Title: This Much is True

Characters/Pairings: Jason/Trini; Zack/Angela; Tommy/Kimberly; Billy/Marge

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Can't sue me. You know the damn deal.

Settings/Classifications: Romance, Humor, some Drama, Alternate Universe

Spoilers/Notes: Set in season 1, after the "Green With Evil" saga, therefore, Tommy and Kimberly started dating right after he joined the team. Billy and Marge continued their romance after "Peace, Love & Woe". Also, since we never knew Angela and Marge's last names, I'm taking some creative liberty by giving them last names. Angela's last name is Young and Marge's last name is Cosgrove.

Summary: Jason and Trini struggle to come to grips of their growing feelings for each other. With the school dance coming up in two weeks, the red and yellow rangers realize that they either confront their feelings head on or risk having their hearts be broken forever.

Author's note: It's been a while since I wrote a full fledge PR story on here, so I decided to go ahead put one out for you. Keep in mind, I still have "Sweet Sweet Love" to contend with, but that's my first one shot series focusing on my favorite PR couples. This one focuses on the original six power rangers. Hope you enjoy.

Enjoy and happy reading!

Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!

X

Angel Grove High School

Angel Grove, California

January 8th, 1994

It was another typical day at Angel Grove High. Students were hustling and bustling to go to their respective classes, standing out in the hallway gossiping with fellow students about what they did over the holiday break and/or going to their lockers to get what they needed in order to move along.

The big gossip going around the hallways was the school dance coming up in two weeks; the first school dance of the new year. The flyers being posted on the bulletin board said it all. With colorful balloons and streamers perfectly decorated, along with drawings of a teenage boy wearing a Nike tracksuit and a girl dressed up like Cyndi Lauper, the theme of the dance was a throwback to the 80's. Everyone was already bragging about how much of a good time they were gonna have dressing up in 80's memorabilia and dancing to some of the best music the previous decade ever produced.

Heading towards his locker with his red backpack slung over his left shoulder, Jason Lee Scott, red ranger and leader of the power rangers noticed several students gathering around the bulletin board. Wanting to know what they were gossiping about, the baby face teenager went over there to see what was posted on the board.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, which caused one of the members of the cheerleading squad to look at him starry eyed.

"Oh, my God, the school dance is coming up and it's the ode to the 80's!" she squealed, jumping up and down like a fool.

He just shook his head. "Man, didn't we have a dance just before winter break?"

"Yeah, the winter ball, bro. Angel Grove seems to have a habit of hosting dances every two to three weeks, right?" Tommy Oliver, the green ranger and Jason's new sparring buddy said as he joined the crowd that gathered around the bulletin board.

"Yeah, man. Only this time, there's yet another theme. It's a throwback to the 80's," Jason said as he and Tommy headed towards their respective lockers.

"The 80's? You mean the decade that men wore makeup better than women and still was able to get girls?" Tommy laughed as he opened his locker up and began gathering his things for his first class.

Jason laughed and shook his head as he opened up his locker. "Yeah, that decade. And, just for the record, I'm not wearing mascara."

"Noted. So, who are you going to the dance with?" Tommy asked as he closed his locker, having gotten what he needed.

Jason sighed as he leaned against the locker doors. "I haven't asked anyone yet."

"What?! The almighty leader of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers haven't asked a girl to the dance?! What's wrong with you?!" Tommy asked, feigning shock.

Jason just rolled his eyes in annoyance. "A, don't ever do that again. And B, I just haven't asked anyone yet. I have two weeks to figure it out."

Tommy placed his hand on Jason's broad shoulder. "Bro, I think I know who your date for the dance should be."

"Oh, yeah? Who?" Jason asked, rolling his eyes again.

"Well, let's see, I'm going with Kimberly, so that's a given. Zack's still pining for Angela, Billy and Marge are pretty much inseparable, so that just leaves one more dateless power ranger available. I'm pretty sure you know who she is," Tommy said, narrowing his eyes at the leader of the power rangers.

Jason's brown eyes were quickly widened in shock. "Trini?! You're talking about Trini?! Dude, I can't ask her to go to the dance with me; that's insane!"

"Why not? For the brief time I've been living in Angel Grove, I could see a lot of potential between you and Trini. After all, you two seemed to have a lot in common," Tommy pointed out.

"Man, she sees me as nothing more than a friend. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's beautiful, she's smart and she stands up for what she believes in. She can have any guy she wants and yours truly isn't one of them. Why the hell would she want to go to the dance with the likes of me?" Jason asked as he grabbed his books out of his locker and closed it quickly.

Tommy just shook his head. "Jase, like you said before, you have two weeks to figure out who you're gonna go to the dance with. I'm just telling you as a friend that I think you and Trini would be a good fit together. Don't let this opportunity pass you by."

"Yeah, like that's really gonna happen. I'll see you later," Jason said as he turned on his heel and started heading towards his first class. With his conversation with Tommy still lingering in his head, the red ranger just shook his head. There's no way in hell that he would conjure up enough strength to ask Trinity 'Trini' Kwan to the school dance.

We're just friends, nothing more, nothing less, a voice in his head said as he stepped inside the classroom.

Meanwhile, Trini, her best friend Kimberly Hart and their fellow friends and teammates Zachary 'Zack' Taylor and William 'Billy' Cranston were heading toward their math class. They were also talking about the upcoming 80's school dance themselves; from what they were gonna wear, to who they were going with. It was pretty much a given that Kimberly was going with her boyfriend Tommy, Billy was taking Marge and Zack was doing everything he can to try and win Angela Young over.

Which leaves Trini, the only dateless female member of the power rangers. She didn't know if she's even gonna go to the dance at all because, so far, no boy had even asked her.

"I'm thinking of going as Mary Lou Retton; seeing that she won a Olympic Gold metal in gymnastics back in 1984. What about the rest of you?" Kimberly asked as she was glancing through the flyer one of the students handed to her as she was walking through the hallways.

"Oh, man, you know the Zack man has to represent the Hip Hop culture, so I'm dressing up as a B-boy. I'm still trying to get Angela to go with me, though," Zack said, grinning foolishly.

Billy could only roll his eyes and laugh. "Well, Marge and I are thinking of going as scientists; a la Thomas Dolby "She Blinded Me With Science". I've always loved that video. What about you, Trini?"

The fearless and gorgeous yellow ranger looked at her friends with a blank expression on her face. "Uh, I don't know if I'm even going at all."

"No way! Well, why not?" Kim asked as they finally made their way towards their Calculus class.

"No one asked me," Trini simply said.

"You're joking, right? Not one person asked Trinity Kwan to the dance?" Zack asked, feigning shock.

"I'm serious, guys. No one asked me. So, I don't know if I'm even going at all," Trini replied as they went inside the classroom and found their respective seats.

"I don't understand why anyone would not ask Trini to the dance. I mean, she's beautiful, she's talented and she's smart. Any boy would be lucky to be with her. This is most unfortunate," Billy said as he pulled his notebook out of his backpack.

Suddenly, Kim's face was beaming with an idea. "Hey, guys, I just thought of something. There's another member of the team who doesn't have a date to the dance yet."

"Who?" Billy and Zack asked at the same time.

"Jason. Come on, it makes perfect sense. We all know they like each other. All they need to do is just to be steered in the right direction," Kim told her male friends.

"Well, there's a major problem with your idea, Kim: Jason and Trini are oblivious to their feelings for each other. They don't want to ruin the lifelong friendship they have," Zack said, shaking his head.

"Zack's right, Kimberly. I just don't see Jason and Trini being with each other," Billy jumped in, agreeing with Zack.

As they continued conversing with each other, they failed to notice that Trini was sitting in close proximity to them and was listening to every word they said. Who in their right mind would ever consider her and Jason as a couple? Sure, he was strong, kind hearted, shows incredible leadership skills and is gorgeous as sin, but seeing him as her boyfriend was almost kind of laughable; at least to her.

For one, she felt she wasn't in his league. Jason could have any girl he wants because of his 'movie star' good looks and killer smile. And it's not like she's ugly because she's clearly not. Trini was very beautiful and she could have any boy she wants, but for some reason, boys are intimidated by her because she was smart and tough; which is one of the reasons why she doesn't have a boyfriend. Furthermore, she and Jason had known each other since they were 8 years old, so any thoughts of a romantic relationship between them, even in that time was way out of the question.

It didn't matter, though. Trini still has a little bit of time to figure out what to do. As she pulled her notebook out of her backpack to prepare for the lesson ahead, she couldn't get the image of Jason (and his beautiful smile) out of her mind.

Get it together, Trini. You and Jason are never gonna happen. Just accept it and move on. There are more important things to worry about, a voice in her head said.

But, fate would have other plans for them in the long run.

X

Angel Grove Youth Center/Juice Bar

Angel Grove, California

January 8th, 1994

Jason, Tommy, Kim and Zack were sitting at a nearby table at the juice bar, sipping their respective drinks and were just relaxing, chatting away about the upcoming dance, which was still a hot button topic at school.

As they continued to talk amongst themselves, Angel Grove High's resident bumbling bullies Bulk and Skull decided to make their presence known by strolling themselves inside the bar. Immediately, they spotted their favorite victims sitting at the table and trotted right over to them, Skull's unmistakable laugh radiating throughout the juice bar.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't our favorite group of pinheads?" Bulk said, causing the four friends to raise their heads up and glare at the hulking teenager and his bumbling sidekick.

"What do you want, Bulk? Don't you have an all you can eat buffet to go to?" Jason said, causing everyone (including Skull) to laugh.

Bulk wasn't amused. "Oh, wow, tough words from a muscle brain like you."

"Well, at least this muscle brain doesn't get detention every single day and cause Mr. Caplan to lose his toupee all the time. I mean, seriously, Bulk, he's gonna be charging you rent at the rate you're going," Jason retorted back, causing Bulk to get angry. He didn't move from his spot right away because he was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move.

Meanwhile, Skull came up right behind Kim, who was sitting next to Tommy and wrapped his arm around her. Looking up at him in disgust, she quickly removed his arm away from her and scooted closer to her boyfriend.

"Come on, Kim, when are you gonna go out with me?" Skull asked, feigning hurt on his face.

Kim just rolled her eyes. "First of all, I don't date neanderthals. Second of all, I have a boyfriend. Third of all, how about a quarter past never?!"

"Furthermore, you two are just a bad dream. Why don't you just go away?" Tommy jumped in, wrapping his arm around the pink ranger tightly.

"Oh, yeah, we'll go away all right. After I do this!" Bulk screamed as he started to lunge at the occupants at the table, however, the unmistakable sounds of his pants being ripped stopped him right into his tracks.

Jason, Zack, Tommy, Kim and Skull all burst out laughing. Bulk was frozen in his spot, looking absolutely embarrassed and humiliated. He looked over his shoulder and by using his head, ushered Skull to help him out. The sidekick immediately stopped laughing and rushed right over to his friend's side and grabbed his pants, then proceeded to yank them together. However, by doing that, Bulk's pants were completely ripped, leaving him in his boxer shorts. Everyone at the juice bar laughed even louder.

"Skull, you dimwit!" Bulk screamed as he tried to go after his sidekick; only for him to trip and fall flat on his face. The unmistakable laughter continued to bounce off the walls as he kept attempting to chase Skull right out of the juice bar.

"Don't those two ever give up?" Tommy chuckled as he picked up his cup off the table and proceeded to take a sip of his drink.

"Unfortunately, no. But, what can you do about it?" Zack asked, shrugging his shoulders.

The four teens continued to sip their drinks until Kim spoke up. "So, Jason, you know the dance's coming up in two weeks. Have you asked anyone yet?"

Jason just stared at his 'little sister' in confusion. "Uh, no. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Trini doesn't have a date, so we think it'll be best that you go with her," Kim suggested with a grin.

"Kim, come on, don't go there," Zack warned, glaring at his spunky friend.

"Okay, first of all, Tommy and I had that conversation earlier today and I told him that it was never gonna happen," Jason pointed out.

"Well, why not? And don't give me that 'we're just friends' speech because clearly you two like each other," Kim said, rolling her eyes.

Jason narrowed his eyes at her. "We're just friends, Kim; nothing more, nothing less. I have two weeks to figure out who I'm gonna take to the dance or else I'm not gonna go at all. Now, do me a favor and let it go."

He grabbed his things and walked out of the juice bar, leaving Tommy, Kim and Zack behind. They both looked at her with stony expressions on their faces.

"What?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Kim, that wasn't cool. If and only if Jason and Trini decide to go to the dance together, it should be on their terms, not ours," Zack scolded.

She rolled her eyes once again. "Oh, come on, I was just trying to help."

Tommy leaned over and kissed her forehead gently. "Zack's right, though, hon. It should be up to them to figure out what they want. The best thing for us to do is stay out of it, okay?"

She didn't say another word, but she slowly nodded her head. As much as it pained her to do so, they were right. It was best for her to just stay out of it and let Jason and Trini figure it out themselves.

She just hoped that they figure it out before it's too late.

Meanwhile, Jason was heading out of the building and was about to head home when he saw her. Trini Kwan. The fearless and beautiful yellow ranger. She was getting into her car and was heading home herself. For some reason, his heart was pounding furiously against his chest and his breath was caught in his throat at the sight of her. Shaking his head quickly, he realized that he can't be having these kinds of thoughts about his female best friend. It was just plain wrong.

Face it, Scott, you're in love with her. The only question is, do you have the guts to do something about it or are you gonna let someone else come in and take her away from you?

Shaking his head one more time, he headed towards his car, letting his inner voice drift in the back of his mind.

He was not in love with Trinity Jade Kwan.

Or is he?

Coming up in the next chapter: Jason and Trini have an encounter at school, which leads to a surprising moment between them. A song being played on the radio further complicates and confirms their feelings for each other. Will they get it together before the dance or will they just keep it bottled up inside? Stay tuned!

New chapter of Sweet Sweet Love has been posted. Make sure you check it out.

And I'm working on a brand new one shot story starring Jason and Aisha. It's called Dancing Under The Moonlight and I'll have it out for you soon.

Please review!