Author's Note: Sigh.. I've waited for this moment for something like a year and a half. The story is out, and the reception has been better than I had dared to dream. I'd like to thank everyone who have read and reviewed the story. The biggest thanks goes to cpneb - your help and support means the world to me.
The Boys Are Back In Town
Chapter 3
≈O≈
"Scotch, double, straight up."
The drink landed in front of me; I emptied it with one gulp. I ordered another one, prepared to drink it, but put it back down.
All I could hear in my head was Kim telling me that she didn't know if she loved me. I never thought words could hurt that much. After all we've been through, she couldn't even give me a chance?
Fine, stay cooped up in your house with your mom. See if I care.
...but I did care. Even now, frustrated as hell, I couldn't stop wondering how she was doing.
Man, I hope she's okay.
≈O≈
Kim stepped behind her mother's bedroom door, holding a tray of food. She knocked on the door. There was no answer. Balancing the tray on one hand, she opened the door with the other. She found her mother lying on the bed, staring out the window. The only light on was the bedside lamp.
Dr. Anne Possible's appearance was a far cry from the beautiful, well-groomed professional she had once been. The pride she had taken of her appearance, she had long since lost, and now she lay in her bed in her night gown, unkempt, her hair a disheveled mess.
"Mom. I brought you supper," Kim said and sat on the chair beside the bed.
Mrs. Possible turned her head slowly. "I'm not hungry," she said, her voice a listless shadow of its former aural luster. She turned back to staring out the window.
"Please, mom," Kim insisted, "you have to eat. You haven't eaten a decent meal in days."
"I'm not hungry," she repeated, a spirit-crushing emptiness in her voice.
Kim sighed and stood up. She placed the tray on the chair and turned to the bed.
"I'll be downstairs if you need me. Try to eat something, please," she said and leaned in to kiss her forehead. Most nights Kim would stay with her mother and brush her hair while trying to converse with her. Today, however, she just didn't have the strength.
Kim walked out of the room and down the stairs. She went into the living room and turned on the stereo. The peppy bubblegum pop pouring out of the speakers was completely out of place in the oppressive atmosphere of the house. She picked up a magazine and sat on the couch. But all she did was stare at the magazine. The pages began to crumple between her fingers as she struggled to keep her composure.
Finally she just couldn't hold back anymore. She burst into tears, crying out in long, miserable wails. The burden of having to give up her life for taking care of her mother and having to see her in this sorry state, day after day, was weighing heavier on her each passing day. And the only outlet she had was crying.
She cried a lot.
≈O≈
I downed the drink and ordered a new one. The brunette waitress I had made a move on earlier took the order. "Slow down, big boy," she said as she picked the bottle from under the counter and filled a glass.
"Just do your job and pour," I snapped. Who was she to tell me how I should drink?
"Jerk," she huffed and dropped the glass in front of me, splashing some of its contents on the counter.
Uninterested, I picked up the glass. Before I could drink that one, Felix and Josh appeared at my sides.
"So, what happened?" Josh asked.
The look I gave him told him all he needed to know.
"That bad?"
"She did it again. She blew me off." The words tasted bitter in my mouth.
"I'm sorry, man. But it's her loss if she can't recognize a good thing when it's right in front of her face."
I said nothing. Not that I didn't appreciate their efforts, I just wasn't very cheer-uppable at the moment.
"Let's go back to the reunion and get you laid. How about Liz, she liked you?" Felix suggested.
I snorted. "Are you kidding? After the way I treated her?"
"I know you two had a fight, but that was ten years ago."
"Didn't you see how she was avoiding me the whole time we were at the reunion? It wasn't just a fight." I looked away and stared down the amber depths of my whisky-filled glass. "I used her. She was just a substitute for Kim. One time I even accidentally called her Kim on a date."
"And you still have your family jewels in one piece? You got off light," Josh said. He was right. Liz could - and should - have done more than just dress me down in a crowded school hallway. If only I could go back and-
"Hey, faggot!" someone shouted from the back of the bar.
Big mistake.
"I'm talking to you, faggot! Why don't you go back to your rump ranger buddies and play dress-up?"
A small smile tucked at my lips. I was pissed off before, but now... now, I was mad as hell. So, why was I smiling?
Because I'd get to vent.
"Don't do it, Ron," Josh pleaded.
Back in high school I may not have had many friends, but I was fiercely loyal and protective of the ones I did have. After Josh's coming out, we had more than a few fights as a result of someone bringing up his orientation as a negative.
Against all odds, Josh and Felix were probably my favorite people in High School, well except for... Anyway, people often wondered how I ended up friends with Mankey. True, we weren't always friends. I made a big fuss to KP about how his name was suspiciously close to "monkey", but that was because I saw him as a threat. Then, he started seeing Tara. After that, all we needed to seal our friendship were coinciding rebellious phases and a raided liquor cabinet.
With warm fuzzy thoughts of doing some violence in my mind, I turned to the voice. I saw a group of four, dressed in Global Justice uniforms, sitting around a table.
Enforcers - bullies of the worst kind. A little power and they thought they owned the place. Not only did they need to pay for insulting my friend, they also needed a reality check.
"You care to repeat that?" I said menacingly.
"Oh, did I hurt your boyfriend's feelings?" one of them mocked.
"No. You just degraded him, yourself, and the entire human race. Good job."
"Why don't you go suck each other off before we-"
"Before you climb back up the tree you came down from and fling your crap at each other?"
There were loud scraping noises as all four rose up pushing back their chairs.
"Please guys, you promised no more fights in my bar," Mr. Shaughnessy pleaded.
"Don't worry, Bob. We'll pay for the damages," I said. Between me, Josh, and Felix, any damages done to the bar wouldn't make a sizable scratch in any of our wallets.
The ringleader was all up in my face. "You think you're a big shot?"
"No. But at least I'm not a homophobic closet-case in a leotard."
The guy threw a punch. I blocked him with my left arm, easily. I hit him in the gut and he doubled over. The other three came at us. Two thick cable-like extensions shot out of Felix's chair and wrapped around two of them. Josh dodged a blow and looped the guy's head under his arm. He started to pound the guy's face with his free fist.
The guy I hit started to recover and rushed at me wrapping his arms around my midsection. We went down. A third arm came out of Felix's chair. It was intended for grabbing things, but now it made for a decent artificial fist and it started smacking around the two thugs suspended in air.
The guy that knocked me down got on top of me. He swung at me with his right. I raised my left arm and blocked it. But I wasn't able to block the left one; he hit me right on the cheekbone leaving a nasty bruise. I was a little dazed, but recovered quickly and I grabbed his head and butted his nose with my forehead. A spray of blood splashed on my face and some of it dripped on my shirt. The guy held his nose and I pushed him off of me.
Josh's opponent had been able to wrench himself out of his grip and ran at Felix. He saw him coming and threw one of the men in his grip into the table they had been sitting at. Felix got a punch, and released the controls. The second man dropped to the ground. The first man was out cold, lying on the collapsed table. Josh came up behind the man that had hit Felix. He wrapped his left arm around the man's neck, placing his hand on his right bicep, his right hand pressing on the back of the man's neck. With his opponent's head caught in a scissor grip, Josh started to squeeze.
I stood up and staggered a little. My opponent was still lying down, holding his nose. I kicked him on his side. I turned to look how my friends were doing. Josh had his guy in a strangle hold, but one of the guys was getting up and looked at Felix. We sprang into motion at the same time. But he was closer; he was at Felix before me. Luckily Felix hadn't overlooked his arm exercises just because he had all sorts of gadgets to help him. Sure of his victory, the man was surprised when Felix grabbed his wrist in an iron grip, and shortly his neck. The man dropped to his knees, trying to remove the hand squeezing his throat with his free hand.
I turned back to my guy. He was trying to get up. I ran at him and hit him in the gut. He dropped to his knees. "Tell Betty: Ron says 'hi'," I said and punched him on the chin. He fell and stayed down. He was unconscious.
Just as I turned to Josh, his opponent dropped to the ground, unconscious.
We both looked at Felix. He relinquished his guy from the choke hold. The guy coughed and took deep breaths, just before being knocked down by a right from Felix.
We surveyed the room. All four guys were down.
I walked to the bar, and reached for my wallet. "I'll pay for the table, Bob."
"Don't worry about the table, Ronald. Just make yourselves scarce before I call Fascists, Incorporated to pick up their trash."
"And, Ron," he continued just as we started to leave. "You're a good boy, I've always liked you. Whatever it is you've been carrying around all these years... you've got to move on. You can't run from your past, but you can't live in it either. The now is what matters. Remember that."
"I will. Thanks, Bob."
We bid the bar-keeper farewell and hit the streets again. Thinking of no place else to go the guys insisted we go back to the reunion. I really didn't feel like going, but what choice did I have? I promised my parents I'd visit after the affair was over, but there was no way I was going to let them see me in this condition. So, the reunion it was.
As soon as I got through the gym door, I went straight for the punch.
≈O≈
Monique watched Ron rush to the punch bowl as she went to Felix and Josh.
"Hey, guys. What's with Ron?" Monique asked. Then she got a better look of them. "And what happened to you?"
"He ran into Kim," Felix said.
She stared at the bruised men incredulously. "Kim did that?"
"No, we got into a fight afterwards."
"So, I take it things didn't go so smoothly between Kim and Ron."
"You could say that," Josh said with a wry smile.
Monique sighed. As mad as she was at Ron for running away, she realized that unless she did something to break the cycle, both Kim and Ron were going to stay miserable.
She pulled out her phone.
"Who are you going to call?" Josh asked, wincing mentally at the phrase that couldn't be taken seriously ever since that movie.
"Ghostbusters," Monique dead-panned and pushed the speed dial for Kim.
She stepped out the gym doors while waiting for her friend to answer.
"Hello?" Kim answered. Her voice was quiet, hoarse.
"Kim, it's Monique. So, what happened?"
Kim sniffled. "With what?"
"You know what I mean: with Ron."
There was a long silence, and Monique was just about to reiterate when Kim spoke up. "He told me he loves me."
"He did? Well it's about time."
"What do you mean? You knew?"
"Kim - everybody knew."
Silence.
"Kim?"
"Why didn't anyone tell me? Why did I have to find out like this, when it's too late?"
"I... I thought you knew. And what do you mean, too late? You're alive, he's alive. You're available, he's available."
"..."
"I know you're thinking about it. Now throw on a dress and get your butt down here, the party ain't over yet."
There was a brief silence, which Monique took as good sign: at least the girl didn't refuse outright.
"What about Mom? I can't leave her alone."
"I can watch her."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"Nonsense. I'm coming over, so you'll better get dressed up and ready to go or I'll have to call Will Du to drag you out."
"Monique, that was not cool," Kim said in a quiet, serious tone.
Monique winced. She should have known better than to bring him up.
"Sorry, it just slipped out. Are we cool?"
"Yeah," Kim sighed.
"Good. Anyway, I'm coming over, so get ready."
Monique hung up the phone and stepped back in the gym. She tracked down Felix and Josh, and told them to keep Ron there, no matter what. After that she went to her car and drove off.
She had to pick up a girl for a dance.
≈O≈
What the heck was up with the guys? They had been on me like green on Shego since we got back. They almost didn't let me go to the bathroom. Even now Josh seemed to stick around just to keep me busy. Felix I saw cozying up to a group of people I figured were in charge of organizing this little soiree.
I was already planning my escape when a loud voice startled me. "Alright, people, listen UP!" Barkin roared in his usual military manner. The crowd settled down and turned to the stage. "As per tradition, we're having yet another popularity contest. And here to reveal the outcome, is Danielle Francoeur." As Barkin withdrew into the background, the woman I had only known as "the girl in blue" stepped up to the microphone.
"Actually, it's Francoeur-Reger now," she corrected. "Good evening everyone. I trust you've all been having a good time?" she said, receiving some applause and cheers in response. While Josh's attention was drawn to the stage, I began eyeing the exit.
"Okay, it's now time to crown the King and Queen of the Reunion."
As the crowd cheered, I started sneaking towards the exit.
"Drum roll please," she requested. The house band drummer began working the snare.
"Class of 2007, the man you have chosen to be your King is..."
No one paid any attention to me as I took the last steps towards the door and grabbed the handle.
"...Ron Stoppable!?" came the surprised announcement. Danielle sounded as shocked as I was.
For a while I had no idea what was going on. I turned on reflex upon hearing my name, and the crowd looked around, one by one stopping on me as they noticed me. The spotlight operator finally picked me up.
There I stood, like a deer in headlights, trying to decide if I should bail or suck it up and get on stage to accept the honor.
The choice was taken out of my hands as I was jerked forward by Felix's mechanical hands, and before I had a chance to fight back, I was placed on the stage.
"O....kay," Danielle said as she watched me land on stage. After I was crowned with a cheap plastic crown, she turned back to the crowd. "And now, we'll announce the Queen. And your Queen is... Tara Flagg!"
At least they got that one right.
The crowd exploded in cheers and kept going until Tara had walked up on stage. As she was being crowned, she took a look at me, and gasped. "Ron, what happened to you?"
"Don't ask," I said as gently as I could.
Before she could pry any further, Danielle spoke up. "Would the King address his loyal subjects?"
I took a few hesitant steps towards the mike. Even as I grabbed the handle, I had no idea what to say.
"Well, thank you all who voted for me. And thanks to Felix and Josh, who were backstage stuffing the ballot box."
I was only joking, but the awkward laughs made me think some of them weren't convinced it was a joke. With the alcohol doing its thing on my inhibitions, and feeling I had nothing left to lose, I decided to do something unwise: be honest.
"I really have no idea what I'm doing up here. It's no secret most of you couldn't care less about me, and vice-versa."
Danielle reached out for the mike. "Okay, why don't we let Tara say some-"
I dodged and ignored her. "The only reason I'm here is because of a girl." I sighed. "It always is."
"It's all about love, you know. Love's a funny thing, though. It can hurt worse than any torture, or a wedgie from the bullies in D-hall. And yet, we'd do almost anything to have it. Me.. I gave up. I didn't go that extra mile when it counted, and because of that... I lost the love of my life."
"Or she could have been, I'll never know now, will I?" I added bitterly.
Danielle was signing to me to stop, and I was already preparing to give up the mike and leave the stage when I noticed movement at the doors. A woman in a crimson dress stepped inside, staying against the wall next to the door. Kim? Oh my God, it was Kim! I had no idea what she was doing here, but this was my chance.
I looked straight at her. "If I ever had the chance again... I'd tell her I have loved her, my entire life. And that my life without her hasn't really been life at all."
I couldn't make out the expression on her face. One by one, the crowd started turning to look over at her.
"I'd tell her, I would do anything to get her back in my life." Oh, screw it: "I love you, KP," I said looking straight into her eyes.
More people turned to look at her, like they were expecting her to run across the room into my arms. Me... I was hoping, not expecting. She glanced around at the expectant faces, and her gaze fell. She bolted out of the room.
"Kim!" I yelled after her and jumped off the stage, dropping the crown on the floor. The crowd parted before me as I ran towards the exits.
As I pushed through the doors, I heard a car speeding away from the parking lot. Great. Just great. Burned twice, in the same day. Maybe I just had to accept it: Kim doesn't love me, or want to have anything to do with me.
Having had enough, I walked off and trod the streets. The town looked so deceptively peaceful and safe; but, to me, it was nothing but a string of disappointments and heartache. I was beginning to truly hate this town. It sure seemed to hate me, even more than Wannaweep.
≈O≈
Monique knocked on Mrs. Possible's bedroom door and cracked open the door. She hadn't heard anything from her bed-ridden ward, so she decided check on her.
"Do you need anything, Mrs. Possible?" Monique asked from the door.
Mrs. Possible glanced at her direction. "You're not Kim."
"Kim's not here. I'm Monique, Kim's friend, remember me?"
Mrs. Possible's face contorted into a confused frown as if she was straining to remember. It was unclear if she actually remembered the girl or not when a few moments later her face relaxed and she turned away, gazing lazily out the window.
"Where's Kim?" Mrs. Possible asked.
"She's at the reunion, remember?" Monique explained gently. She and Kim had already explained all this earlier, but she seemed to drift in and out of focus.
"Reunion?"
"Her ten-year high school reunion."
"Ten.. year.."
"Yeah. She wasn't going at first-"
"It's been ten years..."
"-but I convinced her to go and try patch things up with Ron."
"Ron?" Mrs. Possible seemed to perk up a little. "Ronald is here?"
"Uh-huh."
"I always liked Ronald..." she said, falling into a wistful silence for a minute. Monique was just about to leave when she spoke up again: "...you think they can work things out?"
"I sure hope so," Monique sighed. "They're both willing, but stupid."
Mrs. Possible stayed quiet for a few more moments.
"Monique, was it?" she finally asked.
"Yes, Mrs. Possible."
"I think there's some soup in the fridge. Could you be a dear and warm me up some..."
≈O≈
My phone rang. I didn't want to answer, but whoever it was, was persistent. I dug it out and saw that the caller was Monique.
"Yes?" I didn't care how exhausted I sounded anymore: KP took the last iota of energy out of me when she ran from the building...
"So, what happened?"
Monique sounded insistent, even more so than usually.
"I told her how I felt, again, and she rejected me. Again."
"You have it so wrong. She does love you, she's just afraid."
"Of what?"
"Change. Being happy after all those years of misery. Believe me, she loves you."
"..."
"Ron. I'm tired of playing match-maker to people who already ought to be happily married. I'm at Kim's house right now. Get your ass here. She's bound to show up sooner or later."
Somehow, she sounded like it wasn't about just me and Kim anymore. But at that point, I really couldn't care less.
"No. I'm done listening to you. You don't know jack about us, Mon, even though you think you do, so give it up."
"Ron-"
"Bye, Monique." I hung up. Before pocketing the phone, I turned it off.
It was getting chilly. It was already dark, but I could still see the clouds gathering in the up-to-now clear sky, as if responding to my mood. I flipped up my collar, and kept walking. My concept of time was lost as I walked through town, staring at the pavement, wallowing in my misery.
I didn't know how far or for how long I had walked when I finally stopped and looked around.
Oh, for crying out loud!
There it was, the one place I was trying avoid, just across the street - the Possible house.
Never before had it been so imposing, so.. menacing.
As I stood there, just watching, the low growl of a V8 engine drew my attention; those things were rare these days. A dark red Mustang convertible - I wasn't an expert on cars, but the model looked last decade - pulled up on the driveway. With the "TGFY BB" vanity plates the car screamed "Monique". But she wasn't the one driving - Kim was.
After Kim had stopped the car, she just sat in it, engine running. She dropped her head on the rim of the steering wheel. A minute later she finally turned off the car and stepped out. As she was turning towards the house, she raised her eyes - and saw me.
Time stood still. We did nothing but stare at each other. I was afraid to break the silence, lest something bad happen again.
Kim was the first to break contact. She gazed down, and with an unreadable expression on her face, walked to the front door.
My mind screamed for me to do or say something, anything, but I could not. Helplessly I watched Kim open the door. She looked back one last time before going inside the house.
For a few moments I cursed Kim for toying with me like this. I cursed Monique for giving me false hope. And I cursed myself for actually believing that, after all these years and after what had happened today, things could actually be different.
Then I saw it. There it was, another crumb dropped from the table, a piece of meat dangled in front of a starving man.
And I actually considered taking it.
Indecision drove me to once again dig out the pack of smokes and light one up as I sat on the curb.
The open door stood before me, calling to me. I stared at the formidable opening, taking drag after drag, through dissipating clouds of smoke, trying to resist its siren song, and trying to figure out if it even meant anything. It was hard not to think Kim had left the door open on purpose, as a sign, but the now-surfaced realist in me said she probably just forgot to close it.
The cigarette started to burn my fingers. As I put it out, I suddenly felt lighter.
I had come to a decision.
I crushed the almost full cigarette pack and stuffed it down the storm drain opening next to me. Whatever happened from here on in, I wouldn't be needing them anymore. As I stood up and dusted myself off, I pulled out my phone. With my gaze still locked on the open door, I made a phone call.
"Mom, it's me. I might be late coming over..."
"...I need to go see about a girl."
The end...
...and a beginning.
A/N: In case you couldn't decipher the Monique-speak, the acronym on the license plate reads: "Too Good For You Baby Boy".