Here is the chapter I had said was a surprise last chapter, but that we would see appearances from 3 characters. I love your guys' guesses, but they aren't right, and I'm sure that by reading the chapter title you've guessed what is going to happen. And to my reviewer who said I've portrayed Kimberly's feelings perfectly from what she remembered with her mother, thank you. As I have already said, I used my own experience with adjusting to college as the basis. To the other reviewer who has questions about what I'm doing if/when I get to Turbo, I'm really glad you asked because right afterwards I came up with a fitting plotline. Anyway, read this chapter and enjoy. Oh and make sure you read my notes at the end!

Chapter 8 I'll Rip Your Heart Out

The slamming of the door at the Oliver household echoed violently. Tommy stormed up the steps and into his bedroom. He couldn't believe it. Of all things, he hadn't expected this. Not now. He tossed the now crumpled letter onto his desk. He needed to think, he needed to clear his head. It just didn't seem possible. Nothing had been mentioned before, nothing, but now it just appeared like a big slap to the face. Tommy glanced back over at the crumpled ball, painfully remembering every word.

Dear Tommy

Everything is going great here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me as ready as I'll ever be for the competition. Tommy, this is the hardest letter I've ever had to write. You've always been my best friend, and in some ways, you're like a brother. But something has happened here that I can't explain. It's both been wonderful and painful at the same time. Tommy, I've met someone else.

Tommy, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. But I feel like I've found the person that I belong with. He's wonderful, kind, and caring. You'd really like him. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for hurting you. But I have to follow my heart. I will always care about you, Tommy. Please forgive me.

Kimberly

He sighed. It just wasn't Kimberly. How could the girl he loved so much dump him out of the blue? He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think about her, how lovely she smelled, how soft her hair was, how her brown eyes always shined. She had been perfect for him. Maybe too perfect. Thought Tommy. He only wished she had told him in person. Even the phone would have been better. Instead, he got the letter at the Juice Bar where everyone could see it. Why Kimberly had sent it there, he had no clue. He hadn't wanted the rest of his friends to see the letter, or the pain that he could not mask. They had tried to comfort him, but it was useless. No amount of comfort would bring Kimberly back or dull the pain in his heart.

As much as Tommy hated to admit it, he still loved Kimberly, though he knew he couldn't have her anymore. Fate had decided she wasn't his anymore, but he just couldn't accept that, not so easily. However, he didn't know what else he could do. He knew that if he flew out to see Kimberly for a real explanation, he'd sooner or later run into the guy she was now dating, and he couldn't handle that. Besides, he lacked the funds to even get a flight to Florida and his parents wouldn't loan him any of the money; they loved Kimberly, just that much.

Tommy didn't think he could handle seeing Kimberly with someone else. For the past couple years she'd been his and his alone. He remembered when they'd first met and their first kiss. Both were special moments in Tommy's life and now he couldn't remember them without feeling pain deep in his gut. The once pleasant memories were now tainted, like some invisible poison. It was as though Kimberly had handed Tommy that poison and made him drink it unknowingly and unwillingly. It reminded Tommy of the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

As he lay there, Tommy remembered the shocked looks on his friends' faces. They seemed as unprepared for this as he was. He knew that Kimberly hadn't told any of them anything beforehand. Somehow he wished that she had. Just so he could have known sooner and not have had to be tortured by the pain of a simple letter. How could something so simple tear his heart apart so violently? A lone tear slid down Tommy's cheek. How could she do it to him? That question kept repeating over and over in Tommy's mind as more tears fell. His world had been torn apart by a letter.

If you had told Tommy that something like this would happen a few weeks ago, he would have laughed heartily at you. Kimberly always told him everything and didn't show any signs of having another guy at all. She and Tommy would take for over an hour each evening, sometimes reduced to simple "I love you's" back and forth for minutes on end. It was fluffy, but Tommy didn't care then. He couldn't ignore the pleasant feeling he got every time he heard her voice on the other end of the line. Letter? The Tommy then would have laughed. The Tommy now just cried for what had been taken from him.

First anger, and now just sadness. Tommy had to get his mind off of Kimberly. It was tearing him apart. He grabbed his keys and headed back out the door, jumping into his jeep. Perhaps a long drive would help him clear his mind. He needed something to help him out. Tommy put the keys in the ignition and the jeep sprang to life. He quickly maneuvered it out of the driveway and took off down the street.

He drove around for hours before stopping at the lake. For some reason, he was drawn to the spot, even though it held many painful memories for him now. He sat on the grass near the water and stared off at the full moon. Here was peace and quiet. Tommy drew his knees to his chest and looked off at the rippling water. He didn't notice someone come up behind him and take a spot beside him. When he finally glanced out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Kat had joined him. He didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. She really was worried about him. This wasn't the Tommy she knew. Kimberly had hurt him more than she could have ever imagined. Kat knew now that Kimberly was Tommy's weakness; he really was a white knight.

"I don't want to talk about it, Kat. Please leave me alone," mumbled Tommy.

"Tommy, everyone's worried about you. We know how tough of a time you're having right now."

"None of you know how I feel. None of you know what she really meant to me. Kat, I wanted her to be the one I ended up with. I used to dream about it sometimes. I never told anyone about it because then it seemed such a foolish teenage dream, and we're both so young, but I'd dream about it. She made me so happy…" he trailed off.

Kat rested a hand on his shoulder. Tommy wasn't going to heal for a long time, and deep down she knew that. She feared that he'd end up doing something stupid in his pain, something that would do far more damage. She wished she knew what she could say to Tommy, but there was nothing to be said. Instead, Kat sat there by his side, wondering why Kimberly had sent the letter. At one point, she suspected some sort of evil interference, but dismissed the thought. That had been Rita before, and Rita was no longer a threat to the Rangers.

Eventually, Tommy got up from his spot. By then he'd been there for over three hours and still he hadn't been able to clear his mind. It was just too damn hard to let go. He couldn't let go so quickly. He prayed to whatever powers be that this was all some bad dream, some terrible dream that he was stuck in and couldn't wake up from. A hellish nightmare that he'd wake from and laugh about later. Oh if it were only that…

"Tommy?" asked Kat. She had stayed with him, despite the fact that he hadn't wanted her there. He never made a move to really get rid of her, and she was glad. Tommy needed his friends now, though he may not have thought so. She wished she could take away his pain, but no. Things were never so easy.

Tommy turned to face Kat. She couldn't miss the sadness that shown in his eyes, nor the tell tale tear trails down his cheeks that shown brightly in the moonlight. Kat pulled him to her, hugging him tightly. His body remained stiff and he didn't react, but Kat still hugged him. "We're always here to talk with you, Tommy. Please don't keep everything inside. It's not healthy," she whispered as she let him go. Kat turned and began walking back home. Tommy and Kimberly's breakup was affecting everyone.

That night, Tommy couldn't sleep. It was 3 AM, but he was still wide awake. His thoughts wouldn't let him rest. He felt so tired…. The day's events had exhausted him, but he still couldn't sleep. His mind wouldn't let him; things were still too complex for him to relax. Tommy rolled over on his side, facing his nightstand. He came face to face with a picture of Kimberly and him, sitting on a picnic table in the park. He sat behind her, his arm loosely around her waist. Tommy sighed. The two were so happy then.

Tommy eventually dozed off around 5:30 AM. He slept fitfully, tossing and turning violently. When he finally woke up around 11, he felt like shit. He glanced in the mirror as he treaded down the hallway to the bathroom. Forget feeling like shit. He looked like shit. Tommy took a cold shower to wake himself up before slipping out of the house unknown. He didn't want his parents to see him and question him about his appearance, which was still gruff even after his shower.

Hopping into his jeep, Tommy headed for the Juice Bar. He figured that maybe if he worked out, he'd feel better about himself. As he changed into a red tank top and black wind pants, he tried to keep his focus off of Kimberly. Instead he would just relieve his stress and anger. Tommy decided to start with bench pressing, and hope that someone he knew would join him so he could spar.

Little did Tommy know, someone was spying on him from afar. Kat had been at the Juice Bar an hour before Tommy had shown up. She had been working on a few new dance routines, but now she sat at the bar, sipping on a strawberry smoothie. She watched Tommy work out with more intensity than she'd ever seen before. She turned back to sipping her smoothie.

"You seem troubled, Kat," noticed Ernie.

"You saw what happened with Tommy yesterday. He's so devastated Ernie."

"Breakups are tough, Kat, but Tommy and Kimberly were so close it's gonna be harder on him than usual."

"I just hate to see him so sad. He was out until late last night at the lake. I tried to talk to him, but he only wanted to be left alone. I don't think he wants to talk about anything right now."

"You have to let Tommy sort things out Kat. He's not going to come around so easily," stated Ernie as he wiped another glass clean.

"I know, but I just can't help wanting to help him out."

"Tommy will let you know when he's ready to talk. You just have to give him his space. He just needs to think things through."

"Why do you think Kimberly did that, Ernie?" asked Kimberly.

"You know Kat, I'm not sure and I'll probably never be. Apparently, Kimberly did what she thought was best. It's not up to us to give it her a reason why."

"Kimberly loved Tommy so much. It's hard to believe she'd dump him for another guy. That just doesn't seem like Kimberly."

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you Kat?" asked Ernie. He began shelving glasses.

"Well yeah. I can't help it. I mean, Tommy's a close friend and it's hard seeing him in so much pain."

"Whenever you see a friend in pain, you want to make it right, but the fact is, we can't be the ones to fix it. Whatever happened between Tommy and Kimberly can only be fixed between the two of them."

"Ernie, I don't think the two are going to be getting back together any time soon."

"I didn't mean that they'd get back together. What I mean is only they can come to an understanding about what has happened."

"Thanks, Ernie."

"Glad to help you out Kat." Ernie disappeared to help more customers. Kat sighed and turned to watch Tommy again, who had now switched to doing one-handed push-ups quickly. It was as if he was pushing himself to the max to rid himself of all the pain. Kat jumped when she was tapped suddenly on the shoulder. She turned to face the person.

"Oh hey Adam," she greeted.

"Hey. How's Tommy holding up?" he asked.

"Exercising crazily. He's been at that for over an hour. I'm worried about him."

"We all are, but Tommy knows best. I'm going to go see if he'd like to spar. He has a lot to work out."

Adam joined Tommy on the floor. Kat watched the exchange of a few words before Tommy and Adam took to one of the empty mats. Kat noticed that Tommy's moves were full of anger, not calm and peaceful as they usually were. He didn't appear to be thinking before reacting, and Adam was actually beating him for once.

Tommy was sweating bullets, but he wouldn't give in. He knew his moves were sloppy and anger was clouding his judgment. He knew he had to focus. Come on Tommy. Concentrate. You can do this. You've practiced these moves a million times before.

With one final tornado kick, Adam won the spar. He held out his hand to Tommy. "Good match Tommy," he congratulated while smiling.

Tommy didn't return the shake. He nodded. "Good match," he responded curtly before heading toward the locker rooms.

Adam was confused. It wasn't like Tommy to be a bad sport. He joined Kat back at the bar, taking a seat. "Wow, he's really not himself," he said to Kat.

"I know, but there's nothing we can do."

"I wish there was though. We're the Power Rangers, yet we're powerless to help our own teammate when he needs us."

"I've decided not to dwell on it too much. Tommy will let us know when he wants to talk about it."

Adam nodded. "Yeah. I just wish we knew why."

"I think that's the most popular question among all of us, Adam, I really do."

This chapter took an unexpected turn because originally Kat wasn't to be in it. However when the idea came to me to add her, I went right ahead and did so. Why? So you, my readers, can see that this fic will not bash Kat and I disapprove of it to begin with. So if you are a Kat basher, I'm sorry but there won't be any of that in this fic. She actually has a big role later on in the story. Also, I got the letter from the Writer's Guide to the PR Universe website (very handy) so it's not mine and I didn't make it up.

IT'S QUIZ TIME AGAIN! Okay since my last quiz seemed to go over well, I'm going to do it again. Here's the quiz: Find the 3 places where I hinted at Kimberly having sent the letter to Tommy. One place in a chapter so you won't find 2 hints in one chapter. Just copy and paste the area where you found the answer. The first 2 reviewers to correctly respond will get a 2 page preview of chapter 9.

Final note: The rest of this week and next are very busy for me. Studying for college finals, and then taking them next week, plus trying to pack up my room. Then there's also a sky diving trip I'm going on Sunday. Chapters won't be posted as close together from here on out. Once I'm home, I'll only be able to write in the evenings. I don't even have chapter 9 finished, but I'm hoping to have it done Saturday evening. Anyway, keep reading! I promise you'll like it

Next time on Windmill into the Fall: Rita finds a hole in her plan and goes about fixing it. Christmas carols anyone?; Trini tries to help Kimberly, but will it be too late? Find out in the next chapter of Windmill into the Fall!