People Like Us

Author's Note: WARNING FOR BULLYING Written in response to a prompt in a old server I used to run. The prompt was "fear".

With a groan, Lady rose to her feet. Her body swayed as she tried to gain her balance and sense of direction. Hell, even just figuring out what had just happened would be great. Nausea washed over her as her muscles ebbed with pain. It reminded her of the times she fought alongside the other Rangers without a Morpher in the past. The sheer power of will had allowed her to shift into the Purple Ranger, shocking just about everyone that was involved with the Power Rangers in some way.

The look on Billy's face must've been priceless when he found her slumped over, three seconds away from barfing out Ernie's vegetarian chilli, in the alleyway. She had no way of knowing. He had his helmet on after all.

Pain split itself through her skull when she had finally felt steady enough to take a step forward. “Jesus Christ,” she muttered, sinking to her knees and then falling back on her ass. 'Is this how it feels when Zack uses the Power Axe on you?!'

Zack.

Images of the last few hours, or what she thought was the last few hours, flew through her mind. Zack and everyone at the Youth Center, watching him practice for some competition. Her dipshit friends ragging on him to try to psyche him out. Her doing nothing and laughing along with it.

Her stomach churned at the memory. It wasn't the familiar post-fight nausea kind of churning either.

“You fucking jackass,” she muttered, slamming a fist into her stomach. The urge to punch a hole into her stomach and rip out the guilt snaking its way through her ribs was never as powerful as it was that moment. Well, that time in the bathroom stall after she told Bulk to throw Billy into the Gardening Club's compost bin was a close second. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on trying to piece together what happened. There'd be a better time for beating herself up later.

Bulk's stupid dance battle with Zack that completely wrecked his shit. Zack leaving. Everyone, including her, going to look for him. Rita's monster and the Zords malfunctioning and a portal and then...?

Well, here she was.

After getting up for the second time, Lady began to wander the area. It was warm, sunny, a bunch of lush tropical, at least she thought they were tropical, plants surrounding her. It was nice. Or, it would've been nice if it was any other time than this. Her stomach continued to churn as she walked. It was wrong. Something was wrong. Rita obviously dropped her, and the others, here.

Shit. Where were the others?

On impulse, she brought her right wrist up to her lips. “H-hey, guys, where are...” She stopped, realizing the cool feeling of steel against her skin wasn't there. She rubbed her wrist. Nothing. Wanting to rule it out, she even lifted up her trademark sunglasses to confirm that her communicator wasn't there.

Ice water pumped itself through her veins all at once.

Her hands trembled as she patted her body for anything. Did she take it off and put it in her pockets?! Wait, where was her Morpher?! What the fuck! Did she drop them during the fall? Shit, shit, shit, shit. She spun on her heel, her cherry red pigtails whipping her in the face, and dashed back to where she thought she was.

The dull sound of her sneakers against damp dirt disappeared. Instead, there was the sound of her shoes squeaking against linoleum. The trees faded into stained, off-white walls decorated in photocopies of student elections and fundraisers for a new gym floor and rows of yellow and brown lockers.

“Hey, Lady~!”

Lady froze.

Her heart throbbed as she slowly turned around.

A white girl an inch or two taller than her was there. Her neat, chestnut brown hair sweeping over her brown eyes that gleamed dangerously as she stepped forward, forcing Lady backwards.

“A-Amanda...?” Lady choked out. “Aman...da... M-Myers?”

Amanda sneered as she moved forward once again. Her hand reached out and shoved Lady hard in the shoulder. “Yeah, who else? Wow, I knew you were stupid but I didn't think you were forgetful!”

Lady clenched her jaw and her hands, her nails digging into her now sweaty palms. There was another shove, this one a little harder than the last but not enough to knock her over.

“What the hell are you wearing? Oh my god, are you, like, trying to be all tough now? You think that's gonna scare me, you fucking nerd?”

“N-no...” Lady mumbled, stumbling back when she was shoved again. With hesitation, she glanced over her shoulder. Her heart dropped. She was an inch away from the top of the stairs.

“Yeah, I know. You ran all the way to California after all!” Amanda laughed, reaching out for the other girl who tensed up. Instead of pushing her, she just grabbed the end of Lady's ponytail. She leaned forward, her lips basically against Lady's ear.“Red suits you, y'know.”

Lady squeezed her eyes tight before trying to pull away with her hand reaching for the wall beside the stairs, only for Amanda to grip tighter and keep her in place. She winced, hunching over a bit to try to take the pressure off her scalp. Though, it did nothing, as Amanda gripped tighter and pulled her upwards.

“It really hurt when you pushed me down the fucking stairs, Lady.”

“I-I...” Her mouth felt dry as she looked up at the brunette. “I-I'm...”

“'I-I-I-I-I'm...' what? Are you gonna apologize? Why bother, I know you wouldn't mean it. You're such a liar after all. Your best friends don't even know about what happened here! I bet it felt good right? That's why you keep doing these kinda things, right? You just can't help yourself! That's why you're such a mean girl now. ”

“I-I'm not—!!!”

“Pffft, fuck off with that!” There was another yank on her hair. “You stuff your crush or whatever he is into lockers and into the trash for fun! You bashed that one girl's face into a locker until her nose broke! You made her boyfriend puke! Then you stole the poor girl's friends to be your posse to bully other losers! I, at least, just kept it to you and only you!”

Lady held her breath.

Sharkie's face before and after it was slammed into painted metal flashed into her head. Blood dripping from her nose and mouth and splattering onto the locker. Her boyfriend vomiting then passing out in pain. Bulk sheepishly asking if he and Skull can start hanging out with her the next week.

“Maybe I should move to Angel Grove, huh? We'd get along great now, I bet.”

“Why... why would—”

“You're so mean and all that now. We're exactly the same! Though, do I need to dress up like such a try hard? Hmmm... Maybe I could make it work... I'd look so cute in a leather jacket, don't you think?”

Lady bit her lip. Her heart hammered in her chest. It felt like it and her eardrums were going to explode from how fast it was going. She squeezed her eyes shut once again.

“Hey, I'M TALKING TO YOU, LADY,” Amanda screamed as she yanked the other closer to her face.

“I-I'msorryI'msorryI'msorrypleasestoppleasestoppleasestop—”

“What? You want me to stop? Did you stop picking on him when his friends came to talk to you about it? Did you tell your friends to stop and leave Zack alone today?”

Lady swallowed and shook her head.

“Yeah, that's right. Now you're being honest for once!” Amanda's grip softened. Lady relaxed some. “Y'know, on second thought, maybe we wouldn't get along after all... You're so mean. Too mean for me. I think you need to be taught a lesson.”

Lady's eyes shot open as Amanda pushed her back. As she fell, she saw her feet, then legs and torso begin to disappear as her bully's smile widened.

end