Chapter 3: Mallathon
A few days later, the other rangers started noticing Ashley was acting strange. "She looks tired all the time." Commented Cassie as the group sat around the lunch table. Ashley had skipped lunch to finish her project for Mr. Carlson.
"Give her some time. Andros only left a few days ago." Karone encouraged her teammates. "I know she has changed Andros a lot, but I think he's had an effect on her as well." Her observation surprised them, but as they thought about it they realized the purple ranger was right.
Carlos saw a more committed and secure Ashley now then before she started dating Andros. She still had her carefree spirit, she could never lose that, but she seemed to have grown as a person. 'I suppose being in an intense relationship can do that to a person.' The greatest factor in his mind of her growth was the impact she had on Andros. If there ever was a person more lost than he, Carlos had yet to find them.
"Well where is she?" Carlos demanded. "It's 7pm. I'm worried." His statement broke up the casual conversations that flowed around him during dinner.
"Did she tell any of you where she was going?" Zhane queried his teammates.
"I haven't seen her all day." Cassie admitted as she brought her tray back to the synthetron. Truth be told, she hadn't seen anyone all day, and now she felt guilty for isolating herself. Especially when her best friend needed her. Ashley had always been there for her when she found herself missing Saryn.
"Maybe we should go look for her." TJ suggested impatiently. Before they could move, a figure appeared right in front of their eyes, loaded down with shoeboxes, and myriads of shopping bags.
"Ashley?" called Zhane as he gathered some of the bags from her arms. He had not been around long enough to witness either one of Ashley or Cassie's shopping sprees.
"So that's where you were!" exclaimed Cassie. "You were having a mallathon." She stated, as if that explained everything. A mallathon was a term the two female rangers used to describe an intense period of shipping. It was usually preceded by an incredibly stressful or emotional event.
"Didn't know I needed your permission." Ashley remarked a bit harshly as she placed the rest of her purchases on the floor.
"Why didn't you ask any of us to go with you?" TJ inquired of his yellow teammate.
"Because I know how much you guys hate the mall. And besides, I didn't want to bother you." She replied quietly. "Not to mention the fact that you would try to distract me from thinking about Andros, and I don't want to not think about him." She admonished them gently.
The boys looked a bit sheepish at Ashley's confession. They avoided the girl's mallathons like the plague, but it did upset them that Ashley hadn't even asked. She was usually a very cheerful person who enjoyed being around other people. But on rare occasions when she sought solitude, it was pretty serious. And Carlos was upset that none of them had noticed.
Zhane helped her get her purchases to her room and returned to the holding bay to rejoin the conversation.
"I'd say we've left her alone for too long." Carlos declared. "Ash is going to need our support while Andros is gone."
"Even if it means going on a mallathon?" TJ kidded.
"If that's what it takes Teej. I'm afraid so." Carlos finished seriously. TJ put his hand over his heart. "I hope it doesn't come down to that. I don't know if I could do it."
Zhane agreed wholeheartedly. "You're right Carlos. We can't let Ashley get depressed."
"Well then we better do a better job of keeping our eyes on her so she doesn't just disappear on us again." Suggested Cassie.
"And we should stop trying to make her forget about Andros." Karone commented honestly. They all agreed as they realized that wasn't going to happen.
Ashley knew her teammates were worried about her but she couldn't help it. She missed Andros so much it hurt at times. The awful longing in her soul, her heart aching to hold him and be held in return. Sighing, she set her sights on the bags that now filled her room and set out to put all her purchases away.
The other rangers didn't let Ashley out of their sight for long, always distracting her by taking her to the park, the Surf Spot, or the movies. Ashley appreciated their efforts but everything reminded her of Andros anyway. As days passed the pain, the separation grew less, but the pain of longing continued to grow.
After another uneventful day of school, Ashley found herself in the observatory staring at the stars.
"Ash?" Zhane called from the doorway. "It's getting late. Shouldn't you go to sleep, you've got school tomorrow." He gently reminded her.
Ashley giggled silently, she knew what Zhane was doing, keeping tabs on her. She thought it more sweet than irritating though. "Don't worry about me Zhane." She said as she snuggled in deeper into the chair.
"Well, what are you looking at?" Zhane asked as he seated himself in the chair next to hers, when he sensed she wasn't going to leave.
"See that bright star over there on the right?" She pointed to a bright star. Zhane nodded. "Andros told me that it is our star. And every time I look at it, to know that he's thinking of me, and when he looks at it, he'll know I'm thinking of him." Ashley answered, a soft look of longing on her face.
Zhane smiled at the expression on her face. "He'll be back soon." He promised.
"How do you know?" Ashley wondered curiously, a hopeful expression on her face that removed any clever comments from his lips.
"How could he not? He's got you back here waiting for him. And that's more important to him than anything else in the world." Zhane replied seriously, smiling when her eyes lit up and she flashed him her world famous smile. They sat there in silence staring out at the stars. Zhane turned to Ashley but discovered she had fallen asleep with a peaceful look on her face. He was relieved to see some of the tension and anxiety ease away. He pulled the blanket over her and returned to his own quarters.
'You're a lucky guy, Andros.' Zhane thought to himself as he left the sleeping beauty behind. He chuckled at his train of thought, at how their roles had been reversed. Andros was the one usually jealous of Zhane's relationships, and now he was the one envious of the stable and confident relationship that Ashley and Andros shared. They made him believe in true love again.
A few days later, the other rangers started noticing Ashley was acting strange. "She looks tired all the time." Commented Cassie as the group sat around the lunch table. Ashley had skipped lunch to finish her project for Mr. Carlson.
"Give her some time. Andros only left a few days ago." Karone encouraged her teammates. "I know she has changed Andros a lot, but I think he's had an effect on her as well." Her observation surprised them, but as they thought about it they realized the purple ranger was right.
Carlos saw a more committed and secure Ashley now then before she started dating Andros. She still had her carefree spirit, she could never lose that, but she seemed to have grown as a person. 'I suppose being in an intense relationship can do that to a person.' The greatest factor in his mind of her growth was the impact she had on Andros. If there ever was a person more lost than he, Carlos had yet to find them.
"Well where is she?" Carlos demanded. "It's 7pm. I'm worried." His statement broke up the casual conversations that flowed around him during dinner.
"Did she tell any of you where she was going?" Zhane queried his teammates.
"I haven't seen her all day." Cassie admitted as she brought her tray back to the synthetron. Truth be told, she hadn't seen anyone all day, and now she felt guilty for isolating herself. Especially when her best friend needed her. Ashley had always been there for her when she found herself missing Saryn.
"Maybe we should go look for her." TJ suggested impatiently. Before they could move, a figure appeared right in front of their eyes, loaded down with shoeboxes, and myriads of shopping bags.
"Ashley?" called Zhane as he gathered some of the bags from her arms. He had not been around long enough to witness either one of Ashley or Cassie's shopping sprees.
"So that's where you were!" exclaimed Cassie. "You were having a mallathon." She stated, as if that explained everything. A mallathon was a term the two female rangers used to describe an intense period of shipping. It was usually preceded by an incredibly stressful or emotional event.
"Didn't know I needed your permission." Ashley remarked a bit harshly as she placed the rest of her purchases on the floor.
"Why didn't you ask any of us to go with you?" TJ inquired of his yellow teammate.
"Because I know how much you guys hate the mall. And besides, I didn't want to bother you." She replied quietly. "Not to mention the fact that you would try to distract me from thinking about Andros, and I don't want to not think about him." She admonished them gently.
The boys looked a bit sheepish at Ashley's confession. They avoided the girl's mallathons like the plague, but it did upset them that Ashley hadn't even asked. She was usually a very cheerful person who enjoyed being around other people. But on rare occasions when she sought solitude, it was pretty serious. And Carlos was upset that none of them had noticed.
Zhane helped her get her purchases to her room and returned to the holding bay to rejoin the conversation.
"I'd say we've left her alone for too long." Carlos declared. "Ash is going to need our support while Andros is gone."
"Even if it means going on a mallathon?" TJ kidded.
"If that's what it takes Teej. I'm afraid so." Carlos finished seriously. TJ put his hand over his heart. "I hope it doesn't come down to that. I don't know if I could do it."
Zhane agreed wholeheartedly. "You're right Carlos. We can't let Ashley get depressed."
"Well then we better do a better job of keeping our eyes on her so she doesn't just disappear on us again." Suggested Cassie.
"And we should stop trying to make her forget about Andros." Karone commented honestly. They all agreed as they realized that wasn't going to happen.
Ashley knew her teammates were worried about her but she couldn't help it. She missed Andros so much it hurt at times. The awful longing in her soul, her heart aching to hold him and be held in return. Sighing, she set her sights on the bags that now filled her room and set out to put all her purchases away.
The other rangers didn't let Ashley out of their sight for long, always distracting her by taking her to the park, the Surf Spot, or the movies. Ashley appreciated their efforts but everything reminded her of Andros anyway. As days passed the pain, the separation grew less, but the pain of longing continued to grow.
After another uneventful day of school, Ashley found herself in the observatory staring at the stars.
"Ash?" Zhane called from the doorway. "It's getting late. Shouldn't you go to sleep, you've got school tomorrow." He gently reminded her.
Ashley giggled silently, she knew what Zhane was doing, keeping tabs on her. She thought it more sweet than irritating though. "Don't worry about me Zhane." She said as she snuggled in deeper into the chair.
"Well, what are you looking at?" Zhane asked as he seated himself in the chair next to hers, when he sensed she wasn't going to leave.
"See that bright star over there on the right?" She pointed to a bright star. Zhane nodded. "Andros told me that it is our star. And every time I look at it, to know that he's thinking of me, and when he looks at it, he'll know I'm thinking of him." Ashley answered, a soft look of longing on her face.
Zhane smiled at the expression on her face. "He'll be back soon." He promised.
"How do you know?" Ashley wondered curiously, a hopeful expression on her face that removed any clever comments from his lips.
"How could he not? He's got you back here waiting for him. And that's more important to him than anything else in the world." Zhane replied seriously, smiling when her eyes lit up and she flashed him her world famous smile. They sat there in silence staring out at the stars. Zhane turned to Ashley but discovered she had fallen asleep with a peaceful look on her face. He was relieved to see some of the tension and anxiety ease away. He pulled the blanket over her and returned to his own quarters.
'You're a lucky guy, Andros.' Zhane thought to himself as he left the sleeping beauty behind. He chuckled at his train of thought, at how their roles had been reversed. Andros was the one usually jealous of Zhane's relationships, and now he was the one envious of the stable and confident relationship that Ashley and Andros shared. They made him believe in true love again.