Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kim Possible.
Coloring Outside the Lines
By: Imyoshi
Lemony
First you add water, then a good amount of sugar, some lemon juice, and then stir. Simple, really! So how come it wasn't?
Arg, this was the hero girl's fifth time making the batch of lemonade and each time it came out worse than before. Each and every time something was off! First too much water or too much sugar! Then not enough water or not enough sugar! Sometimes it tasted like orange juice. Orange Juice! I mean come on! How is that possible!
The sun outside was hot and burned her face more importantly her cheeks. Surely at the end of the day freckles would make their routine presence. An occurrence Kim took no delight in. Freckles always gave the girl a blushing appearance, always seeming shy in front of company.
She stirred the ingredients in the pitcher vigorously with a snarl that would make Shego proud. Wasn't repeating something suppose to make things taste better? Shouldn't the lemonade come out a bit better each time she made a new batch? I guess not. Apparently the practice makes perfect lesson they taught her in Pre-K was all a lie! A lie dammit!
Why was she even making stupid lemonade in the first place? The hero had at least a million better things to do. Listen to Oh Boyz song Hello-Hello-Hello, go shopping for new Club Banana outfits... sleep. So ask her again why she was making lemonade, outside in the middle of the hot day? Really, how did Kim get herself in these sitches?
Just then a soft familiar sound eluded her senses. Kim's ear perched up; she heard a carefree humming from across the street. She stopped what she was doing to look up and glare at Ron, stirring his lemonade in perfect sync. Tuning a soft note in bliss as he did.
Oh yea, that's why.
Curse her competitive attitude.
She remembered now. The hero girl had challenged her sidekick friend to a lemonade stand contest when he poked and prodded that he could out sell her anytime, anywhere, and any day. And of course Kim had been a sucker to challenge him and his legendary cooking skills. Why didn't she challenge him to a Pixie Scout muffin sell off? What was she thinking? Selling homemade lemonade, against Ron. Did she want to lose?
Look at him, whistling and humming a catchy tune without so much of a care in the world. Who did he think he was? He was only Ron Stoppable average everyday slacker who just so happens knows how to cook like a professional –The professional type that could get away with scowling poor undermined chefs.
Wow, remind her never to challenge Ron at anything that involves food again.
So now here they were, in a competing lemonade stand off, both with their handmade lemonade stands. Each having a clever slogan to attract potential customers. Kim's being 'Possibly the Greatest Lemonade Ever!' and Ron's 'Badical Lemony Goodness.' Kim stirred her lemonade in haste, trying to get a decent batch prepared. For not only was a bit of both her pride and ego at stake, but so too a bet she now regretted making.
A bet at all cost she determined to win!
Mixing so cautiously, she had failed to notice a customer waiting impatiently to being notice, "Ahem!"
Looking up from her picture, her green orbs went wide eyed and shined brightly. Her first customer! A tall pale man to be exact. Nothing really special stood out from the guy, except for his greasy slit back hair. Seriously what was this, the 90's?
"Can I help you sir?"
The man smiled, pulling out his trusty wallet, "Yes I could go for this, ahem, possibly greatest lemonade ever if you don't mind. Today is hot and I swear I'm going to die of thirst."
Kim smiled back, pouring the dude a glass of her soft beverage. She took his dollar and already felt a stronger grin tug at her lips. Her first dollar! Yes she was already beating Ron–
"Ahhhh!" Startled by the sudden scream, Kim looked over her stand to see the man who had just purchase her lemonade sprawled on the floor, clutching his throat in what seemed to be an enormous amount of pain. He wiggled across the floor before slowly getting up and swiping her well earned dollar away from hand. Reflexively Kim stepped back from his mean stare.
"What are you trying to do kill me?!" The hero girl felt her emotional strings tugged when the man stomped away from stand and right towards Ron, who offered the poor soul a glass on the house. Immediately the dry heaving guy slurped the delicious beverage in haste and purchased a whole picture, earning Ron an entire Alexander on his first customer!
Folding the cash, Ron sniffed his sweet victory, savoring the grim look from Kim that his ever so smug expression absorbed. Kim gritted her teeth, returning back to her lemonade preparing. The day was still young and she had a contest to win!
"I think I'm going to be sick!"
"Are you trying to poison me?!"
"Oh god, what's in this lemonade?!"
"I see a light... a bright light, at the end of this tunnel."
"You're a monster!"
"What did I ever do to you?!"
Ann Possible walked outside her humble home, as the sun set, to see her daughter slumped at her lemonade stand, looking like someone stole the pep right out of her. Her auburn hair sprawled all across the wooden stand. Ann frowned, this couldn't be good.
"Hi honey. How's the lemonade competition going with you and Ron," her mother knew all about the teen's little friendly competition. So it came to no surprise for the hero girl to be address about the touchy matter.
Resting her head against the table, Kim slumped sadly, pouting her lip as she, "Terrible! I haven't been able to sell one lousy glass of lemonade yet, without the customer running off, threatening to ban my lemonade as an inhumane torture method."
Ann smiled, rubbing Kim's back, "Oh come on sweetie, it can't be that bad?" Her daughter failed to respond, except with the shallow gesture of nothingness. It was that bad. Especially when all your customers leave to only go buy mouth watering lemonade from your best friend, "Tell you what, I'll be your first real customer how does that sound?"
Kim eyes perked a slight, "Really?"
"Yes really."
Kim pouted her lip tensely, "Are you sure?"
Her mom chuckled in response, "I'm positive Kimmie! How bad could it be?"
Ok, Kim had given her a warning and her mom still wanted to try it. It was all fair game now. Smiling a small smile, Kim poured her mother a glass, shaking with anticipation when she took it. Oh please, if anyone could give poor Kimmie a break it would be her overly kindhearted mom. Right?
Slipping the juicy liquid into her mouth, Ann swished it around her tongue getting a taste of the flavor. Immediately her eyes popped and her pupils shrunk. The lemonade tasted absolutely dreadful. The sugar amount in the beverage failed to even come close to evening out the sour essence of the lemons. And the water! It tasted murky!
Ann forced herself to swallow the beverage, eyes widen with horror, with the glass remaining motionless in her hand, as the horrible golden liquid traveled down her throat and to her poor unsuspecting stomach. And when it did, she used all her will power not to gag. Her stomach cried out in pain and her taste buds burnt to a crisp. Then adding gas to the fire – Kimberly had been staring at her the whole time with hopeful little girl eyes and her hands cupped together.
Terror quickly filled the older woman's pores. She didn't want to hurt Kimberly's feelings, but the lemonade tasted absolutely awful on so many levels! Ann had a difficult choice to make. A tell Kimmie the truth, or B, lie to her own child? Suddenly a preemptive aftertaste flared in her mouth. The choice became obvious quickly.
Ann gave Kim a very weak smile, before running off towards the house to dry heave. Able to hear the sounds of an upset stomach, Kim frowned again. Looks like she lost and to make matters far worse Ron had casually strolled over to her, grinning widely as he did.
"So KP looks like the sun is setting. It looks like I won the bet?" Kim scowled at the victorious smirk her best friend paraded at her. He slid right next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, hugging her firmly, "And you know what that means."
Kim pouted her in his hold, not wanting to admit defeat, "Yea yea Ron. The next time –"
Ron stopped her, silencing her with his finger, "No dice Kim. I chose when the bet happens. It's only fair and besides we didn't even decide what day so it's makes total sense."
The hero girl's world trembled violently, her eyes failing to focus, and her body not responding to any of commands to argue. Only her mouth dared reply, "That's not fair Ron!" She protested loudly, but it did not do one thing to the blonde's inner core.
The boy shrugged, releasing her from his grip, and walking off in an easy pace home, "Hey, all's fair in lemon and war KP," playfully mocked the sidekick, indulging her inner anger with a nice play on words. He knew the gesture would get under her skin.
She glowered, watching him leave all smug, "I'm gonna get you for this," threatened the girl, folding her arms below her chest, hoping to strike the smallest bit of fear into her hollowed words.
Looking back, Kim noticed the Ron-ish smirked playing across his face, as those half closed tan eyes focused solely on her, "By the way I like the freckles."
...
A/N: Updates starting Monday, except for this Monday of course. Unless if I'm in a high spirited mood.
For those who don't know, Alexander is the dude on the ten dollar bill.