Pink Ranger Problems

“Fi! How are you doing? How are things going with Scott?” Summer asks.  I open my mouth on instinct, hardly acknowledging where we are.

“He’s amazing as usual! We kissed a couple of days ago and gosh my heart has been soaring ever since?” The words flew out without my input. The youth center's courtyard is blurry, like my eyes refuse to focus. Wait? Kissed? Scott? No. No. No. Not again

“You two are taking it slow, I would have thought you would have kissed on the first day!” The confident valley girl voice is at odds with her too cool for school attitude. Summer is the tough one, what is she doing?

“He’s a gentleman, Summer. He knows how hard adjusting has been. He bought me a dress the other day and…” Adjusting to what? My consciousness drifts away from my body. I'm an outsider. Filia and Summer are sitting at a table, Summer looks normal except for a big wide smile, but Filia's, my, hair is obscuring her face. She doesn't seem bothered by being a girl. She's wearing a beautiful dress covered in pink roses. Her hair's long and flowy, as if it was styled by a professional and the way she sits, the way she talks, the way she giggles, it's all so unabashedly feminine. Is that really me? It couldn’t be right? There is no way that girl and I can both exist. I move my floating camera body around to where Summer is sitting. I need to see the girl's face. 

She doesn't have one. What looks back is a mirror that reflects nothing but the blurry surroundings.

I wake with a start. I need to get my morpher fixed ASAP. These nightmares are the last thing I need before school. I need to be at the top of my game to help Scott.

As per usual, Dad has breakfast done before I wake up. I give him a smile and make a break for the door. There is no time to worry about eating. Not when important things are happening.

"Ryan, please sit down and eat."

"I don't have time, Dad."

"It's eight o'clock you'll make it on time."

"I have to be there early to meet up with Scott."

"Is he alright?"

"I hope so, but I should be there for him in case. Come on Dad."

"Alright, but there's extra food in your lunch."

Dad has been surprisingly chill about the whole Scott being a guy thing. He'd picked us up yesterday after I got exhausted at the youth center and he never acted like anything was out of the ordinary. I was glad. The last thing Scott needed was people gawking at him. 

Arriving at school after the agonising silence of the drive was a god send. I took a deep breath and walked through the door. 

"Ryan! Just the man I wanted to see!" shouted Leo. I scrunched up my face, it was too early for yelling. Too early for the bro act. 

"What's up Leo?" I reply as jovially as possible.

"Well you know how Scott drank the juice?"

"I was there."

"I figured you would be. Anyway, There's a problem." My ears perk up. 

"Are people trying to start trouble?"  

"No, no, release those fists. He's just hot." My face burned. I mean if I was a girl he might be attractive but I wouldn't call him hot. More cute. "You know the mean girls? The ones that used to try and start crap with him?"

"Get to the point, Leo." 

"They've cornered him at his locker. He seems to have shut down. We can't get to him!"

"Shoot thanks, Leo."

Scott had always been good at dealing with asshole guys. They are one of the easiest types of assholes to deal with. Their direct taunting approach is stale, outdated, and can be rebutted by just being stronger. Which Scott is (Why was he allowed to become a superhero!). If they tried to start fights with him he could kick their ass without guilt. Girls on the other hand didn't want anything to do with him. So they laughed at him. Spread rumours behind his back. Acted like he was creepy and was perving on people in change rooms and bathrooms. Homophobic garbage that he couldn't fight back against. Shit that I couldn't protect him against cause I’m just a guy.

I turn the corner to his locker. Four girls surround him, obviously trying to get his attention. A horde of other people who want to see the new guy sit on the outside of the girls. If I was Filia this would be easy, I could just pretend he's my… Nope, not thinking about that. Those dreams are getting to me. 

"Are you dating Alison?"

"Why is a guy like you at her locker?"

"This is mine." I could hear Scott mumbling, but the girls are too stupid to listen.

"Did she move away or something?" 

"Boo."

How can a guy like him, with his straight out of a comic book appearance, look so small? I dart through the horde of people, pushing them if they get between me and my best friend. I have to put on my most manly face. He'd do the same for me. I can be a dudebro for a bit.

"Hey Scott, bro! What are you doing with those girls?" I poke my tongue out at their leader. 

"Back off, Ryan" one hisses.

"How about you back off my boy here and go hit on someone else? He's way out of your league anyway." Using this gruff voice and bro lingo feels wrong somehow. Too forced. Maybe I should bring it back?

"Are you insulting me?"

"Yeah. My friend is way too good for you. He'd never give anyone who treats people like garbage the time of day," I throw my arm around his shoulders in true 'best bro hug' fashion.

"I want to hear it from hi--" she barks.

"Can you leave me alone, Lucy?" Scott is borderline begging. Why does he know her name? 

"Okay, but I'll be back later." Lulu says.

"Please don't." Scott mumbles.

Lacey's face scrunches up in anger and I fail to suppress a chuckle. Lainey is acting like she's never been told no by a guy before. Or just told no before. She storms off angrily and with her leaves most of the crowd. 

As soon as they are out of sight Scott deflates and the tension in his muscles evaporates. Today will be good. It will be if I have to single handedly fight Loopy and her entire gaggle of friends.

"Thanks Ryan."

"Don't mention it. You've pulled me out of worse." I flash him a smile. It's surprisingly easy at the moment. Seeing your friend as fully himself is worth smiling about. "Today is your big day and anyone who makes it worse will have to deal with me."

"Ryan?" He looks puzzled by me. Why is he staring?

"Yeah?"

"From this angle you are adorable." 

"Dude!" My face heats up. He cannot say things like that. Guys aren't meant to be cute!

"What?" I help him out and he mocks me. It's so annoying that my heart starts thumping just a little bit harder. 

"Sorry it's just like. You stood up to them and just. Thanks." Then again maybe some guys are allowed to be cute. Scott for example is kind of cute when he rambles, like an awkward golden retriever. But he's obviously not seeing me as a cute golden retriever, he sees me as a cute cat or something else devoid of masculinity. At least he's being honest though, it's one of his best traits. Like hell am I gonna let some snooty girl like her hit on him. He has so many better options.

"It's fine, just you can't say that. We are both guys, okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get to class. I'd like to clear up my identity before dealing with Lucy again."

---------

"... and so Ryan stood up to her. I owe him one." I stumble as he throws his arms around my shoulder and jostles. Man to man friendships are always a bit pushy I guess. It feels nice being hugged though. Not that I'm going to admit it. 

"I know I asked a general question, but I was hoping to know how people reacted." Summer seems exasperated. Her dark brown hair and eye bags made it always seem like that. Her eyes seemed to dart between me and Scott. Am I paranoid?

Scott shrugs. "Aside from Lucy it doesn't seem like anyone cares. Stingray Cove has enough weirdness at the moment." 

"Yeah. People were more worried about the Anemobot attack." I chime in. 

"Speaking of the attack. How did you get out, Ryan?" asks Summer as she sips her drink. Shit.

"Well uh. I didn't. I was fine. Just a scratch, but I got stuck in the youth center."

"Dude! You didn't tell me? Were there anemobots? Were you okay?" His grip is going to crush me. This labrador of a man was way to unaware of his own strength.

"I was fine there were no Anemobots."

"Phew. I'll try to be there if they appear though." It felt nice to be watched over, even if it was slightly condescending. It was a long time ago.

"Jeez, are you two married now?" Ziggy seems to always know the worst things to say.

"Piss off, Ziggy. He was almost killed by one when he was younger!"

"I'm fine now. Don't worry. Also Scott's a guy, Ziggy."

"Duh. That's not my point. It just seems like you two are more comfortable touching and stuff. I didn't mean to invalidate anyone." Were we more comfortable with touching? I shuffle away from him to be sure I'm not invading his space.

"Isn't this how dude friendships are though?" I ask. I'd been friends with Scott for years and only recently did I get like other guy friends.

"You aren't like that with me?" says Leo.

"I don't know, I'm just not good with people, Leo. Sorry."

"I'm mostly messing with you. We should have a guys night or something." That would be good wouldn't it? Becoming more manly by hanging out more with my masculine friends. Or it'll just be a ploy to emasculate me, either or.

"Ha ha sounds good." I chuckle. Trying to avoid thinking this through more. Trying to fit in with guys is exhausting. I'm not good with people. This would just be another time where I get overwhelmed and Scott has to pull me out.

"Maybe Filia and Summer can have a girls night. Ziggy can go wherever they want."

"You think I'm gonna leave you alone for a second, Leo. You'd probably, I don't know, eat a battery."

"Fair but hey!"

"Do any of you even know how to contact Filia?" Summer asks. Thank the Power I didn't give out any contact details.

"I have a way." Damn it, Scott. 

"Are you sure she would want to talk to you after you displayed your complete lack of subtlety?" I try not to think about what Summer was implying. 

"I wasn't flirting, Summer."

"You picked her up and teased her about blushing. How is that not classic flirting?" Summer argues. I refuse to think about Scott flirting with her. With me. It isn't productive. I need to keep my cool.

"Okay I might have been flirting a little, but come on. She's adorable. Did you see what she was wearing? How could I not flirt a little?" Deep breaths. 

"I'll admit she is cute. Owlish eyes and a round face is an adorable combination, but that wasn't a little flirting. That was like one step away from asking her out two hours after meeting her." This is not happening. I try to maintain a flat face. No emotion will come through.

"I'll dial it back. Would you want to hang out with her more though? Like for a girls night." I silently beg her to say no. There is no way I can do that. I'd have to be a girl for a night, wear make up, dress as a girl, talk like a girl, all to keep up the act that I am a girl. Which I am not. 

"Sure, if she's okay with it." Why are my friends like this?

"I'll try to get hold of her tonight. Then we can--" The bell for the end of lunch rang loudly through school.

"That seems a little early." Ziggy was right.

"Maybe it's an announcement?"

"If it was an announcement they'd put it over the loudspeaker, Leo." I say. It isn't a fire alarm. 

"Let's check it out." Scott decides on behalf of all of us. Damn it