Chapter 3: Cheer Drama! Zach's Plot!
"Go Mad Dogs, Go-go-Mad Dogs!"
Following the routine was no problem as it was simply staying with the choreography. No physically complex stuff was involved, at least for now. However, that didn't mean that this practice wasn't going to be a stressful one.
Bonnie really had a full plate: She would have to try to keep up the bar that Kim Possible, once again, has raised. Plus she would have to make sure that her logically-challenged partner wouldn't bring any attention to himself. The fool was competent, but his reckless and unorthodox nature was at the point where she didn't know if it would work out well or cause more problems. Speaking of fools, the even bigger one was watching with his ridiculous Mad Dog mask on with his ridiculous routine. This was his chance to try to befriend the froob. Miss Perfect was distracted which meant that she wouldn't be playing guard dog for him. Now if only Zach would actually capitalize on that.
Meanwhile, he was too busy just watching the twists and twirls, the up and down, and the flailing of the skirts from the flips and jumps. Pervert. But she could worry about his lecherous tendencies later. Now it was time to form the pyramid. Everyone was now leaping into formation as well as Bonnie, until there was only one spot left: The top and only two left: Herself and, surprise-surprise, Kim. All the time, Kim always had the top spot! After all, she was Squad Captain. However, it was time for some new blood to stand up on top, in order to make the presentation fresh. Namely, her! But Kim would never go for that! Her ego wouldn't allow it!
With a look of both amusement and intrigue, Zach watched the girls in formation. Hope, Crystal, Liz and Marcella were on the bottom, while Tara and Jessica were on top, leaving two more spots open: One next to Jessica, the other on top. There was something so beautiful, so arousing in seeing girls in skimpy outfits flipping around with pure athleticism, and also so interesting. With the right amount of training and combat knowledge, cheerleading could become a fighting style of its own. After all, if Drunken Kung-Fu could be one, why not cheerleading? Though it would be very difficult to be taken seriously, then again, it could work to their advantage.
"Come on Kim, let's go!"
"No Bonnie, you go!"
"I should have a chance to be on the top, K!"
"We took a lot of time to practice and perfect this routine and I'm not going to let your ego ruin it, B!"
"You're the one to talk about egos!"
"You're the last person to talk about egos!"
This argument was going back and forth, while the other cheerleaders began to show fatigue in holding and maintaining the pyramid. He also saw the mascot shaking his head. Wouldn't anyone just suck up their pride and let the other jump up on the pyramid? Sighing, already knowing the unfortunate outcome of their lack of decisiveness, he looked at his watch. "Five… Four… Three… Two…"
The collective screams were enough to stop the bickering of the squad's two alpha-females as they saw the pyramid collapse before them. "Oh no!" Within that instant, everyone rushed over to the fallen girls.
"Is everyone alright?" Kim called out, worried about the well-being of the others. After she was able to gain conformation from the other girls, she turned towards Bonnie, "If you would've just got up on the pyramid, all of this would've been avoided."
Bonnie's eyes narrowed towards her rival, "Are you saying that this is my fault?"
"Want me to say it again?"
"Maybe if you would've been more of a team player than worried about your own spotlight-"
"This coming from someone who wanted to be squad captain and couldn't handle it for-"
"At least I'm here at all practices, without leaving early!"
Kim narrowed her eyes, "Now that's a low blow! You know darn well-"
The brunette crossed her arms, "So what? It's the truth!"
"Bonnie, can we just stop this and-"
"Or what? You'll sick Big Mike on me, too?"
"I so wouldn't be talking about getting people to jump others if I were you!"
Now it was time for Zach to make his move, "Are the always like this?"
Ron sadly nodded, "There's no use stopping 'em. They're like water and oil! Whether to be on top of the pyramid or leading the cheer, it's always something with those two. Personally I would say that everyone should have a shot on top, but they never listen to me!"
Zach scratched his chin, "Realistically speaking, that wouldn't be likely possible. I mean there's a lot of factors that decide who should be on top. I mean they should decide by body strength and body weight. I mean you wouldn't want a weak girl holding a bigger one."
Ron tapped him on his shoulder, "Umm… Zach…"
"Hmm?" Ron motioned him towards the glares he was getting, save for Bonnie whose palm was on her forehead. "What!?"
"APOLOGIZE!" Zach winced at the forcefulness of their words.
"What? I was just suggesting that, physically speaking, it was best that-" Seeing that this was futile battle to be fought, "Okay, I'm sorry. But seriously, why don't we…" His hand began to massage his temples, "How can I say this without offending anyone…"
"We get it, alright!?" Kim snapped, seeing that this talking was going nowhere and was wasting whatever valuable practice time.
"No need to get angry! I know when to shut up!" Zach walked back to the bleachers, leaving the girls to resume their practice.
"I know your heart's in the right place!" Ron took a seat next to him, "It's just how you say it is the problem."
"I just tell it as it is! I don't mean to offend anyone." He sighed, "And this is why hardly anyone respect the-"
"You see, that's your problem! You seem to be a good guy, yet you don't even realize how your words affect other people!"
"Maybe you're right! Anyway, Kimmie seems to be really stressed out."
"Well from fighting bad guys, taking down that snake guy, and… I don't know… you getting her detention, I think she's fine!"
Zach looked down, "Oh yeah. Sorry about that!" Seeing that the girls were taking a break and that the ice was cracked a bit, "So, what is it that you do anyway?"
"Oh you mean bein' the mascot!" Excitement reached into the young boy's face, "I mean it's so badical! Getting the crowd pump up, showin' off my mad Mad Dog skills! Then the banana cream finish! Man you should see the crowd eating it all up!"
"That must take some real agility! With all the flips and other acrobatics…"
He scratched his head, "Well, not all the time! But still, I can get the crowd pumped, and if something goes wrong with the squad, I come in and pick up the pieces."
"Hmm…" Zach wondered, should he make his move or should he just wait. He's already gotten on Bonnie's bad side today. First for fighting Kim, then for getting knocked out by Big Mike! With Bonnie in the worst moods, he would really have to do some serious making up. His thoughts were interrupted, "Hi again! Still wanna continue talking about why I'm an idiot?"
Tara sighed, "You know that you're really not earning any respect points, right?" She and Hope stood right before the bleachers at the two outcasts.
"I've gathered that between getting glares in home room this morning and finding out Big Mike's potential to be a cure for insomnia!"
Hope rolled her eyes, "Nice to see that you're still thinking this to be a joke!"
"Eh, it's just to ease the tension." Zach sighed, "I really must've pissed off a few people, huh?"
"Let's see… You've gotten into a fight with Kim…"
"Just wanted to test my skills against her…"
"Which you got her in detention for…"
"Again, I'm sorry about that!"
"Then getting into a fight with Big Mike…"
"I got ambushed! What can I say?"
"And now you've just offended the entire squad!"
"Didn't mean to, I was just-" He shook his head, "Nevermind…"
Tara attempted to explain, "Zach, I can see that you mean well! The problem is that you just don't think about how your words can affect people!"
She heard him sigh, "Yeah, that's a problem apparently."
"You need to think about how you say things to other people!" She turned to Ron, "Ron, could you please get some more towels! I think we'll need some."
With a nod, the Mad Dog jump off the bleacher as he rushed into the boys' locker room area to see if there were any more white towels, with Zach taking note. "The kid can run, I'll give him that!"
Hope sighs, "Which is just about one of his few redeeming qualities!"
"Let me guess: Not much love for the guy, huh?"
"He's alright, but he's like my kid brother!" Her eyes narrowed, "The very annoying kind you want to just lock into a closet!"
"I can relate! Add a kid sister to that and you'll really have a handful!"
"Anyway," Tara went to resume the topic at hand, "I think you'd get along with more people if you just thought about the things you say before you say them. I know you're not a bad guy, but you just need to think about the ramifications your words do to people! Like Bonnie for instance! You two could make a great team if you were always looking down on her."
'How did I not know it was going to lead to this,' Zach sighed, "A prime example of the pot calling the kettle black. I know that she's your friend and all, but the girl barely has any redeeming quality – if at all! Everything that comes out of her mouth is an insult! It's like she has a huge chip on her shoulder!"
Hope scoffed, "Like you're any better!"
Tara glanced at the Pinay, "You're not helping." Then to Zach, "I know Bonnie can be a bit harsh and mean at times, but if you just try to get along with her, you'll see she has a sweet side."
Zach knew that Tara was trying to help, but what he was hearing was eyeroll-worthy, "Spoken like a person who's always on Bonnie's good side."
"Everything starts with trust, Zach! If you start trusting Bonnie, she'll start trusting you! And then you two can get an A on your project!"
"Or begging myself to be her personal whipping boy…"
"Oh will you get over yourself!" Hope had enough of this! It was just back and forth with him. Zach's a jerk and Bonnie's a bitch, and he's complaining about Bonnie as much as she was complaining about him! And she, for one, was sick of it! "You both don't like, let alone trust each other! You're both stuck with each other! Deal with it!" Honestly, they deserved each other!
Tara sighed, "Zach, promise me that you'll get along with her!"
Zach scratched his head, "I don't know, I'm already-"
"Please!" Tara eyes widened as her lower lip began to tremble. "I don't want to see you guys fight anymore!"
Zach shook his head, "I'll try…"
"Puh-wease…" Tara added whining to her plea as tears began to form out of her eyes.
He held up a hand, "Alright alright… I'll do it!" If it meant Tara drying her tears, he'd do it even if it killed him. Still, that face. If she really knew how to milk it, she could run the world in less than a year… Make that a month. He nearly felt himself falling into the foothold of the bleachers with Tara hugging him. He had to admit, with the aroma of peppermint transmitting from her hair and her nicely-shaped breasts pressed onto him, this was almost worth facing the wrath of Queen B for a semester.
With Ron bringing the towels back and the break period is over, cheer practice resumed as scheduled along with the same routine, which lead to the same dilemma…
"Here we go again…" Zach sighed at seeing Kim and Bonnie, once again, fighting over who gets to be on top of the pyramid.
"So what was that talk with the femininas all about?" Ron asked, his Mad Dog head held by his right arm.
"Oh nothing, just the project with Bonnie…"
Ron winced, "Ouch…"
"It's not like I don't want to get along with her. It's just a number of things that's the issue. For one, she already reminds me of my ex – a lot – so it's already epic fail! Two, she's calls me early in the morning with that attitude! That almost makes me not want to work! But still, it's like what Tara says, 'Everything starts with Trust.'"
"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, but still! Good luck with Bon-Bon!"
Zach raised a brow, "Bon-Bon?"
"Oh yeah, it's a cute nickname her mom called her during our ski trip a few years back!"
"Heh, cute…"
"Just don't call her that! That'll really set her off!" Hearing once again the collective screaming once again, Ron winced at the sight. Once again, the girls fell down on top of each other –again. Leaving Kim and Bonnie to arguing over what, or who was the cause of this debacle.
"This is a new low Bonnie!"
"What did I do?"
"You spilled water on the floor on purpose, that's what!"
"I would never-"
"Just like you'd never plot to steal Josh from me? Just like you never invited my parents to put me in humiliation nation? Or better yet, you not getting Zach to fight me and get me in detention?"
"Will you get over yourself, Kim?"
Zach leaped off from the bleachers, "Come on, let's go help 'em!" As amusing as the idea of a catfight sounded, this practice needed another argument as much as the world needed another Paris Hilton.
Ron nodded as the both went to the pile of bruised cheerleaders, helping each of them to their feet as Kim and Bonnie continued their blame game.
"That's it Bonnie, I'm so sick of you!" Every day practice always had to have so much drama because Bonnie had to be the biggest diva in the whole school… More like in the entire world! And now she poured water on the floor, just so she can slip and knock everyone onto the ground! Worse, she had the nerve to act all innocent when she was the only one holding a water bottle during the break. This was low, but then again this was Bonnie Rockwaller we were talking about. Even Zach, as much as she didn't really care for him at this point, could barely stand to be around her. Hopefully nobody was hurt from this! "I could care less about how you feel about me, even when you're scheming and plotting to bring me down, but when it affects the whole squad, that's it!"
'I think now would be a good time,' Seeing Tara casting a glance towards him, Zach decided to take a leap of faith, "It's not as if she specifically tried to injure the squad or anyone in particular."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Great, now the fool's going to get me kicked off the squad. Just kill me now…"
Kim blinked, not even wondering why he was defending Bonnie! "You can't be serious! Are you taking her side?!"
"I'm not taking anyone's side! I'm just saying that it could be accidental! After all it has been a stressful day with the whole incident back in D-Hall! And it's not as if she hasn't been under personal stress herself! Any regular girl could make that mistake!" He smiled, "Come on Kim, can you honestly say that you've never made a fatal error?"
Kim looked around to see Tara nodding in agreement, with Hope giving her a look that said "If she really wanted to, wouldn't she had done so by now?" She sighed, "As much as it goes against my better judgment, okay! I'll let it slide this time Bonnie!"
Bonnie didn't know what to think: Either to be disgusted that she needed that fool to help her, or relieved that he actually helped her than causing harm to her reputation – for once. She spotted a smile on Tara's face and Hope sighing out of relief. "What are you staring at? Let's clean this puddle up so we can get this done!" She then turned to Zach, "Why don't you make yourself useful and actually give Slobberhound a hand!"
Catching a towel in his hand, Zach already wished he just let Kim get her off the squad. Then again, it was foolish to just think that Bonnie would be singing his praises so quickly. Besides, Tara was happy and it was always nice to do the right thing anyway. All that there was to do was to clean up the puddle and hopefully the practice could go without any problem.
Ron followed him to the puddle, "I can't believe you actually defended Bonnie!"
"She was getting overwhelmed with the blame. And if you think about it, anyone normal person could've made that mistake!"
"Not Kim!" Ron argued, "She's always organized and careful with everything!" He looked down, "If anyone's a klutz it's me…"
'My point exactly…' Zack spread open the towel before draping it on the puddle. "You're not that bad!"
"Trust me, if you've been around me long enough, you'll speak differently!" After a few seconds, one towel managed to get the water from the floor while another was use to dry up the remnants.
"You know what your problem is? You lack confidence, as well as real effort! Honestly, if you work as hard as you do as the mascot, who knows how far you can go!"
"Yeah, but I don't really mind it! Sure it would be nice to have more friends, a girlfriend, just not to be treated like an outcast. But it's okay. As long as Kim's with me, I'll be fine! Besides that, I can't let her go through what she does every day on her own! Despite what it appears to everyone else, she needs me!"
"You really believe that? I mean I know you like Kim and all and want to watch out for her, but what about taking care of yourself! I mean there's a whole world out there that's waiting to be explored! New experiences to try! New people to meet!"
"Thanks, but I'll pass! I owe everything I am to Kim. She's earned my loyalty."
Zach nodded, "Hey I can respect that. But what if something happens to Kim? Something that you couldn't predict or prevent! What happens then?"
Ron's eyes narrowed, "It won't happen!"
"Are you sure about that? What if there's something or someone that is too great for either of you to overcome? What if, by all due respect, your best isn't good enough? What then? What would you do?"
"…I think I need to go work on my moves, if you don't mind."
Zach could see that Ron had enough of this discussion, "Very well then… I hope that you and Kim continue to prosper in your endeavors." As he watched him walk away, Zach decided to bide his time. From the info Bonnie had provided and from talking him, he had an idea how Stoppable's mind worked. While he may put on a show that expresses his satisfaction of his current place in life, deep down within, he was hurting. His own insecurities would take effect soon. Then, and only then will they begin to start their project. Who knows, maybe he and Bonnie could prevent another school tragedy from happening. With that in mind, Zach decided it was time to leave. He already did what he set out to do! Besides, there were more issues that needed his attention…
…
'He couldn't have gone far…' As she walked along the sidewalk, Tara glanced around the area. Practice may've been long over now, but why did Zach have to leave early? It wasn't as if he wasn't wanted. Yeah, he might've offended a few with his remark earlier, but it wasn't as if he made a sexist comment! It was more of the fact that Zach left alone if anything that concerned her. Usually everyone at school at least had someone to walk with. Even Ron usually walked home with Kim, so his popularity wasn't an issue, or lack thereof. Besides, this would be a chance to show him that she really appreciated the effort he's been putting in.
"Yeah, I fought her this morning! Yeah, she put up more than a good fight, but I dunno…" Tara gasped, wondering if she was hearing what she was. That sounded like… Zach? "She managed to keep up with my moves, even when I started to fight harder. Still, I'm not quite convinced…"
She moved closer until she was right near the tree. From a quick glance she saw Zach standing on top of a low branch, talking to someone on his Bluetooth headset. She decided to hide behind, keeping herself from out of his sight as much as she could. "Yep, and the headaches are still there. Still, I'm gonna need to fight her again. This time, it'll have to be more intense… A lot more intense…"
'He's going to fight Kim again? Why? What's so interesting about Kim?' Tara wondered if her curiosity about Kim was just that, or was there something more to it. Perhaps somewhat of resentment towards the teen hero…
"True but what better way to test her ability? Besides, if she truly is 'The Girl who can do anything,' this shouldn't be much of a problem. If they have trouble then, they will have trouble later on when the real threat arrives!"
'What real threat?' Tara had to wonder if it had something to do what happened in D-Hall today! Or was he behind the mutations that have been happening in Colorado lately? She didn't know whether to warn Kim or stay out of it and see things through. It may work out for the best, it may not.
"Zach, what's wrong?" The voice from the other end asked Zach, who quickly looked around.
"Thought I heard something… Probably just nerves, I guess."
"Okay, but remember you're not supposed to bring attention to yourself! There are groups who aren't as lenient to vigilantism as they are back in the east coast."
"I'll keep that in mind! Who knows, this could turn into a test of my skills!"
"Okay Mr. Skill Test! Just don't cry when you get yourself in a mess that you just can't clean!"
He snickered in response, "Gotta go! See ya 'round Cas!" The connection now broken, Zach glanced around before smiling. "You know I'll have to kill you now, do you? I mean haven't you learned anything from the cat?" His eyes narrowed, "I know you're hiding, don't think otherwise!"
Tara gasped for a moment. Did she really make herself that obvious? And there was no way to call for help! Well, there was her cell, but for all she knew he could do away with her before she could press a button!
"Tch, no one's there! Getting too much on my plate already…" Zach carefully dropped down from the branch. After a quick massage of his wrists, Zach walked on the sidewalk, heading for home. Not noticing a platinum-blonde girl behind the tree, who had watched the whole thing!
Possible Residence
"Early this evening at 6PM, Nick Lumberstream, otherwise known as 'Nicky-Nick' of the O-Boyz has been arrested under the charges of Child Abuse and Child Molestation of young 12-year-old Patty Potts. Police Chief Devin Crier says Potts was found only in her underwear as she appeared to have bruises on her upper torso and chest. Lumberstream has refused to comment on this situation, but parents Steven and Inez gave a few words to our reporters.
"Damn it, what's wrong with you monsters!" Inez screamed, tears in her eyes. "Don't you have any idea what we're going through right now!? Our daughter had just been-"
Disgusted, Kim quickly switched the channel "I can't believe this… All this time we were crushing on a Child Molester!"
"Hold on KP," Ron gave his two cents, "Aren't we jumping the gun just a bit too fast here?"
"Ron, you saw the tears that were pouring from her eyes! They wouldn't be there if it was for something else?"
"You can't let a tear fool you! Deception is becoming a common trend with people these days!"
"This coming from a professional wrestling fan?"
Ron crossed his arms, "Hey! That's different! But serious, I just don't think Nicky-Nick's really capable of stuff like that! I mean he already got a lot of girls throwing themselves at him. You have any idea how much I'd want it to happen to me!?"
Kim rolled her eyes, "Turn down the drama! Why can't you just wait for the right one to come along instead of just looking for someone?"
"That's easy to say for someone who'd probably have boys lining up to go out with you!"
"It's not that at all! It's just… Too many people are just looking to go on dates and doing god knows what! Whatever happened to pure and honest true love? Now it's like serial dating and wild sex is the way to go!"
"That's just how people are these days. You might as well get used to it!"
"That doesn't mean I have to like it!" Kim sighed, looking to change the subject, "So, what did you and Zach talk about?"
Ron spat out the cola he had just drink, "Wait-wha?"
"I saw you and Zach talking while you were cleaning up. It seemed to be serious!"
"Oh that!" He waved it off, "It was nothing really. Just usually guy stuff…"
Kim was not convinced, "Guy stuff?"
"Yeah, like…" Ron thought for a second. Should he really tell Kim about what Zach said, about the possibility of Kim not being around? The fact that he just might be on his own! True those thoughts occasionally entered his mind, but he usually blocked them out. This was Kim Possible he was talking about. She could do anything! Zach hasn't been in Middleton long enough to really absorb the fact. Yeah, the villains may've been lame… Except for Monkey Fist! He was just evil (His name was Monkey Fist for crying out loud! How could it not?). "Y'know… Stuff, KP!"
Kim wasn't sure if she bought this or not! From what she saw it was more than just simple guy talk between him and Zach! And given that he, despite knowing what kind of a person she is, actually defended Bonnie, she was starting to see Zach more as just another one of Bonnie's lapdogs. Spending enough time with Bonnie always did that to people, like half the school, Tara and Hope included. And she would bet her Pandaroo that Zach fought her more than just wanting to test his skills against her. Whether it was a plot to humiliate her on Bonnie's behalf, or was he an assassin hired to eliminate her, she would get to the bottom of this!
