Chapter 2: Heartbreak Blues

In the town of Middleton, in a booth at the Bueno Nacho restaurant, two teenagers were in a funk. One of them was a pretty girl with auburn hair and green eyes. She was wearing a green top that exposed her midriff and blue jeans. Her name was Kim Possible. She was a high school sophomore, cheerleader, and frequent savior of the world.

The other teen was a boy with messy blonde hair, brown eyes and was wearing a red shirt over a black sweater and tan cargo pants. He was Kim's best friend and sidekick, Ron Stoppable.

They had just gotten out of school for summer vacation and were now having a snack of nachos and soda. But despite enjoying their favorite foods and being out of school, Kim and Ron didn't look very happy. In fact, they looked downright gloomy. Kim sadly sipped her soda while Ron chewed slowly on a nacho chip. They weren't saying anything. They just continued to eat and look sad.

On the table, a small, rat-like creature with big front teeth and no hair watched them. He was a naked mole rat named Rufus. He was Ron's 'child' since Ron didn't consider him a pet, but part of his family. Rufus was a little concerned. He didn't like seeing his 'dad' and his 'dad's' best friend sad. He wished he could say something to make them feel better. But he didn't know many words that he could speak out loud.

Then a voice called out, "Kim! Ron!" Kim and Ron looked up and saw a black girl with black hair and wearing a red blouse and a red skirt. "Hey Monique," said Kim with a dreary tone in her voice. "Hey," said Ron with the same tone.

"What's the matter, you two? You guys looked down in the dumps all day at school. You look like summer vacation's been cancelled. Is something wrong?" asked Monique. "Nope, nothing's wrong at all," said Ron trying to smile. Monique looked at him with a knowing look in her eye. "Okay, you caught us. KP, should you tell her or should I?" asked Ron. "Let me, Ron. Have a seat, Monique," said Kim. Monique sat next to Kim.

"You see, something happened last night that upsets me even more then when a villain gets away," said Kim. "What was it?" asked Monique. "Kim and I did a double-date," said Ron. "What? You guys are only best friends. You've never dated each other," said Monique. "It wasn't with each other. I was with Josh and Ron was with Tara. It all seemed so perfect that Ron and I were with the people who we had a crush on," said Kim. "Well technically, Tara's the one who was crushing on me. I wasn't crushing on her," said Ron. "Right," agreed Kim.

"Did Ron make a fool of himself?" asked Monique. "No. He was actually very well behaved. A few silly jokes maybe. But not total humiliation nation," said Kim. "So what went wrong?" asked Monique.

"It turned out that Josh and Tara fell in love with each other. We were crushed. But there was nothing we could do about it. That's why we're so gloomy today," said Kim. "That's really unfortunate for you guys. I know how you feel. Before I moved to Middleton, a boy I had a crush on ended up falling in love with one of my friends. I was disappointed. But I sort of knew that maybe he and I weren't meant to be. I know it hurts, but maybe it wasn't meant to be for you guys with Josh and Tara," stated Monique putting her hands on Kim and Ron's shoulders.

"Maybe you're right, Monique. But it will take time to get over it. It'll take even longer if Bonnie keeps teasing us about it," said Kim. "Yeah, we could have really gone without her teasing," said Ron. "Just ignore her. She just wants to cause trouble," advised Monique.

"Man, if I had some sunglasses and a harmonica, I could do a really good blues piece about now," said Ron. "Ron, it would amaze me that you could play any instrument," said Kim with a slight smile.

"Hey guys, look at Rufus!" exclaimed Monique. Kim and Ron turned their attention to the naked mole rat. He was juggling pieces of nachos. After several juggling rounds, he tossed the pieces and opened his mouth wide. The pieces fell into his mouth and he ate them. "Tada!" squeaked Rufus. Kim and Ron giggled at their little friend. "Bravo Rufus!" exclaimed Ron. "Thanks Rufus. For a rodent, you know how to cheer up someone," said Kim giving Rufus a little pat.

"The way I see it, the world is glad to have the three of you. You've saved the world many times," said Monique. "You mean Kim saved the world. I'm just the goofy sidekick," said Ron. "Now that's not true, Ron. If it weren't for you, Lord Monkey Fist and Gill would have won when we met them," said Kim.

"So are you guys going to the year-end dance next Friday? You guys usually go together," said Monique. "I don't know, Monique," said Kim. "Yeah. This kind of dance is something you set up dates for and we're just friends," said Ron. "Best friends," reminded Kim.

Just then, a beeping sound was heard from Kim's pocket. "The Kimmunicator! Duty calls," said Kim. Kim reached into her pocket and pulled a small blue device. It had a video screen and some buttons below it. Kim pressed one of the buttons and an image appeared on it. There was a young boy with black hair and a blue shirt. He was slurping on some soda. He was Wade, ten-year old college graduate and Webmaster of Kim's website where she got her calls to save the world.

"Hey Wade. So what's the sitch?" asked Kim. "I've received an emergency transmission from Italy," said Wade. "Put it on," said Kim. Wade's image disappeared and an image of a man appeared. He had a large brown beard with hair to match. His skin had a bit of a bluish tint. The man looked like he had been splashed with water. "Help-a Kim Possible! Milan is-a sinking into the ocean and we need-a your help!" pleaded the man with a heavy Italian accent. From the side of the screen, a splash of water hit the man. "Hurry! Please!" exclaimed the man.

His image disappeared and was replaced by Wade's image. "Sounds very unusual. But you better hurry. I've already set you up with a ride. Catch you later," said Wade. The Kimmunicator's screen went blank.

"Come on, Ron!" commanded Kim as she gathered her things. "Always ready, willing and able, KP!" exclaimed Ron. Ron loved being Kim's sidekick and going out on missions with her. Actually, he just loved being with her. Since preschool, Kim had always been his best friend even though they both had very different personalities. Only until recently, he had started to wonder if Kim would ever think of him as more than a friend. 'Maybe on this mission, I will finally be able to prove myself and impress Kim," thought Ron as he grabbed Rufus and followed Kim out of the restaurant. "Good luck!" called Monique.

As they exited the restaurant, Kim looked at her sidekick. He had always been there for her. In fact, Ron had occasionally saved her life. She knew that she had been crushing on Josh for a long time. But now that Josh had found someone else that he loved, her thoughts now drifted to her feelings for Ron. Feelings she had no idea if they were genuine.

But for both of them, their conflicted feelings would have to wait. People in Milan needed help and they had to help them.