I don't own a thing, Disney does. Huge thanks to G-Go, who mentioned me in his latest installment of UNION (Amazing story, if you're not reading it, what is wrong with you?). Since then, I have seen all my stories experience a massive jump in readership, over 200 additional hits to my main stories in the first 24 hours, and 400 since. Just have to thank him once again!
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The Twists and Turns of Love – Chapter 11
Kim took her time as she slowly made the walk to Ron's house. Events of the previous night kept flashing through her head, and they left her very… confused. On the one hand, she had greatly enjoyed what she had done with Ron, more than she ever believed she would, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she was ready for that kind of a relationship just yet. The feelings had been intense, and at the time, she thought she had been ready, even initiating things further by starting to take off his shirt. But now, in the light of day, she just felt a little… uneasy. Now, she was glad that Ron's parents had come home, interrupting them before anything further could happen.
Kim paused as she approached the Stoppable house. She knew she had to talk to Ron about this, but she had to do this the right way. After all, she didn't want to make things difficult, or give him the wrong idea, something she might have done with her own actions last night as it was, but she had to tell him how she felt about this. They had only been dating a week now, and as much as she loved him, she didn't think taking that kind of step this soon would be a good idea.
Kim sighed to herself as she lightly rapped on the front door.
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Monique quickly grabbed the phone after the first ring, not even looking up from her magazine. "Hello?"
"Umm… hey Monique."
"Felix?" Monique dropped the magazine, smiling lightly. "Took your sweet time getting in touch with me boy, I was starting to wonder!" Silence followed, and Monique wondered if she had lost the connection. "Felix, you still there?"
Anouther brief pause before she heard his voice again. "Yeah, I'm still here. I'm really sorry I didn't call sooner. I hope you're not mad?"
Monique just rolled her eyes slightly. "I'm not mad, I was just joking around. Seriously though, what took you so long to call?"
Monique could almost hear the uncertainty on the other end of the line. "Well, quite frankly, I've… never asked a girl out before. I was nervous."
Monique blinked and frowned slightly, surprise evident. "You've NEVER asked anyone out before?"
"Well, I mean, it's hard to find a girl willing to go out with someone who's stuck in a wheelchair, and…"
"Boy, don't give me that! I know plenty of girls who that wouldn't matter one bit, myself included! You're smart and funny, and if you just put yourself out there, I think you'd be surprised! So what's going to happen is, you and me are going to go out with Kim and Ron tonight. We are going to get some dinner, and we're going to see what we can do about getting you to open up a bit more!"
"Umm… OK!"
"Good, see you tonight!"
Monique smiled as she hung up the phone, and shook her head lightly. It didn't look good for a relationship with him, she needed someone much more assertive, but at least she might have a good time, and might, just might, be able to help the poor boy out of this self-doubt thing he was going through.
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"OK."
"OK?" Kim just looked at him, confusion evident. "Just like that, you're OK?"
Ron just smiled. "KP, I am not going to rush you into something before you're ready for it. I don't mind waiting, I doubt I'm ready for it either."
"Ron, I… I can't believe how cool you are about this!" Kim then smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. "I have the most bon-diggity boyfriend on the planet!"
Ron's smile just got wider. "I hope you remember that the first time I screw something up. My luck has been holding so far, but I don't know how long it might last."
"Don't worry Ron, you…"
The beeping of the Kimmunicator interrupted her before she could finish, and she groaned as she reached for it.
"What's the sitch Wade?"
Kim almost burst out laughing as she saw Wade sitting there, eyes firmly covered by his arms. "Sorry to bother you, Monique wanted me to patch her through."
Ron couldn't help laughing when he looked over. "Dude, what are you doing?"
Wade didn't lower his arms for a second. "Look, I know there is no such things as cooties or anything, but that stuff is gross, and if I was interrupting something, I so didn't want to see it."
Ron just looked over at Kim, a questioning look on his face, before turning back to the screen. "Why would you think anything was going on?"
Wade slowly lowered his arms, peeking out at first, and then lowering them in relief when he didn't see anything disturbing. "Kim's blood pressure has been up for ten minutes now, ever since she got into your room, and then yours started spiking as well, and I thought…"
"You've got me chipped too?" The look of shock on Kim's face was very evident, as she gripped the Kimmunicator tighter. "How long have you had one on me?"
Wade just sat there on the screen, looking decidedly uncomfortable, as Ron just kept looking back and forth between the screen and Kim. He could see her anger and confusion coming to the surface, but there was something bothering him, something that they had said. It took him a second, but when he clued in, all good humour was gone.
"You've got me micro-chipped? Kim, you knew about this?"
Anger disappeared from Kim's face as she looked over at Ron. "Ron, I didn't… I mean… Wade had you chipped, and yes, I knew about it, but…"
"I can't believe you would do this to me? So that's how you found me when I was helping Yori find Sensei? I always wondered how you managed to do that, especially since the ride back from South America wasn't logged or traceable or anything. Is it because you don't trust me or something?"
Kim's face fell as she realized just how hurt he really was. "It's not like that Ron. Wade put the chip on you, and I only found out about it…" Kim stopped when she realized just how bad it would sound if he knew it had been years since she knew.
"You've known about it for that long, and you didn't even think to tell me? You could have told me when you found out, I probably wouldn't have been mad, but you didn't tell me. Why?"
She watched as Ron took a step back, his face set in a scowl, his posture almost screaming fight. "Ron, I just didn't think it was a big deal. I mean, we never used it unless you were in trouble, and I…"
Ron body almost slumped when Kim paused, the fight seeming to leave his body. "Yeah, whatever… I'll be right back. I have to use the washroom."
Kim watched him slowly walk out of the room, and she felt a small tear running down her cheek. He looked so hurt, so angry, she had no idea how she could make up for something like this. When Ron was gone, she looked back at the Kimmunicator screen in her hand. Wade looked upset himself, and a little bit guilty, refusing to look her in the eye.
"Should I just tell Monique you'll get back to her later?"
Kim just shook her head. "No, put her on."
The screen quickly changed, the image becoming that of her friend, a bright smile on her face. "Girl, I just got the call from Felix, and we… Kim, are you all right?"
Kim took a deep breath, trying to hide just how upset she was. "I just had a fight with Ron. He found out about the microchip Wade had on him, and now he's mad at me."
"Why would he be mad at you? It's Wade that chipped him like a puppy!"
Kim winced at the comparison, suddenly realizing just why Ron might be feeling so hurt right now. "It's not the chip that upset him. It's the fact that I… I knew about it for a while now and I didn't tell him."
"Girl, why didn't you tell him? I mean, it doesn't sound like that big of a deal."
"I don't know, I just never thought about it. I mean, I only used it a couple times when it was really important, just when he was in trouble or something. I never thought it was a big deal."
"Well, consider how Ron views it for a second. You have a way to track his every movement and you don't tell him about it? He must feel like he's useless or something, that you don't trust him to take care of himself!"
"I know, I know, and I feel miserable about it, but what can I do to make it up to him?"
"Well, I might have an idea on that."
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I can't believe she kept this from me. Doesn't she trust me? I mean, Wade I can understand, but why didn't Kim just tell me?
Ron stood staring at his reflection in the mirror, trying to calm himself down, but all thoughts turned to Kim. Why had she kept it hidden? They talked about everything, so why not this? And yes, it wasn't a big deal, so why did it bother him so much? Ron had no idea what the answers to those questions were, so after taking a couple more deep breaths, he went back to his room, just in time to see her put the Kimmunicator away.
"What did Monique want?"
Kim almost jumped when he spoke, but quickly composed herself. "She just wanted to let me know that dinner was on tonight. Felix called her. Ron, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the chip!"
Ron looked up at her, a half-grin, obviously fake, was plastered to his face. "Like you said KP, no big. Look, I need to pick up a few things for my parents. I'll pick you up tonight for dinner at six, OK?"
"Want me to come with you? You know I love to shop!"
Ron just gave his head a brief nod. "Nahh, I got it. Besides, I'm going to Smarty Mart, and I know you really want to avoid being seen there at all costs. I'll just see you tonight."
Kim just nodded, a forlorn look on her face. "Sure, I'll… I'll see you tonight." She paused briefly in front of him, waiting, but he made no move to kiss her before she left. She felt the tears want to push their way free as he just looked into her eyes and she could see the pain there. Turning away quickly, she headed down the stairs, almost running out of the house.
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Dinner quickly became an awkward affair, as the four teens sat around the table, almost no words being spoken whatsoever. Ron hung his head, refusing to look over at Kim, while Kim could do little else, constantly looking over at him, hoping just once to meet his eyes. Monique and Felix just kept looking between the two, with Monique glancing over at Felix every so often.
Monique just sighed, and shook her head. "So, Felix, I hear you're big on the gaming?"
Felix seemed to perk up at that, not quite understanding what all the tension was about. "Oh yeah, I play in whatever tournaments I can, as well as with Ron here. He's definitely getting better. You game at all?"
"Not really."
Silence lapsed over them again, as they continued the constant glancing around the table. All four were startled when Kim's Kimmunicator beeped, and she quickly reached into her purse to grab it out.
"What's the sitch Wade?"
The young boy on the screen just looked frantic. "Kim, I'm getting reports of strange monsters stampeding through town!"
"Where are they Wade?"
"They're heading right for you! ETA in…"
Wade's response was cut off as the near wall of the restaurant collapsed in, almost burying a couple of partrons under the rubble. As the smoke cleared, a figure stepped forward. A normal enough looking woman, overweight, she normally held a gleam in her eye and a smile on her face. Now however, only anger was evident in her expression.
"Where is my Monty? What have you done with him?"
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Author's Notes – I have the day off today, so I'm hoping to get at least one, maybe two, more chapters of work done today. Stay tuned, as I might have another chapter of this done tonight!
I'd like to thank the following for their reviews;
RamaFan – Well, most guys sound like that. Some do brag, but, except for one friend, all my conversations about relationships tend to go exactly like that!
MrDrP – Embrace the smuff, for the smuff is good! Also, I'll see what I can do regarding your email reply.
ANIME FAN ANGUS – Glad you liked. I was going to bed when I was most of the way done, before the story wouldn't let me stop writing. It just had to happen last night!
Charizardag – There will always be more action and missions!
Campy – Don't worry, that is so nothing anyone will ever, ever see from me. That would just be wrong-sick!
the Desert Fox – Yes, well, I think every one of them would be happy not to see a little Ron/Kim running around just yet. After all, they still have senior year of high school! You didn't feel the smuff? Too much? You must embrace the smuff, for it is good! As for cooking, while I don't doubt the are some things she might be good at making, if she has that many problems with mixers, I'd be leery letting her near a stove… for the most part.
Ace Ian Combat – Yes, I remember the name change. LOL. Glad you are enjoying!
Worker72 – Or good timing?
mattb3671 – Well, she is the more understanding of the parents. As for dinner, there are few things Ron takes more seriously than food. You gotta figure he would excel in that area. Of course, this is Ron, and his luck has held so far. Can't always last!
AndyCosta – Glad you enjoyed, and I enjoyed having Ron's parents interrupt.