Strawberry (Power Rangers Dino Charge - Tyler Navarro)

8

"How much is it for four large pizza's?" Chase asked.

"Around thirty dollars." The guy behind the counter said.

Chase let out a disappointed sigh at how expensive it was. He took the money out of his pocket and handed it to the guy. "Here." He said.

"Your order will take around thirty minutes."

"That's fine. I'll be back before it's done."

Chase turned around and walked out of the pizza joint. "Koda better appreciate all this food I'm getting for him." He grumbled.

He made his way over to the ice cream shop. Through the window, he could see Jodi waiting in line. A smirk slowly grew on his lips as he got closer.

~

"Can I get the strawberry ice cream?" Jodi asked.

"In a cone or a cup?"

"Cup, please." Jodi smiled.

"And I'll take the blackberry. In a cone please."

Jodi turned around to see Chase standing right behind her. "Don't worry, it's on me." He winked.

Jodi smiled up at him. "Thanks, Chase."

"No problem. I'm probably the only person that ever buys you things since I'm your only friend."

"That's not true. Tyler bought me a latte the other day." She said.

"Was it strawberry flavored?"

"Yes." Jodi mumbled.

Chase let out a scoff. "How predictable." He laughed.

"Shut up." Jodi pouted.

"So, you hung out with Tyler?" Chase smirked.

"We just happened to run in to each other. Why do I feel like you're about to make a big deal out of this?" Jodi glared.

"You're blushing." Chase sang. Jodi turned away from him in annoyance. "You're totally into him."

"Am not." She denied.

"Here's your ice cream." The girl handed them the ice cream and the two made their way to the register to pay.

The two walked out and sat on a random bench. "Why won't either of you two admit it? You make it so obvious."

"Because it's not true." She glared. "What are you even doing here?"

"Came to get pizza for everyone. I'm just waiting for it to be ready. What about you? Are you just walking around?"

Jodi nodded. "I've been taking a bit of pictures. It's not much. I still need to do a lot of work if I want to get into a good school."

"I'm sure you can make it. I believe in you."

Jodi smiled at his words. "You always somehow find a way to make me feel happy. But then you start teasing me as always and it makes me feel annoyed with you."

"You're just easy to tease. It's fun."

She scoffed at his words.

"You've been here for a little over a year now, have you still not made any more friends?" He asked.

Jodi shook her head. "Only recently did you introduce me to Tyler, Shelby, and Riley. Other than that, no one. You guys are lucky to be working with each other. You're around each other all the time. It makes me jealous."

"Why don't you come work with us? We'd all love it if you came and joined us." Chase smiled.

"As much as I'd love that, the pay isn't enough. I'm barely able to keep up with my rent. And I still have to save up for school."

"I guess you're right about that." Chase sighed. "Back to Tyler, is there even a part of you that actually likes him? Because I'm being serious when I say that he probably has a thing for you."

Jodi let out an exhale. "I don't know. I'm still trying my best to fit in here. I know I'm taking it really slow, but it's super hard." She frowned.

Chase frowned at her words. He felt bad for pressuring her into spitting out her feelings. He never wanted to force her to do that. "Sorry, I still forget that you went through a few things."

"It's fine. I am getting more comfortable thankfully."

"I'm glad about that. If you ever need to talk, you'll always have me around." He grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it.

"Thanks." Jodi mumbled.

Chase flipped her hand to look at her palm. The scar was still there. And in the year that he had known her, not a single bit of it had healed. "Does this ever remind you of New York?" He asked.

Jodi hummed in response. "Despite how bad it looks, it doesn't make me feel as angry or as sad as I thought it would. And surprisingly it doesn't remind me of the hard times I went through, but more about the time I left. Because I was able to meet all of you."

"And it only took eighteen years." Chase joked. Jodi lightly slapped his chest while laughing. Chase couldn't help but to laugh with her. He let out a sigh and smiled at her. "You've change a lot. In a good way."

"Have I?"

Chase nodded. "You were always pushing yourself away from everyone. You're barely ever talked. And you wouldn't open up to anyone. But now you smile a lot more. You're a lot more talkative."

"But is it enough? I mean, it's a nightmare when I have to think back about my life in New York. And that's the whole reason why it's so hard to open up to you. I hate that I'm like that." She frowned.

"Don't be upset about it. I understand that it's hard. But I know you'll tell me once you're ready." Chase assured. "How about we go back to talking about Tyler?"

"I'm leaving."

Jodi stood up, but Chase grabbed her arm and pulled back down. "Tyler is definitely into you. Are you really not into him?"

Jodi didn't say a word as she turned her head. Chase couldn't tell if she was blushing or not. But he had a feeling that she was. "No." She answered bluntly. Suddenly, her phone started buzzing. "I have to get going now. I'll see you later."

"See you later." Chase waved goodbye to her and stood up stretching his arms. He looked up at the sky and started fanning himself. "It's so hot. Put me in a freezer." He groaned. He would grow to regret those words later.

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