Chapter 35

(5 minutes later, 5:02pm)

Kim and Ron both sighed, "The hallway jog!"

Whenever there was a class that became too disruptive to Barkin's liking or if a play rehearsal or in the case of athletics practice was a disaster, a step below of sending the class to Veronica Rockwaller's office would be the more humane "hallway jog", which was a jog of all the students in that class, in single-file line, jogging in the main hallway to a call-and-response song of what the offense was. This often took place after school hours in addition to the normal detention in H-Hall. Depending on the severity of the offense, they would either jog half of the main hallway of the school or the full hallway. For the students that wore high heels, Barkin usually gives them a pair of used Middeton High basketball sneakers from years past.

In this case, they took the half-hallway jog. The only students that weren't involved in said jog was, of course, Amanda and Ashley A, because Bonnie insisted to Veronica that the girls in her group should never be involved in any punishments whatsoever.

Kim tucked in the undone strap of her overalls so that it wouldn't fly around and poke someone's eye out.

"I don't know what I've been told..." Kim yelled at the top of her lungs.

The other students, including Ron, replied in unison, "I don't know what I've been told."

"The rehearsal was a disaster as foretold!" Kim yelled again.

"The rehearsal was a disaster as foretold!" the other students replied to Kim's call and response.

(6:18pm)

Kim came back to the Possible house, sighing deeply. She tossed her backback on the couch and the coat on the floor.

James, meanwhile, was reading the Middleton Examiner. The headline on it read, in bold print. "INSECT HELMET THIEF STILL AT LARGE" .

He turned around and saw his daugher coming back home and plopping her body across the couch in frustration while she took off her boots.

"Kimmie-cub...you came home late again." James sternly replied to Kim.

"Did you get my text, Dad? Practice today for R was so the drama..." Kim replied.

The look of James' face cooled.

"So what happened?" he then asked.

"We had to jog through the hallway after that mess." Kim sighed, "I wish if the weather outside was warmer so that I could wear sneakers." She tried to wiggle her toes.

"Unfortuately, you have to keep your feet warm, Kimberly." James said with a slight laugh before turning worried. "I guess it's the balcony scene."
"I don't know what it is with the class about that scene." Kim muttered, "Guess I should talk with Mom about this sitch."
"Well, you're going to have to wait until after dinner to talk with your mother." James said. "She's making brain loaf."
_

(6:58pm)

The Possible family, along with Ron and Rufus, got to the dinner table.

"This is good, Mrs. DrP!" Ron exclaimed as he ate his slice of the brain loaf. "Much better than what my mom made me last night..." (start flashback, yesterday evening)

Donna put the dish on the table. The awful stench permeated through the air.

"You need to eat a bit more healthy, Ronald." she insisted. "For this reason, I made seaweed casserole with tofu!"
Ron and Rufus clenched their noses at the awful smell.

(end flashback)

"The Middleton High mystery meat from a week ago was more appetizing!" Ron exclaimed.

Kim insisted, "Ron, let's not allow this family to lose their appetite."
"You're right, KP!" Ron said with a smile at his best friend.

"Yummy!" Rufus exclaimed, eating the meat loaf shaped like a brain.

"So should we try again with the balcony scene from R , Ron?" Kim asked.

"Huh? Oh right! Yeah, KP! I don't know what got our groove off this afternoon with Barkin! It seems like this play has been cursed from the get-go!" Ron replied while taking a bite of the loaf. He was about halfway done with the dish. "Maybe it was when I said the name of the MacBeth dude at school when we talked with Monique and Tara."
"Whatever the case may be, I think we should head on over to the treehouse to do that scene again." Kim said, "We can try to fit it in before we leave for Nebraska tomorrow."
Turning to James, she then asked, "Dad, may Ron and I be excused from the table in order to practice for R for that balcony scene?"
"I do not see a problem with that, Kimberly, but be back at home by 9:30pm so that we can pack the toiletries for you and your brothers." James insisted. "And no extra-curricular activity if you know what I mean."

"No big, Dad. I should be home by then!" Kim said before getting up from the table and kissing both Ann and James on their cheeks.

Turning to her best friend, she then added, "Come on, Ron. We got a scene to rehearse!"
"Right behind ya, KP! What about Rufus, though?" Ron wondered about the naked mole rat.

"He can serve as director." Kim said.

Rufus appreciated it with a smile as he got out a small film reel.

(7:44pm)

Kim and Ron approached the treehouse with both their Romeo and Juliet scripts in hand.

"I guess you and Rufus probably should go up first?" Ron asked. Rufus, from Ron's pants pocket, nodded his head in agreement.

"If Rufus says yes, then it's a yes." Kim replied as she went up the steps to Ron's treehouse. This was the place where they temporarily, but unsuccessfully, hid from Aunt Josephine when Ron was forcibly taken against his will to go to Camp Wannaweep.

"Alright...let's try Act 2 Scene 2...again." she then added.

Remember, Kim, this is only a play.

Ron took a deep breath and started the speech from his script.

"Mercuito has been mocking my love but the fool has never been in love before."

Kim then turned on a flashlight hidden in a storage container in the treehouse.

"But wait. What is that light in the window over there? It's like in the east with Juliet as the beautiful morning sun! Rise, Juliet my beautiful sun, and kill the jealous fading moon because you are far more beautiful then her. She's talking, but is not saying much! Her eyes are speaking! I'll respond! But no...she is not speaking to me! If only two of the most beautiful starts in the sky had to leave Heaven..."
Once again, though, the flowery language got to Ron and he began to blush at the cheeks again.

Oh no... Kim groaned to herself ... not again...