Our Place in the Food Chain: Part XII

Of the more than two hundred students in the senior class, perhaps half of them were somehow shoe-horned into Cary's house. Kim and Ron arrived just after dusk and it seemed it had already been going on for some time. Music was being pumped throughout the house with an expensive looking built-in multi-room stereo system. The driving 'euro/techno' music was so loud it was difficult to even carry on a conversation.

Kim eyed their host warily as he made his way to the snack table to pour them some sodas. "Ron, why didn't you tell me it was Cary that invited you?"

"I dunno. It didn't seem important. You know this guy?"

"Yeah, he's in my first and third period classes." They both had to hold a hand over one ear and lean into the other to be heard.

"Huh. Oh well, we're here for the party, not just to visit with him."

Kim nodded in response as the senior in question brought them their drinks. "Hey, make yourselves at home. Sorry if you wanted diet, I underestimated how much to get and some of the girls that got here earlier guzzled it down already. There's punch and nachos and layer dip, all sorts of stuff."

"Looks cool! Is anybody dancing yet?" Ron shouted at him, giving him a thumbs up.

"You betcha!" He returned Ron's salute and headed off. As their host left them to mingle with other guests he noticed Kim carefully sniffing the drink. Almost automatically he did the same.

"Smells like cola to me." Ron said. "Something the matter?"

"I don't know. So far Cary's seemed awful nice, but my weirdar is going off a little bit."

"Think he might try to spike it or something?" Ron eyed his own drink warily as they meandered through the room.

"Like I said, I don't know. Look, maybe it's a good idea if we got our own drinks, preferably from a can or an unopened bottle. This guy might be perfectly trustworthy, but there are a lot of people in here and I'm willing to bet the punch is already spiked."

"Gotcha." He said as he 'watered' a handy plant. Kim followed suit and carried the two cups to the kitchen where a large waste bin had been set up. "Time for Rondo to work the room and impress the lay-days with my bon-diggity moves."

Kim gently grabbed the collar of his black dress shirt and pulled him in for a quick, warm kiss. "Hey, remember, some of those moves belong to a certain 'lay-day' exclusively."

He laid a hand on the bare portion of her hip and kissed her right back. "Mmmm. Maybe we should blow this joint and just show each other our moves."

"Later, Ron. Like you said, we're here to see and be seen. I do like the way you think though." She grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him again, this time longer and deeper, not caring how crowded the room was. She had already seen other party-goers doing the same thing so it felt natural. Somehow she found herself leaning into him, pressing her body against his as they kissed. He started lightly sucking on her neck, getting into the embrace.

"Hey, cool it, mister. It's a long time before I can wear something that covers those up." She whispered in his ear, wrapping both arms around his waist.

"Sorry, KP." He said, nuzzling her ear. The music changed, switching to a slow ballad. "Come on, let's find where the dancing is."

"Right here is just fine." She said, putting her head on his shoulder and swaying in time with it, feeling like she was alone with him as they danced. The other couples in the room who weren't sitting were all doing the same thing. She closed her eyes and pretended they were back at the prom, dancing for the first time. Ghostly images from a half remembered dream flitted through her mind as his hands kneaded the small of her back. Some time during the song they started kissing again, not stopping even when another heavy dance-track replaced the ballad.

Finally they separated and started milling about the room, watching for a chance to snag a choice spot on a sofa. It didn't look like that was going to happen any time soon. The folks who got there ahead of them had staked out all the choice locations. Giving up they made their way to what must have been the den. The furniture had been pushed aside or removed, making plenty of room for a modest sized dance floor.

She marveled how Ron could dance with such abandon. For a man who could trip over his own shoelaces, even tied he was incredibly coordinated when it came to his steps. An Oh Boyz song started and he perfectly mimicked the moves from the video, adding his own from time to time, lip-synching right along with it. Kim found herself backing up just to watch him.

Kim wasn't the only one. More and more dancers were doing the same thing, forming a sort of circle around him, all still swaying and gyrating to the beat while watching him. His dance moved into a retro-break-dance, spinning first on his back, then his head. The applause was almost deafening as the song ended.

Ron ended his dance with a spin and split he used in his "Mad Dog" routine. "Booyah!" he shouted as Kim helped him up. The music had changed to rock and wasn't much to dance to at the moment.

"Why didn't we go like this more often before?" Kim asked as she leaned her back into him. His arms wrapped around her waist, clasping over her belly button.

"We used to, before you started getting into boys."

"Why didn't I see that then?" She mused, partly to him, partly to herself. "Seems like everyone else did."

"That's cause we were just going to those things as friends. Hey, the last time we actually did that we were like fourteen. Then I got locked in that closet for three days."

"Honey, don't go there. It makes me sick just thinking I did that to you."

"It doesn't bother me any more, KP. Maybe if we'd gotten together back then we wouldn't have what we have now."

She looked back at him. He was smiling. Not a silly grin but a sort of peaceful contentment. He was likely right. If they had started dating back then she would not have gone through the learning process she had where it came to the 'good looking' boys. She knew she wasn't just pretty, she was a hottie and in her arrogance she assumed it was her rightful place to have an equally hot young man to date. It took a couple more years for her to realize there was a lot more to fulfilling her heart than that.

As the evening wore on they made a couple passes at the snack table, Ron pronouncing judgment on the relative quality of the homemade tex-mex, basically how it compared to his touchstone of Bueno Nacho. To Kim the food was actually a little better than they served since it had been made by hand in a kitchen instead of pre-packaged stuff the restaurant just had to heat up.

Certain people were conspicuous by their absence. For one, Monique wasn't there, which in itself was strange. She didn't usually miss this sort of thing and she was looking forward to dishing with her while Ron was gabbing with the other guys or fast-dancing with some of the other girls there.

She found it interesting that it didn't really bother her watching him dance with them. It wasn't like he was dancing with just one, two, sometimes three of them would gather around him, trying to emulate his dance moves, though she did notice Tara there quite a bit. She shoved that dark thought out of her mind since wherever the blonde was, so was Hope. The three of them were apparently forming their own new clique, which, considering the upheaval in the cheer squad, would be a good thing.

The other person missing was Bonnie. Considering every single one of the school's power players were here tonight, her absence was nothing short of shocking.

A few people, she did note, were drinking beer. She was glad she told Ron they would leave if the party was getting out of hand and not if there was any alcohol present at all. Such a stricture would likely keep them out of every party ever thrown. Somehow the harder drinks always tended to show up. She knew she wasn't going to get into any of it and neither would Ron. Both of them had tasted beer with the permission of their parents and both had wondered exactly why people actually drank that stuff.

It was hot that night and oddly humid for Colorado, so she found herself sipping constantly from her drink. She was nursing it, since there were no more unopened bottles on the table and she didn't trust everyone to behave. It was funny, though, that her drink wasn't getting hot and flat, despite her cup never quite getting more than half empty. She found she didn't care. Another slow song finally started and she downed the last of her cup in one gulp.

She was quite okay with Ron fast-dancing with others, but when it came to the slow stuff he was all hers. Immediately her arms were wrapped around him and her head was on his shoulder as they swayed to the music. Regardless of her warning to him earlier she started in on his neck. Ron wore high collars most of the time anyway and school was out Monday for Labor Day anyhow. Still, come Tuesday he was going to have a little something to show off. She was leaving her mark on him!

"Um, KP, isn't this the sort of thing for a more private dance?" He whispered in her ear as her hands moved a little further south than normal in public.

"I've got you all to my private self right here and now." She giggled, giving him a little squeeze before bringing her hands back up to his waist. She snuggled him close again and slipped a couple fingers into this waistband. As the last bars of the song started she kissed him again, her hand slipping just a little further down, finding the tail of his tucked-in shirt.

The music morphed into a more upbeat tempo, something that was part Salsa, part dance mix. Their dance increased in speed to match, but she wasn't about to let him go, the music lending itself perfectly for a bit of dirty dancing. Other party-goers quickly followed suit, grinding against each other in time with the music. She laughed out loud as they ended the dance with a dip.

"Hey, didn't your Nana suggest taking up ball-room dancing?" Ron said.

"Yeah, that might be fun after all!" She laughed as he pulled her up from the dip. Another rock tune started up so they left the dance floor. Kim found her drink and took another big gulp of it as Ron made his way to the snacks.

Oh, he's got such a nice butt! She thought as he walked away. Nice and firm and it's no wonder his pants keep falling down, he has absolutely no hips, which is exactly what I like. She wriggled a little in time with the music, mentally replaying their dancing in her head, imagining what it would be like to dance with a little less on. Or a lot less on!

She realized she was sweating freely now. It was so hot! Especially with so many people crowded into the house. Maybe that's why she was so thirsty. She took another gulp of her cola. It was really getting hot and flat, but it was the only thing she could trust. She polished it off and set the cup down as Ron returned with a couple plates.

"Hade enough yet KP?" He asked, handing her a selection of chips and cookies.

"Hell no. I had no idea this was so much fun. Come on, Baby, let's dance some more." She set the food down beside her cup and pulled him back out there, dancing with abandon, not caring any more how hot it was or how sweaty her new clothes were getting. She wanted to dance with her Ron!

Dancing had never been like this. She was so getting into it. Her moves were getting wilder and wilder as the music pulsed. The music slowed just a bit and she wrapped herself around him again.

Wow, I've never danced till I was dizzy before!

Almost on cue the dance-track ended and she went back to her snack, taking a sip of her drink to wash it down. Ron sat down with her, his hair matted with sweat.

"Oh, I bet we smell lovely now!" He shouted over the rock anthem blaring over the speakers.

Kim nibbled on his shoulder. "Damn you smell good right now. Good enough to eat!" She pulled his collar down and started nibbling on his neck again.

"KP, maybe we should get going. It is getting late."

"I'm not ready to go home yet. I'm here to party with you." She stuck her hand behind him, this time reaching all the way down the back of his pants. "Hey, want to see what the upstairs looks like?" With her free hand she downed what was left in her cup.

Something went click behind Ron's eyes. Kim didn't look right to him. He wriggled her hand free of his pants and took a good look at her. Her eyes were half-lidded and bloodshot, her damp hair was partly stuck to her face. There was absolutely nothing left of her lipstick considering they had kissed it all off a long time ago and her makeup was slightly smudged.

"Come on, Ronnie. Let's go upstairs and find some place to get out of these sweaty things." She said, running a finger down his chest.

That was it for him. She was slurring her words so badly he knew what had happened. She had lost track of her drink and somebody had been topping it off, and not just with cola. He grabbed her cup and took a whiff. The smell wasn't strong, but it was there. Probably vodka or ever clear, something that didn't have a distinctive odor, he didn't know what. He just knew there were certain things you could mix with sodas that wouldn't taste strongly of the liquor. Even so, she was apparently past the point where that even mattered.

"Ronnie, why don't you get me a refill. Scratch that, I need filling. I need an injection of the Ron Factor." She started tugging on his belt, again gnawing at his neck.

He stood up and pulled her to her feet. She was to the point she could hardly stand on her own. He propped her arm over his shoulder and headed for the door. Once outside her down on the curb.

"Honey, the bedrooms are back that way." She pointed at the house.

Ignoring her he pulled out his communicator. He'd only had it since his birthday and hadn't yet mastered all the unmarked buttons. He needed somebody and he needed them now so he punched the one button that always got a response.

"Hey, Ron, what's up. I was just about to go to bed." Wade said. He was already wearing pajamas.

"Wade, patch me through to Kim's house. I need one of her parents right now."

"What's wrong?"

"We're at a party and somebody spiked Kim's drink. Hurry, I don't know what to do."

"Okay, I'm on it."

"Thanks Wade. You do rock."

He turned to check on Kim, who was passed out on the sidewalk.

Cary looked out the window as the bronze Jaguar pulled away, followed closely by a battered looking black motorcycle and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hi, Dad?...Yeah, it's me, Cary…yep, I've got it all under control…no, I haven't made my move yet, still sowing the seeds…no…Mom did what? Oh, man, that sucks…no, it doesn't matter. I'll be eighteen in a couple months and the custody order won't mean crap…yes, I know, you won't have to worry about the empty nest for much longer…I love you too and give my – love – to Mom through your lawyers…bye!"

He closed the phone and stuck it in his pocket, heading toward his bedroom and a very beautiful young woman waiting there for him.

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney