Do Not Own
Kaylee's birthday was fast approaching, and everyone who knew her was busy doing something to make the day a success.
Of course, because they were men, and they couldn't be trusted with much, all the boys were responsible for buying the beer and providing the food. Kira had made a list for them to take to the grocery store, but being boys, they only stuck to half of it.
That left Kelly, Leanne, Tori, Kira, Ronny, Rose and Lily to do everything else.
Kira, Leanne and Kelly were at the grocery store, picking up what the men had "forgotten". Ronny and Rose were busy buying a few last minute birthday gifts and picking up decorations from the corner store. That left Lily and Tori to pick out the birthday cake.
Tori was wondering how she ended up stuck with Lily. She wondered how the groups were divided. Kira wasn't particularly close to Leanne or Kelly, but the Dino Ranger had to go to the grocery store, and Leanne and Kelly decided to tag along to help out. It probably worked out because Kira had met Leanne a few times, and fought alongside Kelly for a few months, therefore they all had something to talk about.
Naturally, Ronny and Rose were extremely close, so there was no question as to why they went off together.
But Tori and Lily had never really been alone before. Sure they knew each other well, but usually when they were in the same room, Kaylee, Kira or Ronny would be there as well, acting as a kind of link to keep things from getting awkward. There was probably only one time Tori and Lily were along together, and that was when Tori had just given birth to Michael, and only one person was allowing into the room for a visit.
Other than that, there was no common ground between the two. Tori was a surfer and a tomboy, who did not take any shit from others. Occasionally, she had all the boys on the Ninja Storm team whipped, and though she didn't like taking advantage, she knew how to use her feminine charm to get the boys to do anything for her, especially her husband. It also helped that the guys feared her.
Lily on the other hand was the sweetheart, cutie pie who felt horrible if she accidentally swatted a fly. She danced, like Tori did, but she was much more into it, and as much as she loved the beach, and enjoyed watching Kaylee surf between shifts at JKP, Tori had never seen Lily actually get into the water. Lily was also too nice to use the only-girl-on-the-team card to her advantage, and never took advantage of the guys. If anything, they took advantage of her considerate personality.
Needless to say, the car ride, the walk to the baker's and choosing the cake was awkwardly quiet for two women who were as close as sisters.
Lily finally broke that silence on the way home from the bakery when Tori failed to see that the light turned red.
"Brake, you idiot!" she yelled, grabbing anything she could and bracing herself for an accident. Tori slammed on the brakes, and her van came to a full stop before it entered the intersection.
"Sorry," Tori said, looking as Lily apologetically.
"If you're trying to kill me, you have to be a little more subtle... oh, and pick another way to do it, I grew up with the speed demon herself," Lily laughed. "I know how to make it out alive from a car accident."
"That wouldn't have anything to do with Ronny's accident in her first race, would it?" Tori asked, remembering the story Ronny had told her one day at the track.
"Maybe... just a little," Lily bit her lower lip and looked down, causing Tori to frown. Either Lily had picked up that habit from Kaylee, or it was a strange coincidence. Tori had only seen her family members bite their lip and look away from the person they were talking to when they were nervous or scared.
"Let me guess..." Tori started. "After the accident, you got informed on what to do if you were in an accident, and passed the information onto your sister, hoping it would help her stay safe."
"More or less," Lily smiled. "I did get information or surviving a high speed accident, but I also took a few first aid classes. I mean, I know there are always a million medics around at her races, but if anything did happen, I want to know there was something I could do to help her recover."
"I know how you feel," Tori said, parking the car in a parking lot and cutting the engine to look over at Lily. "Kaylee was born premature, and naturally she had a few problems with her lungs. Though I was only nine months when she was born, I knew there was something wrong with the new baby in the house..."
"You were nine months when Kaylee was born?" Lily laughed. "What, did your parents get busy right after..."
Lily was silenced when Tori slowly shook her head.
"Ew."
"It wasn't right away," Tori assured the smaller girl. "Like I said, Kaylee was premature, but two months after I was born, she was conceived. She was an accident, but she was always welcomed."
"I'm going to find a way to hold this over your heads," Lily laughed.
"Anyways," Tori smiled. "Her first year was rough. I barely remember it, but I knew it was hard on everyone in the family. When her first birthday came around, I remembered my parents taking her to the hospital. She got the all clear from the doctors, but we were warned about her asthma."
"Ah yes," Lily smirked. "Our legendary, green, asthmatic Ranger."
"When Kaylee was about three, she had her first asthma attack. I was four at the time, and we were alone in my grandparent's backyard. The place was huge, and we were too far from the house for me to call my parents for help, so I was on my own with my blue sister. I was too young to know what to do, and she was panicking... I was scared I was going to lose her. We were best friends already..."
"What happened?" Lily asked. She seemed really concerned, it was like she was reading a book, and didn't know what happened at the end. Of course, Kaylee survived, if not Lily wouldn't be holding a cake in her lap, but that didn't seem to go through the yellow Ranger's head.
"Well, she didn't have Ducky at the time, so there was nothing I could use as a comfort object while I ran to the house, so I used myself," Tori explained. "I picked her up, as best as a four year old could, and tried carrying her to the house, all while talking to her and telling her she was going to be fine. When I finally made it into the house, I was out of breath, but I got her there on time. My parents managed to stop the attack before getting her to the hospital. It turned out, it was nothing too serious, she had just been running around for too long, but they wanted to keep her overnight for observation... and my parents made the mistake of letting me see her."
"The mistake?" Lily asked. "But... how is that a mistake?"
"I was only four," Tori reminded her. "When I was in her room, she was attached to a respiratory machine, and she was sleeping... but I could tell she wasn't comfortable. So when my mom left to talk to a doctor, I sat beside her and swore to her I would always look out for her."
"Wow..." was all Lily could say, as she wished she had a bowl of popcorn.
Tori had to look away as a tear made its way down her cheek.
"I still haven't lived up to my promise," she whispered. "If anything, Kaylee's been the one protecting me... in middle school when the girls were picking on me for hanging out with the boys... she broke their noses... in high school when I was dating Jordan, she followed us everywhere and had evidence of him beating me, in case we ever needed it... when our parents died, she was the one who made the water picture of them, to let me say goodbye... and finally, when Jordan came back, she fought him off and killed him... just so he would leave me alone... and what have I done for her?"
Lily looked at the blue Ranger as if she was crazy.
"You know, the advantage to being Kaylee's snot catcher after the whole thing with Sammy, while Dustin was under Dai Shi's spell and you and Kira being pregnant, is that I know a lot about her," Lily smiled, putting her hand on Tori's arm, making the blonde look at her. "I don't think a day went by when Kaylee didn't mention a way you made her life better."
"Really?" Tori asked.
"Tor, you bought her Ducky, and the stuffed Duckysaurus," Lily laughed. "You were the one who got her to start surfing, you paid for her guitar lessons when your parents thought it was a joke. You pushed her to continue at the Wind Ninja Academy when Sensei told her she didn't have an element... you're her everything."
"You're horrible at lying," Tori laughed.
"I'm not lying," Lily smiled. "You didn't break anyone's nose for her, didn't beat the shit out of an old boyfriend, and didn't kill for her, but you've saved her life in so many other ways."
"Name one."
"Try three," Lily said. "When your parents died, you were eighteen, and didn't have to worry about childcare and all that blah blah, but Kaylee was still seventeen, she needed someone to care for her, even for just a year. You didn't think twice before taking her under your wing, to keep her with you. I know it may have been more of a selfish act on your part, not wanting to lose the only family you have left... but as Master Mao always used to say, sometimes the most selfish of acts, can be selfless."
"Okay... I'll give you that."
"Then, when Sammy died... you stuck by her, just as much as Dustin, and that's huge!" Lily said. "I mean, Dustin was hurting too, so there was only so much he could do. He was there for her, and he gave her a shoulder to cry on, but you weren't as affected. You were the level-headed one she could run to when things were too hard. She's always telling me about what you did for her in those few months. It's amazing the strength you have."
"Thanks," Tori said, turning away as her cheeks turned red.
"And finally, you're her big sister," Lily smiled. "I know what it's like to be the little sister. My whole life, I've always looked up to Ronny, and tried to be like her. But Ronny always told me it was too dangerous, and never let me hang out with her on the track. Kaylee's always telling me about how you let her tag along with you, no matter where you went. That meant so much to her. She would give up the world to spend a day with you, and given her career choice, that means a lot."
Tori wiped away a tear as she reached over to hug Lily.
"Thanks, cheetah," she smiled.
"Anytime, surfer," Lily responded, hugging her friend back. "But, I think we've had a little too much bonding time."
Lily pointed to the clock. Tori followed her finger and frowned when she saw they only had five minutes to get home with the cake.
"Oh shit!" Tori called, starting her car and pulling out of the parking lot. As she drove over the last speed bump, she hit it a little too hard, and the cake jumped off Lily's lap and landed on the car floor.
"Oh shit!" Lily yelled, reaching down to pick up what she could of the cake.
"There goes the duck," Tori frowned, glancing down at the cake for a second. "Now it just looks like a big blob of mush."
"No, but if you lean it this way, squint your eyes, tilt your head that way and if the A/C hits your eyes just right, it looks like a mush of blob," Lily laughed. Tori frowned at the younger girl, giving her the strangest look she could muster without taking her eyes off the road.
"Lily... how..."
"You lived with Kaylee, you should know," Lily smirked, putting a small piece of cake on her finger, and wiping it on Tori's nose, giving the Ninja Ranger a big, green nose.
"LILY!" Tori yelled. "I'm driving! This is not the time to start a food fight!"
Tori grabbed a fistful of the cake and threw it at Lily as she pulled into her street.
"But... you... and you just..." Lily growled, knowing she couldn't get Tori back until the car was stopped. But then again, she had the cake in her hands.
As soon as Tori parked in the driveway and cut the engine, Lily held up the cake and slammed it into the side of Tori's face.
"You're not driving now," Lily laughed.
Tori whipped the cake away from her eyes and glared at Lily, her eyebrows shooting up menacingly.
"Now what are you gonna do?" Lily smirked. "All that cake's on you, and we don't have anything else to use..."
Lily was cut off when Tori jumped on top of her and shook her head, spraying bits and pieces off the cake everywhere, especially all over Lily. Lily tried to fight back, but Tori had her pinned onto the seat. The only thing she could manage was reach the lever to open the door, so she did.
Instantly, Tori fell out of the van and landed on the driveway, on her back, looking up at the sky, and a group of boys. As she was about to get up, Lily rolled out of the car and landed on top of her.
"What are you guys doing?" Shane asked, laughing at the sight of the two girls covered in cake. Lily got off Tori, before the boys could say anything about it, and then helped the older girl up.
"She started it," she blamed, pointing to Tori.
"I did not! You put cake on my nose!" Tori retorted, wiping what was left of the cake on her forehead and throwing it at Lily.
"You hit the speed bump!"
"You dropped the cake!"
"I did not, it flew!"
"Because you let it go!"
"Girls!" Dustin yelled, putting his hand over both girl's mouths, surprised they were acting like him. "What happened to my wife's cake?"
Lily and Tori looked down, giggling as they did.
"It broke," Tori started.
"More like it boomed," Lily added.
"And it went everywhere!"
"Then she put some on my nose..."
"Then she attacked me with it..."
"And she smashed it on me..."
"So she jumped on me..."
"Then she opened the door..."
"And we both fell out," Tori and Lily finished together.
The boys stared at them in shock, taking a giant step back.
"I have no idea what to say," Dustin frowned, looking down at his hand, covered in cake. "That was strange..."
"Dude, it was more than strange... have you ever seen Tori hyper?" Hunter asked, watching as Dustin licked his fingers, apparently enjoying the cake.
"You know what," Blake started, putting his motorcycle helmet on and pulling the keys out of his pocket. "I'll pick something else up; you guys just... distract Kaylee."
"That'll be easy," everyone chorused as Tori and Lily were lead inside to get cleaned up.
"Hey, you think she'll notice we're covered in cake?" Lily asked, brushing her fingers through her hair as she walked in to the house and kicked off her shoes. Tori looked into the kitchen, where Kaylee was celebrating her birthday.
"If we're really quiet, she won't even notice we're missing," Tori said, grabbing Lily's wrist and pulling her to the bathroom to get ready.
It was no longer awkward being alone with Lily. After the car ride they had, and the talk, Tori found she could have a very close relationship with Lily. Though they didn't have too much in common, they still had a few things. Tori wanted Lily to teach her some of her dance moves, hoping she could improve and they could be a new discussion topic, and Lily seemed to show some interest in surfer... but in Tori's mind, everyone had an interest in surfing, they just didn't know about it.
Finally, what they both had in common, that no one could deny, was a sister. They both had a strong relationship with Kaylee, and that's what brought them together.