All the News
Middleton High
"Hey, Kim." Tara called out as she motioned for the redhead to join her and her fellow cheerleader, roommate, and best friend Hope by their lockers. "How did the date with Josh go?"
"Absolutely spankin'!" Kim exclaimed with a wide grin. "We went to the Arts in the Park fair, looked at all the shows and checked out all the booths. Josh paid to have an artist draw a caricature of us." Her smile growing even wider, she opened her notebook and handed the sketch to her friends, "Here…take a look."
"Nice." Hope nodded her head as Tara's grin grew wider.
"Gonna get it framed?"
"Yeah." Kim answered back, "I think I'll hang it in my room."
"Sounds cool." Hope declared as her roommate cleared her throat.
"Oh…" Tara smirked as she passed on her next bit of news, "After a little arm twisting and threatening, we got Twinky to fill that special requisition for you. It should arrive just in time for Halloween along with ours and Sergei's."
"We are so gonna knock 'em dead at the Halloween party." Hope snickered.
"Spankin'! Did he get the right color and everything?"
"Sure did, luv." Tara grinned, "It's just like ours except while mine is white and Hope's is black, yours is dark red—almost maroon."
"Just be sure your 'rents—especially your father—don't see it." Hope cautioned, "Or you'll be grounded until you're fifty-one."
"At least." Kim giggled. "It might not be a bad idea if I kept it at your place. Would you mind, Tara?"
"Not at all luv. Especially since you're staying over with us after the party anyway." The lovely blonde agreed with a musical laugh. "We can change out of our kid-safe costumes and into our party costumes there after we get done at the Medical Center haunted house."
"Thanks for helping out with the haunted house guys." Kim sighed, "I know it's not what you'd rather do, but it gives me an out from having to go trick or treating with Ron this year. Much as I love him, I don't think I can stand another Halloween of 'Trick or Treat…Smell my Feet'."
"Can't blame you for that." Hope grinned, shaking her head. "And it's not an imposition for us."
"Right, dear." Tara interjected, "We're happy to help. Besides, the party's not until later anyway. Some of the people who wanted to come to our blast got sucked into going to Monique's first and we didn't want to compete and force people to choose. Besides, the fun stuff happens late anyway."
"Yeah…Bonnie's new consigliore didn't waste much time getting herself installed into the food chain." Hope snorted. "Anyway, Cindy said that she heard that several of the people there are only going because of Bonnie and that they were gonna stay just long enough to make it look good and then hit our bash or go somewhere else. Besides Zoe from the Club's coming with her friends—we're gonna have plenty of people ready to party all night." The lovely olive-skinned cheerleader let out a breath, "Now…all we've got to do is find us a band and we'll be set. Otherwise…we're gonna have to hire a DJ. I mean…there's nothing wrong with a DJ, but live music would be a helluva a lot better."
"You know…" Kim tapped her chin with her finger, "I could ask Josh if his band could play. I'm sure they wouldn't be very expensive—probably less than a DJ would be, and Halloween's not for a couple more weeks anyway, so I don't think he's been booked by anyone yet."
"Brilliant!" Tara exclaimed, "That would be smashing if he'd be willing to play."
"We better catch him quick though—before Monique nabs him for her bash." Hope warned.
"All right." Kim chuckled, "I'll ask him." Her laughter fading, the young redhead inquired as she lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, "Have you heard anything more about those drugs."
"We heard from Sheila…" Tara answered back, lowering her voice also, "…but it's not about the drugs. It's about the other thing. She's got a lead on one of the missing nukes and is following up on it now to make sure it's legit. If you want in on the op when it goes down, she'll agree to a truce between the two of you before, during and immediately after—long enough for both of you to get out of each other's sight after we all have an after mission wind down so that we can decompress. Of course, the truce would also apply to any planning sessions we have before it goes down. So…you in?"
"Yeah." The teen hero nodded her head, "Count me in."
"Could get rough." Hope warned, "The oppo will be armed with guns and we're not gonna hold back—good chance there'll be killing involved. You ready for that?"
"We have to secure those nukes or a lot of people are gonna die." Kim gravely replied, "Just like we've got to track down whoever it is selling those drugs. I'll do what I have to."
"I'll give Cheeky a call and let her know." Tara promised. "She'll tell us when she's ready to put together an op."
Taking a deep breath and exhaling, the teen hero pleaded, "One other thing. Could we keep Ron out of this. I don't want him to have to deal with having to kill someone."
Both of the other girls agreed with nods of their heads. "That's a good idea."
"Thanks." Kim acknowledged in a soft voice, "I know him. He'd want to be beside me all the way and…well I don't want…"
"You don't want his conscience to have to deal with having to kill someone." Tara finished as Kim somberly nodded her head in agreement, "We understand Kim. To be honest…" The blonde confessed as her partner agreed, "We were kinda hoping you'd take a pass on this too because we don't want you to have to deal with the same thing." An ironic laugh escaping her lips, the Englishwoman finished, "But we also know that once you've decided on something…"
"Nothing or no one is going to change your mind." Hope concluded. "Especially if it involves helping others."
"You two have gotten to know me pretty well." Kim replied with a crooked grin.
"Comes with being BFFs." Hope laughed. "So…where is Ron?"
"He's trying to land a spot on the school paper." Kim chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Don't ask me why…" She rolled her eyes, "But I don't think the editor of the paper is going to be pleased with a story called 'Math…you'll never actually use it in the real world.' Or the follow up piece he's got planned on semicolons."
Laughing merrily, Tara joked back, "Well…if all else fails, he could do an expose on the Oxford comma. That should raise some eyebrows."
"Of course there's also that steamy love affair going on between the numbers six and nine." Hope quipped.
"Or all the conjugating going on in Latin last week." Kim smirked. "Absolutely scandalous!"
"I kept warning them to keep those regular and irregular verbs apart." A male voice jibed.
A slight blush came to Kim's cheeks as she turned about and eyed the handsome slender artist standing near her with an amused grin on his face. "Hi Josh." The lovely redhead shyly greeted as her two best friends chuckled merrily. "I had a good time at the park yesterday."
"I did too." Josh smiled back at his date from the previous day. "I was hoping that…if you want to…we could see a movie this week? There's a new comedy playing at the multiplex…"
"I'd like that." Kim replied with a shy smile.
"All right!" Josh's grin grew wider as he took Kim's hand in hers and then, hearing Mr. Barkin's cough, quickly turned it loose. "Wanna get together at lunch? We can firm up plans then."
"Sounds great." Kim answered back, and then implored with her best puppy dog pout, "Could we ask a big favor of you?"
"Sure, Kim." Josh smiled, "Anything."
"Can you and your band play at our Halloween party in a couple of weeks. We'd be happy to pay you all."
His lips turning up in a wide grin, the young musician answered back, "I'd love to. Just let me know when and where and we'll be ready to go."
"Spankin'!" Kim exclaimed in glee as she gave the young man a quick hug, releasing him from her embrace before the stern substitute-teacher could snag them for a PDA violation. "I'll see you at lunch!"
"See you then." Josh grinned as he waved goodbye.
"She shoots and she scores!" Hope laughed as Kim playfully slapped her arm.
"Second date and we have a band for our party…" Tara nodded her head approvingly, her lips turned up in an amused smile, "Our little girl has grown up."
Middleton High—School Newspaper Office
"This is garbage, Stoppable!" Jenny Kershaw, the paper's editor shook her head. "There's nothing that grabs me. You want on this paper?"
"Yeah." Ron gulped.
"Then write a story that makes me care." Jenny snapped as she answered the phone and practically shouted into the receiver, "I don't want a no comment! I don't care if she is the principal and your mother. I want that story!" Slamming the receiver down on the phone, she glared at the blond youth, "You still here, Stoppable?"
"On my way…" Ron declared confidently. "I'm a born reporter. I'm gonna come up with the most badical story ever!"
Middleton High—Gym, Cheerleader Practice
"That was great everyone!" Kim clapped as her cheerleaders finished their practice routine on an exceptionally strong note. "Chill out for a bit."
"Whew!" Tara exhaled as simultaneously grabbed a towel and water bottle. After taking a swallow from her bottle, she wiped the sweat off her body. "Tough workout but looks like we nailed it."
"Yeah." Jessica agreed as she also grabbed a water bottle. "I think we're ready for State."
"I was worried at first." Hope confessed, "But looks like we're as ready as we're going to be."
Turning her head as she heard a whistle blow, Liz quipped as she pointed to Brick and the other football players, "Looks like they finally let the Dogs out to play."
Watching as Ron, followed close behind by Kim approached the players, Tara muttered under her breath, "Watch it, Ron. Not all of the football players have signed that pledge. We don't need a brawl here and now."
"You really think there might be a problem, bestie?" Hope whispered.
"No…not really." Tara murmured in response, "Not with Kim, you, and me here at the same time. But you never know. One or more of the more thickskulled boys on the team might decide to have a go at Ron before Brick or one of the smart ones can stop 'em."
"What are you doing, Ron?" Kim whispered as her best friend approached the team.
"I think I've found my story, Kim." Ron grinned as he addressed the team currently warming up. "So…" The blond would-be reporter grinned, "Which one of you will be playing in this week's game even though you're failing a class?"
As she saw a couple of the larger players looking like they were getting ready to pounce on her friend, Kim glowered at the players, daring them to try as she glanced out of the corner of her eye, inwardly heaving a sigh of gratitude that Tara and Hope, also picking up on what was happening, had simultaneously maneuvered themselves into a position to quickly render aid.
Brick, seeing that the situation was in danger of escalating, approached Kim with a big smile on his face. "Hey…" He called out to the head cheerleader while at the same time positioning himself between his team and Ron, "Nice outfit."
"Thanks." Kim, taken completely by surprise by the quarterback's comment, replied with an uncertain grin. "It's my size."
Watching as Brick diffused the situation through a mixture of goofiness and good-natured banter, Tara's lips turned up in a wry grin. "You know…Brick's not as dumb as people think he is."
"He's not." Cindy Grouse, one of the second string cheerleaders called on to work with the first team today, remarked as she joined the Dirty Pair. The curly-haired cheerleader brushed back a stray lock of her dark hair as she spoke, "I've talked to him once or twice—not very often. Don't get me wrong. He's not going to win any merit scholarships or anything like that, but he's got pretty good people smarts—if you know what I mean."
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head. "You can't be stupid and play quarterback."
"Exactly." Cindy agreed and let out a sigh. "Can I ask you two a question?"
"Sure, luv." Tara replied with a smile. "What do you want to know?"
"You know Ron better than I do. I've only known him for a week or so." The tall, slender cheerleader said, "Do you think he's serious about wanting to join the school paper?"
"Why do you want to know?" Tara inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"I work for the paper." Cindy confessed, "And…I'd like to think of myself as being a friend of Ron's." Seeing the questioning looks on the faces of the Dirty Pair, the slender dark haired cheerleader further explained, "Oscar…you know, Oscar Williamsen?"
"Yeah…" Hope nodded her head, "We know him. He's a good guy."
"I think so." Cindy agreed with a shy smile. "Well…we spent some time with Ron last week. We kinda thought he could use a couple more friends."
"Good on you. That's exactly what he needs." Tara smiled. "We'll be happy to answer your questions…provided everything we're talking about here is off the record. We see it in print or online, luv…we get angry."
"You don't want us to get angry." Hope cautioned in a low voice.
Cindy nodded her head. "Everything said here is off the record. I'm asking as a friend, not as a reporter."
"Then we're cool." Hope replied, her smile returning to her face.
"So…is he serious about joining the paper?" Cindy asked, repeating her earlier question.
"That's a good question." Tara sighed. "Ron's always been a little erratic…impulsive."
"Except where Kim's concerned." Hope interjected, "I've never known him to turn his back on her—except when he ditched her to be Wally's campaign manager." The raven-haired cheerleader amended, "But they patched that up pretty quick."
"When most of us—even Kim—at first didn't want him as mascot…" Tara recalled, "…he stuck with it and pretty much won everyone over but Bonnie, Marcella, and one or two others who hang out with Bonnie. That speaks to his determination when he wants to do something badly enough."
"It's just that he's kinda lazy so a lot of the time you have to give him a good swift kick in the ass to get him motivated." Hope quipped.
"His biggest weakness though…" Tara shook her head, "Is that he's insecure and lacks confidence. He's very athletic. There's no reason why he couldn't make it on the track, wrestling, or judo teams if he were to make an effort at it. He's also capable of doing well in classes, but he doesn't want to."
Hope shook her head, "It's like he's programmed himself to fail."
"Why do you think that's the case?" Cindy asked.
Chuckling, Tara replied as the three girls sat down on the bleachers. "Not so long ago we had this very same conversation with someone we all know. She said that it was because for most of their lives Kim and Ron have lived in something of a bubble. Neither one of them had any friends other than each other, so they both grew to depend on each other. Now, Kim's breaking out of that bubble. She's developing friendships with other people…"
"Like you two." Cindy noted as both Tara and Hope nodded their heads in agreement.
"Yeah." Tara affirmed, "But she's also begun dating Josh and even while she was still in that bubble, she was always an overachiever and never lacked self-confidence. So, escaping that trap has been a little easier for her."
"While Ron was okay with staying in Kim's shadow and remaining nice and cozy in that little bubble." Hope interjected, picking up the narrative. "No one ever expected anything of him so all he had to do was live down to people's lack of expectations—which for the most part he was happy to do. When he wants to, he can kick ass with the best of us. He showed us that at Wannaweep. You did get the memo on that? Right?" Hope sarcastically remarked.
"Yeah. " Cindy nodded her head, "I heard about what happened there. I gotta admit, it was hard to believe at the time, but after hearing more stories about stuff happening around here…"
"Oh darling…" Tara smirked, "You don't know the half of it. Anyway, we were talking about Ron. The other thing about living in Kim's shadow which a lot of people don't understand is that it's easy to get overlooked because everyone is always focusing their attention on her."
"Does she deliberately hog all the credit?" Cindy inquired.
"No." Hope shook her head, asserting in a clear, crisp voice, "Absolutely not. She's always made a point of giving full credit to Ron as her partner and she's always made it clear to anyone who would listen that she couldn't do what she does without his help."
"The problem is there's only so much she can do." Tara declared, once again picking up the narrative. "All she can do is tell everyone the truth. She can't help it if the reporters ignore Ron or don't have enough brain cells in their head to spell his name properly."
"She does her job." Hope growled, "Time for the goddamned reporters to do theirs."
"But if you want an answer to your first question, luv." Tara said in a clear tone of voice, "He could be a damned good reporter if he wanted to and if someone would take the bloody time to work with him and push him to be one." The blonde cheerleader's lips turned up in a sly grin, "Know anyone who might fit that description?"
Possible Home—that night
Kim shook her head as she observed her best friend, along with the Tweebs, staring at Adrena Lynn's latest stunt—this one involving her being handcuffed to a bear. Letting out an exasperated sigh, the young redhead quipped, "If the bear's lucky, maybe he'll get a nummy treat."
"Got anymore chips, KP?" Ron asked as he dipped his hand into the empty bowl.
"Kitchen, Ron." The teen hero sighed as she dialed her BFFs on her cell phone while her best friend dashed into the kitchen. "Hey…whatcha two doing?"
"Watching Adrena Lynna and doing shots with Sergei, luv. Every time she says Freaky, you gotta take a shot of vodka. Say hi to Kimmie, Sergei…"
"Privet, Kim!"
"Hey, Sergei!" Kim responded. "Wish I were with you guys. Watching that dork makes me wanna chug down a whole bottle."
"Bottle of what dear?" James Possible asked as he entered the living room.
"Battery acid, Dad." Kim scowled, telling a half-truth. "You know how I feel about that show."
"Can't say as I blame you, Kimmie-cub." Dr. Possible agreed. "Sooner or later someone's gonna get hurt trying to imitate one of her stunts."
Motioning to her phone and receiving in return a silent nod of the head from her father, Kim returned to her conversation. "Sorry…Dad walked in." Smirking, she heard Hope yell out as Adrena once again uttered her trademark Freaky shout followed by Sergei and then Tara.
"Fuck you, Adrena!"
"Ura!"
"Down the hatch!" After a moment in which Kim heard Tara gulping something down, she again heard the lovely blonde's voice, "So…are you and Josh going to the movies?"
"Yeah." Kim sighed longingly. "He's taking me to see 'There's Something About Mary' on Wednesday and coffee after."
"Oh…you're gonna love the hair conditioner scene, darling." Tara giggled. "That tickles, Sergei! I didn't tell you to stop, luv! Keep doing it! Sorry, Kimmie…gotta go. Seeya tomorrow!"
Laughing, Kim replied, "Tomorrow! Bye!" As her blond partner poured the bag of chips into the bowl sitting between the two of them, Kim let out a breath of air, "I thought you were coming over to interview me—not watch this stupid show."
"I'll do it next commercial, Kim." Ron replied, his attention focused solely on the teen stunt queen on the television screen.
"Freaky!"
"Someone hand me a shot of vodka." Kim grumbled in an almost inaudible tone as she heard her brother Tim talking to his twin about sneaking into the bear cage at the zoo. "This show's a fucking waste of satellite frequency."
"Kim…" Ron whispered, "Language. You're not at Tara and Hope's. Your dad would freak out if he heard you say that."
"You're right." The lovely redhead smirked, "Thanks, Ron. It'd be kind of embarrassing for me to walk around with my mouth full of soap."
"Not to mention it'd taste awful." Ron laughed.
Sighing in relief as Adrena Lynn's show finally ended, Kim fidgeted in her seat, "Can we get this interview over with, Ron? I've got homework I need to get done before bed."
"Sure thing, KP." Ron said as he turned on the tape recorder. "So…what's it like being you?"
"I'm not that different from any other teenage girl—except I've got an archfoe or two. I still have to go to school, do homework and chores around the house, and get back home by curfew. Just like any other teenager."
"What do you do to keep busy other than tangling with mad scientists out to take over the world?" Ron asked.
"Well…I do keep pretty busy. Like any other girl my age, I like to hang out with my friends—Hi Tara Hi Hope! I've also started dating—Hi Josh! But I especially like helping people. I babysit…tutor…and of course, I'm on the cheerleading squad."
"You're captain of the squad…right?"
"Yeah." Kim answered back modestly, "But we all work together. We're a team."
"So…what do you think of our football team this year?"
"I think we've got an awesome team." Kim proudly declared, "Brick Flagg was totally hot in the last game! I mean, he was on fire! Threw for three TDs and ran for two more when we blew out the Lowton Lemurs."
"Thanks, KP." Ron smiled as he turned off the tape recorder. "I think I've got enough for my story. This is gonna get me on the paper for sure!"
"Glad I could help." Kim smiled back at her friend, "I'm looking forward to reading it."
Stoppable Home
"I need an angle, Rufus. Something that will grab the reader." Ron muttered as he replayed his interview with Kim.
"I'm not that different from any other teenage girl…"
"Nah." Rufus snorted.
"Yeah…you're right old friend." Ron sighed, "This is nothing. Especially when compared to Adrena Lynn wrestling a bear."
"It feels good to help people…"
"No!" Ron cried out, "That's weak!"
"Brick Flagg was totally hot in last week's game!" Pausing the tape, Ron quickly rewound it and pressed play again, "Brick Flagg was totally hot…" Again Ron paused and rewound the tape, "Totally hot…" Rewind…play, Totally hot."
"That's it!" Ron cried out triumphantly. "We've found our angle!"
On hearing his human's words, Rufus cringed, "Uh Oh."
Middleton High—a few days later
"Bestie?"
"Yeah, luv?" Tara looked up as her roommate and best friend rushed up to her, holding out her cell phone.
"You better read this. It's the online edition of the school paper." Hope said as she handed her phone to her blonde roommate.
Reading the article, Tara grimaced, "Oh shit."
"We better find Kim and clue her in on this, T…" Hope urged, "Right Now."
"Then we kick a certain boy's arse."
"Hey, GF!" Monique called out, calling a certain brown-haired cheerleader over to her side as she held up her cell phone. "The online edition of the paper just came in and you've just got to read this. IGBSTB—It's Gotta Be Seen To Be Believed."
"Yah, B!" Amelia affirmed, "You're gonna love this!"
Accompanied by her fellow cheerleader, Marcella, Bonnie Rockwaller approached the newest member of her posse and, taking the offered cell phone, began to read. As she read, a sly grin appeared on her face. "This is perfect, M. I can't wait to see the look on Kimmie's face. Come on. If we're lucky, she hasn't read it yet."
"Weird morning." Kim muttered to herself as she walked through the hallways to her locker. "Ron didn't come by for our normal walk to school together. Then, when I get here, everyone looks at me funny. What the hell is going on here?" Spotting her BFFs, Tara and Hope walking quickly towards her with urgent looks on their faces, Kim felt a tight feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Hey girls!" Kim called out, "What the hell's going on here? Everyone's acting all weirded out."
"Read this, luv." Tara said as she handed her cell phone to the redhead.
As she read the article in the school paper written by her best friend, Kim's face reddened as her lips slowly moved up and down, mouthing out the words of the article as she read. "Cheerleader Kim Possible thinks quarterback Brick Flagg is H.O.T. By Ron Stoppable." Kim whispered in shock. "I never said any of this. I said that Brick was totally hot in last week's game when he scored all those touchdowns!"
"We know, luv." Tara replied in a gentle tone.
"Yeah, Kim." Hope consoled, "We know you don't think of Brick in that way."
"That's why everyone's been looking at me funny." Kim gasped, "They think that I said that…"
As she uttered her words, Kim heard a familiar snide voice, "We think it's so brave what you did, K."
Turning around, Kim barely hid the scowl threatening to appear on her face as she at once recognized Bonnie and her posse including Marcella and the new girl, Monique.
"Don't worry, Kimmie." Bonnie declared with a smarmy grin on her face, "We'll be totally there for you when he dumps you."
"Just like you dumped your boy, Josh." Monique added, twisting the knife. "But you gotta admit, Kimmie, hanging out with the Dirty Pair…you know they say about lying down with hos…"
"Wanna say that again you little bint." Tara growled as Hope placed a restraining hand on her best friend's arm.
"No, bestie…" Hope's lips turned up in a menacing grin, "It's my turn to take out the trash."
"Any time you hos are ready." Monique smirked.
"Got your will made out, slag?" Tara grinned evilly.
Fortunately, before an all-out catfight could develop, a familiar voice called out, "So, Kim…you think I'm hot?"
Turning towards the masculine voice, Kim groaned inwardly as her eyes fell on Brick Flagg looking down at her with a big goofy grin on his face.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Kim tried to explain, "Actually, Brick, what I thought I said was that…"
"Cool!" Brick interrupted before the redhead could finish. "What are you doing Friday night?"
"Nothing." Kim replied, "Errrr…nothing with you, that is."
"Cool!" Brick responded, taking Kim's words as acceptance of a date, "I'll pick you up at eight then."
Shaking her head as the quarterback walked away in one direction and Bonnie and her posse, gossiping among themselves, walked away in the other, Kim threw up her hands in frustration, "What the hell just happened?"
"Apparently you just agreed to go out on a date with Brick on Friday night, luv." Tara replied with a wry grin.
"That's what I was afraid you were going to say." Kim sighed as she slumped down on a nearby bench. "How could he?" Kim moaned as tears appeared on her cheeks, "How could Ron do this to me?"
"He wasn't thinking, luv." Tara consoled as she handed her friend a tissue. "Ron can wait for now though, dear. I hate to tell you this, but you've got another problem that you've got to deal with right away."
"Yeah, Kim." Hope interjected, "You need to find Josh pronto and do some serious damage control before he hears about this and thinks that you're dumping him."
"Oh my God!" Kim gasped as her eyes widened. "If he reads that before I speak to him…" Shaking her head, she sobbed, "Why did Ron do this? I can't believe he'd do it to deliberately break me and Josh up—would he?"
"No, luv." Tara shook her head. "I don't think he was even thinking about the two of you when he did this cock up."
"He wasn't thinking period, Kim." Hope declared.
"Hey, Kim."
Looking up, Kim at once saw the boy she was currently seeing, the look on his face troubled.
"Josh? I want you to know that…"
"It's all right, Kim." Josh replied, forcing a smile to his face, "It's not like we're going steady or anything. I can see why you think Brick is hot. Afterall, he is the quarterback and captain of the football team. It only makes sense that the captain of the cheerleaders would want to go out with the captain of the football team."
"Josh…" Kim tried to protest.
"Hey…it's okay." Josh said through a forced smile, "I understand if you want to…"
Gritting her teeth, Kim interrupted, "I do not want to break up with you Josh Mankey. We've just started going out. I've been trying to tell you that Ron misquoted me."
"He did, luv." Tara interjected, fixing Josh in her gaze, "Don't be an arse about it. Hear her out first."
"Please." Hope appealed.
Kim carefully explained, "I told Ron when he interviewed me I thought that Brick was hot in the last game—you know when he scored all those touchdowns. That's all!"
"I better play you this. I've got a feeling you haven't heard it yet." Josh said in a soft voice as he took out his cell phone, "It's an audio excerpt from your interview." As he pressed play, Kim and the Dirty Pair listened closely.
"Brick Flagg was totally hot…"
"That son of a bitch!" Kim cried out as she replayed the excerpt. "He cut out the last bit where I said, '…in last week's game." Looking up at Josh's face, Kim gazed into his eyes. No puppy dog pout here, the lovely redhead pleaded in a heartfelt voice, knowing that their future relationship depended on the next few words she and he would say to each other, "You believe me—don't you?"
Gazing down at her emerald green eyes and tear-stained face, Josh bent down and gave Kim a gentle kiss on her cheek, "Yeah, Kim, I do." His lips then turned up in a warm smile as Hope handed her friend another tissue, "So…we still on for the movie tonight?"
Smiling through her tears, Kim leaped up from her seat and threw her arms around Josh in a quick hug, releasing him before Mr. Barkin could growl out a PDA warning. "You better believe we are! See you at seven!"
As the bell rang signaling the beginning of first lunch, Kim, accompanied by Josh and her BFFs, made their way towards the cafeteria. Her eyes then took on a harsh glare as she recognized a familiar figure walking towards the cafeteria from the opposite direction. "Josh…girls…" Kim pleaded in a soft voice as she inclined her head toward Ron, "I hope you don't mind, but this is something I have to do by myself."
"We understand, luv." Tara replied as she placed a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "We'll be at our usual table. Come join us when you're done."
"Yeah, Kim." Josh said squeezing the young redhead's hand in a gesture of support, "Go ahead and do what you have to do. I'll be with the others and if you need to talk…"
"Thanks girls…Josh." Kim let out a breath of air as she strode down the hall, her eyes now steely cold as she rehearsed exactly what she was going to say to the close friend who had so carelessly, cavalierly, and recklessly hurt her. "What makes it worse." Kim muttered to herself, "Is that this is just like what he did with Wally. He probably doesn't even realize that what he did was wrong and how badly he's hurt me."
Cafeteria
"Did you see the paper, Kim!" Ron exclaimed as he recognized his old friend approaching him. "My name online and in ink! I'm famous!"
"Do you realize what you've done, Ron? The damage you did?" Kim exclaimed. "Why did you say that I thought Brick was hot. I never said that and you know it. You misquoted me. Why?"
"Whoa, Kim!" Ron protested as he grabbed a tray. "Okay…I did a little rephrasing. But you'd think a big hero like you would give a more interesting interview. Besides, the paper liked what I did so much that it's giving me a column." Speaking to the lunch lady, he quipped, "Omelet please, whites only." Letting out a snort as the lunch lady ladled a portion of slop on his tray, the blond youth joked, "She must not know who I am."
"I don't know who you are." Kim shook her head in a mixture of frustration and disappointment. "Ron…do you have any idea what your little creative rephrasing has put me through?"
Her words not even registering, Ron pondered, "I'm thinking that I should cover the big date with the Brickmeister. What time should I be ready?"
"When hell freezes over." Kim muttered under her breath as Bonnie called out to the boy walking with her.
"Ron? You're sitting with us today!" The chestnut-haired cheerleader directed as she gestured at an empty seat in between Amelia and Monique.
"I'm having a little get-together at my place." Amelia explained, "Nothing big. Just fifty or so of my closest friends. You absolutely have to do a write up for the paper."
"Okay." Ron responded, turning to his old friend, he smiled, "Sorry, KP. Duty calls."
"Yeah." Kim muttered under her breath as she stomped away, "Something's calling all right."
Sitting down next to Josh at her usual table with her friends, the young redhead shook her head, "He honestly doesn't understand what he did was wrong."
"It's a big ethical violation." Cindy agreed, "But more journalists are doing it. That's why a lot of celebrities and public figures are making their own recordings of interviews now—just in case the sort of creative editing that Ron did happens to them."
"Why didn't the editor catch it?" Kevin asked as he speared at his mystery meat.
"Careful G-Man." Steve teased, "That stuff fights back."
"Jenny doesn't give a shit about how you get the story—as long as it's spicy." Cindy frowned. "It was about Kim and it was juicy—that's all that mattered to her."
"Why did Ron do it?" Oscar inquired.
"Ron's always been a little flighty ever since I've known him." Tara remarked, "Although I've only been here since just before school started, so I can't speak for the long term."
"He's been that way since I've known him." Hope agreed, "Although like my bestie…I didn't really get to know him that well 'til this year either."
"You're both right." Kim nodded her head, "He's always been impulsive. It was kinda cute when we were kids. But now…"
"Now it can cause problems." Steve finished, nodding his head in understanding.
"Did you read the bit that he wrote about us in the chess club, Tara?" Kevin inquired as he handed a copy of the school paper to his blonde teammate.
"Let's see…" The blonde cheerleader smirked, "The Queens and their Knights…" He must be talking about us, luvs." Tara was joined in her giggles by Hope and Liz followed soon by the laughter of their paramours, Sergei and Kevin.
"Oh…" Hope laughed, "He talked about how the White Queen plays while the White Knight's away and that the White and Black Queen are both playing with the Black Knight."
"Must be talking about David." Kim rolled her eyes.
"Silly boy." Tara smirked, "I've never made any secret about our relationship being an open one and that me and Hope like to share. Right, luvs?"
"Da." Sergei grinned as Hope answered with a nod of her head and a throaty chuckle.
"Yeah…nothing to see here."
"No offense…" Tara chuckled, "But you Yanks can be so parochial about such things sometimes. Right, Sergei?"
"Da." The young Russian shrugged, "As long as all parties are in agreement…what's the problem?"
"Exactly." Tara chuckled. Her laughter fading, the blonde cheerleader further remarked, "That's also why we don't tell him anything really confidential."
Shaking her head, Kim admitted, "You know…he was doing so well after that fuck up with Wally. I was going to give him a Kimmunicator this Halloween. But now…after this…" She sighed, "What really pisses me off here is that he knew me and Josh had just started dating and he did it anyway."
"You don't think he did it to bust you two up, do you?" Jessica asked.
"No." Kim shook her head as Josh squeezed her hand in a gesture of support, "At least I hope he didn't. But the timing…"
"It doesn't look good." Liz remarked with a frown.
"No…it doesn't." Kim sighed as she felt her eyes misting.
"Here, Kim." Josh said in a low voice as he handed the young woman next to him a tissue. "Let's not assume the worse about why Ron did what he did until we have some solid proof...okay?"
"You're right." Kim's lips turned up in a wan smile. "It's just that…" She shook her head, "It's going to be a long time before I think I can trust him with anything important."
Middleton High—School Paper—"Mad Dog Gazette" Office
"Ron…get over here!" Cindy called out to the newest member of the newspaper staff. "We need to talk about a few things."
"Sure thing, Cindy." Ron responded as he walked over and took a seat next to the dark-haired campus news and sports reporter's desk. "What is it?"
"Have you ever taken any journalism courses before, Ron?" Cindy asked as she shuffled some papers on her desk.
"No." The blond youth shook his head, "But how difficult can it be? Everyone loves my story on Kim and I've got my own column now and Amelia's invited me to her party to write about it."
"All right…let's play a little game."
"Cool!" Ron smiled as Rufus popped out of his pocket to listen. "What's the game?"
"I'm going to pose a hypothetical situation or two for you and you tell me how you'd deal with them."
"All right." Ron nodded his head, "Go ahead."
"Okay…" Cindy took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "You're at Amelia's party and Monique comes up to you and asks you to talk. She leads you to a secluded place and says there's something she wants to tell you about Bonnie, but it's off the record."
Nodding his head, the blond boy replied, "Okay, I'm with you so far…"
"She then gives you this really juicy piece of gossip about how Bonnie got caught cheating on her history test. What do you do?"
"I write it up and publish it, of course!" Ron exclaimed, "Everyone would read it and I'd be famous."
"No, Ron…" Cindy shook her head. "You don't."
"I don't?" Why not?"
"Because you told Monique the conversation was off the record. You see, journalists will sometimes agree to not publish something—no matter how juicy it is—for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it's done as a favor so that the other person will pay it back down the line by turning the journalist on to an even juicier story. Sometimes it's because the source wants the journalist to act as what we call a back-channel. Like during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a journalist was used as a way for us and the Soviets to unofficially talk to each other and find a way to settle the situation before it got out of hand. Neither government could be seen as caving to the other, so by using this journalist, they found a way to reach a solution. There are other reasons why a reporter would agree to not publish a story too, but we can talk about those later. You understand?"
"Yeah." Ron scratched his head, "I guess so."
Tapping her desk with a pencil, Cindy continued the game, "Okay…our next situation. Same place, but Monique goes on the record this time. However, she asks you to not give out her name because she's worried about Bonnie retaliating. The Principal calls you into her office and demands that you reveal your source. Do you tell her Monique was your source?"
"Well, yeah." Ron answered back, "If I don't the principal might put me in detention or suspend me."
Shaking her head, the dark-haired young woman corrected her new colleague, "No, you don't. A reporter never willingly gives up his or her source. Good reporters have gone to jail to protect their sources. We do that not just for ethical reasons, but also for pragmatic reasons. A journalist is only as good as his or her sources. No sources…no story…unemployed journalist. You get the picture?"
"Yeah." Ron nodded his head, "I guess it's not as easy being a reporter as I thought."
"No, it isn't." Cindy agreed, "But it's an important job. You see, people need to know what's going on in the world around them, but they also deserve to hear the truth and that means we reporters have to be extra careful about how we do our jobs. Like…" she gazed directly into the young man's eyes as she said her next words, "…we never misquote or take a source out of context. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"
"Yeah." Ron's lips tightened. "I understand. You think what I did with Kim's interview was wrong."
"It was unethical." Cindy nodded her head, "Yes. You deliberately misquoted her, twisting around completely what she really said. You also did a disservice to your readers because you didn't tell them the truth." Getting up from her desk, Cindy turned to walk away. "What you do about that now is up to you. I think you can be a good reporter if you want to be. Whether you become one or not is also up to you."
Middleton Multiplex Theater—that evening
"The perfect cure for a rough day." Josh grinned as he and his date walked together hand in hand to the ticket window.
"I am so looking forward to this!" Kim sighed as the pair got in line. "School was a zoo today! If it weren't for you, Tara, Hope and the others running interference for me, I think I'd have gone crazy." Her voice taking on a bitter edge, she mocked, "Are you really going out with Brick? How did Josh feel after you dumped him? How long have you thought Brick was hot? Blah…blah….blah!"
Seeing that her date was wincing because she was squeezing his hand so hard, the young redhead apologized, "I'm sorry, Josh. It's just that this has got me so wound up."
"It's okay, Kim." The young artist smiled at his date. "We all have to vent sometime." As the pair approached the booth, they saw behind the counter a tall, thin teenage girl with light brown skin, brown eyes, and dark brown straight shoulder length hair wearing a name badge with the name 'Annie'.
"Two tickets, please."
"Sure." The girl responded with a smile as she took Josh's money and handed over two tickets. "Here you are. Enjoy the show."
After picking up a bucket of popcorn at the concession stand, the pair made their way into the theater and, finding two choice seats in the center, settled down to watch the movie. Inching closer to her date, Kim sighed contentedly as she felt his arm around her shoulder. At least one thing's gone right today. Kim thought to herself as she enjoyed the movie.
A couple of hours later, the couple emerged from the theater laughing. "Tara was right about the conditioner scene!" Kim roared with laughter. "I don't know what I'd have done if that were to ever happen to me. I think I'd die!"
"Really!" Josh chuckled, "It gives new meaning to the phrase protein conditioning."
Returning to Kim's home and reaching the front door, the young redhead looked up at her handsome escort and gave him a warm grin. "Thanks again, Josh. It was a wonderful evening."
"I'm just happy to see you smiling again." Josh replied. "I know today's been rough for you, but here's hoping tomorrow's better."
"Thanks, Josh." Kim stood on tiptoes as she gave the young artist a kiss on the cheek just as the front porch light turned on. Giggling, she apologized, "That's dad telling me it's time to get in the house. I'll see you tomorrow at school."
"See ya tomorrow." Josh grinned as he waved goodbye.
Entering her house, Kim shook her head at her overprotective father who was standing by the window. "Dad! We were at the front door! What did you think was going to happen? That he was going to ravage me on the porch or something like that?"
"I was just making sure that didn't happen." James declared.
Shaking her head, Kim made her way to the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of milk.
"How was the date dear?" Ann asked as she joined her daughter at the kitchen table.
"It was great, Mom!" Kim exclaimed as she sipped her milk, "It was just what I needed after today. Low pressure…no drama. The movie was funny…" Leaning over the table, she whispered conspiratorially to her mother, "But I don't think it'd be a good idea to talk about the conditioner scene in front of Dad."
Chuckling, Ann responded, "No dear, it wouldn't." Her laughter fading, the older redhead told her daughter in a kindly voice, "You know, your father means well. It's just that it's sometimes hard for him to accept that you're growing up and becoming a young woman now."
"I know, Mom…" Kim sighed.
"It's hard for me sometimes too, dear." Ann chuckled softly. "It can be hard for parents to let go sometimes. Maybe one day you'll find out for yourself when you become a parent."
"Don't worry, Mom." The teenage girl chuckled, "It won't be anytime soon."
"I hope not, darling." Ann laughed, "If you think your father's a pain now…" The Possible matriarch shook her head, "I don't even want to think about what he'd be like then." Pausing for a moment, Ann gently inquired, "How is everything between you and Ron?"
"I don't know, Mom." Kim shook her head. "He hurt me today and he doesn't even realize it. What really bites though…" the young redhead, took another sip of milk as she collected her thoughts, "…is that I can't hate him because he didn't do it to be vicious or cruel or to break me and Josh up, but…Mom…" she shook her head, "…I don't think I can trust him anymore. I know I'm not going to confide in him or trust him with anything sensitive."
"Are you still going to take him with you on missions?" Ann asked.
"I…don't know, Mom." Seeing the look of concern on her mother's face, the teen hero quickly amended, "I mean…I'm not going to go out alone…I promise…"
"That's good." Ann sighed, "You really need someone backing you up out there."
"You're right, Mom." Kim agreed, "Even in the cases where I'm not tangling with bad guys I could be in the mountains or out in the middle of nowhere and it's good to have someone with me just in case of an accident."
"I'm glad to see that you're being prudent." Ann remarked approvingly. "But I hear a but coming…"
"But…Ron might not be my first choice to take with me…at least not for a while." Kim reluctantly admitted. "Right now, if Wade were to call with a mission, the first people I'd call would be Tara and Hope and then Ron if I couldn't get either of those two." Finishing her milk, Kim took the glass to the sink and washed it. "I'm gonna go on to bed now, Mom. Good night."
"Good night, Dear."
Middleton High—the next morning
Unlike most mornings, Kim didn't wait for Ron to walk with her to school. Instead, after explaining the situation to her friends, she rode to school with Tara and Hope in Tara's Spyder. "I appreciate you two helping me out like this." Kim said to her friends as Tara pulled her sportscar into the school parking lot and, after finding a parking spot, turned off the ignition.
"Don't mention it, luv." Tara replied as the trio exited the Alfa-Romeo. "Are you sure about dropping Ron to second choice for your mission partner though."
"Yeah." Hope interjected, "We can understand why you want to do that—he did screw the pooch pretty bad with that story in the paper. But…"
"It's going to tear him up." Kim sighed as the trio made their way to the school entrance. "I know. It's just that…after what he did…I don't know if I can trust him—at least not for a while. I know I can trust both of you to have my back."
"You need either or both of us…" Tara declared as her best friend nodded her head in agreement, "…just give us a call…right?"
"Thanks." Kim replied as the three girls saw both Brick and Ron standing near Kim's locker. Letting out a breath of air, Kim heaved a sigh of exasperation, "All I needed to start my morning off."
"You want us to run interference for you?" Hope offered.
"Yeah, we can get those two to bugger off for you…no problem." Tara concurred.
"No, but thanks anyway." Kim shook her head, "I'm going to have to deal with them sooner or later. Might was well be now." Taking a deep breath, she pleaded, "But…I would appreciate it if you two would stay with me."
"You know we will." Hope answered back as the three girls approached the two boys.
"Hey Kim…" Brick smiled down at the cheerleader captain with his usual goofy grin. "I was thinking…what should we do Friday night. Dinner or a movie and then it hit me. We can grab hot dogs at the movie! What do you think?"
Taking a deep breath, Kim was saved from answering by her Kimmunicator beeping.
"Thank God you beeped, Wade!" Kim sighed with relief as the image of the young Team Possible computer tech appeared on the screen. "Tell me you've got a mission or something."
"I've got a mission, Kim." Wade's lips turned up in a broad grin as he noticed Brick Flagg in the background. "And he must be the guy you think is hot?"
"Not a good time Wadesy…" Tara reproached warningly.
"Come on, Brick…" Hope urged as she took the football player by his arm, "Walk me to my class."
"Sure thing, Hope." The quarterback responded.
Waving in response to Kim's mouthed 'Thank you', Hope chuckled, "I'll see you guys later!"
"Okay, Wade." Kim exhaled, turning her attention back to the boy on her Kimmunicator screen, "What's the sitch?"
"You got a message from Pop-Pop Warner…remember him? The frozen food guy?"
"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "I remember."
"Well…he needs your help." Wade announced, "He was robbed."
Ron, on hearing that, quickly exclaimed, "Let's go, KP! I smell a scoop."
"Not this time, Ron." Kim firmly declared, shaking her head, "I'm taking Tara. You're sitting this one out."
His formerly jubilant expression now replaced by a crestfallen look, Ron croaked out a single word, "Why?"
"You know why, Ron." Kim replied sternly.
"Ummm…Kim…" Wade stammered uncertainly, not enjoying the sight of the two old friends now seemingly unhappy with each other. "This looks like a pretty simple mission. I don't see where we're going to need Tara or Hope's particular skill sets in this instance."
"I have my reasons for taking Tara and benching Ron." Kim affirmed as she turned to her old friend, "I'm sorry, Ron, but I'm not taking you on this mission." Turning to Tara, the teen hero nodded her head once, "You ready to go?"
"Whenever you are." The blonde adventuress answered back in a soft tone.
"Okay…let's go."
Watching as the two girls departed, Ron spoke to his little rodent companion who had popped out of his pocket to comfort him, "They're not going to keep us away from a big scoop—are they buddy?"
"Nope!" Rufus chittered back.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Pop-Pop Warner's
Both girls, now in their mission gear, leaped out of the Italian sports convertible after Tara parked her Alfa-Romeo at the curb of the frozen food king's main offices, neither one noticing the blond youth who had been following them since they left school.
"Good thing we got a lift from that guy." Ron whispered to his little companion, "Tara drives like a maniac."
"Hello, Mr. Porter." Kim greeted as Tara cased the building with a practiced eye, paying special attention to possible entrance and exit ways and potential sniper perches. "What was taken?"
"Someone stole my Pop-Pop popcorn shrimp." The old man whined.
Shaking her head, Kim exclaimed, "You brought us out here, Pop-Pop, because someone stole a bunch of shrimp?"
"Maybe whoever took the shrimp needed hors d' oeuvres for a party?" Tara quipped, shrugging her shoulders.
"Nah…" Kim joked back, "Then they'd have taken some cocktail sauce."
"Good point."
"They stole Shrimp Force One." Pop-Pop sobbed, "It was my favorite!"
"He must be talking about the blimp, luv." Tara remarked as she shook her head in disbelief.
"It shouldn't be too hard to track down a blimp" Kim remarked as she took out her Kimmunicator. "Wade? Can I get you to do a search on blimp sightings?"
"Sure Kim." The young computer wizard replied, "What am I looking for?"
"Anything involving giant sea creatures—preferably crustaceans."
"Let's see…got it! There's a blimp sighted just a few blocks from your location. Here's the coordinates."
"Thanks, Wade! We're on our way." Turning to Tara, the young redhead grinned as the pair exited the building only to see Shrimp Force One hovering in the sky close to their location. "We're close enough to hoof it. Come on."
"Lead the way, luv!" The blonde grinned as the pair took off down the street, followed close behind by a young blond boy and his naked mole-rat companion.
"This is gonna be a heckuva scoop, Rufus!"
As they approached the location of the blimp, the teens heard a familiar voice booming from loudspeakers. "What…What…"
"That's Adrena Lynn." Ron gasped as he caught up to the two girls.
"What are you doing here, Ron?" An obviously perturbed Kim spat out, "I thought I told you that you were benched!"
"I'm here as a reporter." Ron answered back defiantly, "And this is news."
"Fine!" Kim bit back, "Just don't get in the way."
The loudspeaker again boomed with the stuntwoman's voice, "What…"
Then the gathered crowd, coached by a man on the ground, all cried out in unison, "Will she do next!"
Spying movement on a balcony overhead, Tara whispered to the boy standing next to her, "You got a telephoto zoom lens on that camera?"
"Yeah." Ron whispered back. "Why?"
The blonde cheerleader responded with a wry grin, "If you want the biggest scoop of your life, you'll take my advice and put it on now, crank up the magnification, and then take a picture at that balcony over there."
Shrugging his shoulders, Ron did as he was instructed and snapped the picture. "Why did you have me do that? It was just someone watching from the balcony."
"Just a hunch, luv. It might or might not pan out." Tara replied, "See if it does when you develop the picture."
"And now…" Adrena's voice boomed, "For the ultimate in extreme action…I am going to bungee jump from this blimp!"
Kim and her companions then saw a human figure diving off the side of the blimp as Adrena's voice cried out through the loudspeakers.
"Blindfolded! Freaky!"
Then, about midway through her dive, the cord snapped. Acting quickly, Kim donned a helmet and goggles and, smiling at Tara, quipped, "Jet pack my father got me. Learned my lesson from the helicopter thing. I'll get her, you keep an eye on things down here."
"Right, luv." Tara nodded her head, "Go get her."
As Kim jetted off after the plummeting figure, Tara turned to the boy standing next to her, "Come on and shag it photo boy. You wanna be there if Kim's catching what I think she's catching."
"You mean who…don't you?" Ron asked as he followed close behind the young blonde.
"No, sweetie." Tara's lips turned up in a wicked grin, "I mean what. If I'm right, you already got a picture of who."
Snagging the plummeting figure in her arms, Kim cried out a triumphant "Gotcha!" Then, looking down, she immediately recognized that instead of holding Adrena Lynn in her hands, she was carrying a dummy. "Well…shit."
As if on cue, Adrena appeared on the balcony with microphone in hand. "Freaky!"
Quickly snapping her picture, Ron turned to Tara. "Ummm…that person on the balcony earlier…"
"Five will get you ten when you develop that picture, it'll be Adrena." Tara declared as Kim landed next to the pair.
"She's right, Ron." Kim declared as she revealed the dummy in her hands. "It was all faked."
"No…" Ron shook his head in disbelief. "She didn't even fall."
"Nope." Tara shook her head. "Sorry."
As Tara made her pronouncement, Kim's Kimmunicator beeped. "Kim?"
"What is it, Wade?"
"Pop-Pop got so much publicity from the coverage that he decided not to press charges." The techie declared.
"She's nothing but a big fake." Ron exclaimed, shocked that his idol proved to be an ordinary fraud.
"Yeah." Kim bit back sourly, "Imagine that. Someone lying to build up their reputation."
His friend's rebuke flying over his head, Ron declared, "Well…she might get a pass from Pop-Pop Warner, but Ron Stoppable smells a story. I'm gonna go and see if I can snag some interviews before I write this bad boy up."
Watching as the young man strode off, Kim shook her head, "He still doesn't get it."
Handing her friend a flask, Tara quipped, "Here luv, you need this." After Kim had taken a big swallow and handed it back to her, the lovely blonde took a drink herself and then slipped it back into one of her suit pockets. "Feel better?"
"Yeah…a little." Kim replied as the alcohol warmed her mouth and throat. "We better get on back to school." As the pair returned to Tara's car, their Kimmunicators again beeped.
"Kim?"
"What is it this time, Wade?" Kim sighed.
"Sorry…but I thought you should know." The young boy reported, "Your mom called. She said that your dad had to take the Tweebs to the Medical Center."
"Are they okay?" A suddenly worried Kim exclaimed, "They're not hurt or anything—are they?"
"They'll be fine, Kim." Wade replied in a soothing voice, "They just suffered some minor injuries imitating Adrena Lynn's latest stunt. They're safe at home now. Your parents told me to tell you not to worry and to stay in school and come home at the normal time."
"Thanks Wade. Well…guess we better get back to school."
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "Get in…I'll have us back in a jiff."
Middleton High—Newspaper Office
"Well, Cindy…what do you think?" Ron asked as he showed his colleague and unofficial mentor the photographs and rough draft of his story.
Nodding her head in approval, Cindy's lips turned up in a slight grin. "Good job, Ron. Nice catch with the first photo. The image is a little fuzzy, but it's clear enough to be recognized as being Lynn. Nice job also on the interviews. I think Jenny's gonna love it. Just fix these grammatical errors I've marked and you'll be good to go."
"Thanks." Ron smiled, happy at receiving praise. However, as he turned to leave, he heard Cindy's voice calling him back.
"So…any thoughts on how you're going to word your retraction for misquoting Kim?"
"Yeah." Ron nodded his head. "I'm just trying to come up with the right words."
"Just make it sincere and honest." Cindy advised sympathetically, "And…don't even think about resigning. You've got the potential to be a damned good reporter. So…no talk about giving up. Right?"
Nodding his head, Ron answered back, "Right. No giving up. Not this time."
The Possible Home after school
"Hi Tara...Hope. Thanks for dropping Kim off." Mrs. Dr. Possible grinned, "Can you stay for dinner?"
"Thanks, Mrs. P." Hope smiled back, "But we've made other plans."
"Yeah." Tara grinned, "Sergei's taking us out to dinner. Thanks anyway."
Shaking her head, Ann waved goodbye, "Drive carefully!" Turning to her daughter, she announced in a calming voice, "The twins are okay. They're watching TV in the living room."
Facepalming as she saw the Tweebs, one with his arm bandaged and in a sling and the other with his foot bandaged and in a flexible cast, Kim exhaled, "You two hurt yourselves trying to imitate Lynn's fake stunt?"
"It's not fake!" Jim exclaimed, "We were bungee jumping out of a blimp."
"Only we didn't have a blimp…" Tim interrupted, "So we jumped from the roof."
"And we didn't have a bungee cord." Jim explained, "So we used yarn."
"I told you…" Mr. Dr. Possible shook his head, "That Adrena Lynn is a menace."
"Preaching to the choir here, Dad." Kim sighed as the news came on.
"This is Tricia Labowski of KMID News. In our top story today, Ron Stoppable, a reporter with the Middleton High Mad Dog Gazette, reports that extreme stunt star Adrena Lynn is an extreme fake. As these photos show, the figure plummeting to the ground and picked up by local teen hero Kim Possible was nothing more than a dummy. This photograph…" the first photograph was replaced by a second, also credited to Ron Stoppable, which showed a human figure identifiable as the extreme stunt star. "…clearly shows that Adrena Lynn was on the balcony before the bungee jump. As a result of Stoppable's expose, Lynn's ratings have gone into free fall, plummeting faster than her dummy's fall."
"Looks like Ron's story got some traction." Ann noted with a smile.
"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, answering her mother's statement with a grim reply, "Now, if he could only erase what he wrote about me."
"The recent evidence showing that Adrena Lynn's stunts were all staged, combined with a rash of copycat incidents caused by people—especially children—being injured while trying to recreate her stunts has led to the FCC and state communications bureaus and other law enforcement agencies looking closer at Ms. Lynn. The network has issued a statement disavowing any knowledge of her stunts being staged and announcing that her show has been cancelled in favor of more responsible programming."
"Great!" Kim sighed, "Now all I've got to worry about is telling Brick we're not dating without hurting his feelings and figure out what I'm going to do about Ron." Turning to her parents, the young teen shook her head, "I'll be up in my room doing my homework. Give me a call when dinner's ready."
"Sounds like you're having a hard week, honey." Ann said as she entered her daughter's room.
"It shows that bad, doesn't it?" Kim said as she twisted her body in the chair to face her mother.
"Only a little." Ann chuckled as she pulled up a seat next to her daughter. "Want to talk about it?"
Letting out a breath of air, Kim rolled her eyes, "It's been a mess ever since Ron published that story about me in the school paper. Bonnie and Monique all but called me a slut and did call Hope and Tara that."
"I don't think either of those two care what Bonnie or Monique think about them." Ann replied with a crooked grin.
"They don't." Kim laughed.
"Maybe you shouldn't either." Ann observed, "You're not a slut and everyone who knows you knows that you're not. So…what else is bothering you?"
"Mom…" Kim shook her head, "I don't want to believe this…but…well…the timing…it's just too convenient."
"What dear?" Ann gently probed.
"I'm afraid that Ron did this to deliberately break me and Josh up and it almost did." Kim sobbed. "I don't want to think that. And I'm ashamed for thinking it…he's my friend…my best friend. But…me and Josh just had our first date and then Ron drops this bomb on me. What else am I going to think?"
"I don't think you should rush to judgment, dear." Ann carefully advised. "Have you talked to Ron about this?"
"No." Kim shook her head, "Like you said, I don't want to rush to judgment and I don't want to accuse him of something unless I'm sure of it—especially something like this." Taking a deep breath, she concluded, "I know that once I bring this up to him, no matter how our conversation goes—whether he did it or not, our friendship is over. It's one of those things that once done…"
"Can't be undone." Ann finished, "Or to use another tired cliché, some bridges once burned can't be rebuilt. I'm glad you recognize that fact and that you're not being hasty. Maybe you should give it a little more time. Right now, your emotions are on overload."
"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "You're right, Mom. I'm gonna wait and let things—and myself—cool down before I say or do anything I might not be able to take back."
"Sounds like you've got a handle on things, dear. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."
"Thanks, Mom. I'll be down then."
Tara and Hope's House—the next evening
"What's on the telly?" Tara, in her nightwear of t-shirt and panties, asked as she lit a cigarette and plopped down on the sofa next to her best friend.
"Nothing now." Hope grumbled, "All I'm getting is static and snow on all channels."
"Looks like someone's jamming the signal." Tara observed as she got up off the sofa.
"Work gear?" Hope inquired as she stood up.
"Work gear." Tara replied. "I'll give Wadesy a call." Moments later, she shook her head, "That's odd. I can't get a signal."
"Well, shit." Hope grimaced as the pair got dressed in their catsuits. "Wanna swing over to Kim's?"
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "Your car or mine?"
"Mine." Hope replied, "We might need the seat space."
Possible Home
Answering the doorbell, Ann was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the Dirty Pair at her door. "Come in girls." Mrs. Dr. Possible urged as she ushered the two girls into the living room. "This just came on the TV."
"It's on all channels." Kim announced.
"Isn't that your boyfriend, Kim?" Tim teased.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Kim all but shouted back. Turning to her parents and her two friends, she pondered, "What's Brick doing there?"
"I thought you said Kim wanted to meet me here."
"She'll be here."
"Sounds like that poser…" Tara remarked.
"Adrena Lynn!
The Tweebs cried out enthusiastically.
"Hoosha!"
"Tonight…Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable versus me in Extreme Combat. And…to up the stakes…I have Kim's boyfriend. Clock's ticking. Freaky!"
"How do you want to play this, Kim?" Hope inquired.
"I need to get geared up and then we need to pick up Ron." Kim decided as the landline phone rang.
"Hello?" Mrs. Possible said, speaking into the receiver. "Yeah, Ron. She's right here."
"Did you see it, Ron?" Kim asked.
"Yeah, Kim." Ron answered back. "So, when do we go?"
"We'll be by to pick you up ASAP." Kim replied, "Tara and Hope are backing us up in case Adrena decides to get too freaky."
"Okay, KP." Ron replied, "I'll be ready when you get here."
"Girls…" Kim said as she quickly dressed in the living room, "I want to try to do this without…you know…but…if we have to."
"We'll follow your lead, Kim." Tara replied, "We won't pull the trigger unless you tell us to."
"Thanks, girls." Grabbing the last of her gear, she took a deep breath, "Okay…let's roll."
The Abandoned Fairgrounds
"Kim…Hope…the only thing down this road is the old Middleton Amusement Park and it's supposed to be haunted." Ron moaned.
"Damn." Tara quipped, "Maybe we should have our Halloween party here?"
"Too late, bestie." Hope chuckled, "We already gave Twinky the deposit for the house and it's non-refundable."
"Shit."
"This place is creepy." Ron groaned as Hope parked the car and opened the trunk.
"I'm gonna find a spot to set up." Hope declared as she took her binoculars and rifle.
"Right, Kim." Tara inquired, "Where do you want me?"
Spotting a dark area near the midway, the teen hero asked, "Can you sneak your way into position there?"
"Not a problem, luv." Tara replied. "Good hunting."
"Okay, Ron…" Kim took a breath as she began walking towards the midway, "Let's do what she expects us to do and charge straight ahead."
As the pair neared the funhouse, they heard Hope and Tara's voices through their Kimmunicators both whispering, "In position." Then, the lights suddenly came on to reveal Brick tied up in a rollercoaster car with Adrena Lynn standing near a control lever.
"I've got her in my sights." Hope whispered.
"Not yet." Kim whispered back. "She might have a dead man's switch."
"High school quarterback Brick Flagg is about to take the ride of his life and only his beloved girlfriend Kim Possible can save him. Will She Do IT?"
"Cut the crap, Adrena." Kim growled, "This isn't some fucking game!"
"Ohhh language, Kimmie!" The blonde villainess mocked, "This is a live transmission! And you're right. This isn't a game! It's real, it's extreme, and it's freaky!" As Adrena pushed the lever down, the car containing Brick began to roll up to the top of the tracks. "You know the old saying, Kimmie—what goes up comes down? Well…the track's busted so when Brick comes down—he's gonna keep falling until he crashes on the ground. Unless you save him! Clock's ticking!"
Watching as Adrena activated a conveyor belt that suddenly threw Kim and Ron into the funhouse, Tara whispered into her Kimmunicator. "You two okay?"
"We're fine, Tara." Kim replied, "Hold position for now, but if you don't hear from me by the time Brick almost gets to the top of that track, go after him. Hope…if you don't hear from us by then, take the shot."
"Right." Both girls replied.
"Adrena's got us trapped in the bumper cars." The teen hero whispered as the crazy stuntwoman, driving a car, barely missed a quickly dodging Kim and Ron.
"You've still got some time, but hurry." Tara urged.
Jumping into a bumper car, Kim rammed Adrena's car, throwing the villainess out. Leaping from her car, the young redhead ran towards the tracks and climbed up the trestle until she heard Ron's shout. Looking down, she winced as she saw that Adrena had captured Ron and after tying him up, hoisted him up on the twirly-swings and activated the ride, sending her friend whirling.
"Hope." Kim whispered, "Do you think you can stop that twirly thing from spinning."
"I think so." The dark-haired sniper replied as she shifted her aim towards the mechanism controlling the spinning.
"Do it. I'm going after Brick."
"Taking the shot." Hope announced as she pulled the trigger. Moments later, the bullet hit the gears controlling the machine, causing it to come to a halt. Chambering a second round, she fired again, severing the rope from which Ron hung.
Popping out of hiding, Adrena grabbed Ron. "That'll cost you Kim."
"I've got Adrena in my sights." Hope declared.
"Wait." Kim commanded as she activated her jet pack. "Tara? Can you take out Adrena without killing her?"
"Yeah." The blonde adventuress declared. "I might nick her a little though."
"That's fine. Just don't kill her."
"Right." Tara replied as she threw one of her knives, striking the blonde villainess in her arm causing her to cry out in shock and pain. "Next one's in your heart, toerag." Tara threatened as she revealed herself, another knife in hand, ready to throw.
"Hope." Kim commanded as she snatched Brick from coaster car. "Can you tell that cameraman not to move."
"Hell yeah." The raven-haired cheerleader grinned as she aimed for a spot about an inch from the man's right ear and fired.
The cameraman, hearing the bullet as it whizzed by him froze. Then, looking down, he noticed a tiny red point aimed at his heart. Coming to a complete halt, the man slowly raised his hands.
Dropping Brick off and landing next to Ron, Kim quickly untied the quarterback as Tara, after bandaging Adrena's wound, cuffed her with a plastic tie.
"I'm sorry, Kim." Ron apologized as Hope, her rifle slung, approached the group with the handcuffed cameraman in front of her. "This never would have happened if I hadn't published that phony story about you crushing on Brick. I promise, I'll print an apology and retraction in tomorrow's paper and if you want me to quit—I'll quit."
"I don't want you to quit, Ron." Kim shook her head. "You showed us what you could do when you exposed Adrena as the fake she is. I just want you to be a good reporter. As for the rest…we'll talk about that tomorrow. Right now…I'm just very tired." As the police sirens wailed, Kim turned to her BFFs, "Girls…you might want to get out now unless you want to appear on the eleven o'clock news."
"Good idea, luv." Tara grinned, "See you tomorrow."
Breathing deep, Kim pushed the failed stuntwoman and her cameraman in front of her as a pair of policemen approached. "Come on, Adrena…whoever…some nice police officers want to have a word with you."
Middleton High—the next day
"Kim?" Tara and Hope approached, both with broad smiles on their faces and bearing copies of the Middleton High Mad Dog Gazette, "You might want to read this, luv."
"Retraction and apology by Ron Stoppable…" Kim read aloud, "In an earlier edition of the paper, I committed one of the biggest no-no's a reporter could do—I didn't tell the truth. For the record, I want to state that Kim Possible has never had a crush on Brick Flagg, although she does consider him to be a good quarterback and excellent football player. I also apologize to Kim for the pain and anguish this story has put her through and I promise her and my fellow students that I will do better in the future."
"Well…" Hope drawled.
"It helps." Kim smiled, "A lot. I still have some trust issues with him right now, but…it's a step in the right direction."
"Like they say…" Hope deadpanned, "One Aww Shit wipes out ten Attaboys."
"And luvs…" Tara shook her head, "This was a damned big Aww Shit."
"It was the mother of all Aww Shits." Kim agreed as Brick approached the three girls.
"Kim? Can we talk…alone?"
"Sure Brick." Kim replied as the two put some distance between themselves and the Dirty Pair. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I can't believe you got that guy you hang out with to set up Adrena Lynn so that she'd freak out and do this whole 'Save Brick' thing just to prove that you dig me. You try too hard, Kim. All you had to do was ask me out. This whole business…it's too much. I'm sorry, Kim, but we're through. Friends though—okay?"
"Of course, Brick." Kim answered back.
"Well…see you around." Walking away, the quarterback, as he passed Hope and Tara, gave both girls a conspiratorial wink as he whispered, "That should take care of everything. Tell Josh if he's smart, he's got himself a cool girlfriend. If he's not, I might just take a shot at her for real. I might not be that smart, but I know something good when I see it."
"Well…" Kim sighed as she rejoined her friends, "That's one problem taken care of." Then, spying Ron approaching, she shook her head, "And now…it's time to take care of another."
"We'll let the two of you talk." Tara said as she gave Kim a hug, "Catch us when you're done."
"Yeah, BFF." Hope said as she also gave her redheaded friend a hug, "You know where we'll be."
Lowering his head as he apologized to his friend, Ron moaned, "I'm sorry, Kim. I'm really sorry. I know I made a mess of things. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you, Ron." Kim replied as her eyes misted, "But please, don't do anything like this again."
"I promise, Kim." The blond youth swore, "I'll never do anything like this to you or anyone else ever again. So…Bueno Nachos after school?"
"Okay." Kim nodded her head, "Bueno Nachos."
"Thanks, KP!" Ron smiled, "I gotta go to the school paper office now. We're working on tomorrow's issue and I've got to do the final write up on Adrena Lynn's arrest."
"I'll see you later."