Well, this is chapter 4, since you're here I guessed you enjoyed chapter 3. I put the chapter on hiatus for a bit, and now I'm desperately trying to finish it all on Friday.
Well, enjoy.
3/14/07- 3/23/07
Ron grunted as he hoisted himself over the wall. Hitting ground running, he kept his pace as he weaved through obstacle after obstacle. He let out a grunt of pain as he hit the ground and began crawling under the barbed wire. Every muscle screamed as he pulled his body across the hard ground; his adrenal glands in overdrive as he pushed himself off the ground, heading towards the next wall. Slowly, but surely he began his climb, hands bruised and sore from vicious punishments. Ron kept his eyes focus ahead as he continued to pull himself up the wall. He tucked his body in and rolled to cushion his fall on the other side. Breathing heavily he made it to the end of the course, every ounce of energy depleted from him.
"I told you Cox was trying to kill us." Ron wheezed as he joined up with his friends, he was the last of the four to finish.
"Suck it up Stoppable." Joseph laughed, slapping him on the back.
"Alright men, hit the showers, you have the rest of the day off." Sergeant Cox ordered, dismissing the men.
"Too bad the hard ass won't let us go home." John sighed, limping his way out.
"From the punishment we've been dealt all week; I'm just glad for a day off," Ron exasperated, ready to collapse.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim was mentally drilling holes into the back of Tara's head from her seat. She was beginning to hate that girl more then ever before. She expected her to burst into tears, run home crying or something. But no, she took it in stride and seemed even happy for it. According to the rumor mill, the reason for Tara's such cheery mood all week was due to the 'fact' that she has a new boyfriend. Knowing to take everything with a grain of salt, Kim separated the plausible from the downright idiocy.
"Now, who can tell me when the War of 1812 began?" the teacher asked desperately, knowing there was at least one person in the room that knew the answer. "Anybody?" the teacher asked again, scanning the room, "Miss Possible?"
"Whatever; who cares about a bunch of dead guys anyways?" Kim snorted, not really listening.
"It began in 1812 over the impressments of American sailors at sea." Tara answered condescendingly, frustrated at the class's level of intelligence. Was she really a part of this class? She asked herself, she never knew how airheaded the people she hung out with were before. Maybe it was because they had little time for schoolwork, what with practice and stuff; her grades have been improving slightly due to the extra hours she now has to study.
"Why thank you Miss King." The teacher smiled; glad at least someone's improving. "It's good to see your grades have been improving too."
Kim growled from where she sat, that girl was definitely getting on her nerves. The lunch bell rang, dismissing the students from their class. Kim made her way towards the door before she was inadvertently blocked off by her teacher.
"What is that you want?" Kim huffed, in a hurry to get out.
"Miss Possible, I've been meaning to discuss with you about your performance in class." She began. "You've been getting poor marks on your tests lately; you're on the borderline between a B- and a C+."
"Look, come back when I care." Kim sneered, exiting he room. The teacher just shook her head as she headed back to her desk. Kim ignored the teacher and made her way towards the cafeteria, hungry for, well, something.
"Thank God it's Friday." Bonnie exclaimed as Kim joined her, placing her lunch on the table.
Kim ignored her as she searched the room for Tara. Unsuccessful, she turned her attention back to the brunette. "Sorry, what was that?"
"Just glad it's Friday, two days off from this pool of filth." Bonnie replied.
"There she is." Kim ignored her a second time, noticing Tara enter the cafeteria with her old friend, Monique. "What shall we do with her?"
"Give it up Kim, Tara is old news." Bonnie tried to deter her, feeling some sorrow for her former friend.
Kim turned her attention to Bonnie for a few seconds, but soon back to Tara. "I have to find out who her new boyfriend is."
Bonnie sighed, giving up.
"Then I'll just have to steal him from her." Kim smiled mischievously. "That'll wipe that smug smile off her face."
Bonnie just gulped and ate her lunch, not wanting to get in the redhead's way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tara was in a good mood as she made her way home, no longer on the cheer team, she has had a lot more free time then she knew what to do with. The past week have actually felt somewhat empowering for her; no longer having to be shackled under the social hierarchy of the school. She would call and chat with Ron when she found time during the past week; she still couldn't understand how oblivious he was though. But Ron was happy to have someone from home to talk to and that's all that would matter. On occasion he would talk to his mom, but he told her that it felt good to have friend to talk to. Tara mentally frowned over how Ron wouldn't accept the new Kim; she didn't have to heart to tell him. It hurt her every time he told her 'how long do you think till Kim feels better?' or 'let me know when Kim's ready to talk, it's been a while.'
"I wonder what he's up to now." Tara giggled as she picked up the phone, it was only three thirty, but there was always a chance he would be able to talk. She dialed in the number out of muscle memory, and waited for the other line.
"Hello, I'm guessing you're that chick that always talks to Stoppable right?" the other line answered.
"How did you know?" Tara laughed.
"Just a hunch, hold on a second."
"Okay," Tara replied.
"Hello Tara." Ron yawned, clearly exhausted.
"Good afternoon Ron, how was your day?"
"Hell, Sarge gave us the rest of the day off though," Ron replied. "I'm definitely going to catch up on some much needed sleep."
"Well, I guess I shouldn't have called you then." She frowned, not wanting to have interrupted his rest.
"No, actually I'm glad you called."
Tara's heart practically skipped a beat when she heard this. "R-r-really?" she asked.
"Uh huh, I need you to tell Kim I want to talk to her okay?"
Tara felt downtrodden at his request.
"Yea, she hasn't been answering my calls." Ron added. "Oh, and I won't be back for the weekend, the top brass is apparently chewing out the idiot who let us all out last weekend."
"Sure, I'll do that for you." Tara replied, on the verge of tears.
"Tara, are you feeling okay?" Ron asked, noticing her change of tone.
"I'm not feeling too good today, I'll call you later." Tara answered.
"Okay, get well soon."
"Thanks." Tara bid farewell, and hung up. Sighing, she laid back in her bed, taking a quick nap before she would do her homework.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey Wade, sorry about two weeks ago." Kim smiled into the new Kimmunicator, feigning a smile.
"It's not problem, 'bout time we upgraded it to a new model anyways." Wade replied sheepishly. "Well, Global Justice has been covering for you for two weeks now, they're just wondering when you'll be back."
Kim put some thought into her answer. "I could use a small vacation; just give me another week or two."
"Not problem Kim, not much is going on anyways." Wade responded.
"I was just wondering if there were any new gadgets I could get acquainted with."
"Oh yes, I sent you a package a few days ago, should be in the garage." Wade answered, taking a sip out of his soda.
"You rock Wade," Kim cheered, turning off the Kimmunicator. "Okay, time to get to work." Kim scowled, returning to her sour mood. She slowly sneaked down the stairs towards the garage, avoiding her parents and the tweebs. She flicked the light inside the garage, illuminated the place. Scanning the room for her package, she easily located it. The box looked plain, but she new the contents of the box were valuable nonetheless. She waded through some of her usual junk, stuff she has more of then what to do with until she reached the bottom.
Kim pulled out a dark suit of some kind; it was black, perfect for sneaking around. She also noticed some sort of control pad on the left hand wrist, fiddling around with it; the entire suit disappeared in front of her. Kim still felt the soft fabric in her hands, and could see some light diffraction through it.
"Not bad," Kim smiled, revealing the suit before donning it. She activated the stealth suit and proceeded to check it out. "I could get use to this."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim crept her way throughout Tara's house, intent on digging up as much information as she could find. Unfortunately she hasn't found anything useful to her, but persisted on investigating the room; the stealth suit coming in handy in terms of sneaking around. Kim nearly fell over as the door to Tara's room opened, revealing her mother.
"Tara, it's time for dinner." She said, gently nudging her side.
Tara let out a yawn as her eyes slowly opened, "Sure thing mom, I'll be down in five minutes." Her mother nodded her head and gently made her leave.
Kim watched in silent as Tara stretched a bit and organized her bed. The she noticed something lying on Tara's bed, it was black, and about the size of a business card. Unfortunately Tara picked it up and crammed it into her pocket before Kim could take it. Somewhat disappointed, Kim made her way downstairs, following Tara into the dining room.
"Hey Tara, how was school today?" Her mother asked her as she set the table, placing down the fine china and utensils.
Tara yawned and stretched out her arms, feeling somewhat sore. "It was alright, everything's normal."
"That's good to hear," Her mother replied, "How's your new boyfriend doing?"
'I knew it.' Kim thought to her self, smiling inwardly.
"No, he's not my boyfriend mom!" Tara blushed, raising her hands defensively.
"I don't know; you've done nothing but talk about him for the past week." Mrs. King laughed. "So, when will your father and I get to meet him?"
"Well, it'll be a while before he can, and he's not my boyfriend!"
"Well, I'm just glad to see you feeling better; you've been coming home pretty upset for some time now." Her mother said, "He must really care about you."
"…I need you to tell Kim I want to talk to her okay?" Tara's face turned to one of sadness as Ron's words ran through her head. "I guess he does…"
"So what's he like?" Mrs. King pressed on, not fully noticing her change in expression.
"Well," Tara decided to choose her words carefully. "He's kind and sweet, and he always listens to me. Growing up he could never get his voice through as no one would listen to him, he's always being told what to do and how he should do things."
"That's terrible."
Tara nodded her head. "He always listens patiently, and never speaks unless spoken too."
Kim listened carefully to the conversation between the two women, soaking in as much detail as she could.
"His, uh, 'ex-girlfriend' I guess I'll call her," Tara somewhat lied. "They've been friends for sometime, but she never really appreciated him for anything. He was always there for her, steering her clear from danger, and making sure she wouldn't make any bad decisions." She continued, "But she would ditch him every chance she could get, and when she found someone better to hang out with, she tossed him away."
'Man, this girl sounds like a bitch.' Kim thought to herself as she continued to listen to.
"How do you know so much about him anyways?" Tara's mother asked curiously, "you've only been talking for less than a week."
"Actually, I've known him for much longer," She replied. "He actually doesn't live far from here."
'Shit, it's getting late; this is enough information for tonight." Kim panicked somewhat, noticing the time on the kitchen clock. She quickly made her way out of the house, glad for her new stealth suit. Unfortunately, she wasn't there to catch the last few sentences in the conversation.
"So, who is this boy?" Tara's mother inquired.
"His name is Ron Stoppable if you remember him."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Where in Hell have you been?" Mrs. Possible demanded answers, and she wanted them now. "I've had enough of your attitude young lady!"
Kim had long changed out of her stealth suit, and is now in her casual clothing. She paid no head to her mother, chewing her gum and absently watching television.
"Don't ignore me," Mrs. Possible commanded. "I can only put up with this for so long!"
Kim yawned slightly as she continued to stare at the television screen absent mindedly.
"Kim, your grades have been slipping, you come home late, if at all, and you're behavior beginning to become destructive." Mrs. Possible continued, "Internally or otherwise!"
Kim didn't want to hear anymore of it. "Mom, I don't care what you, or anyone else thinks!"
"Young lady…"
"Don't 'young lady' me!" Kim cried. "All my life I've had to live under your rules, I've been doing every last thing you've ever demanded for nearly seventeen years!"
Mrs. Possible just stared blankly, putting up a poker face, unwavering in her daughter's attack.
"It's always one thing after another. Do 'this', do 'that', why won't you just leave me alone? Maybe I just want to live my own life, and not whatever the hell you want me to live. I'm sick and tired of you and your God damned rules!" Kim screamed. She took a deep breath, mildly exhausted from her brief rant.
"Are you done yet?" Mrs. Possible inquired, "Good, now you listen up, and listen good. I've heard this rant so many times before, I've heard it from parents, nieces, Hell, I even used it myself when I was your age. But I know for a fact it's not me, nor anyone else you're mad at is it?"
Kim just gave a scoff and crossed her arms, ignoring the question.
"You know what; I'm going to let you find out the answer on your own." Mrs. Possible shook her head. "There are literally a hundred messages for you in the answering machine, no use hiding them from you. It doesn't look like you'll be back to normal anytime soon."
"Whatever." Kim replied, making her way to the recently 'found' answering machine. Kim clicked the playback button, starting with the first message.
"Hello Kim just called to say hello. Look I've been such an idiot lately, I' m so sorry about blowing up on you last Friday; I've been doing okay so far, not too much work, just a few light workouts and a lot of running…"
She recognized the voice from somewhere, but she couldn't figure it our. Instead Kim clicked the forward button, going to the next message trying to figure out more.
"Hey Kim, it's me again, Ron, I want to talk to you, please call back."
Kim doubled back, it was Ron, she began breathing heavily; she held the forward button, going forward a few days.
"Kim, it's me again; I saw someone that looked just like you at the mall the other day. I talked to your mom and said you never came home. I'm worried; please tell me that wasn't you, Kim, call me back please. I can't keep the possibility from floating in my head, it's distracting; I nearly bayoneted Lee in the groin during practice because I couldn't concentrate; not that he wouldn't have deserved it of course, but please call me and tell me that wasn't you, I just…"
Kim wanted to break in tears, thoughts ran through her head. She wanted to cry, but instead, she didn't, she resorted to what she's normally been doing. She never heard the end of the message as, in a fit of wanton destruction; she ripped the machine straight from the table stand and threw it on the ground, destroying it. She left towards her room in a huff, with a scowl on her face, and the darkening of her heart.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim spent much of the weekend in her room, venting her anger and letting out some steam. She didn't know why she was so tweaked, but she couldn't help but stay angry, no matter how close she got to cooling off. She angrily made her way down the hallway, literally going through anyone who stood in her way. Opening her locker, she couldn't help but scowl as she saw Tara through the corner of her eye walk behind her.
"Hey Tara," Kim turned around, faking the most sincere smile she muster. "Look, Tara, I'm sorry about what happened, I acted out of line."
Tara glared at the redhead, distrusting her.
"Is there anyway I can do to make it up to you?" Kim asked in the sweetest voice.
"Sure, like I'm going to believe you." Tara scowled, attempting to leave for her first class.
"Wait," Kim said, grabbing her arm. "Please believe me; I'll let you back on the cheer squad, you can back on top again; you won't have to deal with those losers anymore."
Tara was pissed, something inside her sparked off at Kim's pathetic offer. "You think that's enough to bring me back?" Tara yelled, "How dare you insult me by thinking that I need to on the cheer squad! That I need to be popular! I'm not the shallow bimbo I was a week ago!"
Kim stared at her, somewhat dumbfounded, but she kept her cool, and remained steadfast.
"This past week has probably been better then the past two and a half years of my life!" Tara pressed on, "Let's face it; you're nothing but a shallow bitch beyond salvation." Tara continued, putting emphasis on the word 'beyond', until an idea in the back of the head began to work, and take control. "And if you were wondering, the rumors are true; I do have a new boyfriend. Do you want to know who he is?" Tara asked menacingly.
Kim stared ahead; the aura of the hallway was beginning to getting dark and air seemed thick. Kim saw a large crowd gathering around the two, all of which witnessing round two in the fight between Kim and Tara.
Tara smiled, shaking Kim to her very core. "His name is Ron Stoppable, and you know what? He's sick of you." Tara finished, letting out a chuckle, like one would at another's misfortune.
Kim's eyes widened upon hearing this, she couldn't believe what she has just heard. Her knees were beginning to wobble as she tried to keep a straight face.
"He's tried to make amends, to apologize, despite the past twelve years of shit you've dealt him." Tara scowled, "But you kept ignoring him, you refused to talk to him, and now look at you. He doesn't want to see your face ever again you poor excuse for a human being."
Kim felt like crying, she wanted to break down and weep; but she was not going to give Tara the satisfaction, "You're lying," Kim let out, trying to reorient herself.
"You wish he was lying," Tara laughed, "I hope you rot in hell for what you've done."
"AAAAARGH!" Kim cried as she lunged at the blonde girl. Kim grabbed the girl by the shoulder and slammed the back of her head into the locker. Students cheer on as they watch the fight while teachers were desperately trying to get through the mob. Kim proceeded to slam Tara's body into the locker repeatedly, once done here; she pulled her weak body back and tossed it onto the floor.
Tara coughed up blood as Kim tossed her onto the ground. She held up her hands to defend herself, but Kim easily broke through with her elbow and slammed it straight into the pit of her stomach. She let out a cry of terror as Kim smacked her face back and forth, spraying blood. Kim finished her off by forcibly lifting her of the ground and tossing her back onto the locker. The force of impact to the back of Tara's head was enough to render her unconscious.
Breathing heavily, Kim collapsed on the ground. Despite being such a one sided duel, Kim felt more exhausted then she ever has before. Too weak, the teachers were able to easily apprehend her as she slipped out of consciousness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tara spent the rest of the week in the hospital recuperating from her injuries. She hand suffered a dislocated shoulder, a few fractured ribs, some blunt force trauma, and a mild concussion. After those that she was allowed to return home, but she still needed to relax and take everything slowly, and easily. She spent most of the day at home, resting and watching TV. She had even called to tell Ron about what had just happened.
"Oh, hello Tara," The operator answered the phone. "I'll have him come over in a sec."
"Hello Frank," Tara addressed the man, "Can you do me a favor, if a girl by the name of Kim Possible calls; tell that Ron is unavailable."
"Okay…" Frank meekly obliged.
"Yes, this girl is nothing but trouble; under no circumstances is he allowed to speak with her."
"Okay, oh here he is." Frank said before handing the phone over.
"Hello Ron, how's everything going?" Tara asked softly, not wanting to strain her ribs.
"Tara, are you okay?" Ron worried, "You sound kind of weak on the other line."
"Ron, I need to tell you something…" Tara paused for a second. "Kim doesn't want to talk to you, ever…"
Ron frowned on the other line, "What do mean?" He asked.
"I tried to convince her to call you back, to talk to you, but she refused." Tara began crying for some reason, "She told me you were nothing but dead weight; and said she never wanted to her from you again."
"T-t-that's not true." Ron stuttered, shaking the thought from his head. "She wouldn't say that."
"Ron, she's changed, you said it yourself almost a month ago!" Tara said.
"I was just upset; I didn't mean it at all!" Ron cried, trying to cover himself.
"I tried to talk to her, but she attacked me Ron," Tara sobbed, "I told her you really missed and cared for her, but she attacked me!"
"Tara, calm down, please." Ron tried to reassure her, and cease the sobbing from the other line.
"Ron, promise me you won't try to talk to her." Tara bawled even louder.
Ron felt a pang in the pit of his gut. "Tara, I can't…"
"Promise me, at least until I sort things out…please," Tara pleaded, trying to get the response she wanted.
"I promise Tara," Ron caved in, giving her his word.
Tara gradually stopped crying as she gained control of herself, "Thank you Ron…you think, maybe I could come over for a visit?"
"Cox has been riding our asses lately." Ron though, glad that Tara had clamed down. "But Cox is giving us the weekend off granted we stay in the city."
"Great," Tara smiled, "I'll see you sometime tomorrow then."
"Great." Ron said as he hung up the phone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim's fate was much, much worse then Tara's. But thanks to Kim's reputation as a world saving teenager, or luck, it may also be luck; she was able to avoid being expelled. She is to spend an hour and a half after school with a psychiatrist for two months, to sort her priorities and find the solution to her problem. Kim resented this sentence and openly protested it, however expulsion and jail was able to deter her from making a foolish and rash decision.
Now Kim lay in the stereotypical long couch as seen in the cartoons. Staring at the ceiling, she made no acknowledgement of any other body in the room.
"Now Kim, do you know why you're here?" the psychiatrist broke the ice as she adjusted her glasses and began writing in her clipboard.
"I have no idea Ms. Garcia." Kim scoffed, blowing her hair.
"Please, call me Sharon." She replied. "And you are here for many reasons, destruction of school property, inflicting harm upon others, repeated assault; the list just goes on and on. I know you used to be a good student, saving the world, the apple of your parent's eye."
Kim laughed as Sharon finished her sentence, "Yes, I used to be like that, I was unpaid, unappreciated, and always being put down. Despite what I have done to make everybody's miserable lives better. But that was long ago, now I'm at the top, and I've righted all of the wrongs."
"I see," Sharon replied, writing it down. "Now, I understand you had a friend by the name of Ron Stoppable."
"Yea, what about him?" Kim responded aggressively.
"What was your relationship with this boy?" Sharon asked.
"Well, I've known him for about twelve years, that's about it." Kim grumbled, crossing her arms and refusing to reveal further details.
"What else do you know about him?" Sharon pressed.
"Not much just likes video games, junk food," Kim answered vaguely, "typical stuff."
Sharon shook her head, but decided to change the topic. "I understand this behavior began a month ago, around late January correct?"
"Exactly one month actually, on the 26th," Kim replied, somewhat calmed.
"Now we're getting somewhere," Sharon continued her diagnosis, "What exactly happened?"
"I don't know, it was all a blur," Kim began to get angry. "Why does it matter anyways, who really cares?"
Sharon kept a poker face as continued writing. "No need to get defensive Mr. Possible, this is about you."
"I'm not getting defensive," Kim began getting defensive, "I just don't have to reveal anything to the likes of you!"
"And what exactly is wrong with me?" Sharon asked calmly, keeping her cool.
"The way you dress, the girls at school would laugh at the sight at that outfit," Kim began pointing out other things. "Then there's the shoes, you'd think a psychiatrist would be able to afford something better then those pieces of shit. You're lucky you don't go to my school, you wouldn't be able to last for more than an hour with what the hounds would do to you."
Sharon continued with her icy calm prestige, "And what would they do to me?"
"Well, aside from the ridicule, there's the pranks, the laughing, the occasional beatings." Kim continued, "Yea, those girls can be vicious when they think nobody is around to watch."
"And do you know all this from experience?" Sharon pressed on with the topic.
"O-o-of course not," Kim stammered, "I was the ones administering all of this!"
"I see," Sharon replied, with a neutral and expressionless face. "Well, this should be enough for today, I can see we're making some process; you may leave now."
"Whatever." Kim scoffed, "I'm just glad to get the hell out of here, don't know why I'm even here."
"Because if you don't you'll be stuck in a jail cell?"
"Knowing you, I'd rather be stuck in a cell with Shego and Drakken!" Kim scowled at her answer, and promptly left the building, feeling absolutely no different then she did before she entered her office.
Well, that's the end of chapter 4; I typed this up in a hurry Friday night. I had decided to take a short break from writing to let the weeks catch up with the chapter, but I had slacked off for too long and found myself in a hurry to get this chapter completed. Thankfully however, I was able to finish it on time with it still meeting my standards. I hope you enjoyed the good read.
HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!
PLEASE REVIEW!
Toodles.
