Team P6

Their flight back from Arizona was for the most part uneventful. Not at all like their mission, they almost didn't make it back from this one. Ron had seemed extremely distracted the entire time they were in Phoenix. Kim didn't want to think about what might have happened had it not been for timely intervention of the research team they had come to help. How Ron could have bumbled into that trap that Professor Dementor had set for them, she would never know. "It was so obvious Ron. How could you not have seen it?"

Ron didn't respond, he seemed to be in his own little world, just looking out the window at the quickly passing landscape.

"Ron!" She said forcefully.

Ron's head snapped back on his neck, "What? Did you say something KP?"

"What's gotten into you lately? You seem to be just, I don't know. Out of it, or something."

"I guess I really screwed up this time. I'm sorry Kim." He nervously rubbed his hands together as he avoided looking at her. His looking at her had almost gotten them killed this time, what would happen on the next mission?

"Ron…Just please. Try and pay a little more attention next time. Ok?" She said in a reassuring tone, she couldn't stay mad at Ron for very long, he was just too likeable.

"I'll try KP." He continued to rub his hands, and Kim noticed.

"Hands kind of dry from that syntho-plasma stuff Dementor used?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Here try this, its what I use." Kim tossed him a travel sized bottle of Strawberry Sensation. Ron opened it up and squirted a big blob onto his hand. "Whoa! Amp down Ron! That's way too much!" She fairly shouted at him.

He began to dig into his pants pocket with his one lotion free hand. When he pulled it out he had retrieved an old Bueno Nacho napkin. Presumably to wipe off the excess lotion.

"Don't waste it. Its expensive." She leapt across the cabin and grabbed his hand; Running two of her fingers through the sizable dollop of lotion, taking about half of it for herself.

'Her hands are so soft.' A little voice in his head said.
'Shut up.' His own voice in his head responded.

He rubbed the lotion into his hands, it felt smooth like silk, like satin...

'Like Kim's hand.' The little voice noted.
'Shut up.'

Ron sniffed his hand and told Kim. "Smells nice."

'Just like Kim.' The little voice teased.
'Didn't I tell you to shut up?'

A few days had passed and Ron arrived home from school to find a letter waiting for him. It was postmarked from Phoenix, Arizona. He opened it up and read the short note: Thank you for your invaluable assistance in the safeguarding of our experimental equipment.

He chuckled, 'yeah my invaluable assistance almost got KP and me killed.' He was about to throw the letter in the trash when a small plastic card fell from the envelope. He picked it up. 'A Club Banana gift card for 200 dollars.' "What am I going to do with this?"

"Kim." Rufus squeaked.

"No. I don't want her to think that I'm trying to buy her forgiveness. Maybe I should just throw it away." He stepped toward the wastebasket, stopping just short of it. "But I can't do that either. I mean this is a lot of money, it's 200 bucks."

'Spend it.' The little voice in his head encouraged him.

Club Banana

Ron walked into Club Banana after school the next day and stopped at the counter. He was thankful that Monique wasn't working today, and that Kim was busy doing something with her. If he had known they had planned a shopping trip to the mall, he would have rescheduled his stop.

"Can I help you?" The clerk asked

"Yeah…Stacy." He said after reading the girl's nametag. "I need a bottle of that Club Banana Exclusive: Strawberry Sensation lotion."

"Buying your girlfriend a present?" She asked as she opened the display case.

Ron paused before responding, he needed a good excuse to be here. "Something like that."

She got a bottle out and handed it to him. Ron looked at the price tag. It was so expensive, and yet so small. "Maybe I'd better get two." She got another bottle out. "Tell you what. Just give me as many as I can get with two hundred bucks. I've got this gift card, I may as well use it up."

She got 3 more bottles, the store's entire stock. "That's going to be," She scanned the barcodes and rang up the total on the cash register, "202.44"

Ron handed her the gift card and pulled out his wallet. He eventually found a five dollar bill in it, which he also handed to her.

"Here's your change, 2.56, your receipt, and your lotion." She handed him a small bag with the five bottles in it. "Thanks for shopping the Banana."

"Thanks, Stacy." Ron walked out of the store and headed for the food court, he was kind of hungry.

'She was cute.' He thought.
'Not as cute as Kim though. She's a hottie.' The little voice was back…
'Quit saying that. Kim is not a hottie.'
'Yes she is.' …and persistent…
'Shut up.'
'She's H-O-T hot, and you know it.' …and annoying.
'I thought I told you to shut up.'

Ron sat at a table in the food court pounding on the side of his head mumbling, "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." It was his own personal mantra.

"I wonder what that guy's problem is?" An old lady asked her husband as she pointed at Ron.

"Who knows? Kids these days…he's probably on something." He told her as he led her away from Ron.


A few minutes after Ron had left the Club Banana store Kim and Monique walked in. "Hi Stacy."

"Hey Kim, Monique. How's it going?" She asked cheerily, smiling a genuine smile at the two girls.

"Good, I just need to pick up a bottle of Strawberry Sensation. I'm about out." Kim stood at the counter digging in her purse for her Club Banana Discount Card, while Monique looked at some of the new stock of Cleopatra's Closet outfits.

"Oh, sorry Kim. Someone just bought the last five bottles. You just missed him in fact." Stacy let her know.

"Him? And he bought FIVE bottles?" Kim asked, very surprised that a guy would be buying what could easily be described as a girlie lotion.

"Yeah, blond hair, about your height, a really nice guy." Stacy said. "We'll be getting a reship of it Tuesday. Do you want me to hold a bottle back for you?"

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it." Kim said before turning to walk over to Monique. 'Blond, my height, nice guy. Ron? No it couldn't be. Why would he need all that lotion?'