The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 5 by Heather Ray (novel24 .txt) 📖

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"Hmm, sounds like fun," Denise said, carefully twisting the locks. She glanced at the mirror, and saw Alexis' face. Usually, Alexis would be beaming excitedly at the prospects of a surprise outing, but now, she was almost downcast. "What's up?"

Alexis sighed. "Nise, how do I know if Jason still cares about me?"

Denise's emerald eyes widened, and she stared at her sister through the mirror. "What?"

"Well, he was so...distracted

yesterday, when we were unpacking. He didn't seem up to much conversation, he refused to touch me, and he seemed to run out of here as quickly as possible. Maybe I'm reading the signs wrong, but that isn't how a person usually expresses affection."

Denise smiled, and tugged on Alexis' hair. Alexis yelped, and frowned at her sister. Denise giggled.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you think too much?"

"Not really," Alexis responded, smiling.

"Look, Lex, you've been separated for a year. Don't you think he's a little bit disoriented? I mean, suddenly, his long distance relationship has become an up-close-and-personal one. And considering you weren't really a couple when you parted, don't you think that'll cause some anxiety?"

Alexis shrugged. "I suppose."

"Give him some time. He'll warm up to the idea of having a girlfriend nearby."

Alexis frowned. "That's another problem. I mean, maybe it'd be better for the both of us to just stick to being friends. I've already applied, and been accepted, to UPenn. I'm going to move back to Philly in September, and then we'll be apart again. I don't think its fair of me to start a relationship with him, and then leave again."

"Don't you think he has a say in the matter?" Denise asked, tying the end of the braid.

"That's true," Alexis admitted.

"And you love him, right?"

"Yeah."

"So talk to him. Let him know how you feel, but don't be too confrontational about it. And ask him what he's feeling. Let him know that you care, and that how he acted last night hurt you. After all, he may not even realize it did."

Alexis nodded, and Denise lightly covered the braid with finishing spray. Then, Alexis put on her jewelry and communicator, when a horn beeped outside. Denise walked to the window, and opened the shade.

"My God!" she shrieked.

"What?" asked Alexis. "Is there a monster out there or something?"

"No, it's snowing!"

"Huh?!" asked Alexis, running to the window. Sure enough, flurries were falling from an overcast sky. Alexis opened the window, and chilly winter wind stung her cheeks. She looked at her sister quizzically.

"I've never seen this kind of weather in Angel Grove," she said. "It's never colder than maybe fifty degrees. It's freezing out there!"

"Well, you only lived here for about a month total," Denise reminded her. "Maybe they do get a bit of snowfall once in a while. Put on a heavy jacket."

Alexis nodded, and went to her top drawer. After glancing at Denise, who was still gazing out the window, Alexis pulled out her morpher, and attached it to her belt beneath her purple sweater. She then hurried to the coat closet, picked up her heavy jacket, and went out to meet her friends. In the driveway was Billy's old Rad Bug, with Billy and Zack in the front, and Jason in the back. Alexis sat down beside Jason, and let out a deep breath.

"Its colder here than it is in Philly!" she declared.

"Tell me about it," muttered Zack. "When I saw snow out my window, I could've sworn I was back in Geneva!"

"I haven't seen snow in Angel Grove since the Bookala creature created some," Billy commented, backing onto the street. Jason sighed.

"Mother Nature isn't too predictable."

The others all agreed. Alexis turned to Jason, who was watching the flurries from his window.

"So," she said, gaining the Black Ranger's attention. "Are you feeling better, Jay?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Well, you kinda left in a hurry last night," Alexis continued, looking down at her hands, "I thought maybe you weren't feeling well."

In the front, Zack was watching Jason's reaction through the mirror. Jason noticed it, and frowned at his friend.

"Sounds like trouble in paradise," Zack commented. This time, both Jason and Alexis looked around uncomfortably.

"I'm...uh, sorry I couldn't stay, Lex," Jason said finally, "I had some...work to take care of. That's all. No big deal."

"Okay."

The occupants of the car remained silent. Alexis stared out her window, watching the streets and people. Jason kept looking out his own window, watching each snowflake that caught his eye. Billy kept his eyes on the road, and Zack, who was greatly annoyed with the silence, turned the radio on, and found the nearest Hip Hop station. He danced in his seat, and sang along to Puff Daddy's "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"

. Finally, Billy parked the Rad Bug in the parking lot of a rather large building. Alexis gazed at the building, and then back at Billy.

"I don't think I've ever been here before," she said. "What is this place?"

"It's a surprise," said Billy, turning off the car and opening his door. The others followed him out. Alexis stuck her hands in her pockets, and looked around the lot. She easily saw Tommy's white Jeep, as well as Rocky's red sedan. Together, the four friends walked to the door. Jason held it open for everyone, and Alexis gasped when she saw what was inside. There was a large oval ice-rink, with a few people skating and chatting. There was also a refreshment section, with tables and even arcade games. She grinned, and turned to her friends.

"You guys are the best!" she declared.

"Hey!" called Rocky from the bench beside the ice rink. He jogged over to them, as well as he could with ice skates on his feet. He hugged Alexis, and smiled at the guys. "Wow, what took you so long?" he asked.

"Well the snow has been accumulating, and therefore roads are rather slippery," said Billy, taking off his winter coat.

"Is everyone else already here?" asked Zack.

"Just about," said Rocky, turning back to the rink, "Kim and Tommy are on the ice, and Aisha and Adam are warming up with some hot chocolate at the snack bar."

"Where's Kat?" asked Jason, looking around. Rocky shrugged.

"I haven't heard from her, and she isn't here. She may have slept in. She does that, sometimes."

"Maybe I should call her?" asked Jason.

"I'm sure she'll get here," said Alexis, grabbing his hand and leading him to the skate rental counter. "What's your shoe-size?"

Billy and Rocky stayed behind, and watched Alexis tie her skates on. She waited impatiently for Jason, and then lead him onto the ice rink. Jason was a little wobbly on the ice, but he soon grew accustomed to it, and skated around the rink. Alexis was skating excitedly, moving over to Kim and Tommy to say hello. Then, she returned to her boyfriend, and skated circles around him. This sparked Jason's competitive streak, and the two suddenly began racing around the rink. Of course, Alexis beat him.

"Ice-skating was a terrific idea, Rocky," Billy mentioned, clapping his friend on the back. "Everyone's having fun."

"Yeah," said Rocky, watching Jason and Alexis skate. He had an amused smile on his face. "I just remembered Alexis liked to skate is all. No big deal."

"So," said Billy, "are you going to hit the ice?"

Rocky laughed. "Maybe later. Right now, some hot chocolate sounds pretty good. And how about a round or two of 'Street Fighter/X-Men?'

I already beat Adam, Aisha, and Tommy today."

"You're on," said Billy, as the two headed to the snack bar.

Chapter Eight

In her home in the north of Angel Grove, Katherine Hillard busily blow-dried her straw gold tresses in the bathroom. She was wearing a pale blue bathrobe, and fuzzy slippers. As she fixed her hair, she glanced at the snowfall from the bathroom window. She sighed deeply, and turned off the blow drier. She gazed at her reflection, and brushed through her dry hair.

"I'm actually rather late," she said, glancing at her watch on the sink, "I was supposed to be at the rink at ten o'clock. It's already nearly eleven. Not that I'm in much of a rush. I've never been one to like roller-skating, and ice-skating is a new sport for me entirely. And out of all of us, I'm the only one who isn't really friends with Alexis. It'll be awkward to be at her party. I suppose I should just stay here and do homework. But I really should go, and welcome Alexis into the fold."

Kat left the bathroom, and went back into her bedroom. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found something appropriate for the harsh winter weather -- a white wool sweater and turquoise turtleneck. She then selected jeans and snow boots, and began getting dressed. Once fully clothed, she went back to the bathroom, and tied her hair in a loose ponytail, and applied some lip-gloss. Then she went downstairs, and put on the winter outerwear.

You're not fooling anyone,

she thought to herself, buttoning her jacket. You're not going to the party to support Alexis, or even to make friends with her. You just want to see how she and Jason interact. To see if they're really a couple. This is so pathetic! Why do I keep falling for men who already have girlfriends? It's some kind of handicap, prohibiting me from ever developing a relationship. I should at least be big about it, and express my support for Jason and Alexis. I'm sure she's a fantastic person. If not, Jason wouldn't have fallen in love with her.

Just the thought made Kat slightly ill. She was still upset with Jason for never mentioning he had a steady girlfriend. At what was worse, Kat actually seemed to see something in Jason's demeanor -- something that seemed to show his interest in her. The day when he received the letter from Alexis, after the basketball game in the park, Jason and Kat really seemed to be building towards something. What, Kat didn't know.

"I probably imagined it," she huffed. "He's in love with Alexis. So obviously, he wasn't expressing romantic interest in me. He probably just wants us to be friends. And we are, of course. It's just a shame that we can't be anything more than that."

Kat grabbed her purse, and headed out the door. To her surprise, full-fledged snow was falling from the sky, in contrast to the light flurries that were there only about a half an hour ago. There were already a few inches of snow on the ground. Kat muttered to herself as she approached her car, and started scraping the snow and ice