Hey everyone. I'm still alive and I'm back to bring in the New Year with a new chapter. Enjoy!
Ron Stoppable: Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Chapter II - Radioactive Spider-Blood
[MIDDLETON INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY]
After a relatively uneventful ride, the bus stops outside of the institute. Before the students could get off, Barkin called for everyone's undivided attention. "Listen up, people! I expect you all to be on your best behavior," Barkin addressed his charges before his gaze zeroed in on one student in particular. "That goes double for you, Stoppable."
Ron was about to complain about the ex-military man singling him out, but Kim put a hand on her friend's shoulder, wordlessly advising him to drop the matter. With a deflated sigh, the sidekick obliged.
Pleased that he didn't get any argument from the sidekick, Barkin once again addressed the whole group. "Remember, it is a privilege to be here. We do not want to have a repeat of last year's debacle at the zoo."
Ron wouldn't be silent this time. "In my defense Mr. B, those tree-swingers had it coming for flinging their poo at me." This declaration earned him a few scattered laughs and groans of embarrassment and annoyance from Kim and Barkin, respectively.
With that exchange over, everyone stepped off the bus and went inside where a member of campus security greeted them. "Good afternoon. You folks are with Middleton High, right?"
"Yes," Barkin replied. "I'm Steven Barkin and we have a scheduled demonstration with Doctor Schwinner."
At this, the security officer nodded. "Yes, he's waiting for you in the genetics lab." The guard announced. "Follow me."
As the guard led the group toward the lab where the demonstration would be held, Ron turned to his best friend. "Did your dad ever take you on a tour?"
"No, and not for lack of trying," Kim responded with a sigh. "I think he tends to forget that science is more the tweebs' thing than mine."
"I'm sure he means well," Ron assured.
"I know, and I love him for it," Kim remarked. "But he's gonna have to realize that I'm not a little girl that thinks every little thing he does is the greatest thing ever anymore. I've grown up."
Ron shrugs in response. "Eh, growing up is overrated if you ask me."
The red-headed heroine gave a teasing smirk in response. "Spoken like someone who refuses to do so."
Ignoring the jab, Ron explains. "I'm just saying, growing up doesn't seem all it's cracked up to be. You gotta worry about jobs, taxes, and…other adult-y sounding things" He shivers at the concept. "Sounds miserable."
Kim just rolled her eyes at her best friend's dramatics. "Sounds to me like you're deathly allergic to the concept of responsibility."
"What can I say? The Stoppable Fortress of Immunity may be good, but it ain't THAT good."
Kim couldn't help but laugh at that. Ron always had the uncanny ability to make her laugh at the dumbest things. She figured that was part of why they got along so well together after over a decade of knowing each other. She was the mature, responsible one while he was the excitable, easy-going one. They simply balanced each other out.
The young heroine is brought out of her ponderings by the voice of their presenter—an older man with slightly balding brown hair clad in a white lab coat overtop a white button-up shirt, olive-colored slacks, and a red bowtie. He smiles warmly at the group as he gains their attention. "Welcome, students of Middleton High. I'm Dr. Eric Schwinner, head of the genetics department here at M.I.S.T. and it is my absolute pleasure to have you all here. Now, before I get started, is anyone here familiar with the concept of neogenics?"
There were murmurs among the group until one of the students raised her hand. "Isn't it a form of gene manipulation?"
"In layman's terms, yes." the scientist nodded in confirmation. "As we currently understand them, mutations are changes within DNA. Mutations can be as relatively benign as heterochromia, or as complex as various types of cancer. The primary goal of neogenics research is to unlock the secrets of the human genetic code to better understand and influence those changes."
This elicited numerous murmurs from the students, with the more scientifically inclined marveling at the implications.
"Which brings us to my latest invention," The student's attention is directed toward the center of the room where a large structure stands at about ten feet high. The device appears to be two large, mounted railguns situated on top of a platform with the barrels facing each other. "What you're all looking at is an experimental device called The Neogenic Recombinator."
Kim and Ron shared a look, both agreeing that the device looked like it would be more at home in a supervillain's lair than at a collegiate laboratory.
"Doctor, what exactly does it do?"
"I'm glad you asked," Schwinner remarked as he put on a pair of goggles and distributed pairs to the rest of the observers. "The Recombinator uses a concentrated blast of radiation to rewrite the subject's DNA to induce mutation."
"Shouldn't that have some type of radiation shielding?" One of the students asked, worriedly.
"No need to worry. The device emits a barrier that contains the radiation—similar to our planet's ozone layer." The scientist explains. "As long as nothing passes through the barrier, the recombinator is perfectly safe."
Once all the students have put on their goggles, Schwinner turns to the device's control panel and initiates the Recombinator's start-up procedure. Unbeknownst to any of the scientists or observers, just as the device was being turned on, a small spider was descending on a web right in the path of the oncoming radiation. The room is suddenly filled with a bright light as the machine comes to life. Even with the protective eyewear, the sight is still a bit blinding. Luckily, it only lasts for a few seconds before Dr. Schwinner presses a button on the panel, and the device shuts off.
Turning back to the students Schwinner began explaining the more technical side of how the device worked. Most of the students were very interested in the subject matter and subsequently hung on every word.
Ron Stoppable, however, is different from most students.
Now, contrary to popular belief, Ron wasn't stupid. If you explained a concept to him in a way he could both relate and apply to himself, he could pick up on it fairly quickly. Frankly, he was just lazy when it came to learning anything he didn't deem personally interesting.
So instead of focusing on the presenter's lecture, Ron's thoughts featured a certain blonde beauty. He wasn't exactly sure where things were going, but all signs pointed to the young woman being genuinely interested in getting to know him. He'd certainly be lying if he claimed that the interest wasn't mutual.
"Not something I expected when I woke up this morning," The blonde thought as he half-listened to Dr. Schwinner answering one of his classmates' questions."But the Ronman is nothing if not adaptable."
Speaking of being adaptable, he turned his gaze toward his best friend. Despite her earlier insistence that science wasn't her thing, she was fully invested in whatever was being discussed. It was one of the many things he loved about her. She was the perfect balance of brain, brawn, and beauty. Sure, most people thought that the second one clashed with the other two, but damn did she make it work.
It wasn't the first time he found himself absentmindedly staring at his best friend. Anyone with even semi-functioning eyes could see that Kim Possible was a certified bombshell and he had the privilege of witnessing that beauty develop in real-time over more than a decade of friendship. While most people only got to see small facets of what made Kim the person she was, he got to see the parts she reserved for only those most dear to her. With the level of intimacy the two of them had, someone who didn't personally know the duo could easily mistake their relationship as being more than strictly platonic.
Granted, it's not as if he'd never thought about it. He just considered her vastly out of his league. Kim was the captain of the cheer squad, a world-renowned heroine, and one of the prettiest girls in Middleton High. She was the type of girl who could practically have anyone she wanted.
He on the other hand, not so spectacular.
He and Kim were prime examples of the opposing sides of the social hierarchy who had, against all odds, managed to be just as inseparable now as they were a little over a decade ago. He didn't want to risk that dynamic on just the off-chance that The Girl Who Can Do Anything saw him as anything more than simply her bumbling sidekick/best friend.
Lost in his thoughts, Ron failed to notice a small spider slowly lowering itself onto the back of his shirt. He also didn't see Kim glancing his way.
"Something on my face?" The heroine whispered, holding back a smirk at her best friend's reaction to getting caught staring. It wasn't the first time he seemed to be lost in another world while he was looking at her, and despite not being exactly sure what that look meant, she couldn't help the fluttery feeling in her stomach every time she noticed it.
As her friend blushingly turned back to the lecture, Kim noticed something sitting on the back collar of his shirt. Squinting, the heroine sees that it appears to be a spider barely the size of a silver dollar. Knowing how much of an arachnophobe Ron is, she attempts to flick it off of him before he notices it but misses when the spider suddenly starts moving up the base of his neck.
Just as Ron was about to ask Kim what she was doing, his body jerked as he felt a sharp pinch on the back of his neck. "Oww! Something just bit me!"
"Amp down, Ron," Kim assured as she flicked the spider off her friend's neck and stepped on it. "It was just a spider."
That was hardly reassuring to the young sidekick, who nearly fainted at Kim's words. It was well-known among the duo that Ron's fear of spiders was second only to his fear of monkeys, both of which resulted from his traumatic experience at summer camp several years prior.
"Is it noticeable?" The sidekick asked, indicating the newly formed bump on the back of his neck. Aside from the initial bite, he didn't feel any pain or irritation from where he was bitten.
"Ron it's fine. You can barely see it."
With that bit of assurance out of the way, both teens turned their attention back to Dr. Schwinner's lecture.
Several minutes passed before Ron was suddenly overcome with a lightheadedness that gradually made it harder to stand. "KP, I uh...I'm gonna go get some fresh air."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be back before Barkin misses me." The sidekick explains before quietly breaking off from the rest of the group towards the exit, unaware of his best friend looking at his retreating form in concern.
Making his way outside, Ron had expected the sudden dizzy spell to pass. Unfortunately, it looked like a classic case of Stoppable Luck™, with the headache only increasing in intensity. It was as if the outside world had gotten ten times louder than normal—the sensation nearly made him want to throw up.
"Ugh, what the heck is going on?" Ron thought aloud as he stumbled forward with no clear destination in mind. Little did the sidekick know, he had walked right into the path of oncoming traffic.
Just as he was beginning to register the blaring of a car horn, Ron felt two hands grab the back of his shirt and yank him back behind the curb. He could just barely make out the irate yell of the driver that almost hit him.
"GET OUTTA THE ROAD, YOU MORON!"
Despite the gravity of the situation, Ron couldn't stop himself from quipping back. "Well, that was ru—."
Before he could finish said quip, however, he was cut off by a hard punch to his shoulder, courtesy of Kim, who he realized had been the one to pull him out of the street and was now looking at him with an expression that'd make even Shego nervous. "The hell was that!?"
To say that Ron was confused would definitely be considered an understatement. "What?"
"You didn't notice you were walking in the middle of the street!?" The redhead exclaimed. "If I hadn't thought to follow you out here..."
"I'm sorry. Everything is just…really loud," The sidekick groaned out. "I can barely think straight."
Kim looked at her best friend, equal parts concerned and confused. Aside from the occasional car horn & other typical sounds of the city, the environment wasn't loud enough to cause the discomfort Ron was currently exhibiting. "How about we chill on the bus until it's time to head back."
"Are you sure?" Ron started to protest. "I don't want you to miss out on Warren's extra credit because of me."
"Ron, I couldn't care less about some extra credit," Kim answered firmly as she helped Ron to his feet. "You are my priority."
All Ron could offer in response was a grateful smile as the duo made their way back to the bus to wait out the rest of the tour.
[MIDDLETON HIGH - GYMNASIUM]
By the time the bus returned to the school, classes were already over for the day so Kim and Ron made their way toward the gym for cheer practice. However, upon reaching the door, Kim couldn't help but notice that her best friend looked like he was ready to keel over right then and there.
"Ron, are you sure you don't wanna go to the nurse's office?" Kim asked worriedly.
"KP, I'm telling you, I'm fine." Ron groaned, clutching his midsection in discomfort. "It's probably just a stomach bug or something."
Kim placed the back of her hand against her partner's forehead. "You're running pretty warm for just a stomach bug, Ron." The heroine noted.
"No worries, KP," Ron reassured the redhead as he brushed her hand away. "The good old Stoppable Fortress of Immunity will kick in and I'll be right as rain in no time."
Kim was skeptical but decided not to press the issue."If you say so, in the meantime, why don't you sit this practice out," Kim suggested as they entered the gym. "I'll have my mom check you out after practice."
"Sure thing." The sidekick replies with a smile.
Said smile quickly disappeared when an all-too-familiar voice decided to address the duo.
"About time you two finally showed up," Bonnie snidely remarked. "Some of us have lives."
"Could've fooled me." The blonde quipped quietly.
Apparently, he was not quiet enough since his remark earned him some giggles from the other cheerleaders. However, a sharp glare from the Queen Bee quickly silenced them.
The sidekick was expecting an angry retort from the brunette. What he hadn't expected was the Queen Bee just rolling her eyes at him. "Whatever, let's just get this over with so I can go home."
To say that the duo was shocked at the lack of response from Bonnie would have been an understatement. The brunette never passed up on a chance to assert her dominance, especially when it came to Ron. So the fact that her only response to him talking back was just an eye roll was a pretty big deal.
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kim decided to go ahead and make her way towards the girls' locker room. "I'm gonna go change, then we'll get started."
While they waited, the rest of the squad talked amongst themselves. Ron, however, made his way toward the bleachers and proceeded to lie down on the bottom row. Seeing this, Tara made her way towards the bleachers and sat next to him, all while tuning out the not-so-subtle giggling from the rest of the girls.
"You feeling okay?" Tara asked, noticing that her crush looked a bit paler than he was when she had last seen him a few hours prior.
"Yeah," The sidekick replied with a weak smile. "Just a little under the weather."
"Nothing serious, I hope?"
"Nah, I don't think so." The sidekick replied with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. It was honestly pretty sweet of the blonde beauty to show such concern for him. It wasn't exactly a common occurrence for him, but he definitely could get used to it.
Tara was still worried about him but decided it would be better to change the subject. "So, how was the trip?"
"It was okay." The sidekick explained. "Although I will say a science demonstration isn't my ideal venue for a school field trip."
"I can imagine."
"I mean, we already do enough learning at school," Ron complained, half-heartedly. "Why do we have to do it outside of it too?"
Tara couldn't help but agree with that assessment. "So I take it the Mad Dog isn't suiting up with us today?"
"Not this time," The sidekick remarked. "I'm sure Bon-Bon's just thrilled about it." From the not-so-subtle & decidedly unladylike growling coming from the court, both blondes could tell the aforementioned brunette had taken issue with Ron's casual use of her mother's nickname for her.
"Ha, she's not that bad," Tara defended. It was a token defense and they both knew it. "Besides, you've more than earned your spot on the team, especially after that craziness at Wannaweep." Tara couldn't help but giggle at the sidekick's involuntary cringe at the mention of the infamous camp.
Ron awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that was definitely an experience, to say the least."
"I'll say, but it wasn't all bad." Tara countered with a small smile. "Your camp stories made the situation pretty bearable."
The sidekick smiled appreciatively. "I think you were the only one interested in my stories." Ron was well aware that he had seemed pretty paranoid during that whole debacle. However, as he always found himself saying after situations like that, it's not paranoia if you're right. Nevertheless, it was nice of Tara to at least humor his crazy ramblings. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I never got the chance to apologize to you girls for that."
That statement caught the attention of the rest of the squad who had been listening to the blondes' conversation with varying degrees of interest. Most were just surprised to see Tara actually speaking to her crush instead of her usual M.O. of just staring longingly at him from afar.
"Why would you need to apologize for that?" Hope Watanabe, one of the other cheerleaders, asked. She couldn't be 100% sure about Bonnie, but none of the other squad members had given her the impression that they blamed the mascot for what happened at the camp. Hell, most of them honestly wouldn't have blamed him if he chose to leave them to their fate rather than rescuing them like he did.
"Well, it was my fault Gill even went after us," The sidekick admitted as he sat up.
"Dude, from what you've told us, it sounded like what happened to that guy was the fault of the people in charge of the camp." Looking at the rest of the squad, it was clear that they all agreed with Hope's assessment.
"I know, but...maybe if I bothered to look into what happened to him after the camp—"
Before he could finish the thought, Bonnie cut him off in typical Bonnie fashion. "Oh please, get over yourself. That loser had to have more than a few screws loose already if he was obsessed with you of all people."
Ron and Tara both couldn't help but be a little offended at that statement, each for different reasons.
"What Bonnie means is that you weren't responsible for what happened to that guy," Hope remarked. "Or for what he did."
"Besides, you ended up being my—em, our hero that day. Speaking of heroes," Tara began as she scooted closer to the mascot, their hands just barely touching. "You've gotta tell me how you ended up being The Fearless Ferret."
"The what?" Several of the girls asked in confusion.
"Ha. It's a funny story, you see. It all started when KP and I were…um—" The sidekick started to explain before a sudden wave of dizziness hit him, much stronger than before. "Ugh, I don't…feel so good."
Before the girls could ask him what was wrong, the sidekick suddenly collapsed onto the floor. The last thing he heard before falling unconscious were the squad's shouts of surprise and Tara's terrified scream.
[MIDDLETON MEDICAL CENTER]
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
The steady beeping caused Ron to stir. "Ugh. What the hell?"
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
"Where am I?" The sidekick wonders as he goes to open his eyes, only to regret it when a bright light nearly blinds him. The beeping from before seems to be a lot louder than it probably should be.
BEEP…
BEEP…
BEEP…
"Okay, let's try that again—a little slower this time." Taking a deep breath, he slowly opens his eyes. After a few moments of blindness, Ron could make out his surroundings.
The first thing he noticed was that he was in a hospital room and looking out the window, he could see that it was well into nighttime. The soft glow of the digital clock read 10 pm.
The second thing he noticed was the soft snoring from somewhere on his right side. Turning towards the sound, the sidekick was greeted by the sight of his best friend sleeping in one of the bedside chairs, still wearing her cheer uniform. It didn't look like the most comfortable place to sleep, but over the last few years, he and Kim had developed the somewhat uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere no matter the conditions. It was just another surprisingly normal aspect of their not-so-normal lives.
"KP?" The sidekick cringed at how hoarse his voice sounded. Nevertheless, the sound instantly woke the young heroine, who immediately pulled him into a bone-crushing hug upon seeing her best friend conscious.
"Woah there, KP. Not that I dislike the attention, but—" Whatever he was about to say next died in his throat at the sound of his best friend crying. He wanted to believe that he was just imagining things but the wetness on his neck definitely nixed that idea.
"KP," The sidekick called out softly to the girl still crying in his arms. "Kim, what's wrong?"
It took a few seconds for the young heroine to respond, her voice barely audible. "You died, Ron."
If the sidekick wasn't already confused before, he certainly was now. "KP, what are you talking about?"
"Your heart stopped twice on the way here. They almost weren't able to bring you back the second time." A shudder racked through her body at the thought of it. "I…I thought I'd lost you."
Deciding to save his freak out over nearly dying for another time, Ron wraps his arms around his trembling friend. "I'm okay, KP. I'm not going anywhere." The sidekick assured
Kim's response was so quiet that, were it not for the fact that she was practically straddling him, Ron would have probably missed it entirely. "You promise?"
Ron couldn't help but smile at the vulnerability of the girl who was the most unshakable person he'd ever known. "Always and forever."
Kim laughed softly at the phrase. Ron had always used it whenever he made a promise to her. No matter what, whenever he used that phrase, Kim knew that he would do everything in his power to keep his word. It was a testament to the absolute faith she had in him.
The comfortable silence was broken by a small flash and the telltale sound of a camera going off. Turning toward the source, both teens could see Kim's mother, Doctor Anne Possible, standing in the doorway with her camera.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. You both just looked so cute." The auburn-haired doctor apologized, although she didn't seem to be all that apologetic. Ann loved catching these rare intimate moments between Kim and her long-time best friend. The doctor had so many photos of the pair that reminded her of her and her husband when they were Kim and Ron's age.
"Mom!" The young heroine moaned out in embarrassment as she scrambled her way off her blond partner's lap. "We were kinda having a moment here."
"I can see that," The Possible matriarch remarked as she took one of the bedside seats, before turning toward her unofficial fourth child. "How are you feeling?"
"Aside from a bit of a headache, I feel fine. Last thing I remember, I was talking to Tara and—" The sidekick paused as realization struck. "Oh shit."
"Language, young man!" The Possible matriarch lightly admonished.
"Shi—crap, sorry. I was talking with Tara and the squad when I passed out. The last thing I remember was her screaming."
"Yeah, she was pretty hysterical," Kim explained as she sat beside her mother. "Honestly, the whole squad was pretty rattled."
That was definitely a surprise. Granted, he didn't think the rest of the squad outright hated him to the point of not caring about his well-being—the Wannaweep incident certainly garnered him quite a bit of the squad's respect in its aftermath. It's just that outside of practice they didn't really acknowledge him that much, if at all. The only notable exceptions were Tara and Bonnie, with the former being significantly more pleasant to interact with than the latter. Then again, he didn't exactly go out of his way to engage with the rest of the squad outside of when they practiced together.
"Maybe it's time to change that," The sidekick mused. Given the goodwill he'd garnered with the squad and whatever was going on with him and Tara, Ron figured it wouldn't hurt to expand his circle of friends to include the other girls.
"Tara? Why does that name sound familiar?" The auburn-haired doctor asked, bringing the young man out of his musings.
"She's one of our squad mates," Kim explained. "The blonde you met her during that thing with the O'Boyz."
The older Possible snapped her fingers in recognition. "Oh, yes. She's the one with the large—" She pauses, remembering the decidedly male company in the room, before continuing. "—personality."
Ron simply raised an eyebrow in confusion before looking at Kim who was glaring slightly at her mother for some reason.
"Yeah." The heroine bit out.
Ron was about to ask what was up with her but decided against it. "So, what's the diagnosis, Doctor P?"
"We're not entirely sure," Anne explained. "Kimmie mentioned that you had been feeling ill shortly before you passed out?"
"Yeah, it felt like my stomach was doing flips," The sidekick explained. "Which is weird 'cause I feel totally fine now."
"Do you have any idea when the nausea started?" The Possible matriarch asked.
Thinking back, it was easy to remember when he started feeling unwell. "Yeah, back at MIST. A spider bit me and then the stomach pain and headaches started."
The auburn-haired doctor put on a pair of rubber gloves. "Where exactly were you bitten?"
The sidekick pointed to the back of his neck where, upon examination, Anne found the telltale sign of a spider bite.
"Doesn't look necrotic, barely any redness. I wouldn't have even noticed it was there if I didn't know what I was looking for." Anne noted. "Do you feel any pain or discomfort?"
"None at all," Ron remarked. "Like I said before, I feel totally fine now."
"That's what has me concerned," Anne says with a frown. "By all accounts, you shouldn't even be conscious right now."
Kim, who had been silent up to this point chimed in. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"Technically," the brain surgeon admitted. "But if that spider's venom was strong enough to shut his body down like it did, he definitely shouldn't be as coherent as he is right now."
"Maybe I'm just lucky," came Ron's signature carefree response.
"Maybe," Anne remarked. "But I would prefer to do some blood tests to ensure no underlying issues."
"Are you sure that's necessary, Dr. P?"
"Ronald," The elder Possible woman gave what he and Kim had once jokingly called her patented Mom Face. "It would really help give us some peace of mind, knowing something like this wouldn't happen again."
Ron knew his surrogate mother was right. One look at Kim and the memory of her distress over him nearly dying cemented his decision. "Fine."
The things he does for his favorite ladies.
[STOPPABLE RESIDENCE]
After getting dropped off by Dr. Possible (with the promise that he'd check in with her if anything were off), Ron was not surprised to see that his folks weren't home. Kim had informed him that when he was being loaded into the ambulance, her first call was to his rents, but neither answered. The heroine made it clear that if she weren't so worried he was gonna die on her, she would have been furious at the fact that his parents were unreachable at a time when that could have been a real possibility.
He tried to assure her that he was used to it. He's never voiced the thought out loud, but The Doctors Possible more than made up for his folk's lack of parental presence.
"Doesn't make it right, Ron."
Not wishing to dwell on the issue of his semi-absentee parental figures, Ron goes to the kitchen and makes himself something to eat. It was no Bueno Nacho, but it would suffice. After finishing he heads to his room where he prepares to go to bed before he remembers Kim mentioning how freaked out Tara was after he had fallen unconscious. "I should let her know I'm okay…but I don't have her number."
Looking over at his desk, he remembered that Kim had set up an online group chat for the squad if they needed to communicate between practices. He never really used it since he'd get all his updates directly from the captain herself, but luckily, it meant he had a way to contact Tara.
Booting up his computer, Ron opened the squad's instant message group and scrolled through the members until he found the one he was looking for. Luckily, it looked like she was online, so he sent her a video chat request. After a few moments of waiting, Tara's tear-streaked face filled his screen. She appeared sitting crisscross on her bed in her pajamas, and it looked as if she had spent the better half of the last few hours crying.
"Oh my god, you're okay!" Ron could practically feel the relief radiating from her.
Yeah," Ron gave her a reassuring smile. "Just got back home from the hospital."
Tara was surprised to hear that. "What happened?"
"The doc wasn't sure, but they think I might have had a bad reaction to a spider bite I got during the field trip," Ron explained, leaving out the fact that said bad reaction had stopped his heart twice. "They took my blood, so I should know for sure in a few days I guess."
Tara nodded in understanding. "But you're fine now?"
"Honestly, i've never felt better," the sidekick admitted.
"That's a relief," Tara stated, visibly relaxing. "The girls and I were really freaked out when you passed out on us like that."
"Even Bonnie?" Ron couldn't keep the skepticism out of his voice.
"Ha, yeah, even Bonnie," Tara affirmed. "I know we don't know each other that well, but believe me when I say she's a genuinely good person at heart. She just has difficulty showing it to other people."
While Tara knew that Bonnie's sisters were a big influence for her Queen Bee persona, the reasoning for her specific animosity toward Ron and Kim seemed way more personal than your typical Mean Girls schtick. Whenever Bonnie was asked what exactly was her issue with the duo she'd always give a boilerplate non-answer, and that's if she didn't snap at you for asking in the first place.
"I'll give her one thing, she can be mean, but she's never cruel," Ron responded. "That's more than I say about guys like Brad."
"Yeah," At the mention of the basketball captain, Tara couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
The sidekick clearly noticed Tara's change in mood. "What's wrong?"
Just as she is about to answer, the door behind Tara opens, catching both teens' attention. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as what Ron saw next would be burnt into his memory for the rest of his life.
In what he would only deduce hours later to be the doorway to Tara's en-suite bathroom, stood none other than Middleton High's resident Queen Bee who had clearly just gotten out of the shower, as evidenced by the fact that she was currently wrapping her shoulder-length brown hair in a towel. What really captured his attention, however, was what Bonnie was wearing.
Or, to be decidedly more accurate: what Bonnie wasn't wearing.
Completely oblivious to Tara being on a video call with him, Bonnie walked out of the bathroom wearing absolutely nothing except the tiniest pair of lacy, purple panties that seemed to be practically painted onto the brunette bombshell's hips. To say the sidekick was stunned would be a massive understatement.
Now, Bonnie had basically tormented him for nearly as long as he had known Kim, but that never stopped the Queen Bee from being one of his first-ever crushes (second only to a certain redheaded brain surgeon). In spite of her typical mean-girl attitude, the young Rockwaller was objectively one of the hottest girls he knew. If he was completely honest with himself, it was part of why he never took her snide jabs at him to heart a lot of the time. That might've been why he also didn't mind when she feigned interest in him during his brief stint as a multi-millionaire.
"After all, it's not like she wasn't upfront about it from the literal beginning of that whole sitch, plus there are much worse things than having one of the hottest girls in school hanging off of your arm."
Unfortunately, whatever force that slowed his perception of time in order for him to accidentally see more of Bonnie Rockwaller than neither she nor he would have ever expected is utterly shattered at the sound of the aforementioned brunette addressing Tara who seemed to be just as surprised by Bonnie's sudden presence as he was.
"T, were you talking to some—" Her question dying on her lips as she locked eyes with Ron who was fighting (and spectacularly losing) the battle to keep his wide eyes from drifting below her chin.
Tara, bless her, was the last to fully realize what was happening as her gaze flipped back and forth between Ron's stupefied expression and her best friend's practically naked form.
The shocked silence was so heavy that Ron could feel the weight of it even through the computer screen. A faint tingle in the back of his skull told him to say something. Do something. Do anything! Anything other than ogle the very girl that has hated him for over a decade.
But he couldn't...because his hormone-addled brain could only process one singular thought.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Booyah."
And after what felt like an eternity (in reality it was only a few seconds), several things happened at once: Tara screamed at Bonnie for (unintentionally) flashing Ron. Bonnie screamed at Ron for staring as she frantically covered her chest with her arms. Ron screamed as he fell out of his chair, his foot being caught on the computer's power cord.
"WHAT THE FU—" Whatever Bonnie was gonna say next was cut off when the power cord was yanked out of the wall, leaving nothing but a black screen.
Probably for the best, considering she did not seem happy.
"Definitely a problem for another day," the sidekick mused. "Unless she's pissed enough to rush here and murder me in my sleep."
He may or may not have spent the next fifteen minutes ensuring all the doors and windows were locked.
As all the excitement of the day subsided, Ron began to feel how tired his body was becoming. Looking at the clock, it read 1:45 am. He needed to get some sleep before he had to get ready for school in a few hours.
"Should probably take a shower first...a very cold one."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
We open the new year with a new chapter. I'm still finding my stride when it comes to writing and I apologize for the lack of prompt updates. Huge thanks to those who've stuck it out with me and given feedback. I'm cautiously optimistic about it not being another six months before chapter three is posted. I can't wait for you guys to see how things start to pick up in the next chapter.
With that in mind, I wish you all a blessed and happy new year!