*It's been a while since I updated this, so I hope that this chapter is in fitting with the tone of the previous 2. In this one I really wanted to take all the 'super hero-ness' away and really show Kimberly just as a teenage girl with all the insecurities that teenage girls have. I have also tried to set the groundwork for why she would write the letter. I think it's plausible that when she moved away, without Tommy there to reassure her a lot of the insecurities she has in this chapter could have grown and caused her to 'attack before she was attacked' in other words 'dump- before she was dumped', just another theory to add to the list I guess and another possible story to write one day... maybe... or maybe not
*Anyways, I'd just like to thank SYuuri for re-igniting my interest in this story and as always I own nowt x
The Kat Amongst The Pigeons (Part 3)
Flicking through a hanger of brightly coloured t-shirts that the sign assured her were 'Just In From
Milan', Kimberly Hart registered the feel of fabric in her hand but paid them no more attention than that… and that fact alone should have had her alarm bells ringing!
'Lilly- Ella's', Kimberly's favourite boutique, situated in the most exclusive section of the Angel Grove Mall and the one place that was always guaranteed to lift her spirits… that was until today and as the last t-shirt fell from her hand back to the hanger Kim tried to figure out how she had allowed things to get so out of control because this past week had been the most frustrating of her entire life and what made it worse was the fact she knew that it was all down to her own foolish games!
Kimberly could have screamed at her own stupidity, that's if her own stubbornness hadn't kicked in first causing her insides to tense up as she once again began to shift the blame for her current predicament away from herself and towards her always sweet but sometimes dense boyfriend
Why did men have to be so confusing?
More to the point, why did her man, the one she had thought to be so perfect, have to be so confusing?
Tommys behaviour this week had been frustrating to say the least and it had left Kimberly confused and panicked about what it all meant, to them and to their relationship
"Kim what's wrong?" The concerned voice of her best friend quickly cut through her confusion and brought her crashing back into the real world but as had been the case so often recently, Kimberly struggled to find her voice as a sadness descended down on her
"Planet earth to planet Kimberly, This is Aisha calling, are you receiving me?"
"Very funny Aisha!"
Forcing a smile, Kimberly began navigating her way through the narrow aisles and as Aisha caught up neither girl confirmed their destination yet each of them knew that their shopping trip was over and for the first time in a very long time, they were leaving empty handed
"So are you going to tell me what's up, because I thought we were shopping… and I thought, you know, that meant buying lots of pretty things to take your mind off the weirdness between you and Tommy and yet I see no bags and Kimberly Hart… she always has bags" Aisha punctuated the sentence by planting her hands firmly on her hips and pursing her lips and just as she hoped, it received a warm, if not heart-felt giggle from Kimberly before her face fell serious once more
"Aisha, the only thing that's weird between Tommy and I… is Tommy!"
Exiting the store, Kimberly looked for a second as though she might head into 'The Foot Room' her favourite shoe shop, which was conveniently located just to the left of Lily-Ella's but then appeared to change her mind as she linked her arm through that of her best friend, and pulled them gently in the direction of the exit.
Pushing aside Aishas long braids Kim rested her head on her friends shoulder and then released a long, deep breath
"Aisha, remind me again why God made men"
"To give girls a reason to shop… oh that and something to do with the continued population of the human race, but that's just something I heard, it could just be a nasty rumour"
"Well if you ask me, anyone that wants to 'populate' with a man is crazy, I'd rather just grow old all by myself, buy a house at the end of the street with a couple hundred cats and then spend the rest of my days blissfully unaware that I smell of pee"
Pausing for a second, Aisha stared wide-eyed at her friend.
Was this really Kimberly Hart standing before her?
The Kimberly Hart that won't even leave the house if she is having a bad hair day?
The Kimberly Hart that just over a week ago decimated her entire bedroom whilst hunting for the perfect outfit to wear to seduce her already besotted boyfriend?
And now she was daydreaming about living alone with cats and smelling of pee?
What ever was going on between her and Tommy was obviously more serious than Aisha had thought.
Not that she actually knew what was going on, that seemed to be a secret that only Kim was in on and her details had been sketchy at best, generally they came in short, angry out bursts, and as for Tommy he had spent the previous week in an almost eternal state of confusion. Poor guy, 7 days of wondering what he had done and when he had done it and why he didn't know that he'd done it and was his memory really bad enough for him to have forgotten doing something to upset Kimberly, anyone else… yes, but Kimberly?!
"Kim, are you going to just tell me what Tommy has done or are you going to spend all day trying to freak me out? First you won't shop and now you want to smell of pee? Girl are you sure you're feeling okay?"
Giggling, the two girls once again began to manoeuvre their way through the sea of 'Saturday shoppers'
"I'm fine Aisha and Tommy hasn't done anything, yep, he's done big, fat nothing" Dropping her gaze to her feet, Kim replayed all of the times over the past week when she had waited for Tommy to do something, show some kind of an emotion, give some kind of a reaction but in the end all he had given her was silence… that and those huge puppy dog eyes that caused her heart to melt every time he used them on her, but his non-reaction had hurt her deeper than an over-reaction ever could have and as usual he didn't understand why and Kimberly just couldn't find it in herself to explain it to him
"So he did nothing? And that's a problem?"
"I just don't get why he has to be so level headed, you know? He always says and does the right things, he never over reacts or jumps to conclusions"
"But Kim, that's just Tommy, he's just not big on reacting, you always said you liked that about him, how he was always subtle and understated, how you always knew how he felt without him ever having to say it, what I don't get is why it's become a problem all of a sudden"
"It's a problem because I'm just not the same, I don't react the same way- you know? I see things… or hear things and I jump to conclusions, I get jealous and I hurt and because he doesn't, he just doesn't get it. He always seems to know just what's going on and how to react to it and I never do, unless you haven't realised Aisha, I am big on reacting… or more over reacting and I just end up feeling like such a fool in front of him an I don't ever want to be that"
Kimberlys grip tightened on her friends arm as she thought back to how she'd made such a fool of herself these last 7 days.
In the beginning it had started out as a challenge to herself, to provoke Tommy into proving that he was just a normal teenage boy who did get jealous, but as time had passed, that challenge had turned into an obsession because the less he reacted, the more outrageous her behaviour had become.
Kims cheeks burned bright as she and Aisha exited the mall and stepped into the mid-day sun before heading in the direction of Kimberlys car
"You know Kim, it's a pretty well known fact that guys and girls aren't actually from the same planet, in fact if you want to know the truth, I don't think we're even part of the same species"
"It's just… when Tommy is on the battlefield he is so passionate, I mean you've seen what he's like if one of the bad guys even looks at me the wrong way but off it…"
"Kim, Tommy just isn't a big 'show and tell' kind of guy, I mean you both love each other, that much is crystal clear but you just don't speak the same language, you speak 'girl' and he speaks 'guy' and worse still… Tommy speaks it really, really quietly. He's shy and protective of his feelings not like Rocky, Mr If-I-Feel-It-I'll-Scream it"
"I just want to know what's going on in his head sometimes…but after the way I've acted this week, I'm beginning to wonder if I even know what's going on in mine"
Walking past a large, empty window, Kimberly caught sight of her reflection and without realising what she was doing she gently disentangled herself from her friend, walked forward and stared at herself, the gloominess that had clouded her mind all day, moving down and tangling its self in her chest
Sighing deeply, Kim wrapped her arms around the waist of the pale pink dress she was wearing and was surprised at the sudden sting of tears.
Who was Kimberly Hart, and why had God seen fit to make her so average when put next to every other girl?
Kim knew it was one girl in particular that was causing this unusual drop in self-confidence but Tommys seeming indifference weighed heavy on her mind and it caused her to doubt everything she thought she knew about them
Running a hand over her hair, Kimberly heard her mothers words echo through her memory- 'mousy brown'- in other words neither brown nor blond, no darkness to provide her with an exotic mystery and no blond to give her that 'knock 'em dead' look that all guys loved… God how she missed her mum!
"Kimberly?"
Moving her hand down Kim ran a finger under each eye.
Mousy brown hair with light brown eyes… brown with brown… could she have been any more dull? Some how she doubted it
Not like Katherine, with her platinum blond locks and her incredibly blue eyes she was every guys dream girl and Kimberly couldn't help the jealousy that stung at her heart
Turning to the side Kimberly pushed herself up onto her toes, but even at full stretch, her legs remained 'short'
"Aisha I'm so small!"
"You're not small, you're… you're 'gymnast height' … worked out perfect for you huh?" Aisha grinned big, hoping to lift Kimberlys spirits but her friend simply lowered herself back to her normal height and continued to stare into the window of the abandoned convenience store
"But what if I didn't want to be a gymnast? What if I wanted to be a supermodel or… an air stewardess… what if I wanted choices… opportunities, what if I wanted to strut down catwalks all over the world or… or…?"
"Pour drinks at really high altitudes?"
"It's the possibility Aisha, not the 'doing'
Pulling her dress tight over her chest and then her hips Kimberly couldn't stop the solitary tear of self-pity that fell, who was she kidding? She would never be a supermodel, just like she would never be competition to a girl like Kat, if she decided she wanted Tommy then she would have him, there wasn't a thing a girl that looked like Kimberly could do about it
"Kim?" Aishas arm snaked over Kimberlys slim shoulders in concern "Kim, are you okay?"
"Aisha I look like a boy!" Stomping away, Kim angrily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand whilst heading in the direction of her car
"What?! Kimberly… Kim hold up" Pulling open the car door, Aisha dropped into the passenger seat and turned to gaze at the girl she thought of as a sister but who was now acting like a complete stranger
"Kim what are you talking about? Girl, every guy in school is crazy about you! Why would you say you look like a boy when you look like the exact opposite? Kimberly, you're beautiful… you know that"
Resting her head on the steering wheel, tears slid silently from beneath Kimberlys lids as a small sob escaped her chest
"Kimberly please talk to me, this lack of confidence really isn't like you"
"Oh Aisha I've been such a fool! I've acted like such a brat and now I don't know if Tommy will ever forgive me"
"Kim, Tommy loves you so much, everyone knows it, he just doesn't understand what's going on with you, he's not mad at you, he's confused"
"But I just can't…" Another sob escaped as Kim wiped her eyes angrily "I can't…"
"You can't what? Honey it's okay, just take a breath"
"I can't compete with her Aisha, I'm so boring and plain and small and I'm shaped like a boy and she's all tall and beautiful and…'womanly' and she wants Tommy I just know she does! Her blond is from a bottle right? Please tell me it's from a bottle "
"Kimberly, who are you talking about?" Aishas brow wrinkled as things finally began to make sense "Are you talking about Katherine?"
A small nod was Kimberlys only response
"Oh come on Kim, Katherine and Tommy are just friends"
"Everywhere he goes she's there!"
"Kimberly she's new, she doesn't know anyone, she's probably scared and lonely…"
"She's totally over the top and I can't bare it!!" Sitting up straight, Kimberly looked into her friends' eyes and for a split second she allowed Aisha to see the pain that this situation was truly causing her.
"I'm a power ranger Aisha, I shouldn't be thinking like this"
"You're also a teenage girl Kim and you've had a hell of a year"
Reaching out a hand, Aisha stroked Kims tear stained cheek
"Kimberly, Tommy only loves you. It doesn't matter who Katherine is, what she looks like or what she does, his feelings for you are never going to change and honey you know that. Just think of every time one of the girls from school asked him out or tried to make a move on him remember when the entire cheerleading squad asked him to the vice versa? He wasn't interested, not once, not for one second, all this insecurity and jealousy isn't like you Kim"
" I just can't help it… do you think I'm being ridiculous?"
"You know what I think it is? I really think you're working yourself too hard. Ever since your mum left you've been on over drive. You're up at 5 every morning, you barely have time for breakfast before you go running and then gymnastics, at school you're so busy studying you barely have breaks, I can't remember the last time we sat down and ate lunch together and after school it's hours of gym followed by hours of studying… you're burning yourself out. You're exhausted; you've lost far too much weight! Everyone has their breaking point Kim… maybe you've just reached yours"
Stroking her friends' hair, Aisha was thankful for the opportunity to finally share her concerns with Kimberly, they had been plaguing her for a while now but just as Kim opened her mouth to respond a familiar beep rang out through the car
"Zedd and Ritas terrible timing strikes again. Kim, are you going to be okay?" But before Aisha knew it Kim was up and out of the car.
Grabbing her morpher, Kimberly spared one look for witnesses and then said the words that would take her away from everything that had been tormenting her.
Katherine Hillard may have been everything that Kim had always dreamt of being but she would never be the Pink Ranger and that caused Kims heart to glow as pink as the light that had just engulfed her
Clutching her ribs, Kimberly stumbled backwards as the air exited her lungs in one sharp gasp.
The battle with Rito and the Tenga warriors had been raging for more than 10 minutes now and for some reason unknown to her, they seemed to be singling her out for special punishment.
Reaching out her arm she searched for a familiar figure but before she could cry out for help a Tenga warrior landed another agonising blow
Falling backwards stars burst through her vision as again Kims hand reached out to the man dressed in white, the man she knew to be her safety, but in this time of panic, she found that no words followed her actions.
4 minutes ago, Rito had launched an especially ferocious attack on Tommy causing the other rangers to run to his aid, unfortunately that had left Kimberly isolated and vulnerable. The rangers were now fighting the battle with their backs to the pink ranger and as she attempted to hold back the Tengas on her own she knew there was no way for them to know the trouble she was in… not unless she called out to them that is and right now, no matter the pain or the danger, she just couldn't bring herself to do it
Pulling the cloth of her ninja mask away from her face Kim fought to regain her breath. She had battled bravely but 6 against one was never going to work out in her favour, yet as she scrambled backwards she continued valiantly in her attempt to fend off the feathered fiends, but it was no good, that last kick to the ribs had knocked the wind right out of her and she was still struggling to catch her breath as the Tengas grabbed her by the ankles and her wrists.
Thrashing violently, Kimberly knew she only had seconds left before they flew off and delivered her as a trophy at Lord Zedds feet
"Get off me!" she screamed but their grips only tightened "Let me go!"
Opening her mouth, Kimberly knew what she had to do; one yell of his name and this nightmare would be over. Her white knight would come to her rescue, she'd be safe… but she just couldn't do it, the events of the past week still stuck in her throat and she just couldn't bring herself to swallow them down and call for his help
Time after time she'd made a fool of herself in an attempt to provoke a reaction from Tommy, something that let her know that he felt the same way she did, but he had remained indifferent to her actions and every time he did nothing, it had planted a seed in her mind that he must feel nothing
Questions and theories fought a war through her panic but still she stayed silent, why should she call for him? Why should she open herself to him and continuously show him just how much she needed him when he continuously showed her nothing?
That first afternoon, after her challenge to him had been made she had put on the white bikini that had made Tommy drool so openly and headed to the beach with him. Once there she had flirted shamelessly with a very embarrassed Billy, taking every opportunity she could to hug him or sit on his knee, even when Billys embarrassment had been glaringly obvious she continued to drape herself over him, it was as though she had become oblivious to the feelings and reactions of everyone but Tommy.
If she was honest Kim had thought that afternoon would be all it would take to provoke an appearance from the green eyed monster, surely no normal guy could watch his girl flirt with one of his best friends whilst dressed in nothing more than a bikini he knew she had bought to entice him without showing some sign of jealousy, but apparently Tommy Oliver wasn't normal because he had shown nothing other than amusement at her behaviour.
As the clouds had begun to roll in, Billy quickly took the opportunity to escape from the most hideous situation he had ever found himself in and as he almost ran up the beach towards his car Tommy had thrown a towel over Kimberlys shoulders to protect her from the cold and then offered to drive her home.
For the entire drive he said nothing about the events of that afternoon and after a quick peck goodbye Kimberly had exited his jeep in a black mood whilst a determination to break the man she loved grew in her chest
But now, 7 days on, he had still shown no hint of jealousy and all that burned in Kimberly now was anger, hurt and frustration.
How could he care for her and yet not be affected by anything that she did??
How could he see her that close to a man that wasn't him and not care when just one glimpse of Katherine draped all over Tommy had been enough to turn her into a crazy woman?
Kims body fell limp in the grip of the Tengas as her mind once again flashed back to earlier that week
Even when Kimberly had warmed up at the youth centre whilst playing 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and wearing the most provocative, flesh coloured leotard she owned Tommy had remained silent.
Every other guy in there had been openly drooling and wolf whistling whilst her own boyfriend said nothing, even when some of the guys patted him on the back and congratulated him he simply carried on with his katas, the look of amusement long gone
How could he do and say nothing?
Kim could only think of one reason and that was that he actually did feel nothing and even in her vulnerable position… when she needed to be strong, Kim felt herself weakening inside.
Tommy was her strength, he was the reason she did everything she did, succeeded the way she did, it was all to make him proud. They were a team… 2 perfect, equal sides or at least that was what she had always believed, could she have been so mistaken? Could he have been so cruel?
The feel of her entire body leaving the ground as the Tengas squawked in celebration was enough to bring Kim crashing back into the here and now… time was running out- she had to act and she had to act now!
Closing her eyes, and breathing deeply, Kimberly opened her mouth to scream and as the word flew from her mouth she felt herself being thrown into the air.
Someone had come to her rescue!
Someone had seen her in serious trouble and had come rushing to save her but unfortunately for her the name that had left her lips was not the name of the man whose arms she now lay in
Stubbornness, it had been said many times was Kimberly Harts greatest character flaw and at no point in her life had that been more evident than now, because as she had opened her mouth to call for help that stubbornness had refused to let her call for Tommy, instead it had been Billys name she had cried out in anguish and now, looking up into the dark eyes of her boyfriend, the man who had come to her rescue even before she had yelled out, she couldn't have felt more ashamed.
Gone was the gentle, adoring gaze he always greeted her with and in its place, there, swimming in a sea of hurt and confusion, masked in the most heartbreaking shade of green was the jealousy that Kim had fought so hard to provoke, but as Tommy stared silently down at her for once it all became clear in her insecure teenage mind, the look in his eyes was not a measure of how much he cared for her, it was a measure of just how much she had hurt him.
*The next chapter is definitely the last chapter and it is the conversation that this entire 'Wonder' was based around.
* Long live T/K in 2010… hope everyone had a great new year, here's to the best ff still being yet to come x