Power Rangers Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Home ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
The phone was ringing. It had to be past one in the morning. Trini blinked her eyes blearily open, having been woken from half-sleep, then fumbled for the offending device. She banged her wrist hard against the alarm clock before finally finding the phone. Exasperated, she flipped it open without even looking at the number. "Hello?"
"Hey, Trini."
"Jason. What's up?"
He sounded amused. "I just figured there was probably a reason you called me and not Kim."
"Yeah, that," she murmured. Truthfully, she was a little surprised. When had he become that observant? "I knew Kim would be, well, Kim."
"She's probably already called Zack, and maybe even Tommy, too," he supplied, laughing softly.
"I didn't want this to be a big deal."
"With Kim involved I don't think you'll have much of a choice..."
"I know." She sighed. "And I'm glad she's excited about it, but... I don't know."
Suddenly, she felt a strange longing for their old sparring matches. The familiar movements of the martial arts always helped her clear her head, and working with an old friend never failed to help her feel better. She'd looked for another partner in the years since she left Angel Grove, but she'd never found another connection like the one she'd shared with Jason.
"Sounds like you need to get some things off your chest. Coming back to Angel Grove for a while is a good idea," Jason commented, as if reading her thoughts. "It might help you figure things out."
"You're right. There are some things I wanted to discuss with my parents... face to face. And of course I want to see everyone -"
"So I'll see you when you get here, right?"
She smiled in spite of herself. "Of course. I don't think Kim will let me get away with anything short of a full reunion..." Even now, she was careful to avoid mentioning anything incriminating; he knew what she was talking about anyway.
"No, she won't." She could hear the laughter in his voice. It amused him to see her plans for a quiet return fall apart around her at Kimberly's hands. Knowing him, he'd even been in on it - which would explain why it had taken him so long to call her back - but would just deny, deny, deny if she asked about it.
"Why do I have a feeling that has something to do with you?"
He laughed. She tried, and failed, to suppress a yawn. "It's late where you are, isn't it?" he asked, suddenly.
"Yeah, a little."
They lapsed into silence after that. It stretched like a chasm, wide and deep before her, yet not entirely uncomfortable.
Finally: “You should get some rest. Wouldn't want you to oversleep and miss your flight!”
She laughed, glad to hear him chime in, too, even though they both knew she wasn't leaving for almost a week.
“Okay, okay,” she agreed after her laughter had subsided. “Kim would go crazy if I screwed up my sleep cycle and missed my flight.” She paused a beat, then added, “Any chance you could pick me up at the airport?”
“Sure,” he replied.
“I'll call when I'm sure everything's going to be on time.”
“Mhmm.” She could tell he was grinning. “Better not let Kim know you asked me instead of her, though.”
“I'll just make sure she thinks it's her idea.”
They were both laughing when they hung up; the sweet, nostalgic familiarity of their conversation only made the silence of her bedroom echo all the louder.
"Hey, Trini."
"Jason. What's up?"
He sounded amused. "I just figured there was probably a reason you called me and not Kim."
"Yeah, that," she murmured. Truthfully, she was a little surprised. When had he become that observant? "I knew Kim would be, well, Kim."
"She's probably already called Zack, and maybe even Tommy, too," he supplied, laughing softly.
"I didn't want this to be a big deal."
"With Kim involved I don't think you'll have much of a choice..."
"I know." She sighed. "And I'm glad she's excited about it, but... I don't know."
Suddenly, she felt a strange longing for their old sparring matches. The familiar movements of the martial arts always helped her clear her head, and working with an old friend never failed to help her feel better. She'd looked for another partner in the years since she left Angel Grove, but she'd never found another connection like the one she'd shared with Jason.
"Sounds like you need to get some things off your chest. Coming back to Angel Grove for a while is a good idea," Jason commented, as if reading her thoughts. "It might help you figure things out."
"You're right. There are some things I wanted to discuss with my parents... face to face. And of course I want to see everyone -"
"So I'll see you when you get here, right?"
She smiled in spite of herself. "Of course. I don't think Kim will let me get away with anything short of a full reunion..." Even now, she was careful to avoid mentioning anything incriminating; he knew what she was talking about anyway.
"No, she won't." She could hear the laughter in his voice. It amused him to see her plans for a quiet return fall apart around her at Kimberly's hands. Knowing him, he'd even been in on it - which would explain why it had taken him so long to call her back - but would just deny, deny, deny if she asked about it.
"Why do I have a feeling that has something to do with you?"
He laughed. She tried, and failed, to suppress a yawn. "It's late where you are, isn't it?" he asked, suddenly.
"Yeah, a little."
They lapsed into silence after that. It stretched like a chasm, wide and deep before her, yet not entirely uncomfortable.
Finally: “You should get some rest. Wouldn't want you to oversleep and miss your flight!”
She laughed, glad to hear him chime in, too, even though they both knew she wasn't leaving for almost a week.
“Okay, okay,” she agreed after her laughter had subsided. “Kim would go crazy if I screwed up my sleep cycle and missed my flight.” She paused a beat, then added, “Any chance you could pick me up at the airport?”
“Sure,” he replied.
“I'll call when I'm sure everything's going to be on time.”
“Mhmm.” She could tell he was grinning. “Better not let Kim know you asked me instead of her, though.”
“I'll just make sure she thinks it's her idea.”
They were both laughing when they hung up; the sweet, nostalgic familiarity of their conversation only made the silence of her bedroom echo all the louder.