Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Oh my god, I think I'm dying." I moaned, laying across the back seat of Trini's car the next morning. I had woken up with the alarm, feeling the full effects of a wine hangover as I rolled out of bed. Thankfully, my stomach didn't feel like death, but it did feel like a two-year-old was playing with pots and pans inside my skull. It didn't help matters that Jason kept making as many loud noises as possible when he could. He was getting quite the kick out of my misery and I made a silent vow to kill him once I could function as a human.
"Serves you right drinking a whole winery once we went to bed." Trini said over her shoulder from the passenger seat.
"It was one bottle. It's nothing I haven't done before."
"It was one giant bottle and you are the size of a dwarf." Jason called, looking at me in the rearview mirror. I flipped him off, a laugh coming from him. I felt the car shift as he took a left and there was a bump that nearly knocked me on the floor. "Oops." He said. I knew he had done that on purpose. The car came to a jerking stop, him putting it in park.
"Remind me to beat you later." I mumbled, pulling myself up so I was sitting. Out the window, I saw we were in the parking lot of the Youth Center. Trini and him climbed out and slowly, I followed suit. I adjusted my pink flower jumper as I walked behind them. Since Kat's parents were coming in today, we were going to set up the reception area this morning. It was going to be a big task and I was regretting the hangover on my part. It was a stupid idea to do this to myself.
"I might have aspirin here." Jason said, unlocking the backdoor. He pushed it open, walking into the dimly lit room. Flipping on the lights, I winced from the brightness. "Sorry." He said, grinning in my direction.
"Leave her alone, Jase." Trini warned, walking towards the table in the corner. "Alright, Kim. You're the leader in this mission."
"Perfect." I sighed. "The tables need to be set up four across and three up. Each table needs six chairs."
"Okay." Jason said. I went to help him grab a table when a loud whooping noise came from the door. I winced, the noise echoing in my skull as Adam, Aisha, Rocky and Zach came in the back door. Rocky was the one making the intolerable noise and I covered my ears as he continued.
"Let's get this party started!" He exclaimed, smiling at us. I shot him a glare, slamming a chair with my hip. "What?"
"Kim's got a hangover." Jason explained, putting a hand on Rocky's shoulder.
"Ohhh. So, I shouldn't do this?" Rocky asked, pounding on the table. The sound vibrated around my brain and I moaned.
"Stop it, you ass." Aisha hissed, slapping her boyfriend on the arm. She dug through her bag that hung from her shoulder. "Let me see if I have some aspirin."
"I'll feel better if you let me kill him." I said, gesturing to Rocky. The group laughed as Jason signaled the guys over towards the table.
"Anytime. I think you're out of luck on the aspirin though." She replied. I shrugged.
"I'll live. We gotta get these tables moved."
Over the course of the next hour, we arranged the Youth Center to match the floor plan Tommy and I had made for the wedding. The tables were set up on one side of the room and chairs were lined up in rows in the area facing the altar. Rocky and Jason grabbed the archway they had made, carrying it out so it was at the front of the room. It was three pieces of drift wood that they had found at the beach. They drilled them together and wrapped vines around it. There were also fake white and pink roses on it, making it match the flower arrangements that would be arriving Friday. Carefully, they set it down in the middle of the alter, right in front of the aisle. While they did that, Aisha, Trini and I covered the tables in the white cloth I had bought. Next, the pink runners were set down the middle along with the white lace ribbon. The center pieces were tall glass vases filled with pink and clear plastic gems. The flowers would be going inside of them and small tea light candles would be lit around them. Adam and Zach brought out the boxes of china and we made six places at each table. Everything smelled brand new, Jason saying he was looking forward to using these for other events after this. Rocky and Jason hung the pink and white tulle I had bought around the room in twisted ribbons. Jason even decorated behind the bar, setting up the name brand bottles of alcohol I had found at a bar nearby. They were empty, but we had filled them with water or tea, depending on the type of liquor. It made it look like an actual functioning bar this way, the champagne glasses set up with them shining in the light above.
"I think we actually pulled this off!" I said, smiling as I looked around the room. If I had never been to the youth center, I would have thought it was an actual venue people use all the time for their weddings. It looked beautiful and I felt extremely proud of my work.
"You did good, Kimmy." Zach said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "I'm going to set up the sound equipment and I think we should be set."
"Sounds like a plan. Jason?" I called, looking for him. He popped up from behind the counter.
"What's up?"
"You have the kitchen all set up for the caterers, right?" I asked. He nodded, setting down the rag he had been using on the bar.
"Everything is good to go. I have the ovens set up, the heating stations are working, and the water works in there now too. I also had the soda installed so we can pour right from here now." He said, smiling proudly.
"Well look at you." Trini said, walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "I like it when you talk business."
"Oh yeah?" He asked, pulling her close to him. "Want me to tell you about my portfolio?" He murmured before leaning in to kiss her. I rolled my eyes, turning back towards the center of the room. I spotted Adam helping Zach set up the sound equipment and Aisha was showing Rocky how to set up the last round of silverware.
"Check. Check. One. Two. Red. Blue." Zach said into the microphone, the sound travelling around the room as he did. "How does this sound up there, Kim?"
"Sounds good!" I said, giving him a thumbs up. He hit something on the computer in front of him and a song started playing. He turned it down, so it was only playing lightly. Rocky tapped Aisha on the shoulder, causing her to turn. When she did, he took her hands and pulled her to an open area where he began to sway her to the music. It was a sweet little moment and it made me thankful for the couples that did come from our time on the teams. Rocky and Aisha were made for each other, their chemistry coming before they even joined us. The same went for Jason and Trini. The two of them meshed so well together and it made me happy that they had found that connection between them.
The back door of the youth center opened, and Billy stepped inside. He smiled brightly at all of us, giving a small wave. I felt my chest tightened as I knew what this meant. It worsened as Kat walked in behind him, her smile as wide as it could possibly get as she looked around the room. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed, taking it all in. "I can't believe this is the youth center!" A blonde woman came in behind Kat, followed by a silver haired man. Both were dressed in very nice clothes and it didn't take a genius to figure out those were her parents. Her mother looked just like Kat but shorter. She had the same blue eyes that looked around the room with a slight look of disgust. Her father, on the other hand, smiled with interest at the décor. Tanya Sloan, the former yellow Zeo/Turbo ranger came in next. The dark-skinned woman smiled at everyone as she walked into the room. Aisha ran over and gave her a big hug, obviously happy to see her cousin. Tommy came in last, a plastic bag in hand. He said something to Kat's father before shutting the door.
"Wow." He said, amazement coming over his face as he looked around. "It's better than I imagined!"
"I'd hate to see worse." I heard Kat's mother mutter under her breath. Behind me, I heard Jason make a noise and Trini shush him. Tommy stepped around the group as we all made our way to the middle of the room.
"Kim, you were right! This place is perfect." Kat said, stepping forward to hug me. "It's everything I could ever want in a wedding."
"I hope you like it." I replied. She nodded. I did my best to not remember the fact I knew about her affair and what she had done to Tommy. I shoved down the reaction to claw her eyes out, focusing on the rest of the group.
"I do! You should do wedding planning for a living." She laughed, turning to her parents. "Everyone, these are my parents, Sandra and Frank. Mom and Dad, I'd like to introduce you to everyone. This is Jason and Trini." She pointed at the couple on my left. Frank shook the guys hands as she introduced everyone. "You already know Rocky and Aisha. This is Adam and Zach. And this person right here is our life saver." Smiling, she pointed at me. "This is Kimberly."
"Nice to meet you, dear." Frank said, smiling at me.
"So, you are the Kimberly that Kat has told me so much about." Sandra said, giving me a once over that made me feel uneasy.
"I am. It's nice to meet the both of you." I replied. She gave me a speculative smile and a small nod.
"David is on his way now." Tommy said. "Once he gets here, we can go over the rehearsal."
"Perfect. Why don't you give us the grand tour, Jason?" Kat asked.
"Sure thing. Follow me." Jason led Kat and her parents towards the hallway, going to loop throughout the whole building. Trini walked with them, probably making sure he was going to be on his best behavior. Once they were out of ear shot, Tommy walked over to me.
"She's pleasant." I mumbled, picking at a place setting at the table next to me. He snorted, nodding.
"Oh, yes. She greeted me with a 'I thought you were getting a haircut' this morning when I grabbed them from the airport. The next three days should be wonderful."
"That's rough." I said, smirking. "Glad she's not going to be my mother-in-law."
"Thanks." He said, flatly. "How's your head?"
"Well, it went from crippling to just a throbbing." I replied. "But, I have no one to blame but myself."
"And that bottle of wine." He said, shaking his head.
"That too. But, I think I'll live. It's nothing that two aspirin and a gallon of water won't cure." I tucked my hair behind my ears, brushing it out of my face.
"I figured. That's why I got you this." He held out the plastic bag towards me.
"More presents?" I asked. Behind me, I heard Jason's tour come out of the kitchen and over by the bar. Looking in the bag, I saw a bottle of pain reliever and a bottle of water. Pulling them out, I smiled up at him. "Tommy Oliver, my hero."
"Always." He shot me a wink that made my heart flutter.
"Hello?" A man's voice called from the long hallway at the front of the youth center. A tall and slender man stood in the door way, long dark hair pulled back behind his head and a brown leather jacket on his torso. His skin was a darker color and his eyes were the same shade of brown as Tommy.
"David!" Tommy said happily, jogging over to his brother. The two embraced but my attention was turned to Sandra who was staring a hole into me. I gave her a small smile that she didn't return as Tommy led his brother towards me. "David, you know mostly everyone here. I would like you to meet my friend, Kimberly Hart. Kim, this is my brother, David Trueheart."
"It's so nice to meet you, Kimberly. My brother has told me so many things about you." David said, shaking my hand. I'm sure he has, I thought.
"It's nice to meet you too. You and Tommy look so much alike!" David grinned.
"That's the nicest compliment you can give to this lug head." He said, pointing at Tommy who rolled his eyes.
"You almost made it a whole ten minutes before insulting me." Tommy said.
"Wow! A new personal record." David winked at me as Kat and her parents walked towards us. "Hello, Kat. It's great to see you." He said, turning to face her. She gave him a smile that I felt was forced.
"Hi, David. Thank you for coming. I'd like you to meet my parents, Sandra and Frank." She said. Frank shook David's hand, but Sandra looked at David like he was plague covered.
"Hello." David said, smiling at them.
"This is who will be performing the ceremony?" Sandra asked.
"Let's get to this rehearsal, shall we?" Tommy exclaimed, just in the knick of time.
"Yes! And then after, we would like to take all you kids out to dinner to thank you for helping our little girl with her big day." Frank said, smiling warmly at the group. I popped open the bottle of aspirin and fished two of them out. I put them in my mouth, opening the bottle of water and swallowing a big gulp of it to help wash the pills down. Something told me I would be needing more of these before the day was done.
