Blonde Ambition
By S-Chrome

Disclaimer: The third most well-known cheerleader, Tara, and the other bit players she confronts are the sole property of Disney. Which means if she falls and twists her ankle, Eisner or that... other guy has to pay her hospital bills. Hah!

I see him every day. In class, outside of class, at cheer practice. All the time.

I never get tired of seeing his face.

I see my cheer squad teammates giggling amongst themselves at practice. What is it? A joke? Something funny happened? Is it someone?

It is someone.

It's him!

The winner of the 2004 Middleton High Talent Show!

Middleton High's very own Mad Dog mascot!

Ron!

Ron Stoppable!

My heart leaps out of my chest as he walks toward us. Meanwhile, the other cheerleaders scoff at him. Humph! Who do they think they are? He's just as good as the rest of them. Isn't he?

Bonnie is the one in the middle of this scoffing session. I know she's my best friend and all, but she could stand to be nicer to people from time to time. She says to the rest of us that Ron is the biggest loser that ever walked the earth.

Tch. Whatever...

She wouldn't say that if Kim were here.

I so do not care what everyone thinks. I think he's a great guy. And nobody is going to change my opinion about him.

One day I might just gather up the courage to ask him out.

That's right... Ask him out.

Bonnie wouldn't like what I'm thinking to myself right now. She would totally rip my head off if I told her about Ron and how much I like him. She would say this and that about how much of a loser he is, and the food chain, and how he's the best friend of her worst enemy, and...

You know what? I think I'll tell her. Some time this week, I guess.

She may say all that stuff about Ron, but I've got the perfect defense against it.

The painful Bon-Bon memories.

Hehe... Many don't know that Bonnie hasn't always been the Portrait of Perfection. But that's a story for another day. Plus, if she has anything bad to say... You'll know what I'll do...

Practice went by with the usual stuff happening. The pyramid... Bonnie & Kim jawing at each other. Like I said, the usual.

So on our way home from practice. Bonnie pointed something out that absolutely shocked me.

"I saw you looking at Stoppable today." She said.

Uh-oh.

I try to say something but I can't make up a lie quick enough. So I go ahead and tell her the truth.

Bracing for the worst, I shield my eyes. Here comes the yelling.

Right?

Wait a minute... No yelling. What's going on here? I look at her shakily as she just stands there are looks at me. After just walking in silence for a few minutes, she finally says something.

"Well... I guess you two would look cute together." She says skeptically.

Oh My Gosh! Did she just approve? Of Ron?

My best friend in the whole world actually approves! Of Ron! And me! This is great! But just before I can celebrate, Bonnie brings harsh and painful reality back to me.

"You'd better check with Little Miss Perfect first though." She said seriously. "After all, he is her little sidekick." She continued. "Who knows what kind of 'best friends' those two are."

Man, Bonnie sure knew how to bring a person down.

Giving her a quick hug, I turn toward my block and give her a fast "See ya", as I head to my house.

This is gonna take a lot of thinking.

The next morning began like any other morning. Shower. Books. Breakfast. School. Tell Kim that I'm seriously crushing on her best friend...

OK... Maybe it wasn't like every other morning.

For the first couple minutes of school, I walked through the hallways. It was about 8 o'clock, so I didn't have to worry about being late. Just as I rounded the corner, I spot them.

Kim & Ron.

I quickly dart behind the corner. Since when was I afraid of those two?

Oh yeah...

Keeping my heart from beating out of my chest was a surprisingly tough task. After a minute or so of keeping my nerves in check. I walk back toward them.

Now or never, Tara.

"Hey, Tara." Kim said to me with a friendly tone. I still don't get why Bonnie's hates her as much as she does.

But that's a story for another...

"Hi, Tara." Ron cheerfully said to me. That's Ron. Always cheerful. Always nice. Always sooo cute with those freckles...

"Uh, Tara?" She says to me, trying to get my attention. I must've stood there for three hours if it wasn't three minutes.

Huh? Oops... Brain freeze.

Suddenly, I remember why I was there in the first place. So, I pull Kim to the side and ask her if I could to her about... Girl stuff. Once we go around to the ladies room, she stops me.

"So what is it that you wanted to tell me?" She asked. I try to answer, but I can't seem to talk. Come on, Tara, Don't lock up now!

There's something about Kim... Because just as my lips begin to move, the captain of our squad begin to grin a little bit.

"Is it a boy?" She asks. Then she leans in closer. "Is it Ron?" She asks, grinning even more.

Is it that obvious?

Hanging my head in shame, I give a slight nod.

How did I get myself into this? Now Kim's going to throttle me, tell the whole school, and kick me off the cheer squad!

Woe is me!

But wait...

She hasn't ran off to tell anyone about this. She hasn't even throttled me yet. What's going on?

She's just standing there, smiling at me. I pick my head up and look up at her.

"Let me guess." She says, grinning from ear to ear. "Since you're the friend of my 'rival'..." She emphasizes the term rival by sticking up two fingers on either side of her. "...You felt that you needed approval from me to ask Ron out, am I right?"

Once again, is it that obvious?

Before I can answer, Kim speaks again. "Well, there's only one person that you need approval from, and I think you know who that is." She said knowingly. Flashing me a smile, we walked out of the bathroom together. But before we part, she says something else to me.

"Good luck." She whispers confidently.

I know Kim's motto is "I Can Do Anything.", but after that little chat, I feel like I can do the same. So, I marched right up to that blond who I've had a crush on for months. Tapping his shoulder, I let him know that I want his attention. When I tap him, he looks in the other direction before he looks in mine. I start to giggle. He is soo cute.

"Oh... Hi again, Tara." Ron said cheerily. Once again I feel like I'm freezing up again. I can't say anything at all! What's wrong with me? But just then, he says something else.

"Uh... Is there something you want to talk to me about?" He asks with a little bit of panic in his voice. "I swear, I've never seen what goes on in this girls' locker room, Honest!" He continues.

Did I also mention how cute he is when he gets flustered?

That must have taken me out of my daze. Because I actually manage to choke out a 'No.' He looks a lot more relieved than he did three seconds ago.

"I wanted to talk to you about something else." I say to him. With his interest now fully on me, he asks the question of all questions.

"A-A-About what?" He stammered.

Taking the deepest breath I have ever taken in my life, I take a step closer to him.

Here Goes Nothing...

The End.

Other Stuff: To not have thoughts such as these. Please do not watch the K.P. episode "Sink or Swim."

T/R happens to be one of my favorite pairings. So that, and this episode "Sink or Swim" pretty much got this entire fic going.

Reviews, if you please. Also a side of criticisms, and maybe a couple flames for dessert would be nice. :p

S-Chrome