Our Place in the Food Chain: Part XIX
Ron sat in the bleachers fiddling with the new Mad Dog head, adjusting the internal supports so it wouldn't give him a headache. He was already worried he would have to either create a new one of his own or repair the old one. Nice as the new one was, it was heavier and it just plain didn't want to fit right.
The arguments on the floor were already in full swing. Kim wanted to start of with some classic routines the new girls should already know, but Bonnie wanted to go directly to the cheer that won the regionals last season. Kim wanted to play it on the safe side and give the new recruits a chance to learn to work with the more experienced girls. Bonnie, on the other hand, thought it would take too long to develop the program from the point where Kim wanted to start.
It came down to Kim pulling rank on her rival as the returning captain. Ron could see it in Bonnie's aquamarine eyes that she really wanted to call for a vote, but it was clear she knew she couldn't win. She cast one glance right at him before giving in for the moment.
That gave him slight pause. If Kim hadn't stopped him and he did take a swing at Cary, he wouldn't be there, he'd be sitting out in the parking lot waiting to take Kim home, or worse already home because she didn't want anything to do with him at the moment. If that had happened it might have tipped the balance toward Bonnie, at least on getting an up vote on having the election early.
Was Bonnie in on what happened? That would mean she was somehow in cahoots with Cary, which wouldn't be hard to believe. He did look like a thinner version of Brick, though that was mostly his haircut. She had been with the former quarterback off and on some six or seven times but beyond that he had no idea what sort of guy she would go for otherwise. With her utter disappearance over the summer and the fact that beyond all likelihood, neither he or Kim had any classes with her, there was no way to know what was going on with her.
He had to stifle a small smile about how the cell phone ban was affecting her. They probably had to surgically remove it from her ear.
Ron watched the routine carefully. When it was complete, as far as the girls were concerned, his part would come in. He would cartwheel out in front of them and land in a split, a move he wouldn't have dreamed of doing when her first joined the squad. All he had to do then was ham it up and generally act like an idiot, spraying the crowd with banana cream foam from the pump built into his mask.
When he had switched bodies with Kim he wasn't able to do a single thing she could. He couldn't fight and he couldn't tumble (not to mention not knowing how certain things worked.) It was like he was wearing her body like a set of clothes, clothes that he knew were capable of Olympic level gymnastics and astounding leaps. He could feel the strength of her muscles but he had no idea how to control them.
It was still a revelation to him in other ways. He watched as she used his body to fight Shego and a whole squad of Drakken's goons then she used it to give the D-Hall bullies some 'sensitivity training.' Finally she literally shoved him aside at the Cheer Off and completed the whole routine. It didn't dawn on him then, but over time he began to realize just what he was actually capable of if he could get his own mind to work in synch with his body. Just that little bit of knowledge opened up a whole world for him. He was never going to be the natural athlete she was since his mind just plain didn't work that way, but he knew that if he tried hard enough things like actually becoming part of the squad itself could happen.
How was so much bad happening now though? At first he was on top of the world with all the adulation and back slapping but something was wrong with it. Then it slowly started dawning on him that his jump in status in the "food chain" was accompanied by Kim's being knocked down quite a ways. In theory it sounded good that she no longer cared about such things but that wasn't the reality they had to live with day after day. The comments he received were starting to change in their nature or at least he didn't hear the innuendo at first.
The very same things that had improved his reputation had damaged hers. It was something he never really thought about before, the double standards applied to male and female teenagers. The popular assumption was the two of them had gone all the way on many occasions. There wasn't really any way he could think of to counter those rumors either, especially since they had nearly done it anyway. In his mind their willingness to nearly go that far was not much different than the act itself. Going around proclaiming their mutual virginity would just seem so hypocritical now. Then too it was quite likely they wouldn't be believed.
He also knew that it was highly likely he would be ridiculed if he admitted it anyway. He could put on a good show, but years of being called a loser or worse hurt. Most of the other kids in the school wouldn't care how much he treasured her, how much their love meant to the two of them. No, they would care whether they were having sex or not.
Other thought weighed heavily on his mind, not the least of which was Cary. Kim said she had a bad feeling about him before, but that had utterly evaporated now. Somehow the boy had managed to charm her 'weirdar' feelings away. That didn't work on him. It didn't happen instantly like it had with Lord Montgomery Fisk, but his own version that he thought of as his 'bad road-meter' was starting to spike any time the guy was mentioned or around.
Maybe it was the fact he was around so much. He certainly didn't like the thought of having dinner at his house, even with the Possible clan there with him. The very idea made him uncomfortable now, much as memories of that house did. He could walk into almost any of their enemy's lairs without a bit of hesitation. There, they were in their element, they were in some degree of control (most of the time.) That night there had been no control. Something so innocuous as a cup of pop had sprung up to hurt them. The very notion of setting foot back in that home brought all the unpleasant feelings, all the panic he had felt that night.
Something was definitely off about Cary On. There was a sort of sinister familiarity about him and he wasn't thinking of the traits he shared in common with him. Most of that could be faked anyhow. He was to the point he though Kim and he were the only two left in the world who didn't color their hair. Maybe he really wasn't a blonde, though why anyone would want such a dark yellow sort of blonde he couldn't understand. Usually folks who bleached went more for a golden color or the platinum color Tara had, a color he knew had at least a little help considering he had known her since Middle School.
"Ron, quit playing with that thing and get into the first position." Kim yelled from the floor.
"I can't get it to fit right." He made a show of tugging at the internal rigging of the mask.
"Well, don't worry about it. You need to learn the stunt first, then we can work on getting the equipment ready." She said, hands on her hips, not used to having to wait for anyone.
He stood on his mark, just behind the main group of girls who were doing a routine that started in a straight line, then broke up into two rows of three and a last row of two as they went through their moves. At the very last they raised their pom poms up in the air, shaking them furiously as he ran down the middle, dropping into a cartwheel halfway through the girls. Even such a short tumble felt like it was going to yank his insides out, but he managed to land in a split, just as planned.
They went through the routine three more times, Kim constantly coaching from her position in the middle of the pack. He had been going to practice with the squad for over two years and he thought they had been perfect, yet she was still picking out missteps and other mistakes. If he wasn't part of the routine himself now he would have shaken his head. Coach Possible was coming out to play. The old squad had worked like a finely tuned machine so there far less opportunity for her inner bossiness, something he called 'Kimness' to come to the fore.
That didn't matter. He was part of it now and he was pumped. The adrenaline started for flow and he started hopping around in place, pretending the mask was on. There was something about having it on and being in front of a packed, cheering stadium or gym. He could be somebody else and he could really cut loose and put on a show.
They were doing one last routine before calling it a day. The new girls were finally starting to get up to speed with the cheer and he was getting into the excitement himself. Grinning to himself, he watched for his cue. He took a first step one beat earlier, planning on doing something a little extra. Instead of running half the distance he went right into the cartwheel, springing up when done and going into a forward flip. He landed perfectly once more, to the applause of the new girls who had no idea he could do that.
Applause wasn't the only sound he heard.
Fabric had ripped. The sound was unmistakable, it was as familiar to him as Kim's voice or his own.
Without thinking he stood up, trying to figure out what had happened. Then he realized his lower half was quite a bit cooler than it was supposed to be. He closed his eyes, knowing what had happened. He started to chuckle, feeling the yellow pants pooled around his ankles. This had happened too many times for it to bother him any more.
Yet, where was the giggling. Normally the girls, especially Tara would start laughing while Kim shook her head in frustration at the sight of Ron standing there in his boxers.
Oh no. Please God no!
He wasn't wearing boxers. Since he was taking a more active role in the squad he was required to wear something else. Something with more support in critical areas.
Mortified beyond words, he pulled the remains of his uniform pants up and made a mad dash for the locker room, making a special mental note that, in the future, he would always wear boxers over his jock strap!
Kim brushed Ron's hair back and kissed his forehead, working her way down his cheek then to his neck. She found the now barely visible yellow/purple spot she had left him Friday night and gently nibbled there.
She was lying on top of him on his bed. They both still had all their clothes on, though they were now quite disheveled. He had his hand up the back of her shirt, every now and again slipping it under her strap, threatening to unhook it. She smiled and shook her head every time he did so, though part of her wished he would defy her and do it anyway.
She moved down from his neck and started on his chest, gently kissing him, her arms wrapped around his chest through his open shirt. He changed into the bowling shirt when he got home since his jersey was sweaty from the too warm day. Kim liked that anyway, finding it more fun to unbutton his shirt when they were making out, pretending she was undressing him for fully.
She rolled off of him and draped her arm around his chest. "One of these days your parents are going to surprise you and stay home on Tuesdays." She said, playing with the triangle of fine blonde hair on his lower belly. She'd never noticed it before so maybe it was just another sign that he was finally growing up, becoming a man.
Kim so very wanted to 'make him a man' right then.
"I'd still like to know what they're doing. Not that I'm complaining right now." He rolled half on top of her, gripping her bare waist under her purple tank top, kissing her hungrily.
Her hand went down to his and she entwined her fingers in his large hand. Her other hand reached under him, around his waist and slipped into the bad of his pants, feeling the muscles on the point of his nearly non-existent hip before sliding further back, squeezing other muscles.
"It's a good thing you've got such a nice butt." She purred between kisses.
"I would just like to forget today."
"Then how's this." She took his hand and placed it on her chest. She could feel his heart beat faster as he cupped her. Kim arched her back slightly, pushing toward his touch.
"Wow…um…wow!" was all he could stammer as she closed her eyes. She hooked a leg up over his and pulled him down for another kiss.
"You can use both hands, you know." She said, rubbing her bare leg up and down his tan cargos.
Ron didn't have to be asked twice, though he found it was harder to kiss that way. Finally she took his head and placed it on its side on her chest. He could hear her heartbeat but the only thing he was conscious of was the softness pillowing him there.
"Is this what they call second base?" He whispered.
"Not quite. We'll save that for later. Unless you want more." She whispered back, stroking his ragged bangs with her fingertips.
"Oh, I want, I want." He said, a little more loudly.
"I do too, though this may go too far."
He thought about that, thought about what she actually believed second base was, or even third. He had always been so preoccupied with the proverbial home run he never really considered the steps in between. Much as he wanted to he also didn't want to move from this particular spot right now.
"You're right. One thing at a time." He nuzzled in a little closer, conscious of where his mouth was. Instead of dwelling on that thought he put his hand on her waist again, squeezing it gently, felling the taught muscles there.
After a while he sat up a bit and started kissing her again while cupping her through her shirt.
"This is only for you. It will only ever be for you." She whispered, wrapping both arms around him and pulling him close.
"Booyah." He whispered back, reaching down and cupping her backside through her shorts. She ground her hips against him slightly, then rolled him back onto his back, climbing on top of him and rubbing his chest much the way she often did his back.
"You know, our real anniversary will be in May." She said.
He wagged his eyebrows. "Think we'll find a good way to celebrate it?"
"Oh, I can think of some things. You know the Prom will be the very next day. This time, come hell or high water, we're going to get there right when it starts and we're not leaving until they throw us out. I don't care if Drakken, Monkey Fist and Killagin all team up to take over the world, for that night they're going to have it. I want you that night."
"I think you've got me right now." He said, giving her hips a light squeeze.
"Yes you do." She leaned down and kissed him gently several times. "Happy thirteenth anniversary, best friend."
"I'm the luckiest guy in the world, aren't I?"
"Oh?" She said sweetly, tracing the top of his lip with her tongue.
"I get to have a best friend with benefits, like the song said."
"Humph. I know what that song meant and you just said we're saving that, buster."
"Darn." He said in a mock pout.
She leaned down to his ear, letting the full weight of her body rest on his. "Remember that sleeping bag on the beach?" she whispered in his ear.
"Can't ever forget it."
"Remember what we did?"
"Oh yeah."
Kim nibbled on his ear, her face becoming a mirror of his big, goofy grin.
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