Green With Evil: Power Rangers

Distraction, pt. 1

The doom and gloom only followed the team the next day at school, not exactly a fulfilling day on its own behalf. Then again, since when are the weeks before finals ever fun?

Rita back on the prowl, the physical manifestation of Goldar corrupting two kids to haunt Billy's psyche and the new kid on the block with Tommy now engulfed into their inner circle just unleashed a cascade of lightning in the heads of the team. Zack and Trini couldn't not think much on it despite being the only two with the least contact with Tommy around them.

One big fat giant circle they were all left clipping the edges of again and again and again.

But none so more then Jason.

Self control is a finite resource because that part of the brain exerting control? It gets tired - it requires energy and that gets depleted. So, the repressing of anger needs careful thought.....if only Jason's nerves would allow that because now he's at his wits end. When anger boils up, he normally takes the pot off the heat and opens the lid in the most nonchalant manner he could hope to find: a severe lack of self-control he desperately yearned to reign in.

Just letting that steam dissipate safely now that he was actively trying to keep a cool head of steam was unfathomable.

Passing through the halls as what might as well be single active but defective A.I amongst a sea of perfect decoys, he causally gave everyone who passed him by the cold shoulder. Those who actively paid him some semblance of attention either quickly gazed away or actively sought to draw out his attention, being made well aware of his fall from grace as the former football captain and, thus, giving them someone to laugh at.

But the former captain soon sought reason to ignore them all, just as he soon caught sight of Kimberly at her locker.

And no better time than to talk to her about the incident two nights ago, while none of the other teammates were around. Nobody but them knew there was even a thing blossoming between the both of them even before Rita officially showed up the first time and that just made the awkwardness even more unbearable for Jason.

That little offhanded shade thrown at him was all he could think about for the past two days. And while he tried to refrain from pressing on about the subject, Kim being available at her locker might as well have been an open invitation.

He saw the bait and he took it.

"Morning, Jason."

"Can we talk for a minute? Just us two, no outside interference; nothing about Zordon or Alpha or the Hogan's or this....mystery Green Ranger. No, it's.....about us."

Kimberly frowned in confusion as Jason gave her a firm look so sensing this was going to go where she thought and with no leeway around it, she closes her locker. No point in walking away to someone private; who'd say a scene wouldn't be caused there just the same.

"Kim. I....didn't know how to say this in front of everyone and it was getting hard not to with all the...." Jason pauses before looking back behind him.

People still looking, still gawking, but thankfully no signs of Billy, Zack or Trin. Coast was clear at least for now.

".....commotion going on."

"We have been pretty busy, Jas", she feels indebted to remind him.

He nods excessively.

"Yeah, but.....you and I.....I thought we had a connection when we first got into this. And you....well....I...."

Their common ground as screwups who lost their place in the in-crowd due to foolish choices of theirs was the main catalyst for romantic interests blossoming in the other. But Jason had promised, on his own accord, to suppress his romantic interests aside in the beginning in favor of the task at hand, a notion about his dutiful and pragmatic nature that Kim respected.