A/N: Thanks to Itakecatnap for reviewing, I'm glad you're enjoying it.
thanks to glitterstar7 for favoriting and subscribing!
Just want to make people aware, there are some mentionings of Kim not taking care of herself properly because she's having trouble dealing with stress. Nothing major, but wanted to point it out.
"So what exactly do you need again?" Aisha asked, looking at Kimberly.
"A whole list." She replied, holding up her phone. The competition behind her, Kimberly now had to get ready for a tour her agent had set up, thanking donors and drumming up support for the next batch of competitors trying for spots in the Olympics.
"Man. You are going to be on display aren't you?" Trini said, scrolling through.
"Yup. Me and about 20 other people asking for money and looking for jobs." She replied.
"Are you trying to get something? I thought you wanted to stay near Angel Grove." Trini asked.
"I haven't decided. I have a scholarship to State, but I just want to check my options." Kimberly replied.
"It's not because of Tommy is it?" Aisha asked, exchanging glances with Trini. Things between the exes hadn't gotten much better the past few weeks after their lunch. Tommy was polite but distant, careful not to spend too much time talking with Kimberly.
"No, it's not because of Tommy. I'm just not sure what I want to do with my life." Kimberly said. "I want to check my options."
"I get that." Trini said gently. "Jason and I were talking about joining the Peace Corps, but we're kind of tired of being gone and there's so much to do here."
"I just… don't have any reason to be here anymore besides you guys. My dad's in Florida, my mom's in France…" Kimberly stopped talking.
"You always have a home with us Kim." Aisha promised, giving her a hug.
"Yea, you know we'll help you out however we can." Trini insisted. Kimberly smiled at both, grateful for their support. "I just wish we got one of the boys to help us carry all this stuff." Trini said, looking down at the list again.
"Yea, for all Rocky's comments about Adam being whipped, he really knows how to bail when I need him for something." Kimberly snicked at that.
"It should be too bad. I have some of this stuff, I just need a couple of nicer dresses and accessories." She promised.
"Likely story." Aisha muttered looking down at her watch.
"Well, we're meeting the boys at 6. Let's get going." Trini said, linking arms with her two friends and heading off.
X
"Come on Kim, just pick one." Aisha begged three hours later.
"I feel like the prized mare being sent out to auction." Kim called back from the dressing room. Aisha groaned, looking over at Trini who was on the phone with Jason.
"Are they here?" Aisha mouthed hopefully, and Trini nodded.
"Thank you." Aisha muttered. Trini spoke into the phone for another moment before hanging up.
"They're on their way over now."
"You mean they'll actually step foot into a store?" Aisha said, faking shock.
"Well, I warned them what they're getting into, so this should be a good time." Trini laughed, knocking on Kim's door.
"The boys are on their way in. How's it going?"
"Terrible." Kimberly replied, looking at herself.
"Kim, come on. You're going to be fine." Trini begged, trying to hold in her frustration.
"Take these. I can't look at them." Came the reply, a pile of dresses being thrown over the door. Trini gathered them, walking back out of the fitting room to see everyone had gathered.
"Sorry, we've hit a little snafu."
"Yea, Aisha was telling us." Billy said, helping Trini with her load.
"Rocky and Adam already went to take the bags to her car." Jason said, smiling at his girlfriend.
"Is she coming?" Aisha asked.
"No. She's freaking herself out." Trini sighed. "It's been a day." She said to Jason, rubbing her temples before heading back into the dressing room.
"What happened?" Zack asked, taking a few dresses from Aisha as well.
"Our little Kimberly's all grown up and now hates shopping." Aisha said, heading back over to a rack.
"I find that hard to believe." Billy said, glancing over at a grinning Tommy, who clearly was remembering all the times he was dragged shopping while they were dating.
"Well, she's narrowed it down to two dresses. Can I drag her out here so you guys can help?" Trini begged, looking at the boys.
"If you think it would help…" Jason said carefully.
"Great. I'll go get her then." Trini went back to Kim's dressing room, dragging her out to show the boys what she was wearing. Jason whistled, jumping back when Trini and Aisha both hit him.
"I think you look fantastic." Billy chimed in, smiling at her. Tommy half-smiled at her, nodding his approval while Zack winked at her.
"You guys don't think it looks too..." Kimberly looked down, trying to think of the words. "My agent said I have to look mature." She finally said.
"It looks great. Promise." Aisha said, and everyone nodded.
"Ok." Kimberly said. "I'm done then." She said, going to change and coming back out a short time later with a handful of clothes. "Let me go purchase these." She said, heading towards the register.
"Her agent is a jerk." Trini announced as soon as Kimberly was far enough away.
"Yea. I want to punch him in the face." Aisha agreed, glowering. "Acting like she dresses like a slut or something." All the boys blinked in surprise, glancing at each other.
"I don't think slut is a word I'd use to describe Kim." Zack supplied.
"Yea, well, tell that jerk. I can't believe her coach would let someone like that represent her." Trini stated.
"He probably doesn't have a choice in the matter. I think the team vets the best people for the job." Billy told them, remembering Kimberly talking to him about her fears of being left behind now that her time in the limelight was over and how her agent had helped secure several options for her future.
"Well, hopefully he doesn't convince her to extend this tour, she needs to get away from him." Aisha muttered while Trini nodded. Kimberly came back just then, silently carrying a bag.
"You ready?" Jason asked.
"I guess." Kim said, falling in step with the group as they left the store.
"Rocky and Adam are already at the restaurant." Aisha said, gesturing down the hallway. As they walked, Tommy made his way over to Kimberly, tapping her on the elbow to get her to stop.
"We'll catch up." He told the rest of the group, allowing them to continue.
"Are you ok?" He asked quietly once they went around the corner. Kimberly bit her lip, avoiding his gaze.
"Tommy, you don't have to do this." She insisted.
"Do what? Be your friend?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Kimberly shut her mouth, not sure what to say. "We were friends' way before we started dating." He reminded her. "Remember how you helped me when I came out of Rita's spell?" He asked. "We weren't together then."
"Yea, but we both wanted to be." Kimberly reminded him. "We just had too much going on at the time."
"True." Tommy said, cracking a genuine smile. Kim tried to smile back, opting instead to nod.
"I'm fine. Just a little stressed." She insisted.
"Kimberly…"
"I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. I'll be fine, I promise. You don't need to rescue me." She said, wrapping her arms around herself, stepping back to pull away from Tommy.
"You can talk to me." He said softly, reaching impulsively to touch her arm.
"I don't want to miss my own party. Let's get going." She said, walking away from him. Tommy watched her go silently, for once unsure of what to do next.
X
"You're trying to dance too much. Your body's not always going to be on the beat." Kimberly told the young girl next to her, watching her floor routine. "Watch me and count the beats in your head." Kimberly went to the side of the mat, performing the same move flawlessly. Mira squealed in delight, clapping her hands.
"Let's go." Kimberly said, watching as Mira tried the same thing, touching her head to ward off a wave of dizziness. She had been working with the younger girl for the past few days as a favor to her coach while he dealt with a family emergency. Her tour had gone as smoothly as could be expected- she was surprised how much she missed her friends in the short time she was gone.
For the most part they all stayed in contact- when she was able to check her phone there was always at least one message from the group talking about something that had happened during the day. Jason and Aisha also sent a steady stream of messages- the former had told them that he planned to propose to Trini and was asking advice on rings and how to do it. Kimberly enjoyed the back-and-forth banter- it gave her something to think about when she was meeting people, shaking hands, and trying to convince them to donate.
Several of the older men had tried to creep on her, and she had no problem putting them in their place, much to the chagrin of her agent, who kept reminding her of the importance of her reputation. After she had finished screaming internally. She had been ready to jump on the plane and head home when her coach pulled her aside and begged her to help him with his training so he could go home and deal with his mother's stroke. She had agreed, knowing that she owned him everything.
This was the best way to test if she wanted to coach or not, but it threw off a lot of her plans, including a trip to go see her mother. Luckily, she had gotten all that straightened out, and now she was enjoying watching the girls practice their moves. "Do you see what I'm saying? If you worry too much about the beats, you're going to be behind every time. Do what you need to do, and the rest will come. That's why they call it a routine." Kimberly said to Mira when she came back, beaming after doing the move.
"Yes coach." Mira said, running back to try again. Kimberly smiled, walking over to the balance beam to check on Hannah. Personally, she thought this girl was the most promising, but a lot could happen in the next few years.
"You need more speed on your turns- that'll help you get set for your dismount." Hannah nodded. "Keep working on that- don't worry about the dismount right now." Kimberly said, standing back to observe for a moment before heading over to her last girl Barbara, working the uneven bars.
"Don't be afraid of your swing." She said. "You'll need power and height to get through your routine." Barbara nodded, powdering her hands to practice doing her flips. Kimberly walked back to the middle, observing all three of them, checking her watch. Coach had called to tell her that his plane had landed, and she was expecting him there shortly.
"Ok girls, let's show what we got." Kimberly said, clapping her hands. "Mira, you go first please." She said, turning on her music while Mira worked through her routine, writing down a couple of things before turning towards Hannah, then Barbara.
"Alright girls, why don't we take a break?" Kimberly suggested. She wanted to go over her notes one more time before coach came back. "Don't let your muscles get cold." She reminded them before stepping off the mat and going into the office, fixing up her notes for Coach.
"There she is." He said, interrupting her typing. Kimberly smiled at him, finishing up her sentence.
"Welcome back."
"Thanks. And thanks for being my hero." He replied, giving her a hug. "Mom sends her love."
"How's she feeling?" Kimberly asked.
"You tell me." He said, handing her a gift bag.
"You didn't have too."
"I know. Mom made this in her hospital bed." Kimberly looked inside, pulling out a fuzzy pink and white scarf.
"She didn't have to do this." Kimberly said, wrapping the scarf around her.
"I know, but she wanted to do something for her favorite star." Coach said, smiling.
"She's a sweetheart. I'm really going to miss her." Kimberly told him. Coach looked her over, frowning slightly.
"Are you alright Kimberly?" He asked.
"Just a little tired. It's been a long few weeks." Kimberly promised him. Coach nodded, sitting back in his chair.
"How are you adjusting back home?" Kimberly shrugged, fiddling with the scarf.
"It feels like a lifetime ago I lived there." She admitted quietly.
"It was." Coach told her.
"I know more than most what a sacrifice this life is for you Kimberly. And just like that-" He snapped his fingers "-it's gone, whether you medal or not. Luckily for you, you have a group of friends who love and support you. Let them." Kimberly looked at him silently. "I got you a ticket for tomorrow morning, you'll be home by lunch." He promised.
"Thanks Coach." She said, standing up.
"I'm going to go check on the girls, then I'm sure they'll want to say goodbye to you." Kimberly nodded.
"I'll miss them. They were sweet." She said with a smile.
"Well, when they all medal, I'll make sure they thank you." Coach said. He stood up, looking through his book. "I'll send them in here to say goodbye, then you can go back to the hotel and get something to eat. You look a little pale." Coach told her, gently patting her arm. He knew she hadn't been eating well the past few weeks, even though he had tried to keep an eye on her.
"That's a good idea. I haven't been able to sit down for days." Kimberly said.
"Good." Coach said, squeezing her shoulder.
"Thank you again." He said, hugging her.
"Anytime." She promised, turning back to finish her notes.