They travelled back home not saying much, but now, Kim was grumbling to herself and looking at Ron with those piercing green eyes.
"I can't believe this" "darn it" and "idiot" were a bit of the things he could hear.
She chose this time to sit nearer to him, though not that close. not letting him out of her sight… she wanted him to know how angry she was without saying anything much… not yet. She wanted him to see the fire in her eyes and know just how fed up she was. But once they got home, she had some major decisions to make.
They got back to Middleton in the late evening and strangely enough, she didn't drop him off at his house. She stopped at hers. Ron actually was preparing for any further blame she may carry out on him. After all, she had all right to…. Constantly harassing her about college, making her loose concentration on the matter at hand, and destroying a priceless artefact… it was all too much for her.
She got out of her car and slammed the door. She watched him as sharply as she did all the way home from Dementor's lair. And then, Ron found some courage to speak up…
"Um, KP…I deser…"
"DON'T YOU DARE "K.P "ME!!" She let him have it. "I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE!" she had her hand level over her head"
"ONE SIMPLE MISSION… ONE SIMPLE, STINKIN MISSION AND YOU MESSED IT UP! YOU…YOU REALLY ARE A BUFFOON!"
The shock hit him hard. She never called him that. No matter how bad the situation was, she NEVER acknowledged him in that way. By now Kim's family were all outside wondering why their daughter was in such a rant…they wanted to say something but realised that it was not in their right to…
"I'LL BET RUFUS OR MY MOM COULD HAVE HANDLED THIS BETTER THAN YOU COULD!"
Rufus heard it and cringed in Ron's pocket. He could only say "Oh no…"
Ron tried to speak... "Kim…please-"
"NO RON!" she quickly cut him "YOU NEED TO GROW UP! YOU ALWAYS ACT LIKE A LOOSER AND A BUFFOON BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE THAT! OR MAYBE I'M WRONG! MAYBE YOU REALLY ARE THE DUMB IDIOT EVERYONE SAYS YOU ARE!!! I CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH AND I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE!!!"
Ron looked down. He knew what was coming by those few words, but he didn't really want to hear it. Immediately he felt his entire body go numb. Depressed and expecting the worst, he said, almost fearfully…
"So then, what's the sitch?"
Then an enraged Kim blurted out, at the top of her lungs… and much to the shock of everyone near…
"BREAKUP'S THE SITCH!"
Ron's heart was smashed. What has he done? He single handedly destroyed a priceless artefact and a priceless relationship in a moment. Tears brimmed from his face. Rufus, who chose not to show himself earlier, came to Ron's shoulder. He hugged him and wisely motioned him to leave. Rufus has seen Kim's face in anger but never like this. She was venting and boy WAS she venting! Rufus never wanted to see that again.
Ron summoned what little courage he had to watch her in the face one last time. He looked around at her family, who had an expectant look on their faces. He returned his gaze on Kim, who was hyperventilating. Now even through those enraged, piercing eyes, he still saw her beauty… and he also saw that he was the reason for destroying it all… for what? The fact that he wasn't as smart as her? Trying to be something he wasn't?
All he could do, was watch her. She herself had tears brimming in her eyes, which hurt him even more… Hurt.
("Wow") he thought… ("I've hurt my best friend and the only girl I've ever truly loved…I'm sorry…. I'm so, so, sorry")
And that is what he said, looking directly in her eyes, slowly shaking his head before turning around and walking away….
"Kim…….I am so, so, sorry…"
Ron's world had come to an end. Walking home probably was the hardest, longest thing he ever had to do…leaving a still angry, yet hurt Kim standing in her driveway, with her parents trying to support her while trying to figure out what happened.
("She's right Stoppable… you really do suck.") He said to himself, trying to stop his tears but realising he couldn't.
He cried his way home that evening. He didn't even know how he did. He collapsed on the sidewalk so many times crying his heart out, as his legs just didn't want to move. He felt like part of him had died… and it probably did. Kim was a big part of his life… and now he lost it. He somehow arrived home to find his parents standing by the door. They held him as any family would do to console their own… Ron cried harder than he ever had in his life.
"The Possibles called us and told us all what happened" His Mother said.
Ron wasn't sure what Kim told her parents, but was in no condition to respond. He went upstairs, showered, and lay in his bed, watching out the window in the direction of the Possibles house. The thoughts were just overwhelming for him and it just caused him to shed more tears. His mother came upstairs and consoled him a little more. Ron explained everything to her including his fears of Kim leaving for college and him being stuck there.
"It's alright son," she said in her soothing way, "If you all are meant to be, this won't be the end. But you had no right to push her the way you did. But I know that you know it now."
"I know I hurt her," he said, still choking up from his sobbing, "I wish I could just not be such an idiot to her…"
And in those words, something came to mind… "Mom, don't think I'm going mad or anything, but I need to go away for a few days…"
She couldn't really understand what her son was telling her, but she briefly assumed he was loosing it.
"Ronald, now don't you dare go and do anything stupid" she said sternly, but worried. She didn't know what he would do, but somehow, she knew her son better than that.
"No Mom," he replied, "I'm not gonna do something dumb…I need to go see someone. I'll be back. I promise "
Mrs Stoppable was still concerned as to what her son was saying to her, but she trusted him. After all, they have trusted him to fight evil all over the world for days on end. It might be a good way to help him deal with this situation.
"Mom?" he interrupted her thoughts, "I need you to trust me… I won't let you or Dad down… I think I've done enough of that today…" He was looking to a box to his side…
"I'm gonna leave some stuff here for Kim. I figure she'll come asking for them…"
He pointed to a box with all the things that she gave to him and some of her personal things as well, including the mission gear and the belt she gave him for their half-iversary. Mrs Stoppable nodded
"Alright" she said, "Just be careful, ok?"
"Thanks Mom, "Love ya!" he said, still trying to gather himself.
"That's why we're called parents son." She replied.
Ron turned to Rufus and asked him to stay and take care of his parents as well as his adopted baby sister. Rufus hesitantly agreed, although more concerned for the wellbeing of his friend. He then wrote a small note and left it in the box. He figured Kim would find it.
He then somehow managed to get a hold of Wade…
"Wade my man…" He said still somewhat choking, "I need a huge favour…"
"Sure, anything. Sorry to hear about you and Kim." Wade responded with some sadness.
"It's my fault." He responded sadly, "But maybe it's better this way…" He looked outside and said,
"I need to go to Japan."
At the Possible house, the atmosphere was the same…glum. Kim lay in her room face down, crying her heart out. She let Ron have it. She let him know just how much he screwed up. And she ended it out of frustration. She told her parents everything that happened, leading up to the break-up, but why wasn't she feeling better about it? The realization was upon her in a flash…
(I ended It.!...I ended our relationship.)
It hit her harder than any punch she ever received. Was she too harsh on Ron? She loved him so much. How was it that she could vent in the manner she did? Yeah he messed up the mission and destroyed something important, but that was Ron being Ron... she knew that. But she never flipped off the handle the way she did with him over the last day, since at Bueno Nacho. The whole thought of it and reality set in on her….
(I just broke off everything with my best friend… a friend who stood by me for everything.)
She couldn't stop herself from crying, when her mom came in…She sat next to her daughter…
"Honey, you need to rest. And I know that you may not want to hear it, but you need to talk to Ron and apologise."
"What?" Kim was in total shock. Almost defiantly, she snapped... "Why should I when he..."
"Because…" her mother responded, in the way only she could, "I saw the eyes of a boy that loves you and knew he hurt you. I saw the eyes of a boy who found the courage to face you while you were in full anger of him and said that he was sorry"
It played in Kim's mind over and over again… of Ron's eyes meeting hers…him slowly shaking his head…
("I am so, so sorry…") He was being sincere. She didn't give him the chance.
Mrs Possible continued, bringing her out of her thoughts,
"And most of all, you knew long before this situation happened, that you had to talk to Ron about the college…and you let it drag along for this far."
Kim was stunned. She couldn't believe her mother was telling her this… and she was right! She had a few weeks well to tell Ron about college and what was going to happen, but she didn't. She couldn't even initially figure out why it was that she didn't tell him earlier. Was it just the fun of summer? Or was it that their missions were too busy for that?
No, she remembered… she wanted to surprise him with the news but got so caught up in Ron's whining, that she forgot all about it and started getting a newfound annoyance to him. Kim found this to be more overwhelming than she thought and the tears just kept streaming forth. She knew almost all of this drama could have been avoided. Now, she felt even more guilty for doing what she did.
Immediately, she picked up the phone call him, but her mom stopped her, shaking her head.
"Not tonight honey… rest your heart and mind…" Mrs Possible continued to share advice to her daughter,
"When two people love each other, nothing can separate them… not wars, not famine, not even time. If you both are meant for each other, everything will work out. But as a friend, you need to mend that bond."
Kim just held her mother. She knew her mom always had the words to bring her back and sooth her. She knew what she had to do…
"Mom you rock…In that mom kinda way" she said, sniffling,
"That's why I'm here honey." Mrs Possible replied, smiling as she hugged her daughter.
Tonight, she'll try to rest. Tomorrow, she would go mend things up with her guy…
She was going to get back her Ron.