A/N: Hello everyone! This is my new fanfic titled Marry Me, inspired by the song Marry Me by Thomas Rett. (Isn't he tiny and adorable?!) This will be longer than the one shots I have been writing and I hope everyone enjoys it. I just wanted to ask you guys to be kind when it comes to my grammar and spelling. My laptop is older and the area of the S,D,A,E buttons sticks which turns my 'she's' to 'he's' more than I like. And I'm also not perfect. Another thing is that I'm just going to shamelessly add that I've published a few books if anyone would be interested in reading them.
Anyways, thanks for stopping by. As always, I do not own the Power Rangers or any of the songs mentioned in this piece.
Enjoy!
Marry Me
A Power Ranger Fanfic
"Kimberly Hart, please report to the front office." The monotone voice said on the loud speaker above my head. The tone vibrated throughout the aisles of the Stop-N-Go grocery store, the customers not paying any attention to the voice. They continued on with their day, grabbing things off the shelves and placing them in their carts and baskets as they went on with their lives. Sighing, I stood up from my place on the floor where I had been shelfing tuna fish for the last fifteen minutes. When I stood, my knee grazed a stack of them which sent them rolling everywhere. Grumbling under my breath, I scooped them up and tossed them back into the box. I would get to them when I came back from whatever stupidity this was.
Walking towards the front of the store from the back end of aisle 8, I thought about how I ended up here. Not two years ago, I was one of the leading gymnasts in the country. People were cheering for me and calling out my name every time I graced the matt. Now, I was stuck in a dirty red apron that at least a dozen other teenagers before me had worn. I walked past customers and the kids I work with, some of them giving me a sideways glance as I passed. I knew what they thought of me. I wasn't an idiot. And the stoner kid that worked in the freezer section had told me the gossip about me. How I had blown every chance I ever had at a career because of my own stupidity. If they only knew what I was doing when I was their age. I'm sure they would shut their zit covered faces. But that couldn't happen now, could it?
Working here wasn't all that bad I suppose. It's a steady job, decent pay and I get some benefits. The people I work with are mostly teenagers, but they aren't all that bad. And there are a couple more people who work here that are closer to my age. We tend to stick together, hoping to override the teens someday. The kids for the most part are the typical too dumb for their own good teenagers. There's a handful of them that are good eggs. They reminded me of my friends from when I was that age. I really hoped that they wouldn't be working here when they get to my age. Not that I'm fifty or anything. I just turned 21 this past February. But being around teenagers all day makes you feel like you're ninety sometimes.
Skirting through an empty line between two closed registers, I headed for the front end where the dark brown wooden door was closed. Management was printed on the front of it along with the schedule for the week and who to call if there was an issue. I rolled my eyes at the name Mark Anderson that was scribbled on there for the manager of the week. That snot nosed kid was nothing but a jerk. I sized myself before knocking because I knew I would be finding him behind the door.
"Come in." A nasally voice said behind the wood. I turned the brass knob and opened the door, revealing Mark. He was a kid that was too skinny for his own good and enough red hair to make it look like he had fire piled on top of his head. His typical attire of a short-sleeved button up and a tie too big for him greeted me as well as his annoyed expression. He looked at me like I had interrupted him doing something important on the dinosaur computer in front of him. "Yes, Kimberly?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"You paged me, Mark." I replied, trying my best to not sound irritated. It was hard not to be around this kid. I hated the fact he was my 'boss' now. He had been one of the bagger kids until he was promoted by the owner a few weeks ago. The owner just happened to be his stepfather. He couldn't be bothered to come to the store as much to manage the employees, so he hired his teenaged son to do it instead. I guess Mark wasn't that bad of a kid in retrospect, but he let the promotion go right to his head. He's fired three stockers already, leaving us all shorthanded and he walks around here like he has the power of God in his hands. Mark also thinks that he's God's gift to the girls that work here. That didn't start until he was promoted. Before, he barely had the nerve to look at a girl, let alone approach one. Once he became manager, he instantly thought he would become a hot commodity in our little store. He asked out all the girls his age and each of them turned him down. After that, he started on the older girls, including me. He said he really liked my brown hair and how it reached my "most valuable asset."
"Right. Right. Shut the door and have a seat." He motioned to the chair across the desk from him. I ignored his request to shut the door and sat down, keeping it open a crack so I could still hear the bustle of the front end of the store. I didn't trust this weasel as far as I could throw him.
"What's up?" I asked.
"You were late this morning. Again. We've talked about this, Kimmie." He said, leaning back in his chair. He made my skin crawl when he called me that.
"I was here on time. I was helping Carlos round up carts in the parking lot before I made it into the break room to clock in." I replied. "I was going to tell you before I went on break today."
"You need to get here on time. This is the third time I've talked to you about this since I became manager. I know you say you were here helping others but how do I know if that's true?"
"You check the security cameras that are in the parking lot." He shrugged his shoulders, leaning forward on his desk.
"It would just be easier for me if you came in on time and did your work. I've been watching. You've been stocking slower than usual." He looked at me like he was trying to explain a math problem to a monkey. I could feel the anger bubbling in my chest, but I pushed it down. I couldn't let him get to me today. Rent was due in three days and I needed every penny of my paycheck to make sure I have it all or else I would be out on my ass.
"Because I've been covering my inventory and helping with the others since you fired them." I said through gritted teeth. This kid was out of his mind sometimes. He could use a good ass beating but I knew it wouldn't be the best idea. "I'll pick up my pace and work longer if you need me to." I offered but he shook his head before the words were even fully out of my mouth. I should have known.
"Oh no. I can't pay you overtime. I've told everyone that already. You already knew that you would be covering more until we can hire someone else. It's nothing but excuses with you, Kimmie. And your attitude isn't the best. What am I going to do with you?"
"It's Kimberly." I retorted, unable to stop myself. I wished with every part of me that I could tell this little pervy creep where to shove his concerns, but I didn't.
"Right. Right." Standing up, he walked around the corner of the desk and stopped by the door. The office was small and cramped so he had to bump into the back of my chair to do so. I heard him pull it shut behind be before walking over to the corner of the desk. He leaned on the edge of it and loosened his tie with his right hand. "Kimberly, you really don't leave me with a lot of choices. I like you. I really do. And you've been here for about a year now and you're usually a good worker. I just can't keep someone who isn't willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Unless…we could work something out."
"What do you mean?" I asked, the hairs on the back of my neck starting to stand on end. Mark move forward and set his hands on my knees. I froze, my eyes darting up to look at him. Licking his lips, he moved to slide his hand further up my thigh. I didn't know where he thought his hand would end up, but I knew where it wasn't going. My instincts went into effect and I felt myself grab his wrist. Before I knew it, I was pinning him face first against his desk. He squealed out in pain, his arm twisted behind him and his wrist bent at the wrong angle. I had barely felt myself move, the adrenaline coursing through me as my heart pounded in my ears.
"Stop! Stop! I'm sorry!" He cried out, tears brimming his eyes. I put an ounce more pressure and he squealed harder. "I'm sorry, Kimberly!" I let go of him, shoving him towards the space behind the desk. He cowered there, cradling his wrist against his chest. He looked at me with wide eyes as if he had been mauled by a lion. I shoved the chair I had been sitting in to the side, knocking things over as I did.
"Don't you dare think that is acceptable to do to someone! You're nothing but a kid yourself and you think you are going to sexually assault me?!" I exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "If you do that to one of the girls here, you'll end up in jail and listed as a sex offender for the rest of your life. You're lucky I don't run off and tell the police right now what you did, you disgusting weasel." I couldn't stop myself. Everything I was feeling inside was bubbling out as I lashed into him. Grabbing my vest, I pulled it off and flung it at him. "Don't worry about my job performance. I quit. I'm sure I can find another crappy job here in Palm Bay." Grabbing the door knob, I pulled the door open and stormed out of the office. He scurried behind me though as I headed towards the exit.
"I sure hope so because you're fired! I'll make sure you never work in this town again!" His creepy little voice called out after me. I flipped him the bird without looking back as I stormed out of the automatic doors.