Disclaimer: This is a AU fic, hopefully to be a series. I will see how well this one turns out. It has the original five, with the exception of Trini, Aisha is the one in the group instead. They are not the Power Rangers, but the Power Rangers exist. There is no Tommy at this point, but he could come in at a later point in the series. That is because, while Tommy doesn't make me gag, he WAS NOT ONE OF THE ORIGINAL RANGERS. There, I said it. He never should have been on the series for as long as he was, in my opinion And I'm just saying that because I don't like Tommy that much. But I try my best not to write him as a jerk just because I don't like him. Anything that is known to be someone else's isn't mine. Kimberly is running for Homecoming queen, and a horrible car accident takes Jason out of the running for King. (No, I don't kill Jason. I'll just tell you that right now.) Anyway, take a look at one of the few AU Ranger stories that I have ever written. Yay!
Kimberly Hart Runs For Homecoming Queen
By Julia
It was a sunny day in Angel Grove, California. There is a group of five teens that are the best of friends in the entire world. Kimberly Ann Hart, Jason Lucas Scott, Zachary Allen Taylor, William "Billy" Edward Mitchell, and Aisha Denise Campbell. They had been best friends since they were very young. Their parents had been friends, so they all played together. Not all of the parents were alive anymore, Billy's mother had died when he was nine, and Jason's parents had been killed two years ago in a car crash. By a drunk driver. Aisha's parents were divorced, and she never saw her dad, same for Kimberly, except swap parents. She lived with her father, and her mother lived in Paris. Zack was the only one with both parents still around. It didn't matter, though, because they didn't need the parents to be close anymore. They had that handled.
The group was sitting in Jason's living room, homework spread all over the coffee table and floor. School had started back up recently, and the gang were currently in their junior year of high school. Jason's twin (fraternal) brother Bailey was walking through the living room, holding a Pepsi. ''Guys, Julia is complaining that you guys aren't making enough noise. She can't concentrate.'' The Scott house was usually so bustling with people that all of them had gotten used to having to study in a plethora of noise.
Jason pulled a pencil from behind his ear. ''Tell Jules to join us if she needs to, but we're all really into it. We're not going to be making much noise. Sorry for her luck.'' He began stratching out an answer, writing furiously.
Julia came into the living room, obviously not trusting her older brother to relay her message. ''Guys, I have like, a ton of homework, and you're not making enough noise. Talk a little.'' She tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. Julia was sixteen, and a sophomore in high school.
Kimberly had her legs on her boyfriend's (Jason's) lap. ''Sorry, Jules. Why don't you study with us? You can commence conversation, so maybe you'll be able to study better.''
Before Julia could reply, a huge noise from the kitchen filled the house. Julia smiled. ''Yes! Charlie's fixing the dishwasher! That's just the noise I need!'' She ran back up the stairs to her room, hollering, ''Thanks, Char!''
Charles, aka, Charlie, was the oldest Scott, and was the legal guardian of the younger siblings. The twins were going to be turning eighteen at the end of the school year, so he could move out then if he wanted to. They were both still going to be living at home, since they had one more year of high school to get through, and they were both planning on going to Angel Grove U, which was local. He was looking forward to it, but he wasn't really planning on moving out until the twins were in college. ''You're welcome, Jules! Glad I could be of service!'' He hollered back.
Aisha was seated so close to Zack that there wasn't an ounce of space between them. They had been going out for two years, which was three years less than Jason and Kimberly had been dating. Jason and Kimberly had been dating since the sixth grade. They had been twelve years old. Aisha and Zack had been a bit slower at getting together, but now they were inseparable. Aisha took a peek at her boyfriend's homework. ''What did you get for nine? I can't get the equation to work right.''
Billy, who was seated on the other side of Zack, handed her his homework. ''I am finished, you can check mine. It was fairly easy. Just a lot of multiplying and dividing.'' He closed his textbook and got up. ''I am heading into the kitchen for refreshment. Does anyone need anything?''
No one answered, and he was just heading into the kitchen when he heard a yell from the top of the stairs. ''Billy! Quick, I am having science homework problems! Come quick!'' Julia was standing at the top of the stairs. Billy went to assist her as his friends continued working.
Aisha scared them all when she cried, ''How the hell did he come to that answer?'' She knelt over the paper, brow furrowed in concentration. The others would have copied the homework Billy had carefully finished, but not Aisha. She liked to make sure that she got how he worked out the problem. It drove her crazy when she couldn't figure it out.
Zack took the paper from her and wrote the answer down. ''Ish, I have told you, if you can't figure it out, have B-Man explain it to you later and just write the answer down. It won't kill you.''
Aisha made a face at him and snatched her homework back. ''You know that I can't do that. It will bug me until I figure it out.'' She bent over Billy's homework yet again.
A half an hour later, everyone but Aisha was finished with the homework. Billy was just coming down from having helped Julia, (who usually didn't need it, she was pretty good with the homework herself) when Aisha let out a loud curse. There was a loud chorus of chides from everyone within earshot. The youngest Scott, Owen, was only two, and he was in thirteen-year-old Claudia's tent room with her, playing G.I. Joes while Claud did her homework. Billy sat down with her and patiently began to explain it to her while the rest of the gang went in the kitchen to order pizza.
After dinner, Jason walked Kimberly home, and then got into his car for a drive. He wanted to just cruise. He was pulling up to a stop sign when another car came careening down the side street and smashed into him. It sent his car spinning across the intersection. Jason was knocked unconscious instantly. The other driver died just as instantly. When the police were called to the scene, it was discovered that he had been drunk. If Jason had been conscious, he would have thought it was very ironic.
He was rushed to the hospital, and Charlie was called. Charlie ran through the house, telling all his siblings and calling a babysitter for Owen. Julia called Kimberly on the way and they picked her up. When they reached the hospital, Kimberly used Charlie's cell phone to call Billy, Zack, and Aisha. They were there within minutes. Kimberly paced the waiting room, waiting to hear anything. Everyone but Charlie was in the waiting room with her. Charlie had been called back to Jason's room with the doctor.
Aisha had tears in her eyes, and she sat on Zack's lap. ''I'm sure that he's fine, Kim. Don't worry. God wouldn't be that cruel to this family, after what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Scott.''
Kimberly sat down next to Bailey, and then popped right back up. ''I just can't not worry. He could be brain dead. He could be paralyzed. Or worse, he could be dead. I just can't handle this.'' Kimberly buried her face in her hands.
Their worrying was over when Charlie came back. ''Guys, he's going to be fine. He broke both his legs, and has to be in a wheelchair for a couple of months, and he'll have some physical therapy, but he'll be fine.'' He broke down crying. ''He'll be fine.'' He repeated, as Julia hugged her brother tightly.
They all decided that Kimberly was going to go in first, because Jason would want to see her before any of them. His siblings knew it, and they weren't offended, because they believed that Jason and Kimberly were going to be together forever. Kimberly opened Jason's door, and found him lying awake, fussing with his blankets. ''I'm so glad that you're OK.'' Kimberly kissed him deeply, tears filling her eyes.
Jason wiped the tears from her cheeks. ''I'm fine. I will be fine as soon as my legs are healed. It's going to take a lot more than that to get rid of me.'' He told her, kissing her.
Kimberly sat down next to his bed and took his hand. ''I wouldn't have been able to make it if you had died. Especially since the other driver was drunk. That's exactly how your parents died.''
Jason nodded. ''I don't even want to think about what might have happened to my family if that had happened.'' He changed the subject, a bit quickly, Kimberly thought. ''Hey, I can't be your King for Homecoming. I'll still be in my wheelchair. Plus, I won't have time to run with you. I've got physical therapy to do. Who are you going to run with?''
Kimberly made a face. ''I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't run. I mean, I don't want to win if you can't be up there with me.''
Jason shook his head. ''Kim, you have to run! You should run with Zack, or something. Aisha won't care. You want to beat Arienna Shiffer, right?''
Arienna Shiffer was Kimberly's archrival. She, also, was one of the most popular girls in the school, and she was always trying to beat Kimberly at everything. She usually didn't succeed, though. ''I do, but I don't have a King now. I guess I'll just have to think of something.''
The next couple of days were hard on everyone. Jason was released from the hospital, after they had done all the tests they could think of. He was pronounced as healthy for the time being and set up the first physical therapy appointment. Kimberly was at school, at her locker. Zack was getting Jason's homework, and they were going to take it over in a few, the last bell had rung. She closed her locker door and turned around to stare herself in the face. A large picture of herself was across the hall, taped to the wall. It read: Kimberly Hart For Homecoming Queen above her picture, and underneath, it read : 'Le Creme De Le Creme.' It was French, for the best of the best. She felt it fitting, with her mother being in Paris, and all. Aisha must have gotten to school early to start putting them up. They had to get a leg up on the competition. Kim really wanted to beat Arienna.
She was joined by Josh Deveraux, Arienna Shiffer's crush. He had no idea she was alive, but she kept trying anyway. Kimberly wondered what he was doing, coming to talk to her. She and Josh weren't friends, but he and Jason had been on the school teams together since the fifth grade. ''Hey, Josh. What's going on?'' She asked.
Josh smiled at her. He was a total hottie, he kind of looked like Johnny Depp, with his dark hair and cheek bones. He also kept a permanent stubble, but his eyes were blue, unlike Johnny's. Kimberly had had a crush on Josh before she had hooked up with Jason. Now, she thought it was silly that she'd liked him that much. He wasn't a bad guy, but he had always seemed like a jerk to Jason, and Jason liked nearly everybody. ''I just wanted to see if you needed a running mate for the royal crown.''
Kimberly hugged her books closer to her chest. ''Um, Josh, Jason's my boyfriend. He may not be able to run with me, but I would like to get someone who is one of his friends to do it. That way, he'll feel better and be able to trust the guy. Just because you guys are teammates for everything doesn't make a difference. Even with that teammates code you guys have. It can be broken.''
Josh said, ''Arienna's asked me, and I told her that I had to think about it. Think about how great it would feel if you got to tell her that I was running with you instead of her. It would feel great, right?''
Kimberly shrugged. He did make a good point. ''It would feel great. But you and I are not friends. It feels like you're trying to horn in on someone else's territory, and it just makes me uncomfortable. The answer is no. Zack Taylor's probably going to be my running mate.''
Speaking of the devil, he arrived, holding a folder with Jason's homework in it. ''Hi, Kim, is Josh Deveraux bothering you?'' He asked, handing her the folder.
Kimberly shook her head. ''No, I was just telling him good-bye. Let's go see Jason, shall we?'' They walked away with not a second glance at Josh, who looked a little peeved as he headed off down the hallway.
Later that evening, Kimberly and Julia were helping Jason get into the house. They had had to have a wheelchair ramp installed, and they managed to push him up it.
Charlie came out, holding Owen, the youngest sibling, and Claudia and Bailey stood behind him. They watched with interest as the girls reached the door and pushed Jason in. Charlie said, ''I wish I'd been able to get him a motorized chair.''
Jason said, ''Well, Char, I'm not really going to be in it that long, so there would have been no point to getting one. Besides, Kimberly would have been angry at you. She is going to want to push me around.''
Zack arrived with the others in his black Jeep, and they piled out. ''Hey, Jason! Curtis wanted to see how you were feeling. Hope that's all right.'' He grinned mischievously. He knew it was; Jason and Curtis Taylor got along wonderfully.
Jason grinned. ''That's great, Zack, and you know it! C-Man, get over here!'' He pushed himself into the kitchen, the gang all following. Claudia took Owen upstairs, Charlie went to work in the garage, and everyone else went into the kitchen.
Bailey gave Curtis a high-five. ''Man, it's good to see you. How've you been? Zack says you've been trying to get on the basketball team.''
Curtis shrugged. ''It's never too early to start lobbying, man.'' He turned to Jason. ''Hey, Jase, I thought you should know. Josh Deveraux was hinting around Kim to see if he could be her running partner.''
Jason looked at his girlfriend. ''Is that true, Kim? If it is, as soon as I am out of this chair, Deveraux is going to be one dead man.''
Kimberly said, ''Don't worry so much, Jason. It's OK. I told him no, of course, and that Zack would be running with me, since he's your best friend, and you could feel safer that way.''
Aisha said, ''Jase, I already told him where he could go. He definitely has an agenda. He was trying to get Kim to agree by telling her that she could show up Arienna Shiffer. I've hatched a plan for watching him like a hawk.''
Julia had turned on the news, where they were showing a piece on the Power Rangers. She pulled her dark hair back into a ponytail. ''They are really pretty awesome. I'd love to find out who they are.''
Kimberly said, ''Well, they're obviously pretty athletic, I mean, who else could do all that fighting and jumping around?''
Jason shrugged. ''I don't know, it's probably really cool to be a Ranger. I wouldn't mind doing it. What do you think, Kim? Would you like to save the world like they do?''
Kimberly shrugged. ''I guess. I don't know if I'd want all that responsibility.'' She looked up as the phone rang. Bailey answered it first, seeing as he was the closest. ''Hey, Jase, I know we agreed on Zack, but what about Bailey? He just got over Jill, so he needs something to take his mind off it. Besides, I think he might actually enjoy it.''
Jason looked at his brother. ''I guess that would be OK, if it would be alright with Bai. You know that either Zack or Bai would be fine with me. Billy would be, too, but I wouldn't ask him to. He'd probably be too shy to even suggest it.''
Bailey hung up the phone with a 'good-bye, Will' and caught them all looking at him. ''OK, what's up, guys? Why are you all staring at me like I'm the messiah or something?''
Kimberly said, ''What would you think about being my running mate for Homecoming? I was just thinking, it might get you some attention with the girls and whatever, and you might have a lot of fun with it.''
Bailey grinned at her, both of his dimples showing. ''Sure, Kim. I would love that. Plus, Jason would kick my ass if I even thought of trying anything with you. So we're good.''
Charlie entered the living room, smiling. ''OK, you guys, I've got food from the resturaunt in the kitchen for everyone. I borrowed the chef and had him come here to make some of Jason's favorites. Come on in and eat, everybody!'' Their family had a resturaunt that they had inherited when their parents had passed away. Joe Mangus, their father's best friend, was still involved, as he owned half of it, and was in charge of it for the most part, but Charlie was the manager of it now. Joe was like a silent partner.
Kimberly stopped Jason just short of the kitchen. ''Jase, I want to ask you something. Are you sure about this? Letting Bailey be my King? I would so much rather do it with you. Are you sure you can't? I'll sit on your lap when we dance.''
Jason smiled at her, his brown eyes twinkling. ''I love you, Kimmie. I wish that I could. But with the physical therapy and what all, I just won't have time to run with you. Besides, Bailey's really happy to do it. Don't you want me to get better faster?''
Kimberly nodded. ''Of course I do, Jason. I want you to be ready so fast we never even knew that something was wrong with you.'' She walked around and sat in his lap and laid her head on his shoulder. ''I love you, Jason Scott, and that will never change.'' They sat like that for a long time.
The next morning, Kimberly awoke to a bright sunshine filling her bedroom through the window. She sighed and got up, knowing she had to campaign for Homecoming Queen this morning. She was not looking forward to it. It was something fun that she and Jason had had planned, and now she had to do it with Bailey. She loved Bailey, he was a good guy and still really cute, but she loved Jason so much. She hated to do this without him.
She got her things ready for her shower and headed for the bathroom. It only took a few minutes to shower, and then she was dressing. After some hesitation, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and then headed out to her porch. Bailey would be picking her up, along with Julia and Jason. She took her history text out of her bag to read until the Scotts arrived.
Bailey pulled into her driveway a few minutes later, and she hurried to the car. ''Have you been waiting long?'' Bailey asked, hoping she hadn't been. With four of the six Scotts enrolled in school, it took a bit of time to get them all ready.
Kimberly shook her head as she got in. They had tied Jason's chair to the top of Bailey's car. He had had a Jeep, but last year he had traded it in for a Dodge. He liked it better. ''No, Bai, only about twenty minutes or so.''
It took about ten minutes to reach the school from Kimberly's, and when they got there, it took Julia, Kimberly, and Bailey to wrestle Jason's chair off the top of the car. Bailey shook his head as the girls helped Jason into it. ''I should rent a van for however long you're in this chair, bro. This is going to get old.''
Jason shook his head vehemently. ''No way, Bai. I will not become a burden, I don't care how long I am in this chair. We are not going to rent a van. That would be pointless. This is completely fine.'' Bailey wanted to protest, but he stopped at the look on his twin's face. Jason hated to cause any kind of trouble for anyone. If he said that this would be fine, he completely meant it.
They went inside the school, where they met Zack and the others. Zack and Aisha were making out against her locker, and Billy was talking to Curtis, Zack's cousin. ''Hello, how did the morning commute go?'' Billy asked upon their arrival.
Julia replied, ''Not too bad. Bai, Kim, and I had to wrestle Jason's chair off the car, but it didn't take much.'' She turned to Kimberly. ''Do you want some help hanging the new posters?'' They had made up some new posters with Kimberly and Bailey's picture on them. They figured that they had better make sure that the school knew who Kimberly was running with. That way they wouldn't have to endure anyone else asking her to run with them.
Kimberly shook her head. ''No, that's OK. Aisha's going to help me. Ya'll can go on ahead to your lockers or whatever.'' At this, Julia and Bailey bid good-bye to their brother and the rest of the gang, heading off to their lockers.
Aisha reached into her locker to make sure that she had all the books she needed. ''I think that you're going to beat Arienna Sheffer. You're nicer, so people like you better.''
Jason reached for the books Zack had pulled out of his locker. ''Yeah, but Arienna's going to be pulling a lot of tricks to win. Kimmie's going to have to watch out. Arienna will be playing dirty.''
Curtis said, ''That's what she does. She's always been that way, since we were in kindergarten. Remember how mean she used to seem to us?'' He closed his locker door.
Billy nodded. ''Yes. But once we got old enough, it just didn't seem to matter anymore.'' He closed his own locker as Aisha and Kimberly said good-bye to their boyfriends and headed off to start hanging up fliers.
A couple of hours later, it was lunchtime. Kimberly was just putting her books in her locker and taking out her purse when Josh stopped by her locker again. ''Go away, Josh.''
Josh smiled at her. ''Don't you want to hear what I have to say? It's good news for you, I swear.'' He had his dark hair in a ponytail today, and he looked good. Kimberly hated to admit that to herself.
''No, Josh, I told you, I don't want you hanging around. I am someone else's girlfriend. I love Jason with all of my heart. I am not going to run with someone who doesn't have his best interests at heart. His brother Bailey is going to be my running mate. It's safer that way.'' She closed her locker and started heading for the cafeteria.
Josh fell into step with her, which truthfully, she had been expecting. ''Come on, Kim, I know you think that I'm trying to steal you away from Scott, but I'm really not. He and I have been on the teams together for a long time. He's my teammate. We may not be friends, but I would never do that to him. I just wanted to tell you that I have been polling some of the kids, and they all think that you should win.''
Kimberly sighed and said, ''Thanks, Josh, but I really don't need your help. All of my friends are helping me with this, and yeah, I do think that you're trying to steal me from Jase because that's what it feels like. Just please cut it out. I have to go join my friends. You do the same.'' She got into the lunch line, hoping that he had listened.
After she had gotten her food, she was met by one of the reporters for Angel Grove High's newspaper, The Eagle Eye. Her name was Jennifer Speagle, and she had been going to school with Kimberly and the others since kindergarten. Kimberly had been really good friends with her, but they had eventually grown apart. Jennifer was standing in front of her now, grinning. ''So, Kim, I hear you're running for Homecoming Queen, and Jason's out of commission. That must have been unlucky.''
Kimberly gripped her tray as she replied. ''Yeah, the fliers have been up for almost two weeks, Jenn. So it's hardly brand new news. What, do you want to do an article on me for the Eye?'' She started to head for her table. The others must not have gotten their lunches yet, because no one had sat down yet.
Jennifer followed her, and sat down across from her at the table. ''Kimberly, I know that you and I haven't spoken in a long time, other than hi and bye, but I really would like to endorse you to win the election for the paper. It will really help you, I think. And don't worry about why I'm doing it. I really don't want Arienna Sheffer to win. She's a bit of a bitch, and I would love to take her down a few pegs.''
Kimberly took a bite out of her apple. ''And you think that I'm just going to say OK? I don't need you to endorse me. I really don't care if I win or not anymore. I mean, yeah, it would feel good to beat Arienna, but I was really looking forward to sharing it with Jason. Now that he can't run with me, it doesn't seem as important. The only reason that I'm still doing it is because he would be incredibly disappointed if I dropped out. Not to mention, then Arienna would really get it, since the two of us are the only ones in the running.''
Jennifer said, ''Well, I see your point, but I've been asking around, gathering stuff for the article that I am going to write about it, and lots of the kids are going to vote for you. So you may win it anyway. Lots of people know what a bitch Arienna is, and you have always been really nice to just about everyone in this school. So you might have it in the bag. I just want to get your thoughts for the article. But if you really don't want to, I won't interview you. I'll just go with what I have.''
Kimberly sighed. ''It won't hurt, I guess, I just won't have more than a few minutes. Jason's going to be starting physical therapy soon, and I want to go with him. So you can meet up with me before school tomorrow if you really have to. Does that sound fair?''
Jennifer got up to go as Zack and Aisha came to join Kimberly. ''Sure, I'll meet you in the Eye office tomorrow morning. See you then!'' She turned and walked away, her long black hair swinging.
Aisha asked, ''What was that all about? You and Jenn Speagle haven't talked in ages. Is she going to vote for you or something?'' She sat down in the seat that Jennifer had just vacated.
Kimberly shook her head. ''No, she wants to interview me for the Eye. I told her that it would be OK. I don't really care if I win anymore. I just am worried about Jason. If he didn't want me to run for it, I would have just dropped out.''
Zack shook his head. ''No way, Kim. You have to stay in it. I mean, Jase would understand if you really wanted to drop out, but he would hate us making a fuss about him. You know that he just wants us to treat him as normal as possible. He wants to be out of that chair asap. I just don't want him thinking he's Superman or something.''
Speaking of the devil, he came up in his chair, pushing himself, his tray sitting on his lap. He pulled up to the end of the table and placed his tray on it. ''Hey, you guys. Don't stop talking on my account.'' He said by way of greeting.
Zack said, ''Guess what, Jase? Jennie Speagle wants to interview Kimberly for the Eye. You know what that means. She probably wants to endorse Kim to win the election. Don't you think that she should be more stoked about that?''
Jason looked at his girlfriend. ''Kim, I know that you aren't as excited about this race as you were before, but I want you to really go for it. It's OK. I'm going to be fine. And take Bai with you. Make her interview him, too. The guy isn't as important in these things. We should change that. Make sure that people know a Scott is still going to run with you.''
Kimberly smiled. ''Well, Bai would like that. He likes it when people make him feel important.'' She took another bite of apple.
''Now, don't make my ears red. I would hate to think ya'll were talking about me.'' Bailey and Julia had joined the group, Billy not far behind. ''What's going on?''
Kimberly recounted what had gone on with Jennifer, and ended with, ''So do you want to come with me? It really might spruce up her article. Could help us win. She says she doesn't want Arienna to.''
Bailey nodded. ''Sure, I'll go with you. And speaking of Arienna, she's been really quiet and out of the way lately. Where could she be? I haven't even seen her here at school.''
Kimberly shrugged. ''I don't know. She's had her friends hanging posters, though, and handing out buttons. I'm starting to think that she doesn't care as much as she says she does.''
Speaking of Arienna, her best friend Keeley Williams walked up to their table. ''Hello, all. I just wanted to tell you that Arienna says that she wants you to stop talking to Josh Deveraux. She wants to run with him.''
Kimberly stood up, to make sure that Keeley knew that she wasn't intimidated. ''I am not talking to Josh. He's been bugging me. I can't make him leave me alone. I'm running with Bailey. I think Josh is trying to horn in on Jason's territory, and it's making me angry. Trust me, Josh is a class a jerk.''
Keeley folded her arms. ''That better be true, Hart. I don't want to have to make sure that you don't win this race. Arienna's had some stuff going on at home, but I've been picking up the slack. Don't make me have to fight dirty.''
This was usually when Jason would step in and tell people to stop harassing her, but Kimberly had this one. ''Keeley, if you threaten me one more time, you'll regret it. I will not be threatened. You tell Arienna that asshole is hers if she wants him. I've got a real man. Have a nice day, Keeley.'' She met Keeley's steely gaze until she left. Kimberly sat back down triumphantly.
The rest of lunch passed very peacefully, the chatter moving on to happier things. Kimberly stayed lost in thought, as she thought about what she would do if Arienna and Keeley did take it up a notch, and what she was going to do if Josh really didn't leave her alone.