Chapter 6 - They Should Be Dancing
(...Middleton High...that night...)
The gymnasium is filled with life: the students are dancing, the music is lively, the decorations are...festive.
Grasping her cup full of punch with her dainty fingers, Tara stands against the bleachers, a sad expression upon her face. She takes a sip and sighs.
"Hey, Tara. Having a good time?", Bonnie said as she walked up behind her.
Tara tries to put on a happy face, but it's not easy.
"Yes. I am."
"See? All you need is to be amongst friends."
"Sure. Friends."
Bonnie walks off.
Tara breathes a heavy sigh. She gulps down the last of her punch and lets her arm fall to her side.
(...outside the gym...)
Ron walks to the entrance in between Kim and Zita.
"It's kind of weird being here; I've never been much for these dances", remarked the Hispanic girl.
"Don't worry, Z. This'll be great."
Zita walks along the path to the entrance. She doesn't notice that her dress gets caught on a stray bush, putting a halt to her walk. Kim notices and tries to untangle the garment.
"Aw, man. See, this is why I don't like wearing dresses."
"But you look so nice."
Kim succeeds; the dress is free.
(...the gym...)
Tara's eyes look toward the door. What she sees causes her to lose her grip on her cup: Ron. He walks in and heads for the refreshment table. Tara nearly takes a step but stops suddenly.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Tara looked around the room; it sounded like Bonnie's voice, but she's across the room chatting up her fellow cheerleaders.
"Seriously..."
Tara looks at her left shoulder. On it is Bonnie (or a reasonable facsimile). She's wearing a red blouse and matching skirt, but the main things that stand out about her are the horns on her head and the pointy tail from her rear.
"...you're making a mistake."
"But...I'm in love with him."
"He's going to ruin your life."
"It's not like he could do any worse than you."
A puff of smoke appears above Tara's right shoulder, the source of the response. An angel, bearing a strong resemblance to Kim, floats down. Her fluttering wings allow her a safe landing and her halo gives her an appropriately heavenly glow. Her voice carries an certain inflection, almost like she is singing.
"If you truly love him, you should tell him."
The devil puts her hands on her hips.
"Stay out of this. I was here first and I'm giving her sound advice."
The angel glares at the devil. Her voice loses its inflection.
"Sounds like a lot of noise to me. Don't let her get to you. Between the two of us, it's been a while for her - a long while, if you know what I mean."
"You want a piece of me!"
"You're a little small to be offering pieces."
The devil jumps to Tara's right shoulder at the angel and, after a few socks and grunts, the two of them disappear in a puff of smoke.
Tara looks to Ron, takes a breath, and walks to him.
Ron sips a cup full of punch as Tara taps him on the shoulder. He turns around.
"Oh, hey, Tara."
"Hi, Ron."
"How are you?"
"Fine", she said, looking at the floor.
Taking another sip of punch, Ron takes note of her shyness.
"Is something on your mind?"
Tara brightens up; just the 'in' she was looking for.
"Yes, there is. Ron...I love you."
Ron chokes a little on his punch.
"What?"
"Ever since that first time at Camp Wannaweep. That kiss I gave you...I meant it. You really seem like someone who knows how to treat a girl."
"But...aren't you with Brick? You know: big guy, kind of a jock?"
"He was before, in my past. You...are my future."
Tara wraps her arms around Ron's neck. One would think that he'd be happy about a girl throwing herself at him, but a cruel double standard reared its head: he was already with someone. Ron took Tara's arms off of him.
"Tara...I, honestly, don't know what to say."
"Ron..."
"The thing of it is I'm already with someone."
He extends his hand and Tara looks over to Zita...who is talking with Kim.
"I see. I'm sorry", Tara said as she wiped a tear away.
"Don't be."
Ron takes a napkin from the refreshment table and hands it to Tara.
"I know you'll find the right guy."
He kisses her on the cheek and walks away. Tara rubs the spot where she was kissed. Bonnie, having seen the whole thing, approaches her.
"I hate to say 'I told you so', but...wait, no I don't. I told you so! That freak is nothing but trouble. The way he just dumped you like that...that'd wreck anyone."
As Bonnie keeps talking, Tara balls her hand into a fist.
"I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to me. You need to understand that I know what I'm talking about here."
Tara grabs Bonnie by the front of her dress.
"Shut...up."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You think it's so great the way you cut people down, but it's not great. It's irritating."
By this point, a good portion of the students can hear Tara.
"People's feelings get hurt and do you care? No, you don't."
"So I say things about people. It happens."
"But you don't know when to stop. I...I can't believe I've ever listened to you. You don't rule my life and you don't rule this school."
Tara walks away, then turns back around.
"And another thing: maybe you would've found a date if you weren't such an obnoxious, big-mouthed witch!"
Tara storms off, leaving Bonnie standing at the table. To look at her, one would think that she was a statue and her shocked, open-mouthed expression was sculpted on.
The blonde is suddenly surrounded by her fellow cheerleaders, all of whom pat her on the back or compliment her.
"Way to tell her off!"
"I didn't know you had it in you."
"Neither did I", Tara stated.
Bonnie, meanwhile, closes her mouth and grabs a cup of punch from the refreshment table.
"'...maybe you would've found a date if you weren't such an obnoxious, big-mouthed witch.' A lot she knows. I do have a date...at least, if he's here."
Bonnie sips her punch and veers around the room. At the opposite end of the table, she spies a hunky guy. The brunette adjusts the corsage on her arm and goes to him. She taps him on the shoulder.
"Hey, stranger."
The 'stranger' turns around.
"What do you say to the two of us getting out of here and finding out why I'm a goddess - a cheer goddess?"
The stranger opens his mouth to speak, but his lips don't move. Also, his voice isn't quite what you'd expect from such a handsome fellow: it's kind of nasally.
"That sounds great. How soon can we go?"
Bonnie's eyes goggle at the response.
"I beg your pardon?"
From behind the stranger steps a fellow in a suit. He waves at Bonnie before adjusting his glasses. It's Kim's cousin, Larry, better known to Bonnie as...
"M-m-macho one?"
"Mach one. I can understand how you'd make that mistake."
"B-b-but you said you weren't a nerd!"
"That may be how you see me, but just because my interests are different from the majority doesn't make me a nerd."
"News flash: you...are...a...nerd!"
Bonnie grunts and stalks off.
"Who was that?", said the stranger in a Southern twang.
"A girl I met over the internet. No wonder people warn you about online relationships."
Tara, still quite high off of the praise she received for Bonnie's dressing-down, smiles as she sits in a chair. The blonde's euphoria is short-lived as she remembers that she is alone.
At that moment, Brick walks in with Monique close behind.
"Are you sure I can do this?"
"So sure. Just remember what we talked about and you'll do fine. Now, go get her."
Brick makes his way through the crowd and finds Tara sitting in a chair. Her gaze goes from the floor to the jock's hand extending to her.
"Enchan´te. May I have this dance?"
Amazed at who she used to know as Brick Flagg, insensitive jock, Tara takes his hand, and the two of them hit the dance floor.
Monique gazes at the happy couple and breathes a heavy sigh.
"Goodnight, sweet prince."
The eyes of the dark-skinned girl focus on the floor. Just then, a pair of shoes comes into vision. Monique looks up until she sees the whole of the person: Josh.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be alone. Wanna dance?"
Monique shrugs her shoulders and stands to her feet.
"Sure, but if you try anything funny, you limp home. Got it?"
"Whoa. I've got it."
"Sorry. Just a little bitter."
Meanwhile, Kim heads for the exit. Before she gets there, Tara stops her.
"Kim, I want to thank you."
"Sure. For what."
"Encouraging me to tell the guy how I felt about him."
"Really. It's no big. How did it go?"
"He was already with someone."
"Ouch. Well, maybe, it's for the best."
"Yeah...maybe. You know, Kim, you are so lucky to have Ron."
"I guess I am."
"Any girl would be lucky to have Ron."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"You and Ron."
Kim laughs a little.
"Tara, that's sweet. Really, it is, but..."
"You don't have to say anymore. Again, thank you."
Tara walks back to Brick. Kim shakes her head and walks through the door.
(...the football field...)
Kim sits on the bleachers and stares into space.
"I was never more alone than when I was by myself."
Kim turns in the direction of the voice and sees Ron.
"I can never remember who said that."
"Ron, what are you doing out here?"
The blonde boy climbs the bleachers.
"Looking for you. What are you doing out here?"
"I thought I'd have fun at the dance alone, but except for Bonnie's Theater of the Absurd, it's been a drag."
Ron sits next to his friend.
"You're not alone. You're never alone."
Rufus pops out of Ron's pocket.
"Never."
"You're right, though it's not quite the same. Funny thing happened before I came out here. Tara mistook us a couple."
"Sure, we're a couple. Like wine and roses. Like black and white--"
"Like a couple couple."
"Oh."
The two of them laugh, stop suddenly and sigh.
"Hey, what happened to Zita?"
(...the gym...)
Zita sits in a chair looking at the people on the dance floor with a bored expression on her face. In the next chair is Larry, also spying the populace.
"So, do you like 'Everlot'?"
"I've been meaning to get into it. I've heard so much about it."
(...the bleachers...)
"I'm sure that there's someone out there for you, Kim. For all of us."
The redhead smiles a bit. "Maybe you're right."
Ron rests his hand on the metal seat. Just then, he feels a tingle on his hand.
"Rufus, knock it off."
"What?"
The naked mole rat looks at Ron...from his owner's shoulder. He looks down at his hand...and is shocked to find that Kim is clasping it. She smiles at him. He can't help but smile back as he returns the clasp. Of all the thoughts going through his head, the one that overruled all others was this:
"Dear diary: you will never believe this..."
The End
A/N: Stay with me, for I have a lot to say.
I absolutely love ensemble stories. The way that so many stories and characters mesh together is truly irresistible. The basic structure of this story (several people looking for love) was borrowed from the movie "Love Actually" (easily one of the most charming films I've seen in years). In my zeal to get the story out, I ended up giving some stories the short shrift (kind of like in the film). I apologize for this, but I ended up loving some of the plot threads more than others. Personally, I don't completely support the alternative couples presented here, but, hey, there might be someone who likes them. In fact, I spent a good deal of time on the romances that I treated the whole 'take over the world' B-plot as an afterthought.
Speaking of the B-plot, Drakken as a baker was one of those flash of brilliance type moments I have sometimes. Think back to "The Golden Years". ("Nana Possible, you think your lemon squares are all that...!") What if Drakken actually had some insight into the subject of pastries, instead of just overusing a catchphrase?
I think that one of the best things I did in the story was the spotlight on Tara. She's just such a sweet (though tragically underused) character. Now, I'm all about Kim/Ron, but I think that, if Kim were unable to fulfill her duties as Mrs. Ron Stoppable, Tara would make a great runner-up. Now, I have no problems with Zita, but the writers never made it clear if she and Ron were really a couple (update for 4-21-05: It's the gosh-darndest thing; apparently, Zita does attend Middleton High. My own fault for not paying attention during "Vir-Tu-Ron".).
At one point, I gave up on doing this; writing for a show with such a distinct style of writing is hard (and must be for those who get paid for it, I wager). But after last week's new episode hit the fan (and yes, that means exactly what I'm implying), I found this renewed drive to take care of business.
As always, look for the references (to the reviewer who asked, you know on the show how someone would say something along the lines of an insult, then Lenny and Squiggy would burst in - "Hello.") and thanks for reading, especially to my reviewers.
Have a nice day.