A/N: Hey, guys. I'm sorry it's taking me awhile to update. I've been working on other fics and also I have school to worry about. I'll try to update at least once a week. Anyway...I want to thank you all for the nice reviews and hope you enjoy the latest chapter! You'll see the cadets engaged into different side conversations that would lead to possible conflicts as well as...new attractions. R&R! Thanks for being patient with me...


Chapter 14

"In A Black Hole"

"Oh, God. Ow, ow, ow…this hurts." Jack staggers and limps uncomfortably across the cafeteria room after a quick shower that evening. He held on to his sore back and grunts painfully after a vigorous training in the mud course earlier that day. He slowly takes an empty seat across from Bridge and sighs in relief just to be finally sitting down. "So this is what you guys do everyday?" Cadet Carson looks up from his tray of food and mischievously smirks at his new teammate.

"You'll get use to it."

Jack winces in pain. He looks across the room where he found the gorgeous Sydney Drew eating alone in one of the round tables and reading some magazine. A grin crept over his face as he reaches over across the table to nudge Bridge on the shoulder. "Hey," Cadet Carson was about to pop the soda can open as he pauses and looks up at his male companion, "is she seeing anyone?"

Bridge turns his gaze over to the same direction Jack is staring at and smiled at the sight of her. "You mean, Syd?"

"Yeah," Jack continues staring at her in awe, "she's cute." Bridge could feel his stomach churn at the thought of someone else having an eye for Syd. From the looks of it, he could see Jack is obviously interested in her.

"She doesn't go on a lot of dates." He replies half-heartedly.

"So she's single?"

Bridge reluctantly nods his head, "Yeah…as far as I know." He says followed by a deep sigh. Moments later, Z walks inside the room with the SPD handbook in her grasp. Jack and Bridge watches on as their leader joins Syd at the table.

"Hey, blondie."

Syd looks up from the magazine she was reading and glares at her in response. "My name is Syd thank you very much."

Z just rolled her eyes, "whatever." She opens the book and begins studying.

"No offense, Jack but Syd is just way out of your league."

Cadet Landors took his eyes off her for once and turns back to Bridge. "What do you mean by that?"

"Her parents are rich, Jack. She has a lot of money, she's very well known. Syd is gonna want someone who is at the same level as she is."

Jack just smirks. "I may not be all those things, Bridge but it's important that she knows the kind of person I really am. I mean aren't those the things that do matter? Unless she's a shallow girl."

He shrugged. "Maybe you're right."

"Pshh, I know I'm right." Jack breaks his contact with Bridge when suddenly Sky approaches their table. Tension all of a sudden rises as Jack and Sky's contact become serious and intense. Cadet Tate just ignored him as he took a seat next to Bridge.

Syd coyly looks up from her reading material and noticed Z staring at Sky from across the room. A smile crept over the blonde's face as she caught Z once again looking up and down from the SPD handbook. "You know…he really cares about you, Z."

The leader of B-squad furrowed her eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act dumb. I know you and Sky share this--"

"Can it, Syd." Z shot back. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Look, I just don't understand why you're mad at him. Bridge and I were the ones that turned you in. You should be mad at us."

"Who says I'm not?"

Syd narrows her eyes at her female companion. "Sky does really care about you, Z. You have no reason to be mad at him."

"Syd, he lied to me! He should have turned me in from the beginning he first saw me, but no…he just had to drag his mission much longer and make me look like a fool, thinking there is some possible way that he and I could ever--" Z pauses in mid-sentenced and sighs at the thought, "never mind." She shook her head and focused back on the SPD handbook. "It doesn't matter anymore."

There was cold silence in the table as Bridge and Jack peered at the serious cadet from their corner of their eyes and noticed him staring at Z across the room.

"You should tell her how you feel, Sky."

He breaks his contact with Z and turns to his male companions. "She wouldn't give me a chance to explain."

"Well I think you should try anyway." Jack surprisingly added as Sky turns his gaze over to him. "Z did enjoy spending time with you. It's all she could think about…"

"Listen, Jack I didn't mean to hurt Z. And now that we're teammates, I just can't mix business with pleasure." Sky tells him seriously. "She made it clear that we're not friends, but rather partners and teammates."

"Look, I don't blame Z for being pissed off at you but it doesn't hurt to try. She's stubborn like that."

"Ha, so is Sky." Bridge added with a playful smirk. "What a perfect match," he muttered as Sky threw him a dirty look.

"A lot of the females in this academy would kill to fill in your shoes." Syd all of a sudden comments as Z looks up from the SPD handbook with a raised eyebrow. "Not only are you the red ranger, but the hottest guy in the academy is obviously into you."

She sighs irritably in response. "Sky set me up, Syd. Obviously he has no feelings for me what so ever."

"You don't know that for sure. And if it's any consolation, he feels like crap after what he did." Z stares at the blonde sincerely and listens. "He's a total mess, Z."

The cadet just rolled her eyes, not giving in to every word she just said. "He's a total mess because he's not the red ranger."

"True, but he is also a mess because of what he did to you."

"What are you trying to say, Syd? That I should give him a chance?"

"Yeah, before you lose something that could have been great."

Z searches her blue eyes carefully. "Why are you encouraging this so much anyway?"

"Because…" Syd trails off as she averts from her gaze and looks over at Sky from across the room. He was locked into a conversation with Jack and Bridge just as she is with Z. "I want him to be happy." She looks back at her leader, followed by a deep sigh. "Whenever Sky goes out to be with you, he comes back with a smile on his face and you just don't see that often around here. Sky is usually very serious, arrogant, a pig-headed, and stubborn jerk but whenever he's with you…he's just a totally different person—someone very free-spirited, kind, outgoing, and laid back. You obviously got to him, Z."

Cadet Delgado watched her as a grin crossed her face. "Are you into him or something?"

"Don't change the subject," Syd scoffs in return.

"What are you talking about? We're staying on topic." She grins playfully. "So answer my question…do you like Sky?"

Syd groans reluctantly. "That doesn't matter. He's into you not me."

"Is that a yes?"

The blonde buried her face in hand out of mere embarrassment. She couldn't lie to her now nor come up with an excuse as silence fell upon them. "Okay, fine." She threw her hands up in defeat and groans. "I admit it. Yes, I do like him." Z lets out a chuckle. "Can you blame me though? How can I not? He's so gorgeous."

She smiles. "Yeah, he is." Z admitted coyly. "But if you like him so much, why are you pushing me to give him a chance?"

"By the looks of it you two obviously like each other. Both of you have similar personalities and it's just the perfect match!" Syd exclaims cheerfully, allowing Z to roll her eyes.

"And you're okay with this?" Z thought oddly.

"I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Syd nods her head reassuringly. "Look, at first I didn't understand why he was never attracted to me. I mean just look at me." Z rolled her eyes, followed by a smirk as Syd twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger and smiled. "I'll eventually get over it. So hook up with him already that way I can move on easily!"

"Whoa now, I never agreed to that."

Syd groans impatiently. "Come on, Z! You have to forget about what happened…"

"It's not that easy, Syd. Sure, I like Sky but…" Z pauses and sighs, "It still hurts…and I think I'm going to need some time…"

Syd nods her head. "Okay, but just so you know…if it weren't for Sky you wouldn't be here and become a part of something bigger." Syd suddenly rises up from her chair and winks. "Just think about that."

Meanwhile, Sky looks up and noticed Syd finally leaving the table. He turns to the guys and makes his leave. "Well, I'll see you guys around." Sky glances over at Z who also followed his gaze as she breaks their contact and turns to Jack upon his arrival at her table. Once Sky exits the cafeteria, he caught up with the blonde down the hallway. "Syd, wait up!" He calls out as she spun around and faces him.

"Hey, Sky." She greeted him nervously as she could feel a lump on her throat just standing right in front of him. "What's up?"

"Are we cool?" He asks worriedly while tilting his head to the side. "I mean…it seems awkward between us and we haven't been talking…"

She smiles. "Yeah, we're cool. Don't worry about it."

"Listen, I noticed you and Z talking at the table…"

"Oh so you've been watching?"

This made Sky coyly blush as a smile crept over his face. "Well…yeah. I noticed you and Z engaged in some conversation, so I'm thinking you two are getting along just fine?"

"Yeah well, we're working on it."

Sky nods his head as awkward silence fell upon them. "So…what did you two talk about?"

Syd furrowed her eyebrows, followed by a chuckle. "That's really none of your business, Sky."

He looks down and nods his head. "I understand."

"Look, just give it some time, Sky." His eyes soften as she looks at him sincerely. "She'll come around."

"I'm not worried about that, Syd. I was wondering if she talked to you about her position as red ranger."

"No…why?" She thought curiously.

"Nothing. I'm hoping she'll have second thoughts about being red ranger."

"Why?"

"She doesn't deserve it, Syd." Sky tells her seriously as she could feel her nose cringe. With Z not around, Sky was becoming his old self yet again. "And she is no leader."

Syd rolls her eyes. "Oh boy, here we go again." She turns back to Sky, her face expressing disapproval. "Sky, when are you ever going to get over yourself? Cruger picked her not you, end of story."

"He only picked her because of my suspension." He shot back. "There's obviously no one else better for the job but me."

"Whatever you say, Sky." Syd was getting fed up with his ego as she turns around to head over to the opposite direction, but then was pulled back as he placed a tight grip around her wrist.

"Hey, I'm still talking to you."

Syd narrows her eyes as she pulled her arm back away from his grasp. "You know, I really don't like your attitude."

"Yeah?" He glares at her. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Silence fell upon them as their contact grew intense.

"I'm glad you're not my leader, Sky." She tells him honestly, allowing the cadet standing before her to slightly part his lips but still manage to keep a straight face. "Z may be a newcomer, but at least she's not a big of a jerk as you are. It takes more than the experience and high test scores to be a leader, Sky. And judging by your attitude, you would make a crappy one." Syd broke their contact as she turned around and disappeared at the corner, leaving a puzzled Sky alone on the hallway.


A/N: Next chapter will involve interaction between Sky and Z, and some action (I think). Don't forget to review! Cheers.