The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 5 - Heather Ray (young adult books to read TXT) 📗

caught the ball, and before Rocky could reach her to block, she bounced it once and turned to shoot. The ball rolled off her fingers just before Rocky got close enough to intercept, and it sailed cleanly through the rim and hoop. Katherine jumped up in excitement, and Jason quickly ran over and hugged her fiercely.

"Fabulous shot, Kat!" he said. "We won!"

"I can't believe we lost," muttered Zack, "I mean this morning, Kat had no idea how basketball was played!"

"I guess I'm just a natural athlete," she said with a smile, extending her hand. "Great game, guys."

"So what do we do now?" asked Rocky.

Jason wiped his face with a towel, and glanced at his watch. "Well, we're meeting the others at Ernie's for lunch. Knowing Kimberly and Aisha, they won't be done shopping 'til at least one."

"And since they dragged Tommy along with them, they have someone to carry all their stuff," said Rocky, starting to laugh, "When will he learn to say no

to Kimberly?"

"Probably never," said Katherine with a smile, "I just hope he can stand shopping for so long. It must be dreadful."

"I thought you liked to shop, Kat," said Jason.

"Everything in moderation," she responded, dribbling the basketball, "I don't see the need to shop three times a week. So I opted to learn basketball today instead."

"Billy and Adam will probably be awhile too," commented Rocky, "Billy wanted to run some checks on Adam, to see how his heart is healing. Adam didn't even wake up until ten o'clock!"

"So, we have about an hour before the gang shows up," said Zack, "I'm heading home to take a shower."

"Good idea," said Rocky, as the four friends collected their belongings and headed towards the parking lot. Zack climbed into Rocky's car and after waving, the red Honda pulled away. Katherine unlocked the door to her 1991 blue Volvo, and then noticed that Jason was walking towards the sidewalk.

"Jase," she called, "where are you going?"

"Home," he replied. "It's only a couple miles."

"Where's your truck?"

"It needed a tune-up," Jason answered, "I'll pick it up Monday."

"Well, why don't I give you lift?"

"That's okay," Jason said, shaking his head. "You live in the opposite direction."

"Oh nonsense. Get in the car."

Jason shrugged, and made himself comfortable in the passenger seat of Katherine's car. Katherine then pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the street.

"You really played well today," Jason said, "I still can't believe you've never played basketball before."

"Well, I did alright," Kat said modestly. "It was your slam dunks that ensured our win. You make it look so easy!"

"A lifetime of practice, I guess."

Both were silent for awhile, as Jason stole a glance at Kat. He couldn't help but notice that even though she was sweating, and her hair was a mess, she was still gorgeous. He cracked a small smile.

"What's so funny?" Kat asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye. Jason nearly panicked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why were you smiling?"

"No reason," he said quickly.

"Jason, what are you laughing at?"

Jason looked out the side window, and saw his house up the street.

"Uh, my house is the third one on the right," Jason said, effectively ending the conversation. Katherine shook her head, and pulled into the driveway. Jason unbuckled his seatbelt, and opened the door.

"Say," he said, "you wanna come in for something to drink?"

"Why not?" she said, turning off the car. Jason led Katherine to the front door, and unlocked it. He then escorted her to the kitchen.

"Wow," she said, looking around the expensive decor of the living room. "Impressive."

"You've never been in my house before?" Jason asked in surprise.

"Never."

"Oh," said Jason, pulling a seat at the kitchen table out for Katherine, "well, both my parent's have high-paying jobs, so I guess we're pretty well off."

"That's one way to put it," she commented, looking at the elaborate furnishings surrounding her.

Jason opened the refrigerator door, and pulled out two glass bottles.

"Is apple juice okay?" he asked, holding up the bottles.

"Perfect," she answered. Jason sat down at the table across from her, and handed her the bottle. After a few moments of silence, Katherine decided to start a conversation.

"I received a postcard from Tanya the other day," she said. "She's still in Kenya."

"How is she?"

"She's having a wonderful time. She's getting to know her parents, as well as the place of her birth. She said they'd be in Africa for at least another month. It takes time for her parents to get the appropriate visas and immigration papers, considering they were missing for ten years. She already misses us, but she is having fun."

"You and Tanya are pretty close, huh?"

"She's my best friend," Kat admitted. "We get along fabulously. I guess its because we have so much in common. I mean, we're both spirited women, who try to realize our potential academically as well as athletically. Tanya is marvelous at baseball and is really a quick learner of karate, and I'm a diver and dancer."

"You know, I really think you'd like Trini," Jason said. "She and I were friends for years, and we still are. I always loved her indomitable spirit. She never fell back on a challenge. You two would really hit it off. If she ever decides to come back to Angel Grove."

"We probably would," Kat said, nodding. "Another thing Tanya and I have in common is our association with the Power Rangers. Both of us came from totally different continents in order to replace former rangers. Of course in Tanya's case, she didn't get the chance to replace Aisha, because the Zeo Crystal couldn't be used by a non-Ranger."

Jason could tell that Katherine was speaking a little quietly.

"Kat, you're not a replacement," Jason said sternly, "I mean, you were picked to be a Terran Ranger by Zordon, so you know you must've done something right! I thought you got over your doubts when you faced the Nightmare Queen on the Dreamscape."

Katherine visibly shuddered when Jason brought up that incident. Not long after the inception of the Terran Power Rangers, Katherine was plagued by terrible dreams, in which she was constantly shunned by her fellow Rangers, to the point where her self esteem plummeted so low, she couldn't even morph. Rita invaded her mind with Finster's Dream Machine to break Katherine's confidence, and on the Dreamscape, Katherine faced the magical creature Envy, who embodied all the envy Katherine felt toward her fellow Rangers. Especially Kimberly, who was everything Kat wasn't. It was the most difficult fight the Blue Terran Ranger had ever faced, but she managed to assert herself, and defeat Envy.

"You know, Jason," Kat said, "I don't think I ever thanked you for your help against Envy."

"Oh, I didn't do anything..." Jason said modestly.

"Yes you did," she argued, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. "If you hadn't come into the Dreamscape to encourage me, I surely wouldn't have mustered the self-confidence I needed to win the fight and break out of that fever. I could've died. I owe you one."

"Hey, what're friends for?" he asked with a lopsided grin, squeezing her hand back. Just then, Jason heard a key turn in the door. He looked up and saw his mother entering the house, a shopping bag in one hand and a stack of letters in the other. She looked up and smiled warmly at her only son.

"Hello, Jason," she said, walking into the kitchen and setting the groceries on the sink. "Who's your friend?"

"Mom, this is Kat Hillard. We go to school together."

"And now, we play basketball too," Kat added, standing up and smiling at Mrs. Lee. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here," she responded, shaking Katherine's hand. She then returned her attention to the envelopes she was fishing through.

"Bill...bill...bill...I may have won a million dollars...oh, here's a letter for you, Jason."

Jason accepted the letter, and noticed the purple ink in which the address was written in. The return address was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jason's eyes widened slightly, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong, Jase?" Kat asked, peeking over his shoulder at the letter. She saw the return address. "Who do you know from Philadelphia?"

"Uh, listen Kat, it's getting late," Jason said abruptly, "and I have to shower and stuff before lunch."

"Oh," said Kat, her voice laced with confusion, "okay. Do you need me to pick you up?"

"Nah, I can walk. See you at the Youth Center?"

"Right," she said, picking up her car keys and walking towards the door. "See you. Oh, and it was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Lee."

"Likewise," said Jason's mother, waving. She then turned, and saw her son slowly opening up the letter.

"What was that all about?" she asked. "Why did you chase her out?"

"Because...I have stuff to do, and I'll see her later," Jason responded, scanning the lavender stationary with elegant black writing on it.

"Well, what does it say?"

"Mom...!" Jason whined, glancing up at his mother.

"Okay, fine. I'll mind my own business," she said finally, returning to the grocery bag. She began to put the food away, and Jason jogged up to his bedroom, reading the letter while he went.

Dear Jason,

How are you doing? I haven't heard from you for a few months. I guess you're pretty busy, but that's fine. How's it feel to be a 'you-know-what' again? I'm sure you're having the time of your life! And I'm sure you love being back in Angel Grove. Home Sweet Home...

Anyway, I have some terrific news for you! Denise finished Law School a whole semester early, which means we're coming back to Angel Grove in January! I can't wait to see you again! As soon as I finish midterms here in Philly, we're on a flight over. Our plane arrives at two o'clock on Saturday, January 25, at Angel Grove International. Its flight 545, direct from Philly to California. I'm really excited to see you again. It's been awhile.

All my love,

Lex

Jason sighed deeply when he finished reading the letter, and he folded it neatly and placed it on his dresser. He then went into the bathroom, undressed, and turned on the shower. As his tan body was immersed in the steaming water, his mind was immersed in thought.

I don't believe it...Alexis is coming back! It's been...over a year since she first left Angel Grove. Man, has it really been so long? When she first moved back to Pennsylvania, I moved to Geneva, and we spent hours on the phone. If Billy hadn't constructed that Ranger-Com system the following spring, those long-distance bills would've killed me. We were friends before we both left Angel Grove to pursue other things, but I guess we both felt the same loneliness in our new homes. We got really close. We talked almost daily, when time would allow, and we talked about everything under the sun. As time passed, we got busier and busier, so the conversations got fewer. Then, I moved back to Angel Grove, and I don't think I called her since. I don't even think about her much lately. Is it just because I'm a ranger again? I mean,