Wow, a lot of people like this story. Some questions should be answered in
this chap. And I picked Bonnie because quite often, those harsh exteriors
are covering a lot of pain.
Also, as I said when I posted the story Hurting, I am male, and have never attempted suicide. Thus if I come off sounding like an ass, let me know. Please let me know. I want to be a good writer.
Over the Edge
Confessional
Bonnie woke up in a hospital room. She didn't remember why she was here. Her hands were bandaged, but not too thickly. She closed her eyes and the events in the locker room flooded back to her. The thing that stuck out most was Stoppable. He had sung to her. It was so familiar. She easily remembered where she had heard it before.
Her solitude was quickly interrupted by her mother. Her mother had been sitting in a chair across the room. More accurately her mother had been sleeping in a chair across the room. Bonnie looked out the window and saw it was morning. It was late afternoon when she had . . . Bonnie couldn't even stand to think of what she had almost done.
After a few minutes of lavishing, Mrs. Rockwaller said, "Oh, Bonnie your cheerleading friends have been so worried about you. Two of them haven't even left."
"What?" Bonnie was confused. She knew she had no real friends. Only followers, groupies. Who would stay to watch over her? "Who?" she asked.
"Oh, those two who are always traveling and doing something or other. The girl is the one whose parents called me up to that ski trip."
Bonnie sat bolt upright. "Possible and Stoppable?"
"Yes that's them. The doctors said that if they hadn't helped you would have . . . would have . . ."
Bonnie looked away from her mother. Her mother sat on the edge of her bed and said, "Bon-Bon, I know I'm not what you want me to be . . . or as cool as you'd like me to be . . . but . . . I'll change if"
Bonnie wrapped her mother in a hug. "No mom, don't change. I love you . . . I'm sorry. I'm sorry . . ."
Mrs. Rockwaller hugged her daughter back. She didn't know what to say. She felt as if this was it. Her daughter was cured.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron and Kim were walking back by Bonnie's room, just to see if she had woken. That was when they saw Ms. Rockwaller leaving. She said to them, "Bonnie wanted to talk to you." Ms. Rockwaller had tearstains on her face, but she wore a smile.
Kim and Ron walked into the room. Bonnie, dressed in a hospital gown, was sitting up in the adjustable bed. Rufus, riding in Ron's pocket, tried to lighten the atmosphere by chitter, "ooh . . . Craftmatic" no one laughed.
"Thank you," Bonnie said simply. "What I tried to do. . . it was a mistake. I appreciate you making that a non-permanent one."
"The doctor's said your hands would be alright." Kim said. For once in her life she didn't feel like saying 'No big' to act humble. And as always when she was nervous, she began to babble. "They said no nerves were cut so you should be able to return to the squad in a few days. Which is great cause we have that competition, and we definitely need . . ."
"Kim," Bonnie broke in.
"Yeah?" Kim said, glad that someone cut her off.
"Can I talk to Stop . . . er . . Ron, on my own for a sec?"
Kim looked at Ron. Ron nodded to Kim, "I'll catch up later."
Kim walked out to find her mom. Bonnie looked at Ron skeptically. "You sang to me," she said at last.
"Uh . . . yeah, I thought it might calm you down. I know I don't exactly have an angle's voice but . . ."
"Why did you sing what you sang? And that way? Why?"
"I don't know, it just came to me. And didn't mean to make fun of you. I was just trying to calm you down." Ron rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't sure if she was mad or not.
"My father used to sing that to me, exactly that way too. When I was really little, I mean."
Ron still wasn't sure, but he felt he needed to press. " 'used to?'" he repeated.
"he uh . . . left, when I was twelve. No note or anything. Not even a goodbye. Eventually, started receiving child support payments, along with the divorce papers. Mom makes a lot of money so she just lets me have the child support money." This was the first time that Bonnie had told that story, let along recalled it without crying.
"Twelve? About the same time that the you v. Kim stuff started."
"I guess I just always displaced my anger onto her."
"Hey you wouldn't be the first, and she is used to it, but usually they use large death-rays and global domination plans, rather than cheerleading, but . . . eh"
An awkward silence fell. Ron kicked the floor with his shoe. "Uh, listen I'm sorry if I upset you with the song, I didn't think about what or how I was singing. And don't worry, I wont tell anyone about your dad."
"Thanks." She just stared at the covers, she was afraid to ask him what she wanted to ask him most.
"Hey, uh, Bonnie?" he started. "Listen, if you ever need someone to talk to . . . or yell at . . . or hit? I'm pretty good at filling all of those roles. Um, here." He took a napkin from his pocket and a pen. "This is my number. Like I said, if you need anything, call me."
She took the napkin and watched him leave with a wave. She thought on what he had said. She looked at the napkin and what Ron, the "freak", was offering; a friend.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was two days later. Bonnie was finally back home. It was a Friday evening. Her mother had had to leave again. Her mother was a very successful sales rep for a very successful medical supplier. It unfortunately meant that her mother had to travel more often than Kim and Ron. The only reason Bonnie had never had people over for a party was because there was no way she could possibly de "Tacky-fy" the home and put it back together without her mother knowing. Her mother had left for shanghai only a few hours ago, she wouldn't be back until next Friday.
She picked up the phone and dialed the number. On the second ring it was answered by an adult's voice. "Stoppable home."
"Uh, is Ron home?" she asked.
"Just a sec sweetie." The voice then called up away from the phone, "Ronald! I think Kimmy is on the phone for you!"
Bonnie cringed at that thought of being mistake for Kim Perfect. Then Ron's voice picked up, "What's up KP? Is Drakken back?"
"Uh, its actually me. I didn't mean to interrupt you if your waiting for her to call . . . I'll"
"No, Bonnie. I'm not, KP is just the only girl who ever called me, heck the only person. I guess that my dad just assumed. What's up?"
"Well, you said if I ever wanted to talk, you'd be there. Did you mean it?"
"Of course. What do you want to talk about?" Ron pulled a chair up to the phone.
"Um, not on the phone. Do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning?"
"No prob Bon. You bring the conversation topics, and I'll bring the snackage."
"Thanks, I appreciate this Stoppable."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bonnie didn't even bother to get dressed. Her nightclothes were roughly the same as Kim's; a loose fitting T shirt, and a pair of billowy PJ pants. She looked at herself absently in the mirror. She spotted the things she normally spotted; too much fat there, not enough there, a zit coming in there, her complexion was blotchy there, and too shiny here. That was when she heard the knock at the door.
She opened the door, and saw Ron standing there with two very large bags of groceries. "I thought you were kidding about the snacks," she said surprised, as she watched him bring the food in.
"I kid about a lot of things Bonnie," Ron said seriously. "Snacks however are not one of them."
Rufus jumped out and added, "mh hm, snackage."
Ron stepped up to Bonnie and said, "Neither is suicide. What did you wanna talk about?"
"What you said, before I . . . I mean, in the locker room. You said you had been where I was."
"Oh, that." Ron looked at the table they were beside. Bonnie gestured to a chair and they both sat down.
Rufus wore a confused look as he poked his head up from the bag of chips he had been digging in.
"It was before you," Ron said to Rufus. "I was twelve myself. It was before KP went on line, before missions. God, it feels like it was a different life." Bonnie pulled her feet up under herself as she listened. Every so often she would grab a chip and munch.
"It was Valentine's day to be specific. I was already used to getting only one. But this year . . . well I did get one, just not KP's. I was heart broken that KP hadn't given me one. I figured she thought like everyone else now, that I a freak. The one I did get. . . well it wasn't exactly traditional."
"What did it say?" Bonnie asked. She looked through the food and found what she was really looking for; chocolate.
"You're kidding?" he said looking at her with a weak smile.
"what?" she said looking confused.
"Valentine's day, when we were twelve?" he prompted.
She looked back and forth trying to recall she held an oreo. Suddenly she dropped the cookie and her eyes went wide. "Oh, no," she muttered.
"yep, It read;
Dear Freak,
Drop dead
Signed Bonnie Rockwaller"
"Oh, god and that's what made you .. ."
"No," he said as he grabbed her out stretched hand. "True it added, but a lot goes into making that decision. As I'm sure you know."
She nodded silently. "Anyways," he continued, "That night was a dance. I figured Kim had gone with one of the guys she had gotten a valentine from, she had gotten like twelve . . ."
"36," Bonnie corrected. A little of her spite of Kim shone in her eyes.
"Okay, 36 valentines, and I figured she was going with one of them. So I was sitting at home alone. My parents had gone out on a date. And I was just thinking of how alone I felt. It really sucked. Then I saw my mom's sleeping pills on the cabinet. She had taken them when she started working night shift, so she could sleep during the day. I remembered the joke my dad made of the warning. He told her never to take more than one or she might never wake up again.
"I didn't think that sounded so bad. Sleeping forever. At least in dreams I had people who liked me. So I took them all. Turns out just when I passed out, Kim came by. Seems she had forgotten to grab my Valentine when she came to school and was so embarrassed when she discovered it, that she avoided me the rest of the day. It wasn't that she didn't like me you see, it was her pride. She was afraid I wouldn't like her anymore. Kinda stupid, huh?
"Anyway, she came in and tried to wake me. When I wouldn't wake up she called her mom, who walked over and found me, and the pill bottle. Her mom called 911, and then my parents and I was in the hospital getting my stomach pumped. Dr. P says that Kim never left my side. I believe her, 'cause when I woke up Kim was there holding my hand. When she noticed I was awake, she hugged me real tight and kept crying, 'I'm sorry' over and over. Then she pushed the valentine into my had. I still have that thing. It has a little crazy lookin' guy on the front. Then on the back it says 'I'm CRAZY for you, Love Kim'. It was something simple but. . . but it was that more than most anything else that saved me.
"My parents put me in uber-therapy, and decided I needed a companion that could be around more than Kim. Thus I got Rufus."
Rufus took a little bow as Ron gestured to him.
"So . . . wow." Bonnie ate yet another oreo. Bonnie looked at the two oreos she had eaten and pushed away the box.
"There are plenty of those you know Bonnie. Go for 'em."
"No, I'm fat enough already. When I get back to cheerleading, I don't want them to kick me off 'cause I cant be tossed 'cause I' like a hippo."
"Bonnie?" Ron said. "Do you actually think you are fat?"
"Well yeah, look at me."
Ron shook his head. "This reminds me of part of my therapy. I used to have some really low self esteem."
"You?" said Bonnie incredulously. "Aren't you the guy who asked every single girl to the dance?"
"And a few that weren't single," Ron said rubbing his face as he remembered some of that fiasco. "That's my point. My therapy helped me in that department. For starters, why don't you do what my therapist had me do; whenever you look in a mirror, say, 'I'm a hottie'."
"And this works?"
Ron smiled a little. "Not at first, but over time you start understanding that what really matters is what you think of yourself, and not what others label you as. Try it."
Bonnie looked at the mirror and said, with no enthusiasm, "I'm a hottie."
"I don't believe you." Ron said.
Bonnie rolled her eyes and tried again in the same empty way, "I'm a hottie."
"Nope, you gotta sell it to me."
Bonnie put a little more effort this time, "I'M a hottie."
"Better," Ron said. "Now bring it home, give me more."
Bonnie stood up and said with all her heart, "I'M A HOTTIE!"
"You know," Ron said shifting his voice to sanctimonious, "That's a very narcissistic thing to say."
She cast him a semi foul look. Then she sat back down and said, "Do you really think I am?"
"A hottie?" Ron filled in. "Hell ya. You are fully hot, muy caliente Bonnie!"
Bonnie looked at him and smiled a little, but it was quickly erased as Ron's cell started ringing. Ron picked it up and said. " 'sup KP?"
"Yeah, I can be there in a flash . . . talkin' with a friend. . . I'd rather not. . . no reason . . . yeah, I'll be there in a heart beat."
He turned to Bonnie as he loaded Rufus back in his cargo pocket, "Sorry Bon, I gotta go."
"Don't tell her we're talking. She'll . . . she'll come . . . and . . ."
"That's what I thought. Don't worry, its between you and me."
Ron walked out and Bonnie strode back to her room to get her book. It would be a long quiet day. On her way to her room she saw a mirror. She looked in and said, with no enthusiasm, "I'm a hottie." She shook her head and pshed the thought away. Then she stopped and turned back. She looked in the mirror again and said, "Someone thinks I'm a hottie." This time it made her smile. She even blushed a little. Suddenly Ron seemed a lot better than he ever had before.
Also, as I said when I posted the story Hurting, I am male, and have never attempted suicide. Thus if I come off sounding like an ass, let me know. Please let me know. I want to be a good writer.
Over the Edge
Confessional
Bonnie woke up in a hospital room. She didn't remember why she was here. Her hands were bandaged, but not too thickly. She closed her eyes and the events in the locker room flooded back to her. The thing that stuck out most was Stoppable. He had sung to her. It was so familiar. She easily remembered where she had heard it before.
Her solitude was quickly interrupted by her mother. Her mother had been sitting in a chair across the room. More accurately her mother had been sleeping in a chair across the room. Bonnie looked out the window and saw it was morning. It was late afternoon when she had . . . Bonnie couldn't even stand to think of what she had almost done.
After a few minutes of lavishing, Mrs. Rockwaller said, "Oh, Bonnie your cheerleading friends have been so worried about you. Two of them haven't even left."
"What?" Bonnie was confused. She knew she had no real friends. Only followers, groupies. Who would stay to watch over her? "Who?" she asked.
"Oh, those two who are always traveling and doing something or other. The girl is the one whose parents called me up to that ski trip."
Bonnie sat bolt upright. "Possible and Stoppable?"
"Yes that's them. The doctors said that if they hadn't helped you would have . . . would have . . ."
Bonnie looked away from her mother. Her mother sat on the edge of her bed and said, "Bon-Bon, I know I'm not what you want me to be . . . or as cool as you'd like me to be . . . but . . . I'll change if"
Bonnie wrapped her mother in a hug. "No mom, don't change. I love you . . . I'm sorry. I'm sorry . . ."
Mrs. Rockwaller hugged her daughter back. She didn't know what to say. She felt as if this was it. Her daughter was cured.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron and Kim were walking back by Bonnie's room, just to see if she had woken. That was when they saw Ms. Rockwaller leaving. She said to them, "Bonnie wanted to talk to you." Ms. Rockwaller had tearstains on her face, but she wore a smile.
Kim and Ron walked into the room. Bonnie, dressed in a hospital gown, was sitting up in the adjustable bed. Rufus, riding in Ron's pocket, tried to lighten the atmosphere by chitter, "ooh . . . Craftmatic" no one laughed.
"Thank you," Bonnie said simply. "What I tried to do. . . it was a mistake. I appreciate you making that a non-permanent one."
"The doctor's said your hands would be alright." Kim said. For once in her life she didn't feel like saying 'No big' to act humble. And as always when she was nervous, she began to babble. "They said no nerves were cut so you should be able to return to the squad in a few days. Which is great cause we have that competition, and we definitely need . . ."
"Kim," Bonnie broke in.
"Yeah?" Kim said, glad that someone cut her off.
"Can I talk to Stop . . . er . . Ron, on my own for a sec?"
Kim looked at Ron. Ron nodded to Kim, "I'll catch up later."
Kim walked out to find her mom. Bonnie looked at Ron skeptically. "You sang to me," she said at last.
"Uh . . . yeah, I thought it might calm you down. I know I don't exactly have an angle's voice but . . ."
"Why did you sing what you sang? And that way? Why?"
"I don't know, it just came to me. And didn't mean to make fun of you. I was just trying to calm you down." Ron rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't sure if she was mad or not.
"My father used to sing that to me, exactly that way too. When I was really little, I mean."
Ron still wasn't sure, but he felt he needed to press. " 'used to?'" he repeated.
"he uh . . . left, when I was twelve. No note or anything. Not even a goodbye. Eventually, started receiving child support payments, along with the divorce papers. Mom makes a lot of money so she just lets me have the child support money." This was the first time that Bonnie had told that story, let along recalled it without crying.
"Twelve? About the same time that the you v. Kim stuff started."
"I guess I just always displaced my anger onto her."
"Hey you wouldn't be the first, and she is used to it, but usually they use large death-rays and global domination plans, rather than cheerleading, but . . . eh"
An awkward silence fell. Ron kicked the floor with his shoe. "Uh, listen I'm sorry if I upset you with the song, I didn't think about what or how I was singing. And don't worry, I wont tell anyone about your dad."
"Thanks." She just stared at the covers, she was afraid to ask him what she wanted to ask him most.
"Hey, uh, Bonnie?" he started. "Listen, if you ever need someone to talk to . . . or yell at . . . or hit? I'm pretty good at filling all of those roles. Um, here." He took a napkin from his pocket and a pen. "This is my number. Like I said, if you need anything, call me."
She took the napkin and watched him leave with a wave. She thought on what he had said. She looked at the napkin and what Ron, the "freak", was offering; a friend.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was two days later. Bonnie was finally back home. It was a Friday evening. Her mother had had to leave again. Her mother was a very successful sales rep for a very successful medical supplier. It unfortunately meant that her mother had to travel more often than Kim and Ron. The only reason Bonnie had never had people over for a party was because there was no way she could possibly de "Tacky-fy" the home and put it back together without her mother knowing. Her mother had left for shanghai only a few hours ago, she wouldn't be back until next Friday.
She picked up the phone and dialed the number. On the second ring it was answered by an adult's voice. "Stoppable home."
"Uh, is Ron home?" she asked.
"Just a sec sweetie." The voice then called up away from the phone, "Ronald! I think Kimmy is on the phone for you!"
Bonnie cringed at that thought of being mistake for Kim Perfect. Then Ron's voice picked up, "What's up KP? Is Drakken back?"
"Uh, its actually me. I didn't mean to interrupt you if your waiting for her to call . . . I'll"
"No, Bonnie. I'm not, KP is just the only girl who ever called me, heck the only person. I guess that my dad just assumed. What's up?"
"Well, you said if I ever wanted to talk, you'd be there. Did you mean it?"
"Of course. What do you want to talk about?" Ron pulled a chair up to the phone.
"Um, not on the phone. Do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning?"
"No prob Bon. You bring the conversation topics, and I'll bring the snackage."
"Thanks, I appreciate this Stoppable."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bonnie didn't even bother to get dressed. Her nightclothes were roughly the same as Kim's; a loose fitting T shirt, and a pair of billowy PJ pants. She looked at herself absently in the mirror. She spotted the things she normally spotted; too much fat there, not enough there, a zit coming in there, her complexion was blotchy there, and too shiny here. That was when she heard the knock at the door.
She opened the door, and saw Ron standing there with two very large bags of groceries. "I thought you were kidding about the snacks," she said surprised, as she watched him bring the food in.
"I kid about a lot of things Bonnie," Ron said seriously. "Snacks however are not one of them."
Rufus jumped out and added, "mh hm, snackage."
Ron stepped up to Bonnie and said, "Neither is suicide. What did you wanna talk about?"
"What you said, before I . . . I mean, in the locker room. You said you had been where I was."
"Oh, that." Ron looked at the table they were beside. Bonnie gestured to a chair and they both sat down.
Rufus wore a confused look as he poked his head up from the bag of chips he had been digging in.
"It was before you," Ron said to Rufus. "I was twelve myself. It was before KP went on line, before missions. God, it feels like it was a different life." Bonnie pulled her feet up under herself as she listened. Every so often she would grab a chip and munch.
"It was Valentine's day to be specific. I was already used to getting only one. But this year . . . well I did get one, just not KP's. I was heart broken that KP hadn't given me one. I figured she thought like everyone else now, that I a freak. The one I did get. . . well it wasn't exactly traditional."
"What did it say?" Bonnie asked. She looked through the food and found what she was really looking for; chocolate.
"You're kidding?" he said looking at her with a weak smile.
"what?" she said looking confused.
"Valentine's day, when we were twelve?" he prompted.
She looked back and forth trying to recall she held an oreo. Suddenly she dropped the cookie and her eyes went wide. "Oh, no," she muttered.
"yep, It read;
Dear Freak,
Drop dead
Signed Bonnie Rockwaller"
"Oh, god and that's what made you .. ."
"No," he said as he grabbed her out stretched hand. "True it added, but a lot goes into making that decision. As I'm sure you know."
She nodded silently. "Anyways," he continued, "That night was a dance. I figured Kim had gone with one of the guys she had gotten a valentine from, she had gotten like twelve . . ."
"36," Bonnie corrected. A little of her spite of Kim shone in her eyes.
"Okay, 36 valentines, and I figured she was going with one of them. So I was sitting at home alone. My parents had gone out on a date. And I was just thinking of how alone I felt. It really sucked. Then I saw my mom's sleeping pills on the cabinet. She had taken them when she started working night shift, so she could sleep during the day. I remembered the joke my dad made of the warning. He told her never to take more than one or she might never wake up again.
"I didn't think that sounded so bad. Sleeping forever. At least in dreams I had people who liked me. So I took them all. Turns out just when I passed out, Kim came by. Seems she had forgotten to grab my Valentine when she came to school and was so embarrassed when she discovered it, that she avoided me the rest of the day. It wasn't that she didn't like me you see, it was her pride. She was afraid I wouldn't like her anymore. Kinda stupid, huh?
"Anyway, she came in and tried to wake me. When I wouldn't wake up she called her mom, who walked over and found me, and the pill bottle. Her mom called 911, and then my parents and I was in the hospital getting my stomach pumped. Dr. P says that Kim never left my side. I believe her, 'cause when I woke up Kim was there holding my hand. When she noticed I was awake, she hugged me real tight and kept crying, 'I'm sorry' over and over. Then she pushed the valentine into my had. I still have that thing. It has a little crazy lookin' guy on the front. Then on the back it says 'I'm CRAZY for you, Love Kim'. It was something simple but. . . but it was that more than most anything else that saved me.
"My parents put me in uber-therapy, and decided I needed a companion that could be around more than Kim. Thus I got Rufus."
Rufus took a little bow as Ron gestured to him.
"So . . . wow." Bonnie ate yet another oreo. Bonnie looked at the two oreos she had eaten and pushed away the box.
"There are plenty of those you know Bonnie. Go for 'em."
"No, I'm fat enough already. When I get back to cheerleading, I don't want them to kick me off 'cause I cant be tossed 'cause I' like a hippo."
"Bonnie?" Ron said. "Do you actually think you are fat?"
"Well yeah, look at me."
Ron shook his head. "This reminds me of part of my therapy. I used to have some really low self esteem."
"You?" said Bonnie incredulously. "Aren't you the guy who asked every single girl to the dance?"
"And a few that weren't single," Ron said rubbing his face as he remembered some of that fiasco. "That's my point. My therapy helped me in that department. For starters, why don't you do what my therapist had me do; whenever you look in a mirror, say, 'I'm a hottie'."
"And this works?"
Ron smiled a little. "Not at first, but over time you start understanding that what really matters is what you think of yourself, and not what others label you as. Try it."
Bonnie looked at the mirror and said, with no enthusiasm, "I'm a hottie."
"I don't believe you." Ron said.
Bonnie rolled her eyes and tried again in the same empty way, "I'm a hottie."
"Nope, you gotta sell it to me."
Bonnie put a little more effort this time, "I'M a hottie."
"Better," Ron said. "Now bring it home, give me more."
Bonnie stood up and said with all her heart, "I'M A HOTTIE!"
"You know," Ron said shifting his voice to sanctimonious, "That's a very narcissistic thing to say."
She cast him a semi foul look. Then she sat back down and said, "Do you really think I am?"
"A hottie?" Ron filled in. "Hell ya. You are fully hot, muy caliente Bonnie!"
Bonnie looked at him and smiled a little, but it was quickly erased as Ron's cell started ringing. Ron picked it up and said. " 'sup KP?"
"Yeah, I can be there in a flash . . . talkin' with a friend. . . I'd rather not. . . no reason . . . yeah, I'll be there in a heart beat."
He turned to Bonnie as he loaded Rufus back in his cargo pocket, "Sorry Bon, I gotta go."
"Don't tell her we're talking. She'll . . . she'll come . . . and . . ."
"That's what I thought. Don't worry, its between you and me."
Ron walked out and Bonnie strode back to her room to get her book. It would be a long quiet day. On her way to her room she saw a mirror. She looked in and said, with no enthusiasm, "I'm a hottie." She shook her head and pshed the thought away. Then she stopped and turned back. She looked in the mirror again and said, "Someone thinks I'm a hottie." This time it made her smile. She even blushed a little. Suddenly Ron seemed a lot better than he ever had before.