Dinner For Two
"So did Ron say anything at all Friday night about his grades or his future as mascot?" Kim asked standing in her room talking to Monique on the phone.
"He and Tara talked about cheer camp, his mascot uniform, and how much they both didn't like Ms. Purcell." Monique answered, adding. "Other than that no, he didn't."
"Ms. Purcell?" Kim asked surprisedly. "She's the new Home Economics teacher, right?"
"I think so." Monique said.
"Ron loves Home Ec. I wonder why he doesn't like her." Kim asked as she twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger.
"He said something about her dropping his soufflé."
"Oh yeah. He did tell me something like that last week…I think."
"Why the sudden interest in Ron's grades Kim? If you don't mind me asking?"
"He told me that's why he's been so distracted lately. That his grades are bad and he may not be allowed to be mascot next semester because of them. But, I know he's lying." Kim said, sitting down onto her bed with a thump. "Mr. Barkin would have told me if we needed to find a new mascot."
"What are you going to do about it? His lying to you."
"I don't know…" Kim said softly as she laid back and stared at the ceiling.
Ron
"I'm home!" Ron called out as he stepped through the front door.
"You're soaked." His mother said as she watched the rainwater dripping off him onto her clean floor. "Get upstairs and get changed out of those wet clothes before you catch cold."
"What's for dinner?" He asked, changing the subject.
"We're going out." His mom told him as she headed for the kitchen to get a mop. "You can get take out from Bueno Nacho."
"Sweet!" Ron said. "Oh, by the way, KP is coming over later to help me with my homework. How long are you guys going to be gone?" He asked his dad, who was watching TV.
Ron's dad looked at him slyly, "Why? Are you two going to be…doing something?"
"What? Doing something?" Ron was confused, Kim was coming to do homework, he just told him what they would be doing. "What are you talking about dad?"
"You know…" Ron's dad gave a little pump with his fist. "…doing something." Ron got it.
"Eeewww!" His face squished into an 'oh gross' look. "No! Kim's like a sister to me. That is sick and wrong."
'Like what you've been doing isn't?' The little voice asked.
'Shut up.'
"Well I thought…that is…you're growing up is all and…"
"And," Ron began to speak, imitating his father's voice, "when I was your age I had chicks all over the place…" Ron ceased his imitation. "Don't worry dad, you'll have plenty of grandkids someday, but not from me and Kim. And not until after I'm at least 18."
'At the rate you're going you'd better make that until you're at least 30, Mr. Spanky McSpank-my-wiener.' Grr! That little voice.
'Shut up.'
Ron turned and headed upstairs; wanting to do nothing more than shower and change into clean dry clothes.
Tara
"Aren't you going to eat dinner tonight Tara?" Mrs. Mathews asked as she began to set the table.
"I was hoping I could, maybe," Tara looked down as she swept her foot shyly across the carpet, "go…out to eat?"
Her dad smiled, "Of course it's alright if you want to go out. I'm sure we can manage here without you."
"Thanks daddy." Tara smiled and hugged him before heading out the door.
"It sure is nice to see her so happy again." Her mother noted as she placed the last of the silverware on the table.
"Aren't we going to wait for Tara before we start dinner?" Andrew asked as he carried the platter of roast beef in from the kitchen.
"She's going out to eat." His father told him as he sat down.
Andy smiled telling his parents that she was, "Probably going back to Bueno Nacho."
"Bueno Nacho? Why do you say that?" Debbie Mathews asked her son.
"She hung out there last night."
"With who?" Mr. Mathews asked.
"Monique and Ron. They're friends of Kim's."
"Ron Stoppable?" He asked with a note of concern in his voice.
"Yeah. That's his name, why?" Andrew looked to his father for an answer.
"No reason." He gave a small dismissive wave of his hand. "Ashley, would you please pass the butter."
Bueno Nacho
Tara wasn't sure exactly why she was sitting here. Why she was waiting for someone that might not even come in. She had been sitting in the booth for 30 minutes, and working on her second glass of Diet Mountain Dew, when he walked through the doors.
It was him, it was Ron. He had a far off look in his eyes and didn't notice her sitting there in his booth. He was still thinking about homework and Kim…and what he had done in the shower.
'Like a sister huh?' The voice asked contemptuously.
'Shut up.'
Tara shifted nervously in her seat, hoping that Ron would notice her and come over on his own. She didn't want to seem desperate to talk to him. It wasn't until after he had ordered and turned to walk out that he saw her.
"Hey, Tara." He said with a casual smile as he walked over to her. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, hi Ron." She answered shyly, blushing a bit. "I was just getting some dinner." She traced a small circle on the table top with her finger. "Would you…like to keep me company?"
All his thoughts of doing homework and Kim went out the door. "Sure." He sat down across from her and opened his carryout bag.
Kim
Kim tried knocking…again. 'Still no answer. Where could he be?' She stepped back from the door and pulled her Kimmunicator out. There was one person she knew that could tell her exactly where Ron was. She pressed the call button and waited for a response.
"Hey Kim. What can I do for you?" Wade asked as his image flickered onto the screen.
"I need you to locate Ron for me." Kim told him. "We were supposed to be doing homework tonight but he isn't home."
"Let me check." Wade tapped a few keys and clicked the mouse. "Found him. The computer shows him as being at Bueno Nacho. Do you want me to stream the video from the surveillance camera?"
"Please and thank you." Kim said with a smile.
"Here you go." Wade's image faded and was replaced by an interior shot of the restaurant. The camera showed the usual things: people waiting in line, food being made, Ron and Tara sitting together in a booth.
