My Posse: Chapter 2
I.
The ride home was…interesting. Kim didn't so much look at Ron, as she glared at Ron. Now and then her head would jut forward; mouth opening, then she would slump back into her seat and scowl. Ron sat smiling vacantly, his dumbfounded countenance fueling Kim's anger.
Finally, reaching Middleton, Kim managed to control herself enough to tell the driver her address. The reply set her temper on a par with her hair.
"I'm sorry; Miss, but I only take directions from 'the Ron'."
"Ron!"
"'The Ron', Kim, it's 'the Ron'." Her friend replied dreamily.
Kim moved over to kneel on the back seat beside Ron. She put her lips close to his ear. "Oh, 'the Ron'," she breathed lightly, "the Ron is going to get his head handed to him if he doesn't FOCUS!"
Ron's eyes snapped wide open as he fell to the side screaming. "Ahhhhhh….Kim, don't do that!"
"Are you here now?"
"Always here for you KP, you know that."
Kim's look was doubtful but she persisted, "Then here's what we're going to do. You drop me at my house, so I can get a shower and change clothes. Then go home and clean up yourself. I'll be over later and we'll figure out what's going on."
Ron raised his hand, one finger pointed up and started to speak, "Kim, I…" one look at the emerald green glare caused an instant reboot, "I think that's a great idea." Grabbing the intercom phone, he gave the driver Kim's direction.
II.
Dismissing the limo, with a sizeable tip, Ron headed for his front door. Walking into his living room, heading for the stairs he was halted by his parents. "Ronald, we need to talk."
"Oh no, nothing good ever comes after 'we need to talk'."
"Ok, what do we need to talk about?"
"Do you know anything about this?" His father asked, handing Ron a document detailing the payment of the Stoppable mortgage. "Somebody paid off our note. I want to know where you got the money."
"Dad, where would I get this kind of fundage?" Ron asked innocently.
"I don't know," his father replied sternly, "where did you get the money for that limo that just dropped you off?"
"Limo? Dad, you've seen me get out of private hovercraft before, what makes you think I paid for the limo?"
"All right, we'll table that, what about all that jewelry you're wearing?"
"Costume, Dad, we were…ah…undercover."
"Ronnie," his mother interrupted,"are you into drugs?"
"Mom, I swear…"
"Then empty your pockets."
"Mom, I just told you…"
Dean Stoppable looked at his wife, then his son. "That's a reasonable request, Ronald, empty your pockets."
"Dad, I so don't have time for this."
"Ronald."
Ron stared back in frustration, "Fine, here, satisfied?" He began jerking things out of his pockets, flinging them on the coffee table. Pens, paper, string, two yo-yos, a bueno nacho wrapper, drawings, change, "No...hinc..Whoa!"
"Hey, sorry, buddy." Ron gently set Rufus beside the pile. His parents stared at the necklace around the mole rat's neck. "Happy now, Dad?"
"No, I notice you have two more pockets that you haven't emptied."
"Damn." Ron slowly eased his hands into the two pockets, pulling out two large rolls of soft. Laying them amongst his other plunder, he stepped back from the table. "Would you like me against the wall for frisking now?"
His parents stared big eyed at the two green rolls. Finally his father picked one up, opened it and flipped the bills. "Ronald, therehas to beover twenty thousand in this roll. Is the other the same?"
"A little more, sir."
"How…" his father stopped, noisily clearing his throat, "how did you get this much money?"
"Ronnie," his mother had tears in her eyes, hands to her mouth, "you are selling drugs."
"Mom, I am not selling drugs. Come on, you know I don't do that stuff."
"Then where…?"
"It's all legal, I swear."
"Ronald, if you say it's legal, I believe you." Mr. Stoppable managed, still staring at the flattened bills in his hand, "I would just like to know where you got it."
Ron hesitated, "Dad, I promise I'll tell you everything, but I'm doing something right now, and I would really rather no one knows about it until it's over."
"Ronnie, I want to know…"
"No, dear," Dean stopped his wife, "Ronald is a man, now, if he doesn't want to tell us, that's his decision. He's told us it's legal, so we just have to trust him and wait." He turned to Ron, "But, son, don't make us wait too long, please."
Ron broke into a wide smile before hugging both his parents, "I promise, Dad, it'll all be over in a week, maybe less." He gathered up his belongings, then took the bills from his father's reluctant grasp. "I'm going to my room now."
Looking at her husband's calm face, Barbara finally nodded, "All right, I'll call you when dinner's ready."
III.
"Yo, you got the Ron, whassup?" A feminine growl sounded in Ron's ear, "Ah, hey, KP. I thought you were coming over?"
"Ron, you…never mind, we'll talk about that later. Have you heard from Wade, a mission, trouble somewhere?" Her voice sounded desperate.
"Kim, Kim, Kim, you're the one with the Kimmunicator, why would Wade call me first?"
"I don't have it." Kim mumbled.
"Huh? Where is it?"
"It's at home."
"Ooookay, where are you?"
"Cousin Larry's. In the bathroom."
"And you don't have the Kimmunicator because…?"
"Dad made me leave it at home. He said there was no way I was bailing tonight. So please, please, tell me Wade called you."
"Sorry, KP, no joy."
A long sigh answered him. He heard Mr. Dr. P. calling her in the background.
"I guess I better go, but, Ron, you and I are going to talk tomorrow, right?"
"You bet, Kim, the Ron…"
"Ron." She growled.
"Ah right, I'll be waiting for you, Kim."
"All right, bye."
Hanging up the phone, Ron looked down at his sleeping pet, "Well, I guess it's just you and me and Zombie Smashers, Rufus, unless you just really find sitting on the roof comfortable, Shego."
"How did you know?" The green beauty asked as she climbed in the window.
"Doesn't matter right now, I knew. Pull up a chair and get comfortable, Shego." Ron smiled at his visitor, "You know, that name just…can I call you something else when you're not trying to kill me?"
Shego laughed softly, "All right, bling boy, you can call me Susan."
"Thanks, Susan, so what can I do for you?"
Shego sat on Ron's bed, lying back and stretching her svelte body, "I thought there might be something I could do for you."
Ron did not return her smile. "Susan, if I thought you meant that, I'd…"
"What, be all over me?"
"No, be very disappointed."
Shego jerked upright, scowling, "Listen, sidekick…"
Ron interrupted her before her rant could get started. "Susan, you and I both know you don't love me, so what say we cut all the bs and get to the point."
Susan stared at him. "Ok, timeout, what happened to you since this afternoon?"
"What do you mean?"
Susan stood and began to pace in the limited room. "This afternoon, you spaced out from a little kiss and tickle, now you sit there like you're in complete control. No fear, no flake, what's going on?" She came to a halt, hands on hips, in front of him. "You want to explain before I rip your head off?"
Instead of answering, Ron turned to his computer, called up a file and hit print.
"Sidekick…"
Without turning, Ron held up his hand, "One, my name is Ron, not sidekick or buffoon. If you're going to be my posse, remember it. Two, in patience all things are satisfied."
"What?" A confused Shego asked.
Ron pulled four sheets off his printer. "This is your new contract. Read it, sign it, and then we'll talk."
"Contract? What contract? And what are you talking…"
"Susan, you may be a villain, and you may be evil, but have you ever broken your contract?"
"Well, no, but…"
"Read it, sign it, and we'll talk. Any changes you want in the agreement, we can talk about, but until you sign it and become one of my peeps, that's the only thing we'll talk about."
Susan eyed him warily, then sat on the bed and began to read.
