Black and Blue with Envy
"How about you TJ?" Andros asked when the blue ranger didn't add his own thoughts.
"I'm just worried about my brother." TJ said. "I'm afraid he might have gotten back together with his old gang." He admitted sadly.
"At least your brother isn't one of Dark Spectre's villains." Andros commented truthfully.
"I guess. Cheering people up isn't usually your specialty Andros. I thought that was your job Ash." The blue ranger decided, finally glancing to the quiet yellow ranger whose life he envied.
"Are you okay Ashley?" Cassie questioned her best friend, noticing how quiet the outgoing yellow ranger was. Cassie stared at her friend, noticing the strained look on her face.
"I don't want to talk about it." Ashley stated somberly.
"Ah, trouble in paradise Ash?" TJ commented.
"Yeah Ash. What do you have to be upset about? Got any problems at home you want to talk about?" Carlos asked rudely, taking out his own frustrations with his family on her. His question brought all her emotions to the surface. When she didn't answer, he jumped all over her. "That's what I thought." He remarked smugly.
Ashley, usually a good sport, didn't' take Carlos' comment well. "Screw you Carlos." She muttered as she stood up from her stool as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She was going to share with them her not so good family stories until they started ganging up on her. Well she had dealt with her past by herself for the last ten years; she didn't need their support now. If they wanted to believer her life was so perfect, fine. But it wasn't and Ashley was starting to crack as a result of the hidden heartaches she had private for so long. She walked out and headed to her room to pack for the weekend.
"Wow. I've never seen Ashley so upset before." Andros commented as the group watched their friend walk away more sad then they could remember.
"You know, come to think of it, it was last year this time Ashley seemed really distant and closed off as well." TJ recalled clearly. "I don't think she even went to the Spring Fling."
"I don't know, but I hope she'll snap out of it." Cassie said. "I get more depressed when Ashley's depressed."
"What's she got to be depressed about?" Carlos snapped, knowing Ashley didn't deserve his anger but she just seemed a good target right now.
"I don't know, but I better get started on my trig assignment. Knowing my luck, Dark Spectre is going to attack, and then how am I going to explain to Mr. Schultz why I didn't get my homework done again." TJ spoke as he gathered his book bag and headed to the library to study. His leaving prompted the other rangers to go their seperated ways as well.
Ashley packed her bags quickly and grabbed her freshly ironed suit from her closet. She was dreading tomorrow as she had the last ten years. She had asked Deca for some personal time, so she could spend time with her family. This was an emotional weekend, and with her friends so caught up in their own problems, the only support system she had.
"Alright Deca, I'll be back on Saturday. I won't be available tomorrow unless it's an extreme emergency." Ashley reminded the computer as she got set to teleport to her house.
"Don't you want to tell the other rangers you're leaving?" The computer asked in surprise as the yellow ranger prepared to leave.
"No." Ashley declared emphatically. "They'll just be more mad at me if they know I'm going to see my family." She finished with a sigh.
"Don't they deserve some credit, Ashley? After all they're your friends." The computer pleaded with her to reconsider. The computer knew all about Ashley's past as the yellow ranger had confided in her and also because she had read Ashley's files.
"Friends don't judge you without knowing all the facts." Ashley retorted.
"Maybe if you told them the truth, give them a chance." Deca again tried to persuade the stubborn yellow ranger.
"I got to go. They've got their own problems to deal with, and I've got mine." She stated firmly, leaving no more room for discussion. "I'm ready to go." She commanded Deca, and she was quickly teleported to Angel Grove.
"Hey Deca, do you know where Ashley is?" Andros inquired about his missing girlfriend, as the rest of the team sat down for dinner.
"Yes Andros, Ashley is in Angel Grove with her family. She took personal time." The computer informed the puzzled group.
"I wonder what for?" Cassie asked to no one in particular. It was highly unusual for any of them to take personal time, let alone Ashley.
"She must be really upset." Carlos surmised, trying to think of reasons of what could be going on in her life. They were best friends; it bothered him to think that there was something about her he didn't know.
"Why didn't she tell us?" Andros wanted to know. He had never seen Ashley so distant before.
"Maybe she was going to. But we didn't want to hear it. I know I wasn't ready to listen to her this afternoon. I knew she was upset after seeing her guidance counselor. And I took out all my frustrations with my family out on her." Carlos said with regret, recalling how his words had injured his friend, and hoping he wasn't the reason she had left unexpectantly.
"None of us know what's going on Carlos." Andros admitted.
"But we should know, Andros." Carlos interrupted the red ranger. "Ashley hasn't been herself, we should have seen she was so upset." The black ranger declared.
"Carlos, don't beat yourself up. I'm sure Ashley will tell us in time." TJ encouraged his teammate. Carlos just looked up at the blue ranger. "I don't know TJ." He said finally before leaving his dinner untouched and went to his room.
"How about you TJ?" Andros asked when the blue ranger didn't add his own thoughts.
"I'm just worried about my brother." TJ said. "I'm afraid he might have gotten back together with his old gang." He admitted sadly.
"At least your brother isn't one of Dark Spectre's villains." Andros commented truthfully.
"I guess. Cheering people up isn't usually your specialty Andros. I thought that was your job Ash." The blue ranger decided, finally glancing to the quiet yellow ranger whose life he envied.
"Are you okay Ashley?" Cassie questioned her best friend, noticing how quiet the outgoing yellow ranger was. Cassie stared at her friend, noticing the strained look on her face.
"I don't want to talk about it." Ashley stated somberly.
"Ah, trouble in paradise Ash?" TJ commented.
"Yeah Ash. What do you have to be upset about? Got any problems at home you want to talk about?" Carlos asked rudely, taking out his own frustrations with his family on her. His question brought all her emotions to the surface. When she didn't answer, he jumped all over her. "That's what I thought." He remarked smugly.
Ashley, usually a good sport, didn't' take Carlos' comment well. "Screw you Carlos." She muttered as she stood up from her stool as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She was going to share with them her not so good family stories until they started ganging up on her. Well she had dealt with her past by herself for the last ten years; she didn't need their support now. If they wanted to believer her life was so perfect, fine. But it wasn't and Ashley was starting to crack as a result of the hidden heartaches she had private for so long. She walked out and headed to her room to pack for the weekend.
"Wow. I've never seen Ashley so upset before." Andros commented as the group watched their friend walk away more sad then they could remember.
"You know, come to think of it, it was last year this time Ashley seemed really distant and closed off as well." TJ recalled clearly. "I don't think she even went to the Spring Fling."
"I don't know, but I hope she'll snap out of it." Cassie said. "I get more depressed when Ashley's depressed."
"What's she got to be depressed about?" Carlos snapped, knowing Ashley didn't deserve his anger but she just seemed a good target right now.
"I don't know, but I better get started on my trig assignment. Knowing my luck, Dark Spectre is going to attack, and then how am I going to explain to Mr. Schultz why I didn't get my homework done again." TJ spoke as he gathered his book bag and headed to the library to study. His leaving prompted the other rangers to go their seperated ways as well.
Ashley packed her bags quickly and grabbed her freshly ironed suit from her closet. She was dreading tomorrow as she had the last ten years. She had asked Deca for some personal time, so she could spend time with her family. This was an emotional weekend, and with her friends so caught up in their own problems, the only support system she had.
"Alright Deca, I'll be back on Saturday. I won't be available tomorrow unless it's an extreme emergency." Ashley reminded the computer as she got set to teleport to her house.
"Don't you want to tell the other rangers you're leaving?" The computer asked in surprise as the yellow ranger prepared to leave.
"No." Ashley declared emphatically. "They'll just be more mad at me if they know I'm going to see my family." She finished with a sigh.
"Don't they deserve some credit, Ashley? After all they're your friends." The computer pleaded with her to reconsider. The computer knew all about Ashley's past as the yellow ranger had confided in her and also because she had read Ashley's files.
"Friends don't judge you without knowing all the facts." Ashley retorted.
"Maybe if you told them the truth, give them a chance." Deca again tried to persuade the stubborn yellow ranger.
"I got to go. They've got their own problems to deal with, and I've got mine." She stated firmly, leaving no more room for discussion. "I'm ready to go." She commanded Deca, and she was quickly teleported to Angel Grove.
"Hey Deca, do you know where Ashley is?" Andros inquired about his missing girlfriend, as the rest of the team sat down for dinner.
"Yes Andros, Ashley is in Angel Grove with her family. She took personal time." The computer informed the puzzled group.
"I wonder what for?" Cassie asked to no one in particular. It was highly unusual for any of them to take personal time, let alone Ashley.
"She must be really upset." Carlos surmised, trying to think of reasons of what could be going on in her life. They were best friends; it bothered him to think that there was something about her he didn't know.
"Why didn't she tell us?" Andros wanted to know. He had never seen Ashley so distant before.
"Maybe she was going to. But we didn't want to hear it. I know I wasn't ready to listen to her this afternoon. I knew she was upset after seeing her guidance counselor. And I took out all my frustrations with my family out on her." Carlos said with regret, recalling how his words had injured his friend, and hoping he wasn't the reason she had left unexpectantly.
"None of us know what's going on Carlos." Andros admitted.
"But we should know, Andros." Carlos interrupted the red ranger. "Ashley hasn't been herself, we should have seen she was so upset." The black ranger declared.
"Carlos, don't beat yourself up. I'm sure Ashley will tell us in time." TJ encouraged his teammate. Carlos just looked up at the blue ranger. "I don't know TJ." He said finally before leaving his dinner untouched and went to his room.