Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter fourteen of "Not Here." I'm glad it took just three days to get it out. This chapter has Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, and TJ/Cassie. Some of the veteran Rangers will be making their first appearance in the next chapter. Stay tuned for chapter fifteen.

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Chapter 14: Just Hanging Around

The Surf Spot was quiet in the early afternoon. Adelle grabbed two cups from a table close to the bar and took them to the kitchen to put them in the sink. She returned to the bar with a damp rag. She wiped off the counter from one end to the next. She used a paper towel to dry it off. She threw it in the trashcan and set the napkin holder in the middle. She appeared satisfied with her work.

She looked toward two teen girls sitting at a table near the arcade area. The first girl whispered inaudible words to the second. They broke into a fit of giggles and hit their hands on their knees. She shook her head in disbelief. She placed a stack of cups next to the napkins. She saw Andros, Ashley, TJ, and Cassie walk in. She smiled as they came toward her.

"Hey, guys," Adelle greeted. "Where is the rest of your group?"

"Zhane, Karone, Carlos, and Justin had to stop by the bathroom. They told the rest of us to go ahead," Andros explained. He and Ashley sat on the first and second stools while TJ and Cassie took the third and fourth. They laid their backpacks on the floor. They put their hands on the table. "How are you doing this afternoon?"

"I'm doing well," Adelle said cheerfully. "What about you four?"

"We're all doing fine," Ashley answered and became serious. "Unfortunately, Johnny pestered me for a date as usual. He also caused trouble in Ms. Applebee's class."

Adelle scoffed. "If you ask me, that boy needs a good kick to his butt. He should learn no means no. I blame his parents for his behavior. They constantly praised him on his looks and told him he would be irresistible to women."

"No denying that," TJ agreed.

"Exactly," Cassie added, propping her head up with her elbow.

Andros showed a little anger. "You could also blame his parents for his prejudice toward Zhane, Karone, and me simply because we're from another world. We didn't choose to be born on KO-35." He hissed in frustration.

"There is nothing wrong with being from another world, Andros," Adelle said sympathetically. "It's nice to know intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe."

"Not to mention there are thousands of inhabitable planets," Cassie said in awe.

"You want to go with me to one of those planets to live on, Cassie?" TJ asked, looking at her with a sly smile.

"I will on one condition," Cassie answered, turning to him. "You have to let me fly the spaceship."

"Yeah, right," TJ said sarcastically. "You'd probably crash it."

Cassie elbowed TJ in the arm. He retaliated by doing the same to hers. They alternated between each other for ten seconds before they stopped. Andros, Ashley, and Adelle tried to keep themselves from laughing, but they couldn't. Andros took Ashley's hand into his.

"The best thing about today is my and Ashley's get-together at her house. Her parents are staying at a hotel overnight," Andros said, a big smile showing on his face.

"Andros is coming over at six o'clock. We're going to do lots of stuff," Ashley squeaked happily.

"Isn't that sweet?" Adelle cooed. "Just don't end up stuck together from kissing too much."

"I wouldn't mind being stuck to him," Ashley said, leaning against Andros.

"The same goes for me with you," Andros agreed, slipping his arm around her and giving her a big hug.

Adelle, TJ, and Cassie couldn't stop themselves from smiling. They thought Andros and Ashley were the cutest couple they'd ever seen. They had no doubt their friends felt the same way. Of course, they wished these two didn't have to deal with Johnny.

"I had an unfortunate incident this morning. I fell out of my bed while trying to turn off my alarm clock," Cassie muttered and cringed badly.

"That's a drag, Cassie, but you're not alone. The same thing happened to me when I was in high school," Adelle said with much sympathy.

Cassie looked very shocked. "No way."

"I'm not kidding. In fact, my mother called it a rite of passage to fall out of your bed while trying to turn off your alarm clock during your high school years. She believed it made me feel like a woman," Adelle said with pride.

"It sounds like you had a cool mom, Adelle," TJ said.

"Oh, she was cool. She was into comics a lot. My father didn't approve of them and told me I couldn't read them. She sneaked some to me every now and then. I kept them in a box under my bed," Adelle commented.

TJ appeared a little nervous. "I hope your dad never found that box."

"He never did. I still have those comics my mom gave me. They're in my attic and in very good shape," Adelle said.

Ashley smiled warmly. "It's great you took care of them. Many comics don't last more than six months these days."

"They could be worth a lot of money someday," Andros added.

"Maybe they could, but I have no intention of selling them. They're mine," Adelle declared.

"Good for you," Cassie said proudly.

The teens shifted their positions in their stools. The girls stood up from the table and headed for the exit. They waved to Adelle as they passed. She returned a wave to them. Just then, Zhane, Karone, Carlos, and Justin walked in. They approached the bar.

"It's about time you four joined us," Andros said as Zhane took the fifth stool. Karone went to Zhane's side. Carlos and Justin stopped behind Andros and Ashley respectively. The quartet set their backpacks on the floor.

"Were you all doing your hair?" TJ quipped with a snicker.

"No, we weren't, but the lines were a little long," Carlos answered.

Justin shrugged. "That's why using the bathroom took a little longer than usual."

"That stinks," Adelle commented. "If you ask me, you need to toss everyone else out of the bathroom. That'd make the wait shorter." She chuckled mischievously.

"That'd be nice, but we wouldn't throw people out," Justin said, crossing his arms. "Heck, we'd even allow people to go ahead of us if they really needed to go."

"I like that idea better," Adelle answered, winking at him.

TJ stretched his arms above his head. He placed his hands on the counter. He patted it in a rhythmic fashion. He started to sing nonsense. Cassie shook her head in disbelief while looking at him.

"Why are you singing nonsense, TJ?" she wondered.

"Because I like to, Cassie," he answered and sang more nonsense. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, I don't," Cassie responded. "Then again, someone should knock some sense into you." She smirked at him.

"Why don't you do that?" TJ challenged and became still.

"Okay," Cassie said in an evil-sounding voice. She looked at the paper towel roll and turned to Adelle. She gestured toward it, and her friend handed it to her. She hit TJ on the head with it three times. "Did that knock some sense into you?"

"Yes, it did. So would this!" TJ shouted and snatched the roll out of her hand. He hit her on the head with it four times. She pushed his arm aside. She stared him in the eye, looking determined.

"If you do that again, I'll knock you into next year!" Cassie threatened playfully.

TJ set the roll down, letting out a soft growl. "Bring it on!"

"Nah. I like you here right now," she snickered.

"Aw! You're such a party pooper!" he whined.

Cassie smirked, turning her nose upward. "Don't start whining, TJ. It won't get you anywhere."

TJ mouthed Cassie's words in a mocking manner. He pinched her cheek and tickled her nose, smiling at her. She decided to give him a noogie. They, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, Carlos, and Justin gazed at Adelle.

"Not only are Ashley and I getting together at her house tonight, but we're going back to her aunt's cabin for Christmas," Andros said happily.

"It'll be a four-day stay this time," Ashley added.

Adelle smiled at the couple. "That's wonderful. You'll get to do more stuff there than you did last weekend."

"After so many monster attacks, Aunt Raylene would call my parents and me every time we vacationed at her cabin to make sure we were okay. It really annoyed us," Ashley muttered and rolled her eyes.

"You can't blame her for worrying about you and your parents. She didn't want any of you to fall victim to monster attacks," Adelle whispered calmly.

"I know, but she took it too far sometimes. It wasn't like we were going hunting for monsters," Ashley replied.

"That's true, but it's still an aunt's job to worry about her family. The same goes for other relatives," Adelle pointed out.

"Mm-hmm. I do appreciate her concern about us," Ashley said gratefully.

"The same can be said for all of us when it comes to our families," Carlos added. He became a little said. "In some families, relatives couldn't care less about each other. They'll use each other to get what they want."

"Though Andros, Zhane, and I are grateful to our host families for letting us live with them, we do miss our parents and wish they were still alive," Karone whispered dejectedly.

Zhane touched Karone's shoulder, causing her to look at him. "It's hard to lose a parent, but at least your parents loved you and Andros. So did mine with me."

Karone nodded at Zhane, who slipped his arm around her to give her a hug. He kissed her forehead. He released his hold on her before running his hand over her hair. They turned to Adelle.

"Many children don't have parents to love them at all," Zhane commented seriously. "In fact, many parents abuse and neglect their children on Earth and other planets." His face showed much disgust.

"It's terrible parents would want to harm their own children," Karone growled in anger. She appeared as if she were about to be sick.

Adelle showed determination. "Someone should take those parents and beat them to see how they like it. It'd teach them a lesson about treating their children with love and kindness."

"Or not. You won't believe this, but some people think we should start whipping children with belts over every little thing like in the old days. They say parents should be allowed to get away with it. They believe the lack of whippings are the reason why children are out of control these days," Justin said through clenched teeth.

"My parents never whipped me for anything, but they did discipline me. I turned out just fine. I own a business," Adelle responded, motioning toward every part of the place. "I had friends who were whipped, and many were messed up as a result." She scoffed to herself as she laid her hand on the counter. "Whoever said parents should be allowed to get away with whipping children with belts need to have their heads checked. I'm fine with a light spanking on the butt as a last resort, but belt whipping is abuse, pure and simple."

TJ pointed his finger at Adelle. "You got that right."

Adelle winked at TJ. Zhane started tapping two fingers from each hand on the counter. He spread them apart and brought them back together. He got faster until he gave it a hard slap with his hand. Karone smiled at him.

"We should get you a drum set, Zhane. You have great rhythm," Karone suggested.

"I do, don't I?" Zhane responded and placed his hands behind his head.

Andros turned toward his best friend. "Sure. Just don't use my head for a drum!"

Zhane looked at him. "Why not? I think it'd made a great drum!"

Andros blew a raspberry at Zhane, who mimicked him and put his hands on the counter. They alternated between each other until approaching footsteps diverted their attention and that of Ashley, TJ, Cassie, Justin, Carlos, and Karone. They looked over their shoulders to see Veronica coming their way. She stopped next to Ashley, who glanced at her, as did her friends.

"Hey there, guys. Long time no see," Veronica said, her voice laced with much sarcasm.

"What do you want, Veronica?" Ashley demanded.

"Can't I say hi to some friends of mine?" Veronica sneered.

Karone crossed her arms. "We wouldn't be your friends if our lives depended on it."

"A little snippy today, aren't we, Astronema?" Veronica retorted with a snicker. "Are you going to beat me up for calling you that?"

"No, but I wouldn't hesitate to beat you up if you were hurting me," Karone said, hints of seriousness showing in her voice.

"Oh, that's nice," Veronica said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. You and your friends are still losers because you aren't rich like I am."

"Just because you're rich doesn't make you better than everyone else, Veronica," Cassie said, her eyes showing some anger. "You're such a snob that it's no wonder you're always by yourself."

"Those are strong words coming from an Asian," Veronica leered as she narrowed her eyes at Cassie. "I heard they didn't have sharp tongues."

"We have just as sharp tongues as other people do in this world," Cassie said, taking deep breaths to keep calm.

Veronica huffed and rolled her eyes. "Still, it doesn't make you less of a loser."

Veronica ran her fingers through her hair. On June 20, 1997, she was involved in a serious car accident that broke her right leg into two places and her left arm in one. She was found to have a blood alcohol level of point zero nine, which was just above the legal limit for intoxication. She was arrested for driving under the influence.

With the help of her lawyer father, Jared, she was able to avoid spending any time in jail, though her driver's license was restricted to driving to and from college or place of employment for a year. She began a series of relationships that always ended with her cheating on the man she was dating after she started attending Angel Grove University that August. This earned her an unflattering reputation of being an easy girl on campus.

She smoothed out her white blouse with her hands. She looked toward three teens standing before the surfboard that hung on the wall. She listened to them talk about it with great joy. She scoffed in annoyance and turned to Adelle, who titled her head.

"You need to get rid of that surfboard, Adelle. It looks so stupid hanging on that wall. Besides, you don't want a repeat of it falling off, do you?" Veronica hissed.

"People like looking at the surfboard, Veronica. Andros was just curious about it when he accidentally knocked it off. He'd never seen it before," Adelle said defiantly. "Then again, how can a spoiled brat like you appreciate a wall decoration such as that?" She acted as if she were spitting in the snob's face.

"You may be running a successful business, but you're not making tons of money," Veronica leered.

Ashley hissed in anger. "So what if she isn't? Money doesn't buy happiness or friends."

"Your parents gave you everything, but you've never appreciated them, even when your father helped you avoid jail time for your DUI," Justin said matter-of-factly.

Veronica chuckled humorlessly. "Oh, you're wrong, Justin. I do appreciate my parents. I love them dearly."

"Only because they continue to spoil you rotten," Karone growled.

"Whatever. I will say that Kimberly is the biggest loser of all," Veronica said maliciously. "She could've been the best of all the Angel Girls Club members we were a part of in high school, but she quit just because Aisha wasn't in it. They only got back in after they ousted me. She may have been in the 1996 Olympics, but that doesn't mean she'll be in the 2000 Olympics. She won't amount to anything else."

"With Coach Schmidt's training, Kim will get to the 2000 Olympics. He is one of the finest gymnastics coaches in the world. That's a huge honor for her. You'll end up alone with no one but yourself to blame one of these days. That's what always happens to snobs," Adelle said, her voice filled with firmness.

"That's what you think, Adelle," Veronica replied through clenched teeth as she walked away. "See you later, losers."

The group watched Veronica bump into a boy heading toward the exit as she was on her way to the pool table without excusing herself. He stopped in his tracks and stared after her in irritation.

"Veronica has no sense of civility whatsoever," Ashley hissed as she and the other teens turned to Adelle.

"That girl may be beautiful on the outside, but she is ugly on the inside. Whenever her inner ugliness comes out, it distorts her outer beauty," Cassie said bluntly.

Adelle reached over to ruffle Cassie's hair. "You got that right, Cass." She put her hand on the counter. "There are so many women who are more beautiful than Veronica is that I don't know the number."

"At least we don't have to see her very often since she's in college," Karone pointed out.

"Thank God," Adelle whispered in relief. "Anyway, let's forget about Veronica. Let's hear about a Power Ranger battle."

The others voiced their agreement. Andros started talking about the time he, Ashley, TJ, Cassie, and Carlos fought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while the latter were under Astronema's control.