Chapter 22: Almost Winter Break

Ron and Oscar knuckled down and faced the challenge. It would take hard work and commitment. It would take time and effort. But they knew that they were up to the trial. They were friends and teammates! They had faced adversity before. They would not be beaten by this foe! Sharing a look of grim determination, they went to work.

They both pulled their American Government textbooks out of their backpacks and opened them on the Dinning Room Table at Ron's House. Tomorrow was the final exam, the last final of the semester for both of them. This exam would take place tomorrow morning and there were no classes scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. After the exam there would be eleven, consecutive, glorious days with no school!

The two teenagers spent the next hour reviewing the semester's coursework. They retook all of their tests and reviewed each chapter's summary, quizzing each other on the material. Oscar had always been a pretty good student and Ron's attitude towards education had changed since his return from Japan, so the boys were fairly well up on the subject anyway. With an hour of concentrated study time, they were confident of the outcome of tomorrow's test. Then they turned their attention to other matters.

"She likes you, you know." Ron told his friend as they chilled out to a game of Zombie Mayhem, the Lemming Horde.

"I thought she was paying quite a bit of attention to me but I'm really pathetic when it comes to girls. I really don't know what to do about it." Oscar answered, barely avoiding being overwhelmed by a swarm of undead, suicidal, Scandinavian rodents.

"Just ask her out! It isn't that difficult."

"This from the guy who flirted with his girlfriend for a full month before he found the guts? I don't even have the 'flirt around the locker' deal to work with here. I don't know where to go or what to do for dating around these parts."

"Didn't you say you had a girlfriend back in North Dakota? What did the two of you do back there? HA! The Ronman has come to play!"

"Never thought I'd meet my end at the hands (paws?) Of a skeletal varmint with a kamikaze complex. But seriously, we both loved to go out and plunk prairie dogs. Her dad had a ranch and an infestation and we spent many a Sunday afternoon with a picnic lunch, under a shade tree, with .22s, popping the critters."

"I don't think you'll read about that in many romance novels." Ron chuckled, then started another game. "That's weird even by my standards. By the way, prepare for another lesson in humiliation."

"Now you know why I'm nervous about asking Cindy out. Helen and I really knew each other and liked the same things. Both of us loved to go hunting, fishing, swimming in the Missouri, biking, you name it. I really miss her at times. But we both know that with us being teenagers and with me moving out here it was over. I still trade emails with her every week or so. She's found a new boyfriend, I wonder if she can outshoot him by as much as she could outshoot me."

Ron chuckled again. "And you wonder if she didn't give you a massive case of the weirds that'll scare off any other girl?"

Oscar winced. "There is that. I really don't know how to act around a…well…normal girl. Cindy sure seems nice so I don't want her to think that I'm a psycho. Maybe a little odd, which is true, but not a psycho."

Ron snorted. "I've got an idea, since Sue and Cindy are pals, why don't we set up some sort of double date? After all, Cindy told Sue that she had a crush on you. I'm pretty sure she knew that Sue would tell me and that I would tell you."

"I'd appreciate that," Oscar said, "do you have any ideas…Hey wait a minute!"

"What, did you see the Magical Lemming of Unavoidable Doom?"

"No, no, not the game, I just had an idea about the date! You know I work out at Randall's Stables three days a week?"

"Yeah."

"Here's my idea." Oscar spent a few minutes explaining his idea to Ron even though it cost him another lost game.

"That's a great idea! I'll call Sue right now. We'll keep it a surprise for the two of them. This Saturday?"

"You bet."

Within a few minutes Ron was back in the Living Room. "It's on," he declared, "and if the Ronman's judgement can be trusted, I think a certain cheerleader is going to be completely swept off of her feet."

"As well as a clarinet player?

"A nice side effect." Grinned Ron, "Tell you what, the fillets are about thawed so why don't you try to practice up to my illustrious level while I start din-" The phone interrupted him.

"Hello," Ron answered, "Oh, hey KP! Just whipping Oscar at Zombie Mayhem. Yeah, we both studied for it so we're ready. I appreciate the offer, but the two of us have to keep an eye on our weight. Hey! Tell you what, I was about to unleash my culinary genius on some walleye fillets. We have more than enough for one more and you're always welcome… KP? KP!" Ron looked up at Oscar. "I was just inviting Kim over for dinner with us when she hung up! Maybe her 'rents had something to say or maybe she's dodging the 'tweebs' latest project."

With that, Ron went into the kitchen and started to assemble his materials for his latest piece of art. Fresh walleye was really good material to work with. Here, he had a lake full of the fish not five miles away and he had never realized it. Of course, Oscar cleaning the fish was a real plus. The doorbell interrupted his plotting.

Ron answered the door to see a rather breathless Kim standing on the front step. "So you're going to try to outdo yourself?" She asked. Ron stood aside for her to come in. Looking outside, he could see a clear trail in the new fallen snow leading down the street towards her house. He reviewed the time he had spent in the kitchen. Yep, she had just enough time to put on her winter clothes and sprint all the way over. Ron couldn't hold in a grin. Even the great Kim Possible was putty in his hands once he unleashed his kitchen talents!