A/N: I'm back with another Kickin' It one shot! This doesn't exist in the same universe as Face Down, but you should read that one too, if you like this one.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Kickin' It. If I did, Kick would be a canon ship. Just sayin'.
I saw a spider, I didn't scream 'cause I can belch the alphabet, just double dog dare me. And I chose guitar over ballet and I take these suckers down because they just get in my way. The way you look at me is kinda like a little sister. You high five your goodbyes and it leaves me nothing but blisters.
"Kim! Come quickly!" Kim rolled her brown eyes as she left the girl's changing room, only to find three of her best friends standing on the bench in the practice room. She glared at them for a moment before smirking at the situation they were in. Jerry was holding Milton and Eddie was latched onto Jerry's leg, making them a very comical bunch.
"Yes, Milton?" She asked, crossing her arms and sticking her left hip out slightly.
"The- there's a spider!" He squealed, pointing to something on the mat near Kim's feet. She glanced down and back up at the three boys.
"And?"
"Kill it!" Jerry said frantically, nearly dropping Milton.
"Can I get a 'please'?" She asked, clearly enjoying making them squirm.
"PLEASE!" All three boys yelled, making Kim laugh. She walked over to the tiny bug and stepped on it, flattening it against her pink sneakers. Kim then walked outside to scrape the eight-legged creature's guts off of her shoe.
"All gone, see?" She said as she walked in, stopping to show off the bottom of her shoe. Milton, Eddie, and Jerry and sighed in relief and got down, finally looking slightly embarrassed about the positions Kim had caught them in.
"What was all that screaming about?" Jack asked, walking out of the boy's changing room. He glanced first at Kim, then at the other three.
"There was a spider." Kim said simply, smirking at him.
"So you were freaked out?" He asked, looking at the boys who all hung their heads in shame.
"Nope, they were. I killed it for them." Kim answered, laughing again. Jack nodded his head approvingly at her and joined in. The two were almost in a fit of hysterics when Milton finally coughed loudly to get them under control.
"Guys, seriously? Kim's a girl and she could handle a spider when you couldn't. That's weak."
"Excuse me?" Kim asked her voice now dangerous.
"I just-" Jack seemed to realize his mistake "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant most girls get freaked out over spiders, but you're different."
"How so?" Kim wasn't really upset, she just liked messing with the boys every once and awhile.
"You're not really all that girly. Spiders don't scare you, you'd rather be here with us than shopping with Grace, and you sweat."
"I do not sweat!" Kim screaked, throwing her hands up.
"Yeah, you do. You're doing it right now." Eddie pointed out. Kim wiped her forehead quickly.
"Girls don't sweat! We glow!" She threw back at the boys.
"You're glowing an awful lot." Milton said, raising an eye brow.
"Face it, Kim! You're a total girl-boy-man." Jerry said, puffing out his chest to emphasize his point. "I think you have more chest hair than Milton."
"I DO NOT HAVE CHEST HAIR!" Kim screamed, clearly reaching the end of her rope.
"He didn't mean it, Kim. He just means, you know…" Jack tried to reason with her, rubbing the back of his neck.
"No, I don't know, Jack."
"He means you're just…one of the guys." Kim stormed out, leaving her gym bag in her locker.
So I don't want to be one of the boys, one of your guys. Just give me a chance to prove to you tonight. I just wanna be one of the girls, pretty in pearls. Not one of the boys.
She was beyond upset; she was at the point where she could barely see where she was going. All she could think about was the fact that no one saw her as a girl at the dojo. Kim Crawford had spent all of her life trying to prove to people that girls could be just as tough as boys, but it seems that when boys finally began to see that, they forgot that she was a girl. A girl who liked dresses and scarves and pink shoes, a girl who silly crushes on pop stars like Ricky Weaver, and a girl who loved shopping and martial arts. Why couldn't her friends just see her for who she was?
Kim could hear someone calling out for her, but she ignored it. Of course, it was probably Jack following her and trying to be noble or whatever. He was always the first to apologize to her for something and she was starting to get sick of it. He was just so…perfect! Jack was honestly the sweetest guy Kim knew, but he would never like her the way she liked him. That was why she was so hurt by his 'one of the guys' comment.
So over the summer something changed. I started reading 17 and shaving my legs, and I studied "Lolita" religiously. And I walked right into school and caught you staring at me. 'cause I know what you know, but now you're gonna have to take a number. It's OK, maybe one day, but not until you give my diamond ring.
Kim Crawford stared at herself in the mirror. A beautiful girl with a nice tan, sparkling brown eyes, and golden blonde waves stared back at her. In short, she looked very similar to how she did before she left, but also very different. She had a new air of confidence to her, a new hint of beauty. Kim had always been pretty, but now she seemed so much more at ease with her appearance.
As you can tell, something had changed in Kim. She went to the beach with her family over the summer. Kim had called Rudy and had let him know why she wouldn't be at the dojo for two months, and he had been fine with it, as long as she still practiced on her own. Kim hadn't spoken to any of the boys since their fight. All of them had texted her apologies and Jack had called her several times, but Kim had refused to answer. Call her shallow, but she wanted them to see the New Kim Crawford in person.
While at the beach, Kim had met a boy and they had had a brief summer romance. He had been Kim's first real boyfriend and her first kiss, besides Milton (which she didn't count as it had been accidental). The boy was sweet, but Kim had broken up with him as she 'didn't do long-distance relationships'. That was just something she had heard someone say once in a movie, she'd never had to use it before. The real reason was because while the boy was amazing and wonderful, Kim's heart still belonged to Jack, whether he knew it or not. It just wouldn't be right to date Garrett while liking and being around Jack all the time. So she had broken up with him on their last day there, promising to see if the 'magic' (as Garrett called it) was still there in a year. And if they were both still single, of course.
So, Kim would return to the dojo and get some practicing in before school started back in two weeks. She had a lot to catch up on, but she was ready for it. She grabbed her (new) gym bag and a water bottle and left, leaving a note for her mother on the kitchen table. While she didn't have anything in mind, she was sure the boys would want to catch up with her after practice.
Kim arrived at the dojo's door and sighed, mentally preparing herself for her 'big revealing'. It was now or never. She pushed the door open gently and walked inside, looking around at the large room. Nothing had changed inside, though had she expected it to? She had only been gone for two months, after all. Kim snapped out of her memories when a pair of arms wrapped around her and picked her up.
"Kim! You're back!" Jerry said, hugging her tightly. "I thought you were kidnapped or something!"
"I'm fine, Jerry." Kim said with a laugh, hugging the boy back.
"You aren't still mad at me, are you?" He asked worriedly, pulling away from her to look at her.
"No, it's been two months after all."
"KIM!" Eddie and Milton screamed, running to hug her as well. After a large round of 'I missed you's and 'How have you been?'s were exchanged, Kim glanced around again.
"Where's Jack?" She asked.
"Oh, he's still changing." Jerry said and Kim nodded, rolling her eyes. That boy took longer than she did…or used to.
"Now what's all the yelling abo- KIM!" Jack cried out, noticing the beautiful blonde had returned. He was about to run and hug her when he noticed, to his shock and delight, that she looked even prettier than when he had last seen her. She was gorgeous.
"Well? Aren't you going to high five me or something, Jack?" Kim asked, smiling and blushing at the way he was now staring at her.
"I- yes." He said, coughing slightly and walking over to her. He went for a high five at the same time she went for a hug, resulting in them both trying to match the other. Eventually, they awkwardly shook hands, making both of them mentally facepalm.
"Well, where have you been? We've been worried sick!" Milton said, going Mother Hen on her. She laughed and began telling them all about her trip, not noticing all the boys staring at her in a new light.
I wanna be a flower, not a dirty weed. And I wanna smell like roses, not a baseball team. And I swear maybe one day you're gonna wanna make out, make out, make out with me.
"Hey, um Kim? You want to maybe go by Falafel Phil's after this?" Jack asked Kim nervously. The two had just gotten done sparring with Milton and Jerry respectively and both were slightly hungry. Kim smiled, her stomach flipping slightly. Now was her chance.
"Yeah, sound's good." She said casually.
"Yeah, sound's awesome! I could really go for a falafel right now." Jerry said, rubbing his stomach. Milton and Eddie nodded, making Kim and Jack both shoot them looks.
"Okay, well I'll be back soon. Let me just go change." Kim said, grabbing her new bag from her locker. She grabbed the old one too, shoving it in the new one. She walked to the changing room, missing Jack angrily scolding the three other boys.
When she returned, she looked just as fantastic as when she had left; her hair even seemed to glow a bit. She noticed all four of the boys were already ready this time, shocking her slightly. Did she really take that long now?
"Ready to go?" Jack asked, offering his elbow. Kim giggled and took it, only to have Milton loop his through her other one. Kim laughed at the look on Jack's face and decided to suck it up for her friends' sakes. She hadn't seen them in a long time, she could put up with them crashing what Jack seemed to have intended to be a date. Besides, all the boys ended up linking arms, which only made her laugh harder.
"You guys are the toughest, manliest men I know." Kim said teasingly as the group walked across the courtyard to Falafel Phil's. Jack nudged her back playfully while the three other boys seemed outraged.
"I'm manly!" Jerry said, flexing his muscles. Eddie and Milton tried to do the same, but neither really had muscles to show off.
"Yeah, okay. Come on; let's just go get some falafels." Kim said, laughing.
"Race you!" Jerry screamed and all five of the teenagers took off running, laughing the whole way.
'cause I don't wanna be one of the boys. I just wanna be one of the girls, so pretty in pearls. Not one of the boys
"I'm so full; I don't think I could move." Jerry groaned, patting his stomach. Beside him, Kim and Milton made noises of agreement.
"So, what have you been up to while I was away?" Kim asked, rubbing her stomach.
"Training mostly…oh and Eddie got a girlfriend."
"WHAT?" Kim screamed, making everyone in the restaurant stare at her.
"Yeah, it's Grace actually." Kim actually did a spit take, making the boys laugh.
"You'd better tell me all about that later." Kim threatened, narrowing her eyes at the boy across from her. He swallowed thickly and nodded. "How are things with you and Julie?"
"Good, actually. She forgave us for that little incident in the dojo…"
"What incident in the dojo?" Eddie asked and the other two boys leaned in in interest.
"Um, well you see…" Kim started as Milton realized his mistake.
"Julie saw something that she shouldn't have…"
"Like what?" Jack asked.
"Um… well… shesawuskissing." Milton said quickly, looking down.
"WHAT?"
"It's not what it sounds like! I was helping him get over his fears of kissing Julie."
"By kissing him?" Jack asked, clearly confused.
"It was just a peck! And it was an accident!" Kim defended, seeing as Milton was blushing too hard to defend them.
"And on that note, I think I'll be going. It's getting kind of late." Eddie said, standing up. Jack followed suit and scooted out of the booth. Milton, Kim, and Jerry all got out as well.
"My mom's going to give us a ride." Jerry told Milton who nodded. They left as well as Eddie, who was also getting a ride from his mother.
"Do you have a ride?" Jack asked Kim, leaning against the table briefly.
"No, I walked here and Mom won't be back until later." She said, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear
"I'll walk you." He said, starting for the door.
"You don't have to."
"No, I need to walk home too and it's not too far away from my house."
"Yes it is!" Jack lived several streets away from her.
"Come on." He said, holding the door open for her. Kim walked through, shooting him a look.
"You know I can take care of myself, right?" The words were so similar to the first time he may or may not have asked her out.
"Yeah." The two walked in silence for a few minutes.
"There's something different about you, Kim." Jack said finally.
"What?"
"It's just…you seem different. In a good way." He added, glancing at her.
"Well, I was gone for two months. Maybe you just missed me so much that you think I look pretty." She teased, glancing at him too.
"You are pretty." He said quietly, making her jump slightly and look at him again.
"What?"
"Nothing." He said, coughing quickly.
"Okay then." Kim said, turning back to the road. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Kim smiled slightly at that. "All of us missed you." A frown appeared in its place. Kim sighed heavily; looking in front of her while Jack glared at the ground.
"You know, I never thought you'd be too shy to talk to a girl." Kim said suddenly, making him gasp and look at her.
"I'm not too shy to talk to a girl!" Jack threw back, making Kim laugh harder.
"You sure seem too shy to talk to me."
"That's- that's different."
"Because I'm 'one of the guys'?"
"You aren't one of the guys." He said with a snort.
"That's exactly what you said to me before I left."
"I mean," He stopped and turned to her. "You are one of the guys when it comes to hanging out with me and the guys, but you aren't at the same time."
"How so?" It was so similar to the fight they had had before she went on vacation.
"Uh…"
"See, too shy to talk to me." Kim said, making Jack rub the back of his neck.
"I mean, you're a girl. You smell way better than the other guys and you know, you're prettier than them too."
"Thank you for saying I'm prettier than boys. It means a lot." Kim replied sarcastically.
"No, what I mean is-" He sighed and looked at her. "You're pretty, even for a girl." Kim smiled at that.
"Thank you, Jack." With that, she turned to leave. Jack grabbed her arm.
"I missed you a lot."
"And the boys did too." He sighed.
"What I mean is, I missed you a lot."
"I missed you a lot too." Kim said, smiling shyly at him. Before she knew what she was doing, she began to lean in slightly. Jack did the same. After a few seconds, their lips met in a shy first kiss. It was over quickly, but neither seemed to mind. It had been a perfect kiss in their eyes.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Kim Crawford." Jack said with a smile on his face. He began walking backwards, then waved and turned the correct way.
"See you, Jack!" She called, smiling in excitement.
You know, maybe she wasn't one of the guys after all.
A/N2: Did you like it? Or hate it? Leave a review! I know Jack and Kim were probably a little OOC in this, but give me a break! It's been awhile since I wrote anything for this fandom y'know. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and please leave me a review? It will make me very happy!
