Disclaimer: This is not an alternate ending to the episode. An alternate ending would imply, 'oh, the episode was pretty good except for this one thing'. In the spirit of "How It Should Have Ended's" brilliant Spider-Man 3 video, this is a rewrite/takedown of the episode.
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--
"Bonnie Rockwaller?!" The surprise in Steve Barkin's voice was all too apparent. As Ron Stoppable was named Homecoming King, it only stood to reason that his best friend and girlfriend Kim Possible would be his Queen.
The crowd reacted accordingly with shocked gasps.
Bonnie ran up to Ron, laughing and smiling. She grasped onto his arm; in her mind, it was important to play the part. Ron, however, did not look quite so happy. He cast a mournful glance toward Kim, who responded in kind.
Monique walked up to her friend. "Are you all right, Kim?"
She simply shook her head. "I don't know what to say. I was sure I'd be Homecoming Queen."
"Me too." Monique looked toward the royal couple. "From the look of Ron, we weren't the only ones."
"Something must've happened."
"Like what?"
"I don't know." Kim waved her hand around, trying to gather her thoughts. "Someone must've rigged the voting. There's no way any sane person would want Ron and Bonnie together."
With a stern look on her face, Monique put her hands on Kim's shoulders. "Kim, I don't need to tell you that you're a better person than Bonnie, do I?"
"No."
"Good. I want you to promise me that you're not gonna let this get to you."
Kim let out a sigh. "I promise I will not let this get to me."
At that moment, Bonnie walked past the girls. "Oh, the little people who helped me to be Queen."
Kim lunged at Bonnie, teeth flared and eyes full of fire. Monique grasped at her friend's arms, holding them behind her.
"Kim…!"
The redhead turned to her friend and smiled nervously. "Starting now, I will not let this get to me."
XxXxXxXxX
The next day, students filed into Middleton High, still abuzz about last night's startling turn of events.
Kim stared intently at her Kimmunicator. "Wade, I need your help."
"I heard about Homecoming. Ouch."
"Yes, yes." Kim's hurried tone suggested that she was in no mood for revisiting the incident. "I need you to hack into the school's computerized voting system."
Wade's fingers danced about the keyboard of his computer. His eyes fixed on his screen. He shook his head. "Kim, you're not gonna like this."
The redhead got a glance at Bonnie walking in and hanging all over Ron. "I don't like a lot of things right now. Surprise me."
"How about this: the voting says that Bonnie won by a landslide."
"No way."
"I don't believe it, myself. You'd think that more people liked you than Bonnie."
"No…a landslide. I know that I didn't vote for Bonnie, and neither did Monique." Kim punched her fist in her hand. "I knew it: the voting was rigged."
Kim walked up to Bonnie, who was lounging in front of Ron's locker. "Hello, Bonnie."
"Kim, hello. I was just talking with my King about what we'd be doing together, you know, since we're Homecoming royalty and all."
Ron shrugged off Bonnie's embrace. "Bonnie, we may be Homecoming King and Queen, but that's it. I don't even know why you're putting up this front. You hate me."
Bonnie hugged Ron tighter. "Oh, how could I hate you, my King?" She nuzzled her face in his back, flashing Kim a smirk.
The boy put a book in his locker. "You called me a loser."
"When would I ever…?"
Ron counted the various times on his fingers. "Just about every day in seventh grade, eighth grade, freshman year, sophomore year and junior year and just yesterday--"
"Oh, come on. Those are just words."
Ron exhaled. "I'll see you, Kim." He walked off, with Bonnie wrapped around him like a poncho.
Kim balled her hand into a fist. Monique walked up. "Kim?"
She turned and put on a fake smile. "Monique."
"It's good to see you're not letting this get to you."
"Water off a duck's back." Kim took off down the hall. "No problem."
XxXxXxXxX
Kim sat at a table occupied by a number of students. "…so, I'm just curious. It doesn't really matter, now, since the Homecoming Queen has already been announced." She bit her tongue at that part. "Who did you vote for?"
"Oh, I voted for you." Zita said as she picked up an apple. "You and Ron make a great couple."
At another table, Kim sat awaiting an answer. "You. That Rockwaller thinks she's so much better than everyone, especially those of us in advanced academics."
"Thanks, Justine."
"You're welcome. You would've made a great Homecoming Queen, even if you were merely an adequate lab partner."
"Thanks…I think."
"Sure, I voted for you, Kim." Josh Mankey was all for Kim and Ron getting together.
"I did, too", chimed Tara. "In fact, the whole squad did…except for…you know."
"Thanks. That means a lot to me."
Kim walked back to her own table, sitting across from Monique.
"So, where's your pudding?"
"Pudding?"
"The pudding you were so desperate to waste five minutes trying to get."
"Oh, I changed my mind." Kim picked up her fork and jabbed a piece of lettuce.
"Kim, I can tell when you're lying."
"How?!"
"Because you're so bad at it. You're still obsessing about Bonnie."
"But she's Bonnie. She can't be Queen, at least not to Ron's King." Kim couldn't care less if she sounded whiny.
"Girl, you need to K-I-T."
Kim looked confused. "I'm gonna feel foolish for asking this…"
"Keep It Together. So, Bonnie and Ron are the royal couple. Do you really think he'll fall for her?"
"No."
"And how long is this gonna last? A week? Two, tops. This is nothing. The two of you have lasted this long, right?"
"Yeah!" Kim raised a fist in triumph. "This is nothing. We'll survive this."
XxXxXxXxX
Kim stood at her locker and put a book in. At that moment, Ron walked behind her…Ron Rieger. Kim glanced at him. She shook her head and closed her locker. She raised her head suddenly.
"Oh, the little people who helped me to be Queen."
Her mind went right to the last time she saw Rieger: manning the computer for the voting system.
"Rieger", she growled with an inflection reserved for whenever Jerry would see Newman.
XxXxXxXxX
"And so it is with great pride that I declare this new gazebo open." Quite a crowd had gathered in Middleton Park to see the structure opened. It was big enough to house a twenty-piece orchestra.
Standing in front of it were Ron and Bonnie. She smiled as the flashbulbs crackled before her. Ron had heard from time to time that cameras could steal a part of one's soul. Given how Bonnie was absorbing the adulation, he couldn't help but think that that diamond mine had been picked clean a long time ago.
Ron was looking atypically dour. His Queen leaned over to him. "Geez, Stoppable, would it kill you to smile?"
At that, Ron allowed a big, crooked smile to form on his face. "Maybe", he said through clenched teeth.
The cameras captured the couple in action as the Mayor cut the ribbon with a giant pair of scissors. A scandal had erupted some years ago with the previous Mayor who, at the opening of the town's Smarty Mart, ran with them.
An old woman had emerged from the crowd and approached Bonnie. Needless to say, the Queen was taken aback.
"Miss, you are an inspiration to the young people. If only there were more girls like you."
"…there'd be a lot less straight guys in this town", Ron couldn't help but remark under his breath. Bonnie quickly kicked him in the shin for it.
The old woman opened her purse and pulled out a necklace, which she handed to Bonnie. "This was given to me six decades ago when I was named Homecoming Queen. I want you to have it."
Bonnie unhooked the clasp and placed it around her neck. At the center of the trinket was a heart.
"Thank you so much, ma'am. It truly is an honor to be Homecoming Queen."
Ron scowled a little at her, but Bonnie's sudden embrace of him, however briefly, snapped him out of it. One more flashbulb went off.
XxXxXxXxX
Kim had retreated to her bedroom. The yawn that came from her mouth was long and deep.
Suddenly, the phone rang. She picked it up.
"Hello?"
"KP?"
"Ron! You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice."
"Same here. I wanted to see you today."
"Sorry. I had to complete a reaction to "The Telltale Heart" and read and memorize twenty pages of world geography."
"I had to go to some thing in the park with Bonnie; a gazebo opening. You have no idea how much I wish I was doing these things with you."
"That's so sweet."
"See? I can be a romantic when I put my heart to it."
Kim smiled. "Is Rufus there?"
"Nah. He's fast asleep."
"Well, tell him I said 'good night'. See you tomorrow."
"See you."
Kim hung up the phone and switched off her lamp.
XxXxXxXxX
The resulting picture from the previous day ended up on the bottom of the front page of the local newspaper, which Mr. Dr. Possible was currently enjoying. Mrs. Dr. Possible was reading a magazine.
"Mom! Dad!" Jim and Tim ran into the living room.
"Boys, what's the matter?" The woman could not hide her concern.
"We think that Kim may have snapped…"
"'cause of the whole Homecoming thing."
Mr. Dr. Possible put his paper down. "Why do you say that?"
"She's in the kitchen…"
"…making sandwiches."
Mr. and Mrs. Possible couldn't help but look confused.
XxXxXxXxX
Indeed, when the Possibles walked into the kitchen, Kim was spreading peanut butter onto a slice of bread.
"Kimmie…" Mrs. Dr. Possible approached her daughter carefully.
"Oh, hey, Mom, Dad. What's up?"
"You…sure look busy." Mr. Dr. Possible stepped beside his wife.
"Oh, this? Just making some sandwiches." She happily continued the food preparation.
"There wouldn't happen to be any extra…ingredients in them, would there?" The elder redhead spoke carefully; if her daughter had, as Jim and Tim alleged, 'snapped', she didn't want to trigger anything.
Kim simply shook her head. "No. It's just peanut butter and bread."
"Oh. Well, I hope that whoever the sandwiches are for likes them." The adults sighed; they knew that their daughter could be trusted not to do harm to anyone who didn't deserve it.
The truth is that Kim had gotten better in the kitchen. Something simple like making sandwiches was well within her capabilities.
XxXxXxXxX
Kim turned on her Kimmunicator. Wade appeared on the screen. "Morning, Kim."
"Morning, Wade. I need you to get me Ron Rieger's schedule."
The boy genius looked curiously at Kim. "This isn't for something that authorities need to be made aware of, is it?"
"Wade! You know me. I've got it together. Now the schedule, please and thank you."
He took a breath. "Okay."
Kim smiled as Rieger's class listing came up on the monitor.
XxXxXxXxX
Ron Rieger closed his locker and made his way down the hall, against the tide of students. If there was one thing he liked, it was having sometime to himself.
He glanced around the library. It was deserted. He sat down at a desk in the stacks and started to read one of his books.
He barely heard the chair scoot next to him. "Hey, Ron."
Ron did a double take at seeing the person next to him. "Kim?!"
"That's the name."
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought we could talk."
"About what?", he said, turning back to his book. "We haven't communicated at all during high school."
"Well…we could talk about Homecoming."
Ron's eyes widened. "Oh, well, that was a couple of days ago. There's no reason to bring that up."
"You seem a little nervous, Ron. Maybe you need to eat something." Kim reached into a basket and pulled out a baggie with a sandwich in it. "Here. Peanut butter, made just for you."
"Are you sure? I mean, this is a library." …and the only place that Kim could get Ron alone without the burden of prying eyes.
"I know, but you must be starving. Everyone else is at lunch."
"Which is exactly why I'm better off here."
"Come on, Ron. You have to eat something." She waved the wrapped sandwich under his nose.
"Okay, fine." He took the sandwich from her hands and unwrapped it. It looked so inviting. He took a bite. A smile formed on his face. "This is pretty good." Within moments, the sandwich was no more, and Ron looked satisfied.
"Have another." Kim offered another sandwich, which Ron accepted eagerly.
She couldn't help but feel pleased; someone was enjoying her food.
"So, Ron…how do you feel?"
His answer was pretty garbled, as befitting someone who's just eaten three peanut butter sandwiches.
"You know, I find that nothing goes better with peanut butter sandwiches than a tall glass of milk." She placed a carton of milk on the table. Ron stared at the container.
He reached for it, but Kim grabbed it just in time. She poured some milk into a cup and drank from it. "Refreshing", she said after she swallowed.
Ron whimpered.
"You monitored the computerized voting system the night of Homecoming. I asked around. Only a handful of people voted for Bonnie, yet she ended up as Homecoming Queen. Isn't that strange?"
Another noise from the ancillary student.
"Yeah. Like I'm supposed to believe that. She put you up to it, didn't she?"
Ron mumbled something, then motioned to his mouth.
"You don't need your mouth to tell me what happened." She took his hand and walked him to a computer. "Start typing."
Ron did as she requested, first to enter the password to allow him access into the school's computer system. As she waited for the computer to boot up, Kim longed for the days where one could just sit down at a terminal and simply use the computer.
Ron opened up a blank Word file and furiously began to type. Kim nodded at the words as they formed on the screen. Her look of approval changed to one of shock.
"That's what she offered if you did this for her?"
Ron nodded and typed out a sentence on the monitor: "And she still hasn't delivered on her promise."
Kim shook her head; she suspected that there was something a little…off about Bonnie, but this was way off the charts. "Print it out."
Ron moved his mouse to the 'print' icon. Moments later, a document emerged from the printer. Kim grabbed the paper, still warm to the touch.
She smacked the back of the chair and walked off. "Thanks for your help."
Ron grunted in anger. Kim turned around.
"Oh, yeah." She picked up the basket and walked out…leaving the carton of milk. Ron grabbed it and chugged it down.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Mr. Rieger!"
He turned toward Ms. Hatchet, who looked quite livid.
"You know better than to bring food and drink into the library!"
He nervously gulped, though because of the milk as opposed to fear.
XxXxXxXxX
Kim folded up the piece of paper and stuffed it into her pocket. She saw Ron coming around the corner. Refusing to hide her elation, she hurried up to him.
As Kim got closer she could see - much to her horror - that Bonnie was next to him. They were posing for a photo.
"Very nice. This'll make yearbook cover, for sure", the photographer said as he packed up his camera.
Ron looked over at his friend, which broke him out of his funk. "Kim!"
Bonnie looked toward her, as well. "Well, if it isn't the green-eyed monster. What are you doing here?"
"Free country, Bonnie. I want to talk to Ron."
"It's not like you don't do that every day. Can I just have a moment with my Homecoming King?"
"No!", Ron and Kim replied together before walking off.
"So…things have been going well with Bonnie?"
"It's a nightmare. She's always in my space. I couldn't even have any time with Rufus."
At that, the naked mole rat popped out of Ron's pocket.
"She thinks that he looks disgusting."
Kim extended her arm, allowing Rufus to crawl up her body and onto her shoulder. "Well, that says more about her than it does about him." Rufus kissed her on the cheek. A slight blush formed on Kim's cheeks.
"Hey, Rufus. Save some for me." Ron stopped Kim in her tracks and planted a kiss on her lips.
Bonnie stared at the couple from down the hall. She seethed at being disregarded. As they disappeared from her field-of-vision, she vowed that they would pay for their disrespect.
XxXxXxXxX
"…and she didn't want to eat at Bueno Nacho. 'The food is soooo disgusting'." There was a creepiness to the accuracy of Ron's Bonnie impression, but Kim was having too good a time to notice. "Like she's an expert on fine dining."
"Ron…to be honest, this whole…Homecoming thing kind of drove me nuts."
"I can understand. Being away from you…"
"Well, at least it's over."
Ron rubbed the back of his head. "Not quite."
"What?"
"You know that gazebo in the park? Well, there's a event in the gym the day after tomorrow. Bonnie and I have to be there."
"Man…!"
"Don't worry. After this is all over, we'll have some of the best times ever."
Kim sighed. "Sounds great."
XxXxXxXxX
Kim walked down the street. To be honest, floating seemed a more apropos description. Her mood was happier than it had been in days. The talk with Ron really mended her spirits.
As she passed by a number of people, she heard whispering, which only grew louder the closer she came to them.
"Those two kids who made Homecoming King and Queen make an incredible couple."
"I agree."
"I wouldn't be surprised if they got together."
"I can't imagine a better, more beautiful Queen."
The comments seemed to run together, forming one continuous loop. Kim started to run, looking worried. The comments grew louder. Kim ran faster.
She crashed into a wall. The words used to make up the comments came to life and hurtled toward her rapidly.
Kim put her hands up in defense and screamed.
XxXxXxXxX
Kim rose from her bed in a cold sweat. She panted furiously. It was just some crazy nightmare. Even so, it felt so real. The panting had slowed down, much to her relief.
Uneasily, she settled back into bed. She turned on her side and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come to her.
XxXxXxXxX
Sleep did not come to Kim, as the bags under her eyes would surely attest.
She sluggishly made her way to school, barely noticing the people around her. Monique excitedly ran up to her. "Hey, Kim! What--"
Kim turned to the girl, revealing her worn face.
"Whoa! Looks like you forgot your morning face."
"Darn. I thought I put it on."
"Well, are you K-I-T?"
"I'm trying, but it's not easy."
A pair of girls passed by Kim and Monique. "Ron and Bonnie make an incredible couple", Kim heard them say. At least, she could've sworn she heard them say that.
"Mon, did you hear that?"
She shook her head. "Hear what?"
Kim glanced at her. "Nothing, I guess."
Another girl walked by. "I can't imagine a better, more beautiful Queen."
Again, the redhead jerked around. Monique looked at her, wanting to get to the bottom of Kim's behavior.
"Kim…"
"Maybe we'd better get to class. I need something to distract me."
With a quizzical look, Monique followed her friend down the hall.
XxXxXxXxX
The rest of the day offered only mild relief for Kim. Every other sentence that she thought she heard sounded like more and more romantic support for Ron and Bonnie. Even during lunch, Ron's ranting about the inedibility of the food translated into a nauseating suggestion for something to happen with the Queen.
The more she wished for the day to be over, the longer it seemed to get. The final bell rang for the day. Kim trudged to her locker and placed her books inside.
She turned down the hall. Hopefully, seeing Ron would lift her spirits.
XxXxXxXxX
Ron walked down the hall, carrying a couple of books. Kim had gotten him in the habit of bringing along books so he could study on his downtime at school. He hardly noticed when Bonnie walked up to him.
"Hello." Her tone was light and friendly.
"What, no 'Stoppable'? No 'loser'? You're slipping, Bonnie."
"Can't we just talk?"
The young man stopped. "What could the two of us possibly talk about? You don't like me and I'm not your biggest fan, either."
"Please!" It may have been the wax that Ron didn't quite clean out of his ears, but Bonnie almost sounded sympathetic just then.
Ron took a breath. "Okay. Let's talk."
"Well, what if I were to tell you that I didn't come by Homecoming Queen…honestly?"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "You cheated."
"I asked someone to cheat for me."
Starting to pace, Ron pumped his fist. "I should've known! I knew that Kim was a shoo-in." He stopped in front of Bonnie. "But why?"
"I just wanted what Kim had."
This took Ron aback. He placed a hand on his chest, as if to say, 'Me?'.
"No. I wanted to be admired." She motioned to her body. "People envy and fantasize about me more than they admire me. People admire Kim. I've seen it in the news and all around school."
Ron stared in surprise. This was a side to Kim's rival he never expected to see. "Then I heard about Homecoming. I thought that people would admire me if I were Queen. I'd found out that everyone was voting for Kim." Bonnie rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess I got a little desperate."
"Wow."
Bonnie folded her arms. "That's all you can say?"
Ron put his hands up in defense. "Not to belittle your problems, but it's not every day that people pour their hearts out to me. It's really not."
"Well, it all comes down to my sisters." She stomped her foot down. "They just love to see me fail. Picking at me every chance they get. I had to do this; to rub it in their faces."
"When you put it like that…it's still wrong, but I guess I understand you, now. You know, if things had turned out…you know, not like this, maybe you, me and Kim could've been friends."
The squeaking of shoes at the other end of the hallway went unnoticed by Ron, but not Bonnie. "That is so nice to hear. Oh, come here!" Bonnie pulled Ron into a deep kiss.
The squeaky shoes belonged to none other than Kim. Her gasp was loud enough to draw Ron's attention away from the kiss. "Kim!"
The redhead clasped her hands together. "Ron, we're friends, so I'll let you choose: burial or cremation?!" She punched him in the gut and stormed off.
Ron, holding his chest and struggling to allow oxygen into his body, scuttled after her. Bonnie put her hands on her hips. "Wow. That girlfriend of yours has some temper; not the kind of attitude that would go well with Homecoming Queen." Ron noticed that her kindly tone was replaced with the same snotty one he was used to from her. "I did this school a favor."
"What are you talking about?"
"Kim. If that's the way she's gonna act every time a girl kisses her boyfriend, she's not gonna go very far in life."
Ron shook his head. "What happened to 'I wanted to be admired'? 'My sisters love to see me fail'?"
Bonnie responded with a hearty laugh. "'My sisters'? You really believe that crap?! Come on, Stoppable. No one's that insecure." A long time ago, she cursed her mother for enrolling her in drama classes. As she walked down the hall, she was happy to have taken them.
XxXxXxXxX
"Kim, can't we talk?"
The redhead continued to walk away, refusing to even look at Ron. "What, your new girlfriend is tired of talking? She must be with her tongue doing laps around your larynx!"
"Kim--!"
The Kimmunicator beeped, interrupting Ron's protest.
"What is it, Wade?!"
The boy genius cringed at Kim's tone. "Should I try again, maybe in a few days--"
She squeezed the device to the point where she could've left finger indentations. "Spill!"
Not wishing to push the issue further, Wade put his hands up. "Okay, Duff Killigan is making off with a shipment of divots in Toronto."
"How soon can you have a ride here?"
"A few minutes."
"Perfect." Kim looked out for the ride as she turned the Kimmunicator off.
"Kim--"
She put up her hand. "Ron, don't. All I want to do is stop Duff, go home, do my homework and go to bed."
"And you don't even want to talk about what happened?"
"You kissed Bonnie. What is there to talk about?"
The cargo plane touched down in the parking lot of Middleton High. Not taking their eyes off of one another, Kim and Ron boarded the craft.
XxXxXxXxX
The two teenagers sat amongst the crates in the back of the plane.
"Did you ever consider that maybe she was kissing me?"
Kim was momentarily left speechless. On the one hand, she considered it; Bonnie was treacherous enough. On the other, more emotional and in-control hand…
"Well, you didn't seem to be in any hurry to break away!"
"She had a kung-fu grip on me! How could I break away?"
The pilot couldn't help but listen in on the conversation. He opted, however, to ignore it. One you have teenagers mad at you, who knows how long it can last?
"You could've stepped on her feet! They're fragile, and, believe me, this is four years of cheerleading with her talking."
"I think it's something else talking."
"Here we are over the drop zone!"
Kim and Ron strapped on parachutes and walked toward the cargo bay doors.
"And what could that be?"
"You and her have been at each other's throats for years.
The doors opened. The teens fell through the sky.
"Well, she was always in my face about something! She couldn't be happy with what she had!"
"That may be true, but you're worried about losing me to other girls!"
"What?!"
"Face it, Kim! Even before we got together, you've been trying to keep me all to yourself!"
"What are you talking about?"
Ron pulled his ripcord, deploying the parachute. Kim scowled at him and did the same. The two floated at about the same level.
"I had to find out too late that Tara and Yori liked me. You could've said something, but you didn't."
"Hey, if you can't figure stuff like that out for yourself--"
"So, what, I'm ignorant?"
Kim smiled condescendingly. "I'm glad I didn't have to say it."
"At least I'm not some control freak who has to have everything go their way or I start freaking out like a chicken without a head!"
"So, I'm a control freak."
"I'm glad I didn't have to say it", Ron stated with a slight smile.
The teens touched down on a building. A door at the other end of the roof opened. Duff Killigan emerged from it…not that Kim and Ron were in any great rush to notice.
"Well, it's so nice to have a friend who can let me know my flaws and yet remain so very perfect."
"Kim, don't even go down that road."
"Fine. I'll make a U-turn. The only reason you're my boyfriend now is the same reason I became your best friend all those years ago: I felt sorry for you!"
In the background of the argument, Killigan was sneaking away. He was certain that this would make an interesting topic of conversation with his fellow ne'er-do-wells.
Ron paced. "You felt sorry for me?"
"Yes."
"Well…I don't care. I have always loved you. I believe that, even with all that's happened to us, I would always love you…but I don't think I believe that so much now."
The young man rushed to the ledge of the cliff and grabbed Killigan off of it. "And where do you think you're going?!" Ron threw Killigan to the roof, grabbed his tartan and hogtied him with it. The Scotsman struggled to free himself, but it was no use.
Kim was taken aback, not only by the confession, but Ron's apprehension skills. She struggled to find her voice.
After taking another look at Killigan, Ron turned back to Kim. "But if you want to hate me, that's just fine. I just want to get on with my life."
"Ron…"
"You couldn't listen to me. Why should I listen to you?"
Kim looked away. The same cargo plane hovered overhead. The pilot would've stayed out of the crossfire but for the threat of termination.
XxXxXxXxX
Much to the pilot's relief, the only sound during the flight back was that of the clanking of the plane. Kim and Ron's stone silence took him by surprise…but this was one gift horse's mouth he would keep shut.
The drop off point for the return was Middleton High's parking lot. Kim and Ron said nothing to each other and took off for their respective homes; Kim in her Sloth, Ron on foot.
XxXxXxXxX
Kim tossed off her mission clothes. With every article of clothing, she grew more frustrated. How could Ron say those things to her?
Angrily, she slipped into a shirt and pants. She crawled into bed. A look of resilience crossed her face. So she wouldn't ever speak to Ron again. Like that was such a tragedy. So she wouldn't have to listen to his stupid comments…or deal with one of his insane freak-outs…or hear that voice of his again…or play with his hair again…or feel herself go limp under his touch again…
Kim sniffled a little. She reached for the phone and dialed as best as she could through her ever-developing tears.
"Hello?"
"Monique?"
"Kim? Man, what time is it? Are you all right?"
"I let it get to me!", Kim screamed through her tears.
XxXxXxXxX
Bonnie looked around. This empty space certainly wasn't here before.
"Hello?" Her voice echoed into the void. "Is anybody here?"
In the dark distance, out of her sights, a pair of eyes opened…green eyes.
The girl walked around. Surely, there was some way out of this place.
A hissing sound grew louder behind Bonnie. She turned around. An amphibious jaw lunged from the darkness, snapping at - and just missing - the girl.
Again, the jaw attacked the girl. She ran, knowing of no other option. She panted heavily, her legs carrying her as fast as they would allow.
So wrapped up was she in self-preservation, she crashed right into a wall.
Bonnie stood up against it, tensing up for the worst.
The beast appeared to her in full. Its green eyes and lizard-like lockjaw were incredible enough, but nothing could prepare her for the creature's scaly body, long tail and red hair. The creature had a mane of red hair that swept about her. As frightened as Bonnie was at that moment, she couldn't help but notice a resemblance.
In a guttural, hissing voice, the creature bellowed. "I know!" The beast snapped its jaw at Bonnie, who screamed.
XxXxXxXxX
Bonnie sat up ramrod straight in bed. Her panting had resumed itself. She glanced at the Homecoming Queen tiara, which sat on her night table. She shook her head. "No way." She lied back down in bed.
XxXxXxXxX
The sun shone over Middleton. However, Ron's mood was distinctly cloudy.
A delicious plate of pancakes sat in front of him, but all he could do was stare at them. Given the way that Rufus was making off with them, perhaps the Homecoming King was staring through them.
Mr. Stoppable sat beside him. "Ronald, what's the matter?"
"I wish I wasn't Homecoming King, Dad. It's caused me nothing but grief."
"I'd be a little proud to be recognized like that."
"Yeah, but what if the girl you love wasn't Homecoming Queen?"
"That, I wouldn't be quite so proud of."
Holding a mug of coffee, Mrs. Stoppable sat down at the table. "Ronald, this is about more than Homecoming, isn't it?"
"Well…Kim and I got into a huge argument last night. We said some things to each other." The woman gasped. "Oh, no. Nothing profane. It's like…every nasty thing we've ever thought about each other just came spilling out, one after the other." Ron sighed. "She probably hates me."
The woman rubbed Ron's back. "Ronald, I won't lie to you. I can't lie to you; I'm genetically programmed not to." The young man smiled. "I've always found Kimberly to be impulsive and strong-willed." Ron's smile faded somewhat. "…and those aren't bad qualities in a girlfriend."
"Take it from someone who knows", the older man interjected.
"She knows what she wants, even if she goes about it the wrong way. You and her said things to each other that you didn't mean."
"Mom, I meant them, just as she meant what she said."
"Does that mean you don't still love her?"
"Of course I do!"
Mrs. Stoppable smiled knowingly. "I guess you know what you need to do."
Ron stood up. "Yes, I do." He looked to Rufus, who looked tired; eating a whole plate of pancakes will do that to you. "Let's go, Rufus." He took the naked mole rat in his hands and ran out.
XxXxXxXxX
Ron banged on the door of the Possible home. "Hello! Kim, are you home?!" He knocked again. The door opened in the middle of one of his knocks, which nearly caused him to lose his footing.
Appearing in the door frame was the stunning visage of Mrs. Dr. Possible. Ron picked himself up and gazed into the woman's eyes. "Kim?"
"No, Ron. You just missed her. She went off with Monique."
"To school?"
She nodded. "I imagine so."
Ron stood to one foot and took off running.
XxXxXxXxX
The Sloth pulled up in front of Middleton High. In the driver's seat, however, was not the car's owner.
Monique turned the ignition off and looked to her passenger: Kim.
"Thanks for driving me, Monique." Kim was still feeling a bit fragile from the previous night and driving in her emotional state would lead to automotive damage far beyond what she could afford.
"Anytime…and I mean it. This car is off the chain." Kim opened the door and Monique followed suit. "Now, I know you're in a delicate place right now, so I'll save the 'I told you so's' for later."
"Thanks, Mon." The girls walked toward the entrance.
XxXxXxXxX
Ron had run pretty far before stopping to catch his breath. "Never…realized…school…so far."
He looked up. To his great relief, Middleton High was two blocks away. He felt confident enough to walk the rest of the way.
"I'm sleeping through first period, study hall or not!"
XxXxXxXxX
Unfortunately, the bell rang just after Ron made it into the building. Fortunately, he was able to employ stealth tactics to avoid Barkin; just because he was Homecoming King did not excuse him from detention…and wouldn't this put a feather in the educator's cap?
Ron slipped comfortably into his first period class: study hall…being monitored by Steve Barkin.
XxXxXxXxX
The rest of the day passed without incident for Kim. Whenever she saw Bonnie - which was only twice, passing her during lunch - she fought back the urge to break her fist on the brunette's face.
However, the ceremony would be her biggest test. School had let out and a crowd gathered in the gym. A stage had been set at the back where Ron and Bonnie would be hailed.
If Kim had her way, she'd be gone; off to home or the mall or maybe engaging in a slugfest with Shego. However, Monique encouraged her to go. During the aforementioned lunch period, she gave to the redhead a speech about how if Kim were to let this one thing eat away at her, she'd be inviting everything to eat away at her, until there was nothing left.
Also, Monique still had Kim's car keys and she wasn't letting them go.
"…and so, it is my honor to present these certificates to Ronald Stoppable and Bonnie Rockwaller, two exemplary students whose grace is something to be cherished." An older male teacher stood at the podium. He looked to be pleased with his students.
Even with a nightmare that would've shaken lesser people, Bonnie looked surprisingly confident. She sat next to Ron gripping his hand. Needless to say, she was looking more assured than he was. If he wasn't so disgusted at the prospect, he would've gnawed his own trapped limb off like a coyote and ran for freedom.
"Mon, I don't want to be here."
"You want to support Ron, don't you?"
"Sure, I do, but…Bonnie…"
"Nobody said you had to support Bonnie."
Monique and Kim made their way through the crowd, stopping toward the front of the stage.
Bonnie looked at the crowd, various flashbulbs going off. Her gaze stopped on Kim. Knowing that her rival was feasting on humble pie brought a smile to her face.
Kim looked up at the Homecoming Queen, their eyes meeting. Bonnie gasped. For moments of a second, she saw Kim's face become that of a lizard. She shook her head. Kim was herself.
"Bonnie?"
"Yes?!" She hadn't meant for her response to be so squeaky. She cleared her throat. "Yes?"
"Would you like to say a few words?"
She nodded. "I would." The older man handed the microphone to the brunette, who took it. "First of all, I would like to say that this honor was a big and very deserving surprise."
Kim snorted.
"I just want to thank all of the people who voted for me. It is without them that I could…not…"
Bonnie trailed off when her eyes fell on Kim once again. A slithery tongue darted out of Kim's mouth and whipped out several feet in front of her.
"…have…achieved…"
Unknown to everyone in the gym, Kim started growing, in height and weight. Scales covered her body. A tail formed just above her backside. Bonnie's attention was drawn to the emerging creature. How in the world could no one else see it?!
The creature was a fully-formed green dragon that had, somehow, retained Kim's hair and green eyes.
"…this…honor."
At that moment, Bonnie gave up any and all pretense of giving her speech. She stared up at the dragon.
A few other people looked where she was staring…but could see nothing.
The dragon smiled and snorted a cloud of smoke at the Homecoming Queen. It leaned in close to Bonnie. "You devious little witch."
Bonnie gasped loudly. A loud, beating noise came from her chest. To be more specific, it was coming from her necklace; it was beating like a human heart, and at a rapid pace.
One of the teachers walked up to the now-hyper-ventilating Bonnie. "Are you all right?"
Bonnie looked at the older woman. Was she all right? 'A dragon is taunting me and my necklace is beating. Why am I the only one who sees these things?!', the girl worriedly thought to herself.
The dragon who seemed to be Kim buffed its claws against its chest. "Are you gonna freak out all day, little girl, or what?" The creature's congenial attitude toward the situation was quickly dissipating. "Say something!", she roared.
Bonnie, through tears, reached behind her and unclasped the necklace, holding up in her hand. "It's the beating of this hideous heart!"
The crowd gasped. They certainly weren't expecting her to say that.
Still, clutching the necklace, Bonnie slumped to her knees. "I don't deserve to be Homecoming Queen", she said in a barely intelligible mumble.
The crowd stared in confusion, murmuring 'What?'. The dragon, however, was less satisfied. "Speak up!"
"I don't deserve to be Homecoming Queen!" Another gasp from the audience as Bonnie removed the tiara. "I bribed Ron Rieger to mess with the votes so I'd be elected instead of Kim." Bonnie started to sob. "At first, it was because I missed my ex-boyfriend, Brick Flagg, and wanted respect from the student body…but then, I wanted to hurt Kim. Ron is her boyfriend, and I wanted her to be miserable…just like I was." Tears fell from Bonnie's eyes, which caused her mascara to run.
The crowd started to talk amongst themselves. However, the talk took an angry timbre; clearly, Bonnie was in trouble.
Another sound that no one expected started: that of a slow, solitary hand clap. The crowd dispersed. Bonnie's reddened eyes goggled. The slow clap was coming from Kim.
The look on the redhead's face was not one of victory or satisfaction, but one of resolution.
The crowd looked at Kim in surprise. Even Bonnie was taken aback.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but it takes real courage to make a confession like that. Sure, what she did was wrong - unforgivably so - but she came clean. That deserves a round of applause." Kim took up the clapping once more. Slowly, but surely, it spread throughout the crowd.
Bonnie wiped her eyes. Kim walked onto the stage and put an arm around the Queen.
"The tiara?" Kim held a hand up. Bonnie placed the tiara in it.
"I can't believe what you're doing, Kim. You're taking this well."
"I can afford to be dignified. Rieger told me what you offered him if he helped you."
Bonnie gulped.
"Don't worry. No one else knows, nor will they ever know."
"I never thought I'd say this…ever…but thank you, Kim."
Kim looked Bonnie in the eyes. "Don't be so quick to thank me." Kim shook her head. "Tampering with a voting system to put someone undeserving in the winners' circle may be how they pick the President, but that does not make it okay for a high school election. Next time you're in a situation like this, you might want to consider acting like an adult." Kim walked off.
"And what if I don't?" The redhead wasn't even two steps away from where she'd been standing when Bonnie said that. She just couldn't let it go, could she?
Kim approached the ersatz Queen and glared at her. "You'll see." Kim again walked away. There were a myriad of possibilities to consider if Bonnie were caught rigging, for instance, a beauty pageant or a talent show. There wouldn't always be someone to defend her and, even more, the consequences would be significantly harsher than the citizens of her hometown whispering behind her back.
Ron stood up and ran to Kim, who blushed.
"Kim, I--"
"Ron, I--"
"I'm sorry", the long-time friends said at the same time. They kissed; the jinx would have to wait.
They broke off, happier than ever to be together. Kim handed the tiara to Ron, who gently placed it on her head. They threw their arms around each other and walked off. Breaking through the crowd of people, Monique ran after them.
"Wait up, you two! I've still got the keys to the Sloth!"
The audience, meanwhile, stood around. Some looked disappointed, while others started whispering. Bonnie could quite make out what they were saying, but it was just as well. As low as she felt, it was better that she didn't hear the crowd.
--
A/N: Not only was Bonnie not punished for her misdeeds, but she was even rewarded with a relationship with Senor Senior Junior. If you were to look up a word which has yet to exist that means 'the polar opposite of justice', you'd find this, no question.
I look forward to hearing back from you.