How do you tell your best friend that you love them? How do you tell her that she's the most important thing in your life? How can you guarantee that if she doesn't feel the same way that you'll remain friends? How do you get her to realize that the best guy for her is the one right in front of her? I've always had her back, I mean, I've always been there for her. I've been there on missions, holidays, or whenever she needed strength or a shoulder to cry on. I've helped her through breakups, and groundings, and pranks that her brothers pulled on her.
I've put up with a lot; being called buffoon, sidekick, or my personal favorite: loser. And why? Why have I never demanded credit for the countless lairs I've destroyed, or for the endless display of dumb skill? Because its not what she needs, she needs the easy going devil may care guy. So that's who I am. For her.
I used to care about recognition, but when I realized that me having my essential Ron-ness was what KP needed, that's the side of myself that I embraced. For her. And the only thing I've ever wanted from it was her. her affection, her friendship, and eventually, hopefully, her love. But I haven't gotten it, at least not yet. But she's worth it. So I'll wait. For her.
My eyes open to contemplate my original question, how do I tell her? No matter how much I think about it, I can't think straight about it, that is, I can never really work out what would happen.
"Hey KP, you doing anything later?" I ask as she closes her locker. Gosh, even when she's doing menial tasks she's gorgeous. Menial? Man, she makes me smarter, too.
"Why? You thinking friday night Bueno Nacho?" She responds turning to look at me with those piercing emerald eyes.
"Actually Kim, I was thinking you, me, two seats at that new Italian restaurant, followed by a cotton wool blend blanket and the latest season of Agony County," I say in my smoothest devil may care voice.
"Ron..." she pauses as if trying to choose her words, "that sounds an awful lot like a date."
I don't even say anything, just nod my head a little and give her my best smile.
"Oh..OH!" She pauses trying to decide whether, I'd imagine, to say yes or no. "Ron, that sounds like a plan. Your place or mine?"
At this point my mouth is practically dry, tyring to form words, because I hadn't expected her to say yes. I don't know what I expected her to say, but it most certainly hadn't been 'yes'.
"I don't think your dad would be cool with you and a boy on a date at said boy's house while his parents are out of town," I say to her not really sure what to do next.
"Well.. maybe he doesn't have to know its a date," KP says as
she looks up at me in a half puppy-dog pout.
At this point my brain is completely scrambled, because I don't know how to take what KP's saying. I mean, if she's saying what I think she's saying then I want it more than anything else. I want it more than I want tickets to see Pain King and Steel Toe, I want it more than Rufus wants a Grande Sized Chimmurito-Hey that sounds goo-no Stoppable head in the game.
"Kim, I live next door, it's not like its some crazy escapade of mad adventure," I say to her wondering where this could possibly lead and why the heck I was trying to talk her out of it.
"Escapade? Since when do you know the word escapade?" She says seemingly ignoring that I was trying to convince her to not come to my house.
"Well, although 'tough but fair' Barkin has been hounding me because of a dirty look, I do learn... eventually," I say to her even though I'm not really sure if it's true or not.
"Okay Ron, tell you what, why don't we eat dinner and then depending on how we feel afterwards we'll decide where to go," she says to me giving me a look that tells me that that's what we'll end up doing.
"Just one question, what will we feel like if we choose to go to my house, and what will we feel like if we go to your house?" I ask just trying to gauge her mindset, because, well, this only seems half real to me.
"If we feel like people who feel like maybe Agony county isn't the only thing on their mind, then we'll go to my place, and if we feel like not getting caught, we'll go to your place," she says and I almost fall over. Is this actually happening or is she being influenced by the moodulator again?
I stand in front of my bathroom mirror, wanting to look as spiffy as I can for my first date with a non moodulated Kim. I just want this night to be special, as memorable as it can be.
I exhale and run through the plan for the night, she'll come over here in her regular clothes and then change once she gets here, that way her parents won't know what is going on. Then, we'll head to the restaurant and enjoy a nice dinner, and then we'll come back to my place and do whatever we are struck to do.
Just then I hear the doorbell ring and know that it has to be Kim, so I go down the stairs quickly and open the door, and sure enough she's standing there holding her dufflebag which has to have her dress in it. I step aside to let her walk in and my eyes drop below the waist as she walks by. She really is the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen.
"I'll be right back," she says as she turns her head back to me and then carries on her way.
I stand in front of the door wondering what could be taking her so long because I've been standing there for the better part of a half hour and then I hear her call my name, "Ron, could you come zip me up?" Zipper in the back of the dress? What could she possibly be wearing? I figure I just don't pay enough attention, or else she bought this one when she was out with Monique.
I quickly bound up the stairs and stop in front of the bathroom door and knock, "Come on in," she says after a few seconds, so naturally I do, and when I look my eyes just about pop out of my head, sure enough she's standing with her back to me, only she has absolutely nothing on.
I open my mouth to speak but I can't, I actually can't. She turns around and walks toward me, "Ronnie, I don't think I want to go out tonight, I think I just want to stay in bed," she says looking squarely at me. I just look over her body and am completely amazed by what is going on.
She is standing right in front of me now, and slowly reaches up around my neck and pulls me into a kiss.
My eyes flash open to see my alarm clock, and the beeping that just won't stop. My mind's still a little groggy as if its still processing what is going on, but I only understand when an all to familiar voice sqeaks in my ear, "Hnk, school. Nice tent."
"Aww man...," I say as understanding dawns on me.
"Hey KP, you doing anything later?" I ask as she closes her locker...