Lean Back

"It's not… It's just… never mind." Kim set aside the scrubber brush and dried her hands, finishing the dishes could wait. She popped open the lid of her lotion and squirted a blob onto her hand, before motioning the bottle toward Ron. "You want some?"

He waved his hand dismissively, "No thanks…"

'I've got 5 bottles at home.' Ahh, that little voice.
'Shut up.'

Kim saw… something on Ron's palm, but dismissed it as just a doodle. "So did you pick up anything else at the mall?" She asked, relaxing a bit, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

Ron went into exquisite detail, recalling every outfit that Tara tried on and all the ones she had him try on. Unbelievable… 'Ron tried on clothes?'

He continued, telling Kim about the new shirt he bought. "A long-sleeved, button up thing." Kim was in shock. This couldn't be the same Ron who had so often refused to even look at new clothes when she took him shopping with her. 'I've got plenty of shirts at home, why get more?'

"…She even said I looked nice in it…"

Clean

Tara had finished her chores for the evening and headed upstairs to her room; she still had about an hour and ten minutes left to wait until Ron was supposed to call. She planned on finishing up her homework and then doing… whatever until then.

"Tara?" Her mom asked as she knocked gently on the partially open door of her daughter's room.

Tara looked up from her studies, a project for Current Events. "What, mom?"

Debbie Mathews held up a pair of hangers; Tara's new shirts, washed and dried. "I figured you'd want to hang these up."

Tara stood up, walked over and took the hangers. "Thanks."

Mrs. Mathews folded her arms as she watched Tara make room in her closet. "So… It sounds like you and Ron had fun shopping today."

"We did…" She replied dreamily.

Yuck-Mouth

Bonnie's mother knocked on the frame of the slightly open bathroom door. She was concerned; Bonnie had spent the last ten minutes brushing her teeth. "You haven't been throwing up again have you?"

Bonnie turned, brush in mouth, a thick foamy blob of toothpaste running down her chin. "Nau Maum."

Her mom stepped in and glanced toward the stool, it was empty. She sniffed the air, it didn't exactly smell like roses, but there was no vomit smell. "When you're done brushing why don't you come downstairs and we can watch TV together."

Bonnie spit into the sink. "Ok mom," she paused, checking her teeth in the mirror. "For a little while anyway."

Digital

Kim finally got a good look at what she originally thought was just a doodle on Ron's palm. "Is that… Tara's number?"

"Yep." Ron answered, holding his hand out for her to see. "I'm supposed to call her when I get home." He smiled. "I think she likes me…"

"She likes you?" Kim asked.

"Yeah." Ron nodded.

Been

"…He's not like any guy I've ever been with before." This casual remark garnered Tara a rather upset look from her mother. "Not been with- been with," she blushed. "I meant gone out with- been with."

"…thank god…" Her mother sighed.

"Mom!"

Rule

"She likes you." Kim repeated, keeping an observant eye on Ron. "Do you… like her?"

Ron noncommittally shrugged his shoulders. "Well… yeah, but… I mean, don't get me wrong, Tara's a great girl and all but…" He raised a hand. "She's way up here… smart, pretty, popular..." He held his other hand low "…and I'm down here… average, average, below average." He shrugged once again before bringing his hands together. "Even if we tried..." he shook his head, "...it'd be so against the rules… wouldn't last."

"How can you be sure?" Kim murmured.

"Seen it before. Someone… cooler… more popular… would come along and she'd forget I even exist..." He paused, looking away for a scant second. Were those… footsteps?

Kim realized where Ron had seen it before… He'd lived it before… with her. She'd dump or be dumped and glom onto him, spending every moment she could with him… that is, until the next hottie came along. "…I'm sorry Ron…" her voice only the barest of whispers.