Reintroductions

XX

Two weeks had passed, and the evening of the reunion was at hand. The Possible family, along with Monique, had left their homes in Go City and arrived in Middleton a few hours ago. After a visit with Monique's parents, they were now driving to the class reunion at Middleton High School, and the school in question was just coming into view over the top of a hill as they drove through town. Ron was at the wheel, and he could swear he had been hearing sputtering noises coming from the car during their trip, but none of his passengers seemed to agree with him.

"You can't hear that? Listen!"

"For the last time Ron, we're not getting a hovercar."

Ron glanced into the rear view mirror at his daughter, who was showing Monique some pages of a magazine she was reading. "How about you honey?" he asked. "You're taking my side, right?"

"I don't think so," said Annie. "But nice try!"

Monique gave Annie a high five as Ron watched them in the mirror. "That's pretty harsh," he said.

Kim groaned as she held her stomach. They had just left Monique's parent's house, and while Kim liked Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, the two of them had stuffed their guests with a huge dinner despite Monique's insistence that there would probably be a lot of food at the reunion. Kim had eaten it all, out of politeness. She was beginning to regret being polite.

"I could have sworn your parents were fattening us up for the slaughter, Monique."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Now you know how hard it was for me to keep that goddess physique going when I was in high school! I didn't have cheerleading to keep it together like you did. I don't know how I've kept it up since then, though. Good genetics, I guess."

"Uh huh."

The car pulled to a stop in the school parking lot as they reached their destination. The parking lot was a new addition that had been added sometime after their graduation, but the school itself didn't look much different despite being partially rebuilt after the Lorwardian invasion. Kim and Ron had visited Middleton High School a few times over the years during visits to their parents, and the only real change they ever noticed was that the building grew smaller in reality compared to the way it looked in their memories. Kim could already see a few other people arriving in their own cars, some crossing the parking lot on their way to the front entrance. Some faces she did not recognize, but some were very familiar.

They left the car and walked under the familiar overhang that led to the school's main doors. Upon entering, noise and laughter coming from down the hallway told them that the reunion was already in full swing even though they had gotten there a little early. A sign just inside the school's entrance read 'Reunion, that way!'. An arrow, drawn below the message, pointed in the direction of the lunch room.

"Are any of those yours?" Annie asked, pointing to a collection of trophies inside a glass case they had almost passed on their way down the hall. Kim was pleased with the opportunity to brag to her daughter – just a little bit, of course.

"Yes. That one right there, see?" Kim pointed to an award topped by a golden cheerleader enthusiastically shaking her pom-pons and kicking one leg into the air. "That was a cheer competition we won against Upperton. I was the leader of the squad, but it's an award for the whole team. Cheerleading is all about working as a group."

Annie nodded. She inspected the trophy with an air of great scientific curiosity before they finally left the case behind and entered the lunch room. Kim scanned the room and breathed a sigh of relief when she did not see Bonnie's face anywhere. Meeting Bonnie would be interesting, but Kim needed a little time to steel herself for the encounter. Right inside the lunch room doors, however, a familiar face greeted them from a seat behind a check-in table. Her figure was a little rounder than Kim remembered from high school, but her hair was the same brilliant platinum blonde hue.

"Hey guys! I'm so glad you came!"

Kim hugged her old friend across the table. "Tara! I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I know – but that's what reunions are for."

"Are you the one who organized it?"

"I sure am," beamed Tara. "But a couple of the other girls on our old cheerleading team helped me out. I'm still really good friends with Marcella, for instance. And my husband gave me a hand too."

"Oh yeah? Where is he?"

"Right over there!"

Kim followed Tara's finger with her gaze, hoping she might be surprised by a familiar face from high school, but she did not recognize Tara's husband. He was surrounded by several toddlers, all blonds, who seemed to be running circles around him as he watched over them with a flustered expression on his face.

"Those are my children – I'll introduce you to them later. We have some activities that the kids can do while the adults talk," said Tara. "That way we don't have to keep an eye on them for the whole reunion. Doug offered to keep them entertained and watch over them since he doesn't really know most of the people here. Didn't you, Doug?"

Doug looked up at the sound of his name, looking a little harried by the swarm of children around him, and smiled feebly at his wife.

"Anyway," Tara said as some new arrivals entered the lunch room, "I have to keep checking people in, but I'll catch up with you guys once things get started okay? Remember to take your class reunion party bags!"

Tara pointed at a group of colorful plastic bags set up on the check-in table. Ron gave his daughter a wink and tried to grab two for himself, but Kim slapped his hand and made him take one instead. Annie gave her father a sympathetic look that told him he might have better luck next time.

The round lunch room tables that Kim remembered so well had not been replaced, although they were covered in white tablecloth for the reunion. Glasses, plates, and silverware were arranged at each table, and the nearby lunch counter was filled with food. Something about serving the reunion food from the same metal bins that normally contained lunch food struck Kim as a little unappetizing, but she supposed it wouldn't make much sense to set up a new buffet counter. Fortunately, the smell seemed to be appetizing, and judging by a brief glance over the food, Kim could not see any of the unidentifiable gray goo that haunted her high school memories.

Beyond the tables, a small stage and a podium had been set up on the far end of the lunch room. The stage was empty, but the lunch room's tables were already beginning to fill up. As Kim walked from group to group and greeted old classmates and acquaintances she recognized, she noticed one table that was empty except for a single man, whose brown hair was still tipped with a coloring of frosted blond. Kim thought it looked a little strange on a man of his age, but then it did let her recognize him immediately.

"Josh!"

She raced over to give Josh a hug, trailed by her family and Monique.

"Hey Kim! Man, you still look like you're in your 20's!"

Josh gave Monique a hug as well. He shook Ron's hand warmly, although Ron was struggling to fight back a brief surge of jealousy that Josh's compliment towards Kim had triggered. He knew it was a bit immature – he and Kim hadn't seen Josh since high school, after all – but something about those frosted tips just brought back sour memories. Still, Ron felt himself get over the jealousy fairly quickly.

"And who is this?" Josh asked, leaning down to shake Annie's hand.

"That'd be my daughter, Annabelle."

"Annie, mom."

"Nice to meet you, Annie," said Josh. "I'm Josh Mankey."

"Oh, daddy!" exclaimed Annie upon hearing the name. "This is the evil monkey man you talk about sometimes when you and mom are thinking about when you were teenagers?"

Ron coughed nervously as Josh raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nope. Not Josh. You must have him confused with Monkey Fist. Definitely."

The group sat down at their table, about to begin reminiscing, when a burst of feedback attracted the attention of everyone in the room. The reunion attendees turned from their conversations and stared at the bulky man who had just walked onto the impromptu stage. Kim, Ron, Monique, Josh Mankey, and a number of their other classmates all gasped at the sight of the man. His hair was gray, but he had the same musclebound body they all remembered. The same austere military pose, the same brown suit and black tie.

"Hello everyone," said Mr. Barkin. "I'd like to thank Tara King for inviting me to this class reunion. A number of other teachers were going to be here as well, but they informed Tara and I that they would be unable to attend due to various previous engagements, freak accidents, and troubles with the law. Now, as your former teacher, coach, mentor, and life inspirer, I'd like to let you all know what kinds of activities we have planned for the – YOU! KEEP QUIET!"

Mr. Barkin pointed emphatically at someone in the lunch room. The unfortunate target of Barkin's attention gulped in fear, despite not having said anything.

"As I was saying, we will of course enjoy fond memories of the olden days with each other, we will enjoy the food at the buffet counter," - at this, Barkin pointed to the lunch counter - "and we will play some exciting party games. We even have some karaoke planned for later tonight. Afterwards, anyone who is interested can join us in a tour of Middleton and see what has changed in the last 1.9 decades, which should be interesting to those of you who were not doomed to stay in this town for your whole lives. Now, please engage in some well-mannered frivolity. But I'll be watching you!"

Barkin left behind a silent lunch room as he walked off the stage. After a few moments, someone decided it was appropriate to clap, and the rest of the room slowly followed suit, too confused to know what else to do.

"He seems like he has problems," observed Annie.

Kim and Ron, who were sitting to either side of their daughter, patted her shoulders and nodded in confirmation.

"Room for one more?" asked Tara as she scooted in with the rest of the table's occupants. "I got tired of checking people in, and it looks like everyone's here. Almost everyone, that is," she said with an ominous look at Kim, who knew exactly who Tara was referring to. "Sorry about Mr. Barkin, but I thought it would be nice to invite him. I didn't know he'd stand up and give a speech."

"Hey," said Ron, "what would our class reunion be without Mr. Barkin?"

Almost in answer to his question, Ron nearly fell out of his chair as he was pushed aside by his former teacher's bulky physique. Mr. Barkin had just sat down in the last remaining spot at the table with a heaping plate of food. Annie helped prop up her father, narrowly saving him from a spill on the floor.

Barkin spoke through a mouthful of food as he looked around at his former students.

"Tho, you guyth talking about me?"

XX

The house was the same as Bonnie remembered it. Very elegant, very cold, and very distant. Like a museum. The absence of her sisters, however, was a big improvement.

"And here's Bonnie as a little baby! Oh, and let me tell you, right after that picture was taken she made a boo-boo in her diapie!"

Junior looked at the photo album Bonnie's mother was sharing with him and laughed uproariously.

"Oh Bonnie, your mother is so delightful! Just look at these precious photos of you as a child. It is too much for me!"

Bonnie looked at her watch as Junior and her mother laughed at her expense. She was glad to see it was about time to leave for the reunion, as she was beginning to grow a little tired of the photo album sharing. That being said, she was surprised to find that she hadn't minded the visit to her mother's house overall. Her mother still bugged her sometimes, but Bonnie's relationship with her was warm enough. Connie and Lonnie were another matter, but Bonnie hadn't seen much of them in recent years as they were too wrapped up in their own lives.

Bonnie's mother wiped her eyes after another bout of laughter. She turned to another page in the photo album. The page was filled with more embarrassing pictures of an infant Bonnie, but one picture featured her two sisters posing on either side of her. Bonnie's mother fell silent for a moment as she traced the picture with her hand.

"You know dear," she said, "I'm glad that you've made something out of your life. I had such high hopes for your sisters, and then they went and had all those children before they were ready. I tried to warn them, but you know Connie and Lonnie..."

"Yeah, I do."

Bonnie thought about her sisters as she stared at the picture. She didn't talk to them much, but she had heard enough from her mother over the years to know that they had both gotten involved with men too hastily and had children without any real planning. While such a thing might end up working out out for other people – people with luck, and without her sisters' personalities - Bonnie knew it had been a mistake for the two of them. All of their big plans had fallen by the wayside.

She knew the father of Lonnie's children had disappeared, and while Connie had gotten married, her life was not a happy one based on what little Bonnie knew of it. Years ago, Bonnie remembered gloating about her sisters' misfortunes, but she wasn't sure what she felt anymore. A little bit of sorrow and sympathy, maybe. And a lot of relief that she was not in the same situation. It had taken years to marry Junior, she remembered with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Her brief time in college had also given her enough self-awareness to realize she wanted to avoid rushing into having children. Sometimes Bonnie wondered if it was only through sheer luck that she had avoided her sisters' fates.

"So, how are things at the radio station?" Bonnie's mother asked.

"Oh, you know. About the same as usual. We had a new, uh - a new show recently. It was a big hit. We should be bringing in some big money soon."

"Wonderful! You know I'm proud of you, Bonnie."

"Thanks mom."

Bonnie got up from the couch and gave her mother a hug, and Junior soon followed his wife's example. Her mother, regaining the breath that was knocked out of her by Junior's embrace, looked at the time on the wall clock and gasped in surprise.

"Didn't your class reunion start hours ago? You'll be late!"

"Yes, mom, fashionably late. It's how these things are done."

"Well, if you say so. Junior, it was wonderful catching up with you as usual. Stop by again soon, honey!"

Bonnie waved to her mother as she got into the hovercar with her husband. She didn't let Junior drive the car, partly because she didn't trust her husband's attention span, and partly because it was a brand new top of the line model. She'd be crushed if it got even a single scratch on it. As they drove away from her house and drew nearer to the high school, Junior fumbled with a CD jacket until he found one of his own albums and popped it into the player.

"Junior, we're going to be there any minute now."

"I just wanted to pump myself up for the meeting of your old high school friends, honey!"

"I don't know if 'friends' is the right word. And you've already met a lot of the people who will be there."

It wasn't long before the high school loomed up in the distance, lunch room windows glowing through the veil of twilight. A banner which hung over the front entrance welcomed Bonnie to the reunion. Seeing the building brought back a number of memories. Some good, some bad. Some great. Middleton High School had been her kingdom, and she its Queen. Not that she wasn't still a Queen – her focus had shifted from gossip and food chains to international crime, but royalty was royalty.

Bonnie parked the hovercar in one of the last available parking spots, beside a rickety looking excuse of a car that paled in comparison to their own. She laughed as she got out with her husband and looked at the neighboring car. Clearly, Bonnie was going to get a kick out of lording her success in life over some of the peasants who were bound to be attending the reunion. She grabbed Junior's hand, opened the school doors, and passed into her past.

"Ooh, look at that," Junior commented as they passed a trophy case. "Are any of those yours, my dear?"

Bonnie inspected the trophies. One of them was indeed hers. Several, actually.

"Yes, that one right there, see? That was a cheer competition we won against Upperton. I say 'we', but honestly I carried most of the weight, designed the routine, kept everybody's spirits up. You could say I was the de facto leader of the team."

"What is the facto?"

Bonnie stared at her husband, at a loss for words. Instead of answering his question, she took him by the hand and dragged him towards the lunch room doors, which were hanging ajar. Shapes moved within and the sound of music and laughter poured into the hall. Many of her old classmates would be inside, but Bonnie was hoping to see one person in particular.

XX

Kim had just told her daughter about the time in high school she almost disappeared as a result of going out on a date with Josh after being sprayed with one of Drakken's evil inventions. Annie looked thunderstruck that her mother could have been so stupid.

"Wow mom, even I wouldn't have done something like that. And I'm only seven!"

Josh and Ron both stifled laughter as Kim eyed them balefully. She had told the story expecting an amused reaction, but after hearing it out loud, she realized it did sound a little more ridiculous than she remembered. Even Monique was beginning to laugh.

"Okay, okay, that's enough of that," she said, blushing a little.

"So where do you guys live now?" asked Josh.

"We all live in Go City," said Monique. "I'm only a couple of blocks away from them, actually."

"No kidding? What do you do in Go City?"

"I own a fashion boutique."

Josh looked impressed. Monique was about to ask him what he did for a living, betting it probably had something to do with art, when a trio of two adults and a child approached the table and began to greet everyone sitting there. Monique recognized one of the adults as Justine Flanner – she looked older, of course, and a bit less severe, and her hair band was a little more colorful and snappy than Monique remembered, but otherwise she was unmistakably Justine.

It took Monique another moment, however, to recognize the man beside her. Brick Flagg looked completely different than he did in the hazy memories Monique dredged up from high school. He was still larger than average, but nowhere near as massive as he had been. His hair had thinned a little, and he wore a pair of glasses along with what Monique could only describe as a total poindexter outfit.

"Brick," said Mr. Barkin, who was still sitting with his former students, "what did you do to yourself?"

"Nice to see you too, sir."

Brick shook his old coach's hand and then turned to Monique, gathering her into a bone-crunching hug. "This is my wife, Justine," he said when he finally released his grip. "You remember her, right?"

Monique laughed. "Oh yeah, dinosaur girl!"

Justine looked a little irked at the nickname, which had floated around for a while after the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor incident at the high school, but she still gave Monique a warm hug.

"And this is our son, Madison."

The group at the table said hello to Madison, but he seemed a little shy, being partially concealed behind one of his mother's legs. Annie noticed his shyness and made a sudden move as if she was about to leap at him, which caused him to shrink back even farther. Kim shook a finger at her daughter in admonishment, but none of the other adults had noticed.

"I hope we haven't missed too much," said Brick. "We barely managed to get time off from the lab to go to this reunion, and there was no way to get a babysitter on such short notice either. I'm just glad they have some things for the kids to do." He looked up at the reunion banner hanging inside the lunch room. "Kind of weird to have a nineteen year class reunion, isn't it?"

"I just couldn't wait any longer!" said Tara, a little defensively.

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a door swinging open and hitting the wall. The lunch room fell silent, faces from every table turning in unison to the origin of the sound. Two people had just entered the lunch room, gazing imperiously over the scene before them, and the sight of them cast a wave of apprehension over the reunion. Kim felt a deep, primal need to attack welling up inside her. She was surprised to discover that even so many years after high school, just the sight of her old nemesis could still raise such an intense reaction.

"Hello, former classmates," said Bonnie, brushing her hair dismissively aside. Her husband stood beside her and struck a subtle pose, as she had instructed him to do before they entered the room. "I have arrived!"