"So, you have to take a few classes still?" Wally Powers asked, shaking his head with some surprise.

"According to Mr. Caplan, yes," Hal said, holding up the letter. "I'm short one English credit, one fine arts credit, a credit in civics, and one other elective – and no, he will not count the fact I'm most of the way to a Bachelor's degree in science as having fulfilled the elective."

"Damn, that sucks," Wally said.

"Well, the good news is that they have a very liberal vocational/tech policy. I can use that to spend some afternoons here… but I may have to balance homework," Hal said.

"You're so good in the sky, I forget you're still 17," Wally said. "So, what did Colonel Martin decide to do?"

"Short version, I'll be a warrant officer," Hal said. "Once the college degree is done, I'll get fully commissioned."

"Anything else happen while you were getting things sorted out?" Wally asked.

Angel Grove High School – Main Office

Hal Elliot had barely taken two steps into the office before he almost ran into someone. Not just someone—her.

A blonde girl was in front of him, precariously balancing a messy stack of flyers and posters in her arms, looking as though she was one gust of wind away from dropping the whole lot. Hal stumbled back a half-step, narrowly avoiding a collision while assessing the best way he could help her out.

"Sorry about that," he said quickly, steadying himself.

The girl let out a breathy laugh, her Australian accent immediately noticeable. "No worries. Just trying to juggle too many things at once and get back to Home Ec."

"Yeah, I can see that." He reached forward instinctively, grabbing a few of the precariously teetering flyers before they could scatter all over the floor. As he did, his gaze finally took her in fully. Wow. She was stunning. Blonde hair, bright blue eyes, graceful but down-to-earth—she looked like she belonged in some kind of magazine ad for perfect people.

Way out of my league, Hal thought immediately.

"Thanks," she said, shifting her grip on the remaining posters. "These are for the park clean-up day this Saturday. Ever since the last attack, it's been a bit of a mess."

Hal's expression turned wry. "Angel Grove? A mess after a monster attack? Shocking."

The girl laughed, and Hal couldn't help but grin. Okay, maybe I can work with this.

He adjusted the flyers in his hands, noticing the school's logo at the top. "So, you go here?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I've been here for about a year. What about you?"

"Just moved back," he replied. "Though technically, I'm from here."

Her head tilted curiously. "Really? But you've been away for a while?"

"Yeah. My parents—" He hesitated for just a second, then pushed forward. "—passed away in a car wreck about two and a half years ago after we moved to Pensacola. I lived with my uncle after that."

Her smile softened. "I'm so sorry."

Hal shrugged, trying to keep things light. "Thanks. It's been a while. I kept busy—managed to blow through most of a college degree in aerospace engineering. But when I moved back, turns out Angel Grove High still says I need a few credits to graduate."

The girl blinked. "You're almost done with a college degree?"

Hal gave a small, sheepish grin. "Yeah. One of the perks of having a genius brain and not a real chance to be around kids my age."

She smirked. "I have a friend who's kind of the same way. Name's Billy. You'd probably get along."

Hal's eyebrows lifted in recognition. "Billy Cranston? I know him! We went to the same accelerated learning program when we were kids."

"Small world," she mused.

Just then, she noticed Hal staring past her, an odd expression on his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

Hal leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as he nodded toward the principal's office. "Tell me something… does Mr. Caplan still have the world's worst toupee?"

The girl blinked in surprise, then gasped. "Toupee?"

Hal grinned. "Wait, you didn't know?"

She shook her head, looking toward the office door in shock. "No! Are you sure?"

"I saw it almost fall off once during a pep rally when I was a freshman," Hal said conspiratorially. "It was like watching a car crash in slow motion—couldn't look away."

The girl stifled a giggle, biting her lip. "Now I'll never be able to unsee it."

Hal smirked. "My work here is done."

The secretary behind the desk finally looked up. "Mr. Elliot, you can have a seat until the principal is ready for you."

Hal nodded but turned back to the blonde girl. "Since I just exposed the dark secrets of Angel Grove High's administration, seems only fair I get your name."

She laughed, shifting the posters in her arms. "Kat. Kat Hillard."

"Well, Kat, pleasure almost colliding with you. Name's Hal Elliot."

"The feeling's mutual," she teased.

Hal hesitated only a second before going for it. "Hey… is Ernie's Juice Bar still open?"

Kat nodded. "My friends and I hang out there a lot."

"Good. Then maybe I could run into you there and buy you a chocolate shake."

Kat raised an eyebrow, impressed at the directness. "That's a bold move."

Hal grinned. "Fortune favors the bold."

She studied him for a moment, then smiled. "All right. But I prefer strawberry."

Hal held a hand over his heart. "I'll do my best to live with that."

She giggled, and before he could say anything else, the office door swung open.

"Hal Elliot, why don't you come in?" Mr. Caplan said.

As Hal turned to leave, he glanced back at Kat, who gave him a small wave.

Well, Hal thought, that went a hell of a lot better than I expected.

But later, as he sat in the principal's office discussing his missing credits, a new thought crept in.

How the hell do I tell her that when I'm not in school, I'm dogfighting alien war machines?

Meanwhile, as Kat walked down the hall, a small smile played on her lips.

That was… unexpected.

She had expected someone like Hal to gravitate towards a cheerleader, like most guys did—whether they meant to or not. But he had been focused entirely on her, no comparisons, no hesitation. It was… flattering.

And he is kind of cute, she admitted to herself.

But as much as she was excited, there was one thing tempering her enthusiasm.

How do I date someone while keeping the fact that I'm the Pink Zeo Ranger a secret?

She exhaled.

Maybe fortune really did favor the bold.

And she was about to find out just how bold she could be.

Hal sat across from Mr. Caplan, who was flipping through the thick folder containing Hal's academic records. The principal's office was exactly as Hal remembered—same heavy wood desk, same cluttered bookshelves, same faint smell of stale coffee. And, of course, the same incredibly questionable toupee perched on Caplan's head like a small, defeated animal.

Some things never changed.

"Well, Mr. Elliot," Mr. Caplan said, adjusting his glasses as he studied the transcript. "I have to say, this is certainly impressive. Most of a college degree completed by the time you're seventeen? Not something I see every day."

Hal shrugged. "It turns out that when you're extremely intelligent but also not the best at making friends, you get a lot of extra study time."

Caplan gave him a look, but there was a flicker of amusement behind it. "Regardless, this is an excellent academic record. However, we do have an issue."

Hal leaned forward. "Issue?"

"You're four credits short of graduating," Caplan said, setting down the transcript. "One English credit, one in civics, one fine arts, and one other elective."

Hal blinked. "Seriously? I've taken enough physics and calculus to make a NASA engineer sweat, but I'm short a fine arts credit?"

Caplan nodded. "Our graduation requirements are quite clear."

Hal resisted the urge to groan. Of course, this would be the thing holding him back. He could rebuild an aircraft engine blindfolded, splash sixteen alien space fighters, but apparently, that meant nothing if he couldn't appreciate poetry.

"All right," he sighed. "What are my options to fix this?"

Caplan slid a course catalog across the desk. "Ms. Hanson in guidance can help you finalize your schedule, but I'd recommend you knock out your classes in the morning. That way, you'll have afternoons open for your vocational training."

Hal skimmed the catalog and muttered, "Makes sense. Guess I could take AP Government. Already know most of this stuff anyway. AP English, so I can knock out that college credit at the same time."

"That would fulfill your civics and English requirements," Caplan agreed. "AP English first period, government third period."

Hal ran a finger down the page. Fine arts, fine arts… ah, hell.

He exhaled. "How's the journalism class?"

"Mr. Kendall is an excellent teacher," Caplan said. "Very hands-on. I believe he's looking for students to help with the school paper. That's fourth period."

"Fine, journalism it is," Hal said.

"And the elective?"

Hal glanced at the options. Nothing stood out until his eyes landed on something very unexpected.

Home Economics.

At first, he was about to flip past it, but something made him pause.

It wasn't the idea of cooking that convinced him—though he did like cooking. It wasn't even the strategic advantage of knowing how to sew, which could prove useful if his flight suit ever got ripped.

No, the thing that caught his attention was that he suddenly remembered something from his conversation in the hallway earlier.

Kat was in Home Ec.

He had barely known her for fifteen minutes, but there was something about her—something warm and easygoing, something that made him feel like he wasn't completely out of place here. He could still hear her laugh when he had exposed Mr. Caplan's darkest secret.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a guaranteed class with her.

"I'll do Home Ec," Hal said before he could overthink it.

Caplan raised an eyebrow but nodded. "An unusual choice, but a practical one. That's second period."

Hal smiled. "Figured I should learn how to make something other than frozen pizza, a microwave entrée, or something out of a can."

Caplan jotted something down. "Very well. Ms. Hanson will get you registered. And since you're taking a vo-tech arrangement, you'll be finishing your school day at noon and heading to your training facility in the afternoon."

"Works for me," Hal said, standing up.

Mr. Caplan extended a hand. "Welcome back to Angel Grove, Mr. Elliot. Try not to make too many enemies in AP Government."

Hal smirked. "Didn't know I had any. No promises, but I'll do my best."

"And I'll double-check to make sure Billy Cranston is keeping his education well-rounded," Mr. Caplan said.

Oh, shit, Hal thought. Apologies for whatever class you get stuck in, Billy.

As he stepped out of the office, he felt a strange sensation settle in.

Excitement.

Sure, he'd been in Angel Grove before. And sure, he hadn't exactly planned to be back. But for the first time since landing here, he wasn't thinking about test flights, dogfights, or keeping secrets from the general population.

He was thinking about seeing Kat again.

And, for once, he was actually looking forward to something about high school.

"So, you met a girl," Wally said.

"Yeah," Hal said. "Probably way out of my league. In any case, I need to catch up with Billy. I just landed him in some bureaucratic nightmare."

"Too bad you can't vent the frustration with some flying," Wally said.

"Oh, I can take it out on some Quadrafigther that picks a fight. In any case, I can at least try to get caught up on homework while we're on ground alert," Hal said.

"AP Government, AP English, Home Economics, and Journalism?" Wally asked. "Not a bad mix."

"And best of all, I have AP Government and Home Economics with that girl," Hal said.

"So… you going to ask her out?" Wally asked.

"I kind of already did," Hal said.

The warm California sun filtered through the branches of the old oak tree as the Rangers settled into their usual lunch routine. It was a comfortable kind of chaos—Rocky and Tommy trading jokes between bites of their sandwiches, Adam quietly listening but always ready with a sarcastic remark, and Tanya grinning at whatever mess they were getting into. Kat, however, was unusually quiet, and she had a very good reason for it.

Unfortunately, Adam was about to ruin her escape plan.

"So, we've got a new student," he said casually, taking a sip of his drink.

Uh-oh, Kat thought. She just kept eating her salad.

Tanya perked up immediately. "Ooooh, really? Who?"

"Don't know, but there is some talk about a vo-tech arrangement," Adam said. "I overheard Ms. Maxwell and Ms. Hanson talking about the guy."

"Really, doing what?" Tanya asked.

"Aerospace engineering," Adam said. "Didn't catch his name."

Kat tried to keep her head down, pretending to be deeply invested in her salad. Tanya noticed, but didn't press her in front of the guys. Didn't she run a little late to AP Government?

"Any idea what classes he still has to take?" Tommy asked.

"Nope, didn't hear that, but he's done after fourth period," Adam replied.

Kat took a bite from her salad. Maybe, just maybe…

Rocky smirked. Perfect. "Oh, I'm sure Kat could give us some additional information."

Kat froze. Oh no. No, no, no.

Tommy caught on and grinned. "Wait a second." He turned to Kat, who was now glaring at Rocky. "You already met him?"

Tanya gasped. "You met him and didn't tell me?!"

Kat tried for nonchalance. "I just ran into him in the office this morning. It's not a big deal."

"Meet-cute," Rocky declared immediately.

Kat groaned. "It was not a meet-cute."

Adam leaned back, smirking. "Hold on—what exactly counts as a meet-cute?"

"Simple," Rocky said, gesturing dramatically with his sandwich. "A meet-cute is when two people run into each other in an unexpected yet adorable way, leading to romantic potential."

Tanya nodded thoughtfully. "So, like if Kat and this guy bumped into each other, and she dropped her books, and then they both reached for the same one at the same time—classic meet-cute."

"Or if they both tried to grab the last muffin at Ernie's and their hands touched," Tommy added, remembering various romantic comedies he "watched" with Kimberly.

"Or if Kat tripped, and he caught her just in time—" Rocky clutched his heart. "—and their eyes met, and the world slowed down?"

Kat rolled her eyes. "It was nothing like that."

Tanya, ignoring Kat's protests, turned to Adam. "So, did it happen like that?"

Adam grinned. "Well, from what I hear, Kat was struggling to carry a bunch of posters and flyers from the park clean-up when she nearly ran into this guy—"

"Oh, come on!" Kat protested.

"Meet-cute," Tommy confirmed with a nod.

"That is a meet-cute," Rocky said smugly. "You met a guy in a cute way. Facts."

Kat groaned, covering her face. "I hate all of you."

Adam smirked. "I notice you haven't denied that there's romantic potential."

Tanya's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh my gosh, Kat! Tell me everything."

Kat gave them all a warning look. "Can we not make a huge deal out of this?"

"Kat. We're your best friends," Rocky said. "This is exactly the kind of thing we make a huge deal out of."

Kat sighed in resignation. "Fine. His name's Hal Elliot, he's back from Pensacola, and he's finishing up his high school credits here."

Billy, who had been quietly eating his lunch, suddenly looked up. "Wait. You said Hal Elliot?" Billy said.

"Yes, about your height, light brown hair…" Adam said.

"Blue eyes," Kat added, while Rocky smirked.

"I went to the Accelerated Baby Genius Program with a Hal Elliot…" Billy mused. "He's back in Angel Grove?"

"Yes," Kat said.

"It'll be good to see him. Trini, though, might not be so happy," Billy said.

"They didn't get along?" Tanya asked.

"Hal and Trini see issues very differently – for instance, back when there was the petition to save the statue, we had a discussion about the ban on DDT in our eighth-grade civics class. Trini was all for it, but didn't have a good answer when Hal pointed out that the DDT ban caused malaria cases to skyrocket," Billy said. "So, she snapped that he didn't care about the environment. It didn't get much better when Trini found out Hal was right about the figures."

"He has a vo-tech arrangement, apparently he got most of a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, and is already a test pilot," Kat said.

Rocky's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa, Kat's guy is a genius?"

Kat flinched. "He is not my guy!"

Tommy grinned. "Not yet."

Kat groaned. There was no real way out of it now.

"He does seem very polite, and I think he likes me," Kat said. "He did help me carry the promotional materials for an upcoming clean-up day at the park."

"Okay, when's the first real date?" Tanya asked.

"He hasn't asked me," Kat said.

"He will… by the end of next week at the latest," Tanya said.

"I give it until the end of the month," Billy said.

"Split the difference at three weeks?" Tanya offered.

"Deal," Billy said.

"So, my dating life is something to be bet on?" Kat asked.

"Jason, Zack, Trini, and I had a similar wager on when Tommy would ask Kimberly out," Billy admitted.

"We'll see what Zordon has to say about that," Kat said, although she cracked a smile. "Is it that obvious that I like him?"

"Yes," Tanya said.

"Well, in any case, Tanya, you won," Kat said smiling. "He already offered to buy me a shake at Ernie's."

Adam, Billy, Rocky, and Tommy promptly handed Tanya five-dollar bills.

Kat and Tanya sat at their usual table, sipping smoothies after their training session. The boys had taken off, leaving the two girls alone, which was exactly what Tanya wanted.

"Okay," Tanya said, setting down her drink. "Now that they're gone, I want the real details."

Kat sighed, already knowing resistance was futile. "I already told you everything."

Tanya gave her a skeptical look. "Mmhmm. Sure. But you've been thinking about something ever since lunch. Spill."

Kat sighed, stirring her smoothie with her straw. "I just… I don't know how to handle this."

Tanya tilted her head. "Handle what?"

Kat hesitated, then leaned in slightly. "Dating someone outside of all this." She gestured vaguely around them, meaning the Ranger life. "I have to keep secrets, Tanya. Big ones. And I really think I could like Hal. But what if it's not fair to him?"

Tanya's expression softened. "You're worried about lying to him."

Kat bit her lip. "Not lying, exactly… just… not telling the whole truth. If things get serious, I don't want him to think I don't trust him."

Tanya thought for a moment. "And that's why Billy suggested talking to Trini?"

Kat nodded. "Yeah. She was dating Richie while she was still the Yellow Ranger. She must've gone through this, right?"

Tanya smiled. "Then you already know what to do."

Kat exhaled, a small smile forming. "Yeah. I'll call her."

Tanya nudged her. "But first—are you excited for your date?"

Kat bit her lip, then grinned. "Yeah. I really am."

Tanya beamed. "That's my girl."

Kat laughed, but deep down, she still had that lingering worry.

This was uncharted territory.

And she had no idea how to navigate it.

Kat sat on her bed, holding a strawberry-scented pen as she had her diary open, a half-drunk mug of hot cocoa sitting on the nightstand. She thought for a bit, then began writing.

September 5th

(If you're reading this, and you're not me, you owe me a strawberry shake)

Well, today was… unexpected.

I had no plans for anything exciting when I walked into the office this morning. I just wanted to drop off some flyers and posters for the park clean-up, maybe get through the day without too much stress. But instead, I nearly ran into a boy—a cute boy, no less—who not only helped me with my mess of papers but also somehow managed to ask me out for a milkshake in the most casually confident way I've ever seen.

I still don't know what to think.

Hal Elliot. That's his name. He's new… sort of. He lived here before but moved away a few years ago. Now he's back, and I can't help but be very curious about why he came back here. He's in some kind of vo-tech program, which is unusual, especially since Billy recognized his name and mentioned he was a genius. A genius test pilot, apparently. What kind of high school student is a test pilot?

There's something different about him—something that makes me want to know more about him.

And, okay, fine. He's cute. Really cute. That kind of light brown hair that catches the sun just right, and these piercing blue eyes that seem to take everything in. But there's something else, too. He's got this… confidence? A kind of self-assuredness that isn't arrogant, just comfortable. Like he knows exactly who he is, and he's not trying to impress anyone.

I have no idea why he asked me out, though. I mean, there are plenty of other girls at this school who would probably jump at the chance, and yet…

Maybe I shouldn't question it too much.

Still, I keep second-guessing myself. Part of me wonders if I actually like Hal on my own terms—or if I'm just grateful that someone is interested in me without me feeling like I'm competing with Kimberly for Tommy's attention.

And that, of course, brings me back to that mess.

Rita's spell.

Even after all this time, I still don't know how much of my feelings for Tommy were real and how much of them were planted in my head. That spell made me betray my friends. It made me steal Kimberly's Power Coin. I tried to lure Tommy Oliver into cheating on her with me. And the worst part? I can't even be sure that my attraction to Tommy was my own.

It feels real. Or at least, it did back then.

But was it? Or was it just some leftover effect of what Rita did to me?

I wanted to be with Tommy so badly. I convinced myself he and I were meant to be together. But now, looking at it from the outside, I don't know if that was ever really me.

And I can't shake the feeling that if Hal had come along before all of that… before I ever saw Tommy as anything more than Kimberly's boyfriend who I wanted… I might have actually seen him first. But what might have Rita tried to do to him to make me cooperate with her?

I don't know if that means anything. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe I'm just overanalyzing everything like I always do these days.

What I do know is that Hal seemed nice when he helped me with the flyers. He could've just walked past and let me drop everything all over the floor, but he didn't. And when we started talking, he was so easy to talk to. Funny, even. That whole thing about Mr. Caplan's toupee? I had no idea. I almost lost it right there in the hallway.

Then, before I even realized what was happening, he was inviting me to Ernie's. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

That was bold.

I like bold.

I told him I preferred strawberry shakes instead of chocolate. He looked genuinely wounded, like I'd just personally betrayed him. It was adorable.

…Is this what a crush feels like?

Ugh. I don't have time for this.

I already have way too much going on. The park clean-up is in four days, and I'm still struggling to get enough volunteers. I need to put up the rest of the posters tomorrow, and Tanya said she'd help, but I feel like I'm running out of time. The city council already gave us permission, but if not enough people show up, it's going to look really bad.

And then there's school.

I have an AP Government assignment due in three days, and of course, I'm already behind the curve due to the fact that I only came to the United States last year. And of course, the assignment had to be about the Bill of Rights. More specifically, the Second Amendment, which is apparently the most complicated topic ever. Half the sources say it's about individual rights, the other half say it's about militias, there's a whole lot of name-calling online when I try to look it up, and my textbook is useless at providing any clarity. Billy would probably be able to explain it in two seconds, but if I ask him, he's going to give me a fifty-page answer and expect me to write a dissertation.

And don't even get me started on Trig.

There's a test a week from Friday, and I am not ready. I swear, numbers start floating off the page whenever I try to study. Maybe I can convince Hal to help me. He seems like he'd be good at math. Really good. Maybe that's a good excuse to spend more time with him?

No, no. Bad idea. Do not be that girl who flirts her way into a tutoring session.

…But also, maybe yes?

Ugh. I'm hopeless.

I need to focus. Between school, Ranger duties, and trying to make sure the park clean-up actually happens, the last thing I should be worried about is whether Hal Elliot thinks I'm interesting enough to take out for a milkshake, or even why.

But I am thinking about it.

And I have a feeling that tomorrow at Ernie's might be more interesting than I expected.

Kat closed the diary, put it and the pen in her drawer, and sipped the rest of her hot cocoa before she settled in to get some sleep.