Chapter 26: Back in Middleton

Kim and Ron had finally arrived back near Middleton after the bizarre ending to the latest mission. Ron had been unusually quiet on the plane during return trip. Instead of his usual post mission rambling, he hadn't uttered a word since they had left the temple. Concerned by Ron's silence, Kim requested that plane land in the outskirts of Middleton so they could step out instead of jumping out like they usually would. As the couple walked from the drop-off point, Ron broke his silence.

"KP, I'm really sorry I never told you about all of that before today. Sensei told me all that stuff was supposed to remain a secret."

"It's okay Ron, I'm actually impressed that you kept a secret. You don't have the greatest track record with doing that."

"That's a relief. You seemed pretty irritated when you showed up at the zoo. I figured it was probably something I did."

"No, no, it's just…it's just…I wasn't having the best of days." Ron looked at Kim inquisitively. Kim promptly and a little nervously added, "But, you know me, nothing quite gets me going and in a better mood than having a mission."

Ron just smiled and said, "At least the school won't be having any mystery meat gravy ghosts anytime soon."

Kim laughed. "Come on Ron; let's go get some Bueno Nacho. You're probably hungrier than I am right now."

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket, looked up at his owner, and made his please sound. Ron just exclaimed, "Double Naco Platter here I come."

Kim saw Ron off at his house as he went inside to rest up from the last mission to rescue Sensei from DNAmy turned Gorilla Fist. Kim beaming with happiness started to walk down the sidewalk to her house. Life seemed to be the same as it was before the Yori sitch. Ron had been cheerfully stuffing his face with nacos and Kim didn't have face the feelings that seeing Ron with Yori had stirred within her. As she walked, Kim saw Monique coming up the sidewalk. "Hi Monique," Kim said cheerfully.

Monique replied, "Well you seem back to normal. I take it everything turned out alright for you to stop jellin'?"

"Monique I was not…"

Monique sternly cut her off. "Girl I did not spend two hours …that's two hours washing that red gunk out of my hair for you to tell me you weren't jellin'. You owe me an explanation and details, now."

"Okay…okay just come on over to my house and we'll talk," Kim said defensively as she tried to quell her friend's wrath.

As they walked to the Possible Residence, Kim thought I really glad Sensei gave Ron and I permission to tell whom we deem trustworthy about all this. I can't imagine the bind Ron's been in since he got back from the exchange program with not being able to tell any of us what happened.

Monique sat in the chair by Kim's computer with one of her ankles resting on the other leg's knee. Across the room, Kim was sitting pretzel style on top of her bed. After Kim had finished explaining what actually happened to Sensei and Ron's connection with Yamanouchi, Monique voiced her opinion.

"The mission stuff is all well and good, but Kim, I've known you and Ron for a while now. If you're going to be jellin' that badly anytime Ron finds a potential girlfriend, then you and Ron should just get on with it and try the couple's package," Monique said, irritation from feeling the negative effects of Kim's jealousy of Yori evident in her tone.

"Monique, outside the fact that Ron and I are two people, we do not fit the definition of a couple," Kim replied defensively.

"Girl, that's a bunch of lies and you know it. There have been lots of times since I've known you and instances before I got here that you've told me about that would show otherwise." Monique retorted.

"It is not a bunch of lies," Kim snapped. Kim then challenged Monique. "You give me any situation and I can prove to you it was nothing more than friendship."

"Okay, how about the time he bought you that green leather jacket. He did that despite all the fighting about the Bueno Nacho job that you signed the two of you up for. Fighting that was bad enough for you to try talking to your mom about it before you left for that mission in Wisconsin."

"We had both said some harsh things to each other. When we were trapped by Drakken, after he forgave me he asked if I forgave him. The jacket was Ron being kind and trying to help finish smoothing things over," Kim said with the utmost confidence.

"It's not like Ron would have done that for anyone else though."

"Yes he would have. Like when Dad got injured and I was coaching the soccer team for a little while, he stuck up for the kids when I was going into control freak mode. Or when the cheer squad was trapped by Gill at Camp Wannaweep, Ron rescued everyone. I was there too, but it wasn't just me. Or the time he saved my dad from being kidnapped by those Bebe robots." Kim said sharply. Then after taking a small breath to try and settle herself, Kim added, "Ron's motives are pretty simple. You're reading way too much into the things he does."

Wow. Trying to prove Ron's motives isn't going to work very well with her. Okay, if Kim wants to play hardball, let's see how she handles it when I play it that way, too. "Okay, Kim, then how do you explain all the hugs you give the boy, like the one when he was in the Fearless Ferret costume?"

"We're comfortable with each other. Hugs don't mean we're couple material. I hug my mom and dad a lot. You and I even hug."

"Yeah but our hugs are quick things. When you hug Ron, the hug time lingers a little longer. Like when he got back from Japan, after he met Sensei and Yori."

"No they don't. It just seems that way because you're just watching and are not the one being hugged." Kim shifted backwards so her back rested against the headrest as Monique stared accusingly at her. After repositioning herself, Kim added, "Okay, the one when he got back from Japan might have been a little longer, but welcome back hugs usually are a little longer than celebratory ones."

And romance hugs are longer than both combined. "I suppose you would tell me you get more worried when Ron gets captured compared to when other people are in danger because of your deep friendship," Monique scoffed as she put 'deep friendship' in air quotes. She then gave a few examples. "Like when he got captured with the Oh Boyz or by Motor Ed that time when you two met Felix. Even Felix thought you seemed more concerned than someone usually would be, and he had just met you two."

"Of course I would be concerned if Ron was captured. I'm not cold hearted," Kim replied as she stared down Monique for using air quotes. Then Kim scoffed, "As for Felix's observations, he'd just met us. There aren't too many friendships like the one Ron and I have, so of course Felix could easily mistake it for something else. Once people know they don't think that. Like when Ron and I fell asleep at the museum. No one saw that as a type of couple activity."

There aren't that many friendships like that because most people call themselves boyfriend and girlfriend by that point. She is really being difficult with this. "There was your utter disorientation when Ron started to have other people to hang out with. Like when he played video games with Felix on your Ron Night."

"So what!? That's just because it was a major change. Plus, it's not my Ron Night, it's just Friday nights are just when Ron and I usually hangout. It's a description, not a title."

"I never said it was a title. The fact you're so defensive about it hints that you do consider it to be an official type of event."

"I'm not being defensive about it. I'm just clarifying," Kim responded as she leaned forward, slightly raised her voice, and accusingly gestured with her hand at Monique.

"You want to play it like that? Okay, then what about your fireworks comment a couple of months ago at Middleton Days. You didn't have the moodulator on you when you said it."

"What!? We've talked about this one before Monique." I hate having to keep thinking about that sitch. Ron is the only one who seems to not let it slip into conversation like Mom or even blatantly keep bringing it up like Monique. "I care about Ron a lot; to say everything was caused by that machine wouldn't be true. But we are not romantic."

"But Kim…"

"Look Monique," Kim interrupted. She then very adamantly continued, "I'm sorry you got a lot of that gunk on you because of me. But there is NOTHING going on between Ron and me. I was just concerned because Ron was acting all mysterious and nervous. Ron has been my friend since Pre-K. He is my best friend, nothing more, nothing less, just my best friend."

Then in a slightly tired, but irritated tone, Kim added, "It's getting late Monique. I've got a lot of work I have to catch up on tomorrow from chasing Ron around the world today. I'm sorry for what I did to you in chemistry class, but I need to get to that work and get some rest. I'll just see you tomorrow, Goodnight."

Monique exhaled a breath of frustration. She cordially replied, "Goodnight Kim, I'll see you in the morning." Monique then got up and headed down the stairs and out of the house.

It had been the most heated discussion Monique and Kim had ever had over the course of their friendship. While Monique had pried a little here and there into Kim and Ron's relationship, she had let the pair of friends be for the most part. Experiencing some negative effects from Kim's jellin had pushed Monique to the point of flat out confrontation. Monique had told Kim many of the observations she had heard from Felix, Kim, or Ron and observations Monique had seen herself. This had visibly flustered Kim, but Kim hung onto the notion that Ron was only the closest friend she had ever had. Romance was not part of that equation. Kim was able to give a plausible explanation to everything Monique threw at her. Kim even admitted to having major concern about Ron's mysterious behavior when Yori had been in the hallway with him, but that was as best friends. By the end of the whole discussion, the air in Kim's bedroom was very tense.

Kim was so adamant about what exactly her relationship with Ron was that it eventually caused Monique to yield. At the end of it, Kim felt Monique understood the relationship she had with Ron a lot better, even if Monique had been a bit forthcoming about how she thought Kim and Ron could be romantically inclined. Kim did apologize for what she put Monique through in chemistry class. Now after accepting the apology, Monique headed for her own house. As Monique walked home, she deeply reevaluated how she viewed Kim and Ron.

I have to say I'm flabbergasted. Kim seemed so sincere about her and Ron just being best friends. They care so much for each other, but are not romantically involved. It seems so hard to believe, but yet that's as far as those two ever seem to go. Maybe I've been wrong on this whole thing. I did keep one question to myself, but that's because asking it might just have pushed Kim too far and ruined our friendship. I might ask it someday, but right now it wouldn't be worth it.

I guess in the end I was wrong. Those two are just friends.

As Monique walked, she stretched her neck trying to undo a kink that had tightened from the stressful debate with Kim. I feel like I need some stress relief right now. Good thing Junior Prom is coming up in a month. That's probably just the thing to help me unwind and enjoy myself.

Kim came back into her room from taking a shower. Monique has always been a good friend to me. She was always blunt with her opinions when I told her about missions Ron and I had been on, but tonight she seemed a little aggressive. It's probably from having to spend so much time getting that gunk out of her hair. Ugh, I'm too tense from that conversation. Tomorrow will help me unwind a bit. Ron Nights have always been good for that. Feeling a little more at ease with her last thought, Kim settled down for the night. Yeah, everything will be just fine thought Kim before she fell asleep for the night.

Ron had just finished tucking Rufus in for the night. As he was in his bed getting ready to sleep his own thoughts were of a reflective nature. It's strange. Even after Kim told me that Yori liked me-liked me, I don't really feel sad. It was pretty much the same with Zita. I was disappointed that I had missed a nice opportunity, but in the end it doesn't feel like a big loss. Heck, even the surprise of finding out Tara had a thing for me and had passed without me knowing hardly lasted long. Kim acting weird because of that moodulator thing was a way more pressing issue at that particular time. I probably felt more down after that sitch than actually missing out on the Zita, Tara, or Yori. I made my decision though; wrecking our friendship isn't worth trying to cross that line. It seems to be uncomfortable enough for Kim that the moodulator is an off limits topic pretty much now.

At least Kim seemed happier when we got back to Middleton today. I don't know what was eating at her so much, but apparently the mission helped her through it. Sensei is rescued safe and sound so the mission was a success. KP is definitely more like herself again, so there's nothing really left to worry about. Only thing left for this week is for Kim and I to have a bon-diggity night of fun tomorrow. With those thoughts, Ron Stoppable drifted into his own peaceful slumber.