Long Journey Home

The next morning, Kat, Rocky and Adam met at their lockers, as usual. They were talking idly of their plans for the day, when Tanya came rushing up to them, a broad smile on her face.
 
"What’s up with you?" Rocky asked, immediately suspicious. Tanya was not a morning person; for her to be so cheerful before lunch mostly meant someone was going to get it that day, one way or the other. Usually, it was him.
 
"Guys," she bubbled, motioning the team close, "guys -- you’re not going to believe what I just saw!"
 
"Mondo moving the Skybase to the junkyard?" Adam quipped.
 
She swatted at him. "No, silly, it’s not that. This is actually better!"
 
"What could possibly be better than Mondo turning himself into a piece of scrap me" Ro" Rocky queried, glad she didn’t have it in for him this once.
 
"Come on, tell us!" Kat knew her friend. The expression Tanya wore was one she usually sported when she had some really juicy piece of gossip that noone else knew about.
 
Tanya looked around to make sure she couldn’t be overheard.
 
"You know that I sometimes practise T’ai Ch’i by the lake before school, right?" The others nodded. "Well, I’d finished for today and decided to take the shortcut by the picnic tables, you know? Guess who was already there?"
 
"Santa Claus?" For some reason, Adam couldn’t be serious today.
 
Kat shushed him.
 
Tanya let the suspense build a few moments longer, then blurted it out. "Tammy and Jase!"
 
"That’s all?" Rocky had expected something momentous; now he felt let down. "It’s on both their ways to school. Why shouldn’t they meet there?"
 
Kat looked intently at Tanya. There was something she wasn’t telling ... suddenly, she felt her heart beat faster.
 
"Tanya ... what were they doing?" She began to smile just as broadly as the Yellow Ranger when her question elicited another wide grin and a very telling glance.
 
"They weren’t!"
 
"Yes!" Both girls squealed and hugged each other, almost jumping up and down with glee.
 
Rocky looked at Adam, who shrugged, thoroughly mystified. Before they could ask further, though, the two Rangers in question approached their friends. "Morning, guys."
 
"Good morning." Tammy’s greeting was almost subdued, and a strange little smile played around her lips. Adam squinted at her. Was it his imagination, or were they slightly swollen? Now what could have caused that ... Kat and Tanya could almost see the giant lightbulb switch on over his head. They grinned even more, this time joined by the Green Ranger. Only Rocky was still floundering in the dark. He knew it, too.
 
"What?" Rocky was getting miffed. He knew he was not the world’s brightest guy, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. He hated it when the others left him out like that.
 
"Will somebody please let me in on the joke?"
 
Jason took pity on him. He’d noticed Tanya slipping past them in the park. Exchanging an amused glance with Tammy, he silently asked for and got permission.
 
"It’s no joke, Rocko."
 
"What isn’t?"
 
"This." Jason draped an arm around Tammy’s shoulder and kissed her gently and all-too-briefly on the mouth. The two had met deliberately early for a ‘proper’ greeting, because public displays of affection on the schoolgrounds weren’t exactly forbidden, but at least slightly frowned upon. Tammy smiled brilliantly up at him and slid her arm around his waist. Before the two could separate again, however, they were brought up short by someone clearing their throat directly behind them. Judging from the sound, that someone was ...
 
"Good morning, Ms Appleby." Jason and Tammy hurriedly retrieved their arms from around each other, blushing. The teacher looked at them sternly.
 
"Miss Oliver, Mr Scott. Do you know the rules and regulations of this school?"
 
"Yes, Ms Appleby."
 
"We’re sorry, Ms Appleby."
 
The older woman glanced around at the others, hiding a smile. It was an open secret at AGH that Jason Scott and Tammy Oliver had deep feelings for each other; the only ones who hadn’t seemed to be aware of it had been the two teens in question. Obviously something had happened to change that. Ms Appleby sent the tiniest of winks to Kat and Tanya, who promptly became very interested in the ceiling. Turning back to the two culprits, she composed her face with an effort.
 
"Then I strongly suggest you review them this afternoon .... at home, after school."
 
It hadn’t been that big an infraction, not enough for detention, and really, those two deserved a bit of leeway. They usually were model students, after all -- if they only weren’t always dashing out of classes, or being late -- or not showing up at all. She resolved -- again -- to talk to them and their friends about this annoying habit at the next opportunity. They’d been doing their disappearing act for over three years now, since the middle of freshman year; strange how they still kept up such good grades! Before she could say anything more, the bell rang, and there was a general hustle towards classrooms. Dismissing the teens, Ms Appleby walked towards her own class, followed by Rocky, Kat and Tanya, who wore identical ear-to-ear grins. Adam stood to one side, smirking, waiting for Jason to accompany him to their class.
 
Jason reached out a gentle hand to Tammy’s face. He would have liked to taste her lips once more, but they’d gotten into enough trouble already. Their early-morning meeting would have to tide them over till after school. Cupping her cheek in his palm, he smiled at her. His voice slightly husky, he made his good-byes.
 
"See you at lunch?"
 
Tammy nodded, her eyes shining. "I’ll keep a seat for you. Outside?"
 
"Uh huh." Before Jason could say more, he was interrupted by Adam.
 
"Jase, if we don’t hurry...!"
 
"Coming." He forced himself to release her, and resolutely turned away. Only five more hours till lunch. He could make it that long! He hoped.