Hey everyone. To all my readers from the previous iteration of this story, thank you for tolerating this soft revamp of my TASM/KP fusion story, The Amazing Spider-Man: From Sidekick To Hero. In the KPVerse timeline, this story begins the day after Steel Wheels' events, taking place a few days into the start of Team Possible's junior year.
"Dialog"
"Thoughts"
-Reading-
Ron Stoppable: Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Chapter I - No More Sitting on the Sidelines
-Who am I? You sure you want to know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody said it was a happy little tale, if someone told you I was just your ordinary teenage sidekick, not a care in the world, somebody lied. But let me assure you. This, like any story worth telling, is all about a girl. You know her as 'The Girl Who Can Do Anything.' I know her as my best friend, Kim Possible.-
MIDDLETON HIGH SCHOOL - MIDDLETON, COLORADO
"Kinda dramatic, don't you think, Ron?"
Middleton, Colorado's resident teen hero, Kim Possible, and her best friend/partner in crime-fighting, Ron Stoppable, had just gotten out of their last morning class and were discussing their creative writing assignment where each student was given a random prompt to write about.
"One hundred percent intentional, KP," Ron replied matter-of-factly. "My paper needs a creative hook to grab the reader's attention."
"It's definitely attention-grabbing," Kim conceded. "Although, I'm pretty sure you borrowed some of that from that one movie with the guy from Seabis—" Before she could continue, she was abruptly silenced by her blond companion.
"Kim, you've gotta be more careful," Ron whispered conspiratorially, his eyes darting back and forth over the hallway. "Barkin has ears everywhere."
The red-headed heroine rolled her eyes, amused at her best friend's antics. Ron had been paranoid of the school's near-omnipresent vice principal since freshman year, and it wasn't looking like things were bound to change now that they were juniors. That being said, the school year had already gotten off to a pretty decent start—their little dance with Drakken and Motor Ed the previous night, notwithstanding.
"Right," Came the redhead's sarcastic reply. "Any particular reason why I have a starring role in your paper?"
"Well, the topic I got was 'describe a major event in your life'," The blond teen replied once they'd reached their lockers. "So, I decided to write about the day I met you."
That made Kim pause. Ron wasn't the most eloquent when talking about his feelings. That wasn't to say that he wasn't an emotional person; as a matter of fact, Ron was the type of person who wore his heart on his sleeve. If he were upset with you, you'd know it. If he cared about you, you wouldn't find anyone more loyal. All this, he demonstrated through actions rather than words. Knowing that about him made times like this when he'd unexpectedly say something really sweet stand out.
"That is ferociously sweet of you, Ron"
"It was a toss-up between meeting you and our first mission" The sidekick replied with a shrug. "Anyways, what topic did you get?"
"I got 'What mantra do you think people should try to live by?'" Kim explained. "I don't think 'Anything is possible for a Possible' is applicable here."
"I wish my folks had a cool saying." Ron half-heartedly complained.
"What about 'Never Be Normal'?" The redhead teased.
"That's more of a personal philosophy," The sidekick remarked. "Plus, it's not as catchy."
"Anyways, you didn't forget about the field trip after lunch, right?" The redhead inquired as she and her companion made their way toward the cafeteria.
"I didn't." The blond boy replied before a sheepish look cemented itself on the boy's face. "But, for the sake of argument, where are we going again?"
"We're going to M.I.S.T." Kim replied. This wasn't enough clarification because the only response Kim received was a raised eyebrow. "Middleton Institute of Science and Technology," Kim explained.
"Why does that name sound familiar?" The sidekick asked.
"It's my dad's college," Kim stated as she stowed away her books.
"Oh, the one he's not-so-subtlely trying to get you to attend?" Ron remarks, remembering the scientist's various attempts at convincing his daughter to follow in his academic footsteps. He'd never say it out loud, but he was always jealous of how supportive Kim's parents were. His were the type that adopted a pretty hands-off approach when it came to parenting. Luckily, Ann Possible gladly stepped into that role—being his mother in every way but blood. He would be eternally grateful for the fact that she always treated him as her own
"The very same," Kim responded with a barely contained sigh of exasperation. "They're hosting some kind of showcase for their genetics program."
"Okay. That's all fine and dandy, but why do I have to go?" The blond sidekick lamented. "Can't you just tell me how it went when you get back?"
"We're going because Professor Warren offered extra credit to anyone who goes." The redhead pointed out. "And you could definitely use it."
The sidekick gasped indignantly. "KP, I'll have you know that a gentleman's C is pretty decent."
Cue exasperated eye roll. "Of course, you'd say something like that." The teen hero thought aloud. "You know, Barkin probably wouldn't be on your case as much if you put just a little bit of extra effort into your classes."
"KP, I'd be more concerned if he wasn't always on my case," Ron remarked. "That's just the dynamic we have, and I don't see it changing anytime soon."
As the two teens were getting ready to enter the cafeteria, Kim stopped in her tracks, suddenly remembering something. "Crap!"
"Everything alright?" Ron asked.
"Yeah," Kim stated with a sigh as she turned away from the cafeteria. "Monique said she had something she needed my help with before we leave."
"Want me to come with?" The sidekick volunteered.
Kim waved him off. "No, she said it shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Just save us a table."
"Sure thing, KP." With that, the blond boy entered the cafeteria, one solitary thought on his mind. "Thank Yahweh. It's Pizza Day."
"Can this day go by any faster?" Tara Hardy thought as she pretended to listen to Bonnie and the rest of her squadmates (minus their Captain) drone on and on about some superficial topic, as usual.
"—And dick-for-brains had the nerve to think he was gonna get another chance after I caught him with that bitch Amelia." Middleton High's self-proclaimed Queen Bee fumed.
The aforementioned brunette was telling them—or, in Tara's case, retelling since Bonnie had already filled her in the previous evening—about her recent break up with senior quarterback Brick Flagg. Surprisingly, it seemed like it would stick this time.
"Good for her," Tara thought. She knew how toxic the duo's relationship was, so it was a good thing that the two were over for good. Brick was literally the textbook definition of both blond and jock stereotypes; easy on the eyes, empty between the ears, and practically exploding with testosterone. The guy was a walking cliche that did very little to stand out from any other jocks.
It also didn't help that the age gap between to two was a wee bit concerning if you thought too much about it.
Speaking of standing out, Tara sees Middleton's very own Mad Dog waiting in line. She noted with no small amount of satisfaction that Kim wasn't with him at the moment. Now, if only the young woman weren't so scared to talk to him. Instead, she resigned to resting her head on her palm and sighing longingly at her secret-but-not-really-secret crush.
It had started as a mild interest in the boy during their freshman year after he joined the squad as the mascot and had slowly grown into a more substantial crush by the time their little "adventure" at Camp Wannaweep occurred not too long afterward. She had finally planned to ask him out, but Gil(l)'s grudge match threw a mutated wrench into the works. On the bright side, it did allow her to see Ron step up and save the day (something Tara was quite sure Kim's typical take-charge attitude wouldn't have allowed for under normal circumstances). In the end, what started out like a cheap horror movie set at an abandoned summer camp ended up turning out like the old princess stories she made her dad tell her when she was a little girl. You know, the ones where the dashing prince outsmarts the monster and rescues the beautiful princess before ending with them sharing a dramatic kiss and living happily ever after.
Minus those last two, of course—that's what fantasies are for ;P
And sure, the prince and princess might typically have only had like 10-15 minutes worth of actual interaction before that point, but YOU try telling six-year-old Tara Hardy that it was an unrealistic portrayal of a relationship.
Blame her dad for her treating fairytales as gospel when it came to romance.
"—Tara, did you even hear a word I've said?" Bonnie asked, slightly irritated with her blonde friend spacing out on her.
The platinum blonde was clearly not paying attention to the conversation. "Would Ron be more of a 'dashing prince' or a 'knight in shining armor? Actually, can princes even be knights?"
Bonnie stared at her best friend and upon following the girl's gaze, her annoyed look slowly morphed into an unimpressed scowl. "Staring at the loser isn't going to get him to notice you. At least, not in the way you're hoping for."
That definitely got Tara's attention. "Bonnie, he's not a loser," She stated matter-of-factly, desperately trying—and spectacularly failing—to hide her blush at getting caught staring at him...again. "He's just...different."
This reaction got a round of giggles from the rest of the squad. Tara's crush on the mascot was an open secret amongst the squad, with the subject of the crush being the only one not aware of it. Bonnie was the only one to seem adamantly against the idea of the two of them getting together but the squad believed it was more for the sake of appearances than any genuine dislike of the concept. The sidekick earned quite a bit of respect from the rest of the squad after the incident with Gil, so most didn't see a reason to go out of their way to give the boy a hard time, with Bonnie being the only real exception. None of the squad were sure about Kim's feelings about the sitch.
"Sure," The brunette responded with a small smirk, deciding to sidestep this particular argument by bringing up the guy she set her best friend up with the previous weekend. "Besides, what happened to you and Brad?"
Tara groaned at the reminder of her disastrous date with the varsity basketball team's senior captain, Brad Davis. Not only was he grossly full of himself, but he also had no respect for her boundaries. She was no prude but had she known how gropey he was, she wouldn't have been so annoyed with Kim for interrupting their date for what the redhead called an emergency squad meeting.
"Remind me never to let you set me up with anyone ever again."
Tara was upset that Bonnie strong-armed her into going and even more upset with herself for going along with it. Her inability to resist peer pressure, particularly when Bonnie was the one doing the pressuring, was something she absolutely hated about herself.
Maybe that's why she was so scared to make a move on the blond mascot. She wasn't so blinded by her crush that she failed to see that Ron wasn't exactly what Bonnie and her posse would consider part of the social "it" crowd. He was literally the antithesis of everything the Food Chain meant to maintain. That's what made him a loser in the eyes of their peers. Unlike herself, Ron was utterly unafraid of going against the grain. He truly lived by his motto of Never Be Normal.
"Besides, I'm nothing special." She thought sadly. "I'm no Kim Possible, that's for sure."
She was definitely a teensy bit bitter about that. She didn't dislike the teen hero, but it was hard to look at the young woman and not feel like you were a total Plain Jane in comparison. Everything she did seemed so effortless: acing most of her classes, maintaining captaincy of the cheer squad, chairing multiple school clubs. That's without even mentioning the fact that she goes around the world punching out bad guys three times her size.
Kim Possible was larger than life; it was no wonder Ron never noticed her.
"Why even settle for Possible's lapdog when there are so many other suitable guys out there?" Bonnie snidely asked. Brad may have been a wash, but there were other guys out there who were worthy of dating someone of the blonde's caliber. Tara was one of the prettiest and most popular girls in Middleton High. She could literally have her pick of potential suitors. Yet, Tara always ended up pining over the mascot, who was utterly oblivious to her painfully obvious affections for almost two years. She'd laugh at the boy's obliviousness if it weren't for the fact that it was her best friend's feelings that he was oblivious to.
Tara didn't even bother responding. She never understood why her best friend was so dismissive of the boy who had, to her knowledge, not done a single thing to deserve the brunette's constant ire. And it wasn't like Bonnie was unaware of all the qualities that made Ron such a fantastic guy; she just chose to ignore every single one of them.
The thing that confused Tara more than Bonnie's borderline irrational disdain for the Mad Dog was her own feelings toward him. Had it been any other guy, she would have moved on by now. She had no idea why she was still crushing on him almost two years later. Maybe it was his "Never Be Normal" attitude or the fact that he's such a down-to-earth guy despite going on all those crazy adventures with Kim. Maybe it was the fact that, unlike most guys, he didn't leer at her like she was just a piece of meat. Perhaps it was his fierce loyalty to Kim—something she was extremely envious of.
Whatever the reason, one thing was for sure: Tara Hardy had it bad for the Mad Dog.
Meanwhile, Ron had finally reached the front of the line when to his abject horror, the pizza was gone. Ron turned to the lunch lady. "I don't suppose you'd have any more, would ya?" he asked hopefully.
Her reply came in the form of a tray full of Middleton High's infamous mystery meat.
Ron stared down at the tray as if doing so would somehow give him the answer to the meaning of life or something similarly profound. "Did I tick somebody off in a past life or something?"
He was broken from his momentary lamentation by one of the other students roughly pushing him forward, nearly causing the sidekick to drop his tray. "You're holding up the line, Loser."
The blond muttered a quick apology and then proceeded to find an empty table. Once seated, Ron began to idly play with the monstrosity that passed for food at Middleton High. "You'd think Barkin would spring for a half-decent lunch," The blond thought as he looked across the cafeteria. He caught sight of the cheer squad's table and one cheerleader, in particular, Tara, who was coincidentally looking in his direction.
Ron couldn't help but notice the small blush that graced the young woman's face as the blondes locked eyes. He'd be lying to himself if he thought the young woman was unattractive. Despite seemingly coming off as just the textbook definition of the dumb blonde, Ron knew from personal experience that there was more to people than only the superficial.
Tara had been the one to encourage him in his endeavor to become the school mascot when Kim and Bonnie initially shot the idea down. He was ready to give up on the idea when Tara told him that he should go for it and that Kim and others would come around eventually. He ended up doing so, and ultimately, the girls did come around—even though they still regarded him with either disdain in Bonnie's case or indifference in the others'. Even before he rescued them from Gil(l) at Camp Wannaweep—cue involuntary shudder—Tara was the nicest member of the squad, always extending a friendly greeting whenever she saw him between classes or at practice. He blushed as he remembered the peck on the cheek the platinum blonde gave him as her way of thanking him for rescuing them.
He couldn't decide which was more satisfying; Tara kissing him on the cheek, or Bonnie begrudgingly giving him props for rescuing them.
If he had been paying attention to the aforementioned blonde, he would have seen her eyes widen at something behind him. Before Ron could even begin to process the expression on Tara's face, he was cut off by an orange smashing into his tray, its contents splattering all over his face and shirt. This was followed by mocking laughter coming from a few tables down.
"Bullseye!" One of the boys—nicknamed Kong for his massive size—cackled as he slapped his friend on the back. "What do ya think, Brad? That was at least a five-pointer."
"Nah. I'd give it a four." Came the amused reply from the basketball captain, obviously enjoying seeing the blond loser humiliated.
Brad had noticed how Tara had been not-too-subtly staring at the sidekick and couldn't hide his jealousy. He should be the one that Tara drooled over, not that pathetic bottom-feeder. His date with the platinum-haired cheerleader the previous weekend may not have gone the way he wanted, but Brad was determined to get a piece of her eventually.
Several of the students who witnessed this joined the two in laughing at the blond boy.
Tara, on the other hand, was decidedly not amused. As a matter of fact, she was downright livid. She could abide by Bonnie's snide remarks since she never stooped to going out of her way to humiliate the blond boy. However, she wouldn't just stand idly by as the boy who had unknowingly stolen her heart was tormented for absolutely no reason—food chain be damned!
Just as Tara was about to stand up and say something, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Brad and his cronies left the cafeteria, laughing at the sidekick who was still wiping mystery meat gravy from his eyes.
She was glad she didn't let things with Brad progress any further than they did. No matter how physically attractive he was, the fact that he got that much of a kick out of someone else's torment would have definitely turned her off from dating him—even if she didn't have a crush on Ron.
Her heart ached as she watched Ron leave the cafeteria—presumably to clean himself up.
Ignoring the confused looks on her squadmates' faces, Tara dumped her tray and proceeded to run off after the Mad Dog. However, as she placed her hand on the door to push it open, the voice of her best friend halted her.
"And where exactly do you think you're going?" The brunette beauty asked, an unreadable expression plastered on her face.
"Crap," The platinum blonde thought as she tried to form an adequate response. "Umm. Well, we have Study Hall for the rest of the day. So I figured I'd go—"
"—and comfort your little crush." Bonnie finished, smirking at her friend, who had gone red with embarrassment at her statement.
All Tara could do was stammer for a few moments then sigh in response. "Am I that obvious?"
"Just a little," Bonnie couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend's exasperation. The blonde was way too transparent for her own good. "Like, you might as well be wearing a shirt with 'HOPELESSLY IN LOVE WITH ONE RONALD STOPPABLE' written in neon letters across your chest."
"Sounds like a mouthful, don't you think?" Tara quipped, trying her best to reign in her embarrassment. Unfortunately for her, Bonnie's response totally eighty-sixed that endeavor.
"I don't know. You definitely have the surface area for it," Bonnie quipped back, causing Tara to blush even more and reflexively cross her arms over her bosom. The blonde had always been the most "well-endowed" member of the squad—something the brunette was admittedly quite envious of—and never passed up a chance to rib her best friend about it.
Deciding to spare her best friend any more embarrassment—and to give her time to catch up with the mascot—Bonnie gestured toward the door leading out of the cafeteria. "You better hurry if you wanna catch up to him."
Grateful for the opportunity to escape any further embarrassment—as well as any more wisecracks about her boobs—Tara quickly turned towards the door, intending to do precisely as Bonnie suggested. She had absolutely no clue what she would say or do once she did catch up to him—she hadn't thought that far ahead—but figured she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.
However, she again paused before going through the door. "Wait, did Bonnie just—"
The brunette raised an eyebrow at her friend. She fully expected her to be bolting out the door by now. "What?"
"What's your angle, Bonnie?" Tara asked, feeling extremely suspicious of her friend's motives.
Caught off guard by her friend's accusatory tone, Bonnie questioningly raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Bonnie, for the last two years, you've given me all kinds of grief over even contemplating whether I like him, and now, you're basically telling me to go after him," Tara pointed out. "So, what gives?"
The Queen Bee had to admit: it was definitely a valid question.
"I may have my own...personal...issues with the loser," She actually flinched at the glare Tara sent her way. "Sorry. With Ron. But despite that, you definitely could do worse than Stoppable. Granted, you could do a whole lot better, but you certainly could do worse."
Tara wasn't sure what to do with that kind of backhanded compliment. "Uh, thanks?"
Bonnie could tell that her best friend still doubted her words. Grabbing the blonde's wrist, she pulled her through the door into the empty hallway. Once she was sure that nobody else was in the hall, she turned to face Tara.
Placing her hands on her best friend's shoulders, Bonnie looked Tara in the eye and asked one question. "Tara, do you like him? Like seriously like him?"
It took less than a second for her best friend to answer. "Yes. I really do."
Satisfied with the certainty in her best friend's voice and face, Bonnie continued. "Then, as your best friend, I'll try and support you on this."
Tara couldn't believe her ears. Bonnie Rockwaller—Middleton High's self-proclaimed Queen Bee and biggest proponent of the Food Chain—not only approved of her pursuit of Ron but would also actively support her as she did so. "Are you serious?"
Bonnie gave her longtime friend a genuine smile. "Very serious."
Tara couldn't help but return the smile. "Bonnie, you have no idea how much that means to me."
A mirthful chuckle escaped the tanned beauty's lips. "I might have a rough idea, but can I offer a bit of advice?"
Tara nodded. "Sure."
"You gotta be a bit more...direct with him," The Queen Bee explained. "The subtle schoolgirl routine isn't gonna work on someone as dense as he is. At best, he'll just think you're nice in a completely non-romantic way."
"Maybe, but what if I end up coming off too strong?" Tara asked. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him off.
Bonnie rolled her eyes at that concern. Given all the painfully obvious clues he had consistently missed up to this point, it was obvious that the blonde didn't come off strong enough. "Believe me, if we were talking about any other guy, I'd agree with you, but you and I both know that Stoppable's not just any guy."
Tara smirked. "Gee Bonnie, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you just gave him a compliment."
The brunette responded with a half-hearted glare. "Well, you should know better. I was simply stating an observation."
"Whatever you say, Bonnie." Tara conceded.
"Point is, you gotta put yourself out there if you want him to notice you," The Queen Bee explained. "Otherwise, it won't be long before someone else beats you to it."
Bonnie didn't say any names, but both girls knew who that potential someone else would most likely be. If she were to enter the fray to claim the Mad Dog's affections, Tara would be at a major disadvantage. That alone was ample motivation for Tara to step up her efforts. She just hoped she didn't end up making a fool of herself.
Now more motivated than she had ever been in the last two years, Tara turned to look for her blond crush, but not before wrapping her arms around her best friend in a tight hug. "Thanks, B."
"Don't mention it, T," The Queen Bee stated as she awkwardly returned the embrace.
The hug only lasted for a few moments before Bonnie gently pushed the blonde away. "Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. I got a reputation to keep."
All Tara could do was roll her eyes in bemusement. It was no secret between the two that Bonnie wasn't accustomed to giving or receiving any type of genuine affection—having sisters like Connie and Lonnie definitely didn't help with her sense of self-worth. But at least she was making some progress. Maybe someday, the world would see the real Bonnie Rockwaller: the one that the Queen Bee always hid behind a mask of indifference and superiority. Until then, Tara would continue to be there for her.
"Well, I'm gonna go talk to him," Tara declared as she made her way down the hallway towards where she figured Ron left to clean up. "Wish me luck."
As Bonnie watched her friend go, she thought to herself, "You're definitely gonna need it."
"Good thing I got some spare clothes here," Ron remarked as he put on his Mad Dog uniform (sans mask) after a quick shower in the boys' locker room. It wasn't the first time he had to clean himself up during school hours, and he doubted it would be the last. Kong definitely did a number on his favorite jersey. On the plus side, it didn't smell like mystery meat.
"Note to self: stop by SmartyMart and pick up some extra jerseys."
A knock on the locker room door broke him from his musings. Assuming it to be the school janitor, the sidekick called out. "I'll be out in a minute, Stan!"
It turns out he was wrong since a decidedly feminine voice responded. "Um, it's Tara."
"Crap." The sidekick panicked as he checked his appearance in the mirror. "Just a second!"
While Ron was worrying about looking presentable, Tara was worrying about what she was gonna say to the sidekick. She hadn't thought much about how it would go once she found the boy and the confidence she felt after her pep talk with Bonnie had already ebbed away, only to be replaced by an all too familiar feeling of anxiousness. However, she refused to let it stop her from going after the boy she had been pining over for the last two years.
"No more sitting on the sidelines," Tara thought as she heard the locker room door open.
Standing in the doorway was none other than her towheaded crush. Sadly, he had switched out from his trademark red jersey for his cheer squad sweater. He had obviously just gotten out of the shower, and his hair was still quite damp. She couldn't help but blush at the mental image of the state he had been in moments before her arrival.
Tara was so caught up in her mini fantasy, that she almost missed it when he awkwardly addressed her. "Hey."
"Uhm...hi," The young woman responded, nervously tucking a few loose blond tresses behind her ear.
If the sidekick had noticed her nervousness, he certainly didn't comment. "So, what brings you here?"
"Well, I saw what happened back in the cafeteria," Ron cringed a bit at her words. "And I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Really?" Came the sidekick's confused reply.
"Yeah," Tara responded. "Those guys are jerks."
Ron couldn't help but smile at the rather apt description of Brad and his cronies. "You won't get any arguments from me, there."
"Why don't you go to Kim or Mr. Barkin?"
"Barkin wouldn't be able to do much unless he witnessed it, and Kim…," He paused, trying to find the right words to explain. "I don't wanna bother her about something that isn't that serious."
"You guys are best friends," Tara pointed out. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind telling them to back off." She had witnessed how defensive Kim would get whenever Bonnie would get on Ron's case about something. It never came to blows (more often than not, Ron would step in and diffuse the situation before it got to that point), but Tara got the impression that the young heroine didn't have any qualms about laying hands on people who messed with her best friend. And heaven help the poor soul that dares mess with him while in her presence.
"I know, but we face off against freaks hellbent on taking over the world almost every other week," Ron countered as he sat down on the bleachers. "High school tough guys are no big."
Taking a seat next to him, Tara asks him something she had always wanted to ask Kim about but never had the chance to. "I've been meaning to ask, what exactly do you guys do on your…missions?"
"Well, we get requests from around the world from people who need help." The sidekick explained with a proud smile. "Everything from rescuing cats from trees to dealing with the occasional mad scientist."
"You must have some cool stories, then," Tara remarked.
"You have no idea," Ron remarked, glad to see that Tara was interested in hearing about his missions with Kim. The press never really cared about interviewing him (or even getting his name right whenever they even bothered to mention him), so he never really got to tell his perspective of all the adventures Team Possible had been on.
He began regaling her with tales of some of Team Possible's adventures, and Tara was hanging on to every word. Had it been anyone else saying this to her, she would have thought they were trying to impress her. However, she read enough about Kim's exploits (and witnessed some firsthand) to know that Ron was being truthful. She loved the way his eyes would light up as he talked about all the wacky villains they encountered or crazy escapes they had to pull off. She could tell that he enjoyed what they did, even when he was utterly terrified more often than not.
"So you guys are basically superheroes?"
This earned a chuckle from the sidekick. "I wouldn't go that far. Kim's the hero. I'm more of a sidekick, but I did moonlight as the Fearless Ferret for a few days, though. That was pretty cool"
Tara didn't like the way he downplayed his role. Granted, she was more than a bit biased when it came to him—but she had seen firsthand how much of a hero Ron was. Just as she was about to refer to that particular event, the second half of Ron's response made her pause that line of thinking. "Wait, you mean that old superhero show from the sixties?"
Ron raised an eyebrow at the question. Tara didn't seem like the type to have any interest in the old show. Hell, he considered himself a bonafide geek, and he had never heard of the character until he met Mr. North. "Yeah. Didn't know you were a fan."
"Oh, yeah. My dad loved that show. We'd watch all the reruns together every Saturday morning." She recalled with a wistful smile that Ron couldn't help but find extremely breathtaking. "He even helped me with my Ferret Girl cosplay for Ferret-Fest."
"Wow, your dad seems pretty awesome."
"…Yeah, he was the best." Came the platinum-blonde's forlorn reply.
"Was?"
"Yeah, he…he died in a plane crash when I was nine," Tara explained.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Me too." The cheerleader stated as she wiped away a few stray tears that threatened to spill. "You're both a lot alike, you know. He always lived life on his own terms, never caring what others thought of him."
"He definitely sounds like my kind of guy," Ron remarks.
Tara couldn't help but smile at him. "He definitely would have liked you."
It was always hard talking about her father, and the fact that she could talk to Ron about him so easily was a pretty big deal for her. He didn't look at her with anything resembling pity; he just sat and listened. "It's no wonder Kim's kept him around for so long."
After a few moments of comfortable silence, Tara remembered the other reason she had sought the sidekick out. And with that reminder, her nervousness from earlier came back full force.
Ron must've noticed because he gave her a concerned look. "Tara, what's wrong?"
"Deep breath, Hardy. You can do this." She gives him a shy smile. "I'm fine, Ron. I was actually wondering if maybe you wanted to—"
Much to the young woman's frustration, she was cut off by the gym doors opening, revealing Middleton's resident fashionista, Monique. "There you are, Ron."
"Hey Mon," The sidekick replied as he turned toward the newcomer. "What's up?"
"Kim was looking for you." She paused once she noticed Tara, who had "subtly" put about a foot or two of space between herself and the blond mascot. The raven-haired girl couldn't help but also notice that Ron had changed out of what he was wearing when she last saw him earlier that morning. "Am I interrupting something?"
Tara wanted to say yes so badly, but before she could, Ron had already stood up.
"Crap, I forgot I was supposed to meet KP on the bus," Ron stated as he got up. "Oh yeah, what was it you were gonna say, Tara?"
"Oh! Um, it wasn't important," The cheerleader lied. "I'll see you at practice?"
Ron nodded, giving her his signature lopsided grin that—unbeknownst to him—made her absolutely melt. "The Mad Dog is always ready to play."
"Badical," Tara stated excitedly before blushing at her use of what she had dubbed as one of her crush's Ron-isms.
Heading toward the exit, Ron gave the ladies a mock salute. "Later, ladies!"
"Later." Tara couldn't help but let out a wistful sigh as she watched him go through the gym doors.
"You've got it bad for him, don't ya?" Monique teased playfully, startling Tara, who had somehow forgotten her presence.
Tara tried (and failed) to deny the woman's statement, but all that came out was embarrassed sputtering. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh really?" The mocha-skinned beauty challenged. "Well, in that case, maybe I'll go ahead and shoot my shot then since you're not interested."
"W-what?"
"I mean, he is my best girlfriend's best friend, but he is kinda cute," Monique mused. "Even if his taste in wrestlers leaves a little bit to be desired. Definitely not a deal-breaker, though."
If Tara wasn't panicking before, she certainly was now. Monique might have been fairly new to Middleton High but that certainly didn't stop the fashionista from making quite the impression. She would already be stiff competition even if you didn't take into account the fact that she was a part of Kim's—and by extension, Ron's—inner circle. That would put Tara at a serious disadvantage.
Tara was brought out of her impending freak-out by hysterical laughter coming from Monique.
Turning her attention back to the fashionista, Tara couldn't help but feel a little miffed at the young woman who seemed to find great joy in her suffering. Granted, she might be exaggerating her quote-unquote "suffering" just a wee bit, but that's beside the point.
"Look, Tara, I might be relatively new around here, but I know a person with a crush when I see one." Monique was clearly amused by the cheerleader's obvious embarrassment.
All Tara could do was sigh in frustration. It was one thing to have Bonnie call her out on her crush; it was another thing entirely to get called out by a girl she hardly knew.
"If it makes you feel any better, the two of you would make a cute couple," Monique commented.
"You think so?" Tara asked, suddenly anxious about gaining approval from one of Ron's close friends.
"Yeah," Monique responded before crossing her arms and leveling the cheerleader with a serious look. "Can I ask you a serious question though?"
The blonde swallowed a lump in her throat. "S-sure."
"You're serious about him, right?" Monique asked bluntly. "This isn't one of Bonnie's petty schemes to get one up on Kim, is it? Cause if it is, you'll have more than just sixteen styles of ass-kicking to deal with."
Tara was certainly offended that this girl who didn't know anything about her assumed she would do something like that to Ron. "How could you think I'd do something like that?"
"No offense, I just don't know you like that," Monique pointed out. "Plus, it wouldn't be the first time a popular pretty girl took interest in him only to drop him once he wasn't considered a hot commodity anymore."
Tara earnestly wanted to argue against that, but she really couldn't deny the other girl's point. She had seen the times when Ron had suddenly gotten popular for one reason or another, and all of a sudden girls who normally would have never given him the time of day were now throwing themselves at him, only to go back to treating him like he didn't exist shortly after. She nearly ended things with Bonnie when she found out how the brunette had been using Ron when he was momentarily rich. It was the maddest she had ever been at her best friend.
All in all, Monique had pretty good reasons to question her motives. Hell, she asked Bonnie the same thing essentially not even a half-hour ago.
"I would never do that," Tara assured, all traces of her previous apprehension replaced with rock-solid conviction. "Especially not to him."
Monique scanned the cheerleader's face, looking for any sign of deception. She hadn't been exaggerating when talking about the past instances of Ron getting played by girls who only really had a shallow interest in him. Fortunately, Tara didn't give off those vibes, but you could never be too sure, considering the fact that she regarded the Queen Bee herself as her best friend.
"In that case," Monique stated as she turned to leave. "I hope things work out for you two."
Monique had already said as much before, but Tara really couldn't get over hearing it. "Seriously?"
The fashionista gave an affirmative nod. "I don't know that much about you, Tara, but you seem like a pretty decent person. And it's nice to know that you actually like him for the goofball he is."
Tara was certainly glad to hear that. Hopefully, Ron would notice as well. There was still one thing that kinda bugged her about this interaction with the noirette girl, however. "Hey, Monique?"
"Yeah?"
"You were just messing with me, right?" Tara asked nervously. Seeing Monique's questioning eyebrow, she clarified. "You know, about being interested in Ron."
"Oh no, I was very serious," Monique replied with a smirk. "I'm just respecting the girl code and letting you take your shot first."
Before Tara could inquire any further, Monique left, leaving behind a shocked (and motivated) cheerleader.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
And that is chapter one. Hope y'all like this revamped version of From Sidekick to Hero. This was a bit of a Tara-centric chapter, but with her playing a major part of the supporting cast in this story, I wanted to get a head start on properly fleshing out her characterization. A shout-out goes to FF user blue-eye-white-wing for their exceptional portrayal of the blonde beauty (particularly in their fics Don't Tell and Team Building Exercises) which served as a major inspiration when writing my version of the character.
As a reminder, this story begins immediately after the events of Steel Wheels which spanned the 4-day weekend.
I'm working from the timeline presented on the KP fan wiki (not the production order/broadcast number). For example "Crush" is the 13th episode in the timeline, yet it was the first episode that was broadcast. All of the first 3 seasons are canonical except for the following episodes:
Emotion Sickness
Bonding
Bad Boy
Dimension Twist
Overdue/Roachie
Rappin' Drakken
Team Impossible
Gorilla Fist
And the Mole Rat Will Be CGI
So The Drama.