Kim's second night out at night went remarkably better than the first one. Instead of watching Shego drink way too much and then lead her to Kim's doorstep where she would disappear off to her own home, both the girls just wandered around, enjoying the tranquillity of Middleton in the small hours.
No one save themselves was out; the lights were off in every window as people slept. They were free to walk around as they saw fit, talking quietly to each other about everything and nothing as there was no traffic to deafen them. Kim just smiled for the most part, letting Shego do most of the talking; same as she left Shego do the drinking a week ago. The things Kim would want to talk about was mostly about Shego, where she came from, what her family was like, a few veiled questions about why she would hang out with Kim and so on.
They walked for a good three hours, turning back towards the suburban area where the Possibles lived as soon as Kim yawned, and then they helped each other up the tree and into Kim's bedroom where they kept talking for a while. Then Shego left, leaving Kim to catch a few hours of sleep.
One would think Kim would be exhausted the whole weekend, but as Shego saw it, the more Kim was out at night, the better. The odd thing was that it seemed to work. Kim made a new rhythm of her days and nights, and she needed less and less sleep it would seem. Come school days, Kim was as chipper as always to go (considering the Queens, Kim barely made it through the day, but still…) and returned home equally chipper.
Shego seemed untiring in her efforts to keep Kim out of the house as much as possible, creeping up the tree as soon as Kim's parents sent her to bed. Shego gave Kim a break a few days in a row, but they still spent a lot of time together during the night. If not for school, Ron might have become slightly put off or even jealous, but as he realised how badly he needed his sleep, he let sleeping dogs lie and just spent time with Kim during the day.
Kim was practically beaming at the end of the week as she realised she had worked everything out, well she and her friends. The very friends that sat with her this dreary Friday afternoon class, double physics with Bonnie, and worked with her on some tough problems. 'What a ball', Kim thought with a grimace as she glared at Bonnie. Friends…Kim still found it hard to believe that she had more than one friend again.
It had been her and Ron since pre-school, and a few years back, Monique had joined them. Only for a short time though, as her fashion-sense landed her in the Queens. Now Shego had dropped in like a glow stick and lit up the darkness. Kim flinched at the analogy and refocused on her classes.
Shego leaned over and hissed almost loud enough for the teacher to hear. "Psst…Kimmie, same time and place as last Friday?"
Kim sighed. "I don't know, my parents haven't found us out yet, I think our luck is running out." She gritted her teeth in frustration, both at her predicament at home, and at a problem in the text book. Ron had given up a long time ago, claiming he'd study for the tests and nothing more and fallen asleep on the desk. Shego had quickly donned the blonde boy with some bows she had in her school bag and spent some minutes snickering.
Shego nudged Kim in the side with her elbow. "Come on, we won't get caught…your parents think you're miss goody-two-shoes and doesn't even check your room at night. Let's go."
Kim repeated her sigh and relented. It was easier that way.
When Kim thought about it, she had been pretty depressed until Shego came along. Despite Ron's attempts to cheer her up, she kept to herself in school and privately. She had actually been deep in thought these last few years, thinking of what she possibly could accomplish in her life. She had reached painfully few conclusions and realised that to most of the world, it mightn't matter whether she lived or died. She hadn't thought of ending her life, but she had reached a point where she realised she simply wouldn't care if she was mortally hurt or sick. If she died, her family and friend would be sad for a while, but that would be it.
Kim was roused from her thoughts as Shego stopped after dragging both of them to the same place as before.
Shego pushed Kim through the door. "Come on Kimmie, get in there. And this time, you're more social than last time." Kim tried to sputter an excuse, but Shego would have none of it. She shoved Kim down at a table and went over to some people near the shabby bar. She returned a few tankards.
Shego sat down with a smile that made Kim shudder slightly. "Bottoms up Princess." Shego said as she downed her tankard. Kim sighed and glared at the liquid in front of her and took a few sips. She almost spat it right out. Almost being the key word. Instead, she just let it dribble down her chin until she swallowed it and wiped her arm over her mouth.
She glared at Shego. "You most definitely said you'd get me something better than last time." Shego smirked. "You didn't drink anything last time, and in my opinion, beer's better than stale air." The barkeep murmured under his breath that 'his bar had no stale air…'
"So what's your name then, eh?"
"Eh, what?" Kim jerked up and looked wild-eyed at the newcomer who'd sat down next to Shego. The new girl was clad in some roughed-up clothes with a few safety-pins on them, just as roughed-up shoes and had dyed hair to go with the ragged punk-look. Shego glared at the new girl, then reached over and punched her on the arm.
"What the hell's that for?!"
"Didn't your mom teach you manners, Wendy?"
"She taught me not to spit on the floor, that's about it. And don't you act like you don't know it!"
Shego waved the comment off. "As you might've noticed, Pumpkin, this here's Wendy, she's sort of a friend of mine. I actually met her the night before I met you."
Kim glared down her now empty mug and then at the new girl. "I'm Kim, but Shego over there," Kim jerked a thumb at Shego. "doesn't get it, so she just keeps calling me weird names."
Wendy leaned forward, deliberately putting her elbow in Shego's side. "Like what?"
"Pumpkin, Kimmie, Princess…give her a minute, she'll give me a new one. Speaking of new ones…" Kim said, glaring once again down the empty mug, obviously miffed about the lack of contents.
Shego huffed and crossed her arms. "…I'll call ya grumpy then…"
"Whazzat?"
"Nothing, Princess, lemme get you another drink."
"Okay!" Kim exclaimed, sticking out her hand with the mug, grinning madly.
On her way to the bar, Shego whispered to Wendy. "Just one beer and she's like this…last time she drinks I tell ya…"
Wendy smirked. "Let her enjoy herself, it can't be more than her dozenth time out, right?"
Shego gave a short, gruff laugh. "Second one actually."
Wendy groaned. "I'll keep an eye out then."
"Why's your hair that colour?"
"What?" Wendy looked at Kim who pointed at her hair.
"You know, the hair on your head, why's it green?"
"To annoy my parents." Wendy said shortly.
"Why?" Wendy could have strangled Kim right there and then, but that really wasn't the way you took care of your friends' friends.
Kim seemed to have switched mindset though, as her next question caught Wendy quite off guard. "Wanna be friends?"
"What?" Wendy answered with a face.
"Thought so…Shego's the first friend I've made in years, you know…don't worry, I'm not mad…" Wendy looked at the rather tipsy girl in front of her. She was about to ask more about Kim's lack of friends as Shego arrived with a few more tankards.
"Drink up, Princess; hopefully you're funnier drunk than you are when you're just tipsy."
Kim needed no more persuasion. "Okay!" She merrily exclaimed as she downed the mug. Shego mirrored her and took another off the plate she brought them all on.
She glanced at Wendy. "Dig in, sort of…" Wendy thanked and did just that.
It was a happy trio of girls that left the shady, minor-allowing bar in the small hours.
"So…Kihmimimie…what're you'r folks like?" Wendy slurred out.
Kim matched her slurring with an explanation. "Real hard-assches you know, schmart onesh toohoho…rocket schientisht and brain shurgent, you know…and I gotta…you know…small and narrow…" Shego just looked straight ahead with a blank look, though not as drunk as her buddies, she had her share of alcohol in the bloodstream, and she was willing to show it.
She asked Kim a question. "Kimmieee…"
Kim looked at her. "What, Schego..?"
"Do you trusht me?"
"Shure…whatever…"
"No, really…" Shego seemed to sober up enough to get another question out.
"I mean…you barely know me, yet here you are with one of my other friends…you shure you don't feel presshurred by me?"
Kim stared a little at Shego with slightly unfocused eyes. They had stopped at some point, and Wendy seemed content just swaying in one spot, humming softly.
"Waddaya mean? I'm happy to have a friend…I really am…I love you guys you know!" The last part was exclaimed with Kim flinging her arms up. That left her stumbling into Shego, who was slightly sober and thus prevented a nasty fall. It didn't prevent Kim from speaking her mind though.
"Your hair smells nice…" Shego raised an eyebrow, but she lowered both of her eyebrows as Kim said with a higher-than-necessary voice; "I have to go home!"
"Are you shure you're fine?" Wendy asked as they stood below the tree next to Kim's window. Said tree had previously declined Kim access to her window, and Kim had fallen to the ground. She now stood up, rubbing her head and glaring at the tree.
"I'm fine…jusht come by tomorrow night, both of ya….and I'll be perfect. Now scoot, ladies…" Kim then promptly leapt up the tree like a cat and this time succeeded in entering her room. It all had been done soundlessly and whispering.
Kim Smiled. ' Mission success…'
As Shego walked away from Kim's home with Wendy, she smiled.
' Mission success…'
Wendy snored and muttered something as she was led by Shego, sleepwalking through town.
' Mission Success…' Shego stopped a second and stared at her other new-found friend.
' Okay…that's just creepy, girl…'