Chapter Eight

The next morning, Tommy wasn't at all amused by the chatter that everyone had gotten used to since their arrival. He sat down at the dining room table and grabbed the newspaper, a cup of coffee and a couple of pieces of toast.

Kimberly on the other hand, sat sullenly at the other end. Her head lowered as she nibbled on melon cube. She was very quiet and did not feel much for chatter.

Trini, Kira, and Aisha looked worried as they watched their normally talkative friend sit as if she was a chastised child.

Jason glared at Tommy wondering why the greatest ranger that ever was was sorely pissed of.

Their was silence as the others came to realize the tension in the room. They looked at on another trying to figure out what to say and who should say it. When finally Trini cleared her throat.

"What's going on?" She asked looking from one end of the table to the other.

No one said a word.

"Kimberly?" She acquired placing her hand gently on her best friend's arm.

Kim remained silent and continued to nip at her melon.

"Tom?" Jason asked firmly, using a more serious name for his friend to get his point across. The former red ranger wanted answers and he wasn't one to just sit around and talk softly so the person could kindly refuse.

Dr. Oliver knew that tone. It was Jason's leader voice, plan and simple. Besides the use of the name 'Tom' meant business. So he lowered the newspaper and glared at Kimberly before turning to Jason.

"If some people didn't want to meet with someone at the appointed time." He began using his leader voice. "Then that someone should have said so."

He had turned back to Kimberly when he said this. The former pink ranger flinched at his harsh tone. He hadn't spoken to her that why since Baboo and Squatt had made them hate each other during the election for class president.

"Excuse me?" Kim said quietly as she stood leaving the room as tears formed in her eyes.

The Mighty Morphin to Zeo Rangers glared at the Black Dino Thunder Ranger. While Hayley showed the same look as the others. Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent silently turned back to their meals. They knew that tone too well. It meant leave Dr. O alone or you will be serving detention with him for the rest of the school year or that you had to do a fifteen page report on the Triassic Period. Or in their case clean all the zords for an entire month. Sometimes, depending on what you said and did, you had to do all of the above. So, they just stood quietly and haled butt out onto the patio before the yelling started and as soon as the door shut they heard Jason's booming voice.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU MAN?"

"YEAH, WHAT'S THIS ABOUT KIMBERLY NOT MEETING YOU?" Rocky's voice joined.

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" Tommy replied. "THIS IS BETWEEN ME AND MISS HART."

Aisha stood their wide eyed for a second before she began her rant.

"BOY, IF THIS IS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED LIKE SIX YEARS AGO, YOU NEED TO BE HIT UPSIDE THE HEAD. SHE ALREADY SAID SHE WAS SORRY. THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT NOW. DAMN IT SHE LOOKED AS IF HAD JUST PUNISHED HER FOR GOD'S SAKE."

"I'VE NOTICED SOMETHING, YOU ALWAYS TAKE HER SIDE. I WAS THE ONE HURT THEN AND LAST NIGHT."

"WELL EXCUSE ME, OH FEARLESS LEADER. HOW CAN I FORGET THAT THERE IS ONLY ON SIDE TO THIS ARGUMENT AND THAT'S YOUR SIDE."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?"

"I KNOW THAT THAT GUY SHE LEFT YOU FOR," Jason jumped in ready to straighten out his friend. "TRIED TO RAPE HER AND ANOTHER GUY SHE DATED CHEATED ON HER AND THE GUY SHE DATED BEFORE HIM SHE COULD BRING HERSELF TO TRUST BECAUSE OF GUY ONE."

"Well, you know the old saying…" Adam began.

"Yeah," Tanya added. "What goes around…"

"Comes around." Finished Kat.

"And it would seem karma had kicked our dear Kimberly in the ass more than once." Billy stated with a frown.

"So, don't just sit there and pretend that you are the only one that's hurting, Thomas James Oliver." Trini said calmly as she stared Tommy dead in his eyes. "Kim has known her share of pain and you are very fortunate that she even said yes to meeting you."

Tommy adverted his gaze then. Kimberly had only dated three men after him. One who tried to raped her, another she could not trust and the last one who had cheated on her. He felt really low at that point.

Then another idea popped into the Dr. Oliver's head. Something his Swiss cheese memory bypassed when he awoke this morning. When he had returned to clean up his little picnic area, the pink roses he had purchased were gone. Maybe Kim had come to meet him just as he left to think.

With that thought in mind, Tommy left to find a certain woman in pink.