Kim opened the cut-out chest. They were newspaper cut-outs, articles about her adventures that daddy collected in a movement of pride. "I have the Golden Rocket, Anne many Platinum Bistouries...until they'll invent a prize for who saves the world, these will be the proofs!" So he said. And not only of adventures, even chronicles, fashion, gossip, and vhs on her tv appearances, it couldn't definitely be said that he wasn't a present father. Ron has always been with her, so somewhere in there was the proof that he too was a hero and deserved respect as her equal. So she started browsing all of them, one by one, to not risk to miss what she was searching for.
So...inhale...nnnnhhhhhh...exhale...fffffuuuuuuuhhhhhhh...let's start!
Well then...Kim Possible stops Motor Ed and his...no, this is not good. Kim Possible stops Duff Killigan from...no, not even this is good. Team Possible's naked mole rat heroically manages to...nothing even here. The Worldsaving Cheerleader strikes again...I never noticed how much fantasy such titles have. Ah, here's a picture of Ron...oh, no, here a laser had cut his belt and and he found himself in bermuda. Wait, he nearly was cut in half by a ray and they write "trips on his clothes"? Away even this! And this, even this, this one too...she arrived at nearly thirty adventures and all talked about either only her, or generically Team Possible, without mentioning the boy's name...but how is it possible! Even the eterocephalus glaber had a couple honorable mentions of his feats! No, no, no...this way is not working, there was need of something that screamed at the forur winds that Ron Stoppable can succeed where others fail, something like...like...Lake Wannaweep! That nasty swamp where even she found herself vulnerable twice! Where are the articles, she was sure to have seen them...and there they were...yeah, sure, the first one talked only about her, but I only said we were fine, not that it was me! And then, why is it so short...ah, right, we had to run at the cheerleader competition…the second article, instead...no, eh? "Kim Possible is helped by the supernatural: in her last exploit the famous superheroine has been supported..." as if I contributed so much… "from a..." ...a werecoypu?! Vanished immediately after? The local redskins were interrogated about this protector of the nature...but who authorizes prints like this! Ok, let's think, what else is there...why yes, there was the Fearless Ferrett! There's the pagunknowncosplayersavesthelifeofTimNorthanddisappearsinthemisterylikearealferrettIcantbelieveIspentallthistimedefendingpeoplelikeTHESE! By now Kim was going mad: but why have they never talked about Ron? ...But why I never talked about? What would have cost, taking him with me, putting him by my side during the interviews, giving him the deserved credit? Two words, two seconds each time, nobody would have died! What, was I ashamed? Ok, he was embarassing sometimes, butwhatamIsayin! I shouldn't be embarassed by my friend...but there was a shadow in her mind that forced her to be honest at least with herself: Kim, can you really say you never, ever felt ashamed of being Ron's friend? No matter the setting? … … ...no. No, I can't, but in the end everything always went for the better between us two, I just hope even this time…
Sniff...ok, let's wipe away the tears, and think: when else Ron's presence has been fundamental? Talent show? No, that mattered only for the school. When she finished under mental control? No, that one had the unluck to pass under the news radar. Same for the blushing that made her disappear...Yamanouchi? No, that was very secret, even more than G.J., it was a miracle if they decided to reveal her the position, and she couldn't even enter without a school member to follow her...the Diablo incident? No...that story involved secret projects, any important detail has been classified Top Secret by almost the whole world. And Lowardia's invasion was even worse...his greatest victory, and they buried it so deeply that they could even put it in the middle of the desert. Could go worse than that?
BIP-BIP-BI-BIP
Typical.
The wrist kimmunicator: who called? She pushed the answer button, hoping it was something important, because she was definitely not in the mood! "Kimberly?" Dr. Dicector: ok, this counts as very important! "Yes, director?" Kim tried to regive herself a dignified look. "I wanted to congratulate with you for the London operation, good job. You handled the situation in record time." "Thanks, but DNAmy managed to escape..." "Don't worry, we're keeping an eye on her, she won't hide for long. A promising career in our organization when you'll finish the studies." "Your trust is an honor. Ah, listen..." Maybe she was exaggerating, but thought the question was only legitimate, since she too was involved: "Ron said to not have still received your invitation...but we will team up together in Global Justice, right?" Betty's face darkened. But why? Which problems were there? "Kimberly...Ronald already asked me the same thing..." "...and?" "...and, I'm sorry to tell you, but Ron won't join Global Justice." For Kim it was like being hit by a cannonball in the stomach. Rage returned mounting, together with the sense of betrayal. "How, he won't join G.J.? It's absurd! You more than anyone should know how well we work together! Don't you remember, the Ron Factor? No one else is more qualified to escort me in missions! Why do you want to separate us?" "Kim, listen, Ron...is associated to Yamanouchi, and Yamanouchi has some secrets that doesn't want and can't reveal..." "And so? Haven't you said that between you and that school there is an alliance? And then, you too have secrets, I don't seem to ever complain about that!" "Yes, but it's also true that those secrets make so that our objectives don't always coincide. Sometimes they're even opposites. It's already happened with these ninjas, like with other organizations, and again these secrets prevent us to reveal the purposes behind our actions. When I assign a mission to an agent, I have to be 120% sure their faith towards us won't break: even if this works for you, I can't say the same for your boyfriend because he has friendships in that place and already goes in missions for them. He told you about it, right?" Kim nodded. "Yes, he did not tell me the details, he said he had to..." the evidence of the next words made her take a sigh of resignment "...swear to keep the secret, but at least he warned me that it would happen!" "That, exactly. And you have to consider that even this warning is a luxury that you won't always have. And it works for both of you." "But if things are like this, we'd risk to find ourselves on opposite sides of the barricade! I could find myself to have to choose between Ron and you, and same for him, isn't it what you're trying to avoid?" This time it was Betty to sigh, in front of the flawless logic of the girl. "You're right...then maybe you should think again about your entering in our ranks. But know that you have all my esteem and respect, your victories can't be ignored." Yeah...mine can't...Kim could not stop herself anymore from sobbing. "It's not fair..." "It's the adult world, Kimberly. I too would like to smack Jack Hench and his pretty face from here to the most deserted prison cell on the planet, but believe me I have my hands tied, or it would have happened years ago, to him and Big Daddy Brotherson. But life is also this: compromises you don't want to accept, but you have for the common good." Is it really this what I want? "Well...I suppose it's for this that Ron hasn't told you about our rejection on his behalf." "What...what do you mean?" " In order to not bring you away from the chance to do it." ...you really can't help but sacrifice everything for me, right Ronnie? "...take care of yourself, Kim. And think well about your future." *bip*
Kim gave up to a rare feeling for her: failure. She failed, even betrayed, the most important person in her life. Her mother entered silently in the basement: she too has seen the tv, she heard everything that happened in the basement and had waited; she came closer to the daughter, who looked like a crying statue from some sad fable from other times, and huigged her trying to comfort her. Vain hope, but she had to try. On contact, Kim took a while to understand what was going on, but then she turned around and pulled towards the parent. "What have I done, mom?" "Nothing, Kim: you have done nothing." "That's the point: I have done nothing! Ron, he...he has always been here for me, he gave me his support, his friendship, his heart! No matter how, where, when or why, if I needed help he was there. I should have been there for him the same way, and yet...and yet...and yet I knew he was often insecure, that he felt not to be good enough, and I never helped him enough...I laughed at his scenes, and when I knew he was getting big-headed, that he would have lost the popularity that he so searched for and that I so took for granted because for me was daily life, I let him go down from the hill and came back to be the...the..." she was so gnawed to have to say that word, but there were no better ones "...school buffoon! What kind of selfish have I been, why I denied what he deserved with his strengths, like I deserved my trophies?" "Being popular is not everything in life..." "But it wasn't about being popular, it was about being accepted! Ron has always been...one of a kind, few wanted to be his friends." "Few, but good." "But all the rest remained: Bonnie, the jocks, the rest of the 'cream'...in the end, our judgement was not the only one that he cared of, it was all the hope he was left with! I don't dare to imagine how he could endure all of this, how he managed to hide everything behind that careless smile, how could I not see he was only pretending to not be hurt by that attitude? What kind of friend, of girlfriend am I?" By now Kim was going back and forth from sobs to screams of anger and pain, towards herself, the world, even Ron, to have kept her ignoring everything… "I...I don't deserve him!" "Kim, let him judge if you deserve him or not."
Oh no...oh, no...oooh, no, no, no, no no no no NO NOOOOOH! If she has been felt selfish, cruel, horrible, now she felt unworthy of being born: she left out the only person that more than her had right to suffer for this tale: Ron himself!
In front of her eyes she saw the swinging of some keys. Hers. It was her father. "Wade called. We already saw the tv, he did not have to say anything. He just wanted me to fix your keys. And the start, of course." Wade, you're a really good friend. "Go to him." Kim did not allow to be repeated it: kissed her dad and mom, caught the keys and flew away.
It was time to close this bad issue.