Disclaimer – I don't um, don't sue…..

Authors Note – This can be seen as its own story or as a prequel to 'Camping Chaos'. Doesn't have to be a prequel but it fits as one. Enjoy.

I know I've got too many stories unfinished already, I swear I'm not stopping work on them, they will be updated…eventually.

Summary – Jason decides Tommy and the others need some help getting to know each other and getting along. What better way to make their newest team member feel wanted then with a sleepover.

-o-

'A Rough Time'

Jason

-o-

"So how do you think you did on the test?" Leaning against the locker and giving Zack a knowing look at his dishearted one, I have my answer.

"When am I going to need to know what the life expectancy of a baboon is? Please tell me that." Apparently when it's asked on a science test. Okay probably better not say that outloud.

"Could have been worse." Do tell Kim. Closing her locker she heaves a sigh. "You could have gotten a twenty on a math exam that now has to be signed by your mother." Ouch. "I swear that witch does one more night attack and I'm gonna fly my Zord up there and shove an arrow so far down her throat it'll-"

"Bad day in math again, huh?" Smiling and cutting Kim's rant of death off, Trini shakes her head as she and Billy join our pity session.

"I think she knows when we have tests; I'm telling you that demon plans her attacks specifically the night before." I would say she's being paranoid, but after getting only three hours sleep before my last two history exams not too sure anymore.

"Yeah well not much we can do about it. Kinda miss her using Tommy in that aspect actually. He had his tests the same times we did so at least he took the nights off those two weeks he was under her control." That's pretty bad the best nights rest I had was when our new friend was trying to kill me.

"Yeah tell me about it. Hey speak of the loner." Nudging me as Tommy comes into view, moving to his own locker across the hall, I guess he took his time leaving for lunch today too. And that's not nice Zack, he's not a loner he's just…shy? We really have to do something about his anti-socialness.

Dressed in his usual baggy green jeans and ratty green flannel shirt, he obviously isn't having a great day either as his locker refuses to open for him. Poor guy. Bad enough he has to be the new kid, but throw in being made Rita's pawn for two weeks and well can't blame him for keeping to himself.

"I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria, gonna go try to do that friend thing with him again." Waving off the head shakes and doubtful looks of my team, I know I have to keep trying. He's not a bad guy, and what's more he's part of our team now, he needs to start becoming involved with us, at least in some degree.

"Stupid Rita." Grumbling to himself and growling as his locker still refuses to cooperate and open, he is definitely cute…well in a strange, lonerish, skater boy sorta way. Yeah definitely more Kimberly's type then mine.

"That seems to be the mutual complaint today." Leaning against the lockers beside his, I give an easy smile. "Problems?"

"Locker." Wow I got a word out of him, go me. Normally I'd feel privileged to even get a glance or nod, but we have broken actual verbal communication now. Kim will be so jealous.

"Here, lemmie try. Trini's sticks like this too sometimes." Lifting up the latch as much as I can, I take my free hand and pop it right beside the top left corner, smiling as it comes open. Don't ask me how I do it, but it works.

Looking a bit surprised, he much to his credit recovers fairly quickly, shoving his books in and retrieving his green backpack and notebook out of it. "Thanks." Another word, we are making progress today. Now if only he'd look up from the floor.

"Welcome. So heading to lunch?" When he just shrugs in response, I shake my head. Nope that's a step backwards. "Let me rephrase that, it's lunch time, you're stomach is growling, I'd like you to follow me to the cafeteria and come eat with me and the others." How much clearer do I have to be?

Swallowing and shifting uneasily, he reminds me of a rabbit Kim had when she was five. "I um… I sorta needed to study in the library." Right. Sixteen year-old boy choosing to study in the library instead of having lunch, and their name is not Billy? Sure.

"Nice try, now come on the others are waiting and I'm hungry." Tugging at his sleeve to get him moving, I'm surprised as he doesn't come obediently and instead simply stands as is, looking at me a bit miffed. Alright so maybe I shouldn't have expected him to follow me like an obedient puppy, he was pure evil twelve days ago after all. Right so different approach before I get bit.

"I don't wanna go eat now, okay." No.

"Want to tell me why?" Crossing my arms and really tired of his loner behavior, I'm reaching the end of my patience. I spent the first week trying to be overly nice and caring, that didn't work. Spent the next being sensitive and letting him have his space to brood and make his move first; that backfired. So pretty much he's leaving me with force now. Zordon said he had to learn to be a part of the team, I agree, the others…okay they um haven't been overly enthused with it, but they know we're right and have made efforts to get to know him and be nice to him. Haven't they?

"Your friends don't like me." Of all the things he could have said, was not expecting that.

"What? Of course they do." Even as it's said though, I find myself feeling a bit doubtful of the truth behind it. True they understand he was under a spell, and yeah they have tried to talk to him and be social but…

"No they don't." Hearing a faint hurt tone in his voice, I feel my annoyance move from him to my team.

"What makes you so sure they don't like you? You haven't really talked to them or anything." And yes I'm sounding a bit defensive, but they've been my friends my whole life and thinking that they're adding to or making this matter worse, well that doesn't sit well.

Sighing and looking around the empty hallway, he finally rests his gaze on me, and wow look at those eyes. Talk about a set of puppy eyes. "I attacked you, nearly killed you more then once and you've talked to me more then they have. They back away from me during meetings. They won't let me help during fights. Last night I tried to help Kim get out of the net Goldar put her in and she told me she had it, when she didn't. Said I should go help you fight when you had everything under control on your side of the field. She struggled for ten minutes to get out of it before Zack came along and cut her down without a protest from her." Wow, that's the most I've ever heard him say, even when he was evil.

"I'm sorry." I am too, I guess I've been so busy with things and just accepting him being a loner I didn't notice or want to notice he was being kept out in a way. "I'll talk to them and-"

"Don't. S'not their fault. I wouldn't really wanna hang around someone who tried to kill me or my best friend either if the situation was reversed. Can I go now?" Voice a bit pleading he turns his gaze back to the floor, and I have to say I'm slightly glad he has, because those eyes are intense.

"Sure, right after you come spend ten minutes having lunch with me." Okay that look was just pricelessly funny. Sorry pal, I do feel for you, honest, and I am going to have a word with my team, but that doesn't let you off the hook. You're still gonna learn to be social with your team damn it, even if it kills me.

"Didn't we just have this argument?" Yes, and you think that lets you out of it? Ha, rookie.

"Yes, and we'll continue to have it all lunch period, every lunch period, until you cave. Now do you want to spend the rest of the school year standing here having this discussion during lunch each day or do you want to give up ten minutes of your time and come have something to eat with me and the others? Your call." See I can be evil too.

Sighing in defeat, he ups his backpack on his shoulder. "This isn't gonna make them like me."

"Yeah and avoiding them like the plague will. Good logic there." Smiling as he gives me a rather colorful hand gesture at this, I've got to say he is interesting.

-ooooo-

"So I figured I'd go buy it after school. Sort of a perk me up before I show my mom my test and get grounded for a year." Taking a bite of her salad and listening to Trini's reply to this, Kim has so far made zero effort to talk to our new friend. Same goes for all of them actually. Well aside the typical 'hellos' when we came and sat down. And yes I'm getting annoyed.

Looking at Tommy only to find him checking his watch for the tenth time in the past three minutes, I'm ready to beat my head against the table. This isn't working. "So what's everyone doing this weekend? Well aside you being grounded till you're twenty, Kim."

"Most likely work on my technical undertaking for the upcoming competition of scientific exploration." Thank you for that clear cut response Billy.

At all of our clueless looks, Trini saves us once again. "He's going to work on his science fair project." Taking a bite of her sandwich it seems the girl has simply made it a habit to be the translator between us and our intellectual friend. "I've got to help my aunt clean out the attic, she wants to have a garage sale."

"Boring. Man this weekend blows. Kim's gonna be grounded. Billy's gonna be locked away in his lab. Trini helping clean out the attic. What ever happened to the weekends being spent kicking back and relaxing with fun and games. Remember that thing, fun? That thing we used to have on Saturdays."

"Yeah, it got put on hold for those things called life and responsibility, Zack." Go Kim.

"Lame." Stealing some of my fries, he finally looks at our too quiet company. "So what are you doing, Tom? Any exciting plans of school work or chores like these guys here?"

Looking up a bit in surprise at actually being talked to it seems, he clears his throat, before giving a shrug. "Um, not really. I don't have much homework and my aunt and uncle haven't really asked me to do any chores. I guess cuz my cousin already does them."

"Who's your cousin?" I didn't even know he had a cousin.

Sighing and pointing over three tables to the one the basketball players are seated at, we all look at him a bit stunned. His cousin is a jock? The boy who is the spiting image of… well of everything that is the opposite of a sports player? "He's the second from the end."

"Alan is your cousin?" Yes I did sound a bit shocked there, but I've known Alan for a few years now and he's never even mentioned he had a cousin. Why didn't he introduce us to Tommy when he first came here? Or even talk to him around school these past few weeks.

"Yeah, though he probably won't admit it. Uncle John can't even get him to give me a ride to school, so can't say we're exactly close." Your own cousin won't give you a ride? Geez no wonder you have problems making friends.

"Why not?" We're not nosey honest, just Zack is really.

Shrugging and muttering something about being an embarrassment, he lays his chin down on his arms, looking out the window closest to our table. Okay than, perhaps he has more problems than we originally thought.

"Um, so you're staying with your aunt and uncle?" Looking at him with a bit of pity now, at least they're making an effort here. "Is that why you moved here, because you wanted to stay with them or something?"

Shrugging at Kim's question, he sits back up, but keeps his gaze away from her. "I guess. I coulda stayed with my grandparents in Utah, but I didn't want to move so far away from where I grew up and I love my aunt and uncle, even if Alan's a jerk." Leaving out why he had to move to begin with, none of us decide to mention that for now.

Finished with her lunch, Trini is next in line. "Where'd you grow up?"

"LA." Hm, that isn't too far from here actually. Just about an hour or so drive. Opening his mouth to say something more, he stops as the bell sounds for the next class to start. Damn so close to getting him to talk on his own.

"Ugh, back to the torment that is Algebra."

"I gotta go." Picking up his bag and giving us a small wave he takes off with all the slick grace of a cat. Never seen someone so good at squeezing out of places in such an effortless manner.

"Is it just me or does anyone else think we should put a bell around his neck." Wincing as Trini smacks him in the arm, Zack sticks his tongue out at her. "Was just a suggestion."

"So did you have to threaten him to come with you or what?" I wouldn't have had to had some people been a bit nicer to him before now.

"No, but it wasn't easy considering he thinks you all hate him." Okay so he didn't say hate exactly but they need a bit of a wake up call here. See and by their looks that did it. "According to him you guys are acting like he has the plague. Want to tell me what that's about?"

"We are not." So you didn't send him away instead of letting him help you last night Kim? Yeah I don't like how you're looking away from me there Kim, same goes for the others. Starting to think there is something to Tommy's idea of being the outcast.

"Well either way he feels like you all are, and that makes it a bit hard to be social and open you know." In other words what you guys have going against him, drop it and drop it fast. "So if there is a problem, with any of you, I suggest you get over it because he's a part of our team now."

"We don't have a problem with him, Jason." As Trini clears her throat and gives her a bit of a look Kim seems to falter in her outrage. "Okay so, not a huge one anyways."

"He isn't exactly Mr. Talkative with us either, Jase." Looking down, it seems Zack has more on his mind but yet… "Besides it's sort of hard to be best buddies with someone who nearly killed your best friend." Ah.

Sighing and running a hand through my hair I ignore the people leaving the cafeteria and the fact we're going to be late for class to simply breath and think of how to approach this. "That wasn't his fault." Lame, how many times have I used that line now?

"You keep saying that, bro. And you can keep saying it until your voice goes, but it's not going to change what happened. Tommy may not have been souly responsible for what he did Jason but some part of him…Jase it's just not easy trusting or even looking at the guy who did all that he did. I mean not just trying to kill you but bro he killed and injured hundredsssshit."

Looking over to where Zack has raised his eyes too, I mentally curse myself as I see Tommy has rejoined us. Picking up his book he'd left at the table, he gives us a bit of a look before turning to go. Oh that's just great.

"Damn it." Looking rather guilty herself and giving me sad doe eyes, I don't think that's going to do it Kim. "What should we do?"

"I'll go talk to him. I don't think you all are going to be much good in that department right now." Think I care that my voice is edged right now? The guy has no friends for crying out loud, even his own cousin is shunning him for whatever reason, geez this was all he needed.

"I didn't mean for him to hear that Jase." Whether you did or not, the fact is he heard it and now I have to go do damage control.

"Yeah well next time any of you have a thought on him, let it go."

-ooooooo-

(10 min. of checking classrooms and bathrooms later)

"I swear to god starting to think Zack has a point about putting a bell on the guy." Grumbling and moving to the last bathroom on the second floor, if he's not in this one then I give up. Chances are he went home and I won't find him until the next battle.

Pushing the door open I heave a sigh. This is definitely not good.

To be continued……….