Here is the replacement for chapter 6. I went a completely different route. I hope y'all enjoy this. I may post the chapter I deleted after I finish so others can read the mistakes I made in it, and maybe learn from what I did wrong. Would this be a good idea? Let me know, preferrably by a PM. Thanks…

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters involved…

Chapter 6

With the danger finally gone, all three relaxed audibly. Kim stepped forward, and turned around so she could face the most important men in her life. With her head down, her hair fell forward covering most of her face. She slowly raised her head, and the guys could see tears streaming down her face…

She raised her arms, and without pause, ran into the arms of… ME! Please be me, please be me!

Damn! She ran into the arms of that butthead! Kim… He continued to think in his head as he watched the two hold each other tight and kiss each other passionately.

I actually feel kinda dirty watching this. Maybe I should avert my eyes. Yeah, that's it, look down at your shoes, and walk non-chalantly out the door.

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The next day in school was a literal HELL! The once energetic young man was just sulking around the school, walking to classes with no gusto at all. Although, there was ONE class that he really enjoyed. All others just seemed like endless fodder to him.

He just couldn't stand seeing the two of them together, after what had happened between Kim and him. In one particular class that he really had no interest in, but had to be there anyway, he noticed that Kim had come in the classroom by herself. Not with that, that… OK, now I'm starting to scare MYSELF. I usually don't think about other people like that. I really shouldn't be feeling this kind of animosity (wow, school word!) towards another person. It's just that…

Kim sat down right beside him! Oh CRAP! What should I do? What should I say? What should I…

"Hey there…" Kim said. "Are you… OK?" A look of concern covered her face like a veil.

"Uhh, yeah, I guess so. Sorry, I'm just not too talkative right now. By the way, where IS…"

"We don't have this class together." Kim gave a half smile as if remembering something. "I understand if you don't want to talk right now."

"Th… that's OK, Kim. We probably… should… uhh, talk?"

"Yeah…" Kim breathed the word out. "After cheer practice?"

"Sure, that's OK with me. Where?"

"Where else?" Kim said knowingly.

"You still like to go there?"

"Yeah, it can be quiet at times. And I think we should be in familiar surroundings, and with at least a FEW people around. You know. In case things get…"

"Ugly?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but I can't think of another way to say it."

"OK, that works for me. See you after practice then."

"Thanks. Thanks for understanding." Kim said with that half smile again.

The rest of the day he felt even worse. He couldn't even concentrate in his favorite class.

"Wake up, you slacker!" Barkin's voice boomed in his ear. He shook his head to both pull himself out of the spaced-out trance, and to get his hearing back in his left ear.

"Sorry, Mr. Barkin. Guess I've got other things on my mind."

"You normally take to this subject so well. Has what happened between you and Possible affected you so much that it affects even your favorite class?" Mr. Barkin could always be so forward.

"Yeah. I guess the whole school knows by now, huh?"

"Biggest scandal since Mim and Jonathan." Barkin said.

"Been that long, huh?"

The bell rang, signifying that class was over. The last class. Cheer practice was about an hour long, and he wasn't sure how to handle that hour.

As the students began to stand up out of their desks, Mr. Barkin spoke loudly, again. "Listen up miscreants! Do I need to remind those of you who need to be reminded that their presence is required in Detention Room 13?"

Crap! That includes me! I almost forgot. Just because I was caught chewing gum in class that one time. That ONE TIME!

Even though there were things to do in detention, they were so menial, that he could do them without even thinking about them. As a result, he thought of other things.

Do I love Kim? Yes, of course I do. I've even told her that. Was it how I told her? Was the timing all wrong? He sighed heavily out loud. I really wish I could go to school somewhere else. That way I wouldn't have to see her each day. See her with… HIM, each day. But… I do love her enough that I want Kim to be happy. If she is happy with him, then I should just let it be. My love may never falter, but I know that neither will his. Heck, it's probably even stronger than mine. He looked up at the clock. Well, in about 10 minutes, I'll find out what Kim has to say. I hope it's not too painful for me to hear.

Kim was also watching the clock. She couldn't help but think about what this discussion would be. She knew what she had to tell him, but it had to be in a way that he knew the score, and that there wouldn't be any misinterpretation. Kim quickly found out though, that she couldn't be thinking about one thing, and be doing something else that required almost all of her concentration.

WHAM! "Oops, sorry, Bonnie." Kim had crashed into her, almost full force. "Guess my mind was on other things. Sorry girls, let's try that again. I promise to not mess up."

"Ooh, little Miss Perfect here has admitted to making a mistake." Bonnie said condescendingly. "You know what Kimmie? If you don't get your head in the game by tomorrow, we can kiss the Regionals good-bye!"

"You know what Bonnie, you're right." This comment made Bonnie do a double –take.

"Wha…?"

"Let's call it a day, and hit it fresh again tomorrow. I'll be able to concentrate more then." I'm positive of that after I've had this little talk.

Kim had called practice only about 10 minutes early, so she was able to throw on some deodorant, and change back in to her regular clothes before meeting him. As she walked through the halls towards their meeting place, Kim had a few thoughts on her mind.

What am I going to tell him? I mean, we've been friends for such a long time, I hope he doesn't hate me afterwards. My heart just belongs to another, completely. My heart, my soul, my everything, belongs to him. I hope I'm able to tell him this.

Walking into the room, he saw that their usual table was empty, and sat down. No sooner had he done so, she walked in. She looked so beautiful, so radiant. Kim always looked like this when she felt good. She always looked like this when she was with him.

But this time, she was by herself again. It was going to be just the two of them talking about where the relationship had gone, and why it was falling apart.

Kim walked over and sat down. She had a sad look on her face that belied the turmoil in her mind, and her heart. She decided to speak first.

"I actually wasn't sure if you would show up." Kim said

"I'll admit that I had second thoughts."

"Can I talk first, and you listen? Please don't say anything until I'm done."

"OK."

"I hope you know how much I love him. I mean, we've been friends forever, and now I've been feeling something totally new. And after all this time, I've opened up my mind and I see, he was always there for me. I'm sorry, but there just cannot, nor will there ever be, anything between… us." Kim indicated herself and him.

"So that's just it, Kim? You're going to drop me like a sack of potatoes? Like a piece of liver? Like…" His voice was starting to rise, and the few people around were now looking at the two of them

"Please, not so loud." Kim placed her hand on his, but then quickly removed it.

"Kim… I thought we had something special. I thought we could be together. Just the two of us."

"I'm so sorry. This just cannot work. I hope that we can still be friends."

"Oh great! The 'I hope we can still be friends' speech. Kim, I don't know if I can do that!" He said, almost raising his voice again. "But you know what? I will try. Because of what I feel for you, I will try. It's going to be hard, I know, but I'll work it out, somehow."

"Thank-you sooo much! You have no idea how this makes me feel." Kim took his hands in hers, gave a quick squeeze, and released them.

"Kim?" He said with expectant eyes "I don't suppose… we could… for old time's sake? As a good-bye?"

Kim couldn't believe he was asking this! He wanted a good-bye kiss after all that she had just told him? She wanted to slap him so hard on the face, but she couldn't do it.

"No Richard, I'm sorry. I can't do that."

I purposely wrote this with ambiguity until the very end. Did it work? It was the first time I've tried anything like that.

Please stay tuned for one more chapter, and/or an epilogue. Ron still needs to have his say to Kim, and he also will want Kim to apologize to him for what started this whole thing.

My special Thanks to two people: Surforst, for the virtual slap to the face, and MrDrP for the PM. It gave me a few more things to think about.

I hope you like this better than my last chapter, as I took a 180 degree turn with what to write.