Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series.
A/N: There are wonderful music videos out there made by PR fans. So experimenting with "Saving Me," I am going to pick out a PR music video on YouTube to go with each chapter. These videos have NOT been made specifically to go along with "Saving Me," but ones that I happen to come across that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific chapter well.
I hope y'all will watch these great videos and let me know how you think they fit with each chapter.
Chapter 3: Loosening Up
Paired video: "Girls on Mystic Force" by Frankieprp9
(That Saturday night)
"Nice Maddie, not everyone can pull off the 'sleezy in the jungle' look!" grinned Vida mischievously at her sister, who was wearing a blue, leopard-print tank top and black leather pants with sandals of the same color.
"I still can't believe you talked me into wearing this," said Madison self-consciously, running a hand nervously through her straight, dark hair as she stepped out of Vida's jeep to head to the party at her boyfriend's college.
"Ben will think you look hot," winked Vida as she brushed off her faded jeans and adjusted her own black bodice top with pink lace that accented the curves of her full chest.
"You really think so?" asked Madison; her insecurity causing her to wince.
"Please sister, we're gonna be the two hottest girls at this Briarwood University party!" exclaimed Vida. "Just look at all the guys checking us out!"
As if on cue, a pair of boys from across the parking lot whistled in the Rocco sisters' direction and gestured for them to come over. Madison and Vida both laughed as they waved the guys away. Vida locked her car, and the girls headed toward the building that was party central for the evening.
"Looks like there are gonna be a lot of single guys here tonight!" said Vida cheerfully. "Thank goodness I don't have a boyfriend!"
"Even though you and Xander do fight like an old married couple," teased Madison.
"He's on another 'big date' tonight," informed Vida sarcastically, making fake quotation marks in the air with her fingers. "Anyway, I'm just happy it appears you finally got over your big crush on Nick and have moved on with Ben. You deserve a guy who gives you the attention you deserve."
"Thanks," laughed Madison, before growing more serious. "Nick and I have been friends for a long time now, so if he wanted to be anything more, I'm sure he would have said something by this point. He's almost as good as giving people a piece of his mind as you are, Sis."
"If I had heard any sort of hint that Nick had been interested in you, I would have told you," sighed Vida. "Anyway, you're with Ben now, so that stuff with Nick is all in the past."
"Right, all in the past," repeated Madison firmly, nodding her head to add the double affirmation. "I'm with Ben now."
The girls pushed open the dorm door and were met with a deafening blast of techno music, being spun by the legendary DJ EZ. The smells of alcohol and sweat overwhelmed them as their eyes scanned across the sea of bodies grinding and gyrating up against one another. Madison's eyes closed in horror as her sister's widened with pleasure as if she had just seen the Holy Land.
"This is AWESOME!!!" said Vida, beside herself with excitement. "I have GOT to try and meet DJ EZ! Let's go, Sis!!!" she added, grabbing Madison's hand and dragging her into the party.
"Something to drink, Ladies?" an older girl handing out large, plastic cups near the doorway entrance offered.
"No, thank you," replied Madison politely.
"Great, you're the designated driver!" said Vida eagerly, grabbing the cup and starting to pour herself beer from a nearby keg.
"VIDA, we're not 21 yet!!!" hissed Madison worriedly into her sister's ear.
"But we will be in a few years!" grinned Vida devilishly as she took a huge swig of the golden, fizzy alcohol. "LIGHTEN UP, Maddie! You're gonna drive my car home tonight, and Mom and Dad are away in… Nebraska."
"That's so sweet they are taking a second honeymoon," smiled Madison.
Vida, however, knew better that purpose of her parents' trip to America's heartland was for one of business rather than pleasure, so that their dad could check out his potential, new sea lion training job in case he got fired from his current position in Briarwood during his company's current reshuffling. The anxiety over still keeping her sister in the dark about their possible move along with the constant worry that she was going to be pulled away from her home made Vida feel perpetually sick.
She felt like she had to vomit, and not from the beer. Hoping to swallow away these sobering thoughts as she drained her drink, Vida went to pour herself another cup of alcohol. Madison shook her head in dismay as she watched her sister.
"I don't think I was the one Xander needed to be worried about," Madison commented under her breath. "I'm going to go find Ben," she said more loudly.
"Have fun, I'm gonna go see if I can push my way up to DJ EZ's platform," replied Vida as she marched off in the other direction with her second cup of beer.
"Now what's a beautiful girl like you doing all alone?" Madison heard someone whisper into her ear seconds later.
"Ben!" said Madison; her face splitting into a huge grin as she spun around to see her boyfriend. "Thank goodness! Hey, do you want to dance?"
"Not really," replied Ben, giving his girlfriend a gentle kiss on the lips in greeting. "It's so loud, and I'm not a big fan of techno."
"Awww, come on!" pushed Madison. "I might not be into all this drinking and debauchery, but this DJ EZ is actually just as good as my sister claimed he was. Let's go dance!"
"Let's go to my room first," urged Ben, taking Madison's hand and leading her away. "You know I don't want to share you with anyone else."
"Okkk," relented Madison slowly. "As long as we can come back here and dance later."
"Anything for you, Maddie," responded Ben, kissing her again.
Vida stared like a devoted worshipper up at the stage where DJ EZ was pumping out the techno tunes. She wasn't sure if it was the ecstasy of seeing her music idol live or all the beer she had been drinking, but before long, Vida found herself subconsciously swaying in a sexy manner along to the sounds she was finding at this moment so intoxicating. Vida was in such a state of euphoria that she didn't even flinch when she felt pair of hands run down her sides and onto her hips.
"You're a really good dancer," she heard a guy whisper as smooth as silk into her ear.
"Thanks," replied Vida, spinning around to face him.
With his almost seven-foot frame, lanky body, longish brown hair and mysterious dark eyes, Vida's attraction to the stranger was instant. His pierced ears, Van Halen t-shirt and tongue ring was all she needed to seal deal. Desire coursed through Vida's veins. Or was it the alcohol, she wondered. Either way, she didn't care.
It looked like Xander wasn't the only one with a hot, new date tonight, Vida chuckled mischievously to herself.
"I'm Vida," she introduced.
"Kurt," replied the boy as he shook her hand and then proceeded to guide it up around his neck. "Let's dance. Do you go to Briarwood University?"
"Uhhh, sure," lied Vida, starting to swivel even more seductively against him in the hopes he wouldn't press the topic.
"I haven't seen you around before," responded Kurt. "I am sure I would have noticed a girl as hot as yourself."
"Thanks," grinned Vida. "So, what's your major?"
"Biology," answered Kurt before breaking into a playful smile. "Specifically, human anatomy."
"Funny," replied Vida, sounding innocent despite the devilishly thoughts running through her head. "Human anatomy is my specialty."
Madison had been in Ben's room many times over the year they had dated on and off, but never when there was a party on the scale that was going on down the hall tonight. Only a few doors down from the dance floor with DJ EZ was spinning, Madison could feel the music literally shaking the floor boards.
"Come here, you!" growled Ben, grabbing Madison around the waist as the fell back against his twin-sized bed.
Madison giggled as her body hit the soft bedding, but her mouth was soon otherwise occupied, first by Ben's lips and then his tongue, which she did not mind one bit. She did not mind either when Ben slipped one of his hands up her shirt; it had been done before. In fact, she didn't mind anything Ben was doing -- from the tiny kisses he was trailing along her collarbone to the sensuous way he was cupping her chest -- until he reached for the zipper of her pants.
"Hey, slow down there," said Madison, instantly sitting up and pulling down her sapphire, animal-print tank top.
"What's wrong?" asked Ben. "You don't want to do this?"
"No," replied Madison immediately. "No, I mean, yes I do want to do this, with you. 'Cause I know it's something we've never done before. But no, I don't want to do this tonight."
"Why not? It's not like you're a virgin, and we've been together for a long time now," questioned Ben, leaving Madison wondering if the slight annoyance she heard in her voice was just in her imagination.
"Yeah, I know," relented Madison. "But we've only been back together for a little over a month. And your roommate could walk in on us at any moment."
"Gabe's going to be at the party for the rest of the night," countered Ben tiredly. "Plus, that's why door locks were invented."
"I was hoping our first time together would be more romantic than this," Madison sighed wistfully, gesturing around his dorm room where the techno music from the party down the hall was still shaking the floor panels.
"Come on, Maddie," urged Ben, starting to kiss her neck. "I… We've waited a long time to do this. Besides, it doesn't matter where we are. All that matters is that we are together."
"I don't think so," replied Madison uneasily.
"Shhh, it's OK," soothed Ben as he tried to lay her back down on his bed.
"I said NO, OK?!?" shouted Madison loudly, pushing Ben off her and leaping up.
"OK, OK, no, I get it. Hey, look at me, Come on, look at me," Ben urged, continuing to cup the cheek of a resistant Madison until she finally gave in and was gazing into his hazel eyes. "I got carried away. I'm sorry. I can't help myself sometimes. You know you're beautiful."
Madison cracked a small smile, and Ben left out an audibly sigh of relief.
"Can we go back down the hall and dance now?" asked Madison timidly.
"Okkkkk," said Ben slowly, looking like he was thinking hard. "But how about a drink first? And nothing alcoholic," he added before his girlfriend could start to protest. "I know you're not into that stuff. How about just some plain cranberry juice on the rocks?"
"Sounds good," responded Madison, visibly loosening up much to Ben's relief. "Just one drink and then we'll go dance."
"Sure," agreed Ben as he walked over to his mini-fridge to get the drink and, making sure Madison wasn't looking, reached into his nightstand dresser drawer.
It looked like he was gonna need that help Gabe gave him a few days earlier after all with Madison, Ben thought to himself.