Dare to Dream
The Sole Survivorxx
The clock ticking in the classroom was unbelievably loud and agonizingly slow. Sometimes if felt as though there was a tiny bug in the gears, holding them in place and keeping the hand from moving any further. The eyes of the students were staring endlessly at the tiny wall clock, not even having the courtesy to pay attention to their repetitive teacher. Ms. Fitzpatrick didn't even pretend to care, looking ready for the weekend like any self-respecting person. Gunther sighed heavily as he traced doodles over his notes, leaning on the palm of his hand. The quietness of the classroom was beginning to get to him. He needed excitement. He needed the thrill of adventure. He needed…
Kick Buttowski.
Speaking of his best friend, he noticed the boy was slouched over his desk, head resting in the crease of his arms as he gazed listlessly at the teacher. His crash helmet had slid over until it was nearly covering his half-lidded eyes and Gunther found himself smiling before looking back to the teacher. He knew as soon as the school bell rang, the short eight year old daredevil would be more himself, much to his relief. Gunther sighed again and continued doodling.
Mellowbrook's own daredevil heaved a sigh as well and sat up. He knew it wouldn't be the smartest thing if he went to sleep right when the day was almost over. He tried to drone out the teacher's ramblings, his steely eyes locked onto the clock as his hands clenched into fists on the desk. Kick rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, wishing he could just leave. Anything sounded better than sitting there. But with his record, including leaving after giving an oral report when school wasn't out, he couldn't afford to have anymore screw ups or his parents would surely ground him for life.
Turning his head more to look about the room, he caught sight of Jackie. The tall girl was hunched over her desk with her hands resting in the palms, looking bored and weary. Stalking people must come at a price, he figured. Just when he thought she looked normal, he saw muscles tighten in her arms. As if sensing his gaze, her head snapped up and her eyes locked onto his with a crazy grin on her lips. Kick regretted ever looking in her direction – scratch that, he instantly regretted coming to school period. A shiver ran down his spine when she grinned and drew something on her notes. Holding it up, the poor boy saw she'd drawn his name in a giant heart with a little crude drawing of what looked like him and her hugging. He grimaced. His eye twitched as he slowly faced forward.
"Stay cool, Kick…" He grumbled, feeling her stare at his back. "The day's almost over with…"
Glancing to his right, he caught sight of Kendall drumming her fingers on her desk, gazing disinterestedly with half-lidded eyes at Ms. Fitzpatrick as well. She followed the teacher about the room with her eyes. Even the class president was ready to go home. Kick's eyebrows raised and he smiled slightly and leaned back in his chair, amused at her sudden out-of-character expression in school of all things. Normally she would be interested, even participating, in their teacher's lesson. But today, she looked about ready to fall asleep sitting up. Her hair looked a bit disheveled and her headband was slipping off her head and over her forehead. He debated throwing something and pointing it out to her, but decided against it. It wasn't his problem nor did he care how she looked.
Suddenly, the school bell chimed through the halls, startling the students out of their boredom, even making Kick tense from the abrupt noise. There was silence for all of two seconds before the class cheered, effectively cutting off Ms. Fitzpatrick's lecture and bolting from the room in a mess of flailing arms and scattered loose leaf papers. Ms. Fitzpatrick blinked before she shook her head and sat down at her desk, grading the last night's homework as she grumbled to herself about children uninterested in schooling.
Kick hopped from his chair, feeling much more alert than he had been moments before. "Finally! It's the weekend!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up. Kendall glanced at him from the corner of her eye as she piled her papers into her books and shoved them in her book bag. Her eyes narrowed at the back of his helmet as she stood and walked around her desk. Kick grinned at his Norse friend and threw the school books into his backpack and looped his arms through the straps.
"Yeah, now you have enough time to practice for that stunt you've been working on!" Gunther beamed and slid on his backpack but his smile soon vanished when shadow fell across the two friends. Kick turned, slightly annoyed since he had to look up, and found his eyes locking with his tall blonde classmate and enemy, Kendall. Her fiery eyes narrowed further when she caught his gaze.
"A stunt?" Kendall scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulders before brushing past them, purposefully knocking both of them into their desks. She stopped in front of the two boys and looked over her shoulder challengingly. Kick glared and frowned, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jumpsuit. His intimidating gaze never left her eyes. "Is that all you ever do, Clarence – stunts? I bet you couldn't go one hour without jumping some –"
"Too late, Kendall." Kick interrupted with a smug grin. He crossed his arms and glanced at Gunther. "I already proved I could." The class president blinked in confusion before she gave him a look of disbelief.
"Uh huh…" She murmured. "You had help." She pointedly looked at Gunther. "There's no way that you could go five minutes on your own." Kick's grin faded and he clenched his fists, his eyebrows knitting together angrily.
"Hey, I'd like to see you try to –"
"But it's true, Kendall. Kick already went through that chapter of his life." Gunther interrupted hurriedly and leaned close to the girl, whispering, "He was going to be sent to military school if he didn't resist doing stunts for a whole twenty-four hours!" Gunther wiped his eyes and pat Kick on his helmet. "I'm so proud." There was a pause as Kick grinned and gave Gunther a thumbs up. Kendall shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, whatever." She scoffed. "But seriously. You having self-control? Please." She growled and crossed her arms before storming away from him, her hair nearly slapping him in his face. "I'll believe it when I see it." Kick's eyes hardened.
"Self control is the way of the daredevil." He told her coldly, his unwavering eyes locked onto her back. "You wouldn't understand."
"If you say so." Kendall called over her shoulder. "See you Monday, Ms. Fitzpatrick!"
"Have a good weekend, Kendall." The teacher droned almost like a recording. The young Buttowski boy frowned and wrinkled his nose as her perfume lingered, even after she'd gone out the door. It smelled strongly of flowers, honey, and a dash of spice. Turning away, he sneezed and waved the scent away with a disgusted expression. Gunther watched her until she left the room with a pondering expression on his face before he turned to Kick.
"You know, it's just a thought Kick, but maybe you should try being nicer to her once in a while." Kick blinked in surprise and gaped at his friend.
"Nice? To her? Gunther, you see how she is!" He exclaimed and threw his arms in the general direction Kendall went off in. "There's no way that could ever happen!" The young stuntman crossed his arms stubbornly. "Kendall is the enemy." The Norse boy sighed.
"But you only say that because you're always so cold and unfeeling towards her and she just responds to that! Maybe if you're nice, then you'll see a different side to her that you never knew."
"Why would I want to be nice to –" Kick paused when he noticed the forgotten teacher's eyes on his face. He blinked in surprise, his finger extended.
"What makes you so sure, Mr. Buttowski?" Ms. Fitzpatrick asked, giving the young daredevil a skeptic look as she closed the grading book. Standing up from the desk, she circled around it to stand in front of him. Kick's eyebrows raised as his head craned back to see her face. Curse his late growth spurt. "You never know what you might find if you start looking."
"What exactly would I be looking for, teach'?" The young daredevil asked. Ms. Fitzpatrick rolled her eyes and sighed.
"You think I don't pay attention? I was sitting right there when you two had another spat. All you ever do is argue with her like an old married couple." Insert eye roll from the daredevil. He glanced at the floor with a frown.
"That's because she's always so –"
"And I have an idea to help stop all of that." Their teacher interrupted. Now it was Gunther's turn to look confused.
"But why would you want to stop Kick and Kendall's bickering?" He asked and she frowned. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned down to their level.
"Because, like everyone else, I'm tired of hearing your voices." She told him and poked him in his chest. He did nothing but stare at her. "Every once in a while, I want some peace around here. But with you two at each other's throats every time you're around the other, no one can enjoy their quiet time, you understand?" Kick's eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms indignantly.
"Why are you just talking to me? She's the one that –" He was cut off by Ms. Fitzpatrick's scowl. He looked at the floor, his glare hardening and his fists tightening by his sides. Looking to Gunther, he saw the boy looked as lost as he was. He turned around and began to head for the door. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to what I know best. And that's not getting along with her." Straightening up, the teacher watched them leave with a raised eyebrow.
Crossing her arms, she added, "Would you care to make a wager?" The daredevil stopped dead, his foot hovering just above the floor outside the classroom. Gunther ran into Kick, having not been paying attention. He fell to the floor, forgotten, as Kick whipped around with a glare on his face.
"What kind of wager?" Kick asked, his voice low. Ms. Fitzpatrick smirked.
"If you can spend a whole 24 hours with Kendall without insulting or arguing with her… meaning you have to be nice," She stressed and Kick rolled his eyes. "I'll let you ride your skateboard in the classroom for one week with no backtalk from me." Kick's eyes widened.
"Seriously?" The daredevil asked in astonishment.
"But you never let him ride Ol' Blue in here!" Gunther exclaimed from the floor, his eyes wide. "You've confiscated it more than once!" The teacher nodded with a smug look on her features.
"I know. This is why I'm pretty confident he won't be able to pull this off… unless he's got something to aim for." She admitted which soon turned into a grin as Kick's eyes narrowed. "And if you fail… you will willingly give me your skateboard at the beginning of every class and won't get it back until that afternoon. And you will keep this up for a week." Kick ground his teeth, annoyed by her arrogance.
"What makes you so sure?" The youngest Buttowski boy growled. "It's not in a daredevil's nature to give up so easily."
"And he never gives up, not even when he fails." Gunther nodded, his eyes narrowed too as he stood behind Kick. Ms. Fitzpatrick couldn't help herself. She knew provoking the young daredevil was probably similar to smacking a beehive with a stick – either way she was more than likely going to be stung – but she knew she was doing something right. Making the two kids spend the day together was sure to put an end to their squabbling – and her headaches.
"Okay, if you're so confident, you've got a deal." Ms. Fitzpatrick grinned as she headed for the exit. Pausing before she left, she said, "Oh, and I don't want Gunther hanging out with you while you've got Kendall." This made Kick pause. He blinked as he searched his teacher's eyes for a motive, but when he found none, he simply gaped at her.
"Why?"
Even Gunther himself seemed confused as he threw his arms out to emphasize the daredevil. "But what will I do without Kick? He's my best friend!" The Norse boy complained and snatched the small unsuspecting boy from the floor, surprising him. Ms. Fitzpatrick rolled her eyes.
"You can't expect to just drag Kendall with you everywhere you and Gunther go, do you?" Kick grinned at Gunther, the image of Kick tying a rope around Kendall's midsection and trailing her along appearing in his mind. "No, it's got to be one-on-one. Alone time. By yourselves."
"Aw, biscuits." Kick grumbled. Ms. Fitzpatrick glared and crossed her arms.
"Gunther, I want you to be spying on Mr. Buttowski and Ms. Perkins for me when I can't be there to make sure he doesn't skip out on our deal. Or tell her about it." The teacher grinned slightly and turned to Kick. "And first thing tomorrow, you have to apologize to her for speaking so rudely to her just now." Kick whirled around on his teacher, his mouth agape.
"WHAT?" He cried. Ms. Fitzpatrick glared and shook her finger in his direction.
"Don't you shout at me, boy." Kick visibly shook with anger, his face turning a nice shade of red.
"What makes you think I'll even go through with this?" He asked stonily. "This seems to be a little much for just getting to ride a skateboard in here, teach'. I can do that for free outside without having to mess with Kendall." The African American woman hummed in thought.
"You're right." She allowed, frowning. "What if I put something else on the line?" Kick crossed his arms.
"I'm listening…" Ms. Fitzpatrick leveled a glare at him.
"How about no homework for the rest of the week?" She asked, looking like she was regretting what was coming out of her mouth. Kick raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Gunther's eyes bugged.
"No homework? What about me too? I'm doing your dirty work!" Ms. Fitzpatrick glared and gave him a look that told him what she thought of that idea. The Norse boy sighed and slumped over on the floor with a dejected expression. Kick thought it over. Having no homework would mean he had time to do his stunts. Without any distractions too. Finally, he nodded and held out his hand.
"Fine." The teacher smirked and shook his small hand.
"Get ready, Mr. Buttowski. You have a full day ahead of you." And with that parting statement, she was gone. Gunther glanced at Kick with a sheepish grin.
"Somehow, I feel partly responsible for this." Kick sighed and walked out of the room.
"Don't worry, Gunther. I won't fail. I'll make sure Kendall," Here, he paused as he swallowed the vomit traveling up his throat, "has a nice time tomorrow." Gunther grimaced and patted his friend on the back.
"It's okay, Kick. It'll be cake." He promised. He paused, thinking. "It's almost like a date, if you think about it. A very forced date."
"Shut it, Gunther."
xx ANYWAY. Here's my disclaimer, it's gonna go like this – WHA-BAM! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT, NOR DO I EVER, OWN KICK BUTTOWSKI: SUBURBAN DAREDEVIL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
A/N: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey peoples of fanfiction! I honestly don't know how this came to be so please don't ask. Just accept that I love Kick Buttowski and leave it at that. And I love him lots. I also love the pairing of Kick and Kendall. They're so angry and so cute together. By the way, I wasn't so sure about Mrs. Fitzpatrick and how her personality went. So if it seems off, please just ignore that. She's not really a major character in the story despite her being the plot initiator, so I'm okay with her being a bit OOC, if you'll bare with me that is.
And…about the title. If you're a fan of KB (and I would hope you are since you're reading this fanstory ABOUT Kick), then you'd definitely know Wade of the Food 'N Fix. "Dare to dream, wingman. Dare to dream." And tada! Instant title! I'm so clever.