Ron had survived the week, he went into work at Smarty Mart and had himself taken off the schedule for the next couple of weeks so he could have more time to get ready for the coming week and then to relax for a while and try to get himself on track again.
Ron was still having trouble sleeping, he was up till around 3:00am and then finally fell to sleep, he woke up at 7:30 to take his morning run. He rubbed his eyes, "That was the most sleep I've had in…what…two days?" he thought to himself.
Ron dressed in his running cloths, and went out front to do his stretching before he started his run for the day. A car pulled up in front of the house, J.D. Rottler climbed out in his running cloths. Ron wasn't expecting to see him but figured it would be nice to have someone to pace with.
Ron stood up and waived, "Wasn't expecting company today?" he told his friend.
J.D. smiled and waived, "I figure after last Thursday's race you could use some help, so I decided to come on by." He told him as he started to do his stretching.
Ron winced, "He's not leaving anything to chance." He thought to himself. Ron nodded, "Yea…sorry about Thursday…I don't know what happened." He told his friend sadly.
J.D. nodded as he stood up, "Well Ron, you always have so much going on, girl friend dieing, funerals, work, school, getting hooked up with that red head again…You have a lot on your plate."
Ron raised an eyebrow, "Wow, he's right; it feels like I've been going non-stop since May." Ron thought to himself. Ron let out a deep breath, "When you're going through all this it doesn't seem like a lot until you hear it from someone else…and then it kind of hits home….your right….a lot on my plate." Ron said shaking his head.
J.D. shrugged, "Well, what are we running today?" he asked curiously. He wanted to see how Ron was training.
Ron scratched his chin, "I was thinking about doing some hills."
J.D. nodded, "Sounds good, let's go."
J.D. and Ron took off from the house; they ran down the street and past the Possible's house on the way out of the subdivision. Mr. Dr. P, was tinkering on the car, he waived at Ron. Ron ignored him.
J.D. looked over at him, "You didn't see him waive?"
Ron shook his head, "He's only friendly as long as I stay away…We have an understanding about that now." He informed his friend.
Ron could feel his jaw clenching and his face grew hot; his temper was starting to boil from the memory a few weeks back. He was running at a good pace now, "Ohhhhhh he got me good about…two weeks ago…was it that long ago? I gotcha now…I gotcha….I gotcha now." He had fallen into a rhythm.
Thinking about the little talk, was motivating him and he could feel the anger and resentment fueling him. Ron was running hard and J.D. could see the change come over his friend. J.D. looked over at Ron, "So what's the story?"
Ron shook his head angrily, "Not much of a story really…He doesn't like me dating his daughter…but if I'm not dating his daughter, then I'm ok." Ron told him bitterly.
J.D. nodded, "I've got to see ifKim's old mancan come to the meet on Tuesday?" He thought with a devilish grin. J.D. smiled at his idea but decided to work another angle to motivate Ron, "So you going to?" he asked Ron.
Ron looked over at him, "Going to?" he asked puzzled by the question.
J.D. laughed, "Quit dating her?"
Ron thought about it, "I don't really have any time to spend with Kim, I probably never should have went on that date…I do like being around Kim again…Things are…different without the missions….almost like it used to be…except for Mr. Dr. P…oh well." He thought to himself. Ron shook his head, "Nope, she'll probably pull the plug herself…but I won't." he said with a resolute tone to his voice.
J.D. smiled, "Now I got him." He thought to himself. His mind had hatched the perfect motivator for Ron and that motivator was anger. J.D smiled and looked around, "Let's see how far I can push him." Then he went to work on Ron.
J.D. looked over at Ron, "I don't blame you, screw him…You keep dating her and put a burr up his ass…The old man pushes you, you push back…If it looks like ol' Kim's gonna dump you, broom her and move on…You're the one that calls the shots…YOU Ron and nobody else." He was right in Ron's ear yelling at him, and it was working, Ron was running hard.
Once back at Ron's house, Ron was still angry and J.D. was now cooling him down as they walked up the street past his house. J. D. was impressed with how hard Ron ran and he was letting him know it, "Man you ran good today, you did good, you did real good. We do well in these next two events, and you may get a scholarship somewhere too." He informed Ron happily.
Ron looked up from his thoughts, "Really?"
J.D. nodded, "We broke well under seventeen minutes today, that's division one times there Ron."
Ron smiled, "Booyah, ok, I gotcha." He said happily.
J.D. shook his head, Ron was as excited as he was at the beginning of the season, "You order your letterman's jacket yet?" He asked Ron.
Ron shook his head, "Letterman's jacket?" Ron asked.
J.D. looked at him, "Yea, you ran the season, you won a race, you lettered. Get you one of those sweet jackets and let Kim wear it…gotta advertise…Stoppable Property." He said punching Ron in the arm.
Ron was still tired but this was the happiest he'd been in a long time, "Kim wearing my jacket…that would be too cool…Booyah." Ron could feel himself starting to feel better again.
J.D. looked at him, "You still having trouble sleeping?" he asked with a concerned voice.
Ron quit smiling and nodded, "Yea, three hours last night."
J.D. winced that's not near enough, come over here to my car I got something for you. Ron shrugged and went over to J.D.'s car, He reached inside his glove compartment and came out with a little sandwich bag with about six pills in it. He pitched them to Ron, "Put those in your glove compartment, if your still not sleeping well by Tuesday take a couple of them about an hour before the meet…It's like a caffeine pill."
Ron nodded, "Gotcha…Where do you go to order letterman's jackets?"
J.D. laughed, "This is all new to you isn't it? You go up to Rosner's Sporting Goods and they'll help you pick one out, well, I gotta run…have to run some errands for mom." He told Ron as he got in his car to leave.
Ron waived, "Thanks" then Ron put the pills into the glove compartment of his car and went inside to take a shower.
J.D. made it to the bottom of the hill and pulled out his cell phone and called Wally, "Hey Guy, I got him to move today." He told his friend happily.
Wally was laughing on the other end of the phone, "How'd you pull that off?"
J.D. smiled, "You just have to figure out which buttons to push, make ol' Ronnie mad and he's like a steam roller, he don't quit."
Wally whistled on the other end of the phone, "That was the only way I could get him moving on Thursday."
J.D. nodded, "well come Tuesday we both work on him and if that don't do it, I gave him some meth."
Wally was sounding nervous, "I don't know man, Ron's been pretty spacey lately, don't need him dieing out there."
J.D. narrowed his eyes, "Look, we are too close to this; I ain't losing a scholarship over his random ass."
Kim heard the cell phone ringing, seen Ron's number and smiled, "Hey BF, how's it going?" She said happily.
Ron was as excited as she'd ever heard him, "Kim, Kim, It's gonna be cool, can't talk now, bye." And then he hung up.
Kim smiled, "what is he up to now?" She wondered and redialed Ron's number, she heard Ron pick up, "Ron…What's gonna be cool?" she asked him.
Ron was still excited, "I can't tell you, big surprise, it's gonna be cool…Hey wanna do something tonight?" he asked all excited.
Kim smiled, "I guess so…what ya got in mind?"
Ron laughed, "I don't know…but it will be cool." And then he hung up the phone again.
Kim shook her head, "Now that's sounds like my Ron again, I wonder what he's up to? It sounds like he's coming back to the living…That'll make Monique happy, the peas and potatoes thing really spooked her." She thought to herself happily.
Ron was staring in the mirror, imagining what the jacket would look like. He'd seen all the football players with theirs and the other cheerleaders that wore the jackets of the football players.
He could imagine Kim's long red hair coming down the back of the jacket and on the back it would say "Stoppable" and "07" on the right sleeve and on the left the big cross country emblem and the big "M" on the left front and "Ron" embroidered on the right front.
Then he looked at the bottom of his mirror and picked up the picture of Lacey sitting on his lap from Smarty Mart. Ron smiled and closed his eyes and pictured her wearing the jacket too. Then he chuckled, "I don't know how they would have felt over at Lowerton high about you wearing a jacket from Middleton high." he thought smiling to himself.
Then he stroked the picture with the corner of his thumb, he bit his lower lip and tears began to fill his eyes, "You would have looked good in the jacket too, Lacey." He said under his breath.
Ron put the picture down and picked up Rufus, "Let's go Rufus, we got to go order us a letterman's jacket." He told his small friend.
Ron had lost his chipper edge, "I'll be going out with KP tonight, it'll be our second date…tied with Josh Mankey…She can pull the plug now and I won't be too sad, at least I got a chance this time…I think good ol' Mr. Dr. P will be tweaked, to see her in the car with me again…Get her home at 3:00am this time...Come on old man give me your best shot, I'm ready for you this time" Ron thought to himself with a devilish grin.