Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter four of "From Nowhere to Anywhere." I'm glad it took only one day to get out. I am on a roll here. This is the first time this has happened. It is also the first time I have written three chapters in one week. The average number is usually one or two chapters per week. The first smutty scene involving Tommy/Kim will be in the next chapter. Stay tuned for chapter six.

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Chapter 5: Best Friends Interacting

The late evening moon beamed its light on the Hart residence. Kim and Trini were immersed in a game of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as they sat on the living room couch. The former was Tails while the latter was Sonic. They were seated on the couch. The room was large. It had bright yellow walls, two pine end tables, and a glass coffee table. The TV sat in an entertainment center across from the couch. The floor was hardwood. Most of it happened to be covered by a square-shaped blue rug.

Kim and Trini formed determined looks on their faces. They narrowed their eyes at the game before licking their lips. They were neck in neck going to the second star post in Emerald Hill Zone Act 1 until Trini performed a spin attack to get ahead of Kim. She laughed in delight and wiggled her eyebrows. She patted her leg.

"It looks like I'm going to beat you, Kimberly!" Trini exclaimed.

"I wouldn't say that, Trini," Kim warned sternly. "Unh-unh."

Kim did a spindash and got ahead of Trini very quickly. She took the bottom route and jumped over the leaping fish. She went up the slope and toward the marker, getting past it. She pumped her fist, laughing cheerfully.

"Tails manages to beat Sonic yet again!" Kim shouted.

"Nice job at getting ahead of me, Kim," Trini said and turned off the game.

"Thanks. It's really cool how Tails uses his tails to make himself go faster," Kim said, putting her control down and moving her arms around repeatedly.

Trini raised an eyebrow. "He might, but he'll never be as fast as Sonic."

"There is one thing Tails can do that Sonic can't. He can fly," Kim said in proudness.

"Yeah, but he can't go very high," Trini pointed out.

"Maybe he can't, but he is great at carrying Sonic to places he can't reach," Kim replied, chuckling quietly.

"So true," Trini agreed.

Kim exhaled. "Whoo."

Trini ran her fingers through her hair after putting down her control. She rubbed her hands together before suppressing a yawn. Kim rose to her feet with a light grunt.

"I am going into the kitchen to get a diet sprite. Do you want one?" Kim wondered.

"Nah. I am not thirsty," Trini responded while shaking her head.

Kim rubbed her nose. "Okey-dokey."

Kim headed into the kitchen. She approached the refrigerator and opened it. She grabbed a diet sprite. She closed it with a loud slam. She returned to the living room. She went to the couch, sitting down. She looked at Trini, who was putting the Sega Genesis in the compartment below the TV. Trini approached the couch to seat herself. Kim opened her sprite and took a long sip.

"Diet soda tastes really good, but it isn't the best thing in the world," Kim said as she placed her sprite on the coffee table.

"We should never drink it in excess. Some regular sodas have two hundred fifty calories and sixty-five grams of sugar in twenty-ounce bottles," Trini mumbled with a disgusted shudder.

"Some people guzzle those sodas down like they are candy. They don't gain any weight due to a high metabolism. They think soda will never affect their health. Unfortunately, they are mistaken. It catches up to them eventually in the form of premature aging, diabetes, and even weight gain," Kim commented seriously.

"Both of us have seen young women with faint wrinkles on their faces from consuming so much soda," Trini replied and cringed badly. "It's likely they had been gobbling down junk food too. They were overweight."

"Their weight may be due to no self-control, having medical conditions, or taking medication that causes weight gain," Kim said matter-of-factly "If it's because of no self-control, it's their own fault. No amount of denial will change that fact. Everyone will see them as fat until they realize it and make a change."

"Oh, yes," Trini agreed, giving a sharp nod. "Anyway, I talked to Jason before dinner. He and I are getting together at his house Wednesday afternoon. We plan to do our homework together. That is if we have any."

"That sounds nice. I bet you will be having lots of sex after you are finished. That is—well, you know," Kim said, giggling to herself.

"Oh, we will," Trini admitted, nodding fast. "Jason is such a great lover. He says I am the better lover in our relationship, but I think otherwise."

"You are lucky your parents are rather easygoing when it comes to sex. My parents always preach to me about abstaining from sex until marriage," Kim said with a shrug. "I respect their view, but I don't agree with it. Humans are hardwired for sex. No amount of preaching abstinence will stop them from engaging in it."

"No," Trini agreed. "Of course, it doesn't stop some people from doing all that preaching, especially toward high school students."

"Some high school freshmen already have cars," Kim said and clicked her tongue twice.

"Yeah. Some were born after Labor Day. They went through T-1 at Angel Grove Elementary when their parents found they weren't ready for first grade. Many were held back due to flunking too many subjects. Others were held back due because they missed too much school since their health was compromised. Not too many sixteen-year-olds are freshmen," Trini explained.

"You got that right," Kim agreed and shrugged. "Still, they are very lucky to be able to drive around."

Trini bit her lip. She couldn't help but feel jealous of the sixteen-year-old freshmen driving cars sometimes. She had no doubt her boyfriend and friends felt the same way. They had to wait another year before they could get their driver's licenses. At least they could take comfort in the fact that their parents were already teaching them how to drive.

"It is interesting some aunts and uncles are just a few years older than their nephews and nieces," Kim murmured.

"No denying that," Trini agreed.

"I'd be laughing my head off if an aunt or an uncle was a child and tried to tell his or her niece or nephew what to do," Kim commented with a laugh.

"I'd be rolling on the floor with laughter," Trini said as she sat up tall and proud. "No one expects nephews and nieces to listen to aunts and uncles who are so close in age to them."

"Hey, Trini. You are my niece. That means you have to do what I say," Kim growled playfully. She pointed her finger at the floor while narrowing her eyes at her. "I want you to drop and give me fifty."

"Unh-unh, Aunt Kimberly," Trini yelled with a fast shake of her head. "You're too young to be in charge of me." She smirked in a wide way.

"Aw! You ruined my fun!" Kim whined and pretended to cry.

"Don't start with the waterworks," Trini retorted, her smirk growing wider. "You are not changing my mind." She gave a sharp nod.

"I will make you change your mind someday," Kim said as she crossed her arms. "I mean it."

"Yeah, right," Trini replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kim ruffled her best friend's hair. Trini gave her a noogie before knocking on her head. She pinched her cheeks while speaking baby talk. Kim grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away. She placed them in the girl's lap.

"My parents were uncertain about going on vacation at first due to Rita's most recent attacks, but they decided to go because they had been planning it for weeks," Kim said, tilting her head somewhat.

"We are very lucky our parents trust us with staying home alone for days. I don't blame them for being uncertain about going on vacations, though. They want us to be safe," Trini whispered, sighing quietly.

"Some parents couldn't care less about their children's safety," Kim grumbled in anger. "Some parents punish their children harshly for making the tiniest mistakes."

Trini cringed badly. "Like beating them for accidentally spilling a drink or food."

Kim let out a small growl. "That's horrible."

Trini nodded in agreement. Kim grabbed her sprite and sipped a little more of it. She smacked her lips before returning it to its spot.

"I like how video games can improve eye-hand coordination," Kim said and licked her lips. "That makes working various jobs much easier."

"I know. You have to keep your eyes on what is in front of you while you're working a machine's controls," Trini said, moving her hands in different directions. "If you make one wrong move, someone could be hurt very badly."

"Or killed," Kim added.

"Exactly," Trini said and laid her hands in her lap. "Anyway, I hope Zordon comes back really soon. I miss him so much."

"I miss him just as much as you do. Though Alpha has guided us well, we still need Zordon's guidance," Kim whispered, swallowing hard.

"Jason and Alpha were determined to keep us from giving up after our brutal defeat at Rita's hands. They knew Zordon wouldn't accept that," Trini responded, sighing heavily. She touched the top of her head. "I feel so ashamed for accepting defeat so easily."

"Me too," Kim agreed regretfully. "Then again, no one could blame us. I mean, we lost the Megazord to a lava pit. The chances of Zordon returning were less than ten percent."

"It took Billy five days to repair everything, even with Alpha and me helping," Trini mumbled. "Who knows how long it will take for Zordon to return?"

"At least Alpha is there to alert us when Rita launches another attack," Kim commented, her voice showing relief. "She could attack at any time."

"I bet she is gloating about her victory right now," Trini said irritatingly. "She loves rubbing her victories in our faces."

"She always underestimates us," Kim said in much determination. "No matter how hard she hits us, we aren't giving up." She nodded sharply.

"That's right," Trini agreed, letting out a fierce growl. She curled her hand into a fist. "We are ready to fight her, even if she happens to be stronger than us right now."

"The most important thing we need to do is break her spell over Tommy," Kim said, biting her lip. Her body started shaking some. "How we need to do it is the question."

"I am clueless," Trini admitted in much regret. "Perhaps Zordon can give us the answer when he returns."

Kim rubbed the back of her neck with both hands. She grabbed her sprite to sip a little more of it. She emitted a quiet sigh before putting it down. She pulled her hair behind her neck.

"Not everything in my life is peachy-keen. My older brother is a deadbeat. He lives in an apartment with his girlfriend two miles from here. He refuses to get a job and lives off her. His name is Brad. His girlfriend's name is Sara Links. He is a drug user," Kim said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Your parents' marriage went through rough patches, including his drug abuse. Your mom suffered a miscarriage of her third child. He was fourteen while you were nine. She sank into a deep depression for six months. She argued with your dad whenever he brought up the subject. He finally had enough of her sinking into a dark hole and confronted her. She broke down in his arms. They mended their marriage," Trini commented and cleared her throat.

"Yeah," Kim said and frowned. "Two years later, Brad began doing drugs after a friend introduced him to them. They included cocaine and pot. He started stealing money from us, so he could buy them. He even pawned my silver crane necklace Dad got me for my eighth birthday for cash." She mumbled inaudible words in Spanish.

Trini became a bit tense. "Your dad was pissed off when he found the pawn receipt in Brad's room. He took it back and got your necklace. Your parents started arguing about what to do with him. He wanted to put him in rehab. She wasn't sure about it because there was a chance he would relapse."

"When Brad overdosed on cocaine, she agreed to put him there. Brad got clean. However, that wasn't the end of it. He refused to get a job after he graduated Angel Grove High a year later than most seniors did. He began seeing Sara. He moved in with her. He began stealing from us again during visits to the house," Kim whispered and clenched her teeth.

"Your father finally had enough," Trini responded and breathed deeply. "He banned Brad from the house. Your mother protested at first, but she relented. Brad has shown up here a couple of times under the influence of pot or alcohol." She shuddered in disgust.

"He would bang on the door and demand to be let in. Dad always refused and threatened to call the police. That made Brad leave every time," Kim said, anger lining her voice. "He is such a loser. Dad told me I wasn't to let him in under any circumstances. If Brad refused to leave, I was to call the police."

"I don't doubt you will follow his instructions," Trini said, winking at her.

Kim showed much pride. "You bet I will."

Trini put her arm around her best friend and gave her a big hug. Kim responded by giving her a bigger one. They stayed this way for thirty seconds before letting go of each other.

"What do you say we have some frozen yogurt?" Kim suggested.

"I am all for that," Trini answered very eagerly. "It's the perfect thing to have for dessert."

"Especially after having a Big Mac and fries," Kim murmured and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yep," Trini said, standing up. "What are we waiting for? Let's get to eating frozen yogurt!"

Kim cheered as she rose to her feet. She and Trini linked arms and headed into the kitchen. They proceeded to sing nonsense.