Here's to hoping this doesnt completely turn ya'll off to the story to come...
"BOOYAH, FINAL-LY!" Ron Stoppable ran out of the building from his AP Ancient History class, not caring who heard or saw his immature display of joy derived from the beginning of summer vacation. Of course, he got a few odd looks and laughs from his fellow peers, but he couldnt be assed to care; it was the last day of school, and he was ready to go home for the summer!
Ron skipped the last four steps of the building and ran straight to his dorm room, a borderline-insane grin on his face the whole way. He was so excited to get home and see his mother, father, baby sister, Rufus, and most importantly, his girlfriend Kim Possible. He felt his heart double-time (which was already doing overtime from his running) at the thought of his red-haired beauty queen.
He and Kim were going to schools on pretty much opposite sides of the country, but via web-cam and Kimmunicator (as well as the ever-important Christmas/Hanukkah get-togethers over winter vacation), they had remained a couple strong. Ron couldnt wait to get home just to hold her in his arms again; it was bad enough he rarely saw her in person, and because of year-end finals, they hadnt even seen each other via web or Kimmunicator at all. They did have to study, after all, and Ron was dead glad he had. Mr. Brunner's AP Ancient History final was no walk in the park.
Ron slowed down as he came to his dorm building and as he climbed the stairs to the third floor, he found himself thinking about the past two years at the school. He was twenty-one right now, but just finishing up his second year of college while Kim was finishing up her third. He had taken a year off to earn some extra money, working three jobs; one part-time at Smarty Mart two full-time jobs at Bueno Nacho and Pearbee's as their assistant manager and sous chef, respectively.
That money paid for his first semester of Briar's End College, and he had studied his ass off to get a high-enough GPA for a scholarship for the rest of the time there, which he rightfully earned and now his way was being paid for all four years. He kept his grades up, not letting anything slip below a B, and finding that he could focus pretty well when he didnt have to do anything but go to school, take notes, study, go to the occasional get-together, and work. Aside from being a full-time student, he also held a part-time job at the nearby Pearbee's as once more, the sous chef, and getting paid a very good wage for it. That money usually went to gifts for Kim for her birthday, Christmas, and 'just-becauses'.
As Ron unlocked his dorm room and found that his roomate Carl had already left, he began double-checking to see that he had everything packed and to make sure his bus ticket was still in its proper place. Everything checked out. Ron looked at his watch and found that he still had an hour before his bus came, and took out his Kimmunicator.
Other than using it for missions, he used it for talking to Kim and Wade. He hadnt been on a mission in two years, and although he appreciated the time it left him for school and personal time, he wished deep-down that SOMETHING would happen that would require his skills as both a distraction and the Ultimate Monkey Master; hell, the last time he'd used even a portion of his Mystical Monkey Power was when he had to break up a fight in the courtyard last year. THAT had been fun, explaining to the martial arts club why an apparant master of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar had yet to join their club. But he digressed.
He turned on the Kimmunicator and smiled as he saw Wade. "Hey, Wade, what's up?" he asked. Wade looked up from whatever he was doing and grinned at Ron.
"Ron, hey!" he greeted. "Wow, it's been awhile! What, three, four months? You're letting your hair grow out?"
"Heh, no kidding," Ron replied, tugging on a lock of bangs, which were eye-level by now. "Something tells me that Kim'll want me to cut it; she always liked short hair on me." He didnt really notice Wade's grin falter fractionally from the mention of Kim. "I just need to make sure that my buss'll be here on time."
"You're taking a BUS home?" Wade asked incredulously. "Ron, you know I can get you a ride..."
"Wade, the Ron-Man's a big boy now," Ron replied, smirking. "I can get my own way home." Wade rolled his eyes and typed something on his computer. "...You're good to go, man," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "And congrats on the grades, Ron! All A's! And in AP Ancient History, Latin, and physics? Who knew you had it in you?"
"I passed physics with an A? Sweet!" Ron punched his fist in the air in triumph. "I am on a roll!"
"What did you want your major to be again?" Wade asked. "You seemed kinda torn between Ancient History and culinary arts..."
"Eh, they both have their pros and cons," Ron replied, shrugging. "You never really know when mention of Mystical Monkey Power shows up in your college text book."
"It HAS?"
"Uh huh. Twice."
"Nice." Wade did some more typing on his computer. "You might want to go to the bus terminal now...it looks like they're ahead of schedule."
"Awesome." Ron bent down to pick up one of his carryon bags; he'd already sent his larger things to his parents' house already. "Hope to see you in person sometime this summer."
"Dont hold your breath, Ron." Ron smirked and turned the Kimmunicator off and stuck it in his cargo pocket, then picked up his other carryon and headed out the dorm room toward the student life building to drop off his key. Right after that, it was a quick walk to the bus depot just down the street from the school, and Ron was on his way back to Middleton for his summer vacation.
"RONNIE!" Ron nearly had the wind knocked out of him by Hana, whose head smacked right into his gut as she gave him a running-start dive-bomb. Ron laughed and picked his little sister up and spun her around over his head.
"Hana! How's the best little sister in the world?" he said, hugging her. Hana hugged his neck and didnt let go; he really couldnt blame her. They had a really special bond that often surpassed even blood-sibling bonds, and it wasnt just from Mystical Monkey Power or the ninja bond. Ron carried Hana to his parents, who were waiting by the car. "Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!" he greeted.
"Hi, Ron!" his mother greeted back, hugging him. "You're letting your hair grow out?" she asked, first and foremost. Ron rolled his eyes and grinned, then handed his bags to his father, who stashed them in the trunk. "So how's school?"
"Passing with all A's," Ron replied, feeling justified to use a smug tone. "Took my AP Ancient History exam today and TOTALLY owned it!" He put Hana into her car seat and strapped her in securely before sliding into the seat next to hers.
"Any idea what your major's going to be?" Mr. Stoppable asked as he started the car. Ron withheld a snort.
"I'm not going to be an actuary, Dad," he replied. "You know that numbers arent my strong suit...nah, I was thinking either an ancient historical researcher...or a master chef. Tough call."
"Weseawchah!" Hana spoke up. Ron smiled; he thought it was cute the way how she could never pronounce her R's, except in his name. He reached over and ruffled her hair.
"I'll keep that in mind, O Wise One," he replied. Hana giggled. "How's Rufus?"
"He's waiting to see you," Mr. Stoppable said. "He's been a little down since you left back to college after Spring Break. He was still asleep when we left to pick you up."
"Aw, he's probably just resting up for the summer," Ron said, smiling to himself. "Cant wait to treat him to Bueno Nacho tomorrow!"
The rest of the car ride to the house was spent talking about Ron's school time, his future, and what he wanted to do this summer vacation. When Ron finally made it to his old room, he found Rufus curled up -still asleep. Ron smiled and gently picked his best friend up. "Hey, little buddy," he said softly, stroking a finger down Rufus's back. "I'm back."
Rufus stirred and blinked up at Ron for a moment before letting out a happy squeal and hugging his master's face. Ron laughed and let Rufus crawl to the top of his head an yammer away. "I missed you too, Rufus!" He sat down on his bed and looked around his old room contently. "Whaddya say we call up KP and make plans for tomorrow? Bueno Nacho, Rufus..." he said temptingly. Rufus made a "mmmm..." sound and curled up on Ron's shoulder as Ron pulled out his Kimmunicator and put in Kim's code.
He waited for it to connect, but for the next few moments, there was nothing. "...Huh...wonder if Wade knows where she is." He put in Wade's code, and Wade showed up. "Hey, Wade, do you know where KP is? She's not answering her Kimmunicator."
Wade shifted around almost uncomfortably for a moment before looking back on a computer screen. "Ron, Kim called her parents just two hours ago, and told them that she's in California right now, on her own vacation. She wont be back for about...two weeks..."
"TWO WEEKS?" Ron shouted.
"Two weeks!" Rufus chimed in. Ron sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.
"Darn it...I really wanted to spend time with her," he muttered sullenly. "I mean...two weeks? Why cant she come HERE?" Wade hesitated for just a moment before shrugging.
"I guess she wants to unwind from her studies," he replied, though Ron subconsciously heard an underlying subtext somewhere in his voice. "Dont worry Ron. In two weeks, she'll be back in Middleton. Why dont you just spend time with your family until then? I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on."
"Yeah...you're right, Wade," Ron replied, giving his friend a smile. "And hey, this extra two weeks'll give me time to think up something really special to do for Kim when she comes back!" He broke off into his thoughts, putting a pensieve hand to his chin. "...Until then, I'm sure Hana would love a trip to the zoo, and the park..."
"Yeah, you do that, Ron," Wade said, giving his friend a brave smile. "I'll catch you later, alright?"
"Okay. If Kim contacts you before me, tell her I said hi, and call me!" Ron dictated, then turned off his Kimmunicator. "Hey, Buddy, whaddya say we go see what Mom's cooking for dinner tonight?" He blinked when Rufus didnt answer right away, and turned to see Rufus curled up sleeping on his shoulder. "...Rufus, wake up, little buddy." He prodded Rufus until the mole rat lifted his head and yawned. "Heh...I guess these couple years of no adventures left you bored, huh?"
"Mmhm..." Rufus replied, resting his head on his paws again. Ron smiled at his little friend.
"Well, I promise when I get some time, we'll go to something to whip us both back into shape, alright?" Rufus gave him an affirmative, and Ron walked back downstairs to see what his mother planned for supper.
Back in Wade's room, the seventeen-year-old frowned at his satellite viewing of a California beach and put a hand to his face. "Damn it, Kim..." he muttered to himself. "...You're just gonna break Ron's heart, arent you?"
He had no idea just how accurate his statement would become.
Well, that's chapter one...the ball gets rolling next up.
