Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Power Rangers Lost Galaxy by Heather Ray (free novel 24 TXT) 📖

worth it," he sighed, rising to his feet, "I'm a failure. I know nothing good can come from this. Now, not only am I a screw-up... but I'm alone to boot."

And with that nauseating thought, Skull rose from his seat, grabbing his blazer and suitcase on the way out.

"Gene, wait!" Edmund followed his brother out of the hotel room door.

"I've got some thinking to do," Skull answered, pressing the elevator button. He screwed his eyes shut as he listened to the quiet beep of the elevator in motion.

"My God," he groaned, feeling the tears slide down his cheeks, "what am I going to do now?"

He sniffled, his eyes slowly opening and immediately blurring with tears of despair. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors finally slid open.

His watered eyes fell upon a petite woman leaning against the back of the elevator.

She blinked in absolute disbelief. "Ohmigosh! SKULL

?"

His jaw hung open in absolute horror.

Of all the places... and of all the times

to see her again... it was here and now?!

Before a breath passed between his lips, the world went black.

Chapter Five

"It looks like he's finally coming to."

Skull dreamily opened his eyes, his confused gaze landing upon his brother, who hung over him to one side. "What happened?" he murmured, blinking to focus his vision.

He was in Edmund's hotel room, lying on the bed. That seemed... wrong somehow.

I could've sworn I had left already... and I met...

An alarmed gasp pulled oxygen into his lungs, and he rapidly sat up.

Edmund gazed at him, a knowing smile on his face. "You okay?"

Skull glanced at his brother, wondering at the humor in his expression. "I... I think so. I had the weirdest dream, though. Man, what a nightmare!"

"Well

, if you call bumping into me a nightmare

, you have more than a little explaining to do, Buster!"

Skull shuddered, following the incensed voice to the bathroom. Emerging with a wet hand towel was Kimberly Hart... lovely as ever.

Same free-flowing caramel hair. Same twinkling eyes. Same graceful sway. Same angelic face.

Skull practically screamed in horror. Oh God oh God oh God! I did see Kim! And I was crying, and... oh God!

He had a sneaking suspicion what had happened next.

He swallowed hard, turning back to Edmund. To Skull's unparalleled fury, the eldest of the Skullovitch boys was trying his best to withhold a snicker.

Well, at least someone's

enjoying this!

he groused. He slowly turned to Kimberly… the girl who'd stolen his heart almost a decade

ago and had yet to return it… and did his best to smile.

"H..hello," he whispered.

Her expression softened. "Hi, Skull. Nice to see you again."

He felt his throat going dry, but the next question had to be asked. "What happened?"

Kim smirked. "You fainted."

Skull squeezed his eyes shut, a frown of disgust distorting his quickly reddening face.

Now he knew the true meaning of humiliation.

Edmund couldn't hold back any longer... and he released the stomach-rending laugh he had been containing. Kim shook her head, grinning widely as she approached Skull.

Skull fought the desire to draw back and take refuge under the bed. The mirth in her eyes was petrifying.

After so many years, he was still the bumbling idiot she remembered him as. And he had wanted so much

to prove otherwise.

Kimberly smiled gently, sitting on the bed beside him and laying her hand on his shoulder. "Lie back," she advised, "and put this towel on the bump."

Skull was quick to find the injury, and pressed the wet towel to the sore spot. He rested his head on the pillow, staring dazedly at the ceiling.

I will never

live this down...

"You really should be ashamed of yourself," Kimberly chided.

Skull winced.

"It's five o'clock in the afternoon, and you haven't eaten a thing since yesterday? How'd you expect to function? I'm surprised you didn't pass out sooner!"

Skull blinked, turning from Kim's warm gaze to Edmund, who stood behind her. He threw his little brother a wink.

At that moment, Eugene Skullovitch felt he owed his very life

to the saving graces of his dear brother. The excuse Edmund had concocted was far less humiliating than the truth.

"I've... had a lot on my mind," Skull answered, his famed sheepish grin appearing. "It's been a rough day."

Kim sighed quietly, averting her gaze from his. "Tell me about it." She then took a deep breath, and smiled once again at Skull. "So, how do you feel now? Need some aspirin?"

Skull sat up as he considered the offer. "Actually..."

"He probably shouldn't take medication without some food in his stomach," Edmund pointed out, hovering over the pair.

"Should we order room service?" Kim suggested.

Skull gazed at Edmund, mutely imploring him for advice.

"You know, the hotel's restaurant is pretty good," Edmund noted casually, "and Skull could probably use the opportunity to stretch his legs."

Kim smiled at the suggestion. "I was actually on my way to the restaurant when... this happened."

Skull could feel the flames flush his cheeks, but he did his best to smile. "Sure. Dinner sounds good."

Kim glanced up at Edmund. "Are you joining us?"

"Not with Gretchen on my hands." He smiled. "But you two enjoy."

Chapter Six

"Oh Skull... that's horrible!"

Skull shrugged impotently, staring into the whirlpool he had stirred into his coffee. In truth, he hadn't been looking for Kim's sympathy when he told her about missing Terra Venture. Sympathy was one thing he never wanted from her. It was too much like pity... and it made him feel even more the loser.

He then felt the soft touch of her hand grace his own. He glanced up, and a dumb grin stretched his lips. She smiled at him... the tender smile that made his heart melt. The tender smile she had seen directed toward her dearest friends. The tender smile she never actually offered him.

"Don't worry, though. Things will turn out all right."

She sounded so sure... as if she had privy to the future somehow. And for the briefest of moments, when he found himself swimming in the brown sugar of her gaze, he found himself believing her.

He blinked, forcing his mind back to reality as he disengaged his eyes from hers. He knew, no matter what incredible comforting powers Kim seemed to possess, it wouldn't really help. The pain and confusion may have been mollified for a moment, but they would return.

They would return when she inevitably walked back out of his life again.

"I have to admit, though," she continued, lightening the grim air that descended on their conversation, "I'm really impressed. You, a physics assistant? I didn't think you even liked science!"

Skull smirked. "What? You don't think I have a head for it?"

Kim giggled, lifting her hand to wave the comment away. "Not at all... I just didn't think science interested you much."

"Well... I don't know," he confessed, "I really don't know what interests me. I never put much thought into it."

"You should," Kim advised, "You can't live your life trying to please others... you've got to figure out what you want most."

Skull noticed the introspective tone Kim's voice had taken. "So... what do you want out of life, Kim?"

Her gaze darted to him, and he suddenly felt very uncomfortable at the startled intensity of her attention.

"Gee... what a question," she sighed, a half-smile on her face. "Abstractly, I want the usual. A nice house in the suburbs, a little rose garden, a loving family, a fulfilling career." She paused briefly. "I was on my way, too."

Skull blinked, suddenly alarmed at what that might imply. He quickly set his gaze to her left hand, eyeing the slim fingers that silently drummed the table.

No ring...

He deflated with relief.

"We've spent the whole time talking about me," Skull noted quietly, his concerned gaze noting the sadness Kim was trying so hard to hide, "What's been going on with you? Why are you in Angel Grove, anyway?"

Kim turned her gaze away from her companion to the saltshaker that sat between them. "After the Pan-Globals, I kept working with Coach Schmidt to train the next crop for the Olympics," she related, "But it didn't take me long to realize I couldn't be that kind of coach. I've always loved gymnastics... the freedom that comes over you when you're flipping through the air, losing yourself into the grace and beauty of a dance, defying gravity itself. Gymnastics was for fun... maybe even for escape. But I didn't have the heart to really compete seriously. I didn't much like rigorous training, and I found that I couldn't force others to do it either. So I teamed up with a few friends of mine to open our own gymnastics school in Miami. We teach kids that want to learn for fun... and if they decide they want to take gymnastics to the level of real competition, they can try out for one of Coach Schmidt's exclusive teams. The partnership works really well... we get lots of young students who want to give it a go."

Kim then placed both hands on the table. Skull took a sip of his coffee as she slid one hand beneath the sleeve of her chunky red sweater, and pulled out a chain of silver.

He gasped in sheer shock, forcing the hot liquid down his windpipe. He began coughing violently, pounding on his chest to clear out the passage.

Kim stared at him in alarm. "Skull?"

"I'm... I'm okay," he wheezed. But he didn't look okay. His skin was pale, and his eyes were so wide they seemed to nearly burst from their sockets.

Kim frowned at him skeptically, while absently toying with the charm bracelet she'd uncovered.

"I'm fine," he repeated, this