Brody had never thought that he would see the day that his friends would abandon him for someone new. Especially his brother. It was just something about his group of friends that made him consider them more as his family. I mean, he had Levi, who was actually his blood brother Aiden, but the team created such an atmosphere that Brody felt safe and secure in their presence. He had never felt so insecure before and the feeling was so foreign that it scared the crap out of him.
He's getting ahead of himself, though. Let's start from the beginning...
It all started when Brody had walked into school on Monday morning, wondering where his friends were. He had sent them a text, asking if they wanted to meet to talk about training, but had never gotten a reply. When Brody had checked their usual meeting spot and found it empty, he went to the hideout, only to find that it was also deserted. It was strange to say the least, Brody was always the last one that arrived at school, and his friends always texted him if they were meeting someplace else. Were they in trouble? Were the kidnapped?
Feeling his heart begin to race, Brody sprinted out of the hideout and into the courtyard. As he took a sharp turn and Brody ran straight into someone. The force of the impact had him flying through the air and landing on his side.
"Ow!" Someone had yelped as they also collided with the ground.
"Brody?" Another person asked as they crouched down beside him. "You okay?"
Brody groaned as he opened his eyes, only to see Preston's concerned face hovering above him. "Preston?"
Preston carefully helped Brody to his feet as Brody moaned, hugging his side as the pain slowly started to fade.
Calvin studied his friend, "You hurt?"
Brody shook his head, "I'm fine. Where were you guys? I was looking everywhere for you."
"Oh, uh," Hayley cleared her throat. "We were showing someone around campus. Brody, meet Maya," Hayley gestured to the girl who was being guided to her feet by Levi and Sarah.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Brody apologized genuinely, concern on his face. "Are you okay?"
Maya held out her hand and gave Brody an amused smile, "No harm, no foul. Just be careful making turns like that."
Brody felt himself flush in embarrassment, "That was kinda stupid of me, I should've been more careful."
"I don't know, Brody, you did inherit Mom's clumsy genes," Levi raised an eyebrow at his brother, a smirk on his face.
"And you inherited Dad's lame jokes," Brody teasingly shot back and Levi just shook his head in amusement.
The first bell began rang and Brody's head shot up, "Ugh... Is it really time already?"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but yeah, it's time for school," Sarah patted Brody on the shoulder.
"What class do you have first, Maya?" Preston asked.
"Um," Maya looked at her schedule. "Physics with Mr. McCall?" Maya read aloud.
"That's were Calvin and I are heading, " Hayley beamed, "You can follow us there if you'd like."
Maya smiled shyly, "That'll be great, thanks."
"See you later," Preston waved as the other four rangers began heading towards the class that they shared together.
When Maya was a safe distance away, Levi turned to his brother, "What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" Brody frowned.
"You were running like a bat out of hell," Sarah commented.
"Oh," Brody scratched his head sheepishly. "I thought I was gonna be late," He lied. "I kinda left the house too late. I didn't realize what time it was."
Preston laughed, "Really?"
Levi looked like he didn't totally believe Brody. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Levi, I'm fine," Brody reassured his brother. "I'd tell you if I wasn't."
"Promise?" Levi asked.
"I promise," Brody punched his shoulder and Levi chuckled.
Brody only shared the first hour with any of his friends up until lunch, and then he had a class with at least one of his friends for the remainder of the day. However, throughout the second and third hour, Brody felt like there was a pit in his stomach and it made him uneasy. It was just something about Maya that gave him goosebumps. He just didn't really understand why. She was a pretty attractive girl, Brody would give her that, but Brody didn't really think of her in that sense. It was something else that made Brody antsy. Not knowing what it was just drove him up the wall.
When Brody walked over to the table that he usually shared with his friends, he found that his seat had been occupied by Maya, and Brody frowned. He felt selfish, but he walked up to the table, anyways.
"Hey, guys," Brody greeted.
"Hey, Brody," Sarah beamed. "Maya was just telling about her school back up in Maine!"
"That's great," Brody smiled kindly. "Do you have room if I pull up a chair?" He asked.
The four rangers at the table looked at each other guiltily before Calvin said, "Brody can I talk to you for a minute?"
Those words sent warning bells off in Brody's head. "Sure," Brody agreed.
Calvin stood up and guided Brody towards the hallway and began, "So, Maya's facing a lot of anxiety right now and we're letting her sit at the table because she's having a hard time adjusting. It's just for today, alright? Is it okay if maybe we just meet up with you later?"
Those words stabbed Brody in the heart, but the ranger just gave the best fake smile he could and said, "Of course."
Calvin beamed, "Thank you for understanding! We'll meet in the hideout later, cool?"
Brody just nodded and Calvin went back to the table and sat down. Brody, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore, emptied his tray and walked out of the cafeteria and went to the hideout to work on homework for the remainder of lunch.
What was that all about? It was like his friends kinda just pushed him away, and in a rather harsh way. Brody wasn't jealous that they were talking to someone new, it was just that he was hurt that they weren't really letting him get to know Maya too. Like couldn't they all be friends? Also, why hadn't at least one of them stayed back with Brody so that he wasn't completely alone? It made him feel almost neglected, and he really hated to admit that because he's not a selfish person. He's independent and doesn't need pampering, but his friends' actions so far are just rubbing him the wrong way.
When the bell rang to end lunch, Brody grabbed his backpack and walked towards his Trigonometry class. When he walked into the class, he saw Maya sitting next to Levi, in Brody's seat, and the last seat was in the way back. Feeling his shoulders slump in resignation, Brody walked to the back of the class and sat down, wondering if the day could go by any slower.
And so that's how the rest of Brody's classes went, sitting in the back while Maya just kinda occupied his friends' time. He felt guilty when he started to have bitter thoughts towards the new kid. It wasn't her fault that she was new and didn't have anyone else to turn to. Brody knew what it felt like to be the new kid. You kinda latch on to the first people you see. It wasn't fair that he was jealous. He shouldn't be. His friends weren't like that. They were just trying to be nice to the new person and make her feel included. Things would slowly go back to normal, and Brody hopefully might be able to become involved in their little friend group. He doesn't mind expanding it, he just wish that he was apart of the introductory group.
When the bell rang to end the day, Brody took his time getting to the hideout, not eager to see if his friends remembered him or not. He got there about an hour after school ended. If he had to be honest, he didn't mean to wait that long. He just wanted to take a stroll to cool off. By the time he glanced at his watch, he winced and hurried to the hideout. Mick might've been worried sick... the others, well depending on their mood, maybe not so much.
As he strolled into the hideout, he was surprised to find it completely empty except for Mick, who was humming as he worked around the lab.
His friend looked over as he heard footsteps approach, "Ah, there you are Brody, I was wondering where you might've wandered off to."
Brody smiled at his friend's greeting, "Hey, Mick. What're you working on?"
"Oh, just some maintenance on the Star Blades," Mick shrugged. "Is everyone else following behind you?"
Brody frowned, looking around the hideout, "They're not here?"
Mick shook his head, "I assumed maybe you guys had grabbed a bite to eat or something before heading over here."
Brody sighed, "They're probably off with the new kid that they've been hanging out with all day."
"New kid?" Mick raised his eyebrows in interest.
"Her name's Maya, her first day was today," Brody sat down on one of the stools. "Let's just say she's kinda occupied their time for the day. They've kinda just shoved me to the side, in a way, I guess."
"I'm sure that's not true," Mick reassured him.
"I'm sure it's not true either, but it sure feels that way," Brody ran a hand over his face. "I don't mind them hanging around with other people, but I wish I had a chance to get to know her as well, you know? I wish I was just included, but I think I'm just being stupid." Brody shrugged.
Mick placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "You're being reasonable, Brody. I'm sure that it will get better, they're just excited I bet."
Brody smiled sadly, "Hey, they can do whatever they want. If they're excited, then I'm excited for them."
"That's how I know that you're a good friend," Mick chuckled. "Training is canceled for the day, by the way, so you can head home if you need to. There's a bad storm coming and I don't want to risk you guys getting hurt or sick."
Brody picked up his bag and smiled at his friend, "I should go, I've got two tests I need to study for. See you tomorrow?"
"You know where to find me," Mick nodded.
Brody waved goodbye to his friend one last time before walking out of the hideout and heading home.
The next day wasn't exactly the best day that Brody had ever had. In fact, it was worse than yesterday and that fact alone made Brody want to crawl under a rock and just hide there for the day. It began when he sat alone at the Ranger's usual morning spot, waiting for his friends who didn't even show. He ended up just walking into first period early, putting his head down and just letting the thoughts of his brain go wild.
Where was his friends? Why didn't they seem to want to hang out with him the past few days? Have the decided that they don't want to be around him since they've found someone they like better? Or like maybe they thought that Brody was too boring? Sighing in frustration, Brody started getting a pit of nausea in his stomach and he suddenly didn't want to even be in school for the day. When the bell to begin the day finally rang, Brody didn't move his head as the class started to fill in. It wasn't until a cool hand rested against the back of his neck that he jumped.
"Whoa, easy, Brody," Levi's calming voice made Brody relax. "You feeling okay, dude?"
"I'm fine," Brody shrugged off his question. "Just tired."
"Restless night?" Levi wondered.
"Something like that," Brody replied, staring straight ahead. "Mick tell you that training got rescheduled for today?"
Levi paled as he face-palmed, "I knew we were forgetting something yesterday."
Brody frowned, "What?"
"We left with Maya to show her around town," Levi explained. "Brody I'm so sorry..."
Brody chuckled, "Easy, Levi, it wasn't rescheduled cause of that. The weather wasn't exactly cooperative, so Mick wanted to be safe and just put it off a day."
Levi deflated in relief, "Thank God. I still can't believe we were so irresponsible."
"It's fine, Levi, don't beat yourself up about it," Brody reassured his brother. "Where's Sarah and Preston?"
"They're donating blood this morning," Levi answered. "They're missing first period."
"Damn, I forgot about the blood drive," Brody groaned. "I was gonna sign up, but it totally slipped my mind."
"Hey, I just don't like needles," Levi laughed, holding his hand up as a defense. "So count me out."
Brody just laughed as the bell rang to signify the beginning of first period.
His talk with Levi had brightened his spirits a little bit, and it was because his brother actually acknowledged his presence and wanted to talk to him. Also he cared. He thought Brody was under the weather and asked if he was okay. For some reason, that reassured him that his teammates might still want him around after all.
However, when Brody got to lunch and saw that there was once again no room at the table because of Maya, Brody kinda just threw the uneaten lunch away and hid out in the library, feeling more dejected than he wanted to admit. It shouldn't effect him as much as it did. He got to see his friends a lot more than Maya and Maya was still new. Maybe they were just still getting to know her and making her feel included? Who knows, and at the moment, Brody didn't care.
After lunch, Brody had once again took his place at the back of the classrooms as his friends continued to sit near Maya and leave him out of everything. They wouldn't even glance his way throughout the entire class! The insecurity was starting to come back and Brody absolutely despised the feeling because he shouldn't even be feeling it in the first place. It was selfish and Brody didn't want to be the type of friend that got jealous just because his friends were expanding their boundaries. It's just... for some reason it's hurting more than Brody ever thought it would hurt.
When the final bell had rung for the day, Brody practically ran to the hideout because he needed to get away from everyone before training. As he walked into the hideout, Brody threw his bag onto the ground and sat down on the stool and just started working on his schoolwork. he still had an hour before training and he just wanted to use the work as an excuse not to talk to anyone. He needed to cool down before he tried to have a conversation or he was worried he might say something that he might regret.
Except when the time came for training, no one came.
Mick walked into the hideout and frowned when he saw there was only one Ranger. "Brody? Where is everyone?"
Brody shrugged, "I have no clue. They're not here."
"Have you talked to them today?" Mick wondered. "Did you tell them about training being reschedule to today?"
"I told Levi, and I didn't get a chance to tell the others because they haven't talked to me all day. They were too busy talking to Maya and I couldn't exactly say something in front of her," Brody grumbled.
"Did you try contacting them?" Mick asked kindly.
"Called all of them, and they didn't answer them. I texted them a half hour ago, and I haven't heard from them at all." Brody sighed in resignation. "What did I do wrong Mick?"
"You're doing nothing wrong, Brody," Mick reassured his friend as he came to stand beside him.
"I just... It seems like they're avoiding me now and I don't know what to do about it."
"They're treating you unfairly," Mick stated.
"No I don't think it's that," Brody shook his head. "I think they're just finding it time to move on. Maybe they just want to be professional workers and that's it."
"You guys were inseparable..." Mick began, but was cut off by the alarm going on.
Brody got off the stool and looked at the screen. "A wave of Basher Bots are attacking the park!"
"Suit up and head over," Mick nodded at the Red Ranger. "I'll call the others and tell them to meet you at the park. You gonna be good until they get there?"
"I'll live," Brody nodded and he suited up before taking one of the Ninja Cycles and cruising towards the park.
Brody was pissed. Scratch that, he was beyond pissed. The fight in the park had been against three dozen Basher Bots and he had to take them on solo because his team refused to show up and actually do their damn job. In the process, he sprained his ankle, received cut marks on his back that were deep and making him bleed more than he'd like, and he's pretty sure he dislocated his shoulder. All of that because his team was too busy to pick up their communicators and help out.
By the time he made it back to the hideout, he stumbled in and collapsed as his ankle gave out and his back was still bleeding so profusely that he was afraid he might actually bleed out.
Let's just say that he gave Mick a damn heart attack.
"Brody!" Mick ran to his friend's side. "No, no, no... Redbot!" Mick called out as he carefully picked up his friend to set him on the table, stomach first.
Redbot cam running in with the first aid kit, "What happened?"
"I don't know," Mick replied, concern in his voice as he carefully peeled the clothing off his friend's body to reveal the slices on his back. "Damn it, they're bleeding so bad. Scurrying to find a clean towel, Mick threw the fabric over to Redbot and ordered, "Redbot apply pressure to those wounds!"
Redbot hopped into action as Mick opened the first-aid kit and grabbed a needle and some thread. "I knew I wouldn't regret putting this in there," He muttered to himself.
"Mick?" Brody asked weakly.
"Stay with me, Brody, we're gonna fix you right up," Mick tired to reassure his friend. "But this is gonna hurt like hell."
Mick took a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and some cotton balls before starting the process of cleaning the slice wounds. Brody cried out in pain before he fell silent and passed out.
When Brody came around, he was aware that he way lying on his stomach, his back was wrapped, his ankle was in a brace and his arm was in a sling. He also registered that he hurt all over and he let out a groan in pain as he opened his eyes to see his friend sitting next to him.
"Easy, Brody, you've lost a lot of blood," Mick said in a low voice.
"That why the room is spinning?" Brody mumbled as he closed his eyes in exhaustion.
"Yeah, you're gonna be okay," Mick let out a relived sigh. "What happened?"
"There was thirty-six of them against me," Brody said. "No back-up showed."
"They didn't answer their call?" Mick was surprised and angry. "Dammit, now I'm pissed!"
"I don't even really care anymore, Mick" Brody sighed.
"You should care," Mick practically shouted in frustration. "You could've died because they didn't answer their communicators. You were so close to bleeding out, Brody. They're being irresponsible and they're being petty."
"They don't care about me," Brody shrugged.
"They're your family, Brody, and I am so going to kick their asses," Mick paced back and forth. "They have a duty and they can't blow it off just because they're hanging out with the new kid. Not when it put's anyone's lives at risk."
"I got them all," Brody stated.
"And I'm proud of you for that," Mick reassured him. "It's just... Brody you gave me a heart attack when you came in like that. Just... get some rest. You can decide if you want to go to school in the morning."
Brody didn't protest, he just fell into a restless sleep once more.
Brody woke up the next morning with a headache, but other than being sore and a little groggy and weak, he felt okay. Then again, being tied to a ninja star speeds up his healing process, so much so that he was okay to use his shoulder without a sling, but he unfortunately still needed crutches for his ankle. Mick said he was luckily he didn't break the bone, but it was severely sprained and needed a few more days to heal before putting pressure on it. He was weak and groggy from the blood loss still, and that caused him to be more pale than he would've liked to be. His back was sore as hell and still heavily bandaged, but he decided that he was going to his classes today. He just changed into spare clothes at the hideout, put deodorant on, brushed his teeth in the hideout's bathroom and wet his hair down before combing through it. It made him look decent enough.
He was a little late to first period, but when he propelled himself into the class on crutches, it was explanation enough for the teacher. Instead of sitting in the middle of class with Levi, Sarah, and Preston, however, he sat in the front so that way it was easier for him to have room to put his crutches to the side. Also, he really didn't want to deal with their questions. Brody was worried that he'd snap on them if that was the case. Didn't stop him from feeling their eyes on him for the entire class though.
Since he was on crutches as well, he was able to leave five minutes before the end of every class so that allowed him to escape before his friends and he successfully avoided them throughout the day. He hid in the hideout during lunch, letting Mick replace the bandages on his back and also just to have a break from school and breathe. He was so tired that he wanted nothing more than to sleep, but he didn't want to fall behind in his classes. However, just as Brody left early to go to his fifth hour class, his shoulder gave a twinge of pain and his crutches slid out from under him which caused him to fall onto his stomach with a loud thump.
"Brody!" A voice called out and Brody knew who it was as the person knelt beside him. "Are you okay?" It was Calvin.
"I'm okay," Brody groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position with his good arm. "I'm good."
"Come on, I'll give you a hand," Calvin gently helped his friend up and got him back on the crutches.
"Thanks, Calvin," Brody genuinely before he frowned. "What brings you down here during lunch?"
"I was looking for you, actually," Calvin scratched the back of his head. "We were wondering where you were since you weren't at lunch today. Or yesterday, for that matter."
"I was working on a project for Government with my partner in the library yesterday," Brody lied smoothly. "Sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you guys that. And as for today? Mick asked me to help out with something."
Calvin's face formed into a relieved expression. "Oh."
"Why, what's up?" Brody tried to act normal, but it was taking all of his self-control not to snap on his friend. No need to cause a scene if someone were to stumble across them.
"Well, uh, we were wondering what had happened to... well..." Calvin was trying to find the right words.
Brody glanced down at his crutches and wondered if he should lie or tell the truth. He felt anger boiling inside of him and so Brody said, "Oh, well, it was stupid, really. Just me being clumsy," Brody lied. "I should really get to my next class, I'll see you around."
"Do you need some help? I can carry your bag," Calvin offered.
For some reason a warm feeling grew in Brody's chest and he smiled despite his anger. "That would be great."
Calvin carefully took Brody's bag from him and together they slowly began the trek to Brody's Trig class.
"So, the others and I were thinking of going to grab some ice cream this afternoon." Calvin said.
Brody raised an eyebrow at his friend, "That sounds delicious."
"Do you want to join us?" Calvin asked.
Brody frowned for a moment and he thought about it. What brought this on so suddenly? After two days of complete silence, they wanted to hang out with Brody? Did they realize how crappy they were being? Brody mentally cleared his thoughts and wondered why he was even questioning the offer in the first place.
"I'd love to go," Brody told him genuinely.
Calvin beamed, "We're gonna meet after school at the courtyard!"
"Is Maya coming too?" Brody asked curiously.
Calvin nodded, "Is that okay?"
"It's fine," Brody reassured him. "It'd be nice to finally have the chance to get to know her."
Calvin smiled once more, "You're amazing, Brody."
"Thanks, I guess," Brody chuckled.
They paused outside of Brody's Trigonometry Class and the red ranger turned to his friend and said, "I can take it from here if you want to start heading to your class. Lunch ends any minute."
"Are you sure? I can stay..." Clavin began.
"Go," Brody state kindly. "I'll see you this afternoon."
"Just be careful, yeah?" Calvin requested.
"Will do," Brody nodded and headed inside alone, sitting in the front of the class and tried to get into a comfortable position, but his back was being a pain.
When the bell finally rang to end lunch, Brody was getting antsy. What was that all about with Calvin? Did his friend really mean what he said? The way that they had been acting the past few days had given off the impression that they hadn't wanted to be near Brody. What if they were inviting him so that they could tell him they just wanted to be colleagues and not friends? If that was true, Brody didn't know if he could handle that.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when someone sat beside him and Brody glanced over to see that it was his brother.
"Levi?" Brody raised an eyebrow at the gold ranger.
Levi smiled, "Hey, Brody."
"What's going on? Did I miss something?" Brody frowned.
"What do you mean?" Levi asked in confusion. "I always sit next to you."
"Thought you'd still be helping Maya adjust to the new school?" Brody tried to play cool.
"Yeah, we are, but right now I'd figure I'd be close to you in case you needed help with anything," Levi replied. "Nice pair of crutches."
Brody groaned, "Levi, no offense, but stop trying to play it off calmly. It's not working very well," Brody commented.
Levi sighed, "Sorry. It's just... what happened?"
"Fell down some stairs," Brody lied, not wanted to say anything in the public atmosphere. "You know how rickety those stairs are at our old house."
Levi winced, "Did you break anything?"
"Just a bad sprain, I'm off the crutches in a few days," Brody waved off his concern. "It's not a big deal."
"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Levi asked.
Oh you have no idea, Brody thought bitterly. Not wanting to cause a scene, though, he said, "Didn't want to cry wolf for a sprained ankle. I'm fine Levi, I promise I'd tell you if I wasn't."
Levi just nodded as Maya came up to them.
"Hey, Levi, do you want to come and sit in the back with me?" She asked shyly.
"Sorry, Maya, but I'm with Brody today," Levi told her apologetically.
"But I'll be all alone," Maya shuffled her feet.
"I'll still be here," Levi reassured her. "We'll have time to hang out later."
Maya stalked off to the back of the classroom, looking rather pissed, but Brody brushed it off as the bell rang to start the class.
As Brody made his way towards the courtyard at the end of the day, he didn't expect to be tripped by a rather pissed-looking Maya. Losing his grip on his crutches, Brody fell to the floor with a loud thump and he groaned in pain as his ankle hit the floor the wrong way.
"Why the hell can't you just leave well enough alone?" Maya demanded.
"Maya?" Brody frowned, taken aback at the sudden outburst.
"Dammit, why couldn't you just have made new friends?" Maya paced. "They were actually starting to like me! I was starting not feel alone! Then you had to act like you're hurt for attention because you were what? Jealous?"
"What?" Brody was taken aback.
"You're not coming today," Maya growled. "I swear to god if you come today, I will make your friends hate you so much that you'd wish you were gone."
Brody clenched his jaw, "You're taking things way out of proportion, Maya."
"Am I?" Maya kicked his cheek, causing Brody to bite his tongue. "I am not losing my friends to wannabes again. You can get lost, Brody. If you don't I will make your life a living hell. Am I clear?"
Brody spat some blood out of his mouth and narrowed his eyes at her. "Crystal." To be honest, though, he only said that to get the bitch to go away. Let's just say that by the time that Brody had gotten up and gone to the courtyard, his friends were already gone.
By the time that Brody had made it to school the next day, he wanted to just crawl in a hole and cry his pain away. His back had swelled up from his little "fall" yesterday, he had a lovely bruise on his face, his ankle swelled like a balloon and his abused shoulder was starting to ache again. And on top of all that, he still felt pale and weak from Tuesday's blood loss incident. Although, the feeling was starting to slowly fade, but it still made him feel tired. When Brody spotted his friends and Maya in their courtyard hangout area, Brody fumed and just propelled himself in the opposite direction, not wanting to face his "friends" at the moment. He was so done with them that he just wanted some peace and quiet. Going to the hideout, he had Mick check his back, and Mick had just said that he popped a few stitches, so the swelling could just be from irritation.
That took up all of Brody's time before school, in fact, he was pulling down his shirt right when the bell had rung and Brody groaned. He was going to be late and he wasn't in the mood to sit in all of his classes. He wanted sleep, relaxation, and his friends, but apparently his life hated him so much that he couldn't have even that.
"You going to be okay today?" Mick asked his friend in concern, handing the red ranger his crutches.
"Honestly? I don't know," Brody replied as he accepted the crutches and carefully got off the table.
"You can stay here for the day if you really wanted to," Mick offered.
"I really shouldn't though, I'm already struggling to stay on top of things," Brody sighed. "Missing a day will just make that worse."
"Alright," Mick nodded. "Just take it easy and don't over exert yourself."
Brody gave his friend a smile, "Thanks, Mick." At least he knew that he still had someone he could count on.
Throughout the entire day, Brody was in a terrible mood that kept declining as each class when by. Maya was laughing with his friends, not paying any attention to Brody who was really trying not to let it bother him so much. However, somewhere deep inside his heart, Brody felt something slowly start to break, but he ignored it thinking that it was him just being too overdramatic. So Brody just let his friends do their thing and left them alone, even if it pained him to do so. But hey, if his friends were happy, then Brody should be a good person and be happy for them too, even if it broke his heart in the process.
By the time that the end of the school day came around, Brody was ready to bolt out of the building and go home. He wanted to just crawl in his bed and not get out of it for the next few days. He was so bone-tired that he didn't have any energy in him whatsoever to even think about how pissed he was at the others. He can act happy for them, but there was no way in hell that he'll ignore the crappy way that his friends were treating him. Also, it's getting more evident that they didn't really care about him. There was a time that Levi would've gone all Aiden-Big Bro-Mode when he saw a bruise on his little brother's face. It was Brody who always had to calm him down and not go seek for revenge. Now, well, no one's approached him and Brody didn't know whether to be relieved or a little upset. Maybe he was feeling both and just didn't want to admit it to himself. Who knew?
Another thing that Brody was a little more shaken about were Maya's words. Brody had tried not letting those hateful words go to his head, but he couldn't help but have the words on constant repeat. She had practically threatened him if he had tried to interact with his friends. Brody wanted more than anything to seek out his friends and tell them what Maya had said, but he knew that his friends would accuse him of being jealous and brush off his concerns. That's just the way that friendships worked, even if it was unfair. Brody just wished that he never had to experience this in the first place.
When Brody had gotten home that afternoon, he immediately changed into some comfier clothes before crawling into bed and closing his eyes, hoping to drift off as soon as possible. He was about to succumb to darkness before his phone buzzed and jolted him back to awareness. Picking up his phone, he saw that it was a text from Hayley.
Where are you? I have your Calculus textbook. -H
Brody sighed, of course it wasn't going to be a text to ask if he wanted to hang out. No... Just that Hayley had his damn textbook. Grabbing his phone, Brody replied.
I'll get it tomorrow. Thanks.
Turning his phone on silent, Brody rolled over and fell asleep.
The next morning when Brody managed to hobble into the school highway, he automatically wanted to hide in the the Ninja Hideout and stay there for the entire day. When Brody had woken up a few hours before, it was to a sharp pain in his back and the waves of agony lasted a good half hour before the pain receded. Let's just say that the whole episode left him in a sour mood. Also, what made his mood even worse was the fact that Mick had texted him to say that the other rangers failed to show up to their "Make-Up" Training which really pissed Brody off. He was getting fed up at his friends' behavior of skipping their ranger duties just because they wanted to hang with their new friend. Then again, Brody had to place the blame on himself as well. He's the leader. He was responsible for speaking out if something was off.
By the time he had left for school, Brody decided that he was going to confront his friends and kick their asses for being so self-centered. Well... not literally kick sense into them. He was on crutches after all...
Walking into school, Brody saw his friends hanging around the pool table, laughing at something Maya had said. Feeling a spark of anger course through his veins, he hobbled over to the other rangers.
Hayley, who was holding Brody's textbook, saw the red ranger approach them and she smiled, "Hey, Brody, I've got your textbook."
Brody just looked at the book, not really being able to take it from her since he was on crutches. "Thanks, um, can I talk to you guys?"
Calvin frowned, "Sure, what's up?"
Brody glanced at Maya for a split second before adding on, "Alone?"
"Isn't that a little rude?" Maya sounded hurt, but Brody saw in her eyes that she was pissed.
"Sorry, Maya," Brody apologized, even though it pained him to do so. The bitch didn't deserve it. "It'll only be a minute, it's a personal matter."
Sarah caught on to what Brody was trying to say and shot Maya an apologetic look, "Be back in a second, Maya."
Before Maya could say anything else, Brody hauled himself around a corner to a quiet place before he turned around to confront his friends.
"Are you out of your ever-loving minds?" Brody asked, trying to keep his voice calm, but failed.
Hayley's eyes widened, "Whoa, Brody, calm down."
"Calm down?" Brody raised his eyebrows. "Why should I calm down? I have every right to be pissed at you guys right now!"
Levi, not looking amused, demanded, "And what reasons would that be exactly?"
"You seriously don't know?" Brody asked incredulously.
"Know what?" Preston exclaimed.
Brody shook his head in exasperation before stating, "You've been a no-show for your ranger duties this week, and frankly I'm getting tired of it."
Preston shuffled his feet side to side when he said, "We didn't show because we thought that we didn't need any more training. You've already taught us what we need to know in a fight."
"Plus, Maya just moved here," Sarah added. "She needs a friend more than ever right now."
Brody felt himself get red in the face as he got more ticked off, "Just because you've made a new friend, that doesn't mean you can skip trainings because you want to hang out with them instead. You answer your comms when Mick or I call you because of a Basher Bot attack! And you damn well don't blow off a battle because you would rather watch a movie with your new friend!"
Calvin's face paled, "That's what you called us for? We thought it was about training... We didn't answer because we thought you'd make us blow her off. She's really insecure right now, Brody."
"Blow her off?" Brody was surprised. Then he laughed, unamused. "I can't believe this. You know what, I tried to be nice to her and I've been understanding, but enough is enough. News flash, Maya's a jealous girl who tripped me in the hall, gave me this black eye," Brody pointed to the bruise on his face, "And she also threatened to make my life a living hell if I ever spoke to you again!"
"But you're talking to us now," Levi pointed out.
"Because you're being irresponsible! I don't give a damn if she makes my living hell..." Brody began.
"No, you know what? Stop right there," Sarah warned.
"What?" Brody frowned.
"I get it, okay? We've been hanging out with Maya more, but she's new and she needed a friend and we were being good people and helping a person in need. That's what rangers do. We help people. Accusing her of threatening you... you know, just because you're jealous does not mean you have the right to say that to a person." Sarah poked Brody in the chest.
"But I'm not lying..." Brody interjected.
"Certainly sounds like jealousy," Levi crossed his arms.
Brody clenched his fists together and his face turned into a blank mask, "You know, there was a time when you would've believed me in a heartbeat. If you're really that blind, then go on and be blind. You've not only been blowing off your duties all week, but you've treated me like crap and pushed me to the side. And if you think that's jealousy and that I'm not telling the truth, then go ahead and just think about it. I'm done."
"Is that all?" Calvin asked, trying to keep his cool.
Brody gritted his teeth and just nodded.
"Good," Preston turned around, his friends following him. "Good talk, Brody," Preston called over his shoulder before his friends left him alone, feeling like he may have just lost his friends for good.
Brody ended up not going to his classes that day, as petty as it sounded. He went straight to the hideout, feeling dejected and angry all at once. He berated himself for losing his cool, but he felt proud getting it off of his chest. He was tired, cold, and in pain and he was just done with the week. When he entered the hideout, he felt close to passing out, his arms shaking as he propelled himself forward on his crutches.
"Brody?" Mick frowned when he saw the state of his friend. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Considering that I probably just screwed up my friendship, I'm fine," Brody grumbled.
"What?" Mick was surprised. "You told them what they did?"
"Oh, I told them," Brody stated as he sat down on one of the tables. "I also told them that their friend threatened me in the hall and they didn't believe me, Mick. They called me a liar, basically."
"Maya did what?" Mick furrowed his brows in concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Brody sighed. "Just feeling a bit defeated. I feel like they're slipping through my fingers. Even my own brother seems to want nothing to do with me."
"I bet that's not the case," Mick tried to comfort the ranger.
"Then why does it feel like they're choosing Maya over me?" Brody shook his head. "I swore to myself that I wouldn't get jealous, but now I'm being just that. It's just... I don't want to lose them, especially Levi... Dammit, Mick, Aiden's my brother and my only family I got left... I just..." Brody's voice.
"It's okay to be a little selfish, Brody," Mick said. "It's what makes people human. The way you're feeling is completely reasonable. You're confused, hurt, and they're not being good friends right now. It's nothing you did, Brody, this is on them. It's their actions and the consequences that their not thinking about. They'll come around, Brody, that I'm sure of. Even if takes awhile, they'll come around, but you've got to decide if those are the kind of friends you want."
"I just wish that there was someway to show them those consequences," Brody ran a hand down his face as he fought down emotions.
"Didn't you tell them what happened when they ignored the comm call?" Mick asked.
Brody shook his head. "Didn't really get around to it before they snapped back." Brody yawned, "God, I don't feel good."
"You are looking pale," Mick noted. "Maybe it's best if you go home and get some rest."
"Yeah, maybe," Brody agreed, getting up from the table and settling himself on the crutches once more, but the room began to spin. "Or maybe I should stay here."
"Whoa, Brody," Mick caught his friend's arm before he collapsed. However, that's when the alarms went off to signal a monster attack.
Brody groaned, "Can I ever catch a break?"
Mick walked over to the computer and said, "A Buzzcam spotted heading towards Town Square."
Brody tossed his crutches to the side and started to walk towards the door. "I'm on it."
"Brody, wait," Mick caught his arms. "Maybe you should sit this one out, I can call the others and have them deal with it."
Brody shook his head, "They won't answer. I have a duty to the people on Earth. I swore to protect this world at all cost. Even if I have to go solo, I'm there, injured or not."
Mick looked hesitant, but nodded. "Be careful."
Brody shot his friend a sad smile, "I'll try." With that all said and done, Brody started to run off, summoning his Mega Morph cycle and made his way towards the battlefield. And if he was in pain... well... he wouldn't admit it out loud.
When Brody got to Town Square, it was eerily quiet. Like, Ghost Town quiet. The whole placed was deserted and Brody felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he dismounted the Cycle and looked around. Something was definitely not right.
Also, Brody felt out of it, which worried him the most. Maybe Mick was right in saying that he should've stayed behind this time. He had to admit that he didn't exactly feel like he was in any shape to fight. He was healing from slice wounds in his back that almost killed him, his ankle still wasn't fully healed and he was limping which limited his speed, and he also felt like he was coming down with a fever. Not a good combination when getting ready to fight a monster.
In fact, he was so out of it that he didn't notice someone swinging around the corner and kicking him in the chest, causing him to topple over onto his back, causing he vision to blur out for a moment before it came back into focus. When Brody got his bearings, he saw Maya standing above him.
"Told you I'd make your life a living hell," Maya smirked a dangerous smirk.
"Maya?" Brody was confused.
"Yeah, you see, that's not my true name," Maya mused before she morphed into her true form. Her true form looked like a horror-movie version of Frankenstein's bride mixed with a banshee. "They call me Trickstar! I tricked you, didn't I?"
Brody tried to scramble to his feet, but a blade came down to point at his throat.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," Trickstar warned.
"So you were always part of Galvanax's group?" Brody tried to make conversation as he discreetly reached for his ninja star. "Seems like a lot of work to push everyone away just to get your prize."
Trickstar laughed, "Oh, but it was so much fun to see your friends turn against you! Little do they know that I interfered with all of their duties! They think that you pushed them away and that you were jealous, and oh it was such a delight to watch you fight like a pack of dogs!"
Brody felt anger course through his veins, "You almost got me killed!"
"Hello... Monster," Trickstar drawled out. "And you should've already been dead! But you just don't know when to quit! And for that, I'm gonna finish the job myself. Right here, right now!"
"Think again," Brody smirked, kicking out and hitting Trickstar in the chest, causing the monster to go stumbling backwards. "It's Morphin' Time!" Brody shouted as he spun his Ninja Star and felt power course through his veins as he morphed into the Red Ranger. As soon as he morphed, Brody had a split second to flip backwards as Trickstar slashed her blade towards Brody. Brody dodged all of the monster's attacks, feeling his energy drain more and more as he felt his back begin to soak with a warm, sticky substance. Brody knew it was blood. He must've pulled the stitches when he fell. It was then that he knew that he was going to lose the battle.
As his vision began to blur, Brody heard Trickstar say, "Goodnight, Red Ranger."
Then there was a muffled shout of a human voice as Brody collapsed to the ground and fell into darkness.
"How could... been... stupid..." A muffled voice breached Brody's subconscious as he found himself trapped just below the surface of consciousness.
"Should've known..." Another voice sighed.
"... So pale..." Another voice.
"Brody?" The voice beside him was the clearest. It sounded guilty and it sounded hurt. Brody struggled as he wanted nothing more than to soothe their worries. "Come on, dude... please don't leave me too."
That was all the Brody heard before he slipped under once more.
When Brody came around the second time, he was totally out of it. He felt a cold wash cloth being gently dabbed onto his forehead. Opening his eyes, Brody groaned and asked, "Aiden?"
He felt someone squeeze his shoulder gently. "I'm right here, Brody."
"Is Dad here?" Brody wondered, his voice slurred from the fever.
He heard someone sigh before saying, "Yeah, Brody, he's right here with us. Just get some more sleep."
Brody didn't argue, just surrendered his hold on consciousness once more.
The third time he came around, his head felt less fuzzy and he was aware of a sore ache on his back and he felt bone tired.
What happened? Brody wondered as he tried to remember what had occurred before he woke up. Where am I?
That's when the memories came flooding back all at once. The fight... Was he alive?
Opening his eyes, Brody found himself lying on his stomach on one of the tables in the hideout. His back was wrapped in a bandage and there was a brace on his ankle. The other thing that Brody had registered was that there wasn't anyone else in the room at the moment.
Great, I'm dead, Brody thought and suddenly felt a wave of sadness wash over him. If he was dead that meant that he would never see his friends or Mick or Redbot again... Would his friends even notice? Would his brother miss him?
I never got to say goodbye, Brody regretted. Getting up from the table, the red ranger let out a pained groan as his back gave a sharp twinge of pain. Was even possible to feel pain in the afterlife? When Brody went ahead to stand up from the table, he almost collapsed as his ankle gave out from under him. Grabbing the edge of the table, he managed to steady himself before limping towards the hideout's exit. As soon as he got out of the exit, he almost collapsed once more and he clutched the wall in support.
"Brody!" Someone cried out in alarm and suddenly there were two pairs of hands on his shoulders to support his weight.
Brody blinked, clearing his vision and looked to see who his saviors were.
"Preston?" Brody asked, his voice croaky. "Calvin?"
"What are you doing up?" Calvin gently chastised his friend. "You should be resting."
"Am I dead?" Brody groaned as his two friends began to guide him back into the hideout.
"Thank god no," Preston replied, relief in his voice. "No, you're alive, Brody. You're gonna be okay."
Brody didn't know why, but those words caused a wave of relief to wash over him and suddenly there were tears in his eyes. When Brody finally was able to sit back down on the table, Calvin clapped him on the shoulder.
"It's damn good to see you, dude," Calvin genuinely stated.
"What happened?" Brody asked.
"Well, we were actually on our way here when Mick called us," Preston began. "Said there was a Buzzcam spotting and that you were on your way to it already. So we went to go back you up."
"When we got there, that monster struck you and you just collapsed," Calvin crossed his arms, looking rather shaken. "You demorphed before you hit the ground and your shirt was drenched in blood..." His voice broke.
"Brody we owe you an apology," Preston looked at the ground in shame. "We didn't realize the consequences of ignoring Mick's call had on you... And we almost lost you as a result... You had every right to be upset. We screwed up this time."
"What are you talking about?" Brody frowned. "You almost lost me? How?"
"Your back," Mick spoke up as he entered the room. "I knew that your immune system was going to be weakened with all the blood you had lost. I just never thought that you would manage to somehow get your wounds infected. Fighting and pulling all of your stitches didn't help one bit."
Brody paled before looking at his friends, "Guys, it's not what you think..."
"What? That it was our fault?" Preston shot his friend a pained look. "But it was..."
"No, it wasn't your fault," Brody cut them off. "Trickstar told me that she deceived you. She manipulated you in a way that you behaved in a way that I know you would never have behaved otherwise. She got us all. You guys came through in the end, that's all that matters."
"But we almost lost you in the process," Calvin was trying to make his friend see the point.
"But you didn't. I'm still here," Brody reassured them. "We'll get through this."
Calvin and Preston, still looking guilty, nodded in agreement.
Brody was sitting on the table, eating some soup that Calvin had brought him, when Levi walked into the hideout. Brody hadn't noticed his brother's presence until he heard a sharp intake of breath.
Looking up from his soup, Brody set the bowl aside and he began to say, "Levi..."
He didn't get a chance to finish what he was saying because his brother had already walked up to him and gathered Brody in his arms, pulling him into a hug. Brody could feel himself vibrating from the shaking of his brother's body. It wasn't until he felt something wet run down his neck that he realized that Levi was crying.
"Hey, I'm okay," Brody returned the embrace and rubbed soothing circles in his brother's upper back.
It took a good five minutes for Levi to calm down and his brother pulled away, eyes swollen from the tears and a relieved smile on his face. "You have no idea how good it is to see you awake right now."
"Alive and well," Brody shot a reassuring grin at his brother, trying to lighten the mood.
"Why didn't anyone call me?" Levi asked. "When did you wake up?"
"About an hour ago, calling didn't really cross my mind," Brody scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Levi."
Levi shook his head, "We should be the ones apologizing to you, Brody..."
Brody groaned, "Oh come on, I just had this conversation with Calvin and Preston. I don't blame you and it wasn't your fault, Levi. You have to see that."
Levi looked guilty as he sat on the table beside his brother. "But we ignored you and we weren't just crappy teammates, Brody. We were pretty crappy friends too."
"It was all Trickstar," Brody reassured him. "She had you under some sort of influence."
"But the way we snapped on you when you were confronting us... that wasn't okay in the slightest. You were right, we should've believed you because you've never lied to us about things like this in the past. We broke your trust by stepping away. We broke your trust by abandoning you to fight by yourself." Levi scolded himself. His hands were shaking and he clenched them into fits as he rested them on his lap. "When we got to that battle with Trickstar and you just collapsed, I thought you were dead."
"But I didn't, Levi," Brody replied. "I'm right here."
"But you looked dead, Brody. You were pale and you were practically lying in a pool of your own blood. And I can't get that image out of my head." Levi shook his head. "I should've known something was wrong, but I didn't. I just shoved you to the side. But seeing you like that... it scared the crap out of me, Brody. I thought I was going to lose you too. And I couldn't cope with that."
"Aiden..." Brody sighed, using his brother's real name. He scooted over so that he could wrap an arm around his brother's back. "I'm going to tell you this one time and you better listen to me, okay? I don't blame any of you, and I sure as hell don't blame you. And I know you may think I'm just saying that to take away your guilt, but I honestly don't blame you for anything. Trickstar is the one I blame, she set up all of this. You guys came in the end, and for me, that's all that matters."
"We good?" Levi asked, his voice quiet, as if he was scared for his brother's answer.
"We're good, bro," Brody chuckled as he hugged his brother once more.
Levi hugged him back in a death grip, as if he was still afraid that Brody would slip away and his family would be gone forever. It might take some time, but Brody knew they'd be okay. He still had his brother and friends by his side and that was more than anything Brody could wish for. For the first time in a while, Brody felt at home.
Wow 10k words... that actually surprised me. Anyways, I know in my last Power Rangers fic, I said it was dedication to my cousin for her birthday... well... I was inspired to write another one.
I love Brody and Levi's relationship in the show and I was so sad that they didn't have a lot of "brotherly" moments in Super Ninja Steel. So I figured why not write some Hurt! Brody and incorporate a bro moment. I hope you guys enjoyed the fic, I most certainly loved writing it. Prepare to see some more Power Rangers stories in the future.
Was it good? Was it bad? Feel free to let me know!