A special thanks goes out to Nanami and especially Red Phoenix for all the help. :-)
Always There
by: Anthy
On Our Way to State!
Dear Mom,
I don't know what to do about Shawn! He's turned into this big spoiled baby ever since I joined the baseball team. I'm getting tired of stroking his ego just so that he would talk to me! The last fight was when he lectured, no he scolded me after we won a real rough game. He congratulated everyone else and berated me. I broke up with him right then and there. I started hanging out more with Adam and Rocky, mainly because they are both on the team and that they keep me company at away games. Okay, Mom, I have to admit, things are a little different between me and Adam. We are a lot closer than before. It's just. . . different. I could try to explain what those differences are, but I'm not completely sure. And the whole time I am trying to come to terms with what is going on between us, Shawn takes me back.
There are times when I think of all we went through and what he put me through and I hate him. I truly hate him. That and he has been hanging out with this girl Veronica. From what Rocky tells me, she's this spoiled bitch who got into a conflict with Kim and Aisha. Rocky says Veronica is only after Shawn because he's captain of the baseball team.
"Hey Tanya, what are you writing?" a voice asked her. Turning around in her seat, she saw Shawn, Adam, and Rocky looking at her. They were on the bus headed to Brookside, site of the state championships. The bus was separated boys from girls, so Tanya was the only teammate with a seat all to herself, right in front by the door. Smiling, she lifted up her torn journal.
"Oh, they're just some letters, that's all."
"As long as they are love letters," Shawn joked as he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
"Hey Tanya," a voice yelled in the back, "sing a song for us."
"I don't know. I..." she stammered softly.
"Please?" the whole team begged.
"Okay, just one." Tanya relented, and she decided to practice the National Anthem, which she was going to sing at the beginning of the game.
"And the home of the braves!" she sang, lingering on the last few notes.
"Play ball!" the team cheered before giving Tanya a standing ovation.
"Sit down!" the coach yelled, "This is a bus, not the baseball field! Save it for the game!" The guys reluctantly sat down. Once the team quieted down, the coach turned to Tanya. "You have a fine voice, Sloan. Keep up the good work."
"Is there anything this girl can't do?" Rocky joked, playfully poking Shawn in the arm.
"A few, but they don't count because I'm a girl." she retorted lightly, her dark eyes twinkled with amusement. Rocky opened his mouth to reply then quickly shut it as he slowly began to think of what those things could be.
"She got you on that one." Adam laughed as his best friend began to blush. Reaching into his bookbag, Adam pulled out a small spiral notebook and began to write.
"What do you got?" Tanya said as she leaned over her seat to take a look. "Is this the music for our video project?"
"Yep. And I thought it would work too, but..."
"But what?" she asked nervously. Adam looked down at the notebook and grinned.
"My music didn't do you justice. You're too good for what I wrote." Adam said, sheepishly.
"Hey! I'm supposed to be the one giving the compliments here!" Shawn interjected as he shot a look at Adam. Adam froze and looked up at her, his face turning a light red. Tanya felt flushed herself but seeing the suspicion in Shawn's eyes, she casually managed to snatch the notebook out of Adam's hands. As she looked at the notes, she hoped her indifference to Adam's comment would calm Shawn's temper.
"No, I think this is beautiful. Here, try this." She sang part of the song at a different tempo, stopping when a word didn't sound right. Adam laughed and they began a rhyming match, seeing what went with "together". They spent the rest of the trip playing with notes and tempos for the song. Shawn sat fuming at her, but she didn't care. This project was important to her. Singing was one of the things she learned from Ashala, and Tanya had always dreamed of singing in front of an audience. Deep down she wished Shawn would understand that, but she knew that his mind was on sports right now and she never brought it up.
An hour later, the school bus rolled into Brookside. The city of Brookside was about the size of Stone Canyon and part of Angel Grove put together. The games were to be held at the college, which was located at the center of the city. As the bus rolled to a stop at the hotel, the team was bursting with excitement.
"Come on, girl, we're gonna paint this town upside down!" Shawn declared as he jumped out of his seat, startling a slumbering Rocky. Grabbing his sports bag, he rushed out the door.
"He's seems excited." Rocky grumbled while yawning.
"Seems?" Tanya countered as she stretched. Adam chuckled as he pulled his baseball cap on his head.
"Tanya!" Shawn yelled from outside the bus. Tanya jumped in surprise and turned to her window.
"What?" she yelled back.
"How long does it take to get off a bus? Geez!" he complained at her, dropping his bag on the pavement.
"I'm coming," Tanya muttered as she grabbed her bag and hurried off the bus. Sometimes, I just hate him. . .
***
"Hey guys! Come look at this!" Tanya exclaimed, looking out the window of her 13th floor hotel room. She was sharing a room with a few of the girls on the "AGHS Baseball Fan Club" or as the girls liked to be called "the AGHSBBFC". The fan club consisted of cheerleaders who wanted an excuse to come to state. They were preparing to celebrate their first round victory. The last game was the next day, against the #1 ranked Brookside High.
"The city, its so beautiful at night! The lights look like little fireflies, a great big light show..." she marveled, placing her hands against the window.
"Geez," a voice snickered, "you sound like you've never been in a building before." Tanya winced as she heard the girls laugh behind her. Spinning on her heels she glared at the owner of the voice, a towering blond named Candy.
"I haven't." The room quieted yet Candy found this new information not important. With a turn of her heel, Candy headed for the nearest mirror.
"Hey Tanya," Marquette Devlin said, leaning against the wall next to the window, "are you going to the party?"
"I don't know, Markie," Tanya shrugged, "we've got a big day tomorrow."
"All the more reason to let loose a little!" Markie declared, giving Tanya a impromptu hug. "Adam with be there."
"What about him?" she asked, trying to appear nonchalant.
"He is one of the finest guys on the team." Markie relied dreamily before erupting in a fit of giggles.
"Yep, complete package," Candy murmured suggestively, "tight ass, nice smile, and an oh-so pleasant voice."
"Don't forget to add the fact that he is alive and breathing." Markie said sarcastically.
"Shut up!" Candy snapped, "I do have standards." Candy retorted. Tanya watched in envy as Candy twirled in her blue, skin tight halter dress that matched her eyes, her long blond hair flowing in the breeze. "No man can resist a girl in a dress like this. Too bad Tanya has to wear those ugly warm-ups."
"It's not that bad." Tanya said looking at her purple sweat pants and fiddled with the zipper on her bright, oversized yellow jacket. They were obviously too large, but it was the smallest men's outfit the coach could find. Kat's mom had the hardest time trying to hem her sweat pants and finally gave up and bought her a better fitting pair.
"Besides, Tanya's dating the dear old captain." Candy replied as she grabbed her purse. "I'd keep an eye on that one."
"You coming?" Markie asked. Tanya gave a defeated sigh and headed towards the door.
***
By the time she reached the enormous ballroom on the 12th floor, it was in full swing. The light seemed to float down from the large disco ball that hung from the ceiling. Most of the baseball team was there, including players from other schools. Tanya laughed to herself as she realised how unusual the dance seemed. All of the team members wore their regular warm-up uniforms, while the AGHSBBFC was out on the floor in their full party gear. She scanned the crowd, and saw Adam sitting alone in a corner looking out at the dance floor. Just as she was about to head over and say hello, Candy pushed her out of the way and grabbed Adam by his shirt.
"Hello, dollface! Let's Dance!" Candy exclaimed as she dragged him to the dance floor.
Tanya stood staring at Candy groping and literally molesting Adam as she danced.
"That bitch!" she muttered to herself. She didn't notice that Shawn was standing behind her the whole time.
"What are you so angry about?" he whispered as he took her hand.
"Nothing." she hissed angrily as she watched Adam try to walk away, but Candy caught up to him and used his rear as a handle.
"C'mon let's dance." he said as he pulled her out onto the dance floor just as a slow song came on the radio.
As they danced, Shawn slowly pulled her closer. She slightly pushed him away, much to his confusion.
"Tanya..." Shawn whined as he tried to pull her closer again.
"Don't." she protested, moving away from him.
"What's the problem? It's only a dance." he pulled her close and this time she let him. She silently laughed to herself, realizing she was pushing away her own boyfriend. Dancing this close to him Tanya could smell the sweet fragrance of the cologne she bought as a gift. The conflict on the bus forgotten, Tanya rested her arm on Shawn's shoulder and sighed. She was enjoying herself when she noticed that Shawn had stopped dancing.
"Shawn?" a voice protested behind her. "What's this?"
"I was dancing with my girlfriend, if you don't mind." Shawn stated confidently. Tanya knew who he was talking to, but she refused to turn around to see. Looking at Shawn's face, she noticed he was scared.
"You jerk! You're supposed to be with me!" the girl screamed as she pushed Tanya to the ground. The party eerily stopped as all attention focused on the scream. Tanya looked at the floor as she heard a loud slap from above. By the time Tanya looked up, the girl was gone.
"Veronica!" Shawn shouted towards the door, his hand covering his left cheek. Looking in that direction for a moment, he slowly turned toward Tanya.
"You. . ." Tanya spat out at him as she quickly jumped up from the floor.
"Veronica means nothing to me." he shrugged nonchalantly, "I just dated her to have some fun, pass the time..."
"Until I came running back?" she shrieked at him. "And like an idiot I did! But you couldn't stop there, could you? What if I made you mad again, huh? You still needed that fall-back, a replacement girl. How can I be sure that I am not just to have fun with, that she's the one you're waiting for? "
"Because I love you!" he shouted back at her. Looking into his eyes, she could see he is being sincere.
"I am sorry, but I don't love you as much as you think I do." she answered, her voice breaking. Tanya suddenly realized what she said was true, yet the pain was unbearable.
"Why?" Shawn said, his eyes filled with tears.
"How can I love someone when I can't trust him. Goodbye, Shawn." she whispered quietly before running out to the balcony. As she stared at the city lights, the lights began to blur as the tears began to flow. She quietly sobbed, thinking of what she had just said to Shawn. She couldn't go back to him now, even if she wanted to. She worried she overreacted, whether she misunderstood the situation, but she knew she had to let Shawn go. She said it herself, she didn't love him as much as he did. She was about to leave when Tanya noticed someone's hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Adam's concerned face looking at her.
"You okay?" he asked, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
"I will be." Tanya sniffled and continued to stare out at the city lights. "How long you have you been there?"
"Awhile." he grinned slightly.
"I don't know what to do about Shawn!" Tanya cried, yelling out to the stars. "I should hate him, yet I don't. I'm supposed to make his life hell, yet I can't. I'm the one who is supposed to be in control, yet he is the one who continuously pulls my strings. And despite all odds, I cannot help but love him. It hurts so much, but you know deep down that you did the right thing. I did the right thing to let go of Shawn, didn't I?"
Tanya turned to look Adam in the eyes. He looked pained, sad and concerned. She could tell he was thinking of what to say, but finding nothing. Looking back at the stars, she sighed and began to wipe the tears away. I shouldn't worry him like this. . .
"I can't tell you if you did the right thing or not. That's something you'll have to ask yourself." Adam said, wrapping his arms around her waist, enveloping her in a hug from behind. She relaxed against him, laying her head against his chest.
"Thanks for being here with me." she replied, resting her arms on his.
"It was either that or have Candy what's-her-face throw herself at me all night." he chuckled and they continued to watch the city in silence.
"I thought you where having fun." Tanya laughed softly. He laughed with her.
"I felt so . . . violated." he joked with fake horror.
"Oh, you know you loved it." she giggled, enjoying being this close to her friend.
"What the hell is that?" someone yelled, running out onto the balcony. Realizing she was a little too close, Tanya jumped away from Adam just as others from the party begin rushing out to the balcony.
"Is that a plane?" someone asked.
"That's not a plane," Adam whispered to Tanya. Making sure only she could hear him, he mouthed, "Quadrafighter." She nodded and after motioning to Rocky, they tried to squeeze through the gawking crowd. Just as they reached the hallway, their communicators began to sound.
"Adam here." Adam spoke into his communicator as Rocky and Tanya circled around him.
*TELEPORT TO THE POWER CHAMBER AT ONCE.* Zordon's voice crackled in.
"We're on our way." Adam replied, and the three teleported away in streaks of blue, green and yellow light.
"What's going on?" Rocky asked Zordon when they finally reached the Command Center. Tommy was already there, in his pajammas, and his long brown hair looked like a tangled mess on one side. Kat appeared shortly after them.
RANGERS, AN OLD FOE HAS PRESENTED HIMSELF AT THE STADIUM. The rangers turned to the viewing globe to see Goldar standing on the pitcher's mound, destroying Cogs as they attacked him.
"Doesn't look like he's getting a friendly welcome by the neighborhood committee." Rocky joked.
"Well *yawn* I guess we better go see what he's up to." Tommy replied as he wiped his eyes. The five teens then pulled out their morphers.
Kat: "Zeo ranger one, pink!"
Tanya: "Zeo ranger two, yellow!"
Rocky: "Zeo ranger three, blue!"
Adam: "Zeo ranger four, green!"
Tommy: "Zeo ranger five, red!"
Teleporting to the stadium, the rangers began to spread out.
"You guys take care of the machines, leave the gold one for me." Tommy ordered.
"Right!" The others shouted in unison as they sprang into action. Running toward the first Cog, Tanya sensed something wasn't right. Looking in Tommy's direction, she noticed that Goldar seemed a bit transparent. Goldar's armor seemed to be bathed in a golden light. Like sunlight!
"Tommy! Don't!" she yelled, she realized that he was headed for a trap. Rushing toward him, she reached him just as she noticed the device behind the hologram. Pushing Tommy back, she heard a blast and the sensation of being thrown in the air. After flying for what seemed to be forever, she felt her body slam to the ground, and a sharp pain seemed to envelope her body. Around her she could hear the battle with the remaining cogs. Adam was calling her name, but he seemed to be so far away. Tanya closed her eyes to shut out the pain.
***
"Tanya, can you hear me?" a soothing voice asked her. She opened her eyes and winced as the bright light hurt her eyes. She focused on the blurry image, she saw that it was Billy and that she was in the Command Center. I'm alive. Tanya thought to herself as the pain returned. She realized that she couldn't move her right arm.
"It hurts..." Tanya moaned, closing her eyes. "my arm..."
"It's dislocated, but it didn't break." Billy said to her.
"I pitch...," she protested as she sat up, sending a sharp pain through her. She screamed and began to fall back when Billy caught her.
"Don't worry, you'll be up and pitching in no time." he said reassuringly as he lowered her back onto the table. "I have a device that repairs any muscles damaged in the fall. You'll still be sore, as with the typical new muscle and. . ."
"Skip the talk, just do it." Rocky interrupted. Tanya then realized that they were all there, Kat, Adam, Rocky, and...
"Where's Tommy?" she said between clenched teeth. She feared she reached him too late. He was so close to the device. . .
"I'm right here." he stepped from behind Billy. "I'm okay. You took most of the blast."
"Good." Tanya sighed. "Now don't go around feeling sorry about yourself." Billy smiled as he stood in front of her and adjusted the bed so that she was sitting up.
"Now I need to set your arm back. I'm not going to lie to you, but this is going to hurt." Tanya moved away from him, not wanting to feel any more pain. She began to whimper when she felt someone's presence sitting on the bed next to her.
"It'll be alright," Adam cooed, taking her good hand in his. "we'll be right here with you the entire time. It'll only hurt for a moment..."
Tanya leaned against Adam's shoulder, listening to his words of encouragement. Suddenly there was an intense searing pain and the world was black again.
***
"We did it!" Rocky shouted, as the entire team sprinted toward the pitchers mound to pile on top of Tanya, expressing their joy. "We are the new state champs!"
There was a mixture of tears and excitement as the trophy was presented to the team. There were interviews, pictures, celebration on the field, and then finally the field started to empty out. As they left the field, the team hoisted their star player on their shoulders. Tanya cheered with them, but yelled when they almost dropped her. She had never pitched a better game. In fact, it was close to a shut out, only a few managed to hit her fastball. Sitting in her usual spot on the bus, Tanya could see Shawn sitting at the back of the bus next to some girl. He was smiling, but it slowly faded from his face when he saw her. She held her gaze for awhile, silently saying goodbye for the last time and hoping he was doing the same. Leaning back against her seat, she suddenly realized how sore her arm was. Billy told me to take it easy, Tanya thought to herself as she closed her eyes.
"How's your arm?" a voice said in the seat behind her. It was Rocky.
"It's still a little sore."
"Adam can work the kinks out of anything, can't ya buddy?"
"Well, I would but the coach..."
"If the coach can let Candy make out with Steve, I think he wouldn't mind a simple massage."
"Okay." Tanya laughed. After rearranging themselves, Adam sat at the window with Tanya sitting next to him with Rocky stretched out in her former seat.
"You know that's why you suggested it." Adam playfully accused his friend.
"I had my reasons," Rocky said coyly as he pulled his cap over his eyes. Adam chuckled and gently began to massage Tanya's shoulders. Later, leaning closer on him, she felt the same comforting feeling she felt on the balcony. Taking his hands, she wrapped his arms around her, and he in turn squeezed her tight.
"Adam, thanks for always being there when I need you the most." Tanya murmured as she slowly drifted to sleep. Resting her arms against his chest and listening to his heart beat, she slept with thoughts of Shawn pushed far from her mind.