the beginning of what she almost feared... Ron was an extra-strength girl repellant no more.

Not because she was jealous, mind you. But think of what the advances of these girls would do to Ron's ego... That alone could make his ego rise to unbelievable and gargantuan proportions... He may even start calling himself something gregariously stupid like "The Playa President" or "The Ron" or something along those lines.

She shuddered. This week could potentially be even more strange than the last two.

Oh yeah... and she was late to class again.

The redhead kept her emerald green eyes locked on her best friend in their third period class. In the past, they used to have almost every class together. This semester, however, they only had two. She never would have thought in ten-thousand years that she would be keeping tabs on the blond throughout the day. What made Ron the flavor of the month? It couldn't been just a simple change of threads, could it? Nah... Girls couldn't possibly be that shallow.

(Stop laughing, S-Chrome!)

It was Creative Writing class too... which meant that there was very little instruction, and a whole lot of socializing.

A couple of rows away a blond was simply trying to mind his own business... trying to keep a firm handle on the assignment, even though it was ridiculously commonplace.

'Write about something that you will do over the summer'... Boy... It was about to be April and the teachers were already mailing it in.

With pen in hand, he wrote down the things he would do... or at least hoped to do.

1. Not go to Summer School: I've been down that road before... and it tanks.

He wasn't going to go into detail, but this very same English teacher was the reason that had him in the Prison with No Air Conditioning in the first place.

2. See the fireworks on the fourth of July: It's almost like tradition. Every year on the fourth, me and...

His concentration was broken by a paper ball of some kind, hitting him square in the back of the head. Of course it didn't hurt or make him wonder who the heck threw it because it happened in every class, every time. Thus, he ignored it. Minutes later, however, he was pelted with yet another paper ball. Oy... Why couldn't he ever be left to his own devices... Why?

He picked up the piece of paper. How great would it be if he was to partake in the throwing of the paper... It was so juvenile, and yet... high schoolers still did it. And... Wait... was there writing on that paper? He let his curiosity get the better of him as he un-crumpled the piece of paper.

From a fair distance away in the back of the classroom, Kim saw that Bonnie was throwing paper balls at Ron. Why couldn't she ever get off of his case? Did her bubbling, boiling hatred toward her have to spill over to her best friend? She was just about to let the brunette have it...

...'Did you mean what you said earlier today?'

The blond was confused... which was a frequent occurrence. He had no idea who this was. That is, of course, until he saw the bottom of the sheet.

-Bonnie.

Bonnie? Bonnie Rockwaller? His chocolate brown eyes went about as wide as they could go upon reading that very name. He hadn't been this surprised since Three Six Mafia won an Oscar.

...Well, it was hard out here for a pimp... But that wasn't the point right now.

Was the blond going to be given a repreive for what meant to be harsh words earlier today?

Boo-Yah.

With a quick scribble of 'Yes', Ron crumpled the piece of paper and airmailed it back. Within about a minute, another paper ball hit him in the back of the head. Apparently, people like Bonnie enjoyed pelting him with objects. Shrugging off the pelting, he unwrapped the new ball.

'That's sooo sweet. Maybe I was wrong about you. Come over to my table at lunch.'

What a turn of events this was... He stared for what seemed to be an eternity at that piece of paper. Did this mean that he was no longer the hated outcast of the school? Could it be?

This had to be some kind of dream or something... He pinched himself repeatedly... Yep... It was reality indeed.

'Bonnie's table... Wow...,' Ron thought. The place where all the popular people sat at, the pretty girls, good portion of the cheerleaders were there too... and… the guys who played for the teams, and things of that nature.

...Things of that nature!

On the other side of the classroom, Kim was confused. What exactly was Ron doing picking up rubbish that was just thrown at him? She guessed that she would find that out later at lunch.

Where the heck was Kim? The blond searched far and wide... He pondered what he was going to do with this rendezvous with the cool table... He had no clue how to act around these individuals. Well, they weren't individuals. They were kinda like all the same people with differing faces, bodies, and the like...

...Then he remembered, Monday was the day that Kim went to Chemistry Lab instead of Lunch. It looked as if Ron was on his own on this one.

He never thought much of being popular, because he knew that he was never going to be accepted by those elitist pigs... But, now... Things were different!

The blond pushed the door open to the cafeteria. He had never been so nervous to go into the lunchroom since that fateful day the lunch lady served both Mystery Meat and Mystery Salad in the same afternoon, though this time his stomach was doing a bit more belly-flips. Slowly, he made his way across to get lunch... Certainly, he could stand on his head and cook something better than this 'prison food' as he liked to describe it, but it was the only thing there at the moment as his pockets were about as light as a feather... Maybe lighter. As he grabbed the tray, which was Spaghetti & Meatballs (or so it seemed), and went on his way to his usual table. That's when he heard that sound...

"Ron... Over here."

That was indeed the voice of Bonnie... And... She sounded inviting... and she actually acknowledged him by his first name! Were the words that he said that eloquent and profound? And... what did those words mean? Taking a deep breath, and using newly found balance to keep his tray falling on the onset of the brunette's voice, the sidekick ambled to her table.

Indeed, even teen heroines didn't get a break in High School.

Kim didn't even know that there was fifth period detention... Until now, of course. The redhead shook her head... What was even weirder than the blond turning over a new leaf was the fact that had been slacking off in her classes. She also didn't know that one could get detention for excessive latenesses... Of course, she knew that now also.

She was definitely distracted by Ron. But why? He had never caught her attention like this before, not even when he had that new hairstyle a year or so back. Was this one of the ills of puberty? Was this reason why she got so red in the face when she was around "The New Ron?" Was that the reason she suddenly got so warm when he gave her that impromptu peck on the cheek a couple of weeks back?

It had to be... It couldn't be anything like attraction... That would be so, sooo very sickening.

She made her way into the cafeteria, and saw that Ron wasn't at their usual place. That was weird... Where could he possibly be? Ron would never miss an opportunity to eat... Even if the food was god-awful, as he described it.

The auburn-haired girl surveyed from left to right, and right-to-left once again. She was about to give up on her search when she spotted him.

At Bonnie's table,

Actually conversing with the people at that table.

She almost felt faint... This was getting even more weird by the millisecond...

"Uh, Kim? Are you supposed to stare that much without blinking?"

It was hard not for the redhead to keep to boring a hole through the table located about fifteen feet away from her. What in the heck was Ron doing fraternizing with Bonnie and the rest of the Snooty Army? She didn't mean to totally ignore what Monique was saying to her from across the table, but this was critical... seriously critical. The sky was the limit on how much the brunette would do to attempt to corrupt her best friend. She had to stop this... immediately. didn't she?

She watched the blond say something to the brunette, who giggled good-naturedly. The redhead's left eye twitched involuntarily... It was almost like that girl forgot that the boy she was talking to was Ron Stoppable. To say that Kim was outraged was pretty much on-key. Her mouth gaped open when she saw what happened next; he whispered in her ear... and Bonnie giggled even more. This time, her right eye twitched.

"Is all of that eye twitching healthy?" A curious Monique asked.

Kim shot her best female friend a look that said something like: "Shut up or you'll get the brunt of my jealous rage." As expected, Monique shrank back.

What could they possibly be chatting it up about...?

"You know what, Ron? You're not so bad," Bonnie said, impressed with this new incarnation of the blond. Once again, he was flabbergasted to hear his name being called from the brunette... Twice in one day.

"Does this mean you're not going to call me names anymore?" He asked.

"Of course I won't... as long as you don't revert. If you do, all bets are off then..." She said with a girlish giggle.

Ron chuckled right back, although forcedly.

'Riiight... Ho-Bag...'

With nothing more left to say, the blond got up from the formerly forbidden section and was prepared to disappear to his usual spot. He hoped that no one saw him there... That would lead all kinds of confusion. Before he took his first step, however, his hand was grabbed by Bonnie.

"I almost forgot...," She said, handing the blond a piece of paper. "This is an invitation to Brick Flagg's Spring Break Bash, which is Friday at 8PM... As you may know, everyone that's considered everyone will be there."

"Actually, I didn't know," Ron said.

"...Anyway... Since you're somebody now..."

"...Wait a minute, I am?"

"Of course you are... I said so," The brunette laughed, giving the boy a playful punch on the shoulder. Sure enough, Ron winced in pain. "Now... You can invite a friend or whatever..."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Was that so? The blond was courageous enough to come over to this table. So why not try something insane?

"Soooo, Bonnie... I've got an invitation to Brick Flagg's..."

He was stopped by the brunette's uncontrollable snickering.

"...What?"

"You may not be a loser anymore, Stoppable. But I'm still way out of your league," she said, affectionately pinching the boy's freckled cheek.

OK... She was crossing the line now...

"What is she doing?" An outraged Kim asked whoever would listen.

"It looks like she's pinching his cheek," Monique stated.

"I can see that!" Kim snapped. "But... Why?"

"The better question is why do you care? You're acting like a jealous girlfriend."

Gasp! Outrage! Slander! Scandal!

"What did you say?" The redhead asked, fully unleashing her outrage.

Monique clearly wasn't backing down. Did she ever? "You heard me, girl. A jealous girlfriend..."

jealous (jel-es) adj.

1. Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position.

2. Resentful or bitter in rivalry; envious: jealous of the success of others. Inclined to suspect rivalry.

3. Having to do with or arising from feelings of envy, apprehension, or bitterness: jealous thoughts.

4. Kim Possible, April 4th, 12:32PM

girlfriend (gurl'frend') n.

1. A favored female companion or sweetheart

2. A female friend.

"I am not," Kim said defensively.

"Yes you are," Monique replied.

"It's just that I'm concerned... Who knows what Bonnie said or did to him over there. Can't I just be concerned for my best friend?"

"Yes. Maybe without the eye twitching, give or take."

"Grrrr..."

"Look at you. You're all red in the face and you still haven't taken your eyes off of them. I don't think you're concerned. I think you're jealous," The black-haired girl concluded with unconvinced crossed shoulders.

"So not..." The teen super-heroine said through gritted teeth.

"Oh well... Well, eh... I'll be going now," The sidekick said, as he attempted to hold back a slight blush.

"See you on Friday,"

"Yeah... Friday..."

He was genuinely surprised by the countenance of Bonnie. Hmm... For a short moment in time, he actually understood why everyone else didn't consider the cheerleader as a prissy, stuck-up, self-centered, gold-digging, snooty, conniving Ho-Bag... In fact, if one was on the 'right' side of her, she could be quite nice... which he still didn't agree with in any case.

He surveyed the lunchroom, and was surprised to see Kim at their usual spot. It may have been the astigmatism, but if he wasn't mistaken, she looked as if she was upset about something. He hoped that she didn't see him over there... That would cause a myriad of misunderstandings... But he also figured that she wouldn't have too much problems with it. So as if no one noticed, he took a seat on the circular table. About three to six seconds later, however...

"What were you doing over there?" Kim asked in about six layers of intense anger.

Uh-Oh... busted. And by the way his best friend sounded, it sounded like a little more than a problem.

"Uhh... I was... eh, talking to Bonnie about... stuff," He explained nervously.

"What kind of stuff?" She grilled.

"Uh... I don't know... regular stuff?"

"Regular stuff, huh?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Then what was that piece of paper she gave you... Was that her number?"

"What? No!"

Viewing this back-and-forth, Monique was amazed how fast the redhead's moods can change so quickly. She was in a fairly pleasant mood about up until she saw Ron at that table. She went from normal, to suspicious, to outraged, to downright psycho, all in a matter of forty minutes.

"Then what was it?"

"It's... nothing."

"Really?"

"Yes, K.P. You've got to believe me," he said desperately. "I wouldn't hide anything from you...I'm the same old Ron, remember?"

Almost like that, the red-haired girl snapped back into reality. She uncrossed her arms, the redness in her face subsided, her voice, formerly rife with concern and not jealousy, now calmed down.

"I'm sorry, Ron," she said guiltily.

Instead of fanning the flames and asking why she had been so nosy in the first place, the blond decided to refrain from it and spare himself from the prospect of extra grief.

"S'OK, K.P. It's not everyday you see your best friend conversing with the enemy," the blond said with a wink.

The expression on the redhead's was one of relief. She then gave a cheeky sneer in Monique's general direction as if to say; "Hah!" Monique simply shook her head.

Just a few hours ago, Kim was about to shoot through the roof after watching the interaction between her best friend and supposed rival. Why was she thinking so much about it now?

The late afternoon glare of the sun made the redhead shield her eyes. What was it that made her outraged to see it? Was she a bit too concerned? It had to have been that, because regardless of what Monique said to her hours ago, she was definitelynot jealous... Not jealous of Bonnie, or... that Alexis person, or any of the girls that the boy had been approached by in the last few days.

Right?

Minor Error: 322 - Insecurity

Treatment: Ask mother for advice.

With that thought in mind, she rose up from her desk and went downstairs. Luckily enough for her, there was her mother in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

"Hey, Mom," she asked.

"Good evening, Kimmie. What's new?" The brain surgeon asked, her back turned away from redhead.

The teenage girl shuffled around. Was it really safe to divulge this information to her mother?

"Um... Well... Something different happened at school today," she said tentatively.

"Really? What happened?"

"You know how I told you about Ron?"

Mrs. Dr. Possible did remember, in fact, she got a first-hand look at the new Ron a few days ago. She was impressed by the change of her daughter's best friend. By the way that her daughter reacted, it looked like the blond had changed for a little more of a reason than the need for changes.

"I do admit he does have a new look about him. Did anyone notice?"

"Did they? It's like they forgot who he was! This girl asked for him and she didn't even know who I was..."

She didn't mean it entirely, but as Kim continued to rant, the older redhead began to let her drift her thoughts from what her daughter's rants to other things... Like her wonderful husband, James. He was always so calm in the face of adversity, even back in the days when they first met. It was something about him that made her so attracted to him in the first place. Well, that, and his wonderful, cute, tight...

"...and Monique said I was jealous! But I know that I am not jealous... and I do not like Ron that way."

Whoa... Wait a minute... jealous? Liking Ron that way?

While Mrs. Possible was a brain surgeon, she did know a good deal about psychology. It sounded right now that her daughter was very much in denial.

"Mom?"

'Wow,' the elder redhead thought. She thought about the very real possibility of her daughter Kim, liking her best friend.

That would be so sweet.

"Mom!"

"Oh... Sorry, Kim," the surgeon said. "I was just thinking about..."

Kim saw a strange gaze in her mother's eyes. It almost looked as if she had a dreamy look about her.

"Oh, No... You don't think I like Ron, do you?"

"No-No-No," Mrs. Possible said hastily, trying to hide the look on her face.

"It's just that you two would look kinda cute toget--"

Kim would hear none of it. She quickly took off back upstairs. So much for help from mom... Apparently, she was going to have to tackle this problem by her lonesome.

As the days drifted toward Spring Break, Ron Stoppable's mental makeup drifted toward inescapable anxiety. Other than bar mitzvah's and weddings, he had never been to such a large social gathering before. He didn't look like he was under the hot light, but he could have told you otherwise. He made his way down the road that led to Middleton High when he felt a hard pound to his shoulder.

With his nerves, or lack thereof, the way it was, the blond must've jumped six feet in the air, followed by taking a defensive stance.

He was met with a slight chuckle. Apparently, there was something to be said about people landing a frying pan for a hand on one's shoulder.

"Whoa, Stoppable-dude,” a young man's voice said to him. “Go easy on the caffeine."

The blond opened his eyes to see the brawny form of Brick Flagg in front of him, along with Bonnie at his side. What was up with that?

"Oh... Hey, Brick..."

"Ahem."

"...a-a-and Bonnie," Ron corrected.

Brick just stood there, before the brunette gave the burly blond an elbow to his side.

"Oh... Yeah... We just wanted you to know that we're officially hooked up... I guess." He said.

Bonnie elbowed the quarterback once again.

"I mean, er... officially hooked up," he said, correcting his error.

It didn't exactly surprise him that they got together. What with Brick's popularity for being a star quarterback, and Bonnie's thirst to be the best. It was almost like those arranged marriages that they have in those third-world countries. Only question was why they were announcing this to him right now.

"That's awesome. But, why are you telling me?"

"Uhhh... Bonnie, why are we telling him?"

He got another elbow.

"What, babe? I don't know..."

With a huff, the brunette dragged the clueless QB off. The blond was confused. Was that one of the breaks that came with being a part of the upper crust of the school's hierarchy? If so, popularity was totally overrated.

Overrated or not, he was still nervous.

It's Friday Night... That Friiiday Night
And maybe if I'm lucky, things'll turn out right
Or maybe it won't, and maybe I'll just crash
And people will say I was that stupid a--

Ding-Dong

The boy broke out of his little self-deprecating spiel to answer the door. It was Kim, a very dressed up Kim, a very dressed up Kim who was surprised to see a very dressed up Ron.

"Ron?"

"K.P.?"

Not exactly awkward situation between the duo, but a bit confusing nevertheless.

"You're looking sharp, where are you off to?"

Hmm... There goes that white-hot light again.

"Uh... Well..."

With foot-shuffling hesitance, Ron got to explaining.

"Remember that piece of paper that Bonnie gave me that you got so worked up over earlier this week?"

Grrr... Her suspicions were right! She did give him her number! That conniving little... She would do anything under the sun to try and get under her skin... even to these depths! How low could Rockwaller possibly be? Well, she already knew at this point. Oooh... Wait until Monique heard about this... and she was going to hear about this one... Thinking that she could be jealous... Inconceivable!

Maybe Ron wasn't exactly Mr. Perceptive, thus he didn't know, or exactly see that his best friend's countenance was deteriorating from 'calm' to 'Head for the freakin' hills, she's about to explode.'

"...Yes," Kim said through gritted pearly whites.

"...Uh... Well, if you didn't know already it was..."

Could a girl's face truly turn tomato red? Find out on our next exciting edition of Tales of The Awkward which begins...

Riiiiiight now.

"...An invitation to Brick Flagg's Spring Break whatchamawhozit," the blond confessed.

"Oh..."

This look of surprise has been brought to you by the letter 'O', because conclusion-jumping could be very bad for a teen's blood pressure.

That's all that Kim could manage. Once again, as if someone dumped cold water on a grease fire, her facial features returned to normal. After a little more silence, the redhead spoke up.

"You got invited to Brick Flagg's party?"

"Yeah... Bonnie deemed me as 'cool', so there I go," the blond said with a shrug. "Surely, you've gone before."

"Actually, No,"

"Really?"

"Really," Kim said seriously. "I never went because you were never invited. What fun is it without my best-est best friend, huh?"

Yep... Ron was convinced. He had the best-est best friend in the whole world. She was like the rock that he had to stand on. Wait... That didn't come out right. It might have been 'crutch...'

"So... uh... you wanna come with?" he asked.

With a friendly smile, Kim nodded, which quelled a bit of Ron's jitters. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all.

Minutes later, the duo found themselves at the door of Brick Flagg's house. One look at the house, and the ostentatious cars in the driveway told one everything he or she needed to know about what the Flagg's status was. And if that didn't tip said person, here it is in layman's terms: Dude's family is freaking loaded, yo.

Even the look of the football player's digs had the blond in knots.

"Will you look at the--"

"It's just a house, Ron. A large house with three or four Ferraris in the driveway," Kim said as if what she was seeing was run-of-the-mill.

"Actually, I think two of those are Lamborghin--"

"Whatever... Let's just go in."

"Are you sure? Maybe we can stare at the--"

As usual, the redhead had to pull the hapless blond along with her. The loud music could be heard from the outside, thus, there was very little problems with finding the right address. Ron tapped at the door fastidiously, which in response, got him no answer.

"You're really nervous about this, aren't you?"

Ron nodded. This was strange to see... She had never seen the blond so self-conscious before.

Pep-Talk Time, Volume II!

"Ron, they're just teenagers, like you or me,"

"Thanks, mom," Ron quipped.

Kim sighed. "You've got people's attention this week. So what's to be afraid of?"

Valid, but Ron wasn't convinced.

"But--"

"No buts, Ron. Your motto used to be 'Never Be Normal,' and now you're changing it up on me?"

"Uhh... No... not really," he mumbled.

"So what's this? You actually care now what these guys think?" She asked in a challenging manner, pointing to the house that they had yet to enter.

"No." Ron said halfheartedly. Naturally, the domineering redhead wasn't buying his answer for a second.

"Really? So why are you all 'ooh I'm soo scurred'?"

Scurred?

"I'm not scared," he replied. "I'm just cautious."

"Ron, when Alex Rodriguez is at bat with runners in scoring position, he's cautious -- You are scared," she retorted.

Ooooh... That was below the belt.

"Yeah, well... What about--"

Kim knew where this was going. So, like last time, she shut the blond down.

"For once, it's not about me - it's about you, Ron," she said, the serious-as-a-heart-attack tone returning to her voice.

"Is it?"

"Yes," she urged. "Just be you... If they can't like you for that, then you have no business being here."

Why did it seem that every one of Kim's words were sage to Ron. She must've listened to her parents more than he did.

"So if I just be me, you think they'll like me?"

"Well, I like you."

Oops...

Error... Wait.. You know which one it is.

"...You know, as a friend," she quickly said, cleaning up the mess she made.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. Instead of tapping on the door, he rang the doorbell. It didn't seem like it was there before. Instantly, the door opened.

"Who--? Ron! There you are..." the voice of one Bonnie Rockwaller as she greeted him. "For a minute I thought you went all 'loser' on us again."

"Me? Loser? Never... Again..." Ron said sheepishly.

"And you bought... Kim," The brunette said flatly. "Hey, Kim." She said coldly.

"Evening, Bonnie," The redhead greeted, returning the chill.

"Anyway, come on in, we've been expecting you," she said, dragging the blond the into the large house. Kim sighed... This had the potential to be one long night.

Ron wasn't exactly the center of attention, but boy, was he darn-near close to it. Talking, laughing, joking... dancing with a inordinate amount of girls. If one thing was true, it was the fact that he was a bon-diggity dancer.

As for her, Kim was comfortable playing the background, until...

"Kim. Didn't expect you to be here."

The redhead turned to the side. Josh. She remembered Josh very well. He was that handsome boy that she had the hugest crush on before all these Ron shenanigans began.

"Hi, Josh," she said, the familiar dreaminess in her voice absent.

Maybe this night wouldn't be such a wash after all. Just as the girl and the artist were about to immerse themselves in teen-related conversation and flirting, a familiar sounding beep coming from her pocket went off.

Ugh... Wasn't that always the way? Whilst Popular Boy was living it up on the dance floor, Kim had a mission to partake to.

"Excuse me a minute," she said to the fledgling artist.

She made her way through the large kitchen and out of the side door of the house. Once out of earshot and view, she pulled her trusty Kimmunicator.

"Sitch me, Wade," she said.

The aforementioned Wade popped up on the other end of the pocket-sized monitor.

"I just got a hit on the site... There's a heist going on at First Upperton Bank," the pre-pubescent computer genius said. "The Upperton Police hasn't been notified yet..."

"Sounds like an inside job," the adventurer said.

"Just what I was thinking... I can get you a ride in ten."

"Thanks, Wade. You rock," she said, giving the third member of Team Possible the over and out. Duty called. She found it regrettable that she couldn't hang around for, but she figured there would be other times for that. As for Ron... He probably wouldn't notice her leaving. He'd be all right.

He had only been here for about ninety minutes or so, but he concluded this little shindig had been more fun than a barrel of monkeys... Well, not monkeys. Monkeys were scary and evil. OK... So it was more fun than a barrel of clowns... Clowns were fun, right? Good music, pretty girls, and most of all, good friends. Now that he was away from the floor, he had to go over and thank Kim for that little talk that they had before they came in.

He scanned the room from left to right. No sign of Kim. Where was she?

He checked his watch, which read 9:45. It was a good hour and change before her curfew. She wouldn't just jump up and leave like this.

Ambling his way through the rest of the partygoers, he was about to check upstairs when a familiar face caught his eye.

Josh Mankey. He didn't know Josh went to these types of things. That is, until he saw the artist and his best friend conversing about ten minutes or so back. Despite the fact that he did see them from the corner of his eye, he couldn't shake that familiar pang that he gpt when he saw them together.

"Yo... Josh," He called

The brown-haired boy narrowed his eyes as if he didn't know of the guy who was calling his name.

"Ron? Ron Stoppable?"

No... Ron Reager, the sidekick thought. Sheesh, whatever did Kim see in Monkey boy anyway...?

The Million-Dollar Question

"Yeah, that's me," he said. "Have you seen Kim? Last time I saw her, she was with you."

"She said she had to step out for a minute. She's probably outside."

"Outside... Thanks, Monkey."

"What?"

"Mankey, I said, Mankey," the sidekick said, correcting his intentional unintentional mistake.

He found his way out of the inordinately large living room and into the kitchen. What a kitchen it was! What with the granite countertops, and the sweet dishwasher... More importantly, there was side door in an alcove to the right. That must've been where Kim slipped out.

"Going somewhere?"

The voice was certainly familiar enough. It was just a matter of turning around to face the brown-haired cheerleader who was a couple of meters from him.

"You're not leaving already, are you?" She asked, a slight pout forming on her pretty face.

"N-No," he replied shakily. "Just need to get some uh... fresh air. Yeah, that's it... fresh air."

"OK," The brunette said with a smile. "But come on back, we're playing 'Spin the Bottle' upstairs."

The blond just about lost his grip on the doorknob. Bonnie giggled playfully.

"Wha--Really?"

"No... just toying with ya." With that, she went back from whence she came.

Ron uttered a long exhale. If they were doing that upstairs, the search for Kim could wait. As he walked outside, he surmised that she had be around somewhere. Wait a sec... There a figure with red hair at the of the driveway. Figuring that it was her, Ron rushed on over.

"Hey, K.P.!"

Yes, she knew more than a dozen styles of martial arts and had the reflexes that bordered on feline. Still though, the teen heroine still jumped about six feet in the air.

"Oh..." She took a moment to catch her breath. "It's you, Ron."

"K.P., I was looking all over, what's up?"

"Nothing major... just a small mission in Upperton."

"Oh... When's our ride coming?"

"Our?"

"Uhhh, yeahh, I'm coming with you."

Ehhh... Wasn't he having the time of his life back there?

"You don't have to go," Kim insisted.

"Yeah, I don't have to... but I want to." the blond replied.

"Why?"

Ron was thinking hard... Sure, he was having a good time there... However.

"Uh... Well..." he began. "Some things are more important than this..." He said, thumbing over to the packed house.

"Like what?"

"Like.. Say, tagging along with your best friend on a mission... even though it's 'nothing major.'"

"So wait... Let me get this straight. You'd rather fight freaks with me and lose your pants than party with those guys," she asked in disbelief.

"Oh... I don't know... Yes," the blond answered with a smirk.

The dark night did a good job of hiding the extra-strength beam that was on Kim's face. "All right, you pulled my leg."

Moments later, their ride pulled up, and both entered the vehicle. The car sped off in a hurry.

She wasn't going to let it show directly, but she was genuinely touched by his words. Sure, he looked a little different, but he was certainly the same old Ron to her. He was still a bit off the pace and goofy, however, he was still the fiercely loyal, charming, and at times, sweet boy that she was used to. That warm feeling she got weeks back washed over her once again, but this time, there was no complaints.

The redhead took a look at her sidekick in the back seat. He was fast asleep and lightly snoring.

Yeah, she had nothing to worry about

End of Chapter Four

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