Absolutely Nothin'
By GryffindorHyuuga
Most people kick box or take walks. A whole country of people would most likely prefer to eat chocolate or some sort of sugary substance. She had friends who chose to scream into pillows, yell at their families, or simply kick a wall a few thousand times. Not her. She had to march to her own drum.
Storming into her small apartment, Madeline Mitchell threw her messenger bag into the nearest chair and stormed into the tiny space that served as her kitchen.
Dirty dishes from the night before along with cups from the morning, filled up the interior of the sink and even littered the countertop alongside it.
First thing's first. She huffed while bending down to pull the last clean pot from a bottom cabinet. Jerking on the knob of the tap, Madeline soon had the pot filled to the brim with hot water. Spinning on her heel, she dropped the pot onto the stove and with a flick of her wrist, had the bunsen burning.
Wiping her hands on the front of her jeans, Madeline surveyed the kitchen space with dull eyes.
Already, she could feel the fire fueled by the day's frustrations dying within her. But, just remembering the nerve of her "boss" sparked the embers and she wanted to be angry. She wanted to vent, to kick someone's ass, to prove someone else wrong in front of the entire city.
Rolling the sleeves of her sweater high up above her elbows, Madeline grabbed the sponge, doused it with soap and dove into the pile of dirty dishes.
Sometime in the middle of her scrubbing and rinsing, Madeline decided it was too quiet in the apartment. Kicking off her boots, she slid across the tiled floor in her socks and stopped in front of the stereo which rested atop her television set. Inserting the CD of her favorite "frustration venting" band, loud guitar notes and drums were quick to fill the room with a fast tempo.
Sliding back into the kitchen, she pulled a box of macaroni from the pantry as well as a packet of meat from the freezer. After pouring the pasta into the now boiling water, Madeline sang along with the energetic artist on the speakers while slicing open the package of meat and dropping it into a newly washed sauce pan.
The next half hour was spent washing up the rest of the dishes and slicing a few peppers and vegetables to go with the meat. Lost in the loud music and the concentration of her actions, Madeline hardly noticed the sun set outside her window or the raps at her door which soon turned into a rapid pounding.
The lead vocalist built up to a high note that Madeline knew would carry on for half a minute or so and by gosh she was determined to carry the note just as long and just as loud.
Next thing she knew, her front door was thrown off its hinges allowing the entrance of a bulky figure clad in a dark overcoat and low hat.
Screaming at the unexpected intrusion, Madeline turned and jumped back onto the countertop in surprise. Her hand had automatically gone for a deep bowl pot and held it defensively beside her head. A lot of help that would have done her, she thought soon afterwards, noticing the twin sai clutched in two green hands. She didn't calm down until she saw a pair of eyes she'd gazed at many times before.
"What's the matter with you?!" Raph yelled, throwing his sai back into their holsters.
"What are you doing?!" Madeline screamed back, her heart still frantic.
Slamming the door shut, Raph slipped the hat from his bald head and held it at his side as he turned back to the kitchen. His shoulders were tense and his rigid stance screamed he was itching for a fight.
Sliding back down from the counter, Madeline was in no mood to try and calm him down as she usually did whenever he showed up pissed.
"You ignore people while they're at your door then scream as if you're being attacked-what was I supposed to do?" He demanded, still shouting over the music.
"I was singing, you insensitive fool!"
"That was not singing! Will you turn that off?"
Defiance burned like acid in her stomach. "No!" Turning back from him, she threw the pot back into the pile of clean dishes and jumped away when the pile swayed then loudly clattered to the floor.
Stalking into the living area, Raph punched one button and the music instantly died away. He snarled when he heard the dishes fall and spun around to fix her with a menacing glare. "What's going on with you?" He demanded to know.
Madeline's fingers curled and uncurled as she lifted her hands to her head as if to pull at her hair but then dropped them as if forgetting how. Her lips moved every which way to speak but no intelligible words came out. Her eyes shut as if she were trying to forget it all.
"Nothing!" She finally growled.
"Nothin'?" Raph spat disbelievingly.
"No, Raphael. Absolutely nothing. That's why I'm making dinner for four when I'm not even hungry. That's why I'm butchering music by "singing," and that's why I'm standing in my kitchen yelling at a turtle-man! Because of absolutely nothing!" Turning back to the counter, Madeline picked up the knife and continued to dice the green peppers she'd left off at.
Without a word, Raph slapped the hat back atop his head while sweeping into the kitchen. His hands grabbed Madeline's shoulders, spun her around, and threw her over his shoulder before she could protest. When her stomach collided with his bulging shoulder, the air had been knocked clean from her lungs. As soon as she got over the shock, however, she made damn sure to protest loudly.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Raph? Put me down!"
"Shuddup," Raph replied without a care. He carried her, strangling limbs and all, out the door, down the hall and two flights of stairs, then out into the cold pouring rain.
The first few drops that slapped across her exposed back were enough to freeze her movements and send goose bumps up her arms. Roughly, Raph set her socked feet down on the wet pavement before letting her go and stepping away.
Suddenly Madeline felt cold and small. The rain pelted down, freezing and unmerciful, drenching her hair and soaking her clothes. One could visibly see the fire within her extinguish as her arms slowly lifted to wrap subconsciously around herself.
"Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong with you?" Raph asked, his frustration completely unfazed by the rain.
Madeline's eyes lowered in shame and her weight shifted from one foot to the other, though she remained silent. A few cars whizzed past, splashing water onto the sidewalk and slapping a wave across her body. Raph swore under his breath at that and pulled her by the elbow away from the street and closer to the building.
"Maddy," He called to her, lowering his head to try and catch her eyes.
"I didn't know it was raining." She murmured.
"Yeah, well, it started as soon as I got here."
Biting the inside of her cheek, Madeline dipped her chin and shook her head. "I had a bad day. That's all."
Scoffing, Raph looked out at the empty city block then up to the pitch black space where the rain fell through. If she had a bad day then he just added the cherry on top.
"Come on," He placed his arm across her back and led her inside.
He made her take a hot shower while he waited in her apartment. Placing his hat on the counter by the sink, Raph stepped to the stove, switched off the burners and removed the pot and pan from the heat. Macaroni and ground beef with vegetables…he'd never understand why she just couldn't whip up pizza. If she did that instead of the other complicated dishes, he knew his brothers would appreciate visiting her more often.
Turning away from the stove, Raph was unsure of what to do with himself. He never did enjoy making himself at home in other people's homes without their permissions. Even if they were friends. Lucky for him, he didn't have to wait around long.
Madeline emerged from the steaming bathroom dressed in cotton warm up pants and a blue pullover with her old university's symbol across the front. White cotton socks covered her feet as she quietly padded into the living area. Her cheeks remained a soft red from the warm shower and the rest of her body seemed more at ease.
They remained silent, Raph standing uselessly in the kitchen and Madeline standing unsurely in the living area.
Deciding to break the silence, Madeline spoke first. "I'm sorry for taking my frustration out on you. But you did break into my apartment."
"I thought you were in danger." Raph snapped defensively, immediately disliking where the conversation was headed.
"Well…I wasn't."
"How was I supposed to know that? You know what, forget it. I don't need this." He reached for his hat to be on his way though Madeline jumped forward to stop him.
She planned on reaching for his hand and asking him to stay but instead rammed the shin of her left leg into the chair of her dining room set. The rest of her body sort of tumbled forward over the chair so that she landed in a heap.
Lying on her back and looking up at the ceiling, Madeline wondered why she even bothered today. "You know what, you probably should go. It's the perfect end to this perfect day." She then shut her eyes miserably, waiting for the sound of her door closing and for the beginning of a deeper pain.
"You know what I would rather be doing right now?" His voice snapped.
Oh man, she thought. He must really be pissed.
"What?" Her voice whined, her heart hammering in her chest. She could already hear the long list of things that didn't include her.
The sound of a chair dragging along the floor beside her head startled her into opening her eyes. Raph's face peered down on her from where he sat, straddling one her chairs with his arms folded before him on the back rim. He regarded her for a moment as she did him before he spoke.
"Nothin'."
"Nothing?" She repeated, disbelieving she heard him correctly.
His cheeks reddening was the only sign of his embarrassment as he held her gaze. "Absolutely nothin'."