At four o'clock, they RAN back into each other's arms.
"------------------------------------------------------"
"So... wanna tell me what that was all about?" Ron asked once Kim had buckled her seat-belt.
"Uh... tell ya later" Kim said, hoping she sounded casual. The fact was, she had things to tell Ron, things that weren't going to be easy – for either of them. "I'm starved... Bueno Nacho? I'll treat..."
"Boo-yah! Nacheritos on Kim! We're there, right Rufus?" The pet rat (rat – naked, mole) nodded his approval, but then looked at Kim again. It had an animal's instincts about when things weren't quite right.
What wasn't right was that Kim had never even hinted to Ron that he wasn't... boyfriend material. At least to her. She knew that the blonde boy was just waiting his chance, thinking she'd come around sooner or later. Her dating of boys had tapered off to nothing over the summer as it had sunk in that she liked girls. LIKE liked. But she had never told anyone – certainly not her "best friend since pre-K".
Ron ordered his usual enough-for-three-people meal and 42-oz BladderBuster soda, while Kim had a taco salad and water. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry anyway.
After snarfing down his first nacherito, Ron finally had the time between bites to speak, "Ok, is this 'later' enough? So, what's with all the hugging on Shego? You'd think she was your long-lost sister, or something..."
"Uhm... yeah..." she sighed. She looked down at Rufus and noticed he was obviously avoiding looking back at her. "Ron, uh, you know we're 'friends', right?"
"Best Friends for Life, KP! So?"
"So... I mean, that's all we are, right?" He looked at her quizically. "I mean, you aren't... my boyfriend or anything -"
Ron chuckled, "I can wait, KP. You'll see the beauty of the Ron-miester one of these days. I can't help but notice you never hang out with any of the guys you've dated – so you're still looking, right? I'm right here! Ain't goin' nowhere. You'll see, eventually."
That certainly laid things out for her. Well, might as well do this now... I wish... Oh... hell, she thought playing with her salad. "I... don't think... uh..." deep breath, Kim, "The thing is: I like girls, Ron. I'm gay." She watched Rufus as she said it, noticing that he still wasn't looking at her.
"Yeah, right. And Shego's your girlfriend. Heh... look, KP, if -"
"I mean it, Ron. And you're right, Shego and I are... well, we're going to be girlfriends. Uh... I hate to break it to you like this, but -"
Ron had stopped eating with food still in front of him, a bad omen if ever there was one. "Wait – just wait a minute. You're... you're saying you 'like' girls? Not boys?"
"Yeah... but we can still -"
"- And, you're not just saying that to get me off your back? 'Cuz I know I was tagging along with you a lot, last summer, but I thought..."
Kim didn't ask him what he thought, but only kept turning over the lettuce in her bowl, as if searching for the perfect piece.
It was becoming evident to him that Kim was quite serious. "Oh. So you're... Uh... okay..." Ron stammered. He couldn't think. If Kim was gay, she'd never be interested in him. EVER! Another ten years wouldn't make any difference! Was she sure? And why was she telling him this now! And... Shego? What was her part in all this? Wasn't she a little... old for Kim, anyway? And... just where did he fit in?
Nowhere. He fit in nowhere at all. THAT is what she was trying to tell him!
"I... uh... I gotta go... uh... do something at school" he lied, hurridly sliding out of the booth.
"Wait a second, Ron, what's -"
"Uhm... here's the keys to the car... I... uh... see ya later, K, uh – Kim" and he was gone, leaving Rufus behind on the table.
Kim watched him run – RUN! - off down the sidewalk. Heading towards his house – not the school.
She sighed heavily, "Well, that went just freakin' great..." She looked back down at her salad and saw that Rufus was now watching her. "Left you behind, didn't he, Rufus... he must have been out of his mind. He never leaves you behind, huh?" Rufus only blinked at her. "Yeah, you must feel just like he does right now... left behind. Dammit Ron!"
'------------------------------------------------------'
"You left Rufus at the restaurant... I brought him back" she said standing at the door, watching Ron look anywhere but at her.
"Oh. Uh... thanks. C'mon, Ruf... sorry 'bout that" he said nervously. Rufus climbed off Kim's shoulder and onto his.
They stood akwardly for awhile, neither knowing what might be the right thing to say. Finally, Kim tried to start, if only because fourteen years of friendship was just too much to let go.
"Ron... I only figured it out... recently. I don't... I don't see why things have to change, between us."
"Yeah, well... I guess it gives us something in common, then. We both like girls..." Gawd! Stupidest thing to say EVER! Yeah, me and KP are going to sit around scratching our... privates... and talking about babes... STUPID!
Kim tried to fake a chuckle, but it was obvious, even to Ron.
Unable to stand the tension anymore, Ron finally said, "So... okay, thanks for bringing Rufus back. See ya later..." He backed away as a signal he intended to shut the door.
"Yeah. Later." She turned around as the door closed.
Walking back home, she wished she'd kept Rufus. She could've used his company.
'------------------------------------------------------'
"Yellow."
"Yellow yerself. Hey, the WWF Smackdown is gonna come on in half an hour! Wanna come watch? I'll make the popcorn..."
"Uh... thanks Monique, maybe some other time. I... I got stuff to do, so I don't think -"
"You're lying, Ron-man. Can I ask what's going on?"
"Well... no, I don't think I can say... I just gotta...think, I guess. About stuff."
"... well, okay. Listen, if you wanna talk about it, you know I'll listen, right?"
"Thanks. Uh... Tivo it for me?"
"Better! I'll Tivo it but WON'T watch it... it'll be like a rain-check! For when you're feeling better?"
"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks again, Monique..."
"Ta Ron-man."
'------------------------------------------------------'
The hard parts just kept coming...
"Mom, Dad? Uh, can we talk somewhere?"
This was not promising. Kimmie-cub had a problem, and apparently the living-room was not sufficiently private, even if the twins weren't around at the time. Not Good. The Dr.'s Mr and Mrs Possible glanced at each other in fear, and eventually followed Kim into the basement. Both parents were were thinking, Well, it can't be the Sex Talk, if I'm (he's) invited... and she's not happy enough to be thinking of marrying someone... so that leaves... pregnant or tattoo. PLEASE let it be a tattoo! PLEASE!
"Mom, Dad... I figured I should just say it, since you'll probably figure it out anyway – I never could hide anything from you very long." Another deep breath later, "I... I'm a... I'm gay."
Okaaaaay... Mom and Dad thought, ... maybe pregnancy wouldn't have been so bad, after all.
"You're a lesbian? You... you're sure..." her father asked.
"Yeah. I'm sure. Uhm... sorry..." Kim replied dejectedly. Was he... was he going to... what was he going to do?
Her father turned and started up the stairs without saying anything else.
"Dad?"
He didn't answer, but her Mom did, "It's okay, Kimmie. Let him go. He'll be alright, after awhile... he just has... issues with homosexuality. He'll get over it."
At least her mother might be supportive. Could be worse. But Dad had a special place in her heart, as Dads do with their daughters, oftentimes. It hurt her because she suddenly felt... apart... from him.
Kim turned to her mother, "So... you're okay with it – with me... then?"
She looked at her daughter and sighed, sitting down on the laundry hamper, "I don't really have much say in the matter, Kimmie. Not up to me. I won't say I'm happy for you... there'll be things you're going to have to go through that can't be avoided... and there's nothing I can do to make those things better. So in a way, I wish you weren't gay, but like I said: not my choice. Really, it's not your choice either. It's just the way you are. I am proud of you for telling us, though. That took a lot of guts..."
"You wouldn't believe..." Kim said, "And I've already been through at least one tough thing: I told Ron, and... well, he always thought that I'd... be his girlfriend, someday. So now he thinks I've abandoned him or something, I guess. But... why did Dad just up and leave like that? He... oh, god, he doesn't think I'm abandoning him, does he?"
"Oh, no, Kim, nothing like that. It's just that you've reminded him of someone he used to know. An old friend of his, from ROTC. A man, actually, who turned out to be gay. And being gay back in those days wasn't like it is now, so this friend of his had some, well, bad things happen to him. He's probably afraid bad things will happen to you too, is all, but when he thinks about it, he'll see that it's different now." She paused trying to think of what more to add, "Look, Kimmie – if you... if you ever go to a lesbian bar or anything – become part of the 'gay scene' – just don't tell him about it, okay? He won't want to hear it."
"'Gay scene'? Mom, I'm just now getting my first girlfriend! It's not like I'm hanging around the gay bars in leather pants or anything! Gah!"
Mrs. Possible chuckled at that image, "Heh, well, if you ever do, keep it to yourself. Actually, I don't think -I- want to hear about that either! 'Leather pants'... oh, dear..." she began to laugh.
"What's so funny about leather pants?"
Her mother looked at her fondly, "I used to own two pair, once upon a time, Kimmie-cub."
"You?" then Kim was hit with a horrible thought, "You... you weren't... you -"
Now her Mom's laughter got the best of her, "Oh! No, Kim... I didn't mean -"
But she couldn't finish for laughing so hard.
'------------------------------------------------------'