A/N: Another chapter! I am loving the reviews by the way. They are really helping me find the motivation to write more. I hope you all continue to enjoy it and will review some more.
Tommy is coming. Just hang tight! lol
I own nothing, including the Power Rangers, the songs Kim will be singing and the brands of alcohol mentioned. I'd be writing fanfiction on a lot nicer computer if I did.
4.
The warmth that was wrapped around me felt so incredibly fucking nice that I wanted to just sink into it for the rest of my life. It was like being tucked in a blanket fresh from the dryer on the coldest winter day. I fought to hold it closer to me for as long as possible as I felt the heaviness of sleep begin to fade. In its absence, the throbbing pain of a hangover was beginning to appear. Moaning, I allowed my eyes to slowly open. Well, there was no blinding sun this morning at least. Outside my window, I saw it was raining. I was thankful for that at least. I closed my eyes again, telling myself to just sleep the day away. My subconscious allowed this, letting me begin to fade out again.
"Morning, beautiful." A voice whispered. It was warm and swam around my head.
"Tommy?" I asked, confused as to why he was there. How he could be there. I was pulled from the slight slumber state and I whirled around to see there was indeed a form laying in the bed next to me. I jumped from the bed as fast as I could, practically slamming myself into the wall behind me. The bare-chested form of Tommy Oliver looked up at me, a look of confusion on his face. I'm sure it was nothing close to the one of mine. What the fuck was he doing here? How had he gotten here? Why was he in my bed?
"Whose Tommy?" He asked. I blinked and suddenly, Tommy dissolved into a guy with shaggy brown hair, blue eyes that were almost piercing. Pain radiated in my head from my quick bolt out of the bed. I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples. Last night slowly came back to me in fuzzy pieces. Tommy wasn't here. This kid was just some random college kid who had been at the bar. I let him buy me drinks all night until I was numb enough to let him bring me home. "Is that your boyfriend or something?"
"What? No." I replied, opening my eyes. The guy – whose name I couldn't currently fucking remember – sat up in my bed and leaned against my headboard, making himself comfortable.
"Oh. I thought maybe you had a husband or something that was going to be showing up. So…do you have anything to cook breakfast with?" I looked at him, wanting to know how funny he thought he was. Instead, he was looking at me with an expectant expression. This young little shit thought that I was going to cook him breakfast? Please. I don't even cook for myself.
"Get out." I muttered before staggering out of the room. I was a little relieved to see I was dressed in underwear and some kind of tank top at least. I heard the kid scoff, hopping out of the bed to follow behind me.
"What do you mean get out? We had fun! I thought we could hang out—." He said, coming from my room. Each word was piercing my sore brain, causing the level of nausea to raise. I stopped, glancing at him over my shoulder.
"Listen, kid. Learn how to act the next morning if you're going to have a one-night stand. And maybe learn how to give a girl an orgasm too. I get you're a beginner but even kids in middle school know how to finger a girl somewhat." I spat. He gaped at me, as if he couldn't believe the words I had said. "Now, I'm going to go vomit in the bathroom. If you're not gone by the time I'm done, I will go get the angry Mexican woman I keep across the street."
"Whatever, you fucking bitch." He called as I stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. I could slightly hear his stomping over the sound of my vomiting into the toilet. I knew he was gone when I heard the door slam below. Collapsing on the floor, I leaned against the side of the tub and grabbed the almost empty bottle of vodka. I chugged the rest, dropping the empty remains next to me.
"What's wrong with you?" I whispered, talking to myself. Why did I think that kid, who will forever be nameless to me, was Tommy? I didn't recall having a dream about him or anything. The alcohol tends to stop those from happening. So, why did I see him? Was it from the kid calling me 'Beautiful?' If that was the case, I was more pathetic than I thought. Which was really saying something. Gripping the edge of the tub, I hoisted myself up off the floor and saw a discarded pair of shorts in the corner behind the door. I slid them on, the pain in my head seemingly growing dim from the aid of Mr. Boston. I tossed my hair into a bun and left the bathroom.
Downstairs, I opened my fridge and saw I was lacking anything that I could probably stomach. It flopped at the thought of eating, so I shut the door. The clock on my stove said it was almost noon. I wasn't due back to the bar for work until four. My body begged for me to lay back down in my bed and go back to sleep. I fought it though, knowing the hangover would just be worst waking up a second time. Instead, I took a shower to try to feel human. It worked, breaking me out of the gross feeling that had developed me. After, I cleaned up my room and pulled the sheets from my bed. I dumped them into the washing machine in my basement. While they washed, I cleaned the rest of my apartment. As I worked, I drank from a new bottle of vodka that I pulled from my fridge. The more I drank, the less work I managed to get done. I managed to complete all of my laundry by the time I gave up and sat on my couch.
Outside, the rain was not letting up. It pelted my windows, staining the glass with droplets of water. It made everything feel dreary, something I found welcoming. I closed my eyes, listening to the raindrops land. It was soothing, almost like the sound of light footsteps on a wooden floor. Something about it in my slightly tipsy stupor made it feel like a melody to my ears. In my mind, I pictured water droplets hitting the surface of the Angel Grove pond. The way the water would ripple and the frogs that lived in the water would come to the surface to enjoy the shower. The smell of the ocean spray would wash over Angel Grove then, the salt wafting through the air. I could feel wet sand sinking under my bare feet as I ran along the shore of the pond, laughter ringing behind me as I did. It wasn't mine. It was deep and made my heart flutter.
"Wait til I catch you!" The voice called and I heard myself let out a squeal of delight as I was lifted off the ground in strong arms. Though they were strong, they were comforting, not offending. The smell of the rain mixed with that of pleasant aftershave and I felt arms pull me close against them. "Never leave me." The voice whispered in my ear.
"Stop it!" I called out, startling myself as I flung myself off the couch. I shook my head, shoving the thoughts out of my mind. My fingers trembled as I tried to think of anything else. This shit needed to stop. This was why I drank. It was supposed to stop these thoughts. Not make them come forward. I swore, feeling tears fill my eyes. I needed to get the fuck out of this house.
"You're early." Joey said as I ran through the door of the bar, holding my coat over my head to protect my hair from the down pour. I shook the excess water off as the door closed, sliding the coat off. He was behind the bar, counting money from the register from lunch.
"Yeah. I had to run some errands first so I figured I would just come here instead of making the trip home." I replied.
"Hi, Kim!" Al called from the kitchen, his voice carrying through the empty bar.
"Hey, Al." I called back, walking over to the bar and sitting in the stool in front of Joey. I was feeling slightly better now. The panic of my thoughts was gone, my car ride with Marcus keeping my mind busy. I don't like to ask them from rides because it makes me look like a charity case, but I couldn't wait for Joey to come pick me up. Joey sighed, closing the drawer of the register. He grabbed a plastic cup and started making a rum and coke. He popped some cherry syrup in there as well, setting it in front of me. "Thanks." I said, taking a sip of the drink.
"You okay?" He asked, leaning on the bar. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"Yeah. Just a long night. I'm fine." I said. This was a statement I've been very good at repeating lately, even though it wasn't true. I took a large gulp of the drink, the ice swirling in the cup.
"You don't have to perform tonight if you don't want. You are allowed a day off." He pointed out.
"Isn't that what Sundays are for? God's day of rest." I smirked at him, running a hand through my hair.
"Even God takes vacation." He responded, grabbing the money that he had shoved into the grey colored locked bag. "I'm going to the bank. Wanna come with?"
"Nah. I think I'm in need of some of Al's cheese fries. I'll start prep here though."
"Alright. I'll be back soon." He walked towards the door and grabbed his coat from the rack. Pulling it on, he lifted the hood to cover his head. With a quick wave, he slid out of the door and into the parking lot. Hopping off the stole, I walked over to the kitchen window where I spotted Al chopping up chicken into strips.
"Hey, Al. Can I trouble you for some cheese fries when you get a free minute?" I asked.
"Anything for you!" He replied, smiling at me.
"Thanks." I patted the ledge before heading back towards the bar. I heard him move around, telling me he was busy. I grabbed my glass and dumped the ice out. I poured more rum into the cup, not adding anything else. I chugged the liquor in a matter of seconds, loving the way it burned slightly in my chest. Instant relief came over me and I closed my eyes. As much as I hated that I needed to do this to get through the days sometimes, that feeling of the alcohol washing over your senses is something nothing else compares to. It always reminded me of slipping into a warm bath, not having to worry about finding a way of out the water. It was heaven in a bottle, something I will always try to escape to on days like today.
I remember the first time I ever drank alcohol. I was fifteen years old, times were slow in our Power Ranger duties. Jason invited us over to his house while Mr. and Mrs. Scott were out of town for their anniversary. The suggestion of raiding the liquor cabinet came up. It was something that none of us nerds had ever considered before. We figured it would be a great idea. Two hours later, the boys were trying to wrestle each other on the living room floor while Trini and I sat giggling on the couch. I have never laughed that hard in my entire life. It was one of the few times I felt like a normal teenager. Jason caught hell the next morning when his aunt came over to check on him and found six hung over teens sleeping on the living room floor. After that, the only time we really drank was when we had some free time over the summer or when Rita and Zedd were taking a hiatus. Those moments were few and far between, but we always had fun, like normal everyday kids.
"Here, Kim." Al said, walking around the corner and breaking my thoughts. He held a basket of fresh French fries, cheese melted over the top of them. These were my absolute favorite thing to get when I'm here. I have no clue how he does it but somehow, every single free ends up with a layer of cheese on it. I noticed he tossed some bacon bits and sour cream on top as well. He's God sent.
"Oooooh, thank you!" I said, reaching out to take them. "Wanna sit and have lunch with me?"
"Sorry. I gotta make sure we have enough food thawed for tonight. You can come sit back there with me if you want." He replied, wiping his hands on his apron.
"Nah. I gotta start doing the prep up here. Maybe tomorrow."
"Sure, kid. I'll make pizza and wings special."
"Awesome." He smirked, heading back towards the kitchen. Suddenly, the big empty bar room felt colder. I pour another drink, as well as a glass of ice water. Somehow, vodka doesn't wash down cheese fries that well. I shot down the liquor, tossing the glass away as I got to work eating my fries and chopping the fruit.
You know that feeling you get right before you're going to vomit? Like that stomach-churning feeling that is your stomach about to turn itself inside out from your body. It's something I'm very familiar with. Not in a Lifetime movie about anorexia kind of way. More in a way that my body is begging for more water and less liver killing substances. It was something my body told me every morning but sometimes, the bitch has got to learn to shut her mouth. The hallway to the bathroom seemed to be spinning as I made my way to the ladies' room from the bar. I was due on stage in about twenty minutes and I knew if I was going to toss my cookies, it needed to happen now.
Shoving through the door, I was relieved to find it empty. I darted into the first stall, barely in time to throw up in the toilet. For a moment, I was absorbed in the thought it was so much cleaner than mine. In my drunk stupor, the dumbest little things matter to me. I rest my arm on the back of the seat, giving my forehead somewhere to set as I heaved my stomach contents into the bowl. Relief washing over me as the feeling of dying subsided. Once the heaving stopped, I slid back against the brick wall. Closing my eyes, I rested the back of my head against it as well.
"You think he's cute, don't you?" Trini's voice said in my ear. The sound of boys stretching could be heard and in the distance, the echo of an announcer over a microphone carried.
"No." I said, trying to figure out what she was talking about.
"Come on. Look at that hair. I think he is more your type though." She replied, a chuckle in her voice. I felt her arm around my shoulders and the smell of a gym wafted through the air, replacing the vomit sourness. I was at the Youth Center. It was Jason's tournament today.
"He'd never like me." I said, my voice sounding far away as I struggled to keep my head up.
"Girl, please. He keeps looking over at you."
"Who?" I whispered.
"I think they said his name was Tommy. He's new at school." How did I get here? Everything felt hazy, like I was seeing things through the hotness off black top in the dead of August. "Want me to talk to him for you tomorrow?"
"No." I said, shaking my head. It wobbled, weighing about a hundred pounds.
"C'mon. It'll be fine. I promise. That's what best friends are for."
"Trini?" I asked. She came in and out of focus in front of me, her concerned almond shaped eyes looking down at me.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Trini…" I said softly.
"I think you need some water." The voice suddenly changed and the world around me came back into focus. Trini transformed in Sandra, her red hair taking the place where Trini's long black hair had been. I looked up at her confused.
"Where's Trini?" I asked, my senses still fogging.
"Who?" She questioned, helping me to my head. The world went off kilter and I stumbled a few steps. She held on to me though, making sure I wasn't going to fall. I was at the bar. I'm in the bathroom. Trini isn't here. She was never here.
"No one." I muttered, getting my bearings. "Is it time for me to go on?"
"Yeah but you don't have to if you're not feeling well, honey." She said. I shook my head, stepping away from her.
"I'm alright. I just have to clean up and I'll be out. Tell Joey to give me five more minutes." I said, leaning on the sink. I didn't dare look up into my reflection.
"You sure?" She asked, resting her hand on the door. I nodded, gazing up at her reflection in the mirror.
"Yes. Thank you." She gave me one last look before disappearing into the hall. I sighed once she was gone, turning on the cold water. It was just a day dream produced my alcohol. Something that happens all the time. At first, it was something that would make me want to drink. But after a while, it would hurt more to see the past rather than make me feel better. I found if I drank more and more, the flickers would disappear or not happen all together. I cupped the water in my hands and splashed my face. It did little to make me feel like I wasn't dying but I felt more grounded at least. The spinning had stopped, and I knew I would fall on my face when I walked. I turned off the water before heading out the door.