Where Did the Time Go? : Part XXXIV

Kim spread the plans out on the table in Middleton High Schools main conference room. As usual, virtually the entire Prom Committee was female, all except for Ron and Frank Molloy. Everyone gathered around her end of the table, trying to get a closer look at the design she had come up with. There were lots of ooo's and ah's, all except for Bonnie, who remained in her seat, glancing disinterestedly at it. Kim couldn't care less. Ever since the other cheerleader's ferociously rude interruption of their double date with Tara and Josh the only words they had exchanged were those absolutely necessary at cheer practice and those were often accompanied by low growls from both parties.

Strangely enough it was Ron who was affected the worst by Bonnie. Normally he didn't hold a grudge but this time he refused to speak to her at all. It was if he decided his now-former friend had ceased to exist. Much as Kim wanted to boot the smug brunette clear to Denver the fact that Ron was so put out by the issue actually made her a little sad, at least for his sake.

Finally Bonnie couldn't take it any more. "You have got to be kidding me." She shook her head, half sneering at her rival.

"What now, Bonnie?" Kim frowned, holding the large sheet of paper unrolled with her fingertips.

"It's just so…boring." She managed to cock her head to one side and put her nose in the air at the same time.

"It's called simple and elegant, Bonnie. It's a formal affair." Kim retorted.

"I say there needs to be a theme." Bonnie rested her chin on her knuckles, as if she was bored by the whole prospect.

"What, more 'underneath the sea' like last year or 'enchanted Arabia' the year before? What are we going to do, copy another Mouse Ears animated movie this year?"

"Well, yes. I was thinking we could do something with 'Imperial China' or something."

"Puh-leese, Bonnie. We've got a limited budget this year. This way we can make it 'A Night to Remember' without cutting it so close the snack table only has Ritz crackers and Kool-aid." Kim glanced at the other members of the committee, who seemed perfectly happy to let the two of them have it out. At least they were arguing the subject at hand.

"Oh, of course we have to have lots of snacks…so Ron's little freak pet can scarf it all down." Bonnie's expression got even worse as the target of her jab leapt on the to table shaking a tiny clawed paw at her and chittering in Naked Mole Rat at her, though she was sure he actually squeaked out 'hey!'

Finally tired of just the two women running the meeting, Frank cut in. "How about we use a nineteen twenties art deco theme. That would still keep the design minimalist but at a touch of class to it."

"That's spankin, Frank." Kim beamed at him. "I think that would work perfectly without making any major changes to my design." There were lots of nods all around, though Bonnie obviously would not be persuaded.

"You could even dress like a flapper, KP." Ron suggested with a silly lop-sided grin.

"Great, we'll turn the whole gym into one big speak-easy, though I understand you like that kind of party, K."

Virtually every eye in the room turned on Bonnie. There was no secret that Kim had gotten drunk at a party back before Labor Day, but that was something that was done to her by way of the host secretly topping off her drink with Everclear. Everybody knew that and understood it, the whole incident put behind them as just something unfortunate that happened to her.

Kim chose to ignore her. "That's be slammin, Ron, but it's already set in stone how I'm dressing for the prom. Besides, I'm not getting a 'bob' on this for love or money." She pointed at her mane of auburn red which was pulled into a smooth ponytail from high on the back of her head.

"I still think the gym is going to look like a big empty barn with so few decorations." Bonnie wouldn't let it go.

Linda Platt answered that time. "Between the class of 06 and 07, we've got almost a hundred more students. If the greater portion attend and bring dates from outside we're going to need every bit of that space and more. We might even have to leave out some of the tables we used last year."

"Linda's right." Ron supplied. "If the Winterfest Dance was any clue, we've got a lot more people coming to these dances this year and the Prom could be really big, I mean even bigger than it was last year."

"Yeah, they all want to come and see the two of you dancing. Hey, Linda, what's the pool on whether he proposes up to now."

"Frank, that's cheating." She snapped back at him as both Kim and Ron turned crimson.

"Arrgh." Bonnie growled softly, banging her forehead on the table. "I don't even know why I even sit on these things if it's all going to be another love fest for Kim." She said under her breath.

The door opened, admitting Principal Director and Steve Barkin. "Doctor Director, we're just about to vote on an overall plan for the Prom decorations."

"Better shelve those plans, Possible."

"What?" Several of the gathered students chorused.

Principal Director stepped forward. "I just got off the phone with Superintendent Marsters. It seems some incompetent nitwit on his staff can't read a calendar. The school system is replacing the wood floors in most of the gyms over the summer but some of the schools were scheduled starting in May and they've put us down for the very day of the Prom. I'm afraid we won't be using the gym. Before any of you can ask, no, they can't reschedule the work. The contractor has already firmed up their plans and any changes would involve hefty penalties the school system is not willing to pay just for a dance."

"What?" Every single one of them shouted.

Ron looked at Kim meaningfully for a moment, then turned back to the Principals. "So, maybe we can use the caf? It's big enough."

Principal Director shook her head, crossing her arms. "Fire code regulations won't allow it unless we restrict the attendance to under three hundred. We had over four hundred last year and I suspect it is going to be even larger this year due to certain factors." She locked eyes with Ron for a second before shifting them to Kim's.

Barkin stepped a little further into the light. "I've secured a backup location."

Kim could hear Ron whispering to himself. "Please don't be Wannaweep, please don't be Wannaweep." He actually had his hands together like he was praying.

That wasn't lost on Barkin. "No, Stoppable, I'm not talking about Gottagrin…they don't have a space large enough there." He grinned smugly, implying he had actually pursued that idea. "Plus I don't want to chance having the proceedings interrupted by some slime monster or walking totem poles. No, there's an option much closer and far more appropriate."

"Where?" Kim asked with a worried frown.

The principal answered that for her subordinate. "We have tentatively secured the main ballroom at Middleton Motor Lodge."

The young couple exchanged meaningful looks again. Both of them had been held in cages at the inaccurately named hotel on separate occasions. First Drakken had held Ron in an electric force field with James Possible's college friends, Professor Chen and Ramesh back when they were Sophomores and Kim had been held in an actual cage there by Monkey Fist when she had been magically transformed into a red-haired, human sized monkey when they were Juniors. They both shrugged since neither time had been nearly as traumatic as their experiences at the one-time summer camp.

"However," Wilma Director continued. "Tentatively is the key word here. We've got first crack at the space on May Nineteenth but the Middleton College Science Department is first on the waiting list for their annual mixer. If we don't come up with the deposit by April first, they get the room and we're either going to have to reschedule the Prom or cancel it outright and let me tell you, the school board takes a very dim view of anyone trying to reschedule."

Bonnie, who was still in her seat looked extra sour. "That place is like, ugh. We'd be better off using the caf and restricting the number of tickets that can be sold."

"Miss Rockwaller, I am not going to do that. The Prom is available to all Juniors and Senior, especially the latter and it would not be fair to apply such a restriction. That would prevent all but about one sixth to one fifth of the eligible students and their dates from coming. I'm afraid our one proper chance is going to be the ballroom or we will have to hold the dance some time early summer after graduation and I'm sure most of you here don't want that."

Most of them shook their heads.

Kim pumped her fist. "Don't worry, Doctor Director. We'll come up with the money, even if we have to turn the Spring Fling dance into a major fundraiser. We'll have it on time and we'll have our Prom."

The Principal nodded. "Good. I'll want a plan of action and the names of the fund-raising sub-committee on my desk by Friday afternoon."

Ron held up his hand. "Um, Doctor D, exactly how much do we need to some up with?"

She faced the worried teen. "The fee for the room is twelve hundred dollars, seventy-five percent of which is due the first of April. Still think you can do that?"

Kim and Ron looked at each other frowning. "I can do anything. We'll have it." Kim said aloud, never taking her eyes off her boyfriend.

"I just don't get it." Kim groused as they headed back to their lockers. "We always hold our Prom the Friday of the middle weekend of May. How could they schedule the work for the very day we're holding it?"

Ron tightened his grip on her hand. "Leave it to the 'dults to screw stuff up. They probably don't even care."

"How could they so something like this. It's the biggest day of the year for Seniors save for graduation and now even that looks like it's going to be held outdoors."

Ron rubbed her shoulders gently as she opened her locker. "Don't worry, KP. We'll come up with the money somehow. Just wish I hadn't given almost all that money back to Dad now."

"Ronnie, there's no reason you should have to pay the whole thing yourself and you didn't give it to your Dad, you put it back in your trust fund. Like you said, no worries. We've got just under a month to come up with nine hundred dollars. Who knows, maybe we can get the whole amount just taking a collection."

Ron laughed as he leaned against his own locker, thinking about how beautiful Kim was to take his mind off his anxiety about the dance. The Saturday after it would be their real one-year anniversary…well, technically Sunday since it was well after midnight when they shared their first real kiss. "Maybe I should put a fake beard and mustache on and threaten the school with extra helpings of mystery meat and turkey pudding if I don't get a dollar from each and every one of them."

"Oy, you are so not playing Frugal Lucre." She leaned against her open locker door for a moment, her expression brightening wonderfully. "Ronnie, can I ask you a favor?"

A very strong feeling of déjà vu washed over him, then he realized exactly what it was. Kim was wearing her snug, long-sleeved teal top and her wide-legged black jeans, precisely the same clothes she had been wearing almost a year earlier. He, of course, was wearing his usual red and cream jersey over a navy turtleneck, also precisely the same outfit.

"This Friday is Middleton Days and nobody has asked me to be their date." She walked her fingertips up the middle of his chest, twiddling his collar slightly.

"You want me to be your date?" He responded, trying to look suave this time instead of completely freaked out.

"I thought you'd never ask." She cooed, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a big kiss, heedless of whether Barkin or Director came around the corner and saw them. This time she had to stand on her tip-toes to kiss him that way.

True to form, the screen in her locker dropped from it's alcove but at least this time Wade didn't do a spit-take. Instead he just rolled his eyes and waited for the young lovers to finish.

When Kim let him go, Ron started falling over backwards, mimicking his response to her kiss on the day of the Moodulators but he caught himself part way down. Kim still giggled and turned to speak to her other friend. "Guess what the sitch is, Wade."

"I'm guessing the two of you are doing Middleton Days again this Friday. Either that or it's just another one of some thousand times the two of you have been smacking lips since then." He rolled his eyes again for good measure.

Ron put his arm around Kim's waist and listened in on the conversation. "Okay, Wade, what's really the sitch?" She finally asked, leaning close to her 'date.'

"I've been coordinating with GJ. We've got another sting set up for next week. You sure about this? I mean, until this is over with the only way I have of locating either one of you is with your Kimmunicators and I'll have to completely deactivate them just in case the bad guys have tapped into that signal too."

"It's no big, Wade. It's just until this is all resolved, then you can give us the new chips and it's all business as usual."

"Okay, it's your call, Kim. I'll catch you two later."

"Kay, Wade. I've got to get ready for my date." She said as the screen winked off.

"Get ready, I thought Middleton Days wasn't until this weekend?" Ron asked as they started toward the doors.

"I'm not talking about that. I figure since it's Wednesday we stand a better chance of getting into that steakhouse without waiting half the night."

Bonnie watched as the two left then checked her digital camera. She had to brace the little device against a door jamb since she couldn't use the flash but the picture had come out anyway. It was a little fuzzy, but it was clear enough for her purposes.

She smiled wickedly as she put it in her purse and headed home herself.

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