Chapter 9 - No Going Back
Bonnie woke up for the second time in a week bleary-eyed and head pounding from a night of excess. Unlike last time, she at least had the small comfort of waking up in her own bed, and with no-one there to make it awkward.
This comfort lasted just long enough for her waking brain to ask "how did I get here?". The answer came not as a drip-feed but a tidal wave, as she was hit with a dozen memories all at once, each one horrifyingly embarrassing in its own right, but together a potentially life-ruining collage.
She curled into a small ball and began to hyperventilate.
'Nonononono fuck what am I going to do?'
She poured over each fragmented recollection, teasing more details out from her alcohol-logged subconscious. She remembered making out with Crystal... drinking in the jungle gym... getting piggy-backed home... and finally putting the moves on Possible.
'Oh my God, what is wrong with me? She's going to tell everyone! My life is so over!'
Just as she felt herself about to start sobbing, she heard the redhead's voice, as clearly as if she were lying next to her.
"It'll be our little secret, okay?"
Bonnie sniffled, but the tears didn't come. 'She said she wouldn't tell. She's a hero, she wouldn't lie, right?'
This calmed her, at least enough to subdue a potential anxiety attack. Time and time again Kim had come through, so much so that even Bonnie, in spite of her cynical nature, had to concede she may be sincere.
Her phone pinged from the nightstand, and she extended an arm from her cocoon to see who it was. A message from Tara, checking on her whereabouts. The girl was too sweet.
Bonnie sent her a quick reply, then started clicking through the night's photos. Plenty of her and her bestie for her socials, which was good, but then came the last picture. Her and Kim together in the kitchen. Neither of them seemed too happy to be there, yet it still seemed an alright picture none-the-less.
Bonnie snapped the phone closed and held it against her. Guess that photo was just for her.
Kim's head was still swimming with the implications of the previous night as she arrived at Bueno Nacho. It still felt like some kind of weird fever-dream; the result of eating one of Ron's disgusting nacos right before bed.
'Why is it whenever we hang out outside of missions it's always about food?' She wondered. In this instance, it was because she had chosen the venue. Bueno Nacho was her and Ron's hangout, a designated Team Possible zone. It felt like the last place she would accidentally run into Bonnie.
She had texted her friend to meet her here, and sure enough when she strode through the doors he was already there, deep in discussion with Ned as usual. He spotted her mid-rant and with a smile waved her over.
"KP, you're here! I've got my order in, you wanting your usual?"
"Hmm, nah, I think I'll go with the taco platter."
Ron recognised an order of comfort food when he saw it. He slapped a bill down onto the counter before steering the girl to their usual booth. Once she was seated, he placed a (very sleepy) Rufus on the table for company before scurrying back to collect their order.
"Eh?" Rufus squeaked in confusion as he took in the restaurant. Kim extended her hand and started scratching the back of his head, putting the rodent back at ease.
'Can he ever not be so overdramatic?' she wondered, watching Ron trying to hurry Ned up with their order.
Her friend's histrionics reminded her of how serious it was to keep the events of the night before to herself. She hated shutting him out of the loop, but Bonnie had, mistakenly or not, entrusted her with this secret and she intended to keep it.
Having to keep secrets from her best friend was only the tip of the weirdness though. The big news was that one of her worst enemies had a crush on her! How was she supposed to deal with that, especially on her own?
It's not like she had much experience with others crushing on her, especially not with Eric turning out to be a synthodrone. She had no idea how to respond to Bonnie's advances?
'Why would I even need to respond? I'm not interested and she knows that! After everything she's put me through, why would I even give her the time of day?'
Her thoughts were interrupted by her trio of tacos being placed down in front of her, and Ron sliding into the booth opposite her.
"Phew, sorry for the wait there KP, they've got a new recruit there in the kitchen, and if you ask me, he could have done with another week on nacho duty."
Kim put on her best fake smile and tucked in, for once praying that Ron's nacho-tangent continued, hopefully leading him away from any awkward conversations. Alas, it was not to be.
"So, what's got you in a funk anyway?" He asked around a mouthful of naco.
"What makes you think I'm in a funk?"
"Um DUH! Miss 'Healthy Eating' ordering the triple taco primo platter for one? Plus, you know, I'm your friend, we have an unspoken bond."
"Would this 'Unspoken Bond' have registered had I not ordered the tacos?"
"You may mock KP, but our bond has formed from a near decade and a half or friendship, it is never wrong, and it's telling me that something's up." He squinted suspiciously at her, his chewing slowed to help him maintain eye contact.
"Okay, so maybe I am feeling a little off," she conceded under the intense glare.
"Uh-huh. And this relates too..." He twirled his hand in front of air, attempting to hurry her along.
She couldn't avoid him forever, she knew that. But maybe she could get away with some half-truths?
"Bonnie."
"Again? Okay, time-out Kim, this is getting ridiculous! We're a full week into summer vacation, and so far all you've done is act all freaky over Bonnie. That girl is doing some supreme messing with your head, and we need to out a stop to it. So out with it, what did she do this time?"
"She, uh, got really drunk last night, and I had to help get her home before she hurt herself. She was also acting really strange."
"You're holding back on me KP, like strange how?"
"I think that, deep down, she secretly wants us to be friends."
It wasn't exactly a lie, she just missed out a very specific prefix from the word "friends".
"Friends? Come on Kim, don't tell me you fell for that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Bonnie is clearly trying to mess with you; she doesn't care about anyone else! You've said it yourself, she's pure evil!"
It was true, she had previously described the abrasive varsity-girl with words like "evil", "monster" and worse, but that was before, when things looked a lot more clean-cut. Back when she was just a mean and bitter bully lashing out for no good reason, not the scared and tormented girl she'd seen last night, desperately throwing up walls to protect herself, smoke and mirrors to hide behind. She'd caught a glimpse of the real Bonnie last night: not a cruel entity, but a person, and there was no going back from that.
"I don't know Ron, it all seemed pretty real. I think she's telling the truth this time."
"Nuh-uh, people like that don't change Kim. Remember when she was dating me, and it turns out she was just using me for my money?"
"Yeah, I think we all saw that one coming," Kim deadpanned as she reached for her soda.
"So why would it be any different this time? She only wants to get close to you so she can use you for something."
Kim's mind shot back to Bonnie's attempted kiss, and she fought hard to stop a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Yeah, you're probably right," she agreed, suddenly desperate to get off this topic of discussion, "So, what about Tara?"
"What about her?"
"Last thing I saw at the party was you and her heading off to dance together, did you hit it off?"
"Ah, well you know me KP, she wasn't the only one on my dance-card last night. Everybody wants to party with the Ronster!"
"Ron, please tell me you didn't blow her off, she was crushing on you seriously hard!"
"SHE WAS?" He screeched, grabbing the attention of pretty much everyone in the eatery. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought 'The Ronster' would have been able to pick that up on his own?"
"Seriously, you're telling me I blew the chance to date one of Middleton's hottest cheerleaders? Man, now I'm the one in a funk!"
"It'll be okay Ron," she patted his arm out of sympathy, or possibly pity, before walking over to the counter. "Yeah, I think we'll take another naco order please Ned, extra Diablo sauce."
So it goes without saying that I am still alive, and determined to keep plugging away at this fic. I know this chapter feels a little short and "fillery", but it's all necessary steps toward where the story's going. Plus I do enjoy writing Ron's dialogue; it's so loud, brash and energetic, even if it does mean he dominates whichever conversation he's in.
With any luck, the next chapter or two should kick things up another notch or two, assuming I can get them out at a reasonable rate. Thank you to everyone that's been reading so far, I can't wait for you to see what I have planned!