Kelly was just going over the stock list with Blake when Hunter ran over, clearing his throat. As usual, Blake and Kelly both turned, but Kelly turned away from Hunter, keeping her clipboard with her and ignoring Hunter's presence.
As Kelly moved away, Tori rolled over on a bike. Tori had dropped Blake off to work after they were at Ninja practice (thought the four had no idea Kelly knew), and she saw Kelly was a little short handed with the delivery that came in and offered to help.
"What's that?" Tori asked, spotting the tickets in Hunter and Blake's hands.
"Tickets to the Martial Arts Film Festival," Hunter told her, almost in a bragging manner. "They're showing Fists of Fire 2."
"Huh," Tori said before she started rolling away. "Hoping to pick up a few pointers?"
"Yeah, ha-ha," Blake laughed, before running to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "Hey, listen; um... what are you going to be doing? Do you wanna come?"
Tori nodded and smiled brightly, excited for a day with Blake, "Sure, I love those old Kung Fu movies?"
Kelly had looked up to see her little Tori getting asked out on her first date and smiled. Her smile widened when she saw Hunter disappointed his baby brother invited the girl of his dreams. Kelly had to hold back a laugh at his expense.
"So around 3:00?" Blake asked to confirm the time of the date. Tori accepted the ticket and nodded.
Blake left to the backroom and Kelly moved over to Tori.
"So, you're not going to the skate demo?" she asked. The skate demo was for Shane and Tori had promised him weeks ago that she would be there for support. When Kelly heard that Tori had accepted a date at the same time as the demo, she had to make sure Tori wasn't choosing a boy over the boys.
"The demo is tomorrow?" Tori frowned, lowering her head in disappointed.
"Don't tell me you forgot," Kelly sighed, "Shane's been talking about it all week."
"I don't believe this!" Tori groaned, getting off the bike and handing it to Kelly. Kelly smiled softly, rolling the bike over to the rack.
Hunter was at the bike rack, tightening the seat on one of the newer bikes that had come in when he saw Kelly. He jumped to his feet with a smile.
"Hey, uh, Kel," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Kelly looked over at him and frowned.
"What?"
"Well, Blake and I got these tickets to a Martial Arts Film Festivals and we were supposed to invite some guys to the track but..."
"But Blake invited Tori without asking you first and now you're afraid you're going to be stuck in the middle of a date," Kelly finished for Hunter with a smirk. "I know, I saw it all. Your face was priceless!"
"Yeah, well, about that..." Hunter said, "Now that Blake invited Tori, I need someone to go with me. I can't bring another bro to a movie when he's bringing his girl. That'll throw everything off, you know."
Kelly patted Hunter on the shoulder as she laughed, "Sure you can."
"I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to tag along with us," Hunter asked.
"I'm sorry, I can't," Kelly said.
"Oh, you have plans?" Hunter asked.
"No," Kelly shrugged, "I'm watching the dust gather on your pay check."
"I'm not asking you on a date," Hunter frowned, "We don't even have to sit together. But... I was thinking... Blake's my little bro and Tori's your best friend."
"Do you have a point, or is your mouth just moving like that for no reason?" Kelly asked, turning away from Hunter. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, turning her around.
"I don't trust Tori with my brother as far as I can throw her," Hunter said, "Blake's never had a girlfriend, never mind a friend who's a girl. He doesn't know how emotionally unstable they can be."
"You're saying this like I'm not a girl," Kelly frowned, crossing her arms.
"No, you are... but you're his boss," Hunter said. "A girlfriend is a totally different experience."
"Hunter," Kelly said, putting her hand up to shut him up, "Get to the point."
"Tori's a hoe and Blake hasn't had any action ever!" Hunter said.
"Ouch, that's a little harsh."
"If you really do care about Tori, then you'll come along with me to keep an eye on them both and make sure they don't end up in bed."
Kelly shook her head, pinching Hunter's cheek roughly, "You're such a funny man, Hunter, but no. Why give up the opportunity to leave you stuck between the Storm Charger love birds' make out session?"
When Kelly pulled away, she slapped Hunter hard on the cheek, "By the way, next time you call Tori a hoe you're fired."
-----Storm-Chargers-----
Somehow, even after telling Hunter a firm no, Kelly still found herself waiting in the lobby of the theatre with the Bradley brothers.
Her no had been a sure thing when Kelly thought Tori was going to choose the demo over the date. However, when she heard Tori confirming her presence at the film with Blake, Kelly had to change her mind.
It wasn't because she wanted to keep an eye on Tori and Blake (though while she was there she would), but it was more to see if she could guilt trip Tori for missing on the demo and choosing the boy over Shane.
Suddenly, Tori appeared, slightly winded.
"Hi guys!"
"Hey, you made it!" Blake smiled. "I was starting to get worried there."
They walked over to the food-counter, but where stopped when a man in a chicken suit cut them off to offer refreshments. Before they could say anything, the woman at the counter called over to them.
"Can I help you?"
"Popcorn?" Hunter offered everyone.
"Uh, you guys got the tickets," Tori said, moving forward, "This is my treat."
The woman behind the counter shoved the bucket of popcorn in Tori's hands.
"It's left over from last week's sci-fi promotion," the woman said. Tori nodded and reached for her purse. She offered some money to the lady, but she refused.
"Okay, well... thanks," Tori smiled. She looked at her watch and suddenly grew very nervous. Without turning around, she gave the popcorn to Blake, pushing through Kelly to run for the door.
"Save me a seat, I'll be right back!"
"We'll be in the front," Blake said, though Tori wasn't around long enough to hear it. He looked over at Hunter questioningly. Hunter shrugged and turned to Kelly.
Kelly had no idea what was going on. She shrugged as well and stole the popcorn from the younger brother.
The three of them got into the theatre as the movie started. They found four seats, side by side and each took one. They put their stuff on the fourth seat to save it for Tori.
Kelly sat between the two brothers with the popcorn in her lap. Blake reached over to grab another handful and sighed.
"I wonder where Tori is."
He grabbed another handful just as Hunter was about to reach in. The older brother glared down at his little brother.
"Dude, are you going to eat the whole thing yourself?"
"Thinking about it," Blake smirked.
Kelly pulled the bucket away from both brothers when suddenly a red light shone from the top. Within moments, the three of them were pulled inside the bucket of popcorn.
They landed with a splash in the butter and surfaced just in time to hear Tori whispering. Blake quickly called her name and her head poked over the surface.
"Don't eat the popcorn!" Hunter warned her.
"Blake, Hunter, Kelly?" she asked. Her head pulled away and she turned, apparently talking to someone who was telling her to shush.
"Sorry, my friends are in the popcorn and I have to save them," she whispered.
The three in the popcorn heard a loud laugh right before the bucket started moving around wildly. The butter was being splashed in all directions, and the three were being whipped around.
"I don't know about the rest of you," Kelly started, trying to keep her balance, "But my dates usually don't go like this."
Blake got to his feet, throwing the butter off his hands as his face twisted in disgust.
"What is this stuff?" he asked.
"I don't know," Hunter frowned, "But let's get out of it."
"How?" Kelly asked as the two moved into a line, holding out their two first fingers. They jumped, as if suddenly remembering she was there. "How the hell are you going to get out of this mess?"
"Uh..." the two brothers stopped and exchanged glances.
"We climb the wall," Blake suggested, obviously thinking on his feet. Kelly looked down at the butter and frowned. This wasn't going to go well, and she knew it.
"C'mon," Hunter said, moving over the wall, "Get on my shoulders."
It was Kelly and Blake's turn to exchange looks. Neither wanted to risk getting up high, only to slip off and fall onto the butter coated ground.
"Don't look at me," Kelly frowned, "He's your brother."
"You're taller," Blake argued, "You'll reach higher."
"But I don't like him," Kelly said.
"Step on his face," Blake shrugged.
Hunter turned to his baby brother and frowned, "Dude!"
"Sorry, but this looks dangerous."
Kelly rolled her eyes, "Whatever."
She grabbed Hunter's shirt, pulling him down so she could climb up. Hunter was careful to keep steady as Kelly slowly made her way up his back. Suddenly he felt something pull her hair.
"OW!" he cried. Kelly laughed.
"You know, this will be fun."
"Be careful," Hunter growled. Kelly shook her head and held on tight as Hunter straightened out. When he was finished, she placed her hands on the wall for balance, slowing bringing herself upright.
Suddenly, Kelly lost balance. She slipped off Hunter's shoulders and fell back onto the ground.
Hunter and Blake quickly gathered around her, pulling her out of the butter. Blake tapped her cheek gently.
"Kel, you okay?" he called. Kelly didn't respond.
"Great," Hunter frowned, "She's dead."
"She's not dead," Blake said, feeling for her pulse, "She probably hit her head."
"Now what?" Hunter asked.
"Dude," Blake said, tapping Hunter's leg, "She's unconscious."
"Yeah, so?" Hunter asked.
"We're safe to morph.
Hunter nodded and smiled, "Right!"
Blake leaned Kelly against the wall of the bucket before standing beside his brother. Hunter made sure he was in position before beginning the morph.
"Ready?"
"THUNDER STORM, RANGER FORM!" they cried out, pressing on their morphers, but nothing happened.
"This isn't good," Blake said, looking over at his brother. Hunter groaned, kicking the butter, only to lose his footing. He slipped into the butter, surfacing quickly with a giant kernel in his hands.
"Hunter!" Blake smiled, rushing over to his brother, "Is that..."
"Unpopped kernels," Hunter nodded. "We can pop ourselves out of here."
"Wait..." Blake frowned, looking over at Kelly, "What about her? We can't use our powers. She might get shocked."
Hunter slid over to Kelly, grabbing her in his arms. He pulled her back over to Blake.
"I got her," Hunter said.
"You sure that'll work, bro?" Blake asked.
"Any other suggestions?" Hunter frowned. Blake shrugged. "Good."
The two brothers shut their eyes, focusing all their energy on heating up the bucket. Crimson and navy sparks flew around freely as the butter started to bubble. Before they knew it, the unpopped kernels were beginning to pop, and the boys and Kelly were rising to the top.
Suddenly, they were thrown from the bucket, landing in the middle of the city at the Ranger's feet.
"Hey," Shane laughed.
"Are you guys alright?" Tori asked.
"Kelly?" Dustin frowned, spotting his boss in the middle of the two brothers. While Tori and Shane helped Blake and Hunter to their feet, he grabbed Kelly. Retracting his visor, he saw her open her eyes. He smiled and she winked, before pretending to pass out again.
"Dude, you guys kinda reek," Dustin laughed, lifting Kelly in his arms.
"Artificial butter flavouring," Hunter explained. "So what happened?"
"Just a giant pig," Shane frowned, "The usual."
"What happened with you guys?" Dustin smirked, "How did you end up in the bucket?"
"We have no idea," Blake shrugged. He motioned to Kelly. "How is she?"
"She's out," Dustin explained, powering down, "I'll take her back."
"You guys might want to clean off," Tori laughed.
-----Storm-Chargers-----
Dustin held the door open for Kelly, letting her walk back into the store.
"Hey," he called before letting her go off, "Thanks for that."
"For what?" Kelly asked, running her hand through her hair to get as much of the butter out as she could.
"For pretending to pass out," Dustin smiled, "I don't know what the brothers would have done to get out otherwise."
Kelly nodded, "Its fine. I figured they wouldn't morph or use their powers in front of me. And I got to pull Hunter's hair, so I guess it's still a winning situation for me."
"You know, if they found out I told you I would be toast!" Dustin laughed. "Tori used her powers to go from the demo to the theatre, and got into huge trouble."
"Really?" Kelly asked, crossing her arms, "That's what she was doing?"
Dustin nodded, "She was ninja streaking. It wasn't fun watching her getting yelled at. If Sensei finds out I spilled..."
Kelly smiled, "Dustin, you know I won't rat you out. You're secret's safe with me."
"I know," Dustin said, "But... if this keeps happening... you can't keep pretending to get hurt."
"It'll be fine, Dustin," Kelly laughed. "Now can you please go away? I need to wash the Hunter off me."
Dustin smirked and pointed to Kelly's face, "Okay, and while you're at it, you have a little bit of butter right..."
Kelly swatted his hand away, "Just go find your friends."
Dustin smiled, closing the door behind Kelly as she went upstairs to go shower. Just as she reached the stairs, she heard a knock on the door. She groaned, turning around to see who it was.
"We're closed!" she called out, before seeing Hunter on the other side of the glass. "That goes for you too."
Hunter pointed to the lock, "I just want to explain..."
"Last time I unlocked the door for you, you robbed me," Kelly frowned.
"Dustin told me you were feeling better," Hunter said.
"I won't until I shower," Kelly told him as she turned away. Hunter tapped on the glass again.
"If you have any questions about what happened in the bucket..."
Kelly turned back, "What are you talking about?" she frowned.
"Huh?" Hunter asked.
"What bucket?" Kelly asked. "Last thing I remember I was watching the movie with you guys when this giant pig attacked the theatre. He sprayed this stuff everywhere and I we all got hit. Then I guess I black out or something, because Dustin was driving me home.
"What...? Really?" Hunter looked over at Kelly curiously.
Kelly nodded, "Yeah. Now if you wouldn't mind getting lost. I kinda wanna wash this stuff out of my hair."
"Okay," Hunter nodded, still a little unsure about Kelly story, but he figured Dustin explained everything to her before dropping her off. He turned to leave before remembering their date. "Hey, about today..."
"Never again, Bradley," Kelly called out, "The only reason I was there was to make sure your little brother didn't make moves on Tori."
"I just wanted to say thanks for coming," Hunter told her. "I would have been totally awkward if it was just the three of us."
"Tori wasn't there for most of it," Kelly said, "So you two would have been fine."
"Well, thanks," Hunter smiled before turning away. Kelly rolled her eyes but watched him leave.
When he was gone, she turned back to the stairs but a thought hit her. If Tori and Blake were on a date... did that mean she and Hunter were on one as well?
"I really need to get the Hunter off me," Kelly said, shuttering at the thought of Hunter. Without another thought, she ran up the stairs, slipping and sliding on her way and hopped into the shower.