Hi Everyone. Welcome to the new and improved Chapter 2. Please forgive me for my case of premature posting. I was just so excited to finally be doing this after mulling over this story in my head for so long. Thanks to the reviewers so far. Keep them coming. It really does help a budding author like me. I haven't written anything creative since high school, but we won't go into how long ago that was. And here we go...
Chapter 2: What might have beens...
The rest of the school day was uneventful. Tommy managed to steer clear of Principal Randall, deliberately staying in his classroom through lunch to grade papers. When the final bell rang at 3:00, he was more than happy to gather up his books and papers and head home for the weekend.
Driving down the back roads to his secluded house on Valencia Drive, Tommy's mind began to wander back to the occurrence that morning. He tried his best to forget about it, but it invaded his mind on and off all day long. This time, however, something else was bothering him.
The run in with Randall reminded him that no, he didn't have anyone special in his life.
Tommy was the type of guy that liked long term relationships. Casual dating just wasn't his style. He wasn't afraid of commitment, and he only wanted to date a woman who felt the same way. But while it might seem like he would have no problem finding someone to spend his time with, the reality was that his love life, like many other things in Tommy Oliver's existence, was negatively affected by the Power Ranger life.
A perfect example of this was the girlfriend he had in graduate school. He and Elizabeth met in the University bookstore while buying supplies on the first day of classes. They simultaneously reached for the same book off a shelf, and it was instant attraction.
For two years they were inseparable, but when they decided to take the next step in their relationship and move in together, the trouble started. Tommy should have known better. It was during that time that he was working with Andros, tracking the remains of the Machine Empire. There were a lot of secret phone calls, weekend trips, and many late nights spent at the "library". It became increasingly difficult to come up with excuses to get away without arousing her suspicions. Lying to his parents in high school was much easier. Luckily, as a paleontology major, he had a built in reason to be away on digs. He hated keeping such a large portion of his life from her, but it just wasn't the right time to tell her. It was too dangerous. If their relationship didn't work out, that information could be lethal. When and if he and Elizabeth got married, he fully intended to tell her everything. By then, he would be done with that life for good.
Eventually, an otherwise good life together became plagued with arguments about his activities. She instinctively knew he was hiding something from her. What Tommy considered the final straw was when the red Rangers were finally ready, after over a year of preparation, to go to the moon to defeat General Vinjix and his Machine Empire. They had a huge fight before he left. She accused him of seeing another woman. He knew it must look like that to her, but he was hurt, and a little disappointed, that she would think he'd do that. They eventually worked through it, or so he thought.
Shortly afterwards, he left to do his research with Anton Mercer Industries on the island. It was his dream job, an opportunity to do cutting edge research while finishing his PhD thesis. Not only that, but he was getting paid. Elizabeth should have been happy for him, instead it was the beginning of the end of their relationship.
When Tommy returned home after their lab was attacked by Mesogog and the island blew up, he wanted nothing more than to fall into her arms and sleep for a week, then he was seriously thinking of proposing to her. Some things just aren't meant to be.
It was four in the morning when Tommy got home, battered and bruised from his fight with the Tyrannodrones, all of his research and possessions destroyed. Still, he wanted to surprise her, since he wasn't due back for another few weeks. Unlocking the door to their apartment as quietly as possible, he snuck inside and kicked off his shoes. Before he could make it to the bedroom, he sensed someone behind him. He spun around just before he was assaulted by some guy with a baseball bat wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.
Twenty five years of martial arts paid off yet again for him that night. He blocked the attack, knocking the man to the floor. He laid there moaning as Tommy heard Elizabeth running from the bedroom. As soon as she saw him standing there, she screamed. He couldn't do anything but stare at her. Words failed him.
"Tommy, I can explain" Elizabeth stuttered while adjusting her only attire, a bed sheet.
"Don't. Just don't say anything. I never really knew you at all."
Tommy felt sick to his stomach. The tragedy on the island, losing his partner and his work, fighting evil creatures that he helped create, and now coming home to find the woman he loved sleeping with another guy. These things were all catching up to him, and his body began to react violently. A groan coming from the floor behind him returned his attention to Elizabeth's new friend. He spun around just as the guy was starting to get up. It was now that he finally got a good look at the guy's face, as the apartment was fairly dark.
It was Rob, his good friend since they were lab partners in Organic Chemistry as undergrads.
Without a word, Tommy ran for the bathroom, slammed to door, and proceeded to throw up. As he sat on the bathroom floor, each time he thought of Rob and Elizabeth together brought a new round of nausea, until there was nothing left in his stomach. He could hear her outside the door, pleading with him to open up.
"Tommy? Tommy, are you OK? Open up. Please give me a chance to explain!" Elizabeth begged.
Tommy barely heard her. He was lost in his own thoughts of their shattered future. He just couldn't be with someone who betrayed him like that. Tommy took loyalty very seriously. His years as a Power Ranger taught him to prize it above almost everything else.
After nearly a half an hour in the bathroom, Tommy picked himself up off the floor and took a good look at himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, his hair a mess. He splashed some cold water on his face, brushed his teeth, and left the bathroom.
Grabbing a bag from the hall closet, he made his way around the apartment, gathering up only a few clothes and a couple other things that were meant a lot to him. Elizabeth followed him around, begging him to talk to her, listen to her, look at her anything. He couldn't.
That night, Tommy left their apartment and never saw Elizabeth or Rob again. That was three years ago.
It was unfortunate that the drive home took as long as it did, because it gave Tommy time to think about how while what happened with Elizabeth was his most recent heartbreak, it was far from his first romantic difficulty. Before her, there was Katharine Hillard, the second Pink Ranger.
Their relationship didn't suffer from the secrets that were the downfall of Tommy and Elizabeth. Since Kat was a Ranger too, they shared a natural bond. The problems started when they were no longer Power Rangers. Once getting into college, they discovered that Rangering was the only thing that held them together. Otherwise, they didn't really have that much in common, especially their plans for the future. Katherine wanted to join a professional dance company, and she was offered one in London. Tommy, however, had no desire to move to England. He was preparing to apply to graduate school at USC. They had a great paleontology program, and his mind was made up.
Since they had found themselves drifting apart due to lack of similar interests, and since neither of them had any intention of giving up their dreams, they decided to part amicably. Tommy still heard from her at Christmas and in e-mails from time to time.
Probably the greatest heartache of Tommy Oliver's life, though, had been Kimberly Hart, The first Pink Ranger, and his first girlfriend. They met at the beginning of junior year in high school. Tommy had just transferred to Angel Grove from a school just outside Phoenix. You could literally call it love at first sight. Their connection was instantaneous and complete, surviving his evil Green Ranger days and countless battles. Anyone who knew Tommy and Kimberly knew that few couples were so in love, even though they were so young.
Theirs was not a physical relationship. They never shared more than the occasional chaste kiss. The depth of their bond was almost spiritual, and Tommy was sure he would spend the rest of his life with her, so when she was offered the chance of a lifetime to train for the Pan Global games in gymnastics, he encouraged her to follow her dream, certain that their love would survive.
When the unfeeling "Dear John" letter came, addressed to him not at his home, but at the Youth Center, Tommy's devastation was as great as his love for Kimberly. There was no warning, no signs, and no logical explanation for it. She just abruptly ended their relationship, claiming to have met the one she "was supposed to be with". Tommy thought that was HIM, but he had heard that if you love something or someone, set them free, so he did. He loved and respected her so much that he would gladly sacrifice his own happiness for hers. Now, nearly thirteen years later, he had still never experienced that kind of connection with another, not even Elizabeth.
Well, there goes the REAL ending of Chapter 2. Chapter 3's in progress, coming soon...Thanks, Gina