I got a lot to say to you
Yeah, I got a lot to say
I noticed your eyes are always glued to me
Keeping them here
And it makes no sense at all

They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
You little spies
They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
You little spies

Crush
Crush
Crush
Crush, crush
(Two, three, four!)

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two I was just counting on
That never happens
I guess I'm dreaming again
Let's be more than this

Rock and roll, baby
Don't you know that we're all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, hey
Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, hey
Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now?
Give me something to sing about

-Paramore

-"crushcrushcrush"

Chapter 4

A year ago, I would have killed for this.

"Umm, Kim, we've known each other for a while, and I know there's...been some ups and downs, but I...I really like you Kim. I really want to giveus a shot...For real this time."

"W...wow, umm. Well, that's...that's really sweet of you, but..."

"B..but?"

"Well...you're a really great guy and everything, but..."

"There's somebody else, isn't there?"

"...W..well..ummm, no, not..."

"..."

"The truth is, there is somebody else." ,Kim thought to herself as she looked into the now sullen face of the blond haired boy standing before her.

"Oh...w...well...I'm sorry Kim, I didn't know...I thought..."

"Listen, you're a really great guy, and you're so sweet...but the truth is..."

"R..right. I understand...he's really lucky, whoever he is."

"Thank you...I'm sorry Josh.."

"No no, that's ok...I should have got my facts straight before I just put you on the spot like this."

"Hey, no big!", Kim brightly exclaimed as she flashed a smile to the visibly shaken form of Josh Mankey.

"Right. Well, see you in yearbook."

Poor guy, Kim thought as she watched Josh sulk down the hallway.

Kim surprised herself with the confidence she felt in turning the young man down, even though she hated to see him emotionally crushed.

Sorry Josh, but there really is someone else, even though he doesn't know it.

Slowly, a smile began to creep across the lovely face of Kim Possible as her thoughts began to shift to the object of her secret affections. She released a wistful sigh as thoughts of the young man came to mind, a young man who, if known to the rest of her peers, would surly be the envy of armies of young males across Middleton, as well as the rest of the planet. Yes, even a battalion of Josh Mankeys would not be able to tear her emotions away from the boy who now took up residence in her mind and heart.

Ron...

Kim let out another sigh and leaned back against her locker as she let the warmth of the memory wash over her again. Her mind traveled several months back, to summer vacation...

She had faced the situation countless times before. Drakken and Shego were operating out of the ruins of an ancient temple in the deep jungles of South America, hoping to unearth a huge ruby buried somewhere within, which would power Drakken's new orbital laser.

Kim and Ron dropped in unexpectedly on the evil pair and once again, foiled the mad doctor's scheme, and successfully recovered the ruby. The battle was intense however, and, upon escape Drakken and Shego ignited several plastic explosives, causing the temple's structure to become unstable. Kim and Ron were separated during the fierce brawl, and a now frantic Kim was trying to get her bearings between finding Ron and escaping.

As she grabber her Kimmunicator and began quickly shouting orders to Wade, her tech guru, a piece of the ceiling structure crumbled loose and plummeted towards Kim, nearly crushing her had she not rolled to the left mere milliseconds before. Unfortunately, her leg was now pinned by a large statue which had fallen over as she rolled out of the way. After letting out a scream of pain, she focused all her mental capacity to try and discover a way out of the now dire situation.

Ok, I can just use the grappling gun to...

To Kim's horror, the grappling gun had come loose from her belt and was most likely crushed beneath the large stone which she had managed to avoid.

If only I could...

The laser lipstick, which she could use to cut the rubble in half, lay a good two feet from her arm. She struggled with all her might to grasp the device, only causing more pain to her trapped leg. As she let out a terrified yelp and bit down on her lip, a single tear fell from her eye.

No,no no! This can't be it! Oh God please, no! Not now, not like this!

The single tear soon turned into multiple, and soon a torrent, as Kim began to reluctantly embrace the inevitable.

"G...guess it wo...would have happened sooner or later..", Kim let out softly, between choked sobs.

She put her hands over her face as the temple structure began to collapse around her.

Daddy...Mom...

Suddenly a voice pierced the darkness. She removed her hands and opened her eyes to see...

"KIM!"

A battered Ron Stoppable was before her, struggling with every ounce of strength he possessed to remove the rubble pinning her. The only effort Kim could put forth was to choke a single word out in a weak voice.

"Ron.."

With one last, primal scream, the rubble gave way, freeing Kim. Ron effortlessly scooped her battered body up in his arms and made a mad dash towards the exit. Kim was powerless to do anything, except cling tightly to Ron with all the strength she had and press her tear soaked face into his neck. Finally, with the last facet of energy he possessed, Ron burst through the doorway of the ancient structure as it completely gave way behind him.

Ron fell to his knees in front of a huge evergreen tree, struggling to catch his breath. He attempted to lay Kim down against the massive tree trunk, however she refused to relinquish herself from Ron's arms. Turning his sore body around, Ron lay his back against the tree, cradling Kim in his arms. As her tears continued to fall and soak the collar of his mission shirt, Ron gently stroked Kim's flowing red mane and whispered sweet, comforting words in her ear.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kim awoke to strange surroundings. Letting her eyes adjust to the light, she took a moment to collect herself. She lay in what looked like a small cot and was covered up to her neck with a thick, woven blanket. Memories of her near-fatal experience at the temple suddenly came flooding back like a tidal wave, causing a shudder to move through Kim's body.

"KP."

Kim slowly turned her head to the right to see the form of Ron seated beside the bed, sporting a look of relief.

"Ron..." , a now weakly smiling Kim spoke.

"Shhhhh, it's ok KP, save your strength. I brought you back to the village to get you fixed up. The shamans here don't think your leg is broken, you need to rest up. Everything is ok, you're safe I promise."

The small smile on Kim's face spread even wider at her dear friend's reassuring words, her eyelids slowly closing as Ron began gently stroking her hair.

A gentle breeze blew over Kim as she gazed at the full moon cresting above the canopy of the jungle, the sound of wild drums pounding in the nearby distance. After she had fully regained her strength, the villagers informed Kim and Ron of a celebration they were throwing in honor of the two recovering the ruby.

The experience was...unusual to say the least, thought Kim, but what a blast!

The sight of Ron breaking out his bon-diggidy dance moves with the villagers alone was worth the strange food she had too eat.

"Whoooo, I don't think these guys know the meaning of "dance till you drop"."

Kim turned around to see a panting and exhausted Ron shuffling up behind her.

"Looks like the Mad Dog met his match." , Kim jokingly responded.

"Yea? Let's see them pop and lock with an over sized foam head attached, then I'll be impressed."

Kim giggled at Ron's antics, then turned her attention back to the full moon. Ron trotted up and leaned on the railing beside her.

"What cha' doin?", Ron asked, following Kim's gaze towards the heavens.

"Oh, just getting a little fresh air."

"Oh.."

"Ron, I'm so sorry, I haven't even thanked you yet."

Kim turned her attention to Ron, who shot her a surprised look.

"For what?"

Now it was Kim's turn to shoot a questioning glance to Ron.

"For what? For saving my life!"

"Oh...well..no big KP! You've saved the Ron-man's off-white keister plenty of times."

Kim shot a glance down to the floor, then back up to Ron, searching to find the correct words.

"This was different though, Ron. I really...I really thought it was the end. That I would...die...right then and there. All the gadgets and kung-fu in the world were useless, I'd given up hope...I knew I was..."

Kim looked down at her feet again, unable to finish her thoughts. Ron saw the fear and doubt in her eyes.

"Kim...I...can't say I understand what you felt...I've never been in a predicament quite like that, but...I was in that temple too ya know...and...I made myself a promise, right there and then, that I would find you KP, that I would get you out of there...if...it was the last thing I..."

Kim instantly engulfed Ron in a tight hug, molding her body into his.

"I'm s..sorry."

"Sorry?" , Ron finally choked out, a lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry I doubted you. I should have known Ron, I should have known you would come save me."

Kim raised her head off Ron's shoulder to look him in the eyes, and found Ron peering back into hers. She suddenly found herself adrift in the warm compassion in his deep, brown eyes. She could scarcely understand the emotions that had suddenly descended upon her, like the stone that had threatened to crush her into oblivion days before. Unlike that terrifying moment however, she felt a warmth and peace unlike anything she had ever felt before. For the girl who could do anything, she felt, for the second time in as many days, completely powerless. Just as before though, here was Ron, to move stones for her, to gently carry her away from danger, to comfort her, to protect her, to save her.

She felt her face glow warmly as she found herself move her face, slowly, blissfully, closer to meet Ron's. Her eyelids began to droop as...

BEEP-BEEP-BE-BEEP

Could Wade have picked a worse moment to call about our ride back, Kim silently cursed her youngest teammate.

She closed her eyes and imagined what would have taken place if only she'd left the Kimmunicator back at the hut.

I'd kiss those wonderful lips of his, that always carry a smile. I'd run my hands through that shaggy head of hair. My fingers and lips gently across those cute freckles. I'd nibble on those big ears...

Her eyes popped open as she felt her face grow hot, a quick check of her compact revealed her face had become rosy and flushed, which only caused it to turn a deeper shade of red. After the blush had finally subsided she did a quick make-up check. Kim was never one to wear make-up, being a tomboy most of her life, coupled with the fact that she could be called on a mission at any moment, but lately, she took to wearing a little, in hopes that maybe...

She found her thoughts wondering back to Ron again, but instead of a giddy, wistful sigh, came a solemn, almost sad one.

Ron...I love him so much, but does he even look at me the same way? We've been friends for so long, but...he never seemed to be interested in me in thatway. Plus, I've seen him glancing at Tara and Bonnie...

Waves of doubt crashed over Kim as they always inevitably did when she thought of Ron. The last thing in the world she could ever imagine was life without him, if she risked their friendship on her feelings...

Would things become awk-weird? Would he...leave me?

No, the thought was unbearable to Kim, she would have to keep her true feelings under wraps, keeping her emotions secret than risk losing Ron for one whole second.

She finally collected herself and gathered her books for third period, but not before one more bout of worry crossed her mind.

Where was he this morning?

It was quite unusual and out of character for Ron to miss a morning without showing up on the Possible's doorstep.

Maybe he's sick? No, he still would have called...

"Girl!"

Kim whirled her head around towards the voice calling out to her. She came face to face with a gasping, out of breath Monique.

"Girl..You gotta...gotta come..."

"Monique? What's the sitch?", Kim asked, confused at Monique's current state.

"Come with me, there's something you gotta see."

Monique grabbed Kim by the hand and whisked her away, nearly yanking her arm out of the socket. When the two finally turned the corner in the east wing, Monique directed Kim's attention to the flurry of activity buzzing about at the end of the hallway. There was a large group of students gathered, some mouths agape, some slapping high fives, others just chattering excitedly.

"What's going on?" , Kim asked Monique.

"Not what girl,who!"

A hush fell over the crowd as a lone figure stepped out from their midst turned to look to the pair of girls observing the commotion, and proceeded to slowly stride towards them. Kim's eyes went wide as she took in the young man headed towards her. She could scarcely make a sound as she drank in all the details. Stylish, perfectly fitting clothes replaced baggy, casual ones. A straight, confident posture replaced the usual, hunched-over trot. Lush, cleanly styled hair replaced a messy, unkempt bush. Kim could feel her knees and spine quiver as the boy now stood before her, staring through her with deep, chocolate brown eyes. All in all, he was quite simply the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.

"Hey KP."

"R..Ron?"

Kim's mind was a whirlwind as she stood at her locker, gathering her books for the next period.

Ron...What?...When?...How?...Why?

She wasn't able to muster the brain power to even begin to ask Ron about his drastic change, and before she could say another word, the bell rang signaling the start of class. As the crowd dispersed, Ron simply told Kim to meet him at their lockers before next period, then walked along with some of the group of students, laughing and high fiving along the way. She could hardly believe or comprehend the change in Ron. He was like something straight out of a teenage fantasy, hers in fact.

She should have completely lost it by now, screaming and giggling like a frenzied Oh Boyz fangirl, after all, in the past, the recent past even, she would have done just that. But this was Ron! She should be excited that the man of her dreams, the man she loved more than anyone else, would turn out to be such a "smokin hottie".

So why this weird feeling?

Kim was startled out of her thoughts by the sound the the adjoining locker swinging open. She looked over to see Ron, swapping books from his backpack to his locker.

"Sup KP?", he asked, a confident swagger to his voice.

"Oh, uhhh, hey Ron!", she weakly sputtered out, "Ummm, I didn't know what happened to you this morning...I mean, you didn't show up at the house and..."

She lost all train of thought as she took in the sight of Ron removing his heavy jacket, placing it on the hanger in his locker. Kim's eyes darted up and down his form, taking in every ounce of his figure. His snug fitting clothes revealed his style wasn't the only thing drastically different. His once scrawny figure had morphed, still slender, but he was now sporting more definition than a Webster's dictionary. She could clearly make out the shape of his perfect round pecs, his muscular, full arms, and clear evidence of a full and complete set of six-pack abs.

The majority of her inner psyche screamed in pleasure at the heavenly sight before her, still however, a small nagging voice somewhere in the recess of her mind screamed something else...

"Major weirdar alert!"

Last period...history...

A nightmare!, thought Kim.

She tried concentrating on Mr. Barkin's lecture, but her eyes were continually drawn to Ron, seated beside her propped up on the desk in front of him, lounging back in the chair. For some reason, he had insisted they sit in the very back of the room, instead of their normal spot up front.

Ron...

Her attention was momentarily drawn away by the sound of soft gigging in various places across the room. A quick look around the room verified that every female member of the class were also distracted. Some exchanging whispers to each other, some only giggling, some throwing up occasional, shy waves, all directed at Ron.

Ron himself only stared straight ahead, hands behind his head with a sly, confident smile on his face.

Once the students were dismissed, Kim jogged up to greet Ron.

"Hey! Wanna walk over to Bueno Nacho? Two for one enchilada day!", Kim offered happily.

A quick smile formed on Ron's face.

"Sound's gr..."

His response was cut off by the approach of Kevin Eastline, new quarterback of Middleton High, along with various other members of Middleton High's elite.

"Sup Ron? We're all chillin at Reggie's in fifteen, let's roll!"

"Sorry KP, other plans. We'll take a rain check though I promise!", Ron said to the now confused Kim.

"Well...umm I could...give you guys a ride." , Kim offered desperately.

"Oh, no thanks KP. Got my own ride!" , Ron said excitedly as he pulled the keys out of his coat pocket.

Kim watched in disbelief as the whooping and hollering boys piled into the sleek new sports car, with Ron at the wheel, and sped off into the distance.

For the first time since summer vacation, Kim felt completely powerless.

----------------------------------------------------------------End Chap. 4----------------------------------------------------------------------

Next: Rock n Roll High School