Disclaimer: If there were wet t-shirt contests at this rally, they happened off-screen. Buena Vista owns the Power Rangers.

Rally
by Starhawk

It wasn't the screaming that surprised him so much as the enthusiastic charge down the hillside. The last of the two o'clock chase races went to Blake, and Tori wouldn't have any voice left if she kept this up. She was the first one to run for the finish line, but Dustin's longer legs easily outpaced her.

Shane was right behind them, and for a few minutes none of them were paying any attention to the two Rangers that lagged behind. Cam glanced over at Hunter, who was wearing a self-satisfied smirk. "Left 'em in the dust," he declared, as smugly as though it had been his own victory.

It had been, only minutes before. They had cheered just as loudly for Hunter, and if they hadn't run him down the way they were currently swarming Blake, it was only because the finish line was off-limits until the last race of the hour. He had joined them anyway, helmet under his arm and mud splashed liberally across his racing gear. Cam couldn't figure out how he got so dirty on a dry track.

"That last corner could have been a little tighter," he remarked, his gaze drawn--or forced--back toward the Unofficial Blake Fan Club. "He went into it too quickly."

He could hear the sneer in Hunter's voice as the Crimson Ranger demanded, "A few lessons and suddenly you're an expert?"

Cam didn't answer, just continued to pick his way down the hill in silence. After a moment, Hunter admitted grudgingly, "He didn't know the guy behind him was so far back. He could have given up speed on the straightaway for control around the turn."

"But that's not what the trials are for," Cam finished for him.

This time Hunter sounded like he was smirking. "Fast learner. Didn't think you were listening."

"I wasn't the first five times you told me," Cam shot back.

Hunter was undeterred. "Points for persistence, then."

Someone bowled into him from behind, and Hunter steadied him automatically. The person who'd hit him shouted an apology over their shoulder as they continued on their way, but Cam was too busy jerking his arm away from Hunter to care. "Don't," he hissed under his breath.

"What?" Hunter was all innocence and offended dignity. "I didn't run into you!"

Cam made a show of brushing himself off. "Blake's watching."

He had the satisfaction of seeing Hunter's head whip around, staring over at the group by the finish line. Cam couldn't resist. "Made you look," he taunted.

"He is," Hunter muttered, barely audible.

"What?" Cam followed his gaze. Blake was gesturing to something on the other side of the track, apparently as oblivious as the others to their reluctant approach.

Hunter shrugged a little. "Blake was watching. Not like he saw anything, since all I did was catch you."

"You didn't catch me," Cam retorted without thinking. Then, in an effort to forestall further argument, he changed the subject quickly. "I can't help noticing that Blake isn't muddy."

He could feel Hunter's odd look, and he tried not to wince. Obvious physical comparisons could get him into as much trouble as anything, here, since it implied he was looking. But it was too late now, so he just returned Hunter's look with an even stare of his own.

"Blake was out in front the whole time," Hunter said at last, not even pretending to not understand. "Besides," he added dryly, "being neat is part of his image."

And being muddy was part of Hunter's. Cam didn't need the clarification to know that. Why that didn't bother him, though... that was a whole other question. One that he didn't feel like thinking about right now.

"Nice race, bro," Blake called, as they came up on the little group gathered around his bike. He had an arm around Tori's shoulders, giving her a squeeze when she agreed.

Hunter shifted his helmet to his other arm, slapping Blake's bike in what was probably an affectionate gesture. "Back at you," he answered. "Looked good out there."

"Hey, is anyone else hungry?" Shane wanted to know. He was clearly long past the congratulations stage and ready for the next activity. "Because I'm starving, and that barbecue is looking pretty good."

"Sure," Dustin put in. "I could definitely go for something, like, non-vegetarian and really, really--"

"Really good for you," Tori interrupted. "That's what you were going to say, right?"

Dustin looked puzzled, but Shane intervened before he could dig himself any deeper. "Yeah," the Red Ranger said quickly. "That's what he meant. We'll meet you there, okay?"

Tori just hooked her fingers in the pockets of her jeans and rolled her eyes.

"Right," Blake agreed for all of them. "We'll catch up."

The guys had barely turned away when Dustin called over his shoulder, "You coming, Cam?"

Cam hesitated, but there wasn't really any reason for him to stay. No ostensible reason. Reluctantly he headed after the Wind Rangers, annoyed all over again that he had let himself get talked into this rally. There were a lot of things he could be doing right now that didn't involve Shane and Dustin's running commentary on the relative "sick"-ness of bikes.

It was less irritating when Hunter did it, he told himself. That was the only reason he put up with it from the Crimson Ranger. That and the fact that Hunter had never once used the word "sick" to mean "good".

"Cam!"

The shout brought his head up automatically, and just ahead of him, he saw Shane and Dustin pause too. Turning, Cam caught sight of a girl that looked only vaguely familiar but clearly recognized him. He squinted, trying to figure out why she was waving at him.

"Hey Cam!" She grounded beside him, long hair flying as she stopped moving long enough to grin and greet him again. She didn't look at all flustered to be out of breath, as though she flitted about like this all the time. "How's it going?"

He waved the others off casually, hoping they got the message. He wasn't about to introduce them to someone whose name he couldn't even remember. "Fine," he said, a little warily. "You?"

To his relief, he could see Shane and Dustin moving off in the direction they'd been headed before. The girl glanced after them briefly, a sharp look that was just enough to let him know she knew they were together. Then she was smiling at him again, responding, "Great! I'm not retaking Differential Equations again, so who's complaining?"

It finally clicked. She had been in his study group last semester, determined but falling behind the moment it got abstract, as it had the second day of class. She hadn't given up, though, and he remembered personally tutoring her on several occasions. It seemed another lifetime now.

"Congratulations," he said, smiling a little at her undimmed enthusiasm. "You tutoring for the class this semester, then?"

"No!" She gave him a look of mock-horror. Or maybe real horror, with her it was hard to tell and she'd had an awfully hard time of it. "I'm staying as far away as I can! The last thing anyone needs is me in the same building while they're studying for that class.

"What are you doing this semester?" she added, switching tracks and surprising him with her sudden curiosity. "I haven't seen you anywhere, and you're always in the labs on the weekend." Giving their surroundings a pointed glance, she suggested impishly, "Taking up sports in your spare time?"

He folded his arms, reaching up to adjust his glasses uncomfortably. "I'm, uh... I'm taking some time off. My dad... he needs me at home this semester. It's sort of a family thing."

"Oh." She went from mocking to sympathetic in a single breath. "I'm sorry, Cam. If there's anything I can do, let me know."

"Sure," he said neutrally. "Thanks."

Her gaze flicked over his shoulder, the only warning he had before a familiar voice grumbled, "There you are."

He stiffened as the Crimson Ranger came just close enough to make the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Hunter did imposing and unamused like no one else Cam knew, and he didn't have to look to know that Hunter was doing it now. He didn't even bother to say anything, just waited for one of them to fill in the silence.

"This is Kirti," Cam said, forcing himself to sound casual. "We've taken some classes together. Kirti, Hunter. He's a friend of mine, from..." Here he found himself at a loss.

"Way back," Hunter supplied, reaching around Cam to offer his hand to Kirti. "We have a lot of history."

While the latter was arguably true, the former definitely was not. Kirti, however, was the picture of politeness. "Nice to meet you," she said, giving him the same unreserved smile she had bestowed upon Cam. "I guess you're the one that dragged Cam here?"

"That's right," Hunter agreed without hesitation. "Good for him to get out once in a while."

She just smiled, and Cam knew Hunter could have picked more receptive people to say that to. But Kirti was nothing if not friendly, and she stayed for a few more minutes, exchanging idle remarks with him while ignoring Hunter's subdued but unmistakable hostility. Finally, though, she excused herself and escaped back into the crowd.

"I don't need a bodyguard," Cam snapped, as soon as she was out of earshot.

Hunter didn't so much as twitch. "Who said you had one?"

"You could loom less and converse more," Cam told him irritably.

Hunter spread his hands to the side in exasperation. "Barely dating and he's already trying to change me. If I wanted self-help books I'd get a girlfriend!"

Cam ignored everything after the first two words. "We're not dating!"

"My point," Hunter agreed. Eyes fixed somewhere on the horizon, his next words stopped Cam cold. "You wanna be?"

In the middle of formulating another retort, Cam could only gape at him.

Hunter's gaze caught his and slid away again, down to the ground this time as he shifted uncomfortably. "I mean, you want to go on a date," he clarified. "You know... with me?"

Cam couldn't suppress the urge to look over his shoulder. He didn't mean to, but he found himself asking, "And do what?"

Hunter just shrugged. "Whatever."

Apparently that was all he was going to get out of Hunter. On the other hand, as far as he knew, it was more than anyone else had ever gotten out of Hunter. "Maybe," he said slowly, wondering what he was doing. His dad was going to flip.

"Cool." Hunter took that as an affirmative, as per usual. "You busy tonight?"

fin