Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this fic, other than Jon Fredsrick. Saban owns 'em all. The song used in this fic is "From the Bottom of my Broken Heart" by Britney Spears. I'm not a fan, I just think the song worked really well here. Anyway, I hope you like the fic!
Lost Love
By: Emily
"Alright, guys and gals. This is a slow song for all the couples out there."
Kimberly Harte turned to Tommy Oliver, a smile crossing her face. She stretched her arm out, and he joined hands with her. Together they walked out onto the dance floor, eyes only on each other. They gazed into each other's eyes, so in love that they were oblivious to the world around them. And to the eyes wistfully watching them.
Jason Scott watched as they began to dance. Even though he was happy his friends had found each other, it hurt to watch them. After all, Tommy hadn't been the only one who had been smitten with Kim. A sad smile crossed Jason's face as he remembered the first time he had seen her.
Even though it had been years since their first meeting, he remembered the first time he saw her as if it were yesterday. They had only been twelve years old, but he had always been mature for his age. He had been at the park, playing basketball with a couple of his friends. He wasn't the best basketball player out of all of them, but he made up for what he was lacking. The score was close, his team only losing by two points. He remembered shooting at the three point line, watching as the ball swirled around the rim before dropping in. He yelled in excitement, turning to his teammates.
That's when he saw her. She and her friends were sitting at a park bench, sending smiles their way. He stood their for a moment, his eyes focused completely on her. Her light brown hair was just above her shoulders, the light reflecting off of it. Even then she had favored pink, for she had been wearing a light pink tank top with blue jean shorts. She smiled at him, and their eyes locked. She turned back to her friends, and soon all three girls were headed towards him.
Jason closed his eyes, the memory coming back perfectly.
"Jason, are you still playing?" Eugene "Skull" Skulluvich asked, shaking out his messy black hair. When Jason didn't answer him, he turned to see what Jason was looking at. His eyes lit up as he saw the girls approaching. "Hey, look at who's coming!"
Another of Jason's friends, Zack Taylor, rolled his eyes. "Can't we do anything without people interrupting us?" Skull turned to Zack, raising his eyebrows.
"Well, I don't mind if THEY interrupt us." he said, causing Jonathon Fredsrick to laugh.
"Anything to get a girl, huh Skull?" he asked. When Skull nodded, Jon just laughed again. "Well, it doesn't matter how hard you try, 'cause your never gonna get THAT girl!" he announced, pointing to the one Jason had been watching. With that remark, Jason was finally broken from his thoughts as he turned to Jon.
"What do ya mean, Jon?" he asked. Jon gave them all a smug look, as he noticed that the girls were coming closer.
"The girl, Kimberly, just moved here a couple of weeks ago." he whispered. "Not only is she friendly, good-looking, and popular, but she'd never go out with Skull. Probably looking for the popular guys. Not us, that's for sure. Well, maybe Jason."
Jason blushed a light pink, barely visible under his tan. "Aww, c'mon. I'm not popular." Zack gave him a look of astonishment, but before he could say anything the girls walked onto the basketball court.
"Hi Jon, Eugene," the one with dark hair greeted coolly. Turning to Jason, a smile crossed her face. "Hello Jason." Zack walked up to her.
"Hello to you to, Angela," he said, imitating her snotty tone perfectly. "It's nice to see that you remember me." Angela ignored him, instead turning all of her attention towards Jason.
"I just thought I would introduce you to our new friend, Kimberly Harte." Angela announced. "She'll be coming to our school in the fall, so you will have plenty of time to get to know each other."
Kimberly smiled at Jason, putting out her hand. He accepted it, and they shook hands. "I'm Kimberly, but all of my friends call me Kim." Jason smiled at her.
"I'm Jason." He managed to get out as he stared into her eyes. Doe brown eyes that you could get lost in. He managed to break himself away as he looked back towards the other guys. "And this is Jon, Skull, and Zack." he said, pointing to each as he said their name.
"It's nice to meet you." she said, smiling at them. She quickly turned her attention back to Jason. "Do you guys play basketball here a lot?"
Jason nodded, glancing down at the ball. "Yeah, we play here sometimes. Whenever we have the time."
Kim smiled again, nodding her head. "Maybe we'll see you around then." She gave him a final smile before turning back to the rest of the girls. With that, the girls left. When they were out of site, the others crowded around Jason.
"Oooo, somebody's got a crush." Skull said in a sing-song voice. "Jason and Kimberly sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-------"
"That's enough, guys." Jason said. "Let's play some more basketball." They went back to playing their game, but Jason couldn't concentrate for the rest of the day. All he could think about was the girl with the sparkling brown eyes.
Jason was broken from his concentration as the thoughts of his childhood reminded him of his friendship with Skull. He looked over at the punch bowl where both Bulk and Skull were standing. Bulk was looking around, an expression of utter boredom on his face. Skull, on the other hand, had his eyes completely focused on something. Jason turned to see where he was looking and his eyes locked on Tommy and Kimberly. A wave of sadness crossed him.
Skull always did have a crush on Kim. I guess he never wants to give up on her. Jason thought. It's my fault that we're not friends anymore. I knew about his crush on Kim, even in the beginning. And I betrayed him.
Jason's thoughts were once again pushed back, to a different time. A time when he had been at one of the best dances of his life, but when the morning after had been one of the worst.
Thirteen year old Jason hurried to the park, his mind still remembering the events from the night before. He had gone to his first dance ever, and he had gone with Kimberly Harte. He still remembered exactly what she looked like, from her white knee-length dress to small diamonds hanging from her ears. They had a blast at the dance, and he had even worked up the courage to dance with her during one of the slow songs. He closed his eyes, remembering the feel of her soft skin. He couldn't wait to tell the others.
As he neared the basketball courts, he saw the others. Zack, Jon, Skull, and the new kid named Billy Cranston. Though Billy wasn't like any of them, he seemed to fit in. He was extremely quiet most of the time, but the guys were slowly teaching him to come out of his shell. Jason waved to the guys, but only Zack and Billy waved back. Jason wondered why Jon and Skull wouldn't wave, but quickly shrugged it off.
Jason quickly walked over to the rest of the guys. "Hey guys! Wait until I tell you what happened last night!"
"We know what happened." Skull said coldly. His eyes bored into Jasons'. The smile that had been on Jason's face disappeared, a look of confusion crossing his face.
"What do you mean? What's wrong?" he asked. Jon's eyes narrowed as he took a step forward. He was about two inches taller than Jason, so he had to look down upon him.
"I just can't believe that you would rather choose popularity over your friends." Jon spat out. "I thought that friendship meant more than that. And I never thought that you, of all people, would hurt Skull the way that you did."
"What are you talking about? What did I do to hurt Skull?" As soon as he asked the question, he knew it was the wrong one. Skull's muscles tensed up and his hands clenched into fists. He too took a step forward, glaring at Jason.
"You asked Kimberly to go to the dance with you," Skull said quietly, his teeth tightly clenched, "when you knew that I liked her. I told you I was going to ask her on Monday. What did you do, go over her house on Sunday and ask her? Why did you do that to me Jason? I thought you were my friend."
"Skull.."
"Don't call me that," Skull hissed. "Only my friends call me that. And you are not my friend."
"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Jason protested. His heart sunk as he remembered how Skull had told all of them just two weeks ago how much he liked Kim. "It just slipped my mind, I guess." he finished lamely.
Skull's eyes flashed as he stared at Jason in fury. "It slipped you mind? It slipped your MIND? I guess I see how friends rate with you, huh Jason. Once a pretty girl comes along, you forget about your friends. Well, that's it. If that's how you're going to be, I don't think we should be friends anymore."
With that, Skull turned his back on Jason and walked away. As Jason watched helplessly as his friend walked away, Jon stepped up to him. Fury crossed his face as he glared at Jason. Without saying a word, he followed Skull. Only Zack and Billy stayed with Jason, for they had known about his crush. But Jason didn't pay any attention to them, instead watching as Jon and Skull walked away, out of his life for good.
It's been two years since Jon moved to Texas. Jason mused, his attention drawn away from Tommy and Kimberly. Just before we became rangers, in fact. I barely had time to think about his move when Zordon chose me to lead the team. And to think that just a year before that Kim and I had been going out.
He glanced back on the dance floor, his heart breaking as Tommy and Kim danced close, Kim's eyes closed as she laid her head on Tommy's shoulder. She looks so happy, he thought. She used to look that happy when we were together. Even though we were only twelve when we first met, we seemed so much older. And so much happened the summer when we were thirteen. So much happened.
"Can I open my eyes yet, Jason?" thirteen year old Kimberly asked, covering her eyes as Jason led her to a small area by the lake. Jason smiled and carefully pulled her over to the spot he was looking for.
"Now." he whispered. "Open your eyes." Kimberly slowly uncovered her eyes and giggled as she looked around. Jason had brought her into a small alcove shadowed by trees that were in full bloom. The lake lapped gently onto the sandy shore of the beach, a few of the flowers from the trees floating slowly on the lake. Kimberly spun around to face Jason, a jubilant smile on her face. She threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Jason returned the hug, his face flushing deeply.
"How did you find this place?" she asked as she pulled away. She looked around once again, fingering one of the flowers on a tree. "I never would have seen this! It's so overshadowed by the trees and all."
Jason shrugged. "I've know about it for awhile. A friend showed it to me. I usually come here to practice my karate, since this is a place where no one will see me." Kimberly turned to him once again, and as she smiled at him, Jason felt a tingling sensation running through his stomach.
She looks so pretty with her hair being lightly tousled by the wind, he thought. Of course, she always looks pretty. But today.....she looks especially good today and I don't know why. I've seen her in that frilly pink shirt before, and she's worn those jean shorts plenty of times. A soft shade of pastel lipstick covers her sweet smile, but I've seen her wearing that color before! I don't know what it is.....
"Jason?" A voice asked, breaking him from his thoughts. "Are you still there?"
Jason shook the thoughts away, brought back to reality by Kim's words. She looked at him in amusement as he drifted away from his daydreams. "Yeah, I'm still here. Just thinking about.....stuff." he finished lamely.
Fortunately, Kimberly let it slide, instead turning back to the lake. She closed her eyes and slowly slid to the ground, a serene smile crossing her face. Jason hesitantly slid to the ground next to her, keeping a bit of distance between them. Suddenly, a bird swooped into the trees above them. It began to chirp, it's song full of joy and happiness. Kimberly turned around to look at the bird, giggling once again.
"How cute!" she exclaimed as she looked up at the bird. The bird continued its chirping, oblivious to the people watching it. As the two watched the bird, another flew out of the trees. It landed next to the chirping bird. Jason and Kimberly watched as the birds looked at each other for a moment before flying off together. They watched the two fly away, until the birds were completely out of sight. "I just love sitting by the lake. It's so peaceful here."
"Yeah, I've always loved this spot." Jason uttered, looking over at the gentle waves that lapped close to their feet. "I haven't really showed it to that many people, either. Just a few special people." He turned to Kimberly and gave her a shy smile. "And you're one of them."
Kimberly bit her lip slightly, her smile radiating light. "Really? That is so sweet Jason. Nobody has ever done anything so sweet for me before. I kinda like it."
The two smiled at each other as they both leaned slightly towards each other. As they leaned closer, Kimberly closed her eyes and puckered her lips slightly. For a brief moment Jason experienced a bit of panic, for he had never kissed a girl before. But he pushed it aside and leaned forward to meet her lips. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime to Jason. A feeling of electricity passed through Jason as soon as their lips touched, a feeling that he liked. He could smell the sweet vanilla perfume she had on as they kissed. He could once again hear the bird chirping, but there were two of them this time. When they pulled away from each other, she looked up at him.
"That was nice." she whispered. Jason could only nod as he looked into her doe brown eyes. They seemed to sparkle with happiness as he looked into them. Slowly, the two of them turned back to the lake. Jason felt much more comfortable sitting next to her now and cautiously inched his hand towards hers. His fingers brushed hers and he carefully entwined their fingers. Kimberly looked at him once more, a shy smile on her face. The two looked back at the lake, their hands holding on to the other.
Suddenly, Jason found himself swept over by the memories of those couples years that they were together. The dance seemed to be so far away as he closed his eyes. Memories of Kim filled his mind, making him oblivious to his surroundings. All kinds of memories. Both good and bad.
......their first time at the movies. It had been an action movie, one that Kim hadn't been to keen on seeing but went because it was one of the only ones showing that they could see. He loved sitting next to her in the darkened theater, and he even worked up enough courage to put his arm carefully around her. She had looked up at him and smiled. She had then laid her head on Jason's shoulder, causing him to forget whatever was going on in the movie. All that he thought about was being with her for a long time......
......a picnic in the park with a bunch of their friends. Zack had spent most of the day either teasing or trying to sweet talk Angela. Billy had seemed uncomfortable, but was still able to talk to one of the girls there. Jason and Kim sat a bit away from the others, but were close enough so no one could ask them any questions. He remembered the twinkle in her eyes as she took hold of his hand. They smiled at each other and turned to pay attention to their friends antics......
......a water war when they had been in. Jason had been running for cover when he had suddenly been sprayed with a blast of water from a gardening hose. He turned to find Kim and Angela laughing as they drenched him from head to foot. He walked over to them and shook his hair out, laughing just as hard as they were. Kim, still laughing, had been just about to say something when he grabbed the hose and sprayed both of them. They both screeched in surprise and ran away laughing......
......comforting Kim when her parents decided to break up. He remembered holding her close as she cried on his shoulder. She had been so upset and Jason was determined that she would never feel pain like that again. He tried everything in his power to help her, to convince her that it wasn't her fault. He still wasn't sure if he had been able to do that......
......Kim screaming his name when he had been in an accident with his bike. Skull and a new kid named Bulk had been chasing Jason on bikes when Jason lost control and hit a park bench. Kim had run over to him, tears streaming down her face as she tried to make him forget the pain. She had stayed with him even when the ambulance had come to pick him up. She stayed with him for awhile after that, since he had a cast on his broken leg for a couple weeks......
......playing basketball for the school, with Kim cheering him on as the head cheerleader. He always seemed to have a bit extra on his game whenever the cheerleaders were there. All he had to do was look at the smile on Kim's face to get the extra adrenaline that he needed. She had always done so well as a cheerleader. It was as if the job was made for her......
......on her birthday. He had come to her house in the morning and when she answered the door, he presented her with a single red rose. He still remembered the look of astonishment and surprise on her face. She had pulled him into a deep hug, almost jumping up and down with excitement......
And then, only a few weeks later, Jason sighed as he remembered that day, a day which he would remember for a long time. The day that it ended between us. You know, we said that he would never regret that day. But now, I know that I do. I didn't want it to end. I tried to get us to stay together, but maybe she just didn't see it. Maybe I wasn't trying enough.
"Never look back," we said
How was I to know I'd miss you so?
Loneliness up ahead, emptiness behind
Where do I go?
And you didn't hear all my joy through my tears
All my hopes through my fears
Did you now, still I miss you somehow
It had been a gorgeous day in the park, with the wind softly blowing through the trees and the birds singing happily. Jason was sitting at "their" spot, waiting for her to come. She had asked him to meet him there, because she had something important to tell him.
"I wonder what she wants to tell me." he wondered out loud. "It sounded important on the phone." Jason mused about it for a few moments as he waited for Kimberly to get there. He sat there for a few more minutes, the smile that was on his face slowly turning into a frown. He looked down at his watch, seeing that Kim was almost twenty minutes late.
She's never been this late before, he thought in disbelief. She must have something important to tell me.
Suddenly, she appeared between the trees. It was as if she had been zapped there, for he hadn't even heard her steps. He turned to her, only to find a look of sadness on her face. Concern immediately filled him as he stood up to face her. She only shook her head as he came close to her.
"Jason, why don't you sit down." she said so softly he almost didn't hear her. Confusion masked his features as he sat back down. Kim sighed unhappily and sat down next to him, not daring to face him. Instead she looked over at the lake, trying to find a way to talk to him. "I need to talk to you about something, Jason."
"Kim, what's wrong? You're obviously upset about something. You can tell me what's wrong. I won't...."
"I think we should break up Jason." she said, so bluntly that it struck Jason to the core of his very being. He was suddenly at a loss of words as her statement sunk in. Shock filled him as he looked at Kim, his eyes welling with tears. She too looked away, biting her lower lip.
"But....why......is it something I did?" Jason asked in anguish. Kim shook her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with concern for him.
"It's nothing that you did." she whispered. She once again looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "I just think it's time for us to move on. To find other people."
Jason was still unable to talk as he felt his heart break into hundreds of pieces. He couldn't believe what she was telling him. He loved her and he didn't want to give her up. He didn't want them to break up. His heart was breaking and the person that he cared for the most was the cause.
From the bottom of my broken heart
There's just a thing or two I'd like you to know
You were my first love, you were my true love
From the first kisses to the very last rose
From the bottom of my broken heart
Even though time may find me somebody new
You were my real love, I never knew love
'Til there was you
From the bottom of my broken heart
"But....whatever it is.....we can work it out," Jason replied desperately, not wanting his love to leave him. "Please, just give it a chance. Please, don't leave me." Tears that he wasn't able to hold back started to flow slowly down his cheeks as he looked at Kim in confusion.
Kim shook her head, tears welling up in her own eyes. "I can't Jason. I just can't. I'm sorry to do this to you. I do care for you, I care for you so much but.......but you're more like a brother than a boyfriend. I'm sorry to do this to you, but it won't work out."
"Baby," I said, "please stay.
Give our love a chance for one more day."
We could have worked things out
Taking time is what love's all about
But you put a dart
Through my dreams through my heart
And I'm back where I started again
never thought it would end
Jason felt as if someone had torn his heart out as he heard those words. A brother? That's all he was to her? After all that love that he had given to her, how he had opened his heart to her, and this is how she treats him?
"I thought that I was worth more than that Kim," Jason whispered hoarsely. "I thought I deserved a better excuse than that. A brother? That's all I am to you now? What happened to the love that we shared just a few weeks ago? What happened between us, Kim?" Kim shook her head as she pushed all of his questions away.
"It won't work between us Jason." she said, stronger than she had before. She looked at him, her eyes meeting his. That's when Jason saw it. The spark that had once filled her eyes with love for him was gone. Now, her eyes looked empty. Sad. Forlorn. This wasn't the Kim that he knew. She was different. "This is it."
"This is it, then." he repeated, looking away from her. "This is it." Kim slowly stood up to walk away. She made her way to the trees and turned back to look at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to have second thoughts about it. With that, she walked away. Jason closed his eyes, tears flowing freely down his face. His heart was broken, maybe behind repair.
From the bottom of my broken heart
There's just a thing or two I'd like you to know
You were my first love, you were my true love
From the first kisses to the very last rose
From the bottom of my broken heart
Even though time may find me somebody new
You were my real love, I never knew love
'Til there was you
From the bottom of my broken heart
And that was it, Jason thought. That was the end of our relationship together. Sure, we still hung out, but it wasn't the same. Well, at least for me it wasn't. He once again looked at the dance floor where the song was just ending. But Tommy and Kimberly didn't seem to notice that, for the two of them continued dancing.
"You okay, Jase?" asked a voice next to him. Jason turned to find Zack pulling up a chair next to him. Zack followed where Jason's gaze had been and looked at Jason in sympathy. "Still miss her, huh?"
Jason shook his head. "No, not really. The two of them deserve each other. I was just wishing that I could have something like they do." Zack nodded his head skeptically, but to his credit said nothing. The two sat there in silence for a few moments as they watched the rest of the couples leaving the floor. Jason's thoughts once again turned to Kim, wishing that there was someway they could have worked things out.
But she's not mine anymore. She's with Tommy now, and I do hope the two of them are happy together. Jason thought wistfully. But I wish that she was still mine. I really do.
You promised yourself but to somebody else
And you mad it so perfectly clear
Still I wish you were here
From the bottom of my broken heart
There's just a thing or two I'd like you to know
You were my first love, you were my true love
From the first kisses to the very last rose
From the bottom of my broken heart
Even though time may find me somebody new
You were my real love, I never knew love
'Til there was you
From the bottom of my broken heart
"Never look back," we said
How was I to know I'd miss you so?