Thank-you for all the reviews. I'm going to hold off responding to reviews 'til the end, if y'all don't mind. I might end this with a little controversy, and probably much discussion. But don't worry… the end won't come for a few more chapters. Just wanted to get one out before Christmas… As always, please let me know what'cha think!

Chapter 3

After school in cheer practice, two important people were missing. I'm sure you can guess who they were.

"Well guys," Tara said, "We may as well just call practice off today. Kim was going to show us a new routine, and we needed Ron to be the spotter in case someone fell during the pyramid."

"I knew it!" Bonnie exclaimed. "I knew those two dating was going to cause nothing but trouble!" She stormed off, hands at her side, pom poms swaying with each step. None of the other girls followed.

"Did you hear what happened?" Marcella spoke first.

"Yeah." Tara said. "She kissed Richard."

"I heard she literally attacked him!" Another girl said.

"No, I heard Richard actually tried to get her to do… things for him."

"Excuse me ladies, but I don't think it's nice to talk about someone behind their back." Ron was standing in the door to the gym.

"What…? How did you…"

"How long have you…?"

"Ben standing here? Long enough." Ron was looking at them all with veiled disgust, and then relaxed a bit. He breathed out a sigh. "Look, I know Kim and I have hit a bump in the road. We didn't mean for it to affect other people, but it seems that it has."

"Ron… we didn't mean…" Tara began.

"I know Tara, I know. I'm just surprised that you, of all people, would listen to gossip." Ron eyed Tara specifically. She hung her head at the dull barb.

"Ron, I'm so sorry." He stepped up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. Neither had noticed when the other girls had left. The two of them were suddenly standing alone in the gym, no one else around.

Tara looked up at Ron, and Ron stared into her deep blue eyes. Eyes that could only be described as pools of cool ocean water at sunset. Tara cautiously placed a hand on the side of Ron's face. He didn't flinch. In fact, he smiled a little.

She took a step closer to Ron. "You know, Ron," Tara said in a lower than normal voice. "If you want to drown your sorrows…" she slowly batted her eyes.

Now usually Ron was a little slow on the up-take, but he knew immediately what was going on. Tara was coming on to him as strong as a tidal wave! She inched her face closer to his and her eyes slowly closed. Her lips began to part slightly, and she kissed… the palm of Ron's hand.

"Tara… Please don't take this the wrong way. I think your pretty and stuff, but just because it looks like Kim and I are fighting, it doesn't mean you can take to me like a kitten to cat-nip."

Tara resisted the urge to correct Ron and tell him that catnip might be lethal to a kitten. She couldn't have anyway, because his hand was still over her mouth. Ron felt her breath on his hand, and realized he had left it there a little too long, and dropped his hand to his side. He mouthed the word 'sorry'.

"Ron," Tara said, taking his hand. "You know I like you, don't you?" He nodded, eyes looking down.

"Well, I would just like you to know that if you ever need anyone to talk to, please let me know."

Ron raised the hand that Tara was holding, and clasped it in both of his. "Thank-you." He then gently kissed the back of her hand, let it go, and walked out of the gym.

Tara just stood there, her hand still in the air where Ron had released it. After glancing around to make sure no one had seen what had happened, or what she was about to do, Tara placed the back of the hand that Ron had kissed on the side of her cheek. After sighing deeply with a small grin, she quickly went to the locker room to change and go home.

She never noticed the dark figure with green eyes watching from the rafters.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Previously:

Where is Ron going? Kim thought. She thought for sure that he wasn't going to practice. She wasn't, so why would he?

Being the ever-curious redheaded spitfire that she was, Kim went into mission mode, and followed.

Sneaking through the air ducts that led to the rafters above the gym, Kim reached her perch right when most of the team had left Ron and Tara alone. She could barely hear their voices, but it was loud enough for her to know what was being said.

When she saw Tara blatantly try to kiss Ron, she almost launched herself down on top of the blonde's head. That was when she saw Ron stop her with his hand. When she saw Ron take her hand in his, Kim didn't notice that she was leaning precariously over the edge, and suddenly had to catch herself before falling! She didn't hear what Ron had said to Tara! Damn! Kim straightened herself and watched Tara go off to the locker room.

Kim sat there dumbfounded on the steel support beam. Ron had been given a golden opportunity to kiss another girl, and he didn't do it! Kim suddenly felt even worse than before.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Kim finally started to leave the school, her senses were on full alert. She did NOT want to run into Ron. Her emotions were already frazzled by what she witnessed in the gym, and if she ran into Ron, Kim figured she might lose control of them.

After a couple close calls, and then actually ducking just inside the door of one of the boys' bathrooms, Kim took a deep breath. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"What are you doing, Kim?" Brick asked her. "You know this is the boys bathroom, don't you?"

Oh crap…

Kim had to think quickly. "Bonnie shoved me in here as a joke! Sorry guys!" Kim said as she shielded her eyes from the two who were standing at urinals and trying very hard to hide 'certain things'. She quickly slipped out of the door, thinking she had made a clean get-away.

"Possible! Just what do you think your doing?" Barkin, well… barked.

"Sorry Mr. Barkin! Wasn't watching where I was going. It was a mistake! It'll never happen again!"

Leaning over the petite redhead, Barkin spoke in a low voice. "See that it doesn't. Oh, and by the way, he's left the school grounds. You're safe."

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kim quickly headed towards her locker. She just hoped that Mr. Barkin was referring to Ron being gone.

Kim opened her locker, and noticed that her computer was dark. Apparently there hadn't been any hits on the web site lately, and Wade must have stepped away from his terminal.

Placing her books in the locker, she then closed the door, and Kim just about jumped out of her shoes when she saw who had walked up and was standing on the other side of the door.

Richard stood there, hair messed up, his shirt disheveled, and a black eye!

"Rich! What… happened? Who did this to you?" She cautiously touched the side of his face where the black eye was spreading.

"K…Kim…" He started, not sure where to begin. His legs were still shaking from the encounter he just had. It happened so fast, he really couldn't have said what exactly happened, but he knew who had given him the black eye. He knew Kim would not be pleased with the answer.

"Kim… it w… was…"

Yup, sorry… had to put a bit of a cliffy in here. Go ahead and guess who gave Rich the black eye… I bet you would neeeever guess…

Oh and… Happy Holidays everyone!