"Are you fine with this?" Bonnie asked suddenly. She squirmed slightly in her seat, the distance across the table opposite Ron seeming to grow to her eyes with each passing second. She glanced around the intimate and comforting décor of the obscure Greek restaurant they'd gone to, which was on the edge of Middleton, near her hometown of Upperton, and far, far from any prying eyes.
As Ron chewed thoughtfully on his food, she nervously fiddled with the straps of her purple tank top, before plucking some imagined piece of lint from the tight fitting jeans she wore. Finally settling for staring at her hummus plate, she wondered at the blunt wording of the question. Technically this would be their first date; the last one didn't quite count because it was a practice date. But the last one felt so much more memorable; a classy restaurant, a good movie and a chaste ending that left her tingling inside. She didn't quite know whether to discount that as not-a-date yet.
"I'm okay with this place. The food's good," Ron nodded after swallowing, preparing to take another mouthful of his tasty falafel. "I got no complaints."
"I don't mean the food," Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I meant us. Are you fine with us... You know like this?"
"What? You mean the secret clandestine date far away from anyone who might recognize us and consequently bring an untimely conclusion to your reign as the Queen B of the Food Chain in Middleton High?" Ron asked, his words flowing in an almost sing-song fashion, catching Bonnie slightly off guard.
"Could you not do that?" Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"What?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Use 'school words'..." Bonnie replied snidely. "Normal people don't talk like that."
"Oh... Sorry," Ron blushed remorsefully. "Actually, some people I know do, but, well... I was just trying to live up to your expectations and all." Bonnie snorted slightly, and Ron continued, missing her eyesrolling at the declaration. "Bonnie, I know I'm not smart, but I thought that, at least if I tried to soundsmart, then maybe you wouldn't be so embarrassed about having me as a boyfriend."
Bonnie felt a wave of guilt washing over her as she glanced at her hurt boyfriend. It took a whole evening of practice to get use to calling Ron her boyfriend. She had been forced to remind herself many times that the Ron she used to insult and cause great distress in school was merely a fictitious character in her mind; a conjuration she used to assuage her extremely needy self-esteem. The real Ron, the one she was determined to find out more about was a really interesting and decent guy and a lot more. The real Ron was so much more... Ronnish? He always found some new way of surprising her. It was these moments like these when she experienced both elation and guilt; elation because he was trying to live up to her expectations, and guilt because he was trying to live up to her expectations.
She wondered why had she always demand that all her boyfriends be golden? Good-looking, charming and popular? Ron was none of the above, and yet... Why did she find herself smiling at his quirkier characteristics? Was it fair of her to demand that Ron change into someone she could strut around the hallways of Middleton High with while the current Ron seemed so… Likable? It would certainly be to his advantage. He'd be a lot more popular. He'd have a lot more friends. Those bullies would stop picking on him... Oh who was she kidding? She only wanted him to look good so that she'd look good.
But did she even want him to look good? Bonnie looked up at the young man dressed in a nice black striped polo t-shirt, clearly trying his best to eat politely without grossing her out. He tries, she finally realized, and it's all for me. The thought bounced lazily about in her head, the fact that the blond tried so hard to be good enough for her. She smiled to herself as she took a sip from her glass of water. Trying, something no one else had ever done for her. Maybe just trying would be good enough for her after all.
"Ron," Bonnie said, as she reached out and held his hand in hers. "I'm the one who is being stupid here, not you. You are not embarrassing at all..."
"Heh," Ron managed a weak smile as he glanced down at the tanned hand holding his. "I'm still trying to convince myself this is not a dream and I am actually on a date with you."
"You're not dreaming," Bonnie gave him a reassuring smile. "But I was thinking... How do you feel about us, you know, secretly dating without telling anyone?"
"I don't really mind," Ron shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me."
"So you're not bothered by this?" Bonnie asked incredulously.
"Bonnie," Ron began slowly. "You know, I'm new to this, but I honestly don't care whether the world knows we're dating or not. I could hardly care about what other people think about us. But I know it's important to you because you have a reputation at school. So I'm happy keeping 'us' quiet as long as you are."
That guilty mix of pleasure and shame slammed into her gut like a runaway truck. She'd always thought her boyfriends had an obligation to make her happy, but she didn't quite feel that triumphant high of having her whims served. Rather she felt a little dirty that she'd even made such demands. Maybe she wanted to let herself feel magnanimous for suggesting it, or maybe she wanted to break this seemingly altruistic person in front of her, but she didn't quite feel happy with bringing her name up. "What about Kim? Are you going to tell her?"
"I was going to ask you about it first," Ron replied in a low voice. "I don't feel right having to keep this from her. We always tell each other everything in our lives and it's not right to not tell her something this big. But if you don't want me to..."
Bonnie's jaw just fell open. "Did you just put me ahead of Kim?"
"Kim would understand," Ron replied uncomfortably. "I hope. Plus... I kinda wish you two would get along. It's not that difficult since you two have so much in common."
"It's not that simple between us," Bonnie replied quietly. "It's just... Kim doesn't cut me any slack."
"How so?" Ron sounded confused.
Bonnie let out a sigh. "You have been listening to her side of the story all this time, haven't you? You're going to be completely on her side..."
"Nah, Bonnie," Ron replied. "I want to hear your side of the story. I'm not taking sides just yet... But I do wish you two would stop fighting."
"Fine," Bonnie groaned. "But it's not going to be easy." She took a large sip of water, and dabbed her lips with a napkin before continuing. "She is like a slave driver, you know what I mean? The way she pushes and forces people to perform up to her standard. I mean, it pains me to admit it, but she is better than the rest of us. Way better. But she doesn't seem to realize it. She seems to think that everyone can perform at that level... You remember her cheerleader tryout routine back two years back? Yeah, she seems to have this weird idea that if she can do it, so can everyone else."
Ron had a goofy smile on his face, as he listened to her. "Oh you wouldn't believe... Did I ever tell you of the time Kim tried to coach a little league soccer team? She literally sucked the fun out of the whole game so bad that her own twin brothers led a revolt against her."
"Really?" Bonnie perked up. "So you do get what I mean..." Ron nodded and Bonnie relaxed a bit, chewing her lip nervously before continuing with her concerns about Kim. "And honestly? I think she has something against me personally... Like she's always giving me the hardest and least glamorous role in the whole routine, and she bitches about how I have to step up like I'm not giving my best. It's like she's really just trying to get on my nerves enough that I quit..."
"So is that why you have been giving her such a hard time outside of cheerleading?" Ron asked.
"Well, yeah!" Bonnie declared out loud. "She deserves it, okay? She doesn't realize how hard she's making it for the rest of us."
"You know, maybe you could talk to her about it?" Ron offered.
"I did at first, but she just told me to quit my whining and just suck it up," Bonnie retorted.
"Kim said that?" Ron asked.
"Well, not her words exactly..." Bonnie shrugged. "But that was the gist of it."
"Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie," Ron spoke gently, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. But promise me, you will never tell Kim. Never. Because Kim made me swear not to repeat it to any living soul."
"What is it?" Bonnie grudgingly nodded her head, wondering if whatever dirt Ron was going to dish on his best friend would be worth breaking this promise.
"Kim once told me that out of all the cheerleaders on the team, you were the only one she saw as a rival," Ron smiled. "She thinks that you're as good as her, and that if only you didn't spend half as much time sulking and trying to break up the squad with your Kim-hate campaign, she'd gladly let you be the captain of the cheerleading squad."
"What?" Bonnie gaped at the blond. "You're lying!"
"Nope," Ron shook his head with a smile. "All truth, cross my heart."
"She couldn't have said that," Bonnie insisted. She thought for a moment before asking, "Kim-hate campaign?"
"That's what she called your mission to put her down in everything she does," Ron explained.
"I do not hate her," Bonnie retorted. After a slight pause, she added with a bare perceptible whisper, "Much."
"You know, if you two got talking, I bet you could clear up a lot of misunderstanding between you two," Ron suggested.
"If she'd get off her high horse," Bonnie replied snarkily.
"Aww..." Ron shook his head. "Don't be like that. I was really hoping that you two could eventually become friends."
"Friends? Yeah right," Bonnie snorted with disbelief.
"So this means I can't tell her about us?" Ron asked softly.
Glancing up, Bonnie noticed the hurt in his eyes as he agonized over what she'd just declared. She did a quick count in her head. So far the score tonight was two for zero. Two for Bonnie. Ron had chosen her, Bonnie, his new girlfriend twice over his best friend and long time partner in Team Possible. Twice. The first was asking her permission before telling Kim about their relationship, and second was telling her something Kim had forbade him from speaking. What has she done for him tonight? Oh, nothing but be embarrassed of her association with a boy she had tormented much of her high school life and simply made him hide their relationship from everyone. So far the relationship had been all about her and had none of him.
"I guess we can tell her," Bonnie grudgingly nodded her head.
The smile that erupted on his face let her know without doubt that she had done the right thing. The way he beamed at her was just infectious. "That's great!" he could barely contain his joy. "I'll tell her later tonight."
"No," Bonnie replied, making Ron's smile falter slightly. She paused for a moment to savor the control she felt over him before she continued in a soft tone. "We'll tell her tonight."
"We?" Ron raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yeah," Bonnie nodded with a coy smile. "We will tell her together, because we are a couple."
"Ah-boo-yah!" he intoned as he grabbed her hand gently, accenting his utterance by kissing the knuckles of her hand gently.
Kim came flying down the stairs and clamored towards the front door. From the distinctive knocking on the door, she knew that Ron had decided to pay her a late visit. Maybe to copy some homework he'd
forgotten to do, or maybe just to hang out. "Coming!" she yelled out before she swung open the front door.
"Hey," Ron offered hesitantly.
"Ron..." Kim's eyes fell upon the girl standing next to him, and her voice turned colder than a mountaintop winter storm. "What is Bonnie doing here?"
"About that..." Ron replied sheepishly, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. "I don't really know how to say this any other way, so I'd just come out with it." He draped an arm over Bonnie's shoulder and pulled her a little closer. Too close for Kim's comfort. "Bonnie's my new girlfriend."
Bonnie cringed, not from Ron's embrace but into it, fear and unpleasant anticipation of a kung-fu demonstration by one outraged red-headed teen heroine driving her into his comforting arm. Biting her lower lip, she leaned in a little more towards Ron, wondering if Ron would act as a deterrent for any act of violence, or in the very least, distract Kim long enough for her to run back to her car and drive off.
"KP?" Ron shook her shoulder slightly as his voice filled with concern. "Do you... Ah... Earth to KP?"
Bonnie would remember this as the day as the day the great Kim Possible fell: to everyone's surprise, a mortified Kim Possible slumped to the floor as she fainted right on her front doorstep and into the arms of two very confused, chagrinned teens.
A pained groan escaped her lips as she felt someone place a damp towel over her forehead. She raised her head to rub her eyes as she saw someone shine a flashlight into her eyes. "Mom?" she groaned out.
"Kim," Mrs. Dr. Possible asked. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, mom," Kim moaned, as she rubbed her eyes. "I... I just had a nightmare..."
"Focus, look at me," her mother ordered, as she waved her hand in front of Kim's face. "Good," she nodded, as she sat back. "I think you just had a shock, that's all."
"Tell me about it, mom," Kim tilted her head a little to realize she was lying on the family's sofa. "It was a strange nightmare. I dreamt that Ron and Bonnie hooked up and they showed up at the house to tell me..."
Her mother looked at her concernedly. "Kim, I think you better sit up," she offered, as she slid an arm around Kim's shoulders to help her up.
"Thanks mom..." she smiled at her mother before she looked around the room. Everything was in place, except that... "Mom, I think something is wrong with me," she turned to her mother. "I think I'm still seeing things. Bonnie is in our living room, and she's sitting awfully close to Ron and holding hands with him."
"Kim..." her mom placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You're not seeing things."
"Hey, K," Bonnie gave a little wave, as she looked nervously at Kim.
"Kim..." her mom called her name gently as she pushed her jaw shut. "It's not polite to gape at people."
"KP?" Ron smiled nervously. "Hey... How are you doing?" He waved his right hand at Kim. "KP? Hello? Mrs. Dr. P? Did she just faint again?"
"No, she's alright," Mrs. Dr. Possible smiled at Ron. "Just give her a moment, and I think she'll be fine... And it seems like you kids have a lot to talk about." She got up from the sofa that Kim was sitting on and headed on upstairs to give the trio a little privacy.
An uncomfortable minute ticked up, as the three of them just stared at each other. "Boy, this is awkweird," Ron finally muttered to break the silence. "So, KP..."
"How long, exactly? Tonight was your first date??" Kim suddenly demanded a little too hostilely when her mouth decided to function again.
Ron felt Bonnie cringe a little beside him. "About that," Ron replied sheepishly. "Tonight was our first real date, yeah..."
Bonnie could feel the thundering silence of questions that were popping into Kim's head, but were unable to come out of her suddenly paralyzed mouth. Maybe this is a good time to run, she thought to herself. She might just have enough time to get out of the country, France is nice this time of the year.
"Ron, kitchen, now!" Kim suddenly stood up as she hauled Ron by the shirt to the back of the house.
As Ron reluctantly followed, he turned back to Bonnie and mouthed silently to her. "It'll be okay," he reassured her. Bonnie wasn't quite sure how he could say something like that, as the average kitchen which was effectively the most dangerous room in a house, usually having no less than twenty-three different sharp objects that could be used to impale, maim and crucify a man. She glanced nervously at the front door. Fifteen feet had never seemed so far and impassable. She curled her legs up on the chair and hugged the throw pillow in front of her tightly. Without Ron, this feeble thing will just have to do the brave job of offering comfort in the face of an angry Kim Possible! she thought to herself nervously.
She braced herself for the ensuing shouting and typical hurled cutlery of a domestic dispute, but all she could hear were angry whispers. Craning her neck, she strained to her their words.
"What... Thinking? Bonnie... No, you listen..." Kim's angry voice mangled half the words she was speaking. Ron's however was more muffled and Bonnie could only tell that Ron was still alive and talking by the long pauses in between Kim's words.
"You're my friend but... I don't... Hard... I am... But look at her... plotting… Ron, listen to me… How can you…"
Bonnie's heart sank a little lower, as she didn't feel that it was going so well. Maybe telling Kim was a bad idea after all. Maybe if she snuck into the kitchen and gave Ron a big fat kiss in front of her, Kim would go into a cardiac arrest and solve everyone's problems once and for all. Sure, Ron would be sad
over the passing of his best friend, but then they might be able to date a little more openly. Plus she'd be able to be cheer captain and Kim wouldn't get to boss her around anymore...
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Kim and Ron storming back into the living room. More like Kim was storming and Ron was dragging his feet with a weary smile on his face. He quickly flashed her a thumbs up sign, then moved to slide in next to her.
"So..." Kim intoned dangerously as she eyed Bonnie. "Is this some sort of game to get me?"
"Not everything is about you, you know," Bonnie sniped back. "You think I'm doing this for you, but have you ever thought for a moment this could be about Ron instead?"
"Since when have you cared about Ron?" Kim raised her voice. "Last I heard, you were still calling him loser. Hell, I heard you call him a D-..." Kim stopped herself as she blushed slightly, then went on in a more even tone, "So forgive me if I think that you're using Ron for some twisted little payback plan of yours."
"No one is using anyone here," Bonnie remarked angrily. "Well... At least I can speak for myself when I say that."
"What do you mean?" Kim growled through gritted teeth.
"Oh, nothing," Bonnie remarked airily. "I just don't make him gallivant around the world just to follow me around and risk his life because of some weird hobby of mine."
"Bonnie..." Ron interrupted worriedly, as he pulled her a little closer to her and away from a seething Kim. "Please don't try to make things worse."
"She's the one who started it!" Bonnie retorted angrily. "And if you are not on my side, then maybe she's right, we probably shouldn't see each other!"
"Bonnie..." Ron replied worriedly, having a good idea what the brief stab of pain he saw in her eyes meant. "C'mon... You don't mean that... You're my girlfriend and Kim's my best friend. You both are very important to me. Please don't make me choose between you two."
The two girls eyed each other hostilely for a moment as they considered his words. Bonnie had crossed her arms and was glowering at Kim, while Kim had found herself tensed up and clenching her fists in anger.
"Ron," Kim asked grimly. "Could you leave us alone for a minute? Bonnie and I have things to discuss privately."
"Ah... I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Ron tried to placate her. "Can't we all just get along?"
"Ron!" Kim insisted.
"KP, c'mon, I don't want to see you two fighting," Ron whined desperately.
"Go on, Ron," Bonnie spoke up. "I'll be fine. Kim and I just need to settle our differences privately."
"Aww... Bonnie..." Ron looked at her. "At least promise me there won't be any fighting."
"Promise, Ron," Kim nodded evenly.
"Okay," Bonnie agreed too. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as Ron despondently got up and looked forlornly at the two girls. He walked up to Kim and placed a hand on her stiff shoulder.
"KP, please try to be nice to her and understand where she's coming from... For me?" he asked his best friend quietly. He couldn't quite fathom the pained look on Kim's face as she looked back at him. Surely he wasn't asking too much. Ron let himself out the front door as he leaned against the hood of Bonnie's car. He kept glancing up anxiously at the front door, half-expecting his new girlfriend to fly out the window in a shower of broken glass at any moment now. Then his best friend would charge out after her in her super-power suit and proceed to lay the proverbial smack down on Bonnie's tanned face.
Then after five cop cars, two ambulances, one court injunction, three counts of assault and battery and attempted manslaughter, and fifteen years at Sing Sing, Ron was pacing with the unholy trepidation of fearing for one or both of their safety. He shook his head to clear his thoughts of the horrible image in his mind; Kim in a maximum security prison and Bonnie six feet under, and both of them blaming him for their fates.
Was Kim slamming Bonnie's head repeatedly on the coffee table right now? Was Bonnie pulling off Kim's hair by the roots? Was Kim hurling Bonnie against her family's expensive home theater system? Was Bonnie kicking Kim in the ribs while she's down? Was Kim's mother coming down to behold her living room had turned into one of the bloodiest crime scenes in the history of mankind?
"Oh man!" Ron groaned out loud as he cursed his overactive, paranoid imagination. He paced around anxiously as he wondered whether he should bang on the front door to interrupt the ensuing Kimmageddon or the Bonnie-Murders. He had never felt the greatest urge before to prostate himself on the ground and pray to the powers that be that nothing was happening and that the benevolent powers were looking out for Kim and Bonnie.
After the most agonizing fifteen minutes of Ron's life decided that it was time to move on: the front door of Kim's house finally opened, and miraculously out stepped Bonnie and Kim. Relatively unharmed, Ron might add. There might have been more than a fair share of hurt feelings and bruised egos, but at least there didn't seem to be much of a catfight that Ron had just spent the last five minutes worrying over. He immediately rushed over and gave Bonnie a tight hug.
"Hey, Bonnie, are you okay?" Ron asked, his voice full of concern as he swept her hair back with his hand and studied her face closely for any signs of physical damage.
"I'm fine, Ron," Bonnie gave him a reassuring smile at his loving attention. "And no, we didn't fight so you don't have to keep fussing over me. Kim and I came to an understanding."
"Really?" Ron couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "So she's alright with us?"
"Uh huh," Bonnie nodded her head with a smile. "She also agreed to keep this between us and Tara, while we slowly get people in the school to come around to the idea of us dating."
"You mean... We're..." Ron asked.
"Yeah, we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend," Bonnie smiled, feeling relieved that she was able to say that. "Kim's the first one to know. So don't disappoint us, 'kay?"
"Right," Ron agreed as he gave his girlfriend a tight squeeze for good measure. Looking over his girlfriend's shoulder, he looked at his best friend and said, "Thanks KP. I knew you'd understand."
"Yeah, sure," Kim nodded solemnly. "You know I'm always there for you. Now if you don't mind, it's getting late and it's a school night."
"Right yeah, we better get going," Ron smiled at her. "Breakfast at your place, tomorrow?"
"Actually, I had plans..." Kim offered uncertainly.
"Aww... Never mind then," Ron replied, not quite able to hide the disappointment and mild hurt her refusal gave him. "Anyway, see you at school tomorrow then. Night, KP."
"Night, guys," Kim nodded, before she went into the house and shut the door, not waiting for them to leave.
"Hey, Bonnie," Ron turned to his girlfriend in his arms and asked. "What did you two talk about?"
"It's a secret," Bonnie coyly replied as she lifted Ron's chin with a finger and gently tickled him. "And I'm not telling..."
"Aww... No keeping secrets from your boyfriend," Ron whined.
"A girl is allowed to keep her secrets," Bonnie remarked with a smile.
"Really? No fair!" Ron replied playfully. "You gotta share..."
"Nah uh," Bonnie shook her head. "Anyway, could you say that again?"
"What?" Ron asked.
"The part about no keeping secrets..." Bonnie hinted bemusedly.
"No keeping secrets from your boyfriend?" Ron asked.
"My boyfriend," Bonnie nodded, looking quite pleased with herself and enjoying how nice those words sounded.
"Your boyfriend," Ron grinned as he finally got the meaning behind those words.
"My boyfriend," Bonnie repeated, as she gave him a good peck on the lips.
"My girlfriend," Ron replied with a half-dazed smile. "Yup, it feels good to say it."
"Hey, you can't say it to just any girl!" Bonnie tried to sound serious, but it was hard to put on a straight face as she gazed at the goofy face of her boyfriend. "Only me," she insisted.
"Only you," Ron promised.
As the two young couple kissed again under the dim porch light, there was a slight sudden movement behind the curtains of the front window of the Possibles' house, before everything became dead still again.
Author's Notes
Woot yeah! Finally an update. Okay, I distinctly copped out. I did not write the Bonnie/Kim and Ron/Kim arguments in here. There are two reasons to that. First of all… I am lazy. Okay, that's not acceptable. But I sort of meant that there is a reason that Bonnie and Kim's conversation remains secret even to Ron. Which is why I sort of want the reader to be kept in the dark. And the other conversation, the Kim and Ron one, I let Bonnie overhear part of their conversation is because I kinda don't think anything important was said? I'd expect Kim to go all ballistic on Ron questioning his judgment, but he'll stick by Bonnie. So yeah, I could have written that, but that would be an additional 500 words, that well… Yeah, I'm just lazy.
But at least this is updated after four months, right?