Those Little Things
1.) Her mother told her she was dancing before she could even walk. It always put a smile on her face, watching her little girl wiggle her hips.
Lily loved to dance for her mother. Even as a child, she was a cheerful person. She took pride in making others happy. A smile and a grateful hug was enough for Lily.
2.) She had one distant, faded memory of her father. He was tucking her into her yellow bed, slipping her teddy bear into her little arms. He told her she was his princess.
He left soon after that. She remembered her mom gently explaining that Daddy had to go away for awhile.
He never came back.
3.) She had a brother who was four years older than she was. After their dad took off, Caleb was the one who looked out for her. He took the place of a father figure.
She adored Caleb. He played with her and never minded when she tagged along, even when he was with his friends. He helped her do her homework and do her simple chores. He walked her home after school.
He was everything a big brother should be.
4.) She was popular at school, a result of her bubbly, outgoing personality. She was on the dance squad and the track team, earning her more friends.
Halfway through her freshman year of high school, Caleb decided he was going to do something that changed their lives. He applied and was accepted to Pai Zhuq.
She could not imagine life without her brother. At the end of her school year, she applied to the prestigious academy as well.
5.) She befriended Theo on their first day. He was quiet and seemed hard working, but he was all alone at his lunch table.
Her heart went out to him, and she confidently strode up and asked if she could sit down.
After that, they did everything together. She developed a crush on her new best friend, and wished she could do something about it.
6.) Hard as Lily tried to keep an open mind and find a reason to like everybody, she always got bad vibes from Jarrod.
He abused his position as a high ranking student. He picked on the cubs and constantly broke rules.
It was not really a shock to her that Jarrod was angry when Casey was chosen over him.
7.) She liked her life in Ocean Bluff. She had a job and a great place to live. She had three of the best guys in the world as her roommates, and she had a new gal pal in Fran.
Oh, and she couldn't forget her ranger powers. Fast as a cheetah was right. Plus, she was yellow. She'd always liked yellow. It was cheerful, just like her.
And still, sometimes she wondered. If her father had known she would one day be a hero, would he have stuck around? Would he have been proud of her?
8.) She was torn between Casey and Theo for a long time. Theo had been her best friend for years, and she had worked hard to get through to him.
But on the other hand, she liked Casey and enjoyed his company. She found herself seeking him out more and more often.
Casey confronted her about her feelings. She fibbed, and she knew she shouldn't have. It wasn't fair to Theo; she'd liked him first. She tried to focus on her relationship with her best friend.
In the end, when the final battle had been fought, she accepted Theo's date.
Finally making a decision was a weight from her shoulders.
9.) It was the wrong decision. She knew ten minutes into the date that she and Theo could never be more than friends. The crush she harbored during their early years was just a crush.
Fortunately, Theo realized this as well, and was not hurt at all when she shyly told him she'd prefer not to see him in that context again.
Still, she found herself attracted to Casey. She double checked with Theo before approaching Casey again. She was glad to see her "little brother" comment didn't seem to matter.
10.) She thought being a ranger would be the most worthwhile thing she would ever do.
She was wrong.
Being a mother was her world the second she held her son for the first time. There was no greater adventure.
It was everything to her that she could share children with the man she loved.