I don't own these characters. Disney does.
25: Where the Brave
"Do you want to talk about it?" Mrs. Possible inquired as she sat down on the loveseat. Her husband came and sat down next to her. He stared at Bonnie with a strange sort of concentration and concern.
Bonnie was on the couch with Kim, who cuddled Bonnie. Bonnie buried herself into Kim's embrace. Bonnie shook her head to answer the question.
"How long do you need to stay here?" Mrs. Possible asked, her head tilted a little and her eyes were wet. She probably knew exactly what happened, but Bonnie still did not want to talk about it, did not want to confirm her suspicions. She never wanted anyone to know how bad her home life was, even if they could guess.
"I dunno," Bonnie mumbled. It did not seem right to say "the rest of my life." She had no idea what she would do if they refused her, though.
"Do you want to tell us who did that to your face?" Mrs. Possible continued on.
Bonnie shook her head. Mrs. Possible had treated her face, which was bruised and throbbing still. Her lips was also split, but now closed with a butterfly bandage. Now, all of the Possibles, except the twins, waited for an explanation. Of course, they were not stupid. They knew Kim dropped her home before coming home herself, so there were not many things that could have happened between then and now. She knew they put things together.
"Do you need anything?" Mr. Possible chimed in. He looked hopeful, like they could fix this, fix her.
Bonnie just shook her head, but Kim spoke up. "I think we should just go to bed. I'll show Bonnie where the guest room is."
"Are you sure?" Mrs. Possible asked.
"Yeah, Mom. I think she's had a pretty rough night and it's probably not going to help if we interrogate her," Kim replied. Besides, Kim knew Bonnie was not going to answer any questions for the simple fact that Bonnie had not answered any of hers.
The doctors nodded and Kim helped Bonnie off of the couch. They ended up in Kim's room. Kim sat Bonnie down on the bed.
"I'll find you some pajamas," Kim said.
"I don't care, you know," Bonnie grumbled, her eyes on the floor. She rubbed her eye, like she was crying, even though she would never cry over this. Never.
Kim turned. "You don't want pajamas?" Her eyebrows came in close, putting a little wrinkle between her eyes.
"I don't care that he told me not to come back," Bonnie replied. Her voice sounded a little dead to her, which was weird. She did not care, so she should not feel upset over it, or at least sound like she was upset over it. She did not care. Who wanted to be in that stupid house anyway?
"Told you not to come back?" Kim asked in a low tone. Or maybe it was just in Bonnie's mind because she barely heard the question.
"That house has always been a terror for me. Everyone putting me down or treating me like I was different. Why the hell would I want to go back to that?" Bonnie huffed and then she stood up. "He didn't even think I'd graduate high school and, yet, here I am about to get the hell out of there! I'm applying to college and there's no way in hell I'd stay in that house like stupid Connie did! I'm out now. I'm free! So, I don't care!"
Feeling her lungs burning, Bonnie stopped ranting and gasped, taking in large gulps of air. She collapsed to the floor and started crying again. Never was shorter than she imagined it.
Kim just wrapped her into a hug. She was not even sure what she was crying over. She did not care and she was not going back. This worked out for her. There was no way she could get stuck in that house like the rest of her family.
"They're all trapped in that house!" Bonnie wailed.
"But, you're not. You're okay," Kim said, rubbing her back.
"I am!" But, for some reason, she kept crying.
Kim held her while she cried herself out and then supplied her with pajamas. Kim stayed with her in the guest room, lying next to her. She put her hand on Kim's hip and threw a leg over her calf.
"You want to talk about it now?" Kim asked.
"Nothing to talk about really. Stupid sister showed my dad a picture of us kissing on her phone and he flew into a rage."
Kim's forehead furrowed, moving her hair line forward a little. "How did she get a picture of us kissing?"
"She still knows fellow idiots in our school and I'm sure one of them shared the picture with her. My father's reaction was almost predictable."
"Almost?"
"I didn't think he'd…" Bonnie trailed off, not wanting to say it.
Bonnie rubbed her jaw. She had not expected violence. Screaming was always her father's thing, but he never raised a hand to any of them. He never even threw things. He just screamed, screamed until he was red in the face sometimes. She felt like this went deeper than just his reputation, like he honestly and truly hated gay people. But, whatever. That was his problem.
"You don't need to avenge me or anything," Bonnie said.
"What makes you think I was planning on it?" Kim asked. She had the nerve to try to look innocent, but her expression was too twisted for that. She could see the shadow in Kim's eyes. Dark thoughts swirled through that mind at the moment.
Reaching up, Bonnie caressed Kim's cheek, hoping to fix her face. "Because you're a hero and right now you're thinking about how to make this right and punish him. He's not worth it. He's punished himself enough. He hates his life so much it doesn't even matter."
Bonnie knew what it was like. That sick feeling crawling through her father right now. She remembered it all too well. Nothing Kim could do would be worse than that, especially if Bonnie succeeded in life. Her father would not know what to do with himself if anyone in that house actually made it.
"Because he hates himself doesn't give him a right to hit you," Kim hissed.
"No, it doesn't, but he'll never get the chance to do it again. I don't have to go back there. I won't go back there."
Kim frowned. "He shouldn't get away with this, though."
"So, what, you're going to have him arrested?" Bonnie doubted that was going to happen. While Kim had a huge need for righteousness and justice, there was no way she would go after Bonnie's father without Bonnie wanting it. She would feel guilty, even if she thought it was the right thing to do.
Kim sighed. "You're okay with him just getting away with this? You're usually all fury and everything over wrong stuff done to you. I mean, just in the hallway alone, you're biting people's heads off for looking at us funny."
"I'm just… I'm so tired of them." Bonnie sighed. Moving forward and never looking back sounded like the best medicine for her.
"Okay." Kim leaned in and kissed her. Bonnie fell asleep in Kim's arms.
-8-8-8-8-
Bonnie went to school the next day with her head held high. She would not let these people break her. She had a year to go before she would go to college and she would never see them again, unless it was outside where they would not matter. And, she would go to college. She would become something.
"Damn, Bonnie, looks like someone tried to set you straight," a boy remarked as she entered her class.
"Why don't you come over here so I can do the same?" Bonnie huffed, but he did not move. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She flopped down into her seat.
This sort of stupidity haunted her for the day. People snickered, pointed, and had smart-ass comments about how her face got bruised or how her lip got split. She bit back whenever they tried to come at her, but still, it was irksome and tiring.
No one dared to say anything while she was with Kim, though. All of the idiots seemed scared of Kim, which proved they were not completely stupid. But, then again, they seemed to come at her, knowing she always had a comeback, so they were definitely less than intelligent.
"How's the day going?" Kim asked, picking Bonnie up after class.
Bonnie sighed. "It sucks. Why are there people in each class who thinks it's funny or good for me that I got hit?"
Sighing, Kim shook her head. Bonnie knew some people wished bad on her just because of her attitude or the way she treated them in the past. They probably thought she had finally pushed the wrong person or pushed the wrong buttons, which she supposed was definitely true. It just hurt to know people thought she deserved this.
"If… if we weren't dating… do you think, you'd think I deserved this?" Bonnie asked. She had been such a horrible, miserable human being until recently maybe she did deserve it.
Kim stared at her for a long moment. "No, and you better not think you deserved it either. You never hit anyone, hurt anyone like that."
Bonnie took a breath. "No… I think I hurt people worse." Thinking about her scars, her bruises, the ones inside, they were a million times worse than the ones on her face. Her face would heal soon, the other parts of her… she was not so sure about.
"Bonnie…" Kim looked like she did not know what to say.
Bonnie shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm fine. I just… I'm happy I changed, that I'm still changing." She felt better on the inside now to a degree, but still bothered by things done to her in the past, things she had done in the past.
Kim nodded. "You want to go get anything from your house after cheer practice?"
Bonnie tensed. Her father would just be getting home after cheer practice. She did not want to risk his fury again. So, she shook her head.
"You sure? I mean, I'll be there," Kim pointed out.
"You just want an excuse to go there and confront whoever's there," Bonnie realized.
"Well…" Kim rolled her eyes. "Okay, yes, that had maybe crossed my mind, maybe!" She threw her hands up. "Don't you want to?"
"I said everything I needed to say last night. I don't want to bother with them." She was out. She was free and that was the only thing that mattered. "How long do you think your parents will let me stay with you?"
"As long as necessary, but you don't think your parents will ask you back?"
Bonnie sighed. "Even if they did, I don't think I would go back. I'd rather move into our cabin and live by myself before going back into that house." She might be able to do that if the Possibles ever wanted her gone.
Kim sighed. "I know there's a lot of yelling, but was it… I mean, he never…"
Bonnie shook her head. "Up until yesterday he had always been all bark and no bite. Well, no physical bite. Look, let's just go to practice and stop by the GSA and go home. I don't want to think about this anymore."
Kim nodded and did just that. The subject was dropped thankfully. Bonnie hoped she did not have to think about it for a while. Of course, it became a little obvious that they would have to think about it because she did not have any clothes at the Possible house. She borrowed some from Kim for today, but she could not do that indefinitely.
"You okay?" Kim asked, as they strolled home. They held hands.
"Yeah. I think I just need some time to get my head together." There were so many things to think about that she did not want to think about, but needed to.
"You want to go to your spot?"
Bonnie nodded. "Do you mind if I go alone first?"
Kim frowned a little. "I don't like the idea of you being out there by yourself. I mean, what if some idiot finds you out there?"
Bonnie wanted to argue, but Kim was right. Her father and their school proved there were plenty of morons around the town. She did not want to chance someone finding her alone on a hidden cliff in the middle of the woods. Better safe than sorry.
They went to the spot and Kim sat back by the rocks, giving Bonnie the illusion she was alone. Bonnie sat on the edge, staring down at Middleton. It looked like the same old town. Larger than most people would think, but small as she tended to think of it. Coming out had the result she had always assumed it would, but she refused to accept it. She would fight against the idiotic assholes at school, she would not let her father beat her down, and she would become something in life.
"Yeah," she muttered to herself and then she climbed to her feet. No one and nothing would stop her. This was not even a setback. This was a step forward. "This is my life and I'm going to make something of it," she stated, holding her chin up high.
"Ready to go already?" Kim asked, as Bonnie turned to her.
"I am. I'm not going to let this break me because this isn't the end. This is the beginning. This is the beginning of me making my life the way I want it. So, I want to go home, get my stuff, and then fill out college applications with you. I want to go to school and build up the GSA to be something more than a 'we have one of those' clubs and then I want to graduate and go to college with you and be happy," Bonnie declared.
Kim smiled. "Sounds reasonable." She took Bonnie's hand and then leaned over, kissing her gently on the lips.
"I thought so, too." Apparently, it was not as much to think about as she assumed.
"Okay, so, let's go home and put our stuff down and then we'll go to your house for your stuff. We can take the car. Everything should fit."
Bonnie nodded and they were off. They did not get to go through with that plan, though. When they got to the Possible household, there was a surprise waiting for them.
"Sonni?" Bonnie gasped, seeing her aunt in the Possible living room.
Sonni smiled until she really saw Bonnie. "Oh, my god! That pig actually hit you? Lonnie said he had, but I thought she was exaggerating." She rushed over to see Bonnie's face. She put her hand to Bonnie's chin.
"It's okay." Bonnie pulled her face away. "What are you doing here?"
Sonni scoffed. "What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? He threw you out and your mother had no idea where you were. Connie figured I'd find you here."
"Connie?" Bonnie echoed, scrunching up her face a little. She would have thought Lonnie would be the one since she was the one with the pictures, but then again, she did not expect Lonnie to know Kim's name or help find her. Not that she expected Connie to help find her either.
"Yes, Connie. Lonnie called her last night in a panic and told her what happened. She called me and told me I'd probably find you here. I came earlier, but you had already left for school. I was going to get you from school, but no one knew when cheer practice was over. I can't believe you went to school with your face like that."
Bonnie shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Bullshit!" Sonni declared, causing everyone else to flinch.
"Your aunt was telling us you might be all right with staying with her," Mrs. Possible chimed in, probably to keep Sonni from having any more outbursts.
Bonnie blinked. "You want me to stay with you?" It had not occurred to her. Yeah, Sonni was cool and helped her out with plenty of things, but this seemed like too much. She had already used her aunt for so much. It would be too much to burden Sonni with this mess, with her.
"Of course you're welcome to stay with me, Bonnie. I'm more than a person you can borrow a car from, you know?" Sonni replied with a smile.
Bonnie winced and then looked at Kim, who laughed. "Sonni, that's supposed to be a secret."
"I think you're past the 'I need to look cool' phase with your girlfriend," Sonni argued and then she turned her attention to Kim. "Right?"
"She's already cool to me," Kim replied.
"I'm Bonnie's aunt, Sonni." Sonni put out a hand and Kim wasted no time to shake it. They smiled at each other. Sonni then turned her attention back to the doctors Possible. "I'm eternally grateful to you for taking Bonnie in and for treating her injuries as well as treating her right."
"Well, unless Bonnie consents to go with you, I think we'll be keeping her for a little longer," Mr. Possible stated, folding his arms across his chest.
Sonni smiled and Bonnie was a little stunned. Mr. Possible was trying to protect her. And just like that, he went from "Kim's good guy dad" to "awesome guy" in Bonnie's mind.
"It's okay. My Aunt Sonni…" Bonnie trailed off, not sure she should say anything.
"I'm Bonnie's big gay aunt," Sonni declared quite easily.
This struck Bonnie as a little funny because Sonni never said this around their family. Yes, everyone knew, but it was not something they ever said. Did Sonni say it so easily in front of other people? Would she be able to say it so easily to people eventually?
Sonni turned to Bonnie. "I've told you time and time again, my home's open to you. I know you weren't ready to admit it, not even to me, but it's out there now. You can stay at my house. Your stuff's already there."
"My stuff?" Bonnie asked.
"I went to strip your room after I found out you went to school. It was big fight, you know."
Bonnie scoffed. She could imagine. "You didn't hit him, did you?"
"Nah, but had I known he hit you and left your face like that, I definitely would've decked him at least once. Your dad's a punk. I used to shut him up all the time when we were younger," Sonni declared with pride.
Bonnie could believe that. "I'm surprised he didn't throw everything out."
"He was on his way. Look, if you want to go back home, maybe we can talk to him in a week or something—" Sonni said.
"No!" Bonnie cut her off. "No, I don't want to go back. I'll stay with you."
Sonni smiled. "Okay."
"Uh… I usually do my homework here, though," Bonnie informed her aunt. She did not want to burden the Possibles with her since Sonni had always made it clear she was there for any of her nieces and nephew, but she also did not want her entire flow disrupted by this.
"All right. Do you want me to come back for you? You can call me," Sonni said.
Bonnie nodded. Sonni hugged her and bid the Possibles farewell before leaving. Bonnie fell on the couch as soon as the door closed. She felt the Possibles' eyes on her, but she did not look up at any of them. Kim sat next to her and took her hand. They were all quiet for a while.
"Are you safe to go with her?" Mr. Possible finally asked.
Bonnie nodded. "Yeah, my aunt's all right. She's always offering me and my sisters her place if our father gets to be too much."
"You just never took her up on the offer?" Kim guessed.
Bonnie shrugged. "I never really thought it made any sense to. I didn't want to get on her nerves and ruin stuff. I mean, she's always been nice to me, so I never wanted to push and have her end up hating me, too. Plus, eventually, I'd have to go back home anyway, but now I guess not. Sonni's cool. I think… I think I'll be happy there." A smile tugged at her lip. She just needed to make sure she did not get on Sonni's nerves.
"Well, if things don't work out, you're still welcomed here," Mrs. Possible said with a firm nod. "But, we hope it does work for you, though."
And the smile came from both doctors. Bonnie knew she had come a long way with Possibles. She smiled back.
"Thank you," Bonnie said.
She and Kim then made their way to her room to work on their homework. Of course, it was hard for Bonnie to concentrate. This was all so much in such a short period of time. Yeah, it was still good, but so much.
"You sure you're okay with moving in with your aunt?" Kim asked.
"Yeah. Sonni's really great, but my family doesn't do well with great. I've gotten better with her, though. She helped me with…" Bonnie trailed off. Oh, so much.
"With wooing me?" Kim grinned.
Bonnie groaned. "Yes, with wooing you. She's never come right out and said she was gay and no one else in my family did, but I think she suspected me. So, when she first heard about how I was friends with you and then I started asking her for stuff, she helped. I think… this might actually be best for me." Maybe she needed to be around someone beyond the Possibles and Ron who made her feel normal.
Kim nodded. "Does she live close by?"
"She lives in Middleton, but way across town."
"No more walking to school together?" Kim guessed with a frown.
Bonnie sighed. "Probably not, but you'd be able to come over after school. We could spend time together there, even do homework over there sometimes."
Kim smiled a little. "I like being over here, but we probably do need to change it up every now and then. Besides, I want you to be some place you can grow and be okay. I'll miss sneaking into your room, though."
Bonnie laughed. "Who says that has to stop?"
Kim chuckled, too, and somehow this made things all right. They were able to work then. At the end of the night, Bonnie called Sonni, who had no problem coming to get her. By the time Bonnie got to the door, she could see her aunt being grilled by the Possibles. Okay, so adorable and considerate were inherited.
"They seem nice," Sonni said as she and Bonnie got into her car, one of three.
"They're great," Bonnie replied.
"I'm happy you could go to them, but I'm more happy you're coming with me."
Bonnie nodded. "Thanks for coming to get me."
"Of course. I don't understand how you girls survived in that house as long as you have. It's sad that Staci let this happen. She almost let that idiot ruin three bright girls."
Bonnie scoffed. "Lonnie's bright?"
"Not in books, but she's talented in other ways. Speaking of your sister, she's at the house, just so you know."
Bonnie groaned. "I don't want to see her." She wanted to forget that idiot existed for a while. Yes, this was probably the best thing for her, but Lonnie did not know that and Lonnie's actions led to their father slapping her twice.
"She wants to apologize. She feels responsible for what happened."
"She is! She showed him the stupid picture of me kissing Kim! Who does that? Who outs their little sister to their father as a joke?" Bonnie threw her hands up.
"I don't think she expected what happened to happen."
Bonnie scowled. "Definitely talented in not considering the consequences and doing stupid things. I'm supposed to forgive her because she's stupid?"
Sonni shook her head. "Now, I don't care if you don't accept her apology, but she wants you to know she didn't mean for this to happen."
Bonnie scoffed. Part of her could believe that, remembering the look on Lonnie's face as their father threw her out. But, a larger part of her would never forget how vicious and vindictive her sisters could be toward her. They were cruel as a rule, so why should she believe Lonnie had not done this on purpose like everything else?
Arriving at Sonni's house, Bonnie took a breath and shouldered her book bag. For a moment, she looked at Sonni's house, feeling a little overwhelmed by this move. It was a ranch-style house with white bricks, a two-car garage attached, and a driveway. Sonni's house was very nice, complete with a pool in the back. She used to have cookouts years ago, but stopped for some reason. Since then, their family had not been over much.
"Sonni, whatever happened to your cookouts?" Bonnie asked as they entered the house.
Sonni shrugged. "I got a girlfriend and suddenly no one wanted to come around."
Bonnie blinked. "Is she still around?" It was one thing to be able to live somewhere with someone who treated her normal, but if she could see a normal relationship, a normal same-sex relationship, it would be the icing on the cake.
"No. I've been single for about two years now."
Well, that was disappointing. "What happened?"
Sonni shook her head. "Adult problems. Nothing to worry about. I want you to get comfortable here."
Bonnie nodded and noticed her sisters in the living room. She took a breath and Sonni patted her on the shoulder. Sighing, Bonnie marched into the sunken living room and settled on the end of the sofa opposite her sisters. Lonnie and Connie were sort of huddled together, like a team, like always. They gasped when they saw her, but did not say anything. She did not say anything. So, they just sat there for a long while.
"So?" Bonnie pressed. She had things to do, like moving in and finding out what room Sonni wanted her to have. She would need to find out Sonni's rules and expectations, too. No need to get kicked out of yet another house.
Lonnie opened her mouth, but closed it. Connie shoved her with her shoulder. Lonnie glared at Connie and then turned her attention back to Bonnie.
"I'm sorry," Lonnie said.
"Sorry for what?" Bonnie demanded. "For all the terror and damage you've caused me over the years? Getting me thrown out of the house? Making light of my relationship? What happened to my face? What exactly are you sorry for?"
Lonnie flinched. "I didn't think…"
Of course she did not think. She never did. "You didn't think what? Dad wouldn't get your little joke? That he'd slap the shit out of me? What?" Bonnie's voice raised. How dare her sister sit there and act all shy now? She would bet Lonnie was not shy when she was showing that picture around.
"Lonnie," Connie said, in a sort of scolding manner.
Lonnie sighed. "I didn't think point blank. I don't know what I was doing, but I didn't mean for you to get kicked out. I definitely didn't mean for him to hit you. I don't know what I was doing."
Bonnie shook her head. "That's your defense? You didn't know what you were doing? You didn't think? I'm supposed to believe that? For my entire life, your mission have been to make me miserable, to torment me, and make sure I knew I was worthless! Now, I'm supposed to believe you didn't know what you were doing?" Her voice boomed as she rose to her feet. Her heart pounded in her chest as she glared at some of the evilest people she ever met as far as she was concerned. "Really?"
Her sisters flinched. Sonni came in, saving the day. She put an arm around Bonnie, which helped calm her down.
"Come on, I'll show you to your room," Sonni said. Bonnie nodded.
-8-8-8-8-
Bonnie's room in Sonni's house was bigger than the one at her father's house. It was comfortable and felt welcoming. It did not seem like a hiding space, like her old room. She felt… safe here, even when Sonni walked away, wanting her to get familiar with the space. Sitting on the floor, she stared at the ceiling for a while until a knock at the open door caught her attention. Connie stood in the doorway.
"She didn't mean for it to go this far, you know," Connie said.
Bonnie scoffed. "Even if she didn't, it did."
"This is true. She called me in tears after he threw you out, you know? She didn't know he'd react like that and she was so scared."
"Why, because he's such a reasonable guy?" Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"No, because she doesn't think, like she said. You know Lonnie couldn't fathom the consequences of something this big."
Lonnie's pouting face appeared. "I really didn't."
Bonnie sighed. "You might as well come in."
Her older sisters entered the room and did something odd, they cuddled her. She was not sure when they last touched her, let alone embraced her. It felt weird, but a good weird. Maybe I'm not the only one changing.
"A few years ago, Dad found me in bed with a guy," Lonnie said. "He flipped, you know? But, nothing like what he did to you. I guess, in my head, if he didn't hit me when I was in bed with a guy, why would he do that to you over a picture? Just a picture of you kissing a girl."
Bonnie sighed and shook her head. "I think he just needed the excuse."
"No, it was more than that. He could've used finding Lonnie in bed as an excuse and he didn't. This was more than that to him," Connie argued.
"No, because to him, Lonnie was just doing what he believes she does. I'm sure if he caught me in bed with a boy, too, he wouldn't have hit me. But, I'm not excusing what he did. He's a jerk full of anger over made up grievances and blames us for everything wrong in his life. I know that and I know we learned it from him. Misery loves company, so I guess in that way, we love each other," Bonnie remarked.
Her sisters did not argue it. Lonnie probably did not get it. Connie just sort of gave her a look, but they all remained huddled together. This was the first time Bonnie actually felt like she was a part of this team.
-8-8-8-8-
Bonus Kim: Dare to Tread
Watching Bonnie leave with her aunt was hard, but Kim knew it was the right thing to do. As soon as she shut the door, she turned to her parents. They all just quietly stared at each other.
"Kim, don't do it," her mother eventually said.
"Mom, you saw her face!" Kim growled.
"Yes, I saw her face, which is why I know what you think you're going to do, but you better not," her mother warned her.
"Bonnie wouldn't like it," her father chimed in.
Kim ground her teeth together. How did her father know Bonnie would not like it? Maybe it was just that obvious. Still, Kim wanted to go over to Bonnie's house and just beat the crap out of the man while screaming at him over what he did to Bonnie, not just last night, but in general.
"I'm supposed to protect her, okay? I'm supposed to protect her and this happened and it happened because of me," Kim told them.
"This didn't happen because of you," her father stated.
"This happened because Bonnie's father is not a good man. He did the wrong thing, not you and not Bonnie," her mother pointed out.
"I don't want him to get away with doing the wrong thing to her, though. Bonnie's going through so much and she shouldn't have to worry about getting crap from him, too," Kim huffed.
"Kimmie, don't do anything rash. Bonnie didn't seem like she wanted her aunt to do anything, so I doubt she wants you to either," her father argued.
He was right, of course, but Kim was still burnt up. She just wanted to go to Bonnie's house and bash his face in, but Bonnie would not appreciate that. This was the same person who did not want her to beat the crap out of Lance, after all.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Kim asked her parents to change the subject.
"Her aunt seemed level-headed. We talked to her about Bonnie's situation and she seemed prepared to take on Bonnie and help with situation in whatever ways Bonnie might need," her mother answered.
"And we made it clear that if you suspected anything was up, Bonnie would be right back here," her father added, pointing down to the floor.
Kim smiled. "Thank you both for that. I can't believe you're going to bat for her so hard."
"Kim, Bonnie's a sweet girl and we can see that. I know we gave you a hard time about her, but we were worried about you and your behavior," her mother explained.
"I know," Kim replied.
"But, you bring out the best in Bonnie instead of her bringing out the worst in you," her father said.
Kim smiled. "No, I don't. Bonnie's actually just like that. Underneath the Bonnie we all thought we knew, there was this Bonnie aching to get out. She just needed someone to root for her and let her know it was okay to be herself."
"Well, we're proud of you for sticking to your guns and rooting for her," her father declared.
Kim reeled back a little, quite shocked by this. After all, they thought her behavior was horrible and they had been so frightened that she was having sex that they acted way out of character, but now they saw the awesomeness that was Bonnie. They were so comfortable with her and comfortable with the relationship now.
"Thank you for supporting us," Kim said.
"We're actually sorry for standing in your way before. Sometimes, I think about the damage we must've done Bonnie." Her mother shook her head.
"It's in the past. Bonnie's happy you're okay with her now," Kim replied.
Her parents only nodded. Kim retreated to her bedroom. Grabbing her Kimmunicator, she wondered when the appropriate time to call Bonnie would be. She wanted to give Bonnie space, but she also wanted to make sure Bonnie was okay. She also wanted permission to go punch Bonnie's father in the face, but doubted that would come.
"She'll call me if she needs me. I should let her get settled in." Sighing, Kim put down the Kimmunicator. "Bonnie's a big girl and can take care of herself."
So, Kim worked hard to keep herself busy, even though her stomach flipped and flopped as time passed by. It was not until after dinner, her Kimmunicator went off and she was able to relax some. Finally, Bonnie called and maybe all of the time in between was a good thing.
"Hey, sweetheart," Kim could not help grinning.
"Hey." Bonnie seemed a little out of sorts.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. This is just… well, a little overwhelming. I mean, Sonni's house is awesome and she gave me this great room and my sisters were here and they weren't assholes. It's all a lot to take in," Bonnie explained, sighing a bit at the end.
"You want me to come over?" Kim would not mind sneaking out for a little late night snuggling.
Bonnie laughed. "It's okay. It's not bad, Kim. You don't have to worry about me here. I don't want you to get in trouble either and I don't want to get in trouble. Sonni's cool, but I don't think she'll be okay with finding us in bed together, even if we're fully clothed, which I can't guarantee anyway."
Kim laughed. "You sound okay, but that was a really long sentence."
"Like I said, it's a lot to take in. But, I think it'll work out and I think I'll like it here. I might need this."
A smile found its way to Kim's face. Bonnie found some place she felt like she belonged. This was good.
"Okay, baby. I'm happy for you. So… what are we going to do about school tomorrow?" Kim asked. She would miss walking with Bonnie. It was good exercise, but it was also soothing for both of them.
"We can work it tomorrow. I think Sonni wants to drive me. We'll see each other in school and we can work out some details. Sonni's not going to try to keep us apart or anything, okay?"
Even though that had not been a worry, Kim felt relief flood her. "Yeah, okay."
"I gotta go. Food just arrived. I'll call you before I go to sleep, okay?"
"Please and thank you."
"Love you."
"I love you, too." Kim disconnected the call. Sighing, she let the Kimmunicator drop from her hand and she smiled. This might all work out in the end. She still wanted to do something about Bonnie's father, though. She just needed to figure out what. In the meantime, she would enjoy things. She and Bonnie were out, Bonnie was in a safe place, and her parents were fine with her relationship. Life was actually good.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Bonnie has another heart-to-heart with her sisters and Kim meets Bonnie's mother.