Leonardo
"Hey, Lame-a-nardo! Wanna play?"
Four first graders were walking up to him. The two girls, Alex and Mia Diaz, where twins. They had short brown hair and mud brown eyes. They were not considered tall or threatening, but people would got out of their way as quickly as they could. Possibly because the massive amount of perfume they wore would make your eyes sting and your lungs struggle for air. Their faces were pale like marble with too much makeup caked on. It seemed like their faces were stuck wearing an expression of disgust and superiority. The Diaz twins worked as a team; Alex was the brains of the operation, while Mia did all the heavy lifting. Students had learned early on that if you made one twin mad, the other was sure to make you pay for it.
The other two boys were Rick Butler and Bill Griffin. Every time they moved, people could almost see their blubber like skin jiggle around. Rick had red hair and brown bead like eyes. He looked like a fat red headed squirrel. Some poor soul had made the mistake of calling Rick that once. He was never seen again. Rick's sidekick, Bill, was actually seven years old. He was held back because he failed PE. Bill had rusty brown hair and the same bead like eyes as Rick, making everyone think the two were related. Donatello said that it was the only explanation as to why the two shared one brain cell.
"Thats not my name!", he yelled with all the bravery he could muster. Why had someone thought that combining the first grade class with the kindergarten class for recess was a good idea?
"Oh! I'm sorry",called Mia, her nose scrunching as she talked, "would you prefer if I called you Freak?"
"Because thats what you are, you know?", continued Rick, "wanna know how I know?"
"No, because you're a mean person!", he yelled with all the strength in his lungs hoping that a teacher would hear him. Thats what his father had told him to do in cases like this.
"Am not!", yelled Bill. He walked up and shoved him backwards. He tripped and fell on his butt with a thud.
"You shouldn't call people mean, that'll make them not like you!", Rick kicked him in the stomach so hard he though he was going to throw up the breakfast he hadn't eaten.
"Yeah, and you gotta do what we say because we're big and you're small!", Alex said as she kicked him in the face.
Soon all four first graders were kicking him, not hard enough to bleed, but they were defiantly going to leave a bruise. Rick seemed like he was trying to impale him with his shoe. Alex and Mia were wearing small heels, making the kicks to his back much more painful. Bill had gotten tired of kicking and started punching whatever he could reach.
"You're such a freak, Lame-a-nardo! Not even your mom wanted you! She died after just looking at you!"
He tried not to cry. In his mind's eye, he could see himself fighting them all. He could picture himself getting up and making them bleed and hurting them in the same way they hurt him. In reality, however, he was too shy to do it. He tried to block out the pain in his stomach and back, but what Bill had yelled kept ringing in his ears. Maybe his mom really had left because of him.
Where was Raphael when you needed him?
Suddenly Rick stopped kicking him. He heard a small voice in the distance, then small feet running towards them. The next thing he knew, Bill started yelling, "Get her off! Get her off!". Next there was no one kicking or punching him. Slowly, he sat up. What he saw would have made him laugh if he wasn't in so much pain. There was a girl was on Bill's back, tugging at his hair. She was about his age, with tan skin and really long brown hair. She was riding Bill like an enraged bull, and he couldn't help but be in aw. This girl, who he had never seen before, had stepped up and helped him when no one else had.
She looked like she was enjoying herself, until Bill finally got a hold of her and slammed her into the ground. She couldn't get up fast enough, and now the first graders were surrounding her.
'I have to do something', he thought.
He mustered all the courage he could and tried to channel his inner Raphael.
"Get off of her!", he yelled as he threw a punch at Rick.
He quickly found that Rick's skin only looked like blubber; hitting him was like hitting a rock. When that didn't do anything, he moved on to Bill, only to find that his skin was even tougher then Rick's. He couldn't hit the girls, because his father said that wasn't what gentlemen did. So, he just kept hitting Rick and Bill, trying to at least distract them from his defender.
"Whats going on over there?", a teacher asked. Like a flash, the bullies stopped kicking the girl and ran. He had never seen Bill run so fast. Alex and Mia almost tripped on their heels. Rick actually did trip on his untied shoe. Before he got up, Rick looked back at him and gave him a death glare. It sent a shiver down his spine.
He looked back at the girl and saw she was still on the floor panting. She reached into her jean pocket and took out an inhaler, like the one he had seen Raphael use on occasion. She took to two puffs and started to laugh. No knowing what else to do, he reached out his hand to help her up. She looked up and smiled. When she took his hand, he felt like he was going to throw up. She had a button nose and her chubby cheeks were flushed. Her chestnut eyes were wide with adrenaline. Her hair was full of dirt and there were twigs sticking out of it. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"That was so fun! Did you see the look of the fat kid when I jumped on his back? Priceless!", her voice was high pitched, but in a sweet way. It reminded him of his mom's voice.
"Are you okay?", she asked. She was tilting her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face.
'You're staring', he realized.
He quickly cleared his throat, "I'm fine. They just kicked me around, nothing new.", he was trying to sound brave. His father said that he should always be brave, especially in front of a girl.
She sighed with relief. Her mood quickly changed and she stomped her foot. "Ugh, I hate bullies! Don't their parents teach them manners?".
He just nodded in agreement. Honestly, he wasn't listening to the conversation, he was to busy looking at the girl.
"What is you name?", he asked.
"Danielle. But most kids call me Danni.".
In the distance, the school bell rang telling them that recess was over. Danni started to walk towards the school. She looked back when he didn't follow, "Well, are you coming?"
Shaking his head, he jogged to catch her. It was then that he realized she hadn't asked for his name. "My name is Leonardo. Leonardo Henderson."
She looked at him at him curiously, " 'Leonardo'? That sounds like a grown up name. And you don't look like a grown up.".
She started to look him up and down, as if looking for something. He wasn't sure of what, but he liked when she lifted his arm.
"What are you doing?", he asked.
"Thinking of what to call you. 'Leonardo' is to complicated."
"But my name is Leonardo.", did he not just tell her that? Besides kids already called him 'Lame-a-nardo', he didn't want to add another name to the list for Raphael to torture him with later.
"Yeah I know, but I don't like the way it sounds...", she circled him slowly, "so I'm gonna call you..."
"I'm not a dog-"
"Leo!", she jumped up and down with excitement. When he didn't join in the joy, she looked at him timidly. "Is that okay? Can I call you 'Leo'?"
He thought about it. He liked his name the way it was. His father was always telling him that his should be proud of his name, and he liked how the guys struggled to pronounce it; especially Michelangelo. Yet, Danni had so much hope in her voice. He didn't want to make Danni sad, and a small -big- part of him liked the way Danni said it.
"Yeah, its okay."
Leo gasped. He hadn't had a thought about her in years. Ever since his family and him had moved to Japan, he had done his best not to think about Danni. It was just too painful. Even after three years, Leo still felt the sting of their last conversation. The fight seemed so stupid now, he didn't even remember what it had even been about. And what happened afterwards…
That memory was still a bit fuzzy. Something about them getting attacked… and him visiting her at a hospital… and then, nothing. Leo couldn't remember what had happened next. The last clear memory that Leo had of that day was his father and him arriving to their small apartment in Japan. Everything in between was a bunch of flashbacks and memories that didn't really make sense.
Leo had been having strange dreams for about a month. They were all of things he had experienced; him getting to Japan, his father's death, him getting adopted by Yoshi along with the guys. They were all memories, but somehow different. In all of them, they felt somehow inorganic, like they hadn't actually happened how he remembered them. What he had just experienced, his first meeting with Danni, felt different. It had felt solid.
It had also left him exhausted. Leo could feel the sweat dripping down his face. He felt dizzy and off center, as if he had been on one of those roller coasters Mike loved so much for hours. Taking a deep breath, Leo slowly opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was. Based on the dim light, it was early in the morning. Probably around three or four. He was in his room on the floor, meaning he had probably been meditating. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Leo saw that his room was almost empty. There were some boxes here and there, but his desk was gone. He looked towards his closet, which he could see was empty aside from some metal hangers.
'Thats right,' he thought, 'we're moving back today.'
After three eventful years in Japan, Master Yoshi had decided that it was time to move back to New York. Leo wasn't sure why, since there was nothing there waiting for them. But Master Yoshi seemed very determined to go back, and Leo trusted their mentor. Besides, its not like he had a choice. Hemato Yoshi was their legal guardian, so whatever he said was law.
With a sigh, Leo finally got up. He walked towards his suitcase. From the doorway, he could hear Raph teasing Mike about how much cereal he ate. He could almost picture Don rolling his eyes from the couch, trying to eat in peace.
'Almost like real bothers.'
Leo ran his hand through his black hair. He was really going to miss this place. There were so many memories here, both good and bad. All his bothers had grown in so little time. All he had learn and been taught. All the birthdays. All the fights between Raph and him. So much had happened in this house… and yet not all of it felt real. It almost felt as if-
"LEO! Dude, hurry up or we're leaving without you!", Raph yelled from downstairs.
"I'm coming!", with a final look, Leo shut the door and walked downstairs.
The car ride to the airport was mostly quite. Master Yoshi sat in front, talking politely to the driver. Mike was bouncing in his seat and looking out the window, his uncombed shaggy blond hair getting in his face. It seemed like he couldn't decide on whether he wanted to leave or stay in Japan. Don sat quietly in the middle, reading a giant physics text book. How he could read without getting car sick, Leo would never know. As for Raph, he was texting away. Either to his best friend Li or some heartbroken girl. Raph had been the most lucky in the romance department. Sure, Leo had had a girlfriend – soft of -, but Raph brought a different girl home each month. It was the 'bad boy' attitude, Don explained. Every girl at school would swoon over his multiple ear piercings and the tattoo on his shoulder. Raph thought that Master Yoshi didn't know. Leo didn't know why Master let him think that.
Leo sat in the back alone. He wouldn't admit it to his brothers, but he was actually pretty nervous. They would be starting school in the middle of sophomore year. They were probably going to have a lot of material to catch up on. It wouldn't be a problem if he were like Don, who was a quick learner. But Leo had to work his ass off just to get a B. It might help that the material would now me in English, but Leo doubted that would give him an edge. Even if he didn't have to translate his homework, he still struggled with concepts. Especially when it came to physics. The only reason he passed was because Don was nice enough to tutor him.
Leo still couldn't shake Danni's memory from that morning. There was a nagging voice in the back of his head telling him to keep going. But, keep going where? Having that memory of Danni felt like taking a cold shower. He had felt more grounded then he had felt in years.
'What does that mean?', he wondered.
"Still texting with Danni, Raph?", Don asked with a teasing tone.
Hearing her name sent a shiver through Leo's body. He hadn't known that any of the guys were in contact with her. For some reason, it bothered him. He should have kept in contact with her. Even if their friendship had ended on a bad note, he still cared for her.
Right?
"Yeah, shes pretty excited about seeing us." Raph nervously chuckled. His brown hair was mess from him running his hand through it continuously.
"No dude, I think she's more excited to see you,", Mike teased, "I mean, you two have been talking none stop for, like, two years!"
"So?", Raph asked defensively.
"So… are you going to make things official with her or not?", Don asked.
'Make what official?', Leo thought.
Leo had no idea what the guys were talking about. Why were they making such a big deal about Raph talking to Danni? It's not like they hadn't talked before. Leo could remember how, before they moved, Danni and Raph would spend hours talking. When his brothers and Leo had developed their… condition, she would come to Leo's house everyday after school to check up on them. She would pay attention to all of them, but it always seemed like she gave most of her attention to Raph. Somewhat bitterly, Leo remembered that Danni and Raph had had many inside jokes, often making fun of him as well as his brothers.
The thought of them making something official made Leo's skin crawl.
"Make what official?", Leo asked out loud.
"Whats it to you?", responded Raph somewhat aggressively.
"Nothing. I was just curious. I didn't know you had kept in contact with her is all."
Raph chuckled, "Yeah well, why would you."
"What is that suppose to mean?", Leo asked.
"Guys, can you please not fight about this?", Mike pleaded, his baby blue eyes looking from Leo to Raph with concern.
"He has a point though,", Don said, "we have all talked to Danni except for you Leo. Won't it be a bit awkward now that we all go to the same school again?"
Leo took a pause. Everyone had talked to Danni except for him? That didn't sound right. Leo was sure that he had talked to her at least twice since they had moved. Yet when he tried to recall their conversation, all he got was fuzzy images. He couldn't firmly grasp any sort of conversation with her.
"Look, if it makes you feel any better,", Raph said, "she asks about you."
"She does?", Leo couldn't help the hope that filled his voice.
"Yeah, she always makes sure that your still alive," Raph chuckled, "it's more then you've ever done. Or deserve."
That last comment took the wind out of him. Flashes of memories came to him. Images of Danni and him fighting, her throwing stuff at him and telling him to get out. He heard her yell in the distance 'You want to keep me safe?'. More images of her in a hospital bed, her being hooked to many machines while the heart monitor beeped with her slow heartbeat. In the distance he could hear his late father telling him that leaving was the only way to keep them all alive. And then a flash of light, Danni was looking up at him. Her long hair was wet from the rain, her chestnut eyes were red from crying.
'Leo… I love you..."
If he had looked up, Leo would have seen Don looking at him. His amber eyes full of dread.