Middleton High—the next day
"Hey Kim!" Tara called out as Hope waved for the redheaded teen to join the Dirty Pair by their locker.
"Hi guys, what's up?" Kim waved back as she joined her friends.
"Wanna help us out with a little experiment?" Tara joked with a crooked grin.
"What kind of experiment?" Kim asked, arching her eyebrows.
"One in human relations, luv." Tara replied as she subtly gestured down the hall where a chocolate-skinned girl was currently transferring books to and from her locker.
"That's the girl we met yesterday at Club Banana, isn't it?" Kim asked, "Monique or something like that?"
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head. "Remember us talking about how things got chilly once you introduced us?"
Nodding her head, Kim answered back, "Yeah…I thought she was behaving kinda shitty at the time."
"Right." Tara inclined her head towards the janitor's closet next to their lockers. "Here's our little experiment…you duck into that closet and just watch and listen. We're going to say hello and try to draw her into a conversation and see if she says hi back, ignores us, or takes a shot at us."
"She says hi to us and maybe talks to us some…then yesterday was just a misunderstanding and as far as we're concerned, no harm…no foul." Hope declared.
"And if she ignores you for no good reason or takes a shot at you…" Kim concluded.
"Then we'll know how she really feels about us." Tara finished.
"Yeah." Hope affirmed, "Because she won't think you're here, she won't feel like she has to make nice with us to stay on your good side."
"Makes sense." Kim nodded her head. "Okay. Let's do it. Better to know right away where we stand…"
"Than get stabbed in the back by someone pretending to be a friend later." Hope interjected, finishing the teen hero's sentence.
"Right." The lovely blonde chuckled, "In the closet with you. But don't let the door close on you completely."
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head, "Use the door jam and keep your hand close to the knob just in case. Barkin found out a lot of us were using the janitors closets as makeout rooms and switched out the locks where you can't open the door from the inside without a key."
"And neither one of us has our lockpicks with us today, so…"
"Don't lock myself in." Kim chuckled as she slipped into the closet and carefully closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar—enough so that she could see and hear what was about to transpire.
Smirking as the new student approached, Tara muttered in a low voice, "Time for the experiment to commence, luvs." As Monique drew close, the lovely blonde called out in a cheery voice, "Hi there! Need any help finding your room or anything like that?"
"Yeah." Hope grinned, "We'd be happy to show you where your classes meet if you want."
"Don't need any help from you hos." Monique sneered as she passed by the Dirty Pair without sparing them a glance.
Waiting until the subject of their experiment had disappeared down the hall before speaking, Tara smirked as she called for Kim to come out of the closet. "Well…looks like we got our answer."
"Yep." Kim replied, barely keeping her temper in check. "Good thing we found out now." Shaking her head, she sighed, "I thought when I first met her that she was going to be okay and that we could all be good friends…but…"
"Don't feel bad, luv." Tara said with a warm smile on her face as she placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Just means you're a good person who wants to see the good in people."
"Yeah." Hope grinned as she also consoled their friend, "We need people like you to remind us cynics that there are good people in the world."
"Thanks guys." Kim smiled back at her friends.
"So…where's Ron?" Tara inquired as she looked about for the other half of Team Possible.
"Take three guesses." Kim chuckled.
"Barkin." Hope laughed.
"Got it in one." Kim replied, shaking her head, "I'm not sure what he did to land on Barkin's bad side already…I mean it's only Monday."
"Maybe Ron let one rip in front of him." Tara chuckled.
"Could be." Kim laughed and then mock threatened, "And you two…no more farting contests in the locker room! My eyes were watering for ten minutes from all the gas you girls put out."
"Hey…" Hope guffawed, "Don't blame us for all of it! Jessica was the one who let fly that sonic boom!"
"And don't think we didn't hear the one you let loose, Kimmie." Tara giggled.
"Yeah." Hope chuckled, "That was a good one." Her laughter fading, the dark-haired cheerleader remarked in a more serious tone of voice, "Wade's been telling us that Ron's been doing pretty good on your missions recently."
"He has." Kim nodded her head, pleased at the performance of her best friend. "He's made some good calls—especially in his fight with Greyscale and the way he maneuvered those animatronic animals that the Senors sicced on us into ramming each other. And…" She ruefully admitted, "He was right when he called me out over how I was coaching…or rather not coaching…those kids. I'm thinking…" She pondered, "That if he keeps going as he has been recently, I'm going to ask Wade to give him a Kimmunicator. What do you girls think?"
As both of the Dirty Pair nodded their heads, Tara, speaking for her roommate as well as herself, agreed with the redheaded hero, "Sounds like a good idea. See how he does on the next couple of missions and around here and if he continues as he has been, then I'd say he'll have earned it."
"Sounds like a plan." Kim nodded her head, "Let's see how he does over the next few weeks. He keeps it up, I'll give him a Kimmunicator as a little thank you present."
Amelia Rodriguez's lips turned up in a grin as she saw the new girl blow off the Dirty Pair. Waiting until she was out of sight of the two rebels, the curvaceous brunette approached the girl. "Hey. I'm Amelia. You new here?"
"Hi." Monique replied, nodding her head in approval at the other girl's style sense. "Monique." She said with a smile, "Does it show that badly?"
"Not really." Amelia laughed. "I was going to warn you about the Dirty Pair, but it looks like you had them pegged right from the beginning."
"You mean those two hos?" Monique sneered, "Yeah. I've run into them at the mall a couple of times. Each time with a different guy. Tell me, are they as slutty as I think they are?"
"And then some." Amelia replied with a wicked grin, "And …I'll let you in on a little secret…Little Miss Perfect Kim Possible is just as bad. That little sweet and innocent act she puts on is just that—an act. Why…I saw the three of them come into school one day hungover from partying…"
"Do tell…" Monique grinned as she fell in step next to her new friend.
"Oh yeah…" Amelia replied, "In fact I can tell you lots of stories. You look like you're really cool." The lovely brunette smiled, "Come with me, I'll introduce you to some people I think you'll like."
"Lead the way."
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Jordan Cross gritted his teeth as he readied himself for another week at Middleton High. His unattractive appearance, as determined by the standards of those who controlled the school food chain—thin, wiry frame, pale skin, buck teeth—combined with his membership in the chess club and computer club and lack of involvement in any sports, placed him—along with his fellow chess club members Jermaine Hall and Jeff Connors on the lowest rung of the food chain. Fair game for any jock or bully looking for a cheap thrill. The other members of the chess club were either immune to harassment or it was incredibly dangerous for the bullies to try to intimidate them and so…other than the odd verbal jabs…they were generally left alone.
Sergei, besides having the looks and exotic background that got him classified as a hottie by the girls, also plays on the soccer team and was currently hanging out with the Dirty Pair who were near the top of the food chain. No one messed with either them or Kim Possible, also at the top of the chain—not if you wanted to keep all your body parts intact as a pair of football players found out recently when they picked on Paul Gertz.
Kevin, the chess team captain, was involved with Liz, a first team cheerleader and is also on the fencing team and friends with Scott Farley and his girlfriend and most of the baseball team—again earning him a pass from harassment. Plus, Kevin could and did fight back so any bullies would have to ask themselves whether the pain they would receive be worth the pain they'd be dishing out. Most bullies, after doing that basic cost-benefit analysis, decided to move on to easier and safer prey—such as himself, Jermaine, and Jeff.
Dave Ponder, leaving out the fact that his father was a detective with the Middleton Police Department, is also considered reasonably attractive by the girls at the school and has asked out on dates girls in the lower to middle rungs of the food chain, with more than a few of the girls accepting and generally receptive to repeat dates. That shielded him somewhat. Plus, if he makes it on to the judo team, which seems very likely, that will give him credibility with the jocks, further increasing his status. Also, like Kevin, David could and did fight back as the bullies in D-Wing found out to their sorrow at the beginning of the year. Since then, the bullies have left him alone to, again, search for easier prey.
"Either get in or step aside, Cross!" Mr. Barkin ordered, ending the young man's reverie.
Taking a deep breath, Jordan crossed the threshold and entered the school. Now, the objectives were to: 1) make it to his locker safely so that he could transfer his books; 2) make a quick pit stop in the restroom—provided it was safe—use the facilities and make any last minute adjustments; and finally, 3) move as quickly and expeditiously as possible to home room, making sure to maintain as low a profile as possible, before the bell rang. It was a ritual he followed every school day since elementary school. Most days, he made it through all three steps unmolested. Some days, he'd run into minor difficulties at one or more of the stages. On those days, all he had to deal with was the name calling and maybe a shove or two. No big.
On a few days, he'd face a serious problem at one of the stages—generally the second stage—of the three, that was by far the most dangerous one for several reasons—foremost being the dreaded swirly. If it were one of those days, the usual result was that he'd lose his money for the day or a possession would be stolen or destroyed. That was why he always made sure that he carried enough money to serve as adequate tribute and that he never carried anything truly valuable.
It was only on the very rare day that he faced a critical failure where he would receive a bruise or two or even a black eye as well as the loss of his money and the loss and/or destruction of whatever he was carrying. Unfortunately for Jordan Cross, this day…this morning…was going to be that very rare day. This morning, everything would go horribly…horribly…wrong for the young man as today he would face not just a critical failure, but even worse, a catastrophic disaster.
"Stage one accomplished." Jordan sighed with relief as he completed his morning textbook transfer. "Now time for stage two." As he approached the restroom, the young man carefully scouted out the vicinity. After first satisfying himself that none of the better known bullies were in the surrounding area, he entered the restroom, remaining close to the door in the event he had to make a quick getaway. Satisfied that no bullies seemed apparent, the timid youth made his way to his usual stall where, after taking care of his necessary business, he flushed only to be confronted by three tall and large youths, their faces covered by stockings.
"We've got a message we want you to send to the other nerds in your little chess club." The leader of the bullies growled, "This is what happens when you date our girls."
"NO! PLEASE NO!"
"I didn't think Barkin would ever let me go!" Ron sighed as he made his way down the hall. Spotting the boys room, the blond sidekick decided to make a quick pitstop before meeting up with KP. As he approached the restroom, he spied Sergei and another, strange boy both approaching from the opposite direction. "Sergei!" Ron called out as the pair met up. "Got the same idea?"
"Da. I have classes back to back so I thought it would be a good idea to…as you Americans say…take care of business now." The dark-haired Russian replied.
The new student walking up to the door, opened it, intending to keep it open for the other two boys. As Ron appraised the newcomer , he saw a young man of approximately his height and about a head shorter than Sergei with a plain face and somewhat crooked nose, with reddish-brown hair cut very short to where it was almost a crew cut and wearing a very simple outfit of cotton button-down shirt, jeans, and boots. The other thing the blond youth noticed about the newcomer was that he seemed to possess a wiry, yet strong build not that dissimilar to his own and a thick neck that came out to the outside of his ears.
Oscar Williamsen, a sophomore this year, had just transferred to Middleton from his old school in a small town in North Dakota and was still finding his way around the school. He missed tryouts for the football team this year, but had, thanks to his previous involvement on his old high school wrestling team as a freshman and earlier in middle school, received permission from Coach Winters, the wrestling coach, to work out in the weight room and in the Pit, the wrestling gym, with the rest of the wrestling team until tryouts in a few weeks.
Up to now, Oscar had been enjoying his time at Middleton High. With a few exceptions—most notably a brown haired cheerleader and what was obviously her court, and a few others, the students had been friendly and polite. This food chain crap some of the students went on about was stupid, but other than that, it wasn't too bad here. He'd seen some bullying, but not as much as he thought he would see. He saw the usual scene of students sneaking smoke breaks, most notably a knock-out drop dead gorgeous platinum-blonde haired girl and her equally stunning raven-haired friend who stood lookout for her. Thankfully, he also saw no real sign of drug use other than the odd smell coming from one of the bathrooms on occasion. His few encounters with Mr. Barkin revealed the permanent-substitute as being a bit on the loud and gruff side, but fair in how he handled the students in his charge and generally good at his job.
That's why, when Oscar caught sight of the stripped, dirty, and beaten figure slumped up against a wall, he found himself momentarily rendered shocked, stunned, and speechless. Recovering after taking a few deep breaths, the wrestler called out to the other two boys, "I think you guys need to get in here. We've got a problem. A big problem."
"What is it?" Ron inquired as he and Sergei, upon seeing the injured boy leaning helpless against the wall, gasped in shock.
"Bozhe moi! Jordan!" The dark-haired Russian gasped his voice half in shock and half in anger. "Who did this?"
"I found him like this." Oscar said as the three boys dashed to their injured schoolmate's side and checked him out for injuries. Turning to the Russian, he queried, "You know him?"
"Da." Sergei responded, "He is on chess team with me." Holding up two fingers, he moved them across his teammate's face. Nodding his head in satisfaction as he saw Jordan's eyes tracking his movements. Sergei asked him in a gentle voice, "Jordan? Can you speak?"
"Y…y…yeah." The beaten boy croaked as he tried to stand up.
"Nyet. Do not try to stand." Sergei gently cautioned as he and Oscar carefully guided the young man back to a sitting position. "Stay here. We will get help." Turning to the blond youth kneeling next to him, the young Russian pleaded, "Ron? Can you get the Dirty Pair and Kim and bring them here?"
"On it Sergei." Ron replied as Rufus popped out of his pocket, the little mole-rat seemingly shedding a tear as he spotted the beaten young man. "Rufus, old friend? Can you stay with Sergei and make sure no one messes with him or Jordan until I get back with Kim and the girls?"
"Yeah." The little rodent answered back, taking a protective posture as his human quickly dashed out of the room.
Turning to the other boy, Sergei asked, "Could you…"
"Oscar." The wrestler answered back.
"Spasibo, Oscar I am Sergei. Could you bring the nurse here. Rufus and I will keep watch over my tovarisch and teammate."
"I'll be back ASAP, Sergei." Oscar replied, placing a friendly hand on the Russian's shoulder.
As the other boy left, Sergei smiled warmly at his beaten friend, "Help is on its way, tovarisch. We will get you taken care of. And then we will deal with the fuckers who did this to you."
Running quickly down the hall, heedless of anyone in his path and ignoring the growls and insults, Ron, catching sight of the three girls he sought, waved his arms and frantically called out. "Kim! Tara! Hope! We need you. Now!"
Rushing up to the blond youth along with her friends, Kim asked with a concerned look as she saw the expression on her best friend's face, "What's wrong, Ron?"
"Boys bathroom." Ron reported as he caught his breath. "One of the chess team members…I think his name is Jordan."
"Jordan Cross?" Tara interrupted with a look of worry on her face, "Has something happened to him?"
"He was beaten up." Ron grimly announced, "Bad. Sergei and Rufus are with him now and we sent someone to bring the nurse over. Come with me and I'll take you to him."
"Lead the way." Hope replied, answering for all three of the other girls as they dashed back down the hall, leaping over or knocking down anything or anyone in their path.
Reaching the boys room, Tara glowered, "I don't give a fuck what anyone says or does and Barkin can give me detention until I graduate this sodding place, I'm going in."
"Right behind you, bestie." Hope declared.
"You know I'm with you." Kim announced as the three girls entered along with Ron. Seeing Sergei ministering to his teammate while Rufus stood watch, Kim gasped, her voice a mixture of shock and outrage, "Fuck. Who did this?"
"Jordan doesn't know." Sergei somberly reported as he continued the task of washing away the filth from his friend's hair, face, and body. "They covered their heads with stockings. Those bastards didn't even use a clean toilet when they did what they did to him. He was covered in filth."
As he uttered those words, Oscar, accompanied by the school nurse and Mr. Barkin entered the restroom. Making way for the nurse as she knelt down next to his friend, Sergei rose to his feet.
Clearing his throat, Mr. Barkin commanded, "All right! Everyone except for Stoppable, Radovsky, and Williamsen out—NOW!"
"Like hell I'm leaving!" Tara proclaimed defiantly. "I don't give a shite if you give me detention until I leave this place—I'm not leaving my mate."
"You know I'm not leaving my bestie, so you might as well save a desk for me in detention too." Hope declared.
"Better make that three desks." Kim boldly announced.
Letting out a breath of air, the former Marine debated inwardly how he was going to handle this mini-rebellion. If he pressed his students in their current state, he had no doubt they would make good on their threats. However, letting them stay was a clear violation of his no bending the rules principle. Coming to a decision, he reluctantly relented, "I have a feeling that I would have to call in a SEAL team to clear you girls out and I wouldn't make book on the SEALs being able to remove you. Very well. You may remain until the police and paramedics have arrived, and Mr. Cross's parents have been notified. You will be marked as tardy or unexcused for any classes missed and it will be your instructors' discretion as to whether you can make up any missed work or not. Those are my terms and they are non-negotiable."
The girls all nodding their heads, they replied in unison, "We agree."
"What gets me mad." Oscar grumbled in a low voice as the nurse continued to care for her patient, "Is that whoever did this is going to get away with it."
"No they're not." Tara declared. Speaking before Mr. Barkin could utter a warning about taking matters into their own hands, the blonde cheerleader explained, "What's going to happen is that, for now, the wankers who did this are going to slink back under their little rocks. One thing about these sort of yobbos though. They can't keep their mouths shut. Sooner or later they're gonna get drunk and start bragging to their friends. The police are also going to offer a nice fat reward on their anonymous tip line for any info on these bastards." Her lips turning up in a wicked grin, she continued, "How much do you wanna bet that someone who hears one of these wankers bragging about how they beat up on this poor defenseless nerd is gonna call that tip line or someone who knows someone who told them about this wanker bragging is gonna make that call so that they can collect that nice four or five figure reward check. Then, the cops will nab one or all three of 'em. If they only get one…they'll sweat that toerag until he squeals on his mates. There's no way he's gonna want to do hard time alone. I'll wager that those tossers get nabbed by the end of the school year—if not the end of the term."
"The young lady's right. It might take some time, but bullies like that…they have to brag about what they did. That's what trips them up."
"Detective Ponder." Sergei called out as he recognized Dave Ponder's father.
"Sergei." The police detective nodded his head in greeting. "I take it you and the other two young men are the ones who first found Jordan."
"Da." Sergei nodded his head.
Addressing the three boys, the detective suggested, "Why don't we talk outside so that the paramedics can do their jobs." Turning to the three girls, he smiled, "Ms. Possible…ladies…thanks for waiting, but you might want to get on to your classes now. I think we can handle things from here."
"Yes, Sir." Kim acknowledged with a nod of her head. She then called out to the boys. "Sergei…Ron…"
"Oscar." The new student interjected.
"Thanks, Oscar." Kim smiled at the young man. "Do you think the chess club advisor would mind if we used his room after school?" Kim asked Sergei, "I have an idea, but it involves all of you plus some other people."
"I can speak to Mr. Amberson." Sergei replied, "I don't think he'll mind."
"Spankin'. We'll meet after school. Tell him I'm expecting a good crowd in there."
"What's your plan, Kim?" Hope asked as the trio walked to their class.
"To make it work…" Kim stammered, "I'm gonna need to ask you two to help me with something."
"Sure, luv." Tara responded with a smile, "What is it?"
Lowering her voice to barely a whisper, Kim revealed her plan to both of her now grinning friends. "So?"
"Let's do it." The Dirty Pair exclaimed in unison.
Cafeteria
Entering the dining area with their trays, the Trashy Trio consisting of Kim, Tara, and Hope, accompanied by Ron and Sergei, soon found their table already occupied by their friends Kevin Guberman and his girlfriend, Liz Magnusson, their fellow cheerleader, and Steve Farley with his girlfriend, Jessica Sundstrom, also a cheerleader. Taking their seats, they ignored the table where Bonnie Rockwaller sat with her court and its newest addition, Monique.
"Sergei was telling us that Jordan has been released from the medical center." Tara related to the others at the table.
"Da." The Russian nodded his head. "He's suffering from a concussion and several bruises and contusions and a few cuts required stitches, but they expect him to make a full physical recovery in time. Psychologically though…" Sergei shook his head in a somber gesture.
"That's going to take a lot of time and work." Kevin sighed dejectedly. "We need to keep a close eye out for each other and especially the more vulnerable of us such as Jermaine and Jeff."
"I'll speak to the baseball team." Steve offered, "We'll walk with any of you who need an escort."
"And I've already done the same with the soccer team. They're willing to help." Sergei declared.
Spotting a familiar face from this morning, Ron called out, "Oscar! Over here! Join us, my man!"
"Oscar was with us when we found Jordan. Is good man. He helped us." Sergei explained as the wrestler joined the table and introductions were made. Sergei then explained what they were doing about ensuring the safety of the more defenseless students.
"I'll speak to the wrestlers." Oscar offered, "I don't think they'll object to helping out." He further suggested, "I can talk to Brick too. He's not a bad guy. A little slow maybe…but he usually does the right thing and from what I've seen he really does try to keep the rest of the team in line. It's just that…"
"He can't be everywhere at once." Hope interjected. "No harm talking to him though. Maybe after he and the others on the team who have good sense bang a few of the jackasses' skulls against each other, the knuckledraggers will get the message. I don't think the problem's so much the football team in this case anyway. I think it's mostly coming from the basketball team. Before I met my bestie and made the big break, I dated a few basketball players." Shaking her head, she scowled, "Let's just say self-entitled assholes doesn't begin to cover it for a lot of them."
"Could be." Steve nodded his head in thought, "Coach Sanders follows the letter of school and district regulations and the law, but not the spirit of it. He will discipline a player if he has to…" the baseball player further clarified, "…but he's also been known to look the other way and not look too deeply at violations involving his players—especially if it involves what I've heard him call high spirits. I and others have heard him use the phrase 'Boys will be boys' several times to justify behavior that should have gotten those players suspended from the team if not outright kicked off."
Addressing her fellow cheerleaders, Kim requested, "Jessica…Liz…I need to ask you to get word to everyone…including Bonnie and her court…that we're having a meeting along with the chess club in Mr. Amberson's room after school. It won't help us catch the fuckers who did this to Jordan, but it might help stop any repeats—or at least get some people to think twice." Spying the person she needed to talk to putting his tray away, Kim nudged both Tara and Hope. "Girls? Remember what I talked to you about earlier? Well…" She inclined her head towards Josh, "…I'm gonna need you now."
"Let's go, Kimmie." Tara chuckled as she and her roommate stood up with their best friend, "Guys…we've got to get the next big step of Kim's plan ready to go. Catch you later."
"Come on, Kimmie." Hope encouraged as she grabbed one arm while Tara grabbed the other. "You can do it."
Looking hopelessly confused as the rest of the table broke out in fits of snickers and giggles, with the exception of a single blond haired boy who covered his mouth with his palm in an effort to hide his facial expression, Oscar rolled his eyes, "Will someone explain to the new guy what's going on here?"
"Josh!" Kim called out as both Tara and Hope, each still clutching on to one of her arms to keep her from stumbling, urged her to move forward, "Hold up! I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure, Kim." Josh replied with a warm grin on his face as he turned towards the young redhead "What is it?"
"You…uhhh…" Feeling Tara's poke in her ribs, Kim took a deep breath and continued, "Did you hear what happened this morning?"
"To that boy from the chess club?" A sad expression overcoming Josh's normally happy exterior, the young artist nodded his head, "Yeah. How's he doing?"
"They've released him from the medical center." Hope interjected, "But he's got some injuries and well…" She shook her head, "It's gonna take a while before he comes back to school—if he even returns here."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Josh commiserated. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Ummm…" Kim stammered until poked once again, this time by Hope, "Actually…" She forced herself to say, "There is." She then, in halting language and after repeated pokes of encouragement from her friends, outlined her plan, drawing a warm smile and nod of approval from the handsome artist/musician.
"Of course I'll do it." Josh replied with a smile, "I'll see you at Mr. Amberson's after school."
"Later, Josh!" Kim responded with a longing sigh as her crush walked away. Once he was out of earshot, she jumped up and down with glee, "I did it! I said more than five words to him without fainting!"
"You sure did, kiddo." Hope grinned.
"Gets easier the more you do it, doesn't it, Kimmie?" Tara said with an amused chuckle.
"You know…" Kim answered back as she felt her confidence growing, "It does."
"Won't be long and you'll be able to have an entire conversation with him without us around." Hope gently teased.
"Baby steps." Kim chuckled, "Baby steps."
"You gotta be at that meeting, Bonnie." Monique carefully asserted, making sure that her voice tone was both deferential and urgent. "If you don't, that'll put you at a disadvantage when LMP does what she's got planned."
"LMP?" Marcella interjected.
"Little Miss Perfect." Bonnie translated with a sly grin, "You're right, Monique. We need to be there so that we can find out what Kimmie has planned and figure out how it can be turned to our advantage."
While regretting the reason for the large gathering of students in his classroom, Mr. Amberson couldn't help but feel a measure of solace for those students who had come together in support of one of his own who was so savagely brutalized. He was also comforted somewhat by the knowledge that this diverse group of students were determined to prevent any more such incidents from occurring. Clearing his throat, the chess team faculty advisor spoke in a grave voice.
"First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming. Jordan is recovering, but sadly it will be a long time before we see him sitting here at a chess table with us again. I am humbled by the presence of all of you here. I see members of the baseball team…" He nodded at where Steve sat with Jessica and several members of the Mad Dog baseballers. "Soccer team…" He nodded again at where Sergei sat with a delegation from that team, "Fencing team…wrestling team…cheerleaders…judo team…football team…" He inclined his head in turn at each of the various team representatives and finally in the direction of Brick and a couple of other football players, "As well as students from various other clubs and activities and from the general population."
"Bullying is nothing new." Mr. Amberson continued. "It existed before I went to school, while I was in school and, unfortunately, it will most likely continue to exist when your children attend school in the future. Unfortunately, there are always those who will try to prey upon those they consider weak or unworthy. While we might not, at this time, be able to completely eradicate this scourge, we can do everything in our power to minimize it and ensure that those who commit these acts of brutality are swiftly and fairly punished. I'd like now to turn the meeting over to Ms. Kim Possible who has some ideas along those lines. Ms. Possible…" The calculus teacher gestured for Kim to take her place behind the podium.
As the calculus teacher spoke, Bonnie lowered her head, feigning a headache in an effort to hide the look of agony on her face as she recalled the many occasions her sisters relentlessly mocked and bullied her. Against her will, she found herself agreeing with what the unprepossessing teacher was saying and, again to her surprise, felt a degree of empathy towards that poor boy who had been so viciously tormented. However, as soon as her rival took her place behind the podium, those feelings of empathy and compassion vanished to be replaced by emotions of envy and bitterness as Kim spoke.
"I won't take up much of your time." Kim promised as she opened a large portfolio resting on an easel. "But before I begin, I would like to thank Josh Mankey for his work in drawing and making the posters I'm about to show you." She then unveiled a series of anti-bullying posters that included a toll-free phone number as well as a regular phone number. "These phone numbers are for an anonymous tip line where you can report any bullying that you've seen or that you've been a victim of. You should be able to see these posters all over school by this time tomorrow."
"Second…" She then revealed two more posters, these leaving plenty of room and lines for people to sign their names, with several signatures already visible. "In an effort to curb or at the very least discourage future bullying, I'd like to direct your attention to these posters. The first poster is for all the boys to sign. It is a promise that you will not engage in any bullying and that you will report any bullying that you see. Our thanks go out to Brick, Ron, Steve, Kevin, Sergei, Oscar, and several other boys who have already signed the pledge. The second poster is for the girls and says the same thing. As you can see that poster already has mine, Tara's, Hope's, Liz's, Jessica's, and Crystal's signatures."
"Third and finally, I would like to add a personal plea that everyone here would encourage their friends and teammates to contact Mr. Barkin or the authorities if they have any knowledge of who might have carried out the assault on Jordan Cross. What happened here this morning can never be allowed to happen again. Thank you."
"Girlfriend…" Monique whispered to Bonnie, "You've got to be first in line to sign that poster and then get out in front of this pronto."
"You're right." Bonnie whispered back. "The moment those posters go up, we sign our names and make a big production of it."
Taking the podium once again, Mr. Amberson thanked everyone for participating and made his closing remarks in which he stated that he hoped and prayed that no more young men such as Jordan or women would be bullied in the future and that all would feel safe walking the halls and using the restrooms not just at Middleton High, but everywhere. "Thank you, my students…my friends." The calculus teacher paused for a moment as he took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes, "Good night."
As the assembly broke up, the boys stood clustered together talking among themselves. "Coach Winters called all of us together…" Oscar announced as he related an earlier team meeting called by the wrestling coach. "He made it clear to all of us that he would immediately kick off the team any wrestler caught bullying."
"Our coach did the same." Sergei affirmed as did Steve and some of the other team captains. Brick, taking a deep breath, sighed dejectedly.
"Coach Harris only said that he didn't want any of the team to get caught doing that or he'd have to do something…"
"He's just saying don't get caught." Steve scowled.
"Yeah." The captain of the football team agreed. "It's not right, so me and some of the team got together after the meeting and held our own meeting. "We're gonna keep an eye out and if we catch anyone doing what they're not supposed to, we'll deal with it."
"Good on you, Brick." A British-accented female voice declared.
"Tara…Hope." The football player shyly greeted.
"Hey, Brick." The two cheerleaders smiled as they approached the gathered group of boys. Turning to a certain slender artist, Hope's lips turned up in a mischievous grin as she inclined her head towards where Kim was talking with Jessica, Liz, and Crystal. "I think someone might be ready to talk with you now. Maybe you should go and say hi?"
"You really think so?" Josh asked as he looked about for Ron but couldn't find him either near Kim or in the room.
"Yeah, luv." Tara smirked, "You've got her all to yourself. Ron had to take off…something about Steel Knob and Arse Pain or whatever." Snickering at the hopeful expression on the young artist's face, Tara practically pushed him towards the lovely redhead, "She's waiting for you. On with you, mate…get going and chat her up!" Shaking her head, the lovely blonde's snickers turned into full throated laughter, "Those two!"
"Tell me about it!" Hope giggled. The two girls attention now turned towards a certain handsome dark haired Russian boy, they sauntered up to him and snuggled in close to him one on each side. After giving each other a slight head nod of agreement and wink, Tara murmured in a low, seductive voice, "You, Ron, and Oscar did a great job earlier today."
"Spasibo." Sergei replied, "But…it wasn't anything much."
"Yes, baby…" Hope murmured back in response, her voice also low and sensual, "It was. My bestie and I have decided that…"
"We've decided to make you a keeper." Tara purred as she gave the young Russian a kiss on his lips.
"Hmmm…Hmmm." Hope also purred as she kissed the young man. "Come with us, baby, and we'll show you some of the fringe benefits that come with being a keeper."
"Bozhe moi!" Sergei gasped. Giving his fellow males a shy smile, he said his goodbyes, "Dosvedanya…"
"Get outta here, ya lucky Russki!" Oscar grinned. "See you tomorrow."
"Later!" Hope shouted in a smug voice as she waved goodbye.
"Ta Ta!" Tara called out playfully as she also waved goodbye to her friends.
Smirking as he saw Jessica and Liz approaching, Oscar quipped to the other two boys, "Well…looks like your girls are here."
Smiling as their girlfriends claimed them, Kevin and Steve said their goodbyes to their new friend, "We'll see you tomorrow."
Chuckling as his new friends all left with their ladies, Oscar was taken by surprise by a female voice.
"One thing I've got to say about the Dirty Pair…they know how to make an exit."
"Huh?" Oscar exclaimed. Turning around, he found himself faced with a lovely girl wearing a baby-blue top and blue jeans.
"The Dirty Pair." The girl chuckled, "Tara and Hope. That's their nickname." Smiling at the confused look on the wrestler's face, the girl introduced herself, "Hi…I'm Cindy. Cindy Grouse. I'm one of the second string cheerleaders, so I guess I'll be cheering you on when wrestling season starts."
"Hi." Oscar grinned back as he introduced himself. "So…" He inquired, "How did Tara and Hope get the nickname Dirty Pair."
Chuckling, Cindy responded, "It's a long story. How's about I tell it to you over a chimurito platter at Bueno Nachos?"
"Sure." Oscar laughed, "Lead the way."
"Thanks for your help with everything, Crystal." Kim said with a smile as she praised her fellow cheerleader, "I appreciate your coming in early tomorrow to help put the posters up."
"Glad to do it, Kim." The auburn-haired cheerleader responded. "I hope they catch the assholes who beat that boy."
"I do too." Kim sighed. "So…what are your plans for the evening? Hot date?"
"Sorta." Crystal replied shyly. "We met a while back while I was shopping at Old Town Square. We're going to catch a movie at the old Regal Cinema."
"The Regal?" Kim queried, "Wasn't that the old movie theater that just got restored?"
"Yeah." The tawny-skinned cheerleader nodded her head. "It mostly shows classic movies and movies from independent filmmakers. They're having a Fellini festival this week and tonight they're showing a double feature—La Dolce Vita, and City of Women."
"Wow!" The redheaded cheerleader exclaimed, "I didn't know you were into that sort of stuff."
"I kinda keep a lot of stuff to myself." Crystal shyly responded.
"So I've noticed." Kim answered back, gently encouraging her teammate to continue to open up, "You've always been so quiet."
Lowering her voice, Crystal replied as she glanced in the direction of Bonnie who was making her exit along with her court, "It's safer that way."
At once spotting the reason for her fellow cheerleader's discomfort, Kim gently placed her hand on the other girl's shoulder, "Don't let Bonnie or anyone else stop you from being who you are. That's what why we're here now—to put a stop to that."
"Thanks, Kim." The auburn-brownish haired cheerleader replied with a shy grin, "You don't realize how much those words just helped me."
"Glad to be of service." Kim chuckled, "May I ask what about?"
"I've been dealing with an issue for a long time." Crystal sighed, "I don't want to talk about what it is yet…" Seeing the look of concern on her fellow cheerleader's face, she quickly added, "Please…it's not that I don't trust you…it's that I'm not ready to talk about it yet. But I day…" The tawny skinned cheerleader swore, "I will. I promise."
"Fair enough." Kim nodded her head in agreement, "Whenever you're ready—I'll be here to listen."
"Thanks, Kim." Crystal smiled, "That means a lot."
"Anytime." Kim grinned back, "So…this hot date…does he go to school here."
"No." Crystal shook her head, "Middleton Community. Freshman." Glancing at her watch the young cheerleader gasped, "I better go now! I don't wanna be late."
"See ya tomorrow!"
"Hey."
Turning about, Kim felt her knees buckle as she heard Josh's voice and then saw him standing a few feet from her. Confidence. You did it before…yeah…with Hope and Tara's help. Hold it together…ask him if he wants to sit down outside on one of the benches. You can do it.
"Would you like to….uhhh…sit down and talk on a bench outside?"
"Sure." The handsome artist smiled, "I'd like that."
"Okay…" Kim felt her heart skip a beat as the pair made their way out of the classroom and sat down on a nearby bench. "Ummm….thanks again for helping with the posters…and for helping me during my campaign."
"It was my pleasure." Josh grinned, "By the way, where is our new student government president? You'd think he'd have been here for this?"
Laughing, Kim joked, "Wally had to go back home. He got grounded by the king because his grades started dropping. It seemed he spent too much time on mini-golf and not enough on algebra."
After a brief chuckle, Josh took a deep breath and exhaled, "Ummm…Kim…I was wondering if…maybe you'd like to…"
Beep…Beep…Beep
"What is it Wade?" Kim growled into her Kimmunicator.
"Sorry, Kim." The Team Possible techie apologized, "But you need to get to the Mayhem in Middleton match as soon as possible. I think Ron's in trouble. I'll patch you into the security cameras.
Watching as a Jackal-headed monster jumped into the ring with the two wrestlers, Kim gasped as she saw Ron leap into the ring only to be casually tossed out by the possessed monster.
"The monster's linked to the talisman." Wade reported, "Whoever wears it and recites an incantation from an ancient text becomes possessed by the spirit of Anubis."
"So…to break the possession I have to…"
"Strip the talisman off the wearer." Wade finished.
"I'm on my way, Wade." Kim exclaimed as she stood up and gave the boy with her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Josh."
"Go ahead, Kim." The young man smiled, "Do what you have to do. I'll catch up with you tomorrow."
"Thanks, Josh! See ya tomorrow and you can finish up what you were going to say." Her lips turned up in a grin as she turned her head back towards the young artist, "By the way, if what you were about to ask is what I think it was, then the answer's yes."
"Okay…" The mild-mannered youth smiled as he watched the lovely redhead dash off on another heroic mission, "Where should I take Kim Possible for our first date?"
Old Town Square that evening
"So…what did you think of the movies?" Zoe asked her date as the pair exited the theater hand in hand.
"I loved them." Crystal exclaimed, "Mastroianni was terrific. He was hilarious as Snaporaz, but what really got me was his portrayal of Marcello in La Dolce.At first, I hated Marcello, but by the end, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him because he ends up all alone trying to find love when he had it all along with Emma."
"Yeah." Zoe agreed as the pair walked together, "He goes throughout the entire movie searching for pleasure, but, too late, he discovers that he was looking for the wrong thing. It's very bittersweet." Spotting a small out of the way diner, the lovely Asian dancer prompted, "You up for a late snack?"
"Yeah." Crystal grinned, "I'm feeling a little hungry and we've got some time before I have to be home. Let's eat."
Entering the tiny restaurant, the couple found an unoccupied corner booth in a quiet spot. "You wanna sit there?" Zoe suggested inclining her head slightly in the direction of the booth.
"Perfect." The tawny skinned young woman responded, "I was kinda hoping we could find a place we could talk by ourselves."
"Sure." The graceful exotic dancer agreed as the pair took sat down next to each other, both well within each other's personal space. "You've got that serious look on your face. Something wrong?" She asked in a concerned voice.
Nodding her head as she sipped her water, Crystal replied, "Yeah. A boy at school got beat up today by bullies—bad."
"I'm sorry." Zoe responded, "How bad was he hurt and did they get the slime who beat him?"
"He got a concussion and some bruises and contusions, but they said that he's probably going to be in therapy for a while before he can come back—if he even comes back that is."
"That's horrible. But did they catch the bullies responsible?"
Pausing as the waitress took their orders, Crystal answered back, shaking her head. "No. They got away. I hope they catch 'em soon."
"That sucks." The Asian beauty gasped. "I'll pass the word to some people I know at the Club. These friends of mine don't always play by the rules—they might be able to find something or someone the police missed."
"Thanks." Crystal sighed dejectedly, "You know what's also scary?"
"What?"
"The fact that if any of those bullies are on one of the teams, there's a chance I might have either gone out with him or was thinking about going out with him at one time or another. What would he have done to me if we did go out and I told him no. Would he have…"
"Don't go there." Zoe cooed gently as she held the other girl's hand, squeezing gently. "You didn't and he didn't."
"Yeah. You're right—he didn't." Crystal replied as she laid her head on the Asian dancer's shoulder. "Thanks for letting me get that all out. Ummm…" The tawny-skinned young woman stammered, "I…uhh…there's something I've been wanting to tell you that…ummm…I…uhhh…I like you."
"I like you too." Zoe responded with a gentle smile.
"No…" Crystal shook her head as she gazed into the other woman's eyes. "I…uhhh…LIKE…like you." Impulsively, she leaned in and tentatively kissed her date on the lips, both pleased and surprised that her partner was, instead of drawing away, returning her kiss.
Breaking away, the cheerleader blushed, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…it just felt…I wanted to…"
"Hey." Zoe smiled warmly, "It's okay. In case you missed it, I liked it too. And for the record, I like. I LIKE…like…you too. So…" The Asian beauty quipped, "You gonna kiss me again or do I have to take the lead this time?"
The couple's lips touched again, this time a long and lingering kiss that lasted for several moments until the sound of a throat clearing forced them to reluctantly break away.
"Here's your order, sweeties." The waitress announced as she brought their food to the table. "Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds. Ya'll just go on back to doing what you're doing and call out if you need anything."
"Thank you." Crystal replied sheepishly as Zoe giggled softly in the background. "What are you laughing at Zee?" The tawny-skinned cheerleader mock pouted as her face reddened, "She caught you too."
"You're so cute when you blush." Zoe responded as she gave her date a quick kiss and then, glancing down at the food on their table, quipped, "Food now…more kissing later…okay?"
"Okay." Crystal chuckled as she turned her attention to the plate in front of her, "I got a feeling I'm gonna need my energy for later." After taking a few bites, the lovely cheerleader brought the conversation back to the topic of the bullies. "A bunch of us cheerleaders joined up with students from some of the sports teams and different clubs and we're starting an anti-bullying campaign."
"Good for you." Zoe exclaimed. "You can't let those assholes win. Find out who they are and make them famous."
"Oh…" Crystal vowed, "We will."
Middleton High—the next day
Making good on her plan from yesterday, Bonnie Rockwaller was the first girl to sign the pledge after those who had initially signed with the members of her court: Marcella, Amelia, and Monique signing immediately afterwards. The chestnut-haired cheerleader raised her voice so that the students in the hallway could hear her.
"What happened to that boy shouldn't happen to anyone. I talked to my father about it last night and he agreed to put up a fifteen thousand dollar reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever committed this crime. This reward is over and above any other rewards offered by the police or anyone else. He has also agreed to sponsor an anti-bullying initiative for all schools in the Middleton Unified School District. Finally, I'd like to ask that if anyone knows anything about this please contact the police or Mr. Barkin. Thanks everyone and I hope we get the slimeballs who did this."
Her lips turning up in a smug grin, Bonnie turned to her new friend, "I think that should take the wind out of Kimmie's sails."
"GF…" Monique grinned, "You just stole the show."
"Looks like Bonnie's stealing all the credit." Ron grumbled to his best friend as the pair observed from the sidelines.
"Let her." Kim shrugged her shoulders, "This wasn't about who got credit for what anyway. It's about getting justice for Jordan and trying to make the hallways and bathrooms safer for people like him..." She inclined her head in the direction of Jermaine who was walking to class with Steve Farley on one side of him and Brick Flagg on the other. Seeing Josh approaching, Kim turned to her best friend and smiled, "You don't mind, do you?"
"No, KP." Ron shook his head. "Go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."
"You sure, Ron?" Kim asked with a concerned look on her face.
"Yeah, Kim." Ron forced a smile to his face, "I'm sure. Now go and say hello to him."
Giving her partner a chaste kiss on his cheek, Kim smiled, "No matter what happens, Ron, you'll always be my best friend."
"That fucking whore!" Hope growled.
"Syphilitic toerag!" Tara sneered as she and her best friend watched Bonnie holding court.
"Is all right, beautiful ladies." Sergei, standing in between the two cheerleaders, consoled in a low voice as he hugged the girls closer to him. "What is important is catching the fuckers who hurt Jordan and making sure this doesn't happen again, Da?"
"You're right, luv." Tara grinned as she kissed the young Russian.
"Yeah." Hope agreed as she also gave the young man next to her a kiss. Smirking, she pointed at Kim and Josh who were talking quietly to each other. "So…bets on what they're talking about?"
"Sucker bet." Tara laughed, "He's asking her out."
"Da." Sergei nodded his head, "He's asking her out and she's going to say yes."
"Okay…so…what are we going to do to celebrate?" Hope quipped as she licked her lips lasciviously.
"I have a few ideas." Sergei leered as his hands wandered to the two girls' rears before returning to his side just in time to avoid Mr. Barkin's ever alert gaze.
"Close call, luv." Tara whispered as her hand also wandered briefly to the Russian's rear at the same time that her roommate's did. Both hands once again returning just in time to avoid detection.
Glancing at his watch, the handsome Russian frowned, "I must go to class." Giving his girls a quick goodbye kiss, he said as he walked away, "I will see you at lunch."
"Count on it, lover!" Both girls answered back as Tara's cell phone rang. Answering the phone, the lovely blonde at once recognized the person on the end of the line. "Hey, Cheeky. What's up?"
"Can you and the Cheerleader meet up at the Club this Friday night? I should have a lead by then on one of our missing nukes. If the Princess still wants in on the action, let her know and tell her that before, during, and immediately after the op we have a truce."
"We'll be there and I'll let her know." Tara replied. "See you on Friday."
Laughing as he watched the antics of the raven-haired and blonde cheerleaders, Oscar quipped to the girl standing next to him. "Now I see why they're called the Dirty Pair." Catching Ron standing alone as Kim walked off to talk to Josh, the young wrestler queried, "What's the story between those two?"
"Kim and Ron?" Cindy replied, receiving a single nod of the head from the youth next to her. "I've only lived here for a couple of years, so I don't know them that well. From what little I've seen and heard of him, Ron's always been kind of…well…it's kind of hard to explain. He's not a bad guy or anything, but…I don't think he has any friends other than Kim. I mean…I've never seen him hang out with or talk to anyone other than her."
"Do you know Kim?"
"Not really." Cindy shook her head. "Like I said, I haven't been here that long. But even though she's really popular, I don't remember seeing her hanging out with anyone other than Ron until recently when she started hanging with Tara and Hope. The rumor mill says that she's crushing on Josh Mankey—that looks to be true and…" Her lips turned up in a smile, "It looks like the feeling's mutual. Why?" Cindy asked, "You don't think Ron's crushing on Kim—do you?"
"I don't know." Oscar shook his head, "I'm even more in the dark than you. I just moved here. He took a deep breath and exhaled as he turned his gaze once again to the blond sidekick, "I think maybe he could use a friend or two…what do you think?"
"I think…Oscar Williamsen…that you're a helluva nice guy." Cindy replied. "Why don't we go over to him and maybe the both of us can make a new friend."
"Hey, Josh." Kim called out shyly, "I'm sorry I bailed on you last night."
"It's okay, Kim." The handsome artist/musician smiled, "You had stuff you had to do. I saw on the news that you and Ron won the wrestling match."
"Yeah." Kim laughed, "That was…strange. So…" She stammered, "About what you wanted to ask me last night…"
"Oh…yeah." Josh took a deep breath and exhaled, "I was…well I was wondering if you'd like to…there's an arts in the park show Sunday afternoon at Middleton Park. Would you like to…ummm…would you like to go with me?"
Her lips turning up in a broad grin as she felt light all over, Kim responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes! Yes! I would."
"Great." Josh smiled back, "So…I'll give you a call…say tonight? And we can firm up plans."
"Okay." Kim's lips turned up in a thousand watt smile as the bell rang. "Gotta get to class. I look forward to your call tonight! Bye!"
"Later!" Josh grinned as he watched Kim practically skip down the hallway.
"Well, mate…" Tara smirked as she and Hope took station on either side of the young artist. "You did it. Congratulations. Now…you can walk us to class."
"Sure." Josh smiled at the two girls who played a role in bringing him and Kim together, "And girls…" The young artist said in a low shy voice, "Thank you."
"Our pleasure."
A/N: As promised, here's a broad explanation for why I gave Monique something of the "Mirror, Mirror" treatment. I don't want to reveal ALL of my hand, but here's a general idea: This part sees a sharp left turn into AU territory here as Monique follows quite a different path in the Double Entendre universe than she did in canon. Blame her for me putting her on the course she's on in this story. She practically yelled in my ear saying that if Tara and Hope were going to be Kim's BFF, then she wasn't. It was her idea for me to put her where she is. :) Seriously, as Tara and Hope are now fulfilling the role that she did in canon, I didn't want to just make her an add on and with the introduction of Oscar and Cindy, Ron will soon have friends of his own.
Also, the impression I've always gotten of Monique is that she's something of a manipulator. In her debut, she played up to Kim's ego to work her way close to her. Oh, she didn't do it maliciously, and, in all probability, she wasn't even aware of what she was doing-she was manipulating subconsciously. However, it's also not outside the bounds of reason for us to assume that she'd quickly realize that if she wants to stay close to Kim, then she'd have to also form at least a casual friendship with Ron, and so she wins him over by saying that she was a big GWA fan and then by scarfing down a naco in an eating contest with Ron. However, other than mouthing off a line or two that she could easily have picked up in the mall or from her father, we don't really see her actively following wrestling and huffing down one naco isn't that big a deal. Tara and Hope basically picked up on that and set up their little experiment-giving the manipulator enough rope to hang herself with. Rejected by Kim, it would be natural for Monique to turn to the other prima donna at Middleton in order to stay close to the top of the food chain-Bonnie. So yeah, in the Double Entendre universe, Monique is not a very nice person-but not really evil or even unredeemable-only time will tell.