Chapter 21

Veruca casually walked down the steps of the plane with Tightlips holding the umbrella for her. Carmelita and Connie walked behind her onto the wet tarmac.

Kim and Ron finally ran up to the plane. Her hair was soaking from the heavy rain, but it didn't matter to her. For the first time since Veruca's DUI, the two girls were going to confront each other, face to face.

"Little Miss Moneybags!" Kim growled through her teeth at her nemesis.

Veruca and her girls came to a stop on the tarmac, a few feet away from the plane. Tightlips was still holding the umbrella tightly while sounds of thunder continued to rumble in the distance.

"Ah…Miss Ginger-faced Asswipe! So pleased to see your drenched face again!" Veruca taunted with a smirk.

"Spare me your insults and curse words, mean V!" Kim barked. "Veruca…I need to ask this little question!"

"Oh hold on for a moment…" Veruca smirked, not heeding Kim's question, "Your freckled-faced piece of crap of a friend is about to say something!"

"Mad Dog Killer!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs, "MAD DOG KILLER!"

"Aww..still mad about the precious mascot?" Connie mocked.

"Look, Naco-sniffer!" Carmelita sneered. "I can see acne growing all over that ugly face of yours!"

"That Mad Dog mascot has been on the squad for over five decades and you mocked it, you monster!" Ron screamed.

Rufus growled and barked viciously at the mean girls.

"Yeah…yeah…yeah…we've been through this…" Veruca sighed with a yawn. "I am to blame for the destruction of the Mad Dog! But that is not the point of our little conversation, Kim! You said something about prison, right?"

Ron thought about punching Veruca right in her plastic-surgery-altered face, but relented from doing so.

"Yes!" Kim growled, grinding her teeth, "I am asking a simple question and I want a simple answer! How the heck did you get out of jail?"

"Ah yes…that!" Veruca replied with a snob look on her face, "The mayor of Middleton granted me a full and complete pardon two days ago. He must've saw all my charitable deeds I have done while I was in the penthouse cell!"

"Really?" Kim said, not amused by the cheer captain's tactics, "What do you mean 'charitable deeds'?"

"You know, giving my money away to the local homeless shelter, the local orphanage, and the local food bank!" Veruca replied. "I do have an image to maintain!"

"Yeah, an image of being an evil cheerleader!" Kim countered with thunder booming in the distance.

"You watch your mouth, Kim! I am beloved by millions of my fans around the world, imitating what I do, though none of them perfect it as much as the original here!" Veruca chuckled evily, pointing to herself.

"Ugh…traits like that aren't going to get you anywhere in real life, Miss High and Mighty!" Kim snarled. "You'll grow up with wrinkled all over that 'skin' that I like to call plastic surgery!"

"And you'll grow up in a homeless shelter, you fat bastard pig!" Veruca countered back, "Your cheerleading skills will degrade while mine will become better and better!"

Kim was pissed off at the choice of words Veruca said to her. She, like Ron, clenched her fists, yearning to sock Veruca in the face, but she relented. She knew her adversary very well. But she wanted to get to the more pressing topic of their uncomfortable conversation.

"So says the cheerleader who's already had seventeen boyfriends! Or should I say…eighteen!" Kim sneered.

"You ugly gingers are all the same with…" Veruca continued with the insults until Kim got to the boyfriend part.

"Wait…how did you know about Jack Bucksalot?!"

"Let's just say that I had a little chat with Lizzy Wantsmoney over at Juvie a few hours ago!" Kim said with a snarky look.

"What?!" Veruca snapped, "You know that we cheerleaders don't associate with those stupid Golden Dancers! I put it in the Middleton Cheer Rulebook myself!"

"That's because you were the one who threw blueberry pie all over Violet's face and caused her entire body to turn blue at the Mad Dog Back-To-School Picnic two years ago!" Kim shouted. "We cheerleaders had a good relationship with the Golden Dancers before you and Violet came on the scene!"

Like Veruca, Violet also suffered the aftershocks of the Wonka factory tour. After Scarlett and Sam took her to the doctor, she was diagnosed with Blueberry Dye Syndrome or BDS for short. Simply put, Violet could not consume anything that had either the texture of blue or had an ingredient of blue food dye. If consumed, her body would go through the process of changing her skin back to blue again.

"I am not here to talk about the so-called 'rivalry' that we have with the Dancers, Little Miss V! I'm here to talk about the Chez Couteaux incident that Lizzy claims that you started the fight and she acted in self-defense!" Kim replied with a slight growl. "We found evidence of you present at that fight! Both security footage and your fingerprints on a pair of expensive Italian leather suitpants worn by your now-eighteenth-ex-boyfriend!"

"She's a god-damn liar and you know it, Kim!" Veruca yelled in the redhead's face. "I admit though that I was at Chez Couteaux that night but she was the one who threw the first punch at me! I fought back against the bitch by spraying bear mace in her eyes! You can even look at the footage facing the table that me and Jack sat at before that little bitch made a mess of my otherwise picture-perfect evening!"

"And that justifies you and Lizzy causing $3000 worth in damage to the restaurant?" Kim hollered at her.

"And ruining the Renton's anniversary cake?" Ron blurted out.

"And for stinking up the restaurant with your perfume?" Kim chimed in.

"Look, I'm sorry that I caused all that damage to the Couteauxs. I'm pretty sure they'll get their damn insurance check in the mail for me!" Veruca apologized, but not in a sincere way.

"Now would you please go and bug someone else, you pom-pom sniffer!" Carmelita shouted.

"Yeah, and get fat from all those stupid products at Bueno Nerdo, Naco-zit-face!" Connie howled, joining in on the insults.

"Don't call me zit-face!" Ron warned, "I haven't even gotten out of puberty yet!"

"Hey…that's not an apology!" Kim realized. She suspected something, but couldn't put her finger on it.

"Come on, girls…and Tightlips!" Veruca insisted, "Let's let the two biggest losers enjoy their drenching!"

The other girls and Tightlips nodded their heads and prepared to head up the steps to Veruca's private jet. Tightlips held on the umbrella tightly for his main employer.

Kim, however, continued to bug her from below.

"And are you trying to plan something behind my back, mean V?"

Veruca stopped dead in her tracks.

Oh shit! I gotta think of something fast! If Kimmie finds out my plans about Candace, my life is over! What can I do?

A twisted idea appeared in her head.

That's it!

Veruca walked down steps with Tightlips following her.

"Kim, the only thing that I am planning is my business trip around the world!" Veruca replied. "Of course I am not planning anything that you would consider….'evil'!"

"Really?" Kim snarled, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, Kim! Didn't you read my letter?" Veruca smirked, "I am going to be traveling all summer long around the world to various places!"

"Such as?" Kim inquired.

"Paris, London, New York! You know, the fashion capitals of the world?" Veruca slyly replied. "I will be staying at the fanciest hotels, eating at the fanciest restaurants, and, of course, attending VIP events that only celebrities, such as myself, can attend and not some crimefighting cheerleader loser like you!"

"Duh, you are the richest cheerleader in the entire world!" Kim sarcastically replied. "What are you trying to get at?"

"The thing is that your little missions with the freak losers keep on interfering during my social events!" Veruca explained. "And you always seem to hog the spotlight away from me whenever it occurs!"

"Well, someone has to fight the 'freak losers' or what you call them from taking over the world!" Kim countered as the rain slackened up. "And I am the person that can handle them, so sorry if I get in the way of the cameras at your little events!"

"Then, how about if I propose…say…a truce?" Veruca asked.

"A truce? What do you mean, a truce?" Kim questioned her rival's intentions, folding her arms in disgust.

"Basically as you know, Kim, I don't like you and vice versa." Veruca explained as the rain finally came to a stop. Tightlips then put away the umbrella.

Veruca continued, "So I propose a truce that we will be out of each other's hair. At least until school begins in mid-August!"

"Pretty much, what the basis of this 'truce' you're proposing is that I'll be out of your hair and you'll be out of mine for the next month and a half?" Kim clarified.

Veruca nodded her head while soft rumbles of thunder echoed in the distance as the storm exited.

"Then it's settled. Shall we shake hands?" the heiress asked, extending her hand forward.

Ron, meanwhile, was suspicious and whispered in Kim's ear. "KP…don't forget to ask if Veruca is plotting anything against you or any of us!"

"What are you trying to bring up this time, Kim?" Veruca said with exasperation, not seeing Kim's hand extend forward.

"Do you also promise to…." Kim proclaimed, making sure that the truce was for real "…not plot against me or my friends or to arrest me or my friends while this truce is in effect?"

Veruca grudgingly replied, "Sure, I won't plot anything against you or your friends! Now let's just shake our hands and get this overwith!"

The two of them shook hands with each other, signaling that the truce was now in effect.

One of the servants, Servant 309, came to the opening of the jet and proclaimed, "O Great Goddess! There's a break in the storm! Maybe we should leave now before another wave of rain comes in to the airport!"

"Good, Servant 309!" Veruca replied. "Tell them that me, my friends, and Tightlips are on our way up!"

"Anyways…" Veruca said, releasing her grip, "…I would love to stay and insult you two all day long, but I have my fashion empire to tend to! Come on, girl! We have an audience with the Queen!"

The heiress laughed evily, high and mighty as if the world revolved around her little finger.

Kim gave a low growl as the vile girls, and Tightlips, entered back into the private jet.

"Remember, Veruca! I'm keeping my eye on you!" she yelled out.

The jet pulled away from the heroes and flew off into the dark sky, now void of any storms…for now.

But the real life personal storms of Kim were on the horizon.