A/N: The first in a two part songfic series. This chapter is mostly from Bridge's point of view. Chapter two will be uplated later and it's from Sky's point of view. It'll pick up where this chapter leaves off. Love to A Spot of Bother for betaing
She's going out to forget they were together
all that time he was taking her for granted
she wants to see if there's more
than he gave she's looking for
Bridge bit back a sob, the metallic taste of his blood helping to ground him. 'Stop looking, Moron!' That's what his brain screamed at him but apparently his eyes were rebelling because they remained locked on his worst nightmare. Sky and Syd. Syd and Sky. Bridge wanted to throw up. Maybe on the happy couple. 'I should be over this by now,' he reasoned. 'It's been almost a month.' The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, and as his stomach heaved, the green ranger swallowed the bile back down. He hadn't meant to fall for the blue ranger, but he had and he had fallen hard.
Bridge stood, excusing himself from the Commons Room. He needed to get out of here. Was it ironic that the place that had once proven to be his only safe haven was now becoming his prison?
The sun was setting over NewTech, and the temperature was cooling off. Still, even with the crisp breeze blowing, Bridge felt lethargic. His head was fuzzy, he was stumbling and his vision was blurring. Tripping into a side alley, the green ranger leaned heavily against the brick wall. Trying to even out his breathing, a hysterical mix of sobs and laughter tore from his throat. 'All those years, all those battles, we finally defeat Gruum, and you're going to die in a dingy alley. They'll probably think you're drunk.' Sliding down to sit on the concrete, Bridge felt his stomach heave again, and this time he didn't even bother with trying to hold it down. Moving away from the mess he had made, Bridge tried to stand, but his legs refused to support him. Curling into a ball to try and keep the cold at bay, Bridge did the only thing he could think of. He called Sky on the morpher.
He calls her up
He's trippin on the phone now
He doesn't want her out there
And alone now
He knows she's movin it
Knows she's using it
Now he's losing it
She don't care
"Sky…"
"Bridge? Bridge where the hell are you?!" The worried voice of Sky brought some peace to the emotionally tormented green ranger.
"I don't know. Sky, I don't feel so good." Back at the academy, Sky paced the floor of their shared room.
"Where'd you go?" Bridge curled up tighter. His stomach felt like it was trying to burst into flames, a stark contrast to the numbness that the air was causing.
"I'm in the city."
"Where, Bridge? Where in the city?" Sky was trying not to yell. He could tell just by Bridge's voice that something was wrong, but unless the younger ranger was more specific, Sky could do nothing to help him.
"I don't know!" Bridge was near tears. He just wanted the pain to stop, and Sky's voice had been helping him calm down, until the frustration had crept into his voice. Bridge really didn't want the blue ranger to be upset with him. "I walked straight out of the academy. I don't think I took any turns, until I stumbled into the side alley. Sky?" Bridge stared at his morpher. The other ranger had hung up on him.
Bridge rolled, facing the brick wall as he let the tears roll freely down his face. Was Sky even going to look for him? Or was the older ranger so mad that he'd just wait for Bridge to show up on his own? 'He'll be waiting for a while,' he thought darkly. But the numbness was setting in again, and Bridge willingly let it lead him into darkness.
Everybody put up your hands
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Feel the beat now
If you've got nothing left
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Back it up now
You've got a reason to live
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Feelin' good now
Don't be afraid to get down
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
As Bridge woke up, the first thing he noticed was the harsh fluorescent lights. 'That's a far cry from the brick wall I fell asleep facing.' Sitting up, he grimaced at the tube sticking in his arm. 'Doctor's office.' As if reading his thoughts Kat came through the door.
"Ah, Bridge, I'm glad to see you're finally awake." Bridge stared at her in confusion, his brain taking longer to process her words than he would have liked. Kat was patient, reading over his chart and checking his vitals.
"What do you mean 'finally'?" He blinked blearily, trying to keep her in focus.
"You've been out for a couple of days now. You need to be careful, Bridge. With your kind of power, stress does not bode well."
"I'm not stressed," he snapped. Kat's pitying gaze told him he could protest all he wanted – symptoms didn't lie.
"Then what's giving you ulcers?" Bridge bit his lip, studiously gazing at the floor. But luck seemed to be on his side as the source of his problems barreled through the door.
"Bridge! You're okay!" Bridge blamed the increase of the heart monitor on the fact that Sky had scared the crap out of him.
He was always giving her attention
looking hard to find the things she mentioned
He was dedicated
but most suckers hate it
that girl was fine
but she didn't appreciate him
Bridge stretched, happy to be back in their shared room. Flopping onto the bed, he snuggled in, trying to ignore the look that Sky was attempting to pin him with. But curiosity won out.
"All right, I'll bite. What?" Sky shook his head and Bridge instantly knew that he'd regret asking that question. He wasn't ready for a serious heart to heart talk. He was pretty sure it would wind up being a heart to fist talk.
"Kat said that you're stressing over something." Bridge carefully kept his face blank, staring straight back at Sky. "What's got you so stressed that you have ulcers?" The worry evident on Sky's face melted the green ranger, but only a little. He knew that if he told Sky the truth then the worry would be replaced with disgust.
"It's nothing, and Kat shouldn't have told you. Forget it."
"Forget it? Bridge, how am I supposed to forget that my best friend is sick for some reason that he won't tell me about?" The younger ranger bit his lip. Could he think of a plausible excuse to satisfy the other boy? No, Sky could always see right through his lies anyway. Bridge stayed silent. "You really aren't going to tell me?" The disbelief was evident in Sky's voice, and it had every right to be placed there. Bridge had never kept any secrets from Sky. Not until now. "Fine." Hurt had replaced the disbelief. "I have a date with Syd."
The older ranger stood and walked to his dresser. Rifling around in the drawer he quickly grabbed the tickets to the light ball competition that Bridge had given to him for his birthday. Bridge blinked back the tears of hurt and anger. It was bad enough that Sky couldn't be bothered to ask Bridge if he wanted to come, but now he knew who Sky was going with and that hurt even more than being overlooked.
"Fine," he spat. "Have fun." He hadn't meant for so much emotion to be in his voice, but it was clear that he had failed in veiling his emotions. Sky stared at him with something akin to shock, but Bridge pushed past him. He needed to get out.
She calls him up
She's tripping on the phone now
He had to get up
And he ain't comin home now
He's tryin to forget her
That's how we come with him
When he first met her
When they first got together
Bridge hadn't meant to escape (flee) from the academy, but he found himself running through the streets of NewTech once again. The green ranger had always considered himself a pretty laid back type of guy, but it seemed like the blue ranger just insisted on getting under his skin.
Pausing to catch his breath, he could feel the tears finally falling. Pushing himself off the wall, Bridge continued walking, making sure his path was more difficult to follow than last time. He wasn't sure whether or not Sky would follow him, but if he did there was no way that Bridge would make it easy for him. If he admitted it to himself, this running and pursuit was getting old and it was wearing his nerves thin.
And speaking of nerves, just how long had his morpher been beeping at him? Against his better judgment, he answered.
"Bridge, what is going on with you?" Sky's voice shouted at him and Bridge could feel his anger building once again.
"Sky, why don't you mind your own business?!" Bridge could practically see Sky gritting his teeth in annoyance.
"The health of this team is my business."
"Until this affects the way the team functions in battle, no it isn't."
"Bridge –"
"Save it for someone who wants your input." Bridge knew he was being harsh, but at this point he didn't care. Something inside of him had snapped, and any regards for the feelings of others had been squashed down by this new emotion. For the first time in his life, his temper had gotten the better of him.
Everybody put up your hands
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Feel the beat now
If you got nothing left
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Back it up now
You got a reason to live
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Feelin' good now
Don't be afraid to get down
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
To the beat, to the beat, to the beat
You got nothing to lose
Don't be afraid to get down
Bridge could hear the background chatter, but the words weren't registering. Sky was trying to talk to him, but all Bridge could hear was the thrumming of blood rushing through his veins. His stomach felt like it was on fire again, and a throbbing headache was building behind his eyes.
'Is this what anger feels like?' he thought. 'Or is it heartache?' He was distracted; he was supposed to be doing something. Someone was talking to him, but no one was around and how did he get here anyway?
Bridge squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. He and Sky had fought and he left, but that didn't explain why he was hearing voices. He leaned a forearm against the wall, resting his forehead on his arm. 'Is this what love does to people?'
We break up
It's something that we do now
Everyone has got to do it sometime
It's okay, let it go
Get out there and find someone
"Bridge, dammit, answer me!" The voice shouted right into his ear, startling the green ranger. 'The morpher, Sky called you on it, idiot.'
"What, Sky?"
"Were you listening at all? I said to get back here, what happens if you pass out again?" Bridge bit his lip, hard.
"Sky," he hissed, tongue flicking out to stop the bleeding, "for once in your life, leave me alone." The silence that pervaded convinced Bridge that Sky had finally hung up. So it was no surprise when Bridge jumped at hearing his voice again.
"Fine, you can talk to Cruger." Bridge mentally cursed himself. How could he forget about Cruger?
It's too late to be trippin' on the phone here
Get off the wire
You know everything is good here
Stop what you're doin'
You don't wanna ruin
The chance that you got to
find a new one
"No. I'm quitting, Sky. Someone can come pick up the morpher, and I don't need the clothes so just toss them or whatever –"
"Bridge, will you please come back and talk about this? Why are you quitting? Did I do something?" Bridge paused at the panic in Sky's voice, but steeled himself. He wouldn't be swayed by regrets. 'Probably worried that Cruger will be mad at him,' he thought bitterly.
"Good-bye, Schuyler." Bridge shut his morpher before dropping it. Heading out of the alley way, he tried to pinpoint exactly where he was in the city before heading to the nearest payphone. He needed to make one more call.
Everybody put up your hands
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Feel the beat now
If you got nothing left
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Back it up now
You got a reason to live
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
Feelin' good now
Don't be afraid to get down
Say I don't wanna be in love
I don't wanna be in love
"So why exactly did you quit?" Bridge shrugged. He really didn't want to explain how he had fallen in love with his teammate. "Yeah, that's not an answer, Bridgey."
"How far from the house are we?" A laugh was the only response he got for awhile.
"Seriously, Bridge, why'd you quit?" The former green ranger balled his fists, reflexively trying to control his newfound anger. "You weren't kidding when you said everything was making you mad." Bridge glanced apologetically at his cousin. "But that's not going to get you out of answering my question. Why are you quitting SPD?"
"I fell in love, Tina." His cousin glanced at him, clearly wanting him to elaborate. "I fell in love with Sky, who is now dating Syd. And let's just say it's causing a lot of problems."
"Being in love tends to cause a lot of problems, Bridgey." Bridge sighed, staring out the window of the car.
"That's the problem, Tina. I don't want to be in love."
Nooo... Noooo
Now you know what to do, so come on feelin' good
Aren't I just the worst for making Bridge suffer? More reviews make for faster updates.