Three Months Ago

Kimberly was struggling.

Every day was the same. She's get up early in the morning and do a couple of crunches and sit ups. She'd drink a strawberry-banana smoothie to wake herself up. Get in a few crunches and sit ups while the blender was running. Finish the smoothie, then grab her gym bag and clothes, made sure her finished homework was in her backpack, and took both to throw into the backseat of her pink convertible. She'd look at the messages on her phone, one from Tommy every morning to encourage her, and head off to the gym.

She'd attack practice as hard as she could. Hard enough that she'd throw up, take a sip of water to wash away the taste of stomach acid that remained in the back corners of her mouth, where her jaws hinged. Then kept going until practice ended. She'd listen as Coach Schmidt told her everything she was doing wrong before going to the locker room with the rest of her team where they'd talk about the things they needed to work on and their upcoming competitions. Kimberly flushed whenever the expo was brought up; she and Olivia ended up being caught by Coach Schmidt as they'd goofed off, and in result had to do extra suicides. Then there was the fact she had to lie about where she'd been when Coach Schmidt demanded to know her absence. She couldn't say she was a power ranger, but had no good excuse either.

Olivia came up with one for her—nerves of the expo event gave her some…stomach troubles. Kimberly owed her for that. Then when practice was over, Kimberly would race to shower, change, and get to her car so not to be late for school. It was starting to become a bad habit. She and her friends would wait on the front steps of the school and hang out when the weather was great, and by their lockers when the weather wasn't permitting. Even if she were close to being late, her friends would wait for her, to catch up on what was missed while at practice. Those days were coming further and further apart, she'd make it to school just as the late bell was ringing, earning a sharp glance from the teacher of whatever first class she was tardy to.

She'd go through the rest of the day, trying—and most times failing—not to fall asleep. One of her friends—and even from Bulk's and Skull's antics—tended to wake her up, making her glance around guiltily before yawning and working hard to keep her eyes open. Lunchtime had her working hard to catch up on her studies, and to keep herself eating what she could. Most of the days the food was okay, making it easy to stick to her new diet, other days where she'd eat so much of her favorites, she'd scarf and then throw it up later. Just a few times, it wasn't too bad.

Nothing to be worried about.

The school day would end and Kimberly would be off to rest of her commitments, juggling cheerleading practice with her volunteer work with her gymnastic practices. Whatever it was had her running all over the city to complete, with ranger duties coming in every now and then. Then she'd arrive back home to a dinner her mother would cook, of which she'd only eat half or a little less, then yawn, take a bath, and finish her day by doing her homework. Or, what bit of her homework she could do before falling asleep and doing it all, all over again.

Somehow, she was able to get up and do it over and over. Somehow, she was able to make time to spend with her friends. Somehow, she was still able to go to football games, the mall, and have dates with her boyfriend. But she was struggling.

None of the accomplishments she was making in gymnastics, the higher jumps, leaps, and twists off the balance beams and adding in a few more rotations on the uneven bars, was helping too much. They were amazing, but she was struggling.

"You're getting a lot more air than I ever could," Kimberly said to Olivia after a practice. She gasped for air, having flung herself off the uneven bars in a fell swoop. Her ankle blazed with pain the second she landed, causing a sharp, quiet "ow," to escape her lips. She slightly removed the weight from her foot, not wanting to bring attention to it. "When you dismount, I mean." She paused. "Maybe if I lost some more weight."

"It does help," Olivia said. "It's kind of hard to get air when you have a bowling ball around your waist, you know?"

A short, humorless laugh escaped Kimberly's laugh. She'd learned not to laugh about things like that. Not when practicing. Not in gymnastics. No, things had to be serious. So serious it was like no one there knew how to have a good time. They only giggled like school girls when in the privacy of their locker room and even then, it wasn't always completely private. The team medic popped in every now and then for checkups and being the one to record their weight when Coach Schmidt wanted to do team weigh-ins, things got tense then.

As if all their secrets would be revealed with her listening. How many times had Kimberly been quick to hide her communicator when she came around? More often than she'd like, honestly? It was always so easy to say 'it's a new watch' whenever asked about it. But with the team medic and Coach Schmidt around…the pressure got to her.

"So, Olivia," Kimberly said after a minute. "Maybe you'd like to hang out some time after this."

Olivia merely laughed in response. "You think you're going to have a life outside of this?" That was funny. That was the joke.

It stopped being funny when it started being true.

Kimberly's mother noticed it first. She passed through the hallways, doing laundry and other household work, when she'd pass by her daughter's room and find her either sleeping at her desk, or standing front of her mirror, glancing at her arms, legs, and stomach. Almost scrutinizing herself. Tommy was the next one to notice it.

He called her as he did every weeknight to talk while they did their homework. Just a call to see how she was doing. "Things are fine," Kimberly said as she propped herself up in her bed. She carefully, gingerly, extended her left leg as far as it would go. Then she placed her foot on a stack of pillows and dropped a bag of ice wrapped in a towel onto her ankle. "I kind of hurt my ankle. I've had to ice it for a while now."

"Well, I'm sure all of us understand that," Tommy teased. "There's always something wrong. Actually, I think I may have tweaked my shoulder or something. Did those putties get harder or…?"

"Yeah, their heads must have," Kimberly joked. "There's nothing in there so it has to be reinforced by something." The two giggled quietly and Kimberly tilted her head to the side and cradled her phone in her ear. She pulled her right leg up bend at the knee, becoming more comfortable. Pushing her homework aside, she pulled out a magazine and started to flip through it. "You'd think Rita and Zedd would be a bit smarter about the things they send after us."

"You know they keep watching us everywhere we turn, Beautiful," Tommy chided her. "Don't give them any ideas." Kimberly giggled quietly. "So, what are you doing tonight? Do you want to go get something to eat?"

Kimberly paused, the smile still on her face. There was nothing she loved more than to spend time with him but…eating? No, it hard enough keeping her diet going. Going out with Tommy meant she'd just scarf through everything. Her stomach was getting used to her reduced meals, it was a struggle, but it was making her stronger. Her coaches and teammates noticed. She was doing better, moving up on the team ladder. Coach Schmidt didn't harp on her as much as he did at the beginning. She had to stay strong.

"Ohh, Tommy," she cooed. "You know I'd love to—"

"You can't tell me 'no'," Tommy swiftly interrupted. "I know you really want to."

"You know the rules," Kimberly said. She sat up straight and glanced at the door to her bedroom, wondering if she'd find her mother hovering by the doorway. "No dates until the weekend." It wasn't quite a rule her mother made, she could date Tommy on the weekdays if he went to the house and they studied together. Kimberly smirked. Sure, if by studying you mean waiting until you leave the room, mom, she thought, but never said out loud. Besides, if she waited until the weekend, it'd be her cheat day and she could eat more. "And don't tell me that I can't say 'no', Thomas. 'No' has never been a hard word for me to say."

"Very true," Tommy agreed. "And I hope your mom isn't listening or else I came off very badly right there. Like I was trying to control you or something."

This time Kimberly let out a naughty giggle and lowered her voice to a seductive purr. "You couldn't handle me, anyway." Then she laughed loudly when she heard Tommy sputter and stammer out a response. Oh, he was so cute. "I'm just teasing you, Tommy."

"Yeah, well, you better stop it. You're giving me ideas."

"What kind of ideas?"

It was Tommy's turn for his voice to become seductive, this time making Kimberly blush. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Hmm. Maybe."

"Trust me, you wouldn't be able to resist."

Feeling herself flush even further, Kimberly took the bag of ice from her ankle and brought it to rest on her forehead. Okay, things were starting to get a bit steamy now. Not that it was any new territory for the two of them. Their making out had become pretty hot and heavy as of late and Kimberly wanted nothing more than to continue the delicious, amazing feeling of his hands on her when they were truly alone. As such, they didn't get that time together so much anymore and it was great when they could. Astounding. If there was a better word for it…she'd already run through a mental dictionary of how he made her feel.

But she also knew how serious they were getting. How close they were to sealing the deal. She wanted to. With Tommy. There was no one else she wanted to do it with, the man she loved. And yet, she needed to be perfect for him. Kimberly slid off her bed and stood in front of her mirror. She lifted the bottom of her shirt and studied her stomach. And frowned. Pudge. Flab. Everything in the worst spot it could ever be. Everything that made her look…less than desirable.

So much so that her playfulness was immediately released as she let out a sigh. "Sorry, Tommy, but I really can't. I overstuff myself before I got home tonight. Some of the girls and I went out to carbo load and you know how I am with pasta."

"Right, don't get in the way or else you'll lose some fingers. I think you're the same way with donuts. And cake. And cookies. And burgers. And—"

"I get it," Kimberly interrupted. Her stomach started to growl from the mentions of all her favorite food. Reminding her how much of a liar she was. "Hey, I've got to go, alright. I have so many things I need to catch up on and talking to you all night isn't going to get anything done." She paused. "Maybe, I'll call Billy."

"Oh, so you can talk to Billy all night?"

"It's not like it'll be fun. All that techno speak tends to bore me," Kimberly joked. She ran a hand through her hair, flopping back on her bed. She stretched out to her back and studied the ceiling. "I'm kidding. You know I love Billy. But I really need to keep my grades up, and you're distracting."

"I am?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Okay, I'll take it."

"I'm sorry, I really wish I could go out tonight. I just can't."

"It's fine," Tommy replied. "I'll see you later, Beautiful. I love you."

"I love you, too, Handsome," Kimberly murmured in reply. She was still smiling as she hung up the phone. Only for it to ring a few seconds later. "What else could you have forgotten to say, Tommy?" She asked as soon as she picked up.

"Hi, honey. It's me."

Kimberly's blood froze. She recognized the voice the second he started to speak. Said the words she'd longed to heard for so long. Acted as if no time had passed. Her father. But instead of feeling as excited as she thought she'd be Kimberly felt…hot. Clammy. The world was closing in around her. Her breath suddenly felt tight as she tried to form words to say to him. To say to the man who she longed to hear from the moment her parents got divorced. The man she hoped and prayed would come to her competitions and she was continuously disappointed by.

"Kimberly?"

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for water. She gasped for air, mouth flapping, a strange, guttural sound escaping her lips. Kimberly swallowed hard, forced herself to breathe. In. Out. In Out. She hung up the phone and tossed it away from her, as if expecting it to take on a life of its own. She kicked it further away from her, to make a point. Go away. Stay away.

Slowly, carefully, Kimberly brought her knees up against her chest and she wrapped her arms around them, pressed her chin to her kneecaps. Stared at her phone. Daring it to ring again. It didn't. And still, she continued to shake and shiver, wondering how it was possible when everything around her was so hot, pressing in on her so much. Kimberly thought about it for the rest of the night, was unable to sleep.

So much so that it was still in her head the next morning as she worked on the balance beam. What was normally her best event, left her tumbling. Every time she dismounted, in a flip that should've had her land on her feet, she simply continued to crash to her back, rolling up to her shoulders, before her body stretched out once more. Kimberly growled, slapping her palms against the mats below her.

"Dammit, Kimberly!" Coach Schmidt snapped while Kimberly continued to lie on the ground. He wiped a hand across his mouth and stormed over to her with more speed than she thought an older man would be able to do. He stood above her, placing his hands on her hips. "Do you know why I'm so angry at you?"

"Probably for the same reason I am," Kimberly mumbled. "I keep messing up."

"You keep hesitating!" Coach Schmidt snapped. "You're scared of something. I don't know what. But you keep stopping yourself before you throw yourself in the air. Stop being so scared and just do it! Or I'll have to get Olivia to. There are three girls in this country who are ready for the Olympics and fifty-thousand others who aren't. You can be there, I want you to have that chance. But right now, you're not even close."

With that, he stalked off and Kimberly pulled herself off the mats and moved back into position again. She held her head high, pressed her lips together firmly to keep her own anger and frustration from getting to her. She climbed back onto the balance beam and went through her routine again. The same routine she could do in her sleep if she were to focus. She kept moving through the routine with as much grace she could muster before throwing herself off to work on the dismount once more.

Slam!

And once again she landed flat on her back. The staccato sound of someone clapping made Kimberly roll her eyes. Of course, someone would be mocking her. Kimberly set her jaw, ready to tell off whomever it was, before she caught sight of Tommy. He grinned and waved at her from across the room, making Kimberly squeal in delight. Made her forget she was in practice. Made her forget the pain in her wrapped-up ankle. Made her feel alive.

She got to her feet and raced over to Tommy, throwing her arms around her neck and hug him tightly. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?" She asked and gave him a long kiss before he could answer. "What are you doing here?" She repeated before kissing him again.

Tommy laughed and pulled his head back. "I can answer you if you stop kissing me," he replied.

"Aww, you don't want me to do that," Kimberly teased.

"You're right." This time Tommy kissed her and squeezed her tightly. Finally, the white ranger stepped back, dropping his hands from her waist. "I figured we could have some breakfast together. And look at what I found. That was amazing."

"No, it wasn't," Kimberly said with a roll of her eyes. She knew what he was referring to. "I slipped on my dismount and over rotated and I wobbled on my push…" Her eyes searched Tommy's, her voice trailing off. He never really got what she was saying when she explained her gymnastics moves but that was okay. He was so sweet to come visit her like that.

"So, do you want to get out of here?"

Kimberly's head jerked back in surprise. Her eyes widened, shifting towards Coach Schmidt then back to Tommy. Coach Schmidt. Tommy. Coach Schmidt. Tommy. She chewed her lower lip. "Now?" She squeaked.

"Yeah."

Kimberly glanced at Coach Schmidt, who looked over at them sharply. His head whipped towards her, eyes narrowing in a glare. "I can't. I mean, I'd really love to, but I can't. That's my coach over there and he's really been riding me really hard." She swallowed hard, licking her lips. The next part was going to be even harder to admit. She'd been dreading saying it, honestly. "I don't know if I can even make it this weekend…"

Tommy's face immediately fell. "We've got our game against Lurray this weekend. You said you'd go. And you missed our game against Hoover."

Kimberly's eyebrows crinkled. Game against Hoover? What game against Hoover? Her mind raced, trying to remember it all. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. A week before she had promised to be at a football game and…hadn't been able to go. Coach Schmidt scheduled another practice. An extra one to be sure they were improving. Conditioning. Doing everything they were supposed to. That game against Hoover.

"Oh yeah." Kimberly lowered her gaze in shame. She scratched the back of her head, smiling bashfully. "I did. And I'm sorry. But…I know I sound like a broken record. I'm so sorry. It's not that I don't want to be there. I do. It's just that…"

"I get it," Tommy interrupted. Kimberly studied his face. He looked unhappy, but she could tell from his voice, from the way he looked at her, that he truly did. "Maybe I'll just hang out here for a while, watch what you're doing. And then we can have breakfast, okay?"

Coach Schmidt's voice rang out across the gym, a parent scolding their child. "Kimberly!"

"Okay!" Kimberly called back quickly, after jumping at the sudden outburst. She turned to Tommy, grabbing his arm to face him towards the way he came. The last thing she needed was for Coach Schmidt to get even angrier. Maybe even demand why Tommy was there in the first place. Maybe forbid her from going on dates if she wanted to go to the Olympics. "Tommy, I can't talk right now. I really need to practice. Can we meet up later?"

She saw Tommy's face fall even further, frustration flashing through his eyes. This was different than the Tommy everyone knew. The one who was always smiling, always understanding, always willing to help whomever needed it. This was the Tommy that got angry when his progress with martial arts wasn't going as fast as he expected, the Tommy that got angry when facing monsters who ruined an otherwise perfect day.

He was angry.

At her.

"That's it?" He asked. "You're going to blow me off like that?"

Kimberly could only whisper a quiet, "I'm sorry," in response.

"Yeah," Tommy said shortly. "I know. You've been saying that a lot lately." With that, Kimberly turned on her heel and went back to her practice. Pushing herself, thoughts of Tommy out of her head through the rest of practice. Once she got to school, she could apologize to him and explain how everything was going to work. How she wanted nothing more than to be with him when she got the chance.

So Kimberly hurried through her shower, threw on her clothes, and hurried to school. She arrived before the late bell, the first in a short while. Clambering out of her car, Kimberly turned towards the steps, seeing her friends already gathered around, talking and laughing with each other, without a care in the world. Relief washed over Kimberly as she closed the door to her car.

She'd only just slung her backpack over her shoulder when she heard someone call her name. With raised eyebrows, Kimberly turned around, shoulders slumping in relief when she saw Ms. Appleby walking her way. "Ms. Appleby, good morning."

"And good morning to you, too," Ms. Appleby replied pleasantly. But her smile didn't hold for too long. No, a serious expression came to her face seconds later. Kimberly's eyes shifted, and she asked, "Is something wrong?" prompting Ms. Appleby to say, "Unfortunately, Kimberly, there is." Ms. Appleby rooted through the large satchel hanging off her arm. "I didn't want to talk about this until later, during one of your free periods, but it is serious."

"Serious?" Kimberly licked her lips. "What's wrong?"

"You tell me." Ms. Appleby pulled out a few stapled pieces of paper, folded down the middle, and handed them to Kimberly. The pink ranger's nose wrinkled in confusion as she unfolded the pages. "You're usually a very good student and this was out of character for you. But I couldn't help but notice your quality of homework has slowly been lowering. Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Kimberly couldn't respond. She could only gape at the test Ms. Appleby had given her. The test with a big fat 'D' written at the top. Quickly, Kimberly folded it back up and shoved it into her backpack, bringing up a hand to cover her mouth. Once more, she glanced at her friends. It was such a stark contrast with how things were shinning so brightly with them while she was struggling in the slowly encompassing darkness.

She was struggling.

A/N: A lot has been going on lately, but things have worked out now. I'm back with an update. *Grins*. Hope you guys still enjoy it. Also my current favorite story Protector's Of The Right by ToxicWednesday was updated and you guys need to read that update now. Go! Tell her I sent you!

Huh, I just realized that if Kat were there, technically the rangers should have their ninja powers by now. Hmmm.

~Av