A/N: Hellooo! This story continues after Dimension X-treme where we were introduced to Kala. In this story, we meet another character from the original TV series and drop them into the 2k12 universe. I hope you enjoy!It's my next most-wanted dream episode! I've come to notice a continuing theme in the stories I write for my favorite foursome; I just want them to find love!
…
Chapter1- Mean Teen
Lisa Kingsley is a beautiful, popular high school girl. She's smart, charming, excels in her studies, the head of multiple committees such as the drama team, the dance club and, most importantly, this year's school spring dance. Everyone looks at her with awe or envy, is trusted by her teachers and admired by her peers. Yes, Lisa seems to have it all, but to her, success in school is not enough. At home, she is the only child of two very success-driven individuals. Her mother and father graduated with honors from the two of the best universities in the country. They work hard and have built a little empire with Lisa as their darling princess. But… out of everything they could afford to give Lisa, their time was their most precious possession and shared very little with her. So long as Lisa kept up on her schoolwork and brought home all A's, her father was happy. So long as Lisa stayed pretty, stayed well dressed, and kept the 'right' company, her mother was happy. But what makes Lisa happy?
"Herpetology." She answers her father over family dinner, a very rare event in the Kingsley household. Both of her parents are on 'layover' in New York before they leave out again heading to different continents. So it made sense for them to come home and be with each other. Lisa doesn't know how they do it, but her parents are madly in love though they seem to be living lives divided. Dinnertime is when the three sit together in the grand family dining room, feast on delicious food from a world-renown chef and sip flavorful wine from the best vineyards. And it's always the same conversation but Lisa doesn't mind, just as long as they talk to her. First Mother shares stories of her trips and business ventures. Then Father shares stories about his meetings and lectures.
Lisa watches her parents banter back and forth, so full of life and excitement and pride in each other's work. They'd usually ask Lisa about school and her performance, and the length of her hair and her girlfriends. But this is the first time her parents ask about the future. She is a junior now and should start getting her portfolio together for college. So when her father asks her what she wants to study in college, she gets a silent stare from Mother and a raised brow from Father.
"Come again?" Father asks.
"I'd like to enter university as a science major, my focus on herpetology." Lisa elaborates.
"Now correct me if I'm wrong…" Mother says after another sip of her wine.
"You're never wrong, dear." Father winks.
"And you're always right, darling." Mother blows a kiss over to him. "Lisa, does that have anything to do with… studying transmitted diseases?"
"W-what? No!"
"Is there something you need to tell us, Princess?" Father's lips curl.
"Are you both kidding? You have to be kidding!" Lisa giggles, only a little.
"Well, we never did have The Talk." Mother sighs.
"Perhaps it is already too late." Father says with mock worry.
"Mother! Father!" Lisa whines.
"Princess, you'd tell us if something was wrong, wouldn't you? Not about to hatch any eggs are you?" Father barely keeps his chuckles under control.
Lisa sets down her fork and hides her face in her hands. Sometimes, she wishes she could just disappear. "Why do you two love to torture me?"
Both of her parents fall apart in laughter.
Lisa shrugs. At least they are not yelling at her. "I want to learn about reptiles, lizards, iguanas, newts, chameleons, even amphibians. I've always liked them. You know that."
"I think it's a good idea." Her mother says." You should do what you love, get your degree and then marry someone who can take care of you."
"Marry?" Lisa gasps.
"I don't think she should go into that field. Not unless she thinks she can be as successful enough to have her own series on the Science Channel, there really is no money in it. She shouldn't have to marry into money. She's capable of getting it herself. Perhaps law or medical school would be best.
"This is just super." Lisa flicks at the artichoke heart on her plate as her parents go back and forth over what she should do for her future.
"But, darling, our daughter is gorgeous. If she marries well she can play with as many lizards as she wants, so long as she keeps her husband happy." Mother says.
"You and I both agree that studying reptiles is a little hobby of hers." Father points out. "But Lisa needs to have a substantial vocation and make a name for herself. We didn't raise our little Princess to be a pretty incubator."
"Nor did we raise her to be a workaholic, and never giving us heirs."
Heirs? Mother and Father look at their daughter, who is slouching more and more in her chair. She speaks up. "Mom, Dad, as much as I am happy to hear your concern for me, I'd rather we just finish up dinner and watch a movie or take a walk together or something. You're only in town for a couple of days and…"
"Ah, that's right." Father interrupts her. "I have a meeting with our Japanese partners very early tomorrow. I'd better go over the notes and turn in for the night." Father wipes his mouth with a napkin and stands. He walks over to Lisa and pats her on the head. "Don't worry. We can have an early dinner and spend more time together tomorrow before my Redeye flight to Moscow."
Mother stands as well. "I'll tell the cook to have dinner ready by four." She pulls out her cell and starts to tap away, following her husband out of the room.
"Where are you going?" Lisa asks her mother.
"I've been living out of two luggage cases and a trunk for the past month and I feel horrid. I'm scheduled to be at the spa for half the day starting at six. I need to rest and freshen up, remind Steward to pick up my suits from the tailors, so much to do before my flight leaves in three days." She smiles at her daughter, kisses her on the cheek, then rubs the lipstick away. "We'll see you tomorrow for dinner. Have a nice day at school." Mother returns to her Smartphone and walks out of the dining room.
Lisa sits there, as the maid clears the table. "Chef's made apple pie tarts. Would you like one?" She asks Lisa.
Lisa sighs, feeling like a fool being the only one sitting at the large dining table. "I'll take two." She says.
…
Beauty, intelligence, popularity, talent… it all seems worthless when parents love their jobs more than their daughter. Lisa often thinks that perhaps she was a mistake, that during one of their brief layovers, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley, in the passion of the moment, missing each other so, slipped up and nine months later Lisa was born. She feels as if they had the choice, her parents would have never had children. But now that they have Lisa, they encourage her to do well so when she graduates she can take care of herself, or find someone that wants to take care of her.
She can't blame them. That's just how they are.
Lisa believes this idea, more or less, from day to day. And today her feeling, as if her parents would be better off without her, this idea rings very true. And on days like today, Lisa needs to act out.
Target: April O'Neil and friends.
During the lunch break April, Casey and Irma come back in from hanging out on the steps, to see pink and green flyers taped all over the lockers. Casey rips one off and reads it.
"Ugh! It's Spring Dance time again. This years' theme is the rain forest. Lame!" Casey crumbles up the flyer in his hand.
"Spring dance?" April asks as she peals some of the flyers out of her way so she can open her locker.
"Yes, same time every year. I think you just missed last year's when you transferred into our school. Last year's theme was White Fury." Irma giggles. "Everyone wore white."
"Why is that so funny?" April asks.
"Well, while the Dance committee was on stage announcing the new Spring Queen, I offered to serve the punch and maybe I wasn't too careful not to spill the red juice on those stuffy jerks."
"See, it is dumb. Who serves red drinks at a White Party?" Casey snubs.
"Have you ever been to the spring dances?" April asks Casey.
"Yuck, no. You gotta dress in a penguin suit, get a date AND by her flowers. It's a social gathering I'd rather not partake in. And this 'rain forest' theme is the lamest of all. Now, if it were a sports theme or a Rock and Roll theme, I MIGHT be thinking about asking you to go with me."
April giggles. "As what? Your goalie or your groupie?"
"Yeah, you're right. The Prissy Posse would never think of a dance that cool. Casey tosses the wadded up flyer expertly into a trashcan.
"Speaking of the Prissy Posse, here they come." Irma nods down the hall where Lisa and her small entourage of girlfriends follow along.
Love her or hate her, Lisa Kingsley can dress. You can hear her expensive heels click down the hall as the sea of fellow students part a path for her. Her tailored jeans fit perfectly. Her crisp, white tee fits snug to her curvy form. She's sporting her signature, pink infinity scarf, made by some fashion guru from Italy and her thick, shiny hair is pulled back into a ponytail, her cascading hair bounces proudly with each step she takes. Her friends try to mimic her, impress her, but they just don't have the je ne sais qui that Lisa was bred with.
Lisa halts her stride and looks over at April, not even acknowledging her friends. She sees her ripped flyers and twists her pink, glossy lips at the shorter red-head. "Is there a problem?"
April furrows her brows. "Not yet."
Lisa sucks her teeth and points at the lockers. "You have a problem with free speech or something? Those are my flyers announcing the spring dance you just ripped up."
"Well, your flyers were blocking my locker, so I freely moved them." April says dryly.
Lisa shakes her head condescendingly. "April, April, April."
April is surprised that the girl even knows her name. Sure they're in the same grade and they take some of the same honors classes, but the two never speak. "What?"
"You've been at this school long enough to know the unspoken rules of the social hierarchy."
April blinks, astonished at her use of vocabulary.
Lisa flips the luscious ends of her ponytail over her shoulder and steps closer to her target. "I'm only going to say this once, Lame O'Neil…" Her entourage snickers. " No frumpy, poor, nerdy, nobody is going to tell me what I can and cannot do. As a matter of fact, I'll take these flyers down myself.' Lisa drags a perfectly polished hand across the pink and green paper and rips it off the locker. Lisa smirks at her visual dominance over the fuming redhead. "You know, Lame O'Neil, you wouldn't fit into this year's Rainforest Theme Spring Dance. You clearly have no fashion sense by the soddy clothes you wear practically everyday, and this year, couples are mandatory, and I strongly doubt you'll find a dweeb desperate enough to go with you. Even Cave Face over there wouldn't stoop so low." Lisa shoots an eye over at Casey. "And by the way that third-wheel Goth girl obsessively clings to you, you'll never get asked." Lisa winks at Irma.
April, over the years and at multiple schools, had dealt with egotistical blowhards who preyed on the quiet intelligent. She had formed a metaphorical shell to shield her feelings from those who only saw her as an easy target. But this is the first time April had real friends. And for Irma and Casey to be attacked because of her, doesn't sit well with her emotions.
"Listen, Lisa, I don't know what kind of issues you have at home to have the need to act like a witch to me and I don't really care. But you can leave my friends out of it!" April snatches the ripped flyers from Lisa's hand. "And I wouldn't be caught dead showing up at your stuck-up dance!" April turns and tosses the paper into the wastebasket. She turns back and stares at Lisa, daring her to say something else. Casey and Irma are right behind her.
Lisa, a bit unnerved at what April is insinuating about her home life, affixes her own armor and seethes at her and her friends with steely eyes. "You made the mistake in thinking you or your hounds were ever welcome, Lame O'Neil."
April grits her teeth and turns away from that snake of a girl. It's best to walk away anyway. There is no need to get suspended for righteously drop-kicking Lisa on her spoiled butt.
Lisa smirks at having the last word. She twirls away, whipping her lustrous ponytail behind her, accidentally whacking April in her face.
"Ack!" April grabs at the hair; jumps back and both girls topple to the floor. April frees her face, and her mouth from the brown tendrils and Lisa shrieks, wiping away 'loser germs' from her ponytail.
April and Lisa flare at each other with heaving anger. The teens around them begin to yell, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
And Just as April is about to forget her resolve and knock Lisa's block off, a deep and authoritative female voice bellows. "What is going on here?!"
The hallway falls silent as a large, ominous figure casts its shadow over the feuding girls.
"Ms. Wormtrowler!" April gasps.
"It's not what it looks like!" Lisa speaks up.
"Oh no?" Their plump science teacher sneers. "Everyone, go to class!" She orders the student onlookers, who immediately disperse, but Casey and Irma stay.
"Ms. Wormtrowler, this isn't April's fault." Irma tries to explain as she helps April to her feet.
"Yeah!" Casey steps in. "That shiny she-vampire started this!"
"I do not care who started this, Mr. Jones. Everyone is aware of the rule about fighting. Now get to class!"
Irma and Casey give April a sympathetic glance as they leave.
Ms. Agatha Wormtrowler, head science teacher for the entire school, is far more terrifying than even the principal. Some say she once imprisoned a troublesome student in dry ice until his graduation day.
Lisa and April may fear her, but they also respect her. Ms. Wormtrowler is brilliantly intimidating; she is one of the reasons they want to study science when they go to college.
They stand before her with bated breath.
"So, the two top students in the school want to set a poor example for the rest of these squatters you call peers by rolling around on the floor like pigs in a trough?" Ms. Wormtrowler.
"It wasn't like that." Both girls say.
But Wormtrowler raises a meaty hand. "No more useless rambling. I am going to be lenient this one time only. Both of you, report to the science lab after school. " She grins menacingly. "I think spending two hours cleaning beakers will remind you to act more like civilized beings and not mindless animals." She walks away.
April and Lisa gather their things and silently head to class, inwardly cringing at having to go to detention, but grateful that that this incident won't be reported in their records.
…
April sighs, placing the last of her portion of beakers on the drying rack. Cleaning thin, glass containers with toothbrushes isn't the worst punishment, but it a lot of time. She was eager to go straight to the Lair this afternoon after she received a message from Donatello about a new invention he wanted to her see. Judging by how naturally brilliant he is, the invention could be anything. So, to help the two-hour detention sentence go by faster, April was trying to guest what in the world Donatello would reveal from under the tarp this time.
April has to grin and bear it; Kala, the Neutrino Freedom Fighter from Dimension X, had overly inspired Donatello with her alien technology. He has been sketching and computing a lot in his free time. And now that he has something to show for it, April is very curious. Sure, April had been unreasonably jealous of Kala, but, in the end, found her to be very cool… and pivotal. Pivotal in that, without the imaginary rivalry for Donatello's attention, April wouldn't have confronted her feelings for him. And although Donatello and April haven't put anything into place, they have grown closer.
April looks at the clock, 4:45, finally! She rinses her hands in the school lab sink she's been working in, dries them, and grabs her book bag. She turns to the sound of Lisa, who is cleaning her bin of beakers at the sink on the other side of the lab. The two had not spoken and that's fine with April. She would have walked right past that pompous priss and out the door, but the frustrated sounds and groans slow her stride.
April sees Lisa, needling away at a one of the thin, glass containers, carefully holding a toothbrush with her thumb and index finger, trying her best not to ruin her manicure. She still hasn't cleaned a third of her beakers.
This isn't April's problem, but it could be. If Lisa is the mean girl April assumes her to be, she had better be smart. Perhaps April leaves and Lisa stashes her unclean beakers where Ms. Wormtrowler had stationed April. The weary redhead doesn't want any more trouble. She sets her bookbag aside and picks up a toothbrush.
Lisa looks over at April, who is rinsing off a beaker and placing it upside down on the drying rack. April looks back at her. "I'm doing myself a favor in making sure these get done. You can't blame me for not trusting you."
Lisa sneers at April for talking to her like a child. She is right about her though. If April had left Lisa alone, Lisa would have been tempted to dump the rest of her work on her and leave. She has better things to do than clean. And she'll never admit being grateful for April staying. The sooner they finish the sooner Lisa can get home and try to find if either of her parents are around to spend time with. The early dinner they have planned tomorrow before her parents leave just isn't enough for her. And having detention irritates Lisa all the more! This is April's fault! Lisa should not be grateful towards her. "Well, you can think what you want. I'm not going to sit here and manhandle these things like I didn't just spend $70 on a manicure. You obviously don't have that to consider."
"You're right." April states flatly. "My time is more important than pink paint on the tips of my fingers."
Lisa, keeping her cool, slides off of the stool she's been sitting on and stands on the other side of April. She turns on the sink and holds out her hand. Time is important to her as well. "You wash and I'll rinse." She says without looking at her.
April nods and without another word, the two girls clean the rest of the beakers in less than twenty minutes.
With their chore complete, April and Lisa head towards the door. April reaches for the lights when she notices Lisa stop at the glass cage where the class pet resides.
Lisa gazes inside at the slender, green lizard, happily basking in the warmth of the heating lamp. "Hello, Camille. How's my favorite quadruped doing?"
April watches Lisa smile and wave at the lizard. She watches her push away the lid, reach down and stroke the loose, pebbly skin of Camille. Finding it strange for Lisa, the prim and prudish girl, to pet the animal, April has to ask. "You got a think for reptiles?"
Lisa continues to stare at Camille. "Not that you really care, but I'm fascinated with them. It's what I want to go to college and study.
April shrugs. "Yeah, well you seem less like the 'playing with lizards' type and more of the 'evil lawyer' type."
"Yeah, well you don't know anything about me… just like my parents." She mumbles.
April, if she cared more, would have asked Lisa to repeat that last part she didn't quite hear. Just then, her T-phone buzzes and she pulls it from her back pocket. She's wasted enough time here. "I'll leave you two alone." And April dashes out the door.
Lisa strokes Camille a few more times, staring at the blank, listless expression of the lizard, thinking her very fortunate not having to be a lonely teenage girl. "You have a good life, Camille. No scary teachers, no annoying classmates, no dances… no absent parents…" Lisa smiles and grabs a plastic container from the side of the cage. "And all the flies you can eat."
"S'cuse me, Miss." The evening janitor, standing in the doorway with his cart, startles Lisa. "I'm 'bout to lock up the premises."
"OK." Lisa shoulders her bag and leaves.
April pushes through the turnstiles of the Lair, grumbling and tense in her stride.
Raphael and Casey look over at her from the living area. "Hey, Red! Didn't think we'd see you again!" Casey hoots.
April walks past them without response, heading straight to Donatello's lab. As many times she had burst in before, it still makes Donatello jump and fumble with his current project.
He looks up to see April storm in, throw her bag to the floor, and fall face-first onto the cot in the corner.
Donnie removes his goggles and rolls his stool over to her. "Hey, April." He says warily.
"Hey." She whispers, head still planted in the thin cushion of the cot.
He looks at her intently; wanting to place a comforting hand on her shoulders, but continues to tap his fingers together. "I assume by your tardiness from school, and your behavior upon arrival, something… disagreeable has happened?"
"I'll say!" Casey and Raphael stand at the lab door. "Red here is starting fights and getting detention. Girl after my own heart." Casey smirks.
"You must be very proud of her, Case." Raphael jabs.
"What? Fights? Detention?" Donatello asks in a concerned tone.
April groans. With her body still stuck to the cot, she turns her head and looks up into to her troubled turtle's brown eyes. "It's not as bad as it sounds, Donnie. It's just…"
"You know you can tell me what's wrong… even if I don't understand." Donatello gives her a soft smile.
She sits up, swinging her legs over the side of the slim bed. "I just got into it with a girl at school. Things got misinterpreted and we ended up having to stay after school to clean beakers. No big deal, it's over."
"It doesn't seem over by the way you're acting. Who is this girl?" Donnie asks.
"It doesn't matter who she is!" April shoots her hands into the air. "Sorry… her name is Lisa, Lisa Kingsley, She's snooty and annoying and pretty popular."
"You mean pretty AND popular." Casey adds. "But yeah, she's annoying too."
April groans again and crosses her arms. "She called me Lame O'Neil and…"
"Lame O'Neil?" Raphael snickers. "Sorry. That's mean… but witty."
"And I couldn't let her talk to my friends the way she did either so… I don't get it. The last school I came from, bullies were big and dumb. But she is… pretty and really smart. Then she said not even the most desperate dweeb would ask me to go…" She stops."
"Go?" Donnie asks.
April shakes her head. "Never mind… Why does she feel the need to pick on me if she already has it all?" She blows a puff of air through her bangs, which totally makes Donatello's cute-o-meter of her rise to its maximum.
He clears his throat. "April, I'll never have any idea how tough high school can be. But I do know, that if you can take down ninja robots and evil aliens from a different dimension, you are strong enough to get through eleventh grade with flying colors."
April looks at her friend and is finally able to smile. Donnie many never encounter the struggles of freshman pranks, sophomore antics, junior anxieties, or senior-itis, but he'll also never experience science competitions, making friends in the lunchroom, graduation, or spring dances. "Thanks, Donnie."
"Yeah, Donnie!" Casey sings. "Thank you so much for the girl talk." He walks over to April and pulls her up by the arm. "C'mon, Red. What do you say we let off some steam and spar in the dojo?"
"Since when do you spar?" Donnie looks at him incredulously.
"Since always!" Casey drapes a hand over her shoulder and leads her out.
"Since yesterday." Raphael mumbles.
"OK, I guess I could relieve some stress." April smirks, already imagining Lisa's face on the punching bag.
"April…?" Donnie stands at their retreat. But he lets her go. If she had wanted to stay, she would have. Perhaps exerting energy in a positive way would be best for her now. Donatello slides back over to his table and tends to the finishing touches of his latest project.
He admits that in the past he was more threatened by Casey's advances upon April, but lately, not so much. April has, at least in Donatello's eyes, made herself more available to spend her quiet times with him. Ever since their misadventure with Kala, April has been less nonchalant and more intentional in her actions towards him. There is no need to be awkward in hiding her feelings or sparing his. They are in a nice place, and wherever their relationship goes, Donatello is happy… for now.
With the last screw tightened, he shuts off of his lamp and takes his mechanism to the garage where a large, black tarp hides his latest masterpiece, waiting to be completed. He decides to show April and his brothers tomorrow… and Casey too.
…
A/N: Lisa is a brat, I know. But can you blame her? She was raised to expect everything to go a certain way for her. AND, if she knew who she was messing with, there is no way Lisa would have been talking to April O'Neil like that! DROPKICK! LOL
I feel bad for April. I know for a fact that kids can be cruel and judge others at face value. April is a little plain, but there is so much to her. The turtles see it; Donatello definitely sees it.
S/N: Also, Lisa wanted to go to public school like her parents did… but also so regular kids could envy her. She wouldn't have shined so brightly at the prep schools her parents wanted her to attend. Good thing she's intelligent, even if she is an uber snob!
MORE TO COME! MORE TO COME! Any questions or comments are welcome!
