Chicken Soup for The Soul
I just started watching the Megaforce series and I really like the chemistry between the characters so I decided to start writing power ranger fanfics again.
" Troy?"
" Present."
" Noah?"
" Here, Mr. Burley"
" Jake?"
" You bet I am here"
" Emma?"
" Here….."
" and Gia?"
" He…..Ahhhhchoo!" Gia Moran sneezed which sent her rocking back and forth between her seat. The usually mesmerizing blonde teenager was sporting a red nose and watery eyes accompanied by a big wad of tissue paper covering her nostrils.
" Gia, are you alright? You seem a bit flushed today," inquired Mr. Burley as he made a beckoning gesture to her but she shook her head and forced a smile.
" I'm fine, thanks for asking. I don't a think a little cold can stop me from taking this quiz or even make me stay at home. I'm sure it is just a little flu bug or maybe even hay fever," Gia smiled at her teacher.
" Beautiful and tough. Noah, isn't she perfect as a ranger and a high school student. Her persistence and hard will compliments her exquisite looks very nicely," sighed Jake as he gazed dreamily at his crush from the other side of the classroom.
" Hay fever? Really? She hasn't been near any hay and by the look of that pale face and bloodshot eyes, she must be running a high temperature and those watering eyes aren't fooling anybody," Noah said shaking his head at Gia who was trying her best to remain her calm and cool self.
" Gia, you seem really, really ill. How about I take you to the school nurse and get you home to a nice glass of milk and your warm and toasty bed?" Emma smiled at her best friend but Gia shook her head.
" Emma, I appreciate your concern but I think its just a little common cold which will disappear from my body and into another poor soul's one in twenty-four hours," Gia reassured her but Emma looked unconvinced at her.
Troy didn't say anything from behind the classroom but even the red Megaforce ranger knew that Gia was feeling under the weather and she should be at home getting some rest and not in a classroom where she was liable to contract more illnesses.
" If everything is settled, I will now distribute the quiz papers and I expect you to hand them up before recess," Mr. Burley said and started distributing the mathematics quiz papers.
" I think I can beat Gia this time. I doubt that she will be able to calculate the definite integral of these functions with a stuffed nose," said Noah snickering but Jake was glancing at the yellow ranger.
Gia smiled at Emma and began her quiz, coughing throughout the paper.
" This should be easy. Calculus and algebra are my two favorite topics in mathematics. The integration of the inverse function? …." Gia's head began to spin as she mentally calculated the answer and she closed her eyes to take a break.
" This cold is really, really bugging me. I studied all night for the quiz and I get some common cold the next day? Life is really unfair. No, I'm not going to let some little sniffling spoilt it," she thought angrily and she continued her quiz.
Emma bit her lip as she saw how pale and ill Gia looked with each passing minute. Emma contemplated whether to take her to the nurse during the test but Gia would be mad at her.
Gia's eyelids were feeling as heavy as lead and she was feeling nauseous. She finished her last question and fell asleep on the table, he cold giving her a soul-numbing lassitude.
Troy raised his hand and Mr. burley raised his eyebrow. " Yes Troy?"
" Mr. Burley, I'm afraid Gia is really ill and needs to be sent home. I'll be glad to take her to the school nurse as I have already finished my quiz," Troy offered and Emma shot him a smile of appreciation from in front.
Suddenly Jake stood up from his seat and straightened his jacket. " No, I'll take Gia to the nurse. Besides, I'm not feeling very well myself today so I don't think you would want to catch Gia's germs, Troy. Trust me," Jake said and Troy looked knowingly at him and nodded his head.
" Really Jake? You really want to pull a fast one on her when she is down for the count with the flu?" Noah scolded him and Jake looked shocked.
" Noah, I really, really want to show Gia that I care for her a lot. This is not a matter about impressing her or anybody else. It is a matter of showing how much I care about her," Jake said solemnly.
Jake walked over to the sleeping ranger and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She stirred and batted his hand away, much to the amusement of Noah and Emma.
" Gia, it's Jake. Wake up, we're going for an early recess because we are the first two to finish the quiz," whispered Jake and Gia just grunted in response.
" Really Jake? That's the best hoodwink you can come up with? I may be sick but I'm not that sick," she laughed and Jake looked sheepishly at Emma who giggled and prodded Gia.
" Gia, come on. It's for your own good. Besides, your forehead feels really hot," said Emma worriedly as she placed her palm on the blonde's forehead.
" To sum it up, you're burning up," Jake winked and Troy tried not to smile as Gia gave him a weary look and got up. " Fine, I'll go the nurse. Just stop with the cheesy pick-up lines," she groaned and Emma gave the black ranger the thumbs up sign.
Jake placed her arm around his shoulder as she leaned on him for support as they walked through the hallway and into the nurse's office.
" You know Jake, I don't think you're really sick at all," Gia smirked at him and Jake grinned sheepishly at her.
" I am sick," he said as an image of Noah popped up in his head and groaned " Yeah, you're sick alright. Lovesick that is.".
" Damn it Noah, since when did you even start bursting my imaginary bubbles," he groaned and Gia looked expectantly at him.
" I have a little bit of cough if you don't mind. I was hoping the nurse had a few lozenges to spare me," Jake replied but Gia just straightened her long golden blonde hair and rolled her eyes.
" Well, I was worried for you and if someone had to take you the nurse, it better be someone who isn't afraid of catching your germs. I'm that someone," Jake said and for a moment, Gia looked touched but she quickly gave a small cough.
" On a scale of one to ten on the cheesy and cliché scale, you're an eleven. Jake, you're a really sweet guy and I appreciate you helping me," Gia said earnestly. Jake beamed and squeezed her hand.
" Awesome. I am actually hugging and holding the girl of my dream's hand," Jake thought excitedly as they approached the nurse's office.
" Do you want me to follow you inside to make sure you're okay?" Jake offered but she just flashed him one of her signature smiles that made every guy go weak at the knees. " Thanks Jake, but I think I can handle a nurse if I fight monsters on a daily basis."
Jake smiled as he watched enter the office. He waited for ten minutes before she came out of the office. " What did the nurse say?"
Gia shrugged. " Normal stuff like thirty eight centigrade fever, stuffed nose, cough….." Jake really looked shocked at her and she stopped.
" Gia!? Thirty-eight centigrade? That's high and you should go home now," Jake said urgently but Gia folded her arms and cocked her head to one side.
" I know that's high but I don't really feel that sick or weak," she said before letting out another chesty cough. Jake rushed to her and helped her walk back to class.
" Mr. Burley, Gia and I aren't feeling to well so the nurse advised us to go home early and get some rest," Jake said as he got his bag while Emma helped Gia pack her stuff.
" Jake, I don't think the nurse said that about you," Noah grumbled but Jake just patted him on the back and ushered the sick ranger out of the classroom.
" Gia, I know that I can be a goofball sometimes but I'm worried about you too. You're a bit too gung-ho and…..
" Tough? I'm not that tough. Jake, I don't know what to say to you. You're one of the most caring guys I've ever met. Are you trying to impress Emma or something?" Gia laughed and Jake looked startled.
" Of course not! I don't even think she likes me," he laughed.
When they reached her house, Mrs. Moran opened the door and quickly ushered the both of them in. "Mr. Burley called and informed me about your condition. Gia, you should quickly go to bed. Young man, are you her boyfriend, you seem to really care about her," she remarked.
The both of them blushed and looked away. " Mom, Jake is just a friend of mine who likes helping people," Gia said as she climbed up the stairs to her bedroom.
" Mrs. Moran ,may I use your kitchen for a while? I want to prepare my special chicken soup for Gia. It's very good for colds and fevers," Jake smiled and Mrs. Moran broke into a wide smile.
" Are you really sure you're not her boyfriend? Of course you may use the kitchen to prepare you chicken soup. I'm sure Gia would appreciate that a lot."
Jake took out a packet of chick to defrost and as he was boiling some water, another image of Noah popped up in his head and folded his arms. " Really Jake, the saying is, a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I don't think it applies for women unless their fat or have an enormous appetite."
" Quit it Noah. I'm not trying to impress her. I just want to try and make her feel better or try my best to help in her recovery. I hate seeing her looking so pale and sick," Jake said.
An hour later, Jake ladled his homemade chicken soup onto a bowl and placed it on a tray with a spoon by the side. He cautiously and slowly went up the stairs and knocked on her room door.
" Gia? It's me Jake. I have a surprise for you," he called and pushed open her room door. She was gently snoring in her bed, her body wrapped by the thick quilts and blankets.
" She has a really cool room," Jake marveled as he saw the posters of Green Day and Aerosmith plastered on the wall. Not the slightest bit fluffy girly stuff I'd expect Emma's room to be chock full off," he shuddered.
" You knocked but I didn't give you permission to enter my room," Gia smiled sleepily from her bed and Jake rushed to her side.
" Gia, I'm so glad you're awake. Guess what, I made you my special homemade chicken soup for colds and fevers," Noah said excitedly and Gia's hazel eyes widened in horror.
" You actually can cook? I'd believe it if it was Troy but you Jake? I'm really surprised and touched. You actually had the gall to ask my mom whether you could use our kitchen to cook?" Gia asked laughing and Jake handed over to bowl to her.
Gia stirred the soup and took a small spoonful of it and blew the steam away before placing it in her mouth. As she swallowed it, she made a faint gagging noise and handed the bowl back to her.
" Jake, it's…uh….it's great. Needs more salt though," Gia gave a half smile but Jake wasn't fooled.
" It's alright. I'm a useless cook anyway. Remind me not to cook for any girl I'm on a date with," he snickered but Gia placed her hand on his shoulder and his heartbeat began to palpitate faster.
" I don't mind if you cook for me though. I've had tons of guys showering me with expensive gifts, chocolates, flowers and other generic cliché supermarket stuff but no one has given me something so personal and homemade," she said softly eyeing the bowl of brown soup by her dresser.
" Really? Yippee, I'm the first," he grinned but his expression returned to his disappointed one. " I always thought you liked cool, rich, handsome and popular guys. Come on Gia, you're the most beautiful girl in school besides Emma. You're smart, funny, brave, talented, and a power ranger. How awesome is that?" he laughed and Gia blushed slight pink.
" Well Jake, looks like you really don't know me at all. I don't really like guys like that. I prefer guys like….hmmm…I don't know, maybe, you?" she smirked and Jake started sweating.
" You don't need to praise me or flatter me Gia. I'm just being a good friend, that's all. Well, I better get going. My mom is expecting me home for lunch soon. I hope you get better soon Gia. The team needs you, I need you" he said holding her hand.
Gia snorted and squeezed his hand. " You really love using those lame pick-up lines on me don't you?"
Jake shrugged. " It was worth a try. I hope the chicken soup wasn't that bad though," he asked but Gia whistled.
As Jake got up to leave her room, she got up from her bed as well. " Wait. I guess the least I could do for you after all that you did for me was give you a little token of my appreciation," Gia smirked and walked up to him.
" You said you didn't mind my germs right?" Gia laughed and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before pushing him out of her bedroom. " Don't get your hopes up. The next time you help me out, you'll be getting a bowl of my homemade pasta," she said before winking at him and closing her door.
Jake stood there stunned and gingerly placed his hand on the spot where her soft and luscious lips pressed against his tanned skin. He was on cloud nine and he pumped his fist into the air and whistled a happy tune all the way down the stairs.
" So Jake, did the chicken soup help her?" Mrs. Moran asked him and he broke into a huge grin.
" Yes, but I think the chicken soup helped me even more today," he said before grabbing his satchel and waving goodbye to her.
A/N I hope you enjoyed this short story. I really like this pairing alongside Emma and Troy. Don't forget to drop in any comments and reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks
