Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter seven of "On a Strange Tide." I'm glad it took just four days to get out. This chapter has a bit of Tommy/Kim. It features the first appearance of Angel Grove High School and one of its faculty. I decided to have Bulk and Skull as bullies because I thought they were at their funniest, though they did undergo a major change in their junior year in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. In fact, I can hear their theme playing in my head every time they appear in this fic. It means something funny is about to happen to them. You can expect a bit of that throughout the fic. Stay tuned for chapter eight.
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Chapter 7: Arriving at School
Heavy morning rain fell on Angel Grove High School five days later. Tommy and Kim made their way through the front doors while wielding their umbrellas. They opened and closed them three times. This rid them of excess water. They closed them all the way. They went to their lockers, which were located across from the stairs with his being the top first and hers the top second. They opened them.
Tommy pulled his hair behind his neck. He told Jason, Trini, Rocky, Kat, Adam, Aisha, Billy, Zack, and Tanya about what happened at Pizza Hut on Monday. His friends weren't surprised he leapt to Jenna's aid because he was well known for doing that. What surprised them was hearing she was in town attending Angel Grove University as a freshman and having residence in Los Angeles. They never thought two exes who hadn't seen each other in four years would have such an encounter. They took comfort in the fact that the police already had the carjacker in custody.
Tommy and Kim hummed softly as they pulled their chemistry books out of their lockers. They put their umbrellas inside and closed them with loud slams. They looked toward the janitor, who dipped his mop in his bucket and ringed it out. He began mopping the end of the hallway in front of the stairs. They saw Jason making his way toward his locker, which happened to be the top fourth. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes.
"Good morning, Jase," Tommy greeted.
"Good morning yourself, Tommy," Jason replied, stopping at his locker. He opened it and reached in. He got his chemistry book. A flash of lightning lid up the window at the stairs. A thunderclap followed soon after. "I don't think that storm is going to let up anytime soon."
"You got that right," Kim agreed. She and Tommy turned around and leaned their backs against their lockers. She huffed quietly. "We Californians are lucky if it rains once a year."
"If there is one thing I don't like about living in California, it's the lack of rain," Tommy commented. He and Kim saw Jason place his umbrella inside his locker and close it. "I really love the climate. We can go to the beach in the dead of winter."
"We sure can, bro," Jason said, turning around and leaning his back against his locker. "Our girls look great in bikinis on that beach."
"Oh, yeah," Tommy agreed. "So do Rocky and Adam's girls."
"The girl who looks the best in a bikini is Kim in my opinion," a male voice said and laughed raucously.
Tommy, Kim, and Jason groaned irritatingly and looked ahead to see Bulk and Skull standing a short distance away. Bulk smacked his gum as he and his best friend approached them. The trio became disgusted. Skull stared Kim in the eye, and she swallowed hard.
"Hi there, Kimmie. You're looking sharp today," Skull said.
"How wonderful to see you and Bulk, Skull," Kim replied sarcastically.
Bulk chuckled. "You're great at using sarcasm. Did you get that from your mom?"
"No, I got it from my dad," Kim retorted and scoffed softly.
"I see," Skull said. He watched her lift her left hand and twirl her engagement ring. He saw it was a silver band with three small diamonds embedded in it. "That engagement ring looks more expensive than it really costs."
Kim put her hand down. "It does, but it cost only three hundred dollars. I don't need an insanely expensive engagement ring to know how much Tommy loves me."
"By the way, Kim and I are going out to dinner tomorrow night," Tommy added.
"They're not all about Caleb. They do take time out for themselves. It's not often, so they cherish every moment they can get," Jason commented.
"It'd be nice to have a girlfriend," Skull said.
"It sure would," Bulk agreed and nodded.
"If you two want girlfriends, you need to show humbleness, kindness, caring, warmth, gentleness, and politeness," Jason answered truthfully.
"You two appear to be greedy, egocentric, self-centered, uncaring, obnoxious, and rude. Girls won't tolerate any of that," Tommy said bluntly.
"For once, you two could dress and act like gentlemen," Kim suggested.
Skull shook his head. "No way."
"We happen to like the way we are," Bulk growled in determination. He looked toward Jason. "In fact, I'm going to teach the muscle brain a lesson."
Bulk leapt at Jason, who jumped out of the way. He ended up colliding with young man's locker. He pulled away and shook his head while babbling. He looked toward Jason. He made another leap at him. Jason moved aside, causing him to land on the floor and slide across it. Bulk hit his head on the bucket, water splashing out of it. He struggled to his feet as Jason rejoined Tommy and Kim. Skull went over to him and helped him up.
"I hope you had a nice trip, Bulk," Jason joked.
Kim smirked. "Maybe we'll see you next fall."
Tommy, Kim, and Jason laughed aloud. Bulk and Skull shot them dirty looks and walked off while mumbling inaudible words. Tommy looked toward Jason and high-fived him.
"Nice handling of Bulk there, bro," Tommy said as he and Jason balled their hands into fists. They bumped them together.
"After dealing with those two for years, you learn a few things on how to take care of them," Jason answered.
"At least the ways we handle them don't hurt them much, though they do get their clothes messed up sometimes," Tommy commented.
"Yeah, but it's better to have messy clothes than bad injuries," Jason muttered, cringing badly. "I don't think any of us can count the number of bruises we got when we were younger."
"Nope," Tommy agreed. "Some people bruise more easily than others do. It's a fact of life." He shrugged.
"Anyway, I can't help but wonder if Bulk and Skull will ever change," Kim said, scratching her head.
"I don't know," Jason admitted honestly. "Maybe a miracle will happen, and they change for the better."
"Perhaps," Kim said, sighing heavily. "If there is one thing I am thankful for, it's that Skull stopped pestering me for a date." She scoffed. "He did that for years. He didn't stop after I became pregnant. He thought I'd finally say yes if he kept going. He finally decided to quit after Tommy and I announced our engagement."
"At least he never tried to get in your pants, Kim. Those guys need to be avoided," Jason mumbled in some fear.
"And vice versa," Tommy said with a quiet gulp.
"Speaking of girls wanting in guys' pants, that reminds me of Penny Cromwell," Jason muttered, his body turning tense.
"That's the girl you dated briefly the summer before you started Angel Grove High, right?" Tommy asked and suppressed a yawn.
"Yes, that's the one," Jason answered, running his hand through his hair. "We had a nighttime picnic in the park in June. It was our first date. We had a nice time talking about starting our first year of high school. She kissed me, and we started making out." He looked a little nervous, but he decided to continue. "The next thing I knew, she was straddling me and trying to unbutton my flannel shirt. I pushed her off. I told her I didn't want to take things further so soon. She got mad and slapped me. She told me I'd do it with her if I really cared about her. That's when I realized she only wanted sex from me. I broke it off with her and took her home. In July, her family moved to Nashville because her mother decided to transfer to Perkins Hospital. Mrs. Cromwell worked as a nurse at Angel Grove Memorial Hospital before then."
"Something tells me she would not have been happy if she learned you were dating Trini," Tommy mumbled, becoming a little nervous.
"I agree, but I don't give a damn," Jason said determinedly. "I love Trini, and she loves me. She doesn't mind waiting to become sexually intimate."
"Tommy and I dated for two years before we made love for the first time," Kim said, looking at her fiancé lovingly. "We lost our virginities the same night we became parents to Caleb."
"I'm glad that happened, Beautiful," Tommy whispered in a loving voice. "It made that pregnancy extra special." He touched her stomach. "I can't wait for us to become parents again."
"Me neither," Kim said excitedly. "It will be a challenge caring for two children under the age of two, but I'm up for it."
"As am I," Tommy answered. "We're tough. We always will be."
Tommy and Kim shared a tender kiss before rubbing noses. Jason snickered, which caused them to look at him.
"You two should glue yourselves together, so you can't be apart anymore," Jason suggested.
"We'll do that on one condition, Jase," Tommy responded, putting his hand on his side.
"What's that?" Jason wondered.
"You and Trini have to glue yourselves together," Kim answered and moved her eyebrows up and down.
"No way," Jason said, shaking his head rapidly.
"Yes way," Kim said, nodding just as fast. "If you don't, Tommy and I will take you to our house and make you jump out our bedroom window." She smirked.
"If you and Tommy do that, then Trini and I will come back into your house and make you two jump out the same window," Jason blurted out.
"Bring it on," Tommy threatened playfully. "We dare you."
"I'd love to, but I don't want to mess my hair up," Jason said, touching the top of his head.
"Spoilsport," Tommy mumbled.
"I know you are, but what am I?" Jason quipped, letting out a loud laugh.
"You're so goofy, Jase," Tommy said, punching his best friend in the shoulder. "Yes, you are."
Jason blew a raspberry at Tommy, who mimicked him. They chuckled lightly and high-fived each other.
"What I am looking forward to is seeing little Caleb at the Youth Center this afternoon," Jason commented eagerly.
"Tommy and I hope the rain will stop by this afternoon, so we can take him there in his stroller," Kim said, pressing her lips together.
Tommy looked toward the window as lightning lit it up. "It may not happen for a while." He turned back to his fiancée. "If it doesn't end by the afternoon, then we'll just take him in my van."
Kim looked up at him. "Of course. After all, your van is quite comfortable."
"Thank God the Youth Center's restrooms have changing stations," Jason commented, his voice lined with relief. "You don't have to worry about changing your baby on a dirty floor." He showed disgust.
"Who knows what germs are covering the surfaces in those restrooms?" Kim muttered, shuddering badly.
"I don't want to know," Tommy said, swallowing hard. "One great thing about those changing stations is they have buckles to keep babies in place while you change them."
Jason nodded in agreement. "Yep, yep, yep."
"Sure, Ducky," Tommy said, turning to his best friend along with Kim.
"What can I say? I love that line of hers," Jason said, laughing cheerfully.
Tommy and Kim gave shrugs. Just then, Rocky, Kat, Adam, Aisha, Trini, Billy, Zack, and Tanya came around the corner. They stopped before them and Jason.
"Hey, guys," Billy greeted.
"Hey yourself, Billy," Jason responded warmly.
"What's going on this morning?" Rocky asked, curiosity filling his eyes.
"There's not much going on. Of course, two certain goofballs bugged Tommy, Jason, and me," Kim grumbled, making a funny noise.
"What's new?" Kat said, hugging her notebook and calculus book against her chest.
"Mm-hmm," Tommy answered.
"Damn. Will Bulk and Skull ever change?" Tanya wondered and shook her head in disbelief.
"Don't be too hopeful, Tanya," Trini said matter-of-factly. "People like Bulk and Skull often have a difficult time changing their obnoxious ways." She scoffed in irritation.
"At least Skull doesn't bug Kim for dates anymore," Adam admitted.
"By the way, Bulk had a nice slide across the floor," Jason said with pride. He imitated Bulk's slide by pushing his hand forward.
"Cool," Aisha said, giggling.
"Yeah," Tommy said and turned to Kim. "I can't wait for our dinner date tomorrow." He kissed her temple.
"Me neither," Kim agreed, touching his stomach. "After that, we're going to the lake. It's likely we'll get busy if you know what I mean."
Tommy growled playfully and kissed Kim. She brought her hand up to his neck, deepening the kiss. This caused Jason, Zack, Rocky, Adam, and Billy to wolf-whistle. Trini, Tanya, Kat, and Aisha started giggling. Unbeknownst to the group, Mr. Kaplan was coming their way.
"Tommy, Kimberly, stop with the PDA in the hallway!" Mr. Kaplan yelled, coming to a stop. Tommy and Kim jumped in fright and broke apart. They and their friends turned to him.
"Good morning, Mr. Kaplan!" Tommy said and let out a nervous laugh. He put his arm around Kim.
"What are you doing in the hallway?" Kim wondered.
Mr. Kaplan showed seriousness. "I was just doing a little walk around when I caught sight of your kissing session being witnessed by your friends. Jeez. I don't think I've seen any couple kiss as much as you two do. That kissing led to things going further and creating a little baby who is as adorable as he can be. It happened again, and his sibling will be born in six months. I hope you two will be even more careful after your second child is born. Having too many children at a young age can be very stressful, even if the parents have help from the grandparents."
"We know, sir," Kim said, nodding slowly. "We plan on being very careful after the new baby's birth."
"I have no doubt you will, but you need to save your affections for somewhere else," Mr. Kaplan pointed out.
"We're sorry, but we can't help it sometimes, sir. Other couples can't either," Tommy apologized and gestured toward Jason, Trini, Rocky, Kat, Adam, and Aisha.
"You shouldn't fault them for being in love," Zack commented.
"I don't fault Tommy, Kimberly, and other couples for being in love, Zack," Mr. Kaplan answered as he turned to the young man. "I understand young love. I was young myself once, but I was never affectionate with my girlfriends at school. It was always at home, at a restaurant, or in a car. Those places are appropriate for affection." He shifted his attention toward Tommy and Kim. "School is not. I'm fine with couples holding hands, but I don't want them kissing or hugging. Please, don't do what you were doing here again, okay?"
"Sure, sir," Kim whispered sadly. Tommy took his arm away from her shoulder and emitted a small snort.
"Thank you," Mr. Kaplan said, taking a deep breath. He looked at his watch. "It won't be very long before the bell rings." He turned back to the teens. "You don't want to be late to your classes and get detention, do you?"
Trini shook her head. "Absolutely not, sir."
"Good for you. If I were you, I'd go on and get to class," Mr. Kaplan said, rubbing his hands together. "Don't forget. If I catch you in the hall without a pass, you will do pushups on the spot before I send you to detention." He let out a light chuckle.
"We won't forget that, sir," Billy said, giving the principal a thumbs-up. "We promise."
Mr. Kaplan walked down the hallway while snapping his fingers. The teens watched him until he rounded the corner. Billy put his hand at his side.
"Mr. Kaplan has a great sense of humor, but he shouldn't be so hard on couples," Tanya said with a heavy sigh.
"Oh, yeah," Rocky said, scratching his nose.
"Look on the bright side. He doesn't tolerate bullies," Billy pointed out honestly.
"Thank God," Kat said in relief. "Well, let's get to our classes."
The others voiced their agreement. Tommy, Kim, Jason, and Trini headed upstairs. Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Billy walked left. Zack, Tanya, and Kat went right.
