Where Did the Time Go? : Part XIII
"That cuts it." Kim growled, standing up.
"Possible, sit back down while the bus is moving." Barkin…barked.
"Then stop it. Stop the bus right now, I'm getting off." She said, pointing her finger at the floor.
"No can do, Possible, next stop Middleton Ski Lodge, so…sit down!" He practically roared the last.
"I'm not going. I paid for a trip to the ski lodge and a room at the lodge and they nearly doubled the price over last year. I didn't pay to sleep in a drafty, tick infested cabin for two nights and be shuttled back and forth through the woods."
"You should have thought about that before you got on the bus, Possible."
She put her hands on her hips and glared at the assistant principal. "How could I do that, you didn't drop this in our laps until we were already gone. I want you to turn this bus around and take us right back."
"Not gonna happen. You should have read the package that came with your registration. Nothing in there guaranteed you would be staying at the lodge, only that your transportation, lift tickets and meals would be provided." He stepped closer to her, leaning down so he was nose to nose with the petite teen. "It also said this was a school function for the duration of this trip and that means your butt is mine until Sunday evening and I want 'my' butt back in that seat, do you understand?"
"This is so ferociously unfair. You knew about this before we left."
"Possible, this trip isn't about where we sleep, it's about skiing and having fun." He lowered his voice again. "and you're going to have fun. That's an order!" He barked the last, causing Kim to suddenly drop back into her seat.
Ron put a hand on her arm. "It's okay, Kim. It's just two nights."
"But Ron, you hate that place. If could feel every muscle in your body tense up when he said where we're going."
"I know, Kim, but I've beat that place twice now and it's not like we've got to stay there all day. We're probably not even going to see the place until tonight when we bunk down."
Kim slumped her shoulders. Any other time she would have been proud at the mature resolve he was showing in the face of one of his greatest fears. Right now it just felt like he didn't have her back.
"Dammit, last year when we went there for cheer camp I got put with Bonnie and she kept me up all night snoring or sitting under her tanning lamps," She switched to a growling whisper, "and she didn't want tan lines." Kim shuddered, not caring if she ever saw that bare butt again."
"Kim, Kim, Kim. What is the likelihood of that happening again?"
"Right up there with the likelihood we'd be dragged to Wannaweep instead of a nice heated room and a huge lobby full of over-stuffed couches and fireplaces. I was going to camp out on one of those, snuggle up to you and read that awful book we got assigned this morning." She had already gotten a few hundred pages into it and while it was worlds better than the movie, she just couldn't get into it, even though, so far, the story had been taking place not far from where they lived.
"If the ground isn't too bad, we'll find that place we made out campfire and I'll set one up for you and you can tell me about the story by the firelight. How about that?"
She gripped his hand tightly. "Okay, who are you and where is Ron?"
"He's right here and he's been looking forward to this trip since the holidays and he's not going to let sleeping in a drafty old cabin keep him from enjoying it." He let go of her hand and slipped his arm behind her back. "Besides, I just called Wade and he assures me that Gil is still in Doctor Lurkin's lab."
Kim cracked a smile. At least he still had to have certain reassurances.
"I just hope this isn't like cheer camp with the bed-checks and all that."
"I don't see why it would be. Then we had a camp with what, three hundred cheerleaders and maybe two dozen guys? They had to keep a constant eye on us. Now today, we've got what, thirty people? That means they don't have to crowd us up."
"Think again, boyfriend. It's the dead of winter and those cabins aren't exactly set up for that. I'm willing to bet they've brought in some propane powered space heaters and they're going to bunch us up in the smallest number of cabins possible." She crossed her arms again and glowered. "I've got a really bad feeling about who the rest of the chaperones will be."
"Kim, look at it this way, we're going to have a bon-diggity time snow-boarding and considering the practice I got at home this week with all the snow, I've got some new stuff I want to try on a real hill. Like you always said, you enjoy skiing when you're not being chased by some super-freak's goons!
She put a hand on his lap and gave his thigh a slight squeeze. "Okay, Honey, you win. I'll have fun, just like Lieutenant Barkin ordered. If they're real strict on the rooms, we'll just wait until we get back home." She leaned closer, speaking in a bare whisper. "Tuesday's coming."
"Um, about Tuesday…Dad said they aren't going this week."
Kim's eyes went wide open. "You're kidding me. They didn't even hold off on that trip to pick you up at the airport. Did he say why?"
"Nope. I don't even know why they've been going in the first place."
She slumped down in her seat. "I so can't wait for summer. Being seventeen is really starting to suck."
They briefly stopped at Wannaweep to drop of their luggage and assign rooms. As Kim had suggested they were using only five of the twenty cabins and naturally were separating the boys and the girls. The plan was to go on to the lodge and do some skiing, have dinner, then return to the camp to bed down about ten that night, pretty much allowing them to do as much as they normally would at the mountain resort.
Their first surprise was the sign posted right outside the gates of the renamed camp. It simply read "Future home of Lake Gottagrin Resort – an Ogehs Investments property."
Kim kept her eyes on the sign as they drove past. "Isn't that the company your mother works for?" She asked Ron.
"Sure is. Maybe that's what they've been doing in Denver. Maybe she's been working on this and Dad's been retained for his actuary services. He can work anywhere, you know."
"Oh God, what if she is on the project and the big announcement she was telling me about is the three of you moving up here when all the work starts on this place."
Ron shook visibly at the notion. "If that happens, KP, I'm going to ask your parents if I can move into the guest room permanently."
"Oh, Dad would love that. He's probably put locks on both our doors…on the outside."
"You don't have a lock on your door?"
Kim shook her head. "I didn't even close my door that much until we started dating. Being on a whole other floor than everyone else privacy wasn't really a big issue. Besides, I don't think Gene and Jean would want to take you away from me now."
"I hope not."
The rest of the camp was a bit of a pleasant surprise. The "cabins" they were using had been refurbished since the last time they were there, though whether it was because the 'Gottagrin' management had been upgrading the property or the new owners had already started their work, they couldn't readily tell. Instead of bunks, the rooms now boasted real beds (though of the run-of-the-mill, stiff-as-a-board motel variety) and fireplaces. They also had attached bathrooms now, so there wouldn't be any trudging out in the snow in bathrobes.
"See, Possible, this isn't so bad now, is it?" Barkin said as he handed her duffle bag to her.
"No. But I'm still tweaked about it. That wasn't fair."
"Life isn't fair…Kim." He said with a stone-faced grin. "How's Stoppable handling it. Last two times we were here he wigged out pretty bad."
"Oh, he's doing pretty good, considering…hey, waitaminute. He saved our butts both of those times." She said, her free hand going to her hip.
"Yeah, he did come through in the clutch, but only after crying like a hungry mutant wiener dog was after him."
She glowered at him for a moment, but he was already handing out more luggage and ignoring her. Shouldering her bag, she looked at the slip of paper with her room assignment. Cabin 9. Her eyes rolled up and she let out a sound that was part sigh, part groan. That was the same cabin she had been assigned the last time and that time…
Kim walked in the door, noting the newly carpeted floor, the fireplace, which already had logs set up in it and the four new beds arranged around the large central room. Her three roommates were already there, unpacking the few things they brought for two nights. Somebody must have a sense of humor. Either that, or they somehow thought the female members of the cheer squad who were along for the trip would want to bunk together for some reason.
There they were, Marie Anthony, a freshman and a gifted gymnast who had yet to fully hit puberty but had the most raw talent she had seen since, well, since she had tried out for cheerleading at twelve. Danika Foster, a sophomore who looked like that spoiled rich girl with the Chihuahua who seemed to be on TV all the time simply because she had a famous name and of course…Bonnie.
"Hi Kim." The brunette said cheerily. "Looks like it's cheer camp all over again, though I do like what they've done with the place."
"I'm thrilled." Kim said flatly. The two younger girls tittered slightly, as if they were in on some private joke. She eyed the two suspiciously, suspecting a loop had formed and she was not in it, suddenly realizing what it felt like when Ron said that.
When she first met that…thing.
"Cheer up, Kim. At least we won't have to fight over who gets the top bunk this time and I did go to a sleep specialist about my snoring." Bonnie said. "Here, why don't you take the bed closest to the fire?"
She almost said something. She was way past warning flags going up, but realized if she confronted her now she just might clam up. It was 'give her enough rope' time. Forcing a pleasant smile she put her bag on the offered bed and started back toward the door.
"Thank you, Bonnie." She said sweetly, then left to go find Ron.
He was already waiting for her outside the door.
"So, let me guess, they've got you rooming with the Walters twins and that little guy with the glasses who used to sit between us third period last year?" She asked, taking his hand as they headed back to the bus.
"No, it's so ferociously cool. They've got me bunked with Rock Banner and a couple other guys from the football team, and they're digging having me as a roomy. How cool is that?"
"It's cool those dummies finally realized what a great guy you are, Ronnie." She hugged his arm as they walked.
The place really looked different this time of year. Both times Kim had been there it was early fall and summer was having a hard time letting go of the place. They were high enough here the ground still had about six inches of ice-crusted snow on it, though the main paths had been carefully cleared. It really was a picture-perfect winter wonderland and she was starting to feel better about the place, especially since Ron had miraculously gotten over his fears. Maybe the place had changed enough he wasn't quite as worried about it as before, or at least his acceptance by the 'cool' guys overshadowed his lingering fears.
"Ready to get down to what we came here for?" She asked, momentarily putting her head on his shoulder.
"I thought that was coming later when we snuck out of our rooms." He replied with a lopsided grin.
"No, loverboy. I mean some slopes action."
"Yep, the Ron-man came to board!" He cheered.
"Yeh-heh!" Repeated the small shape riding in his pocket, giving them both a 'claws' up gesture.
"You know, that's funny." Ron said as they walked past Cabin 1. "I thought that totem pole was over by the lake. I wonder why they moved it."
Kim shrugged as they climbed aboard. They'd changed a lot of things, so why not move the décor?
Bonnie hung back as the other two girls headed for the bus. Old habits died hard and she was just too intensely curious about her rival. As quietly as she could, she unzipped the light violet bag sitting on the bed. She had already unpacked her things, moving them into the small chest of drawers beside her chosen bed, as had the others, but Kim had simply left her bag on the bed untouched. That in itself wasn't odd, but it did make her snooping a little more chancy.
She tiptoed to the door and gingerly shut it before quickly moving back to the bed. Glancing up one more time, she unzipped the bag, careful not to disturb anything inside until she was sure Kim didn't have any hidden gadgets protecting her things.
Her eyes rolled upwards as she surveyed the extra clothing, especially at the mass of pink cotton that looked to her like a ten-year-old's underwear collection. She really frowned when she picked up the thick book packed in there. Bonnie never would have figured Kim for a Science Fiction fan.
A small jewelry box caught her eye. That was certainly an unusual thing, considering she had never seen Kim wear anything but those gaudy earrings and that cutesy little heart necklace. Curiosity got the better of her, wondering if Ron had actually given her a certain bit of gold and carbon that she wasn't quite ready to show off in public.
Her eyes really went up when all she found inside was a plastic compact with a paper label. She knew in a heartbeat what it was. "I knew it." She said under her breath, carefully closing the lid and putting it precisely back where it had been.
Bonnie was about to close the bag up, armed with a new, potentially devastating tidbit of information on her rival when she spotted something that, from that angle, looked a bit like black silk. Thinking it might be that slinky little dress Kim was so proud of, she reached back into the bag and pulled it out.
It wasn't a dress and once she had her hands on it, she knew it wasn't silk, though the material was soft and cool to the touch. She gasped slightly as the blue bands and piping on the body suit started glowing faintly as she held it.
She had a good idea what the outfit was. She had seen plenty of TV footage where Kim was wearing a white suit just like this one. Running back to the door, she peeked outside. The bus was almost ready to go. There was no time right now, so she carefully folded it back up and put it away, carefully zipping the bag and arranging it on the bed just as she had found it.
This could prove to be a very interesting weekend.
Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney