Chapter 7: The Contest, Day One.
On the first day of the contest, Kim stepped out of her morning shower and received a major shock. Bonnie was sitting at the table in Team Possible's quarters and chatting with Ron, who was busy in the kitchen. For a few minutes, the redhead simply stood watching the improbable scene of Bonnie and Ron indulging in a friendly conversation. Kim's stomach curtailed her observation, when the smells coming from the kitchen prompted it to rumble. Kim added a second improbable item to the tableau in front of her; she willingly took a seat next to Bonnie.
"Morning, KP," Ron greeted her, while setting a full plate in front of her.
"Morning, Ron," Kim smiled at her PF. Kim couldn't say any more as her mouth was occupied with eating the food. As she ate, she noticed that Bonnie was finishing up a Ron breakfast, as well.
"I thought you had breakfast with the other contestants this morning," Kim pointed out between bites.
"Part of my image," Bonnie replied. "I'll fuel up here, so I can spend the time charming Junior, while the other girls are stuffing their faces. Junior's too polite to eat while someone's talking to him, so that will set me up perfectly for later this morning."
"What happens later this morning?" Kim asked, after taking another bite.
"I make use of your boyfriends talents," Bonnie informed her.
"I'll finish them while you do your charming at the contestants' breakfast, Bon-Bon," Ron assured her.
"What's this?" Kim asked.
"Just a little flirting enhancement," Bonnie told her. "Junior really loves these little fruit fritters that Ron's making and I'm going to keep him too busy talking at breakfast to eat much."
"I still don't understand," Kim admitted.
"The way to a man's heart, and all that," Bonnie told her. "We have about fifteen minutes before we make our appearance at the contestants' breakfast."
"Uh, that's for you, not me," Kim pointed out.
"But as my guardian-slash-entourage, I need you along," Bonnie told her. "Trust me Kim, this is all part of the plan. Watch me and you just might learn a few ways to drive poor Ron crazy."
"I think I do that well enough already," Kim informed her formal rival.
"Oh, you can never have him too wrapped around your finger," Bonnie giggled. "Anyway, it's just about time to set the competition on its heels."
Kim left her PF with a quick kiss and accompanied Bonnie toward the central portion of the Seniors' lair. On the way, the two girls had a chance to talk.
"Okay, I'm going to go back into Queen B mode once we get with the others," Bonnie informed the redhead. "So don't think I'm relapsing."
"Are you sure it's relapsing?" Kim quipped.
"Pretty much," Bonnie told her, with no trace of her usual haughtiness. "Rehab and facing prison make you really look at yourself. I spent years putting everyone down and what did it get me? It drove me to do some really stupid things."
"So no more Queen B?" Kim asked.
"I can't say I'm not going to have Queen B moments, but I'll try to keep them under control. Here we are, K, watch and learn."
Bonnie strutted boldly into the dining lair, where Senior and Junior were seated at the head of a large table. The two hosts, exhibiting impeccable manners, wouldn't dine until their guests arrived. To the side of the dining table, another table groaned under a large buffet's weight. While some of the smells made Kim's mouth water, she wasn't hungry. Ron's breakfast had taken care of her appetite. Instead of drooling over the feast denied her, Kim observed her counterparts as they arrived, escorting their contestants.
The first of Bonnie's competitors to arrive was Fraulein Dementor, accompanied by one of Professor Dementor's burly henchmen. Kim hadn't known that Dementor had a daughter. The contestant was perhaps a year or two younger than the redheaded heroine was and several inches taller. Trudy Dementor was a rather curvy blonde and would have been very attractive, if not for the perpetual sneer on her face. The girl looked at Kim and elevated her nose in a very Bonnie-ish gesture, before picking up a plate and making her way along the buffet. Her guardian, who looked somewhat familiar to Kim, favored the redhead with a respectful half-bow, half-nod before taking his place along the side of the room, as far away from Kim as manners would allow.
Trudy Dementor was half finished filling her plate (and giving Bonnie some venomous glares) when Andrena Lynn arrived. A guard who looked, at least to Kim, like a gangster's hired muscle wearing a decent suit accompanied the faux stuntwoman. The guard spent a few heartbeats staring at the buffet with undisguised longing before shuffling to the side of the room, semi-joining Kim and Dementor's guard. Lynn simply picked up a plate and dug into the buffet, sharing some small talk with the attending chefs.
The mystery girl, Elly, showed up shortly after Lynn. A burly man, who looked like the stereotypical, European bodyguard, trailed a step behind her. Once the girl was in the living lair, the guard joined Kim and the other two attendants. Although his expression never changed, he favored his counterparts with a single, respectful nod before planting his back against the wall and scanning the room. Kim didn't have much time to contemplate the mystery girl's identity before Camille Leon arrived.
It was actually odd to see the criminal socialite without a series of flashbulbs illuminating her. Still, she preened and posed as if she were on a red carpet somewhere. Strangely, no guard accompanied her as she entered the Dining Lair and put a few tidbits on her plate. Kim didn't understand how the girl could eat so little. Kim could, at times, rival Ron when it came to pouring food down her gullet. Of course, the heroine burned off tremendous amounts of energy but still, Leon's morphing had to take some energy, didn't it?
"Ah, my most beautiful and devious guests," Senior announced, rising to his feet and interrupting Kim's musings. "It gives me great pleasure to announce that, as of this moment, the competition has begun. The winner will gain my son's hand in marriage, and considerable influence over my considerable empire. Yet, at this moment, we find ourselves in a pleasant room with wonderful food around us. Why don't we enjoy a pleasant meal, and pleasant company, before the competition becomes unpleasant? Enjoy yourselves."
With that, the elderly man returned to his seat, where a servant quickly served him. Senior dug in with obvious relish while Junior found himself unable to serve himself. Bonnie had engaged him in a non-stop conversation and the would-be pop star's manners wouldn't allow him to break off the conversation long enough to acquire his breakfast.
"Your client has grabbed the high ground, so to speak," Kim turned slightly, to realize that Elly's bodyguard had murmured the statement out of the corner of her mouth. "I won't ask what her plan is, but I must complement her on getting the early start."
"Just what is your client's claim to fame, or infame, as the sitch may be?" Kim asked him.
"Now, Miss Possible," he chided, never ceasing his constant scanning of the room. "That would be giving away information to no gain. Surely you don't think I'd do that?"
"I don't see any harm," Kim retorted. "But what would you accept in return?"
"How about your take on the other competitors?" The guard proposed. "Give me your…as you Americans say…scouting report and I'll tell you what I'm prepared to say about my client."
"Okay," Kim whispered back, deciding that the guard had probably guessed what she was about to say. "Since I don't know anything about your client, I'll say that I expect the most trouble from Lynn and Leon."
"Lynn isn't very subtle," Kim continued, ignoring a glare from the faux stuntwoman's guard. "So I expect her to either flirt really hard or be obvious when she tries to put down the other girls. With Leon, I expect her to be sneaky, maybe even try to infiltrate the other competitors' teams. I don't know anything about Dementor but, based on her father, I'll expect her to try something technology driven. Now, you look like too much of a gentleman to try to get me to tell you what my client has up her sleeve."
"Fair enough," the man favored her with a quick nod. "I'll tell you this much. My client's father owns a shipping interest, based in the Baltic. While his legitimate profits have made him fairly wealthy, he supplements his income by being somewhat inventive, unloading his cargo at coves and ports that don't necessarily have Customs Officials present."
"He smuggles," Kim concluded.
"That's a rather harsh term," the guard allowed himself a ghost of a smile. "He prefers to think of it as being considerate. He doesn't…import…any illegal items but the goods he moves are less expensive to the consumer and he doesn't add to the Customs Officials' workloads."
"So he put his daughter into this contest to merge two illegal empires?" Kim asked. "Sort of using his own flesh and blood as a bargaining asset?"
"It's not exactly like that," the man replied. "He's actually concerned about her safety. His activities have put him into contact with some rather unsavory characters, which want him to transport more profitable and dangerous cargoes. He is concerned that they will attempt to use her safety as leverage. While he is wealthy, he isn't wealthy enough to hire the constant protection he wants."
"I don't imagine you work cheap," Kim commented.
"I don't," he answered. "So he can only maintain my services for a certain number of months. You may find this hard to believe, Miss Possible, but her father wants her to be happy. Elly is actually very capable at masking illegal but harmless activities as legitimate business. If she wins this contest, she will wind up doing something she honestly enjoys doing, Senior will gain a valuable administrator and his vast wealth and security will keep her safe. She has also expressed a certain admiration for Junior's appearance, so she stands a good chance of being happy in that regard, as well."
"Well, that's interesting," Kim conceded. "Assuming I can trust you."
"Of course you can't," the guard replied, again with a ghost of a smile. "This is an underhanded contest, hosted by a villain, after all. Still, I don't want to see my client hurt. Despite the fact that she's a criminal administrator, she's a sweet kid underneath it all."
"If I had a dollar for every time I heard that one," Kim grumbled, making a mental note to have Wade check on Elly.
Kim found herself amused by the rest of the meal. Bonnie was, indeed, the leading candidate at this moment. Kim's former rival, filled up by a Ron Stoppable breakfast, was able to ignore the feast and concentrate on flirting with Junior. While Junior managed to nibble a little food, it was no where near enough for a young man with his bulk. Senior watched Bonnie's game with ill-concealed humor. Finally, Senior rose, to his feet.
"I must announce that this, the first feast in our competition, is over," the old man announced. "How you lovely, young villainesses choose to proceed is up to you. However, I will announce that Junior will be lounging by the pool, for the remainder of the morning, in a half-hour's time. Come Junior, let us discuss some business while your devious guests contemplate their next moves."
"But father…" Junior protested, gazing at the buffet with naked longing.
"No, my son, we have important things to discuss and we must have you at the pool in a half hour. Come along!"
"K, have Ron see about making use of Senior's powerboat this afternoon," Bonnie instructed Kim. The brunette made no effort to lower her voice. "I think I'd like to invite Junior to waterski and snorkel with me."
"I…" Kim stammered for a moment, then remembered the part she was playing. "Of course," she assured the brunette, with a polite nod. "Shall I escort you back to your quarters?"
"Of course," Bonnie sniffed. "I don't want to be alone with the riff raff about."
Lynn's guard bristled at the comment, but Elly's guard offered a faint smirk. Kim fell in step behind Bonnie as she strutted out of the Dining Lair and towards the high-profile guest quarters.
"Thanks for not tearing my head off," Bonnie murmured to Kim, as soon as the two were safely away from the rest of the contestants.
"Okay, what's the plan?" Kim asked. "You wanted the other guards to hear that remark about the powerboat."
"Yep," Bonnie smirked. "I'll let you in on the plan, if it works. I still want one of you make the request, since it will be more in character if I have one of my attendants take care of that detail. For now, let's meet up with Ron. I think I want him to accompany me to the pool."
"Any reason?" Kim asked.
"Yeah, actually," Bonnie snickered. "I know that Junior still thinks that you're his blue fox. I don't need more competition. Feel free to watch from the sidelines, K. You just might learn something."
"I'm not interested in learning how to play guys," Kim informed her. "I'm with Ron and I have no intention of letting him go."
"So play him," Bonnie suggested. "He might enjoy the attention."
Before Kim could come up with a reply, the two young women had reached Kim's and Ron's quarters. As soon as they opened the door, a delectable smell hit them with an almost physical force.
"If those things taste even half as good as they smell, my plan will work perfectly," Bonnie commented.
"I made a few extra, just so you can judge," the blonde boy informed the two girls.
"I'd love to, but I have to get ready," Bonnie told him. "You'll be my escort for the poolside lounging session. Pack them up and pick me up in twenty minutes. Kim, please arrange for the powerboat. With any luck, we'll be able to eliminate one of the competitors yet today."
Bonnie hurried across the hall, to her own suite, leaving Kim and Ron to just stare at each other.
"Is it just me," Ron asked with a puzzled expression and handing Kim one of the pastries. "Or is Bon-Bon managing to be nice and bossy at the same time."
"It isn't just you," Kim told him, then moaned in delight as she took a bite from the pastry. "I don't know what she's up to, but I think it's going to be good. Now, go put on something pool-oriented and get ready to escort our contestant."
Kim picked up the telephone and requested a powerboat for the afternoon.
Half an hour later, Kim stood on Senior's wall, looking over the pool area. Lynn and Elly were already there when Bonnie strutted towards one of the pool chairs. Ron, dressed in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, followed her, laden with her pool accessories. Bonnie was back in Queen B mode, haughtily commanding Ron to set up her umbrella and provide her with a pitcher of iced tea. Leon and Dementor arrived while the flustered, blonde boy arranged for Bonnie's comfort. Finally, Bonnie disdainfully dismissed Ron. Kim almost laughed out loud as she watched the contestants arranging themselves, striking their most alluring poses. The redhead was forced to growl a little bit, however, as Ron struggled to keep his eyes strictly where they belonged as he left the pool area.
Ron had been gone for about fifteen minutes (and Kim decided that he'd better be trying to find her) when Junior made his appearance. She had to admit that Junior was some quality eye-candy, and felt a moment of intense pride that she had managed to look past such shallow aspects and learn to appreciate Ron. Down below, the girls began to preen a bit, trying to catch Junior's attention. It was then that Bonnie unleashed her secret weapon.
As Ron joined Kim on the wall, Bonnie removed the cover from the plate of pastries that Ron had prepared. Now, Kim realized why Bonnie had selected the chair she had, it was on the upwind side of the pool. The scent from the pastries wafted over the pool, immediately catching the underfed Junior's attention. The spoiled rich boy suddenly became oblivious to the pretty, scantily clad feminine forms between him and Bonnie, and closed in on the pastries with single-minded determination. The Kimmunicator had a small, parabolic microphone, which Kim oriented upon Bonnie and Junior.
"…oh he means well, but he doesn't seem to understand that I don't like to snack while I'm at the pool," Bonnie was explaining to Junior, as he stared, wide-eyed, at the snacks. "Sometimes he acts more like my mother than my personal assistant."
"So…you…do…not…really…want…these…heavenly…treats?" Junior stammered, never taking his eyes from the plate.
"Oh, they're tasty enough," Bonnie shrugged. "If you're into things like a crisp crust that melts in your mouth, giving way to a perfectly sweetened, fruity filling." (Junior wiped a bit of drool away from his chin) "But I'm not really hungry. Would you be so kind to join me and eat a few of these? Ron feels so put out when I don't eat at least one."
"It…would…be…my…pleasure…"Junior stammered, taking a seat next to Bonnie. Rather than hand the young man the plate of pastries, however, Bonnie picked one up and gently placed it in Junior's mouth.
"Oh! She's good," Ron commented, observing how the other girls were absolutely stewing at how Bonnie had managed to gain the upper hand.
"That she is," Kim agreed, while reflecting that Bonnie had told her that she might learn something. The redhead gave Ron a sidelong glance, "You know Ron, I didn't get a chance to put on any sunscreen before taking up this post."
"Worried about sunburn?" Ron asked.
"And I have some sunscreen in my bag," she finished for him. "Could you take care of my back while I keep an eye on Bonnie?"
Ron went to work, peeling up the back of Kim's shirt so that he could apply the lotion to her back. Down at the pool, Kim swore she saw Bonnie glance up at the wall and wink at her. Soon, Bonnie used the same 'I forgot to put on sunscreen' line on Junior, prompting the young man to slather the bikini-clad brunette. Checking out the rest of the pool, Kim could se that the other contestants were glaring at Bonnie. By appealing to Junior's stomach, the former cheerleader had seized the initiative in this contest.
"I wonder what she has in mind," Ron murmured.
"I think it's obvious," Kim answered.
"I don't think so," Ron retorted. "She isn't doing anything to eliminate her rivals. Sure, she has Junior's attention right now, but we know how distractible he is." Ron paused a moment, "did I just say that?"
"I get the idea," Kim snickered. She thought for a few moments. "Bonnie's pushing the competitors," she declared. "She's trying to get one of them to do something rash. I don't know Dementor or Elly, but Lynn isn't going to just sit back and watch Bonnie push her advantage."
"Now I get it," Ron nodded. "Bonnie's hoping that one of the other girls will do something stupid, like an overt attack on her."
"And get eliminated," Kim concluded. "We're going to have to stick really close to her whenever the contestants aren't all assembled. By the way, that doesn't give you a free pass to ogle all of the contestants."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw the way you were staring at the girls."
"I was not!"
Kim grinned, making sure Ron couldn't see her expression, while she continued to tease him. The morning passed with Bonnie continuing to flirt with Junior, while the other girls continued to stew. Junior spent some time talking with his other guests but he always seemed to find his way back to Bonnie and her plate of pastries. Just before noon, Bonnie, speaking in a loud voice, asked Junior if he would like to waterski during the afternoon. Junior, mesmerized both by her flirting and her snackage, agreed. Shortly after this, Senior appeared at the pool and announced that lunch was being served.
Kim and Ron split up; Ron to prepare lunch for the two of them and Kim to attend Bonnie during the noon meal. Team Possible realized that since Bonnie had taken the lead in this little contest, she had set herself up as the number one target. As such, Kim and Ron were determined to keep her in sight at all times. To Kim's surprise, Bonnie didn't repeat her performance from this morning.
"Tell Ron not to fight it if someone tries to hijack the power boat this afternoon," Bonnie whispered to Kim, as they stepped into the Dining Lair.
"What are you up to?" Kim demanded.
"Let's just say that I'm going to run my mouth about how wonderful it will be to have Junior all to myself, out on the boat," Bonnie answered.
"I still don't get it," Kim confessed.
"I hope it works out, so I can gloat about it tonight," Bonnie snickered. "Did you watch me with Junior this morning."
"I did," Kim confessed. "That was pretty smooth."
"Sort of like your sunblock thing with Ron?" Bonnie smirked.
"Hey! I burn easily, even through a mission shirt!"
"No doubt," Bonnie grinned back. "Sort of killing two birds with one stone?"
"Okay, I was flirting," Kim confessed. "But I was able to keep an eye on you because of it."
"Hope you remembered what you learned," Bonnie told her. "Because if you remember that you can get to Ron through his stomach, he won't have a chance."
Kim didn't really have a response to that one, so she just watched Bonnie strut into the Dining Lair and take her seat. Leon had managed to secure a spot next to Junior, but the prize's eyes were clearly three chairs down the table, on Bonnie. Halfway through the meal, Ron returned, freeing Kim up to return to their quarters and grab a bite to eat. Ron had left her with a sandwich and a bowl of soup, which she quickly devoured. She returned to the Dining Lair just as the meal was breaking up.
"K, you'll be with me this afternoon," Bonnie commanded. "Ron, go see if the powerboat is ready. I think some exclusive time, with Junior away from the rest of these…girls," she snorted out the term. "Will be just about enough to ice this little competition away."
Kim noticed the icy glares from the other girls as Ron scrambled to obey his instructions. Kim accompanied Bonnie to the docks, where Junior joined them. Kim noted that although Elly and Dementor accompanied them, Lynn and Leon were nowhere to be seen. The other two girls visibly bristled as Bonnie gushed to Junior about how much fun they would have skiing and snorkeling. Bonnie's posturing was interrupted when Ron charged onto the dock.
"KP, Bonnie, you're okay!" He gasped.
"I'm well aware of the fact, Stoppable," Bonnie sneered back.
"Ron, what happened?" Kim demanded, ignoring the brunette and leaving the edge of the dock to rush to her friend.
"You…you were just down next to the docks," Ron stammered, confused. "You said that there was a problem with Bonnie and that you needed me to help you. You turned and ran and I couldn't keep up. You turned a corner but when I got there, the only one there was a very confused custodian."
"I've been here all along," Kim protested.
"What about the powerboat?" Bonnie demanded.
"The what?" Kim and Ron asked, together.
"The powerboat that you were supposed to be getting ready, so that I would be able to ski and snorkel with Junior," Bonnie pointed out in an icy tone.
Kim was just about to give Bonnie a pointed lecture about priorities when the sound of an approaching speedboat interrupted her. Kim, Ron and Bonnie looked up just in time to see the boat, piloted by Adrena Lynn, pull up next to the dock. Junior quickly jumped in.
"I know that skiing and snorkeling was your idea, Bonnie Rockwaller," the young man called to the brunette. "But the boat is here now and I wish to do these things. They sound like so much fun!"
Lynn gunned the engine, bringing the boat up onto a plane and away from the dock, smirking at Bonnie the entire way. After a few moments of pouting, Bonnie smiled broadly. It was the nasty smile that Kim and Ron remembered so well from high school.
"Perfect," Bonnie commented, then approached Senior, who was watching the activities from the shade of his boathouse, with a broad smile.
"Senior, Senior, Senior?" Bonnie asked the old man, with a surprisingly respectful tone. "Did I understand the rules correctly yesterday?"
"Indeed you did, Miss Rockwaller," Senior nodded. "And I must complement you on your deviousness."
"Okay, you lost me," Ron admitted.
"Miss Lynn hijacked the boat that Miss Rockwaller had you prepare, Mr. Stoppable," Senior explained. "But what she did not realize was that Miss Rockwaller intended for this to occur. By jumping onto the boat and driving off, she has left my shores and eliminated herself from the contest. Well done, Miss Rockwaller, well done indeed."
Kim and Ron could only stand, open-mouthed, as Bonnie beamed under the compliment.
The basketball arched gracefully into the air, towards the hoop…and flew cleanly over the backboard. Felix Renton cursed under his breath and jogged across the court to retrieve the ball. Fortunately, this court in Middleton Park, as well as being deserted, also had a fence. As such, he didn't have to chase the ball across half the park to get it back. Gritting his teeth in determination, he set himself on the freethrow line and tried again.
Flex the knees slightly and spring up while tossing the ball. He had done this hundreds of times, from this very line, without the benefit of working knees. He understood the concept perfectly; the knees provided extra power to the shot so that the arms could be used to guide the ball.
Unfortunately for him, theory and practice were two very different things. For a young man who had gained proficiency without using his knees, learning to do this properly was going to take endless repetitions. Lining up his shot, Felix tried again.
This time the basketball bounced off the front of the hoop, forcing him to scramble to intercept it before it flew past him and forced him to chase it to the other end of the court. Felix returned to the freethrow line and set up again, only to heave a massive sigh, set the basketball down and sit on it. Basketball wasn't what was bothering him. For the first time that he could remember, Felix Renton was lonely.
Somehow, it had been easier before he moved to Middleton. Sure, he had had some casual friends back then, but nothing like the close friendships he had developed here. It had started with Ron, the first person who didn't see the chair as much of anything, even thinking that it would give him greater tolerance on the spinny rides at the fair. Ron had become the closest friend he had ever had. By extension, he had become friends with Kim and Monique. Then Oscar and Cindy had entered the mix.
Now, Monique was on some sort of tour, after wining the young designers' contest for Club Banana. She would be off to some fashion school back east this fall. Kim, Ron and Rufus were off on some mission that they weren't able to talk about before leaving. Oscar was working overtime, trying to earn as much money as he could before college started. Cindy was serving a sort of internship, following that Warren guy around as he chased news stories. Even the more peripheral friends weren't available. Wade was still uneasy about leaving his house and the tweebs were off at some rocket camp somewhere. Felix smiled bitterly, he had made close friends over the last year and a half, only to feel intensely lonely when they were all somewhere else. Felix heaved another sigh and admitted the problem to himself; he missed Yori.
Felix had long thought that he was simply too intelligent to become a love-struck fool. He was both disgusted and delighted to find out that he wasn't. He had dated before, but it was never anything serious. Felix did not accept 'pity dates' just like he didn't put up with 'pity friends'. He had spent long years not only denying his handicap but defying it as well. While he would hang with people who took pity on 'the cripple', he didn't develop close friendships, or romances with them.
Of course, he had never had what he considered to be a girlfriend before Yori. Felix wasn't naïve, he understood that young men and women developed certain urges towards one another. He had acknowledged that a lot of the girls in Middleton High were pretty. Even though he liked to look at a lot of the girls, he had never really thought much of it. Put bluntly, he had fallen hard for his first real crush and she had fallen hard for him.
The only problem was that she was now several thousand miles away from him and he didn't have the slightest idea when he would see her again. While he was more than willing to put off any romantic inclinations until he could hook up with her again, he had to wonder about her. Yori was bright, beautiful and friendly. Would she be content to wait for him and would it be right for him to expect her to do so? The simple fact remained that despite Felix's intelligence he had absolutely no relationship experience. However, he did understand one thing: He was accomplishing absolutely nothing by just sitting here.
Felix got back to his feet and dribbled the ball a few times before shooting again. He couldn't do much about the Yori situation but he could try to make sure that he didn't make a complete fool out of himself the next time he shot some hoops with Ron, Kim, Oscar or Monique. He lined up carefully, flexed his knees slightly and launched the ball completely over the backboard again. This time, however, it only bounced a short distance before Monique Jenkins caught the ball.
"I heard you were hanging out around here, wheels," the girl told him, tossing the ball back his way. Felix took no offense at her keeping the nickname; it was part of who she was.
"What's up, Monique?" He asked, taking another shot. "When did you get back from your tour?" This time, the shot bounced off of the backboard and ricocheted off of the hoop. Felix caught the ball and flipped it to his companion.
"A couple of hours ago," she answered, taking a shot. The basketball bounced off of the backboard in into the net.
"I thought you'd be looking up Matt," Felix commented, as the girl recovered the ball and flipped it back to him.
"Hey, I heard you were out shooting baskets and looking a little down," Monique informed Felix as he took another shot, this time swishing the ball through the hoop. "Nice shot."
"Not really," Fexil confessed. "I was trying to bounce it off the backboard. So how did you hear that I was feeling down?"
"The high school grapevine is still kind of working, even after graduation. A couple of people see you, they talk, they talk to me at Club Banana and I put a few things together." Monique caught the ball that Felix tossed her way and shot again, this time missing to the left.
"What kind of things did you put together?" Felix asked, scrambling to catch up to the basketball. He wasn't in position to shoot, so he tossed it back to Monique.
"Well," Monique said, as she sunk another basket. "There's the fact that your girlfriend went back to Japan. That's gotta make a guy feel at least a little down. Most of your close friends are either out of the state or tied up with other commitments and you just finished a summer school tutoring stint. Finally, you just went through a major life change. I figured that all of that would have to add up to a melancholy valedictorian."
"You got that right," Felix grumbled. He shot a lay up, rebounded the basketball and threw a bounce pass to Monique. "But that still doesn't explain why you're hanging with me instead of celebrating with Mat." Felix paused for a moment. "By the way, congratulations. I don't know anything about fashion but that must have been a rough competition."
"Thanks, wheels. Now, as for why I haven't looked up Mat. I figured that you could use a friendly ear your own age."
"And you don't think Mat's going to be a little hurt about this?" Felix prompted.
"No way!" Monique told him, leading the way to a bench. "Felix, you haven't done the boyfriend-girlfriend thing very much, have you?"
"Never before in my life."
"Okay, here's some news from someone who's been around the block a couple of times. Boyfriends and girlfriends come and go, but good friends are something you want to keep with you forever. Now, I'll be calling Mat sometime tomorrow and we'll get together as soon as his dad will give him a break from his chores, but right now, I have a good friend who looks like he could use a friend."
"You know, Mo, you really scare me sometimes. You're right, but you scare me," Felix admitted, then smiled at his friends. He looked at Monique for a short time. The two had flirted with each other in the past, mainly because their close friendship with Kim and Ron meant that they spent a lot of time together. Somehow, by unspoken agreement, they had realized that they just wouldn't click when it came to the dating thing.
"So, what's been happening with you while I've been out wowing the fashion world?"
The two friends talked and shot baskets late into the night.
A/N: Yet another chapter down, as well as the first contestant. Stay tuned to see who falls next.
Thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for his beta work.
Until my next update, best wishes;
daccu65