Ron was sitting by himself in the cafeteria. Just what Josh needed - he didn't need the girl he'd come to think of as his to be concerned with him being concerned for her safety. As the boy approached, Ron looked up.
"Uh, hey Josh," he started, confused.
"How's it hanging with The Ron?" it seemed like the emotional expression of the two boys had swapped, momentarily.
"The Ron is bon-diggetty A.O.K!" exclaimed 'The' Ron, proving that it really was only momentary. Josh smiled, and wondered whether his friend had picked that he was being teased - a ponderance that was answered when Ron grinned and continued, "although he's a little hard pressed for the green these days...." He seemed to have a knack for knowing when someone was joking rather than insulting him.
Josh paused for too long. He wasn't sure how he was going to word his concerns even to the most relaxed person he knew - admittedly someone who did seem, at times, to simply be an extension of Kim.
"Something's bothering The Josh, though." Ron almost phrased as a question, in a lowered voice, glancing at Kim who was talking with her cheer squad. He seemed to know whenever something was about Kim - although Josh would rarely approach him out of class for anything else anyway.
Josh looked over to where Kim was, and then back at Ron. He eviscerated a box from about his person, and opened it, showing its contents, a silver necklace, to Ron. "Do you think she'll like it?"
Ron winked. "She'll love it," he replied casually, then lowering his voice again and continuing with a question, "now, what's really up?"
Josh sighed in relief; Ron seemed to have gained a discernible gift of insight in the last while. "It's the new teach, Ron. There's something about him that I've only seen in two people before - In Mr. Barkin, and yourself."
Ron's face contorted into his old, confused, self. "What thing?" he asked.
"Listen, Ron, I know that one of the reasons you insist on going on
every slightest mission with Kim is to protect her. Don't get me
wrong, I'm grateful for it - it's something I couldn't do. Kim
prides herself on being able to do anything - but you're actually
prepared to do it. It's an essential difference - she's drawn a
line that she won't cross, but I know that if she's in danger, you're
prepared - even to kill.
"This new teach, he has that same air about him. And he seems
to have an interest in Kim. He hardly took his eyes off her
during the history class. "
"See, now that is sick and wrong!" exclaimed Ron at the top of his voice, as he was wont to do. This caused Kim to look over in their direction, but seeing him sitting talking with Josh, she shrugged it off as one of those Ron things. Which, essentially, it was. It had piqued the interest of Felix though, who'd until that point been eating his lunch at the next table over. He rolled on up to Ron and Josh.
"Not that way!" hissed Josh under his breath.
"What way?" asked Felix.
"Ron's assuming that something I said meant that our new history teacher, Mr. Da Hand, had, uh, sexual interests in KP." still under his breath.
Felix laughed. "Da Hand? Nah, he's alright. How was history this morning, by the way? I kinda' missed it."
"You think either of us noticed?"
Felix's laugh had attracted enough of Kim's attention that she was now walking over to the three of them. Josh leaned over to Ron, and told him what he knew was going to happen anyway.
"Yeah, I've got her back." came the whispered reply.
"Thanks."
"So, what are you guys talking about?" Kim had arrived. The bags under her eyes had more or less cleared by now, but not without a lot of convincing in the girls' room.
"Oh, you know, just guy stuff." said Ron dismissively.
"I see," sarcastic tones expressed otherwise, "such as?"
"You know, like how boring history class is and stuff...." replied Felix.
"That's guy stuff now, is it? Since when are we girls not allowed to be bored by history?"
It was Josh's turn. He gulped slightly - he was never good at carrying others' cover stories. He decided on a different tactic. Presenting the necklace to Kim, and sighing a faux defeat, he asked, "Do you like it?"
Kim was dumbfounded. "It's- It's... beautiful!"
"Told ya!" Ron and Felix exclaimed in synchronis.
