Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Power Rangers just the ones I make up in the story.
Title: Once Upon a Time in High School
Summary: Fourth story in the "Once Upon a Time" series. This story follows JT and Amelia as they start high school. The oldest pair of Oliver twins will experience the highs and lows of being in high school as well as their first romantic relationships. Also their relationships with their parents as well as their siblings, and the ever growing and changing ranger family will be explored.
Chapter 1: First Day of High School
Tommy and Kim's House, Reefside
September 15, 2011
7 am
Kim was busy in the kitchen getting breakfast ready for her family. Austin was in his highchair waiting patiently for his food and Brielle, Bennett, and Lorelei were also sitting at the table waiting to eat.
Just then JT, followed by his sister, Amelia, came in with headphones in their ears.
"Attention JT and Amelia! No iPods at the table! Take your headphones off, please!" Kim shouted to them. The twins took their headphones off, turned off their iPods, and sat down at the table.
"Tommy, breakfast!" Kim said as she placed platters of pancakes, sausage, and bacon down on the table. The kids started reaching for the food. Kim put the coffeepot and orange juice pitcher on the table.
Tommy was trying to tie his tie when he came into the kitchen. Kim helped him with his tie, and they sat down, Kim making a plate of food for Austin and Tommy helping himself to food.
"So, who's ready for the first day of school?" Kim asked the kids.
Brielle and Bennett raised their hands excitedly, followed by Lorelei. The twins just stared at their mother as if she was speaking a foreign language.
"Why are you two staring at me? Aren't you ready for your first day of high school?" Kim asked.
"Oh…that. Um, I guess I'm ready, I think," JT said as Amelia nodded slowly.
"You don't sound too thrilled," Tommy said.
"Dad, it's the first day of school. Nobody is thrilled to start school again after having the summer off," JT said.
"Your siblings think differently," Kim said.
"I can't wait to start the third grade!" Brielle said.
"Me either!" Bennett said.
"Mommy, is first grade fun?" Lorelei asked Kim.
"Of course it is! You will learn a lot more than you did in Kindergarten," Kim said.
"Yay!" Lorelei said as she continued to eat.
Breakfast continued with the younger Oliver children talking about doing exciting things at school and JT and Amelia staring into space and finishing breakfast in silence.
After breakfast, the kids grabbed their backpacks and headed out the door, Kim taking the younger three children to the elementary school and Tommy taking the oldest twins to the high school. Jan arrived to babysit Austin while Kim was at work.
There was silence on the ride to the high school. When they arrived, Tommy parked in the teacher's lot and got out. JT and Amelia were slow to get out of the jeep.
"We're here! Welcome to the next four years of your lives! They will go by so fast if you just work hard and not sweat the small stuff!" Tommy said trying to sound exciting.
The twins rolled their eyes.
"Nice "welcome to hell" speech, Dad, but you don't sound exciting," JT said as Amelia agreed with him.
Just then the twins heard their names being called.
"Bye, Dad, gotta go! That's Cody and Jess!" JT said as the twins ran towards their friends since elementary school, Cody and Jessica Stephenson, also a pair of twins.
"Have fun and stay out of trouble!" Tommy shouted after them as they went inside the school.
Tommy went into his office and checked Facebook. He saw a post from Kira that caught his eye.
The post read:
"Hey friends and fam! Guess what? I'm engaged! Conner proposed last night on our date night and I said yes! Save the date for September 12th of 2012!"
Tommy knew Conner was going to get a big ring for Kira and he did not disappoint.
Tommy commented on the post with his congratulations.
Then the warning bell rang, and Tommy went to his first period class.
3:30 pm
Tommy was still in his office when his phone dinged. He looked at it. It was a text from Kim. It read:
"Hey handsome! The twins are going to study at the Stephenson's' house after school, so you don't have to take them home! Love you! See you soon!"
Tommy sighed a sigh of relief. Good, I don't have to deal with their crappy attitudes, Tommy said to himself as he got in the jeep and drove off towards the house.
When Tommy got home he parked the jeep and went inside the house. Brielle and Bennett were working on a take home project and Lorelei was at the kitchen table with Jan looking at a book. Austin was in his playpen playing with a toy.
"Hey honey. How was the first day back at school?" Jan asked her son.
"Okay for the most part. Two of my former students are getting married next year, that was the highlight of my day," Tommy said.
"Yeah, Kim texted me about that. She's so excited for them!" Jan said.
"As am I. Now we must wait for Ethan to pop the question to Paulette and we'll be set," Tommy said.
Suddenly Tommy's phone dinged. There was a group text from Paulette. It read:
"Hey y'all! Ethan proposed to me on his lunch break at Starbucks in our apartment building! Not the typical place to propose but it worked for us! We're having the wedding sometime in October of next year. Watch for "save the date" invites!"
She attached a picture of her ring that Ethan gave her. Ethan did not disappoint with his selection of ring either.
Tommy texted his congratulations.
"Was that Paulette or Ethan? Did he propose?" Jan asked.
"Yes he did, at Starbucks of all places," Tommy said as he showed Jan the picture of Paulette's ring. Jan whistled.
"That's some ring!" Jan said as Tommy showed her a picture of Kira's. She whistled again.
"Those boys do not disappoint in the ring department! You didn't either with Kim's ring," Jan said.
"Yeah, it wasn't as big, but she didn't really want a big ring, just something simple and easy to wear," Tommy said.
"I liked what you had engraved on the inside of the ring, "The falcon and crane fly as one." I thought it fit you both perfectly," Jan said.
"Yeah, it did. Oh look, Kim's home," Tommy said as he heard Kim's heels come up the walk. She opened the door.
"Honey, I'm home!" Kim said putting her purse and bag down.
"Mama!" Brielle, Bennett, and Lorelei said in unison as they ran towards Kim to give her a hug. Austin reached for her as she approached the playpen.
"Nice to see you all too!" Kim said as she picked up Austin and managed to give Tommy a hug and a kiss.
"How was your day, Beautiful?" Tommy asked.
"It was a great day, knowing that all four of your former students are getting married soon," Kim said.
"Yeah, the day was great, wasn't it?" Tommy asked.
"It was; indeed, it was. Well, I must start dinner. Here, take Austin for me," Kim said as Tommy took Austin from her.
"Well, I have to start dinner as well, so I must be going home. See you both tomorrow," Jan said grabbing her purse and keys.
"Bye, Grandma!" the kids shouted.
"Bye, Mom!" Tommy and Kim said as Jan left.
8:05 pm
JT and Amelia got out of Edith Stephenson's car and headed up the walk. They were five minutes late for curfew, hoping that their parents weren't up.
As soon as they opened the door, Tommy greeted them with arms crossed.
"Um, Dad, we can explain…" JT started to say.
"Please, start explaining why you're five minutes past curfew, and make it quick, your mother and I have plans," Tommy said, annoyed.
"We were studying, and we lost track of time. Then Mrs. Stephenson forgot to lock the door to the house, and we had to go back so she could lock it, and…" Amelia said until Tommy cut her off.
"That I can understand but losing track of time isn't acceptable. When we mean 8 o' clock we mean it, you got me?"
"Yes, we got you. It won't happen again, promise," JT said starting up the stairs.
"I'll believe it when it's kept," Tommy said as he went back upstairs as well, to Kim.
Amelia went to her room in the back of the house, shaking her head.