A/N: I claim no rights to "The Hell Song" by Sum 41, as quoted at the end of this chapter.
Months passed by swiftly for Kim. Her day became routine for the first time since sixth grade: work, lunch with Logan, more work, chill with Logan, home, dinner, bed. Once in awhile she'd run into Asha but they didn't speak and Kim knew why.
One night she had gotten off a bit early, went shopping and managed to pick up some popcorn, Oreos and chocolate-covered peanuts at a market and saw Asha's car in the parking lot. However, Kim pretended not to see it and went up to Logan's anyway, intending to have their now ritual bad-movie night; watch a really shoddy horror flick from the fifties called Psycho.
She was quiet and didn't open the door right away. Kim took off her sneakers and knelt by the door and cracked it open just enough so she could get an eye-line view. Unfortunately it wasn't much, but she could hear every word being said.
"Why do you bother with her Logan?" Asha said nastily.
"She's funny," Logan said matter-of-factly. "I like her."
"You probably just like her because she looks like what's-her-name."
Logan got very quiet.
"I knew it."
"Stop it. You don't know anything, Asha."
"She's distracting you too. You've barely been doing any of the S1W work I asked you to do," Asha complained.
Kim decided this moment was the right one to step into the conversation, "Hey Asha, would you like some baguettes to go with that whine?" she said, stepping inside. She took off her fringed 70's jacket and dropped it on a nearby kitchen chair
"What are you doing here?" Asha came out of the office, hands on her hips.
"I live here."
Logan wheeled out of the office and parked his chair behind Asha to watch the show.
"Not in this apartment you don't."
"Oh, boo-hoo. Someone call the whaaa-ambulance."
Stifling a laugh, Logan remained silent. He and Kim made eye contact briefly.
"That's real mature." Asha rolled her eyes.
"I just came by to say hello. So, hello, Logan. Good-bye Asha." Kim flashed an insane-like smile, all her teeth showing, her mouth stretched too wide and her eyebrows raised like Jack Nicholson.
"Logan!" Asha whined. "Are you going to let her talk to me like this?"
And Logan, who had been sitting in his wheelchair with a hand over his mouth to conceal a smile in complete silence, spoke, "Didn't I tell you she was funny?"
"Ugh," scoffed Asha. She grabbed her jacket off a nearby table and stomped out of the apartment, punctuating her exit with a sharp slam of the door.
"Hm. Think I hit a nerve there?" Kim winked.
"Yeah. You bruised her ego pretty bad. You might see her at Harbor Lights tomorrow."
"Getting a whine-ectamy," laughed Kim as she went into the kitchen to put the junk food away.
"Or plastic surgery: an artificial personality replacement," Logan grinned, following her.
"Nah, no-can-do. Doctor Jackson already did an artificial personality replacement today and wouldn't ya know it? He ran out!"
"You can't get a transplant?"
"Oh, sure we could," Kim tossed the chocolate-covered peanuts into the refrigerator. "But, you know, finding a donor with the same self-esteem type would take months. Perhaps years."
"My God, Doctor," Logan said, in mock horror. "Does this mean what I think it means?"
"Yes, Nurse. Asha Barlow will die within a matter of days from: Egomania!" Kim lowered her voice for dramatic effect.
"Oh, whatever shall we do!" Logan raised his voice and flailed his arms like a drowning victim.
"Dunno. Get her a nice casket?"
There was a beat of silence. Then the two friends collapsed in laughter. Kim began laughing so hard she collapsed on the floor, her stomach throbbing. Logan was leaning on the kitchen table.
"Why…why are we…laughing…so hard?" he asked, tears running down his face.
"I know…it wasn't even that funny!" shrieked Kim between giggles.
The laughter died down minutes later, leaving both friends heaving for air.
"Kim?" Logan said, gasping.
"Yeah?" Kim pulled herself off the floor using a nearby chair.
"Can I…can I ask you something?"
"I dunno. Depends."
"On what?"
"On whether or not I want to answer it," Kim laughed.
"Can I kiss you?"
Kim stopped laughing, like someone stepping on a garden hose and all the water had suddenly ceased its flow. "What?"
"Could I…I mean, forget it. Never mind."
"No. Logan…what?" Kim got up and knelt so she could see eye-to-eye with him.
"I just wanted to know if I could kiss you."
"Why?"
"Never mind. You don't have to."
"No!" she said, a little too quickly. "I…I want to. Kind of."
"Kind of?"
"Well, hell, Logan. You asked me a question and I gave you an answer."
Logan blinked. "You said you wanted to."
"I do."
"Then do it."
"No, you go first."
"No, you."
"No, you suggested it. You go."
"You accepted. You go."
"What are we, five?"
"Go!"
"No, you go!"
"No, you—"
All of a sudden, Kim leaned in and planted a kiss on Logan's pink lips. Her hands went to his neck and pulled him closer to her. His arms found her waist and before they knew it, they were lip locked.
Oh God, thought Logan. I'm kissing my neighbor.
Kim was empty of thoughts, except, for some reason, an old punk rock song was floating through her head, but only the chorus. It didn't seem to fit what she was feeling…but it was stuck to in her memory…
"Part of me won't agree
Cus I don't know if it's for sure
Suddenly, suddenly
I don't feel so insecure
Everybody's got their problems
Everybody's says the same things to you
It's just a matter how you solve them
What else are we supposed to do?"