Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs to Saban. I am just playing in his sandbox.
A/N: Initially written for pr_bingo, prompt: Outsider POV. Set during Season 1 of MMPR.
High school was a time of division, where people started grouping off according to their identities in the school's food chain. Jocks, cheerleaders, geeks, and so on. They all had their own cliques. Childhood playmates drifted apart as they became more and more involved with their respective cliques. Yet these five defied all logic and stayed together as a strong group of best friends.
Kimberly Ann Hart was the cheerleader. She was actually a gymnast, but joined the school's cheerleading team when the school's budget had cut the gymnastics team a few years back. Her petite frame and valley-girl looks belied a strong, tenacious personality. Most of her peers liked her simply because of her cheer, ready smile and friendliness. She was possibly the most popular girl in High School – girls wanted to be her and guys wanted to be with her.
Then there was the jock, Jason Lee Scott. A heartbreaker in the making at the age of fourteen with his handsome dark looks and ready smile. He was a dedicated martial artist, already working towards his first degree black belt in karate, with a brown in taekwondo and a yellow in aikido. He had been a quarterback for the school's football team, but made the decision to quit in order to focus on martial arts. He had a very strong sense of right and wrong and would never hesitate to stand up for what is right and was quick to defend the weak. Guys wanted to be him, and girls wanted to be with him.
Sometimes, their peers would look at Kimberly and Jason, and the close friendship that they had, and wonder how in the world they had not ended up together already. Some of the nosier ones had asked them once, but their only response was to exchange mirthful glance, Kim wrinkling her nose and bursting into laughter. They never got an actual answer to that question, to their disappointment.
Others speculated that perhaps Jason was interested in Trini Kwan, the other girl in their tight knit group of friends. After all, Trini was a smart Asian beauty with similar interests to Jason, most notably, martial arts – Trini studied Tai Chi and Shaolin Kungfu. They could often be seen sparring and exchanging pointers of their respective disciplines at the Youth Centre. She was a quiet, yet strong, presence in their group, keeping everyone level headed and together when the more emotional and passionate of their group would rush headlong into situations.
A few had actually went up to Trini and asked her to verify their speculations. She had very politely and diplomatically asked them to mind their own business and thereafter ignored all such questions asked of her.
There was even more speculation about that of course, for everyone loved a good gossip, and teenagers spread gossip faster than wildfire. What about Billy, some would chime in, isn't he really close to Trini?
William Cranston, or Billy as everyone knew him, was the brainiac of the group. He had been the top of his grade for as far as anyone could remember, and would be seen, more often than not, toting one of his latest inventions. Apparently, he even had a space he called a lab at home. Billy was extremely shy and quiet, and had had a lot of trouble with bullies when he was much younger, but with Jason as his best friend, most of those had died off, until Bulk and Skull were the only ones now that picked on him. Most people could not understand what Kimberly had affectionately termed "Billy Speak", which was the use of large words, which Trini had once said was his way of disassociating with people. Of their group, Trini was probably the only one who could understand what he was saying and could often be overheard translating his words into simpler terms for the benefit of the others.
What baffled most was how the cheerleader and jock was best friends with a boy they clearly did not understand more than half the time.
Rounding out their little group was Zack Taylor. Zack and Jason had grown up together as next door neighbours, and were joined at hips as toddlers. They were still best friends, of course, often playing sports or sparring together, but they had slightly different interests now – Zack had turned his attention to dancing and chasing girls. (Actually, it was just one girl in particular at the moment.) He was the clown of the group, always finding a way to keep things light and cheery.
Together, they were an eclectic mix of individuals. Despite their various labels and perceived spots on the high school food chain, they defied it all to remain a group of best friends, facing their peers, and the world, together. People often wonder aloud how they were able to manage it, but the five just shrug and grin, a hint of a secret lurking in the depths of their eyes.