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There was a certain majesty to the cliffs above the construction site, Trini had to admit. There were sweeping views of forests, there was a roaring river, there was ample space to explore, and most importantly: there was solitude. There was no box to contain her here: overbearing parents and clueless teachers were miles away, as insignificant as a pebble on the ground.
Pounding bass lines and punishing drum solos swept her worries away as she plugged her headphones in. Her hands stretched above her head, back straightening as she extended to the sky. If she tried really hard, she could almost imagine herself racing clear across the desert, escaping it all and never looking back.
But then she sensed a disturbance in the air around her. Her eyes opened, bringing her right back to the ground. Billy stood before her with an earnest smile on his face, lips moving at a mile a minute. With years of practice under her belt, she understood perfectly, popping her earbuds out and passing him a bottle of water---though not without digging her heels just the slightest bit further into the ground. When she did not find herself tossed over a cliff, she relaxed, sitting on a nearby boulder and patting a spot to invite him.
"Thanks, I needed that," Billy panted, still smiling. He sat precisely in the spot she'd designated---close enough to be friendly, but with an acceptable amount of personal space.
"Okay, I know that's not why you followed me," she laughed, finally taking a good look at him. She finally noticed the well-worn Discman in his hands, contrasted with modern headphones hanging on his neck. "Didn't those things go the way of the dinosaur forever ago?"
"This? It was my dad's. I take it to lunch sometimes, 'cause I have the old songs we used to listen to. I had it in the hall when I was studying for the trigonometry final, and then I had a run-in with another bully..."
"Do I have to hurt someone." Trini said darkly, cracking her knuckles.
"No! No. That's definitely unnecessary. Please don't," he said in a rush, making eye contact just enough to ensure she'd relented before letting out a breath and turning back to the quarry. "No one's tried it it since...well, that thing I think Kim told you about. The bullies think I've mastered a secret sci-fi anti-bully-forcefield technique. And I think I have, in a way. But that doesn't mean I don't hear them in the halls. Talking about how I'm weird. It's all weird," he answered, with the heavy heart born from hearing that word too many times.
"Oh---I'm sorry," she said quietly. "But what bug was up their butts this this time? The Discman? Or..."
"Mostly the country music," he answered with a small smile (and twitch of his mouth at her phrasing). "They think that's old and outdated too, like you said the dinosaur. But the dinosaurs are kind of back, aren't they? Since we pilot Dinozords. Though they're not organic, they're still cool enough that most people don't really care about the difference. Did you see the new science museum exhibit yet?"
"Yeah, those animatronics were pretty big---not as awesome as our Zords, obviously. But why'd you bring that out here?" she asked again, nodding to the family artifact. At the mention of it, Billy ran his hands over the familiar buttons again, popping the lid open to reveal a burned CD, with a title scribbled on the front in faded black marker.
Trini rolled her eyes. "Mind Your Own Biscuits? Seriously?"
"And life'll be gravy! Is what it says down there. That's our 'funny songs' mix. We have three more. And I brought it 'cause I wanted to try what you do up here," Billy admitted, extending a palm in front of him in some imitation of a yoga pose. "The yoga exercises. It's supposed to be good for the mind and body."
Trini gently reached for the Discman and popped it open when Billy passed it to her, squinting at the track list. "It's been good for me. I don't usually do the sun salutation to a song about a pig's eye, but...hey, why not?"
"Because it's funny, see? You're smiling. Anyway, I saw you do this before, Trini, and I thought it looked fun. Like something I might want to do. There's no excessive stimulation out here, no overcrowding, no barrage of noise. If I'd stayed there any longer, I'd probably be doing detention into next year," Billy sighed, clutching the discman tight. He didn't elaborate further, but Trini could see in his eyes exactly which thoughts he meant. She'd surely felt the same at points.
"No you wouldn't. You'd call us and we'd get you out of there, but...you're right. This'll help. So, lesson number one---" and Trini was already standing up and brushing off her jeans, gesturing for him to follow with her usual little smile. "Balance. Just stand straight, really feel the ground under your feet."
Billy bounced up on the balls of his feet as he joined her, though he settled after an amused glance from her. "And imagine the rotation of the earth? Its mass keeping us from flying off into the atmosphere?"
"Sure, if that helps. And once you're standing, breathe. Suck in the air, blow out all the awful things you don't need in your head."
"Uh, Trini, I don't think that's how thought works."
"I mean---you don't want your thoughts distracting you when you're doing this. So it helps to think about breathing. In and out. Nice and slow. And...actually, yeah. That music's a good idea."
"You think so?" Billy asked, hopeful.
"Yeah. That's a good rhythm to breathe to. In and out, slowly. And when we move into position..."
And Billy did precisely that. Trini balanced with him, eventually coming to enjoy the tunes---the opposite of her usual workout music, but there was a certain beauty in that. She started with basic motions, progressing through the poses nice and slowly. Billy really was a good listener---earnest but not obnoxious, unlike...
"Hey, can I join you?"
Think of the daredevil and he shall appear. Billy's eyes lit up at the sight of his friend's appearance, as they always did, and Trini greeted him with an eye-roll that had become fond over these last few months.
"I didn't think you were interested in peace and quiet," Billy said happily, echoing the question that was undoubtedly on Trini's mind.
"What, I can't try a new workout? It's got everything I look for. Good friends, danger, silly music."
"Uh...danger?" Trini cut in.
"Balancing on the cliff! You know, walking on the knife's edge?"
"And then landing in the trenches by the train tracks, forcing the rest of us to bail you out before the cops found out," Trini muttered.
"Hey, that was one time! And you think it's my fault Jason thinks he can leapfrog over thiree train cars?"
"As I recall, you made that bet," muttered another amused voice. Jason and Kimberly arrived to round out the group, each balancing a backpack over one shoulder and smiling at the group.
"And you took me up on it!" Zack shot back, mock-hurt crossing his features.
"And we all paid the price in training the next day," Kim chimed in, rubbing her shoulder in rememberance. She locked eyes with Trini first, then surveyed the group---Billy still stretched sideways, Zack making a show of imitating the pose in an exaggerated fashion, and Jason glancing back up at Kim, wondering what on earth was going on.
"So, uh, guys? How about those yoga lessons, huh? Nice, safe yoga lessons?" Billy asked, his face twisted up in mild discomfort as he edged slightly away from the cliff. Much to his relief, the group followed, but the mischief sparked in their eyes.
"Oh, is that what this is? I thought we were about to see another red-yellow throwdown," Kim laughed, feigned disappointment crinkling her eyebrows. "You're teaching, Trini?"
"Yeah, you learning?" And just like that, she slipped into the next pose. "We're gonna make like a tree next, but don't leave."
"If your next pun's that terrible, I'm going to," Jason promised, but the group knew of course it was an empty threat.
"We were all rooting for you!" Zack chimed in.
Billy made a 'ba-dum-tish!' sound with his mouth. earning a 'yeah' from Zack. Ah, he finally had the hang of that timing.
"You're all horrible, so, know what? I'm gonna stay and supervise," Jason decided, taking the next position with a balance that was almost graceful.
"Wouldn't know what to do without you, boss," Kim laughed, stretching her arms to the sky like a crane.
Trini could let the barbs keep coming, but if they didn't get on with the lesson now, they never would. And she knew just who to count on for that: her most faithful student. She caught Billy's eye once more, nodding---and his answering smile was golden, as usual, so she suspected nothing.
"I think we're ready to branch out, Trini." His voice was even, but he looked so pleased with himself that Jason's answering sputter was cut short.
"Billy!"
"Nice one!"
"My man!"
They were clearly getting nowhere fast tonight. Trini simply shrugged, smiled, and nodded to Billy, who turned the music back on. They'd soon learn that Whip That Cow was no laughing matter.
Unless you were Billy. He swept his gaze over his friends as he stretched into a bridge, unable to fully contain his snorts of laughter. It wasn't exactly perfect breathing for a pose like this, but...for now, at least, his worries were as far away as those tiny pebbles on the ground below. And there was a certain geological beauty to that.