The dim, blue glow emanating from the laptop was the only source of light in the room. The light made the red head look pasty and fatigued as she sat chewing her nails nervously, keeping her eye on the clock.
Her stomach was already in knots and the smell of Ron's nachos didn't help the situation. She could feel her stomach tighten, her pulse quicken, and her eyebrows pull involuntarily into an anxious scowl.
"Nervous?" her blonde companion asked quirking an eyebrow at her. Kim felt a small smile tug at her lips.
"Very. Signing up for college classes is a big deal. I want to make sure I get each one I need and that means beating everyone else." The clock changed; one more minute.
Kim Possible uncrossed her legs and stretched them out over the bedspread. She ran a shaky hand through her hair as Ron reached for another -now cold- greasy nacho.
"You know, I think you're more nervous now than you've ever been in the history of…well, ever." Ron stated nonchalantly before giving his girlfriend a quick, reassuring peck on the cheek. She rubbed away the queso that had hitched a ride onto her face from the corner of Ron's mouth.
"Yeah, I suppose I am…"
"Why is that?" Kim thought about that for a minute. She wasn't sure to be honest. She had always been pretty head on and straight forward, except when it came to boys maybe, but now here she was: a high school graduate, ready to face the world and shaking like a little girl. She shook her head.
"I'm not sure. Maybe I just feel like the whole world is on my shoulders. I'm still doing the whole 'save the world' thing, Monique moved to New York to become a fashion designer and my parents both have such prestigious titles and careers that I guess I'm afraid I won't live up to their expectations of me."
"Kim," Ron said holding her hand in his, "listen to me. Your parents love you. They're proud of you and will always be proud. They're supportive of you and they know that you have what it takes to-"
"Eight o'clock! It's go time!" Kim interrupted and typed frantically at her laptop. "College Writing II, check! Quantitative Literacy, check!"
"Kim, big words, hurting brain." Ron joked. Kim took no notice and continued through her courses.
"English 101L, check! Introduction to Criminal Justice and Criminology….oh God no! Oh wait…check!"
"Kim, maybe you should take a 'for fun' class. You know, to relax, have some down time?" Kim was tempted to smack him upside the head. That would prevent her from graduating as scheduled.
"May I remind you of the time you took on, like, a bazillion things to do in high school and you nearly had a mental break down."
Kim sighed. "I will, I promise. Just…maybe next semester, ok? I'm already taking 20 credits and I really don't want to drop any of my required classes."
Ron frowned. "You're taking 20 credits? Kim, that's kind of an insane amount. Sure you couldn't drop Quanti- Quantititi-…math or something to give yourself a more manageable schedule?"
Kim shook her head. "I have a plan and that plan involves graduating as soon as I can. If I'm going to have my own practice by the time I'm 30, I need to do this as quickly as I can and prove I'm capable. Besides, I'm a Possible and anything is-"
"-possible for a Possible." Ron finished as he helped himself to another nacho. "Alright, but just take care of yourself, alright? You risk some serious burnout with a schedule like that."
Kim nodded again and completed the registration process.
"There, all done. God, my hands are shaking."
"You'll be great, KP." Ron affirmed between licking the last of the queso off his fingers. "Everyone knows you're a force to be reckoned with. Don't sweat it."
Kim smiled. "Thanks, Ron." She leaned over and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek, causing his face to flush a delicate pink.
"I love you." He said with an uncharacteristic amount of seriousness for a man with a naked mole rat fast asleep on his head.
Kim felt a warmth spread from her chest, making her feel peaceful and serene. "I know. I love you too."
"Come on." Ron said sliding off the bed and pulling Kim to her feet. "Let's go celebrate you getting all your classes with a trip to McSchooley's Scoop Emporium for a couple of milkshakes."
Kim set the last box down in the cargo van and carefully slide the door closed. She allowed her hand to linger on the handle for a moment before turning to face her family. Each had an expectant smile on their face, but none of them were quite able to conceal the sorrow in their eyes.
Kim swallowed down the lump forming in her throat. She could feel it too; the lingering nerves, the knowledge that she'd be so far away from her home. She'd been all over the world, from Shanghai to Dubai to Timbuctoo, but she always returned within a few days. This time she wouldn't be coming home until Christmas break. She could feel her mask begin to waiver.
Fortunately, Ann made the first move, wrapping her daughter up in a desperate embrace. She pulled back after a minute and gazed proudly at her college girl, eyes misting with fresh tears.
"Take care of yourself, Kimmy."
"And be sure to call." James added, pulling her into his arms and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I will, Dad."
"If you see any hot single ladies, be sure to give them my number." Tim smirked as he shot finger guns in Kim's direction. Kim rolled her eyes.
"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Jim asked suspiciously.
"College chicks, dude. College chicks." Tim said in way of explanation.
Jim rubbed his chin for a moment before smirking in response.
"Cool."
Kim hugged her brothers before turning to Ron.
Ron stood quietly, hands shoved into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels nervously. He finally stopped rocking, took a deep breath, and met Kim's gaze.
His expression threatened to break Kim's heart. His concern and desolation were palpable as Kim wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
"I miss you already and you haven't even backed out of the driveway."
Kim pulled back, breaking the embrace to look Ron in the eye.
"I'll call you every Sunday."
Ron swallowed hard. "Text me too?"
"Throughout the week." Kim assured him.
Ron looked down as he purposefully intertwined their hands together.
"Promise?"
Kim could feel the mask crack as her eyes began to fill with tears.
"I promise." She whispered, her voice cracking a little. She leaned forward, catching Ron's lips in hers. She could hear her brothers make gagging noises in disgust and her father coughed awkwardly at the affectionate display.
She broke the kiss, placing a comforting hand on Ron's cheek before turning to the van and climbing inside.
"Drive safe!" Ann called. "Make sure to eat well!"
Kim waved cheerily and pulled out of the driveway. As she shifted the van into drive she glanced in the rearview mirror to see Ron's face buried in Ann's shoulder as she rubbed his back soothingly.
Her mask shattered.
It was after dark when Kim finally pulled onto campus, but the grounds were expertly manicured, landscaped, and lit by the groundskeeping crew, giving the school an ethereal glow. Kim could easily spot the large granite sign with West Bridge University est 1909 chiseled into its perfectly polished face.
She sighed contentedly as she made her way around the campus to the on-campus housing where Kim would spend the next 7 (5 and a half if she played her cards right) years of her life.
The residence halls bustled with activity as students, parents, RMs, and movers bustled about, going up and down the halls making the narrow passages noisy, stifling, and smelling strongly of body odor, cigarette smoke, and most likely weed.
The line for the elevators was ridiculous, but with her room being on the fourth floor, and several trips required to lug everything upstairs, Kim had no choice but to wait or be sweaty, winded, and sore the next day.
"487…. 487…" Kim mumbled to herself as she shifted the weight of the boxes she carried onto her hip to readjust her grip on them. Kim finally found the room near the end of the hall. She balanced the boxes against the wall as she hurriedly swiped her room key over the scanner. The light immediately flashed green and she shoved open the door, nearly dropping her boxes in the process.
The door opened into a rather small common area. A couple of mismatched chairs and an old, flower-print sofa made up a seating area to the left of the door, surrounding a very small flat screen tv. Behind the seating area Kim could see into the attached kitchenette where a buxom, rotund blonde could be seen leaning on the counter chatting animatedly to a tall, bored-looking brunette who was scrolling aimlessly through her laptop. The blonde immediately looked up upon hearing the door open. Her face changed from mild curiosity to utter delight.
"Oh my stars! If it isn't Kim Possible!" She drawled excitedly as she waddled over extending a hand. "I'm Gracie Stout. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Kim."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Kim replied shaking the offered hand while awkwardly balancing the boxes on her knee.
"Here, let me take those for you." Gracie offered, taking the boxes from Kim. "I'll show you to your room and give you the grand tour."
Gracie led Kim around the sofa to the room in the far-left corner, opened the door, and flicked on the single light fixture. The stark white walls made the florescent light from the uncovered bulb nearly blinding. The brown carpet showed severe signs of wear, the pile was balding in some spots, and the nail holes from the previous resident had been lazily spackled on top of the paint. The bare twin mattress sagged in the middle on top of its broken frame and the chest of drawers looked like someone had left a candle unattended as a huge scorch mark seared the top.
"This is your room." Gracie said placing the boxes on the floor and gesturing grandly. Kim nodded numbly at the sight. "I know it's a bit rough around the edges, but 'first come, first served' as they say." This is the bathroom you'll be sharing with Alex over there." She gestured to the aforementioned brunette who waved lazily in way of a greeting. "That's her room next to yours, my room is there on the other side of the front door, next to me is Keisha's room, and then our shared bathroom." She explained, pointing to each door in succession.
Kim followed Gracie into the kitchen, where the blonde opened the cupboards showing Kim the insides. Each was dutifully labeled with the owner's name and most of them were relatively bare, aside from Gracie's, which comprised mostly of various cereals, quick meals, and snack cakes.
"Each of us also have our own shelf in the pantry. Also, remember to write your name on your food as well so there's no confusion. If it's not yours, don't eat it, especially without asking first."
"Here on the fridge we also have the cleaning rotation chart. We switch who does what on Saturdays, but you are in charge of cleaning your own room, obviously. Any questions?"
"I don't think so." Kim said slowly, taking it all in. "Thanks for playing tour guide for me. It's my first semester, so I really appreciate it."
Gracie giggled. "It's no problem, Kim. I'm happy to help. If you need anything, let me know. Until then, I guess I'll let you finish unpacking."
Kim woke up incredibly sore the next morning, not only from moving boxes until well after midnight, but also from the sagging mattress. Her back was absolutely killing her. Maybe if she was lucky she could find a new bedframe at the local flea market. She fought the mattress for a moment, rocking back and forth in order to gain enough momentum to escape her lumpy prison, before stumbling over to the door.
"You can't be serious." Alex stated, her voice flat and dripping with disbelief.
"Absolutely, I'm serious!" Gracie shrieked in response. Her face burned red with displeasure and her already high voice was even higher. "Rules exist for a reason, Alex! If we all just took whatever we wanted all the time, it'd be chaos! Anarchy!"
"Jesus Christ."
"What's going on?" Kim asked, making her presence to the argument known. "Is everything ok?"
"No!" Gracie shouted in reply, "Everything is not ok!"
Alex rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Her patience quickly waning.
"Alex ate one of my Toaster Tarts!" Gracie looked near tears. "I feel so violated!"
Kim's initial surprise settled into mild exasperation. "That's it?"
"That's it?!" Gracie looked livid. "We literally went over this yesterday! Why doesn't anyone care that I'm upset?!"
Suddenly Keisha's door slammed open, making everyone jump.
"Hey! How about everyone shut the fuck up!" She shrieked angrily. "Some of us have to work nights!" As quickly as she had come, she was gone; another slam announcing her departure and causing a photo to fall from the wall and shatter on the ground.
"Good Lord." Gracie muttered quietly, breaking the silence and making a quick sign of the cross.
"By the way," Alex said, turning to Kim's pale face, "Keisha works nights over at Weldon's Café to pay for school. Keep things at a reasonable volume until at least two."
"Right." Kim agreed feeling the color slowly come back into her face. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."
After a quick breakfast and a shower, Kim headed out to walk around campus and get a little sunshine in the process. Kim threw her arm up to block the blinding sun. It was a little warm, but not uncomfortable at a balmy 85 degrees and the sky was a brilliant blue; not a cloud in sight. The warm breeze felt pleasant against Kim's face, tousling her hair about.
She pushed her sunglasses up on her nose and began wandering aimlessly, getting to know the layout of her new home away from home. It seemed like everyone else had the same idea as the campus was absolutely littered with fellow freshman. She passed through the courtyard, baseball field, a man-made creek, and stopped to relax near a water feature that had been produced by the Fine Arts department (according to the plaque).
She got a couple tacos for a late lunch from a busy food truck and ate them as she headed back for her dorm. She was finally starting to feel like she was settling in. Her nerves had melted away in the warm sunshine and left her feeling at peace and looking forward to the cliched "first day of the rest of her life".
She smiled to herself as she leaned against the windowsill just outside her dorm door and admired the view as the sun began to dip towards the horizon. She sighed contentedly. Tomorrow was going to be a great day.