Memories: The Beginning

by angellwings

Chapter Ten: Complications

"What happened next?"

Maurhee grinned at her daughter and her friends.

"Well, Trini, Zack, and Jason left for the Peace Conference and transferred their powers to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha," Maurhee answered.

"Not with that, with you and the Commander," Michelle said with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, well nothing really. We became friends. Rocky and I actually started teaching a beginners martial arts class together, and he and Adam took Zack and Jason's places in our daily sparring matches," Maurhee said.

"That's it?" Sky asked with a grin.

"What? Did you expect me to just see Rocky and fall madly in love and then dump my soccer star boyfriend?" She asked with a grin.

"Well…yeah," Bridge answered with a shrug.

Rocky laughed loudly, "I wish."

"So when did you break it off with Elijah, then?" Xander asked impatiently.

"She's getting to it," Rocky chuckled.

"Rocky and I had started teaching beginners Martial Arts class together a few days a week, and then on Thursday we got together after school for a study session. So you could say that he and I became fast friends," Maurhee told them. "Of course I didn't realize how close we were until Elijah said something during home room one day."

"Hey, Rhee, are you coming to my practice today?" Elijah asked his girlfriend as he sat down next her.

"Oh, I can't today. Rocky and I have an English test tomorrow…emergency cram session," She told him.

"Rocky, huh? Listen, Rhee, I think it's nice that you're helping out the new kid, but it's been a while since he started. I think he's got a handle on the school now," Elijah told her.

She furrowed her brow, "Elijah, this has nothing to do with him 'getting a handle on the school'. He's my friend and he's asked me to help him with English so that's what I'm doing."

"You guys sure seem to hang out a lot, though," Elijah told her worriedly.

How could she explain this to someone who didn't really understand her "extra curricular" activities? She couldn't.

"Well, that's what you do with your friends, Elijah. You hang out," She told him with a sarcastic smirk.

"Really? So it's normal for a girl to hang out with another guy more than her boyfriend?" He asked with a clenched jaw.

She immediately looked concerned, "Elijah-"

"No, you know what…I'm gonna go sit with Richie. I'll talk to you later," He grumbled as he stood up and walked to the back of the room. She sighed and ran a hand through her ginger colored hair.

"Hey," Rocky said with a wide smile as he sat down next to her. She gave him a small smile in return.

"Hi," She said.

"You okay?" He asked in concern.

"Rocky, do we hang out too much?" She asked him with a distracted expression.

"I don't know, I mean we hang out a lot, but I don't think it's too much. Do you think it's too much?"

"No, but Elijah does," She told him.

"He does?"

"Yeah, he just told me so. I really didn't think about it. I mean it's just that he's so busy all the time, and our schedules are so different. Maybe I don't see him as much as I see you, but I can't help that. He's never available when I am, and you are. Besides it's not like I'm cheating on him or anything. We're just friends," She said aloud, but Rocky had a feeling she was saying it more to herself than anyone else.

"Rhee, we don't have to have our study session today if that's the problem. I mean I know the soccer team has that practice scrimmage today…"

"What? No, no! Rocky, we're still going to have our study date. I mean session, study session. What am I saying? Look, we have an English test tomorrow and we need to go over the Essay questions as well as the study guide for Macbeth," She told him with a nervous gulp.

Rocky grinned and nodded. So she wanted to spend time with him. He wasn't just a friend that needed study help. He was a friend that she enjoyed hanging out with. Not to mention he'd noticed her slip. She'd called their plans a "date".

"Hi," Maurhee said as she approached the table Rocky had reserved for them.

"Hey," He responded.

"Okay, so you ready to get to work?" She asked as she sat down and pulled out her English notebook.

"I guess," Rocky shrugged, "We'll see if this does any good this time."

"What do you mean this time? You got a B- on the last test, Rock. I'd say that's a HUGE improvement from your D on the first test." She told him as patted his arm, "And besides, didn't you tell me you actually enjoyed Macbeth? So it stands to reason that you'll do even better on this test since you've paid attention to the literature."

"I just never feel fully prepared for tests," Rocky sighed.

"No one does, Rock. Not even Billy feels fully prepared for ALL of his tests. I mean he had Kim and me drill him on his dates for his History test the other day. He was very nervous," Maurhee told him.

"Really?" Rocky asked curiously.

"Really," Maurhee said as she gave Rocky's hand a comforting squeeze.

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's kick Shakespeare's Tragic butt," Rocky said as he snatched his copy of Macbeth out of his backpack.

Maurhee laughed and scooted her chair closer to him as they both looked over the copy.

Elijah made his way to the Library after the scrimmage ended. He planned to meet Maurhee as she and Rocky were finishing up and apologize for his behavior earlier. He approached the door and looked through the window to make sure they were still there. Something about their interactions worried him. Maybe it was the way she was throwing her head back when she laughed or the way she occasionally laid a hand on Rocky's shoulder. Something about the two of them together made him more than a little jealous.

Just as he was about to enter the library he froze. Maurhee had leaned forward to reach a notebook and her face had paused just inches from Rocky's.

Maurhee didn't know what was going on with her, but she knew she was having a lot of fun with Rocky. She'd never enjoyed a guy's company this much. She smiled at him and leaned across him to get her notebook. She felt his breath on her neck and turned in surprise. She hadn't realized how close they were. She gulped when she realized that with just one slight movement she could kiss him. They both paused and stayed that way for several minutes before Maurhee finally remembered her boyfriend. What could she be thinking? She had a guy. She had the guy that every girl at Angel Grove High wanted.

But she was beginning to wonder if she wanted him.

Something about Rocky drew her in, and it was something she was having a hard time ignoring.

Rocky cleared his throat and backed away another inch, and Maurhee shook herself free of her thoughts before returning to her seat.

"So, I think we've covered everything. You're good to go," Maurhee told the red ranger cheerfully.

"Well, let's hope I ace it. It would certainly make my life easier," Rocky said as he began to gather his books. Maurhee was amazed at how quickly the two of them could pretend nothing happened.

"And so the drama begins," Syd said with a wicked grin.

Maurhee laughed, "You don't know just how correct you are."

"What happened next?" Xander asked eagerly.

"You'll find out, but right now I need to take a break from this story. I'm gonna go brew some coffee," Maurhee said as she glanced at the young people around the room. She noticed her daughter looking extremely conflicted, "Tammi would you care to help me?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, sure thing, mom," Tammi said as she stood up from her place on the couch beside Sky and followed her mother in to the kitchen.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Maurhee asked her daughter once they had safely reached the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tammi answered with a sigh. "No, I'm not."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain red ranger and that diamond on your finger would it?"

"Sometimes I don't get Sky. I mean most of the time we're on the same page. Yes we bicker, but we generally agree, and initially I agreed with him on this whole "nest egg" plan. But now…I mean what if he's just putting off? What if the delay has nothing to do with a nest egg and everything to do with him having changed his mind?"

"Why in the world would you think he's changed his mind?" Maurhee asked in concern.

"I don't know…he's stopped talking about the wedding altogether, and he's working more than he used to. I'm lucky if I get to see him off base at all anymore. It's like…he's avoiding me. Which is really hard to do since we live in the same place," Tammi said as she leaned against the kitchen counter, "Did Dad ever act like this when you were engaged?"

"No," She chuckled, "Your father was surprisingly very enthusiastic about helping me with the wedding plans. But, honey, just because Sky is acting a little distant doesn't mean he's changed his mind. It might just mean that he's being the usual ignorant male, and has no idea you feel this way. I suggest you talk to him about this. You could be worrying over nothing."

Tammi sighed, "I don't care about the "nest egg" anymore…I just want him. I don't need a house right away or any of that other stuff he's so focused on us having. That's part of the excitement of being newlyweds, you know? The making it on your own with whatever it is you've got. You and dad did that right? And you guys were happy, weren't you?"

"We were very happy," Maurhee told Tammi with a wistful smile.

"I just want what you and dad have, mom. That's all," Tammi said sadly as she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the coffee grounds canister.

Maurhee waited for Tammi to set the canister down before grabbing hold of her hands and looking into her eyes.

"Then talk to him, Tammi. Tell him all of what you just told me," Maurhee advised.

Tammi shrugged and walked away to a cabinet and pulled down a few coffee mugs, "I just might do that."

Okay, so theres an update! Woo! Enjoy!