'TIL I COLLAPSE (PG-13)
SEQUEL TO: ORDINARY WORLD

SUMMARY: POST-PRDT. AU. A new year has begun in Reefside, and a lot has happened since the Rangers' last battle. But when they hope to enjoy the year with no worries, a new threat has come to Earth to seek destruction on the Rangers. They're gonna need to play their cards right if they want to defeat their newest enemy. And no one said it would be easy to do.

DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine, sad to say. But I hope you enjoy you're stay here. Please place all trays and tables in the upright position and hold on tight for a new adventure with the Power Rangers, my style. Please come again. I hope next time you'll bring some friends along for the ride, too. And before I forget, the main title to this part of the series does in fact tie into "'Til I Collapse" by Eminem feat. Nate Dogg, if anyone can tie that in. Now, I know it doesn't quite fit the Power Rangers genre, but I think the chorus works really well with this story. So, to a true mastermind of songwriting, thank you, Eminem, for your inspiration. Just please, don't sue me, nobody. I cannot afford to go out that way.

A/N: Unfortunately, for the obvious reason, I am truly sorry for posting so late in the year. Please don't hate me too bad. I've been real busy. Either way, I don't know how far along this one will go. I got so many ideas to tie into it. But, for now, enjoy what you can. You'd better have read "The Reason" and "Ordinary World" or you might be feeling a bit lost. And before I forget, if you forgot, much of the school events will be semi-related to my own adventure through my final year in high school. Some names were subject for change to avoid confrontations. Either way, Read and Review.

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"As a new year begins, it's hard to imagine, we got only a semester left of high school. Has time gone by that fast? Yet, we can only learn to trrust our instincts more and be prepared for what could be coming our way." -Eclyptyk Neo
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'TIL I COLLAPSE - PART ONE: SCHOOL BLUES

SUMMARY: It's the first day back from Winter Break, and how are the teens feeling about returning? Not real good.

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"Why is it the hardest days to get up for are those days you just don't want to deal with?" -Eclyptyk Neo
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Tuesday. January 4th. It was the first day back from winter break. It was time to go back to their normal lives as teachers, students, etc. And none of them were really up for doing it.

"First day back from winter break," Trent groaned as he tossed in bed, throwing the pillow on his face. He wasn't ready to go back. He knew others felt the same way, especially his friends. "You have gotta be kidding me. I don't want to go back."

A soft knock came to the door, and Trent knew it was his father. He sunk lower into the bed, hoping his dad would not come in. But when the door had creaked open, he knew he couldn't get out of it.

"Trent, time to get up," Anton said as soon as he came through the door.

"Dad, it's still early. Give me a few minutes," he groaned as he tossled in the bed.

"It's 6:00. Do you want an education or not?" Anton patted his son's leg as he sat beside him. "C'mon. I know it is the first day back from a long break, but you won't get anywhere if you're laying here in bed."

Trent knew his father could be demanding, yet understanding when he needed to be. But he took things very seriously, especially during his son's senior year. But, even as he held high standards for himself, it was hard to avoid having senioritis. He knew he had it since he started slacking during the holiday season, but he made sure to keep his grades up.

"It's been so hard," Trent sighed as he finally peeked his head out of the blanket.

His father nodded slowly. "I know it's been hard, Trent. I never meant for some of these things to happen..."

"Dad, stop," Trent shook his head as he sat up. "You can't dwell on what has happened in the past as much as me. You gotta move on."

"Yeah, well, the scars will always remain," Anton admitted as he slowly got to his feet. "But you need to get yourself to school, son. We can talk later."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, dad," Trent nodded as he watched his dad leave the room.

Trent knew his father was still feeling that sinking feeling of regret and guilt for his past mistakes. And he didn't want to worry too much about him, but it was too hard to tell. He really wanted to help his father out, but he wouldn't allow it. He was still locking a few skeletons in his closet.

Trent reluctantly got off the bed and got ready for school.

XXXXXXXXXX-

Ethan groaned quietly as he tossed and turned in bed. He heard his alarm blaring out tunes from the local radio station, and he knew that was his cue to get up and ready for the day. He didn't want to. And he knew that. It meant dealing with another boring day at school, just as he didn't want to.

He hated school just for it being senior year and it was really hard for him to concentrate in class. He had senioritis. He knew he did when he could not do his homework, or barely got it done in time. He was a smart kid, he just had so many other things preoccupying his time.

But he knew that he just could not let the day go by and hope it'll get better in the end. It would only open up the doors to laziness, if not the possible thought of dropping school all together. And that would look bad on his part. So, he reluctantly got up and got ready for school.

XXXXXXXXXX-

Kira was also feeling the need to sleep in. She just wasn't in the mood to go back to school. She would prefer hanging out with her friends rather than worrying about school work.

She laid there in bed looking at the ceiling, recalling all the memories of the passed few weeks. A smile passed her face when she had thought about the times she had spent with Trent, and only him, without anyone else bothering them. It was nice having someone like him to talk to, because he seemed to understand her better than anyone else could.

She knew as much as he did though, that they didn't want to rush their relationship and have it shatter in their face. She couldn't afford to lose him even as a friend. And for those times they did hang out, she wouldn't consider it a date, just hanging out.

But that's where she felt that sinking feeling. That was what Ethan had said about his little dating days with Cassidy, and that ended before it ever got started.

"But with Trent, things just seem different. I don't know," she said to herself quietly as she sat up. Anytime he held her, laid a kiss on her cheek, or pecked her lips, she felt warm and fuzzy inside. She never felt this way at all, but it felt nice.

She didn't want to question it anymore or it would dwell in her mind for the rest of the day, and she had to focus on getting through this day or the rest of the semester would just be hell.

She got out of bed and got ready for the day.

XXXXXXXXXX-

Conner was already up even before his alarm had sounded at the ring of 5:45am. He didn't know how, but he was really psyched to start up school for the new year. And he knew his friends would freak out if he told them that, but he barely got sleep the night before either.

It was more for the fact he could see his girlfriend, Krista. It was confirmed on Christmas day, to the others surprise. And though, it was clearly odd for such a couple to be made, they somehow, didn't seem to mind the stares. They didn't care. What matter was them and how they would go about making their relationship grow and last.

Given the chance to change, and show Krista that he wasn't like most dumb jocks, she had begun to see he wasn't a bad guy. They talked, and hung out, as much to the others dismay, until it finally reached the level to confirm they were an actually couple.

Many would doubt it would last long, but they would find a way around it, and he knew that. He loved Krista for keeping him on his toes. To make sure he was maintaining good grades, getting enough sleep, etc. The small things that would count toward the big things later.

He had dribbled his signature red soccer ball in his room to pass the time as he waited for the time to head to school.

XXXXXXXXXX-

At the Oliver homestead, it was nothing new. Tommy was just not a morning person at all, and he would stay in bed until the last moment possible before he had to get ready for the day.

Kim was already up and ready, cooking breakfast for the two of them. He had been tucked away, not wanting to get up, but knew he would need to soon. She had came into the room, with the breakfast, knowing it would get him up. She sat beside him as he threw the blanket over his head, sinking into the comfort of the bed.

It had been hard to get up the previous day, it being a staff workday. Much of the day had been meeting over meeting of setting up agendas, checking on the status of clubs and events, etc. Enough to drive a person crazy and drive them up a wall. Many could care less since a majority of the meetings were lectures over things they already knew. And that's what many of the staff days were like, but they were all mandatory. So, while the students get to relax, the teachers had to work. To them, that was hell written all over it.

"C'mon, Handsome. It's time to get up. I know it was just as hard to get up yesterday, but now you actually have to get up and teach a class," she said, patting the silhouette hidden in the covers.

"I would prefer teaching from the comfort of the bed," he groaned. "Sometimes, I wonder why I ever became a teacher."

"Because you love to teach," she said simply as she peeled the blankets away to lay a kiss on her husband's lips.

Tommy sighed as he finally opened his eyes and slowly sat up. "Tell me again how you will manage to live with me for the rest of our lives? I'm not much for being a morning guy. I can forget even the simplest things like getting something at the store. Or..."

Kim put a finger to his lips. "Because you are the only person I could really picture true happiness with. And not just for your good looks, but for who you are as a person."

She moved over to him and sunk into the comfort of his arms as he fell silent. He could only hold her close without speaking another word. He knew the words she spoke of were true, and he knew he was right about asking her hand in marriage.

"So, you hungry? You can eat now, and get ready later. You still got an hour," she said as she grabbed a fork and fed him a bit of the eggs on the plate.

Tommy smiled before laying a kiss on her cheek. "I love you."

She blushed as she reached around his neck and laid a kiss on his lips. "Love you too, Handsome."

And they sat there in bed, eating breakfast and speaking sweet nothings to the other before it was time to get ready for school.

XXXXXXXXXX-

Ethan didn't know how he found himself sitting in math class that morning. With it being the first hour of his day, he just wasn't up to think on a mathematical scale, but he was there. And class wouldn't be starting in another good ten to fifteen minutes.

His Pre-Calculus teacher, Mr. Jones, handed him his schedule for the semester and he didn't even want to look at it. He let out a breath, sinking in his seat.

His schedule read as followed: '1st - Pre-Calculus - Jones. 2nd - Computer Science - Twain. 3rd - Website/Graphic Design - Twain. 4th - American History - Williams. 5th - Spanish II - Lopez. 6th - P.E. - Hart-Oliver. 7th - Geology - Oliver.'

"Why am I here again?" he groaned as he dropped his head on the desk closing his eyes.

"For the same reason we're all here. An education," Trent said as he collapse beside him. they greeted each other in a handshake each of them yawning in turn. "How's it going, Ethan?"

"Exhausting. I don't think I've gotten much sleep since that New Year's Celebration at the cyber cafe," the teen in blue admitted. "And this weather has been crazy."

The state of California had been getting numerous amounts of precipitation for the past few days. And no one could really say much about it. Since the reports of the devastating tsunami in Asia, the weather around the world had been acting up. There had been numerous amounts of volcanic and earthquake activity in the Ring of Fire. Some areas were experiencing good weather while others were getting bad weather.

"Yeah, no kidding. Have you heard some of the numbers in the mountains. Reports are hitting at about 4 feet of snow now. They say by the time it ends, they could be seeing almost 15 feet of snow," Trent shook his head.

"Yeah, if it does end. Man, what I wouldn't give to be them right now. LA's been getting slammed, and that's only a few hours away," Ethan sighed. "You don't think it's anything strange, do you?"

Trent could only shrug. "I only hope it isn't. But, after that tsunami disaster, it's kinda hard to tell."

"No kidding," Ethan sighed. "Man, all the damage and lives lost, that's gotta suck."

BRING!

The warning bell had rung, and that was Trent's cue to head out and get to his own class.

"You gonna talk to Dr. O about this?" Ethan asked as he did their signature handshake.

"I probably will. I did manage to get him for student assistant, so it'll give us time to look att some options," Trent slippe his backpack on. "Guess we can't hang up the suit quite yet. I'll talk to you later, Ethan."

"Later, man," Ethan flashed a peace sign as Trent left the room.

Trent continued down the hall into the English hall where he knew Kira and Conner had class. Conner was in the hall talking to Krista. Trent had greeted him briefly as he administered a handshake with the soccer star, but Trent didn't stick around. He had to get to class.

"What? You're just gonna say 'hi' and leave?" Conner called out.

Trent turned around. "Don't wanna be late for class. You know how Dr. O can be if we're late. Just tell Kira I said 'hi'." He requested as he turned and raced down the hall.

Conner said he would as he looked back at Krista. She, too, had to get to class. And he didn't want her to go.

"I have to go, Conner. I don't want to be late," she protested just as he pulled her back into his arms.

Conner nodded and let her go. "All right. I'll see you after first hour." He kissed her briefly and turned to head in class.

She waved a good-bye and headed off to class.

Conner took a seat beside Kira in the back of the room. She seemed slightly dazed, but it was clear she was just tired.

He snapped his finger bringing back to reality. "Hey, Kira, wake up."

Kira sighed as she shook her head. She dropped her head on the desk. "It's so early, Conner. I wanna go back to bed."

"Yeah, well you won't be getting much of an education with your head down," he said.

Kira raised her head and looked at him, confused. "Okay, what's with you? Most of the time, I'm usually the one who would say that about you."

Conner shrugged as he took the schedule from the teacher. "I don't know. I really think that this will be a good semester."

Kira raced an eyebrow as she grabbed her schedule from the teacher. "Did I hear that come out of your mouth?"

He shrugged again. He leaned over to her, keeping his voice low. "Okay, maybe not quite. But, I just don't want to jinx it. And by the way, Trent stopped by and told me to tell you 'hi', but he had to get to class 'cuz you know how Dr. O can be at times."

Kira smiled to herself. She had wanted to avoid any confrontation with her friend dressed in white, for the sake of not getting too distracted, but he still managed to think about her. She knew most of the time she had thought about him, it would distract her from her school work, and that's not what she wanted.

"So, what is the deal with you and Trent?" Conner asked tapping her when he realized she had zoned out again.

"There's nothing going on between us, Conner. We're just hanging out," she said simply, but it was clear she was in denial.

Conner could only shrug as he asked to check out her schedule. He handed his over for her own observations as class began.

Kira's schedule read as followed: '1st - Creative Writing - Rodriguez. 2nd - Algebra III/Trig - Simpson. 3rd - AP American History - Roosevelt. 4th -Advanced Writing - Mendoza. 5th - French III - Courier. 6th - P.E. -Hart-Oliver. 7th - Geology - Oliver.'

Conner's schedule for second semester read as followed: '1st - Creative Writing - Rodriguez. 2nd -Algebra III/Trig - Simpson. 3rd - Student Assistant - Hart-Oliver. 4th - American History - Williams. 5th - Spanish II - Lopez. 6th - P.E. - Hart-Oliver. 7th - Geology - Oliver.'

XXXXXXXXXX-

Trent caught his breath as he collapsed in his chair. He was never known for being late, but so many people had stopped him in the hall just as a greeting or a brief chat. And as many times as he could get out of class for college things, he knew about being punctual. It really counted for senior year. One screw up and he could lose his chances at being valedictorian or salutatorian, but there was no guarantee. Much of the students in the senior class at the top were cheaters, and docking those who were smart, like him, at a place like 7th. He knew that Ethan was somewhere at the top, too, but he was ranked at around 15th.

The bell rang only seconds after he had fell into his chair.

Dr. Oliver walked over to him, handing over his schedule for the second semester. "Just got in, Trent."

Trent sighed and nodded as he looked at the paper. "Yeah, thanks, Dr. O."

His schedule read as followed: '1st - AP Biology - Oliver. 2nd - Student Assistant - Oliver. 3rd - AP American History - Roosevelt. 4th - Elementary Assistant - Hall. 5th – Advanced Art - Woods. 6th - Speech - Jinn. 7th - Yearbook - Obie/Oliver.'

He didn't say he regretted changing his schedule so many times to get what he wanted, but he knew one thing was clear. He was glad he didn't have to worry about AP Calculus. That class was hell and now it was no longer a problem.

After Channel One news and some school news it was time to start class, and it was clear none of them were really awake. Heads were down and others looked dazed.

Dr. Oliver clapped his hands together to get the attention of the class. Not that it was that hard to, considering the small class size. There was only ten people in that class, unlike his sixth hour AP Bio class which had 25+ students.

"Well, first off, welcome back, you guys. Happy New Year, and I hope you had a good two weeks off," Dr. Oliver greeted the class, but it was also evident he wasn't fully awake. "But..."

"Now, you can't make us work on the first day back, Dr. Oliver," Jennifer stated.

"And we got to know about you and Coach Hart..." Jon, her boyfriend, said.

Dr. Oliver looked over at Trent before raising his hand to reveal the single band on his ring finger. "That would now be Coach Hart-Oliver, to be more proper. But you guys can still call her Coach Hart."

"How was the wedding?" Anika grew curious.

"Is this gonna be the only thing we talk about during class?" the teacher grew serious.

"It's us, Dr. Oliver," Jennifer said with a smile. "You know we're gonna ask. And you'll be getting bombarded all day."

Dr. Oliver sighed as he dropped his head, tossing his glasses on the desk. "Okay, how about I make you guys a deal? I'll talk about whatever you want to know, if you give me my time to teach class?"

"Or we could just skip all that and just get down to knowing how the wedding was and how you spent your winter break?" Jon said with a pleading smile.

"What about the rest of you guys?" Dr. Oliver asked. "What did you guys do?"

"It probably wouldn't compare to what you did," Joe said.

Dr. Oliver looked over at the only student in class that knew him best, Trent. Trent could only shrug, but it was evident in his eyes that, speaking for the rest of the class, they wanted to know what the teacher did during his break.

Dr. Oliver knew he wouldn't be getting out of it, and reluctantly took the set behind his desk and foiled out his adventures during the winter break, or what he felt was appropriate.

Minutes passed and a soft knock came to the door. The door opened and a student messenger from the main office came in with a brown slip. And anyone who had a brown slip usually got in trouble. The student handed it over to the teacher and left the room.

His students asked who it was for. Dr. Oliver looked at the slip again and over at Trent, sighing. "Trent, it's for you. On the first day back already? What'd you do?"

Trent slowly got to his feet and shrugged as he took the slip from his teacher's hand. He looked over the slip again, indicating they wanted him down there ASAP, as he left the room.

Trent tried to keep his cool as he got closer to the main office. Many times he had been in there for the little things like supposedly being tardy or not showing up for class, and he had come up with the same excuse.

"Where were you on this day, during this hour?" an administrator would ask him.

"I was at the Counseling Center. I signed in and everything," he countered. "I was doing things for my colleges and scholarships."

They would let it go and accept his answer. But that was his problem, he hated some of the administrators for being far too strict. Dealing with Principal Randall was one thingbut now that it was Principal Santos it was no big deal. He could talk with her on a personal basis, if not for the sake of his father. He was still trying to adjust to that change. He could deal with Mr. Gorman, one of the assistant principals. He was more down to earth than the other and willing to help out whenever he needed to. He could not stand Mr. Titus, the other assistant principal for being too authorative and catch a person for a small thing as hanging your pants too low or even a simple gesture as holding hands in the hall. Then there was Mr. Clarkson, the dean of the students, who had a constant battle for saying he skipped class. Then there was Mrs. Tills, the dean and athletic director of the students. She wasn't too bad, but if you wanted to do some things, like a raffle she may not allow it. Now that the team was lead by another things were okay, just not the best when only two out of the five were okay in his book, and that's how most people were.

He set the brown slip on the main desk and collapsed on a chair, waiting to be called in to speak to one of the administrators. He had no idea what it was for, and he hoped it was for nothing serious.

Then the door to the principal's office opened and Principal Santos peeked out. Trent could never really look at her without looking at who she once was, Principal Randall and an evil henchmen to Mesogog, Elsa. But she was different now, not as harsh and not as intimidating. And it still too some time to get used to.

She smiled lightly as she crossed to retrieve the brown slip for Trent and requested he follow her into her office. He slowly walked into the room, but stopped at the threshold when he saw someone else in the room. His back was turned, but Trent knew who it was.

"Dad!" Trent breathed as he raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

Anton turned around to see his son standing there. He nodded slowly as he directed his son to a seat. "Take a seat, son. We have some things to discuss."

Trent looked from his father to the principal slightly confused, and freaked. He had tried to stay away from them when they were hanging out, even if he was concerned with how it would turn out. He didn't want to say that he didn't trust his father's judgment, but it was really hard to trust either of them just for their mistakes in the past. He just hoped that this wasn't anything that could spell doom for all of them. He slowly moved toward the seat in front of the principal's desk and sat down.

"Okay, I'm sitting. So, what's up?" Trent asked cautiously.

"Well, there have been some concerns, Trent, that we need to discuss," his father began. "One of them is your grades."

Trent breathed. He didn't want to go through this again with his father. "Does this have anything to do with my grade in AP Calculus? Dad, I told you that that class was far too hard for me to understand. That's why I dropped it. That's why I took Advanced Art instead. And you told me I had to put my strengths above my weaknesses, if I wanted to be successful."

Anton nodded slowly. "That is true, son. And you know exactly how I feel about you getting good grades."

"Dad, it was only one D," Trent said.

"You know as well as I do how I feel about you getting something even below a C, even if that is an AP class. I also know you hold high standards for yourself and getting a grade like that is unacceptable," Anton shook his head. "Do you want to go tocollege?"

"I worked my ass off in that class and it still didn't do me any good. Okay, so I admit I wasn't exactly going in for help, but she had no idea what she was talking about half the time. But, Dad, I still got an A in all my other classes," Trent defended. "Do you expect me to go to someone who doesn't quite know what they are talking about?"

Anton nodded slowly. "I understand that Trent, but there are other resources you could have gone to for help. But you got a B in AP American History," he said as he handed over the grade report.

"What!" Trent breathed as he looked at the report. He looked back at his father, shaking his head. "But, dad, you said that if I tried my hardest it would make you happy. And if you knew, more than half of the people at the top of my class have cheated their way to the top..."

"My concern is not with them, Trent, it's with you," Anton said clearly.

Trent dropped his head. He knew his father asked a lot from him, and he couldn't stand dealing with an upset father. But he was telling the truth. Much of the students at the top of the class had cheated their way up there. He wasn't one of them, but a few people had accused him of being up there with them. "How can you say that when you know how hard it has been for me in the past few years?"

Anton took a step back and forced out a breath. He took a moment to look at the other occupant in the room realizing that too much had come out of that issue of grades than need be. He looked back at his son, who seemed slightly pre-occupied at the results of the conversation. "Look, son. I don't want all of this hard work to not pay off in the end. And I know it hasn't been an easy set of years for either of us, I just don't want you to feel that you haven't done enough. But with such high expectations that you hold for yourself, as much as I have, should not have pushed you down this hard."

"Well, maintaining a 4.0+ average isn't exactly easy when you got to worry about a planet to protect," Trent countered. He didn't want to discuss this anymore, let alone with another occupant in the room.

Anton nodded slowly. "And I understand that, son. I'm only looking out for you."

"I know, dad. But there wouldn't be more to this regarding why you decided to bring Elsa in on this, is there?" Trent had come out to say it. He didn't understand why his father was there in the first place, or even bring up such a subject with others around. He knew something else had to be up.

Anton looked from his son to the principal. She had not said anything during the entire feud, but had made her own observations mentally on the situation. For awhile, his tongue was held and he didn't know what to say.

"Trent," the principal began as the teen looked over at her. "I have noticed that you haven't been very open about my relationship with your father. And I was wondering if there were any concerns with it. Are you okay with what's been going on with us?"

Trent looked at his father for a moment, then dropped his head unsure what to make of the question. What he couldn't understand in the back of his mind was why did it take so long for them to confront him about it, but than again he wasn't very open about the situation himself. He didn't want to admit he still felt uncomfortable with the situation, it was just hard to get used to with all that's already happened. "I don't want to say that I'm not, but in some cases, I am," he began before looking up to meet the concerned look on the other occupants of the room. Then his eyes centered on his father. "It just happened so fast, dad. You didn't even really give it a week since that final battle. I don't know. I guess I never expected it go that far so quickly. And it's not like you've asked for her hand in marriageI mean you haven't, right?"

Anton and Elsa shook their head, sorta surprised at the accusation that their relationship had gotten that far.

"No, of course not, son. I wouldn't have rushed it without your consent," Anton admitted in a serious tone. "And I guess you are right about me rushing just a little too fast with this relationship, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with this at all. I don't want it to effect your school work, or even your status as a ranger."

Trent nodded slowly. "It hasn't. It's just something that's a little hard to get used to. I mean, it doesn't happen every day to see someone who once used to be your enemy make amends that ends up become a relationship. And as long as you're happy, I can work around it."

"You know you can talk to me about anything, son," Anton said with a nod as his son nodded in turn. "If this is truly bothering you..."

"And I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me either, Trent. I know I've done a whole lot of things I've regretted. We both have," Elsa acknowledged, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. "But if you at all feel uncomfortable about anything that goes on between us, you let us know."

Trent nodded again, but didn't have much to say. It was a lot for him to take in and he just needed some time to think this through. He slowly got to his feet. "Um...yeah. I'll do that. But I need to get back to class. Ya know, get me that education."

"Yeah, you do," Anton nodded as he watched the principal sign off on the pass to send him back to class. "But you're okay with this. About me and Elsa, right?"

Trent absently took the pass, but didn't even look at the adults in the room. He nodded slowly, managing a smile. "I just need a little more time to adjust. But, I'm cool with it. I guess it would be kinda nice to finally see more occupants in the household, ya know."

Anton smiled lightly, knowing hhe may have a chance to chang things with his son and the emptiness in the household.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay with it, Trent," Elsa said with a nod. "I know we all need some time to adjust."

Trent nodded again, said his good-byes and headed out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX-

Trent had returned to class, and it was evident that something had happened when he went back to his seat. Dr. Oliver looked at him for sometime, but could say nothing to the teen. He figured he could discuss it more with him later.

"Okay, guys, now that Trent is back, we can actually get back to learning something," Dr. Oliver addressed as he clapped his hands together. "Guys, take out a piece of paper. It's time for a little pop quiz."

The class groaned, pleading not to do it, but it was clear that their teacher was in serious mode. And they didn't want to mess with him when he was in that mode. They all reluctantly took out a piece of paper as Dr. Oliver filed out a series of questions regarding what they had learned during the last semester.

Time had passed quickly and it was off to period two of the long day. It was evident in the students' eyes that this would be one of the longest days of the semester, if not year as a whole, especially for the seniors.

Trent had left the room to catch some air, trying to piece together what had happened in the principal's office only minutes ago. He was cool with it, he really was. It was just hard to adjust to, knowing the painful background of his father and his principal still hung in the balance. He wished that passing period could be longer, it was only 5 minutes, just to talk to Kira about the situation. He knew he could tell her anything without worrying so much that she'll judge him for saying something wrong. But that would have to wait another hour, and he figured he would be talking to Dr. O about it in the coming hour.

Trent slowly returned to the science wing and back into Dr. Oliver's classroom. Dr. Oliver was sitting at his desk grading the quizzes he had just distributed to his first hour class. Trent collapsed in his seat just as the bell for period two rang.

The room fell silent. And as much as Trent had no real problem talking to Kira about things, it was the same with Dr. O. He was probably the only real guy who knew exactly what the teen was going through, and his teacher/mentor/teammate had always been a help to him since he joined the team months ago.

"You do realize, I won't have much for you to do, if you plan on being my student assistant," Dr. O spoke to break the silence in the room. "Especially with it being 2nd hour."

Trent nodded slowly. "Yeah, well it beats having study hall. And besides, I tend to concentrate in a room where I know I won't get too easily distracted by others."

Dr. O looked up as he finished the last of the quizzes, looking at the teen. "Something happened when you went down to the main office, didn't it?"

Trent sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, turns out it was more of a parent-principal conference, if you get my drift."

"Is everything okay?" Dr. O raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

Trent nodded. "For the most part. They assumed that I don't support them much in their little relationship that's going on, and I do. It's just... I haven't quite adjusted to it. Not with all that's happened. And I know it's been like two months, now. But some things just take longer to get used to than others."

"Yeah, it can," his teacher nodded. He got to his feet and moved around to the other side of the desk pulling up a stool in front of the teen. "Personally, I never would have thought that something like that would have happened. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. But, like you've told me before, you said you've never seen your dad this happy in a long time."

Trent sighed. "Now, that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen him this happy. He always works."

"Yeah, he can be a workaholic. And lemme guess, they were asking for your consent to make sure that they can move just a little bit further in their relationship?" Dr. O asked as the teen nodded. "And they also said to let them know if you're at all feeling uncomfortable with their relationship?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," Trent nodded.

"Typical among newly developing relationships. Now, I can't predict the future, but keep your options open about this, Trent. It might turn out bad or good, either way, your dad is gonna need you there to support him."

Trent nodded again. He managed a smile, knowing some of the burden was lifted off his shoulder. "Thanks, Dr. O."

The science teacher smiled. "I'm always here, Trent." He looked at the teen seeing an uneasiness in him. "But something else seems to be bothering you."

"It's about these strange weather patterns. I mean, you've heard of the 'calm before the storm', right?" he asked.

Dr. Oliver nodded slowly. "Yeah, I have."

"Well, what if all those nice relaxing days are about to come to an end and we could be forced back into suit? I mean, this strange weather began the day we were gonna head back from the snowboarding trip."

Dr. Oliver nodded, acknowledging what the teen in white was telling him. He had seen it too, felt a strange aura in the air that told him things weren't gonna be completely okay. "But then again, there was the devastating tsunami in Asia."

Trent nodded. "And that was the day after Christmas. I mean, to us, we'd be getting that news on Christmas day, but I didn't really realize it until a few days ago."

Dr. Oliver nodded again. "Yeah, well, this weather has definitely been a mystery. But, I don't want to assume that things have been extremely bad. I mean, we haven't been getting huge amounts of rain in the area, like LA, and we've had our days where the sun peeked out. I mean, the only thing I can really say is to just stay sharp. Keep an eye out for strange things."

"So, the suit isn't being hung up quite yet?" Trent said.

"Not quite," Dr. Oliver sighed.

XXXXXXXXXX-

Ethan had sat there in each of his classes just trying to stay awake. He had taken it rather easy this semester, but it was still hard on him. He couldn't seem to stay awake in any of his classes, and had been yelled at several times by his teachers just because he couldn't keep his eyes open.

As much as Conner had become more studious and did his school work, he had been pre-occupied by daydreaming most of the day. He couldn't stop thinking about his girlfriend, and actually feeling like he was important to something more than soccer or saving the world. And that's what managed to keep him more sane. It was clear he was starting to change just a little too much and had his friends a little worried. They felt like one day he would ditch them completely, and that's not what they needed from their leader.

Kira had watched Trent from a distance, but didn't want to intrude. She knew something was wrong with him, but she didn't know what. And she knew never to drive him into saying something he didn't want to. As much as he could tell her a few things, he was still reserved about others. Yet, even she wasn't up to paying attention in class. She had been dozing the entire time much like Ethan, but she wasn't too obvious. She didn't snore like Ethan.

The rest of the day felt like it had just slowed down. It made it feel like they were at school for days on end with no break, until finally the last bell rang.

And the teens had rushed over to the cyber cafe just to catch their breath from the long day.

"That must have been the longest and most hardest day ever, this year," Ethan groaned after they had gotten settled down.

"No kidding. Do you realize how much homework I have, on the first day back from break?" Kira sighed. "Man, as great as it is being senior year, it's hell."

Conner sighed as he dropped his head on the table. "Being a senior is great except for the workload we go through."

"Oh man, and now, we got to do scholarships," Ethan grabbed his head in frustration.

The other teens groaned, obviously not wanting to hear that come from his mouth. It was hard to tell if they would ever get a real day off to themselves.

"So, what's up with you, Trent? You haven't said much since we got here," Conner turned to the teen in white.

Trent sighed and dropped his head. "Yeah, it was just a hard day. I'm still trying to catch my breath."

"Yeah, I think we all are. And this weather isn't making it any easier," Ethan said as he looked out the window. "Did you talk to Dr. O about it?"

The rain had been falling all day, mostly in showers. But it just made the day that much harder. It was a gloomy, dark day. It was just something that changed the mode of many people.

Trent nodded. "He just said to stay sharp and keep our eyes open. I think he's agreeing with me."

"On what?" Conner asked.

"That this is 'the calm before the storm' sorta thing," he replied.

"Well, let's just hope we don't get too tied down or surprised by whatever will be coming our way," Kira said to try and lighten the mood. Kira looked over at Trent, tapping his leg. "You ready to go?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Where are you two going?"

"We need to head over to the library to start on this huge project we got for AP History," Trent said.

"Yeah, might as well get that homework done now so I don't have to worry about it later," Conner nodded as he tossed his backpack on the table.

The teens in white and yellow bid their friends a good-bye and headed out the door, only to have the other two really question if they were telling the truth.

"I don't get those two," Ethan shook his head as he pulled out his math homework.

"Yeah, no kidding. Are they going out or are they not?" Conner sighed.

"You almost say that as if you're jealous," Ethan looked at his friend in red with a raised eyebrow.

Conner looked at him and shook his head. "No, just concerned. I mean, I gotta keep tabs on you guys and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Ethan sighed. "Well, if I knew better, they probably know where to go with it and how far."

"I guess we just got to trust them with it," Conner agreed.

And the teens went to work to finish off their homework for the first day of second semester.

to be continued...

A/N: Well, it is rather lengthy, but it had to be done. I hope you like it as it paves the way for the second semester of the teens' final year in high school. Now, like I said, I don't know if I will go any farther with this series, but we will see. And I won't say much, but be prepared for a lot more twists and turns. This has only begun, and you'd be surprised at what will happen in the very end. See you next chapter. Isang diwa and isang mahal! (One spirit and one love!) May the Powers Always Protect You.