Fight Like A Girl
Chapter 1: Promise
A/N: I've had this plot bunny in my head for some time, so I thought I'd get started on it. We haven't seen many stories featuring Angel, and I thought it was kind of odd. This story will start off with details about her past and how she came to live with her grandmother since that has never really been covered. The rest of the story will cover something else entirely, but I wanted to start off with more of her origin so you can get an idea of where the story will be headed later. I always thought that it seemed weird that she could just leave the Purple Dragons and they would be indifferent to it. So this is a story about the aftermath of her choice and how it affects her and her family. I hope that you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT or any related characters. They're owned by Nickelodeon.
Additional Disclaimer (FF only): If this story doesn't appear in the regular textual format with any of the chapters and you have a hard time reading it, it's due to a glitch with Windows Vista. You may also view the story at Mikey's TMNT or Stealthy Stories. Once again, I think they fixed the glitch, but I'm not taking chances.
Summary: Angel thought she had left the Purple Dragons for good and had started fresh. But in the Purple Dragons, you don't get to leave alive.
Ryan couldn't understand why his mother's belly was so big. One day it was flat, and later no, it was as big as a balloon. Was something wrong with her? He decided to ask her about it and see what she would say. He found her in the kitchen making dinner. His father was at the table reading the newspaper.
"Mommy, why is your belly so big?" Ryan asked.
His mother smiled. "Well, I'm going to have a baby soon," she said. "That means that you'll have a little brother or sister."
Ryan's eyes lit up. "Really?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes," his father replied. "That means you'll be a big brother to him or her. You'll have to take care of your sister or brother and protect them from things that might hurt them. Will you promise to do this, Ryan?"
Ryan nodded. "Yes, I do," he said. "I'll take care of my brother or sister and make sure they're okay."
"Good," his father said. "Louise, why don't you sit down? I'll finish dinner."
"I'm fine, Mark," Louise protested. "I can get it myself. I'm almost done anyway."
"Honey, you're not supposed to be doing anything strenuous," Mark replied. "Just rest. I'll get it."
"I can help, Daddy," Ryan offered. He was good at doing certain chores around the house. Even though he was seven years old, he was pretty smart and always tried to help his parents around the house with different things. He even knew things other kids his age didn't know.
"Thank you, Ryan," Mark said, ruffling his hair. "You can carry the plates to the table."
Ryan nodded and got the plates out of the cupboard. He carefully carried them to the table while Mark finished making the dinner and served it. While they ate, Mark talked about his job and what was happening at his company. Ryan talked about what happened at school and the new game he played at recess. He wanted to bring the baby to Show and Tell after it was born so he could show his classmates his new sibling.
"We'll see, sweetheart," Louise answered.
After dinner was over, Ryan went to do some homework while his parents watched television. When he had trouble with something, he asked his parents for help. When his homework was done he went to his room to play with his toys. He began to think about his prospective sister or brother. Would he or she play with him? Would Mommy and Daddy like his sibling better than him? He'd heard about that happening with some of his friends and hoped it wouldn't happen to him.
As Louise's due date drew closer, Mark and Louise decided to leave Ryan at his grandmother's in New York City so someone would be able to watch him if Louise suddenly went into labor. He wasn't able to go to school since it was far away, but Mark usually went there and brought Ryan's homework for him so he wouldn't fall behind. Ryan talked to some of his friends on the phone and discussed his new sibling. Some of them were excited for him while others said it was the worst thing that could happen to him. Ryan didn't listen to the negative talk. He felt that they were just trying to scare him.
Ryan was doing his homework one day when the phone rang. Grandma answered it and let out a cheer of joy after talking for a few minutes. Ryan was curious and wondered why she was so happy.
Grandma turned to him with a smile. "Ryan, you have a little sister named Angel Marie," she declared.
Ryan was excited about this news. "When can I see her?" he asked.
"Soon," she replied. "Your mother sends her love."
This news made Ryan feel happy. He finally had a sibling to play with and talk to. He didn't think anything would change around his house.
Two days later, Grandma drove Ryan to the hospital to see his little sister and his mother. Ryan walked into the room cautiously and stared at the bundle in the pink blanket. Her eyes were hazel, but there was no hair on her head, which confused Ryan.
"Why doesn't she have hair?" he asked.
Louise laughed. "Some babies don't get hair at first," she said. "She'll have hair later on though. She won't be bald forever."
"Oh," Ryan said. He looked at his little sister and took one of her hands. "I promise to take care of you, Angel," he said. "You can always count on me." He kissed her on the forehead. Angel let out a little coo and waved her hands. Ryan couldn't wait until she was old enough to talk.
22222
"Wyan, come pway with me," two-year-old Angel begged.
"I can't," nine-year-old Ryan replied. "I have to finish my homework. Then I'll play with you." He was at the kitchen table working on some math homework. "Ugh! I'll never get this right!" he fumed. He got up to take a bathroom break, deciding that he'd come to the problem later.
Angel was sad that her brother wouldn't play with her. Curious, she went to the table and got up on the chair to see what Ryan had been doing. She saw all these different drawings but didn't know what they were. She decided to help her brother get his work done. She got out her crayons and began to draw on his homework, pleased that she was helping.
When Ryan got back to the table and saw what Angel was doing, he got mad. "Angel, what are you doing?" he yelled.
"I's heping," she said as she doodled.
"That's my homework!" he yelled. "I have to turn that in for a grade! You've ruined it! Why can't you just stop being a pest?"
Angel's eyes filled with tears, and she began to wail at the top of her lungs.
Louise came running over. "What's going on here?" she demanded.
"Angel drew on my homework," Ryan replied. "Now I have to turn it in with drawings on it."
"Ryan, just take a new piece of paper and start over," Louise told her son. "Angel didn't mean to ruin your work. She was just trying to help." She turned to her daughter. "Don't cry, sweetie," she soothed. "Ryan knows you didn't mean it. Say you're sorry."
"Sowwy, Wyan," Angel said.
"Whatever," Ryan muttered as he tried to start over on his homework. His mother gave him a stern look, but he ignored her. He thought that having a little sister would be fun, but it was just plain annoying. Angel didn't respect him, and she was always pestering him. Life was so much easier when it was just me, Mom, and Dad, he thought. I wish I didn't have a little sister.
22222
"Where are you going, Ryan?" seven-year-old Angel asked.
"Out with my friends," fourteen-year-old Ryan answered.
"Can I go, too?" Angel begged. She loved spending time with her brother and wanted to hang out with him and his friends.
"No, you can't," Ryan replied. "You're too young."
Angel was hurt by his words. Ryan never refused to spend time with her when she wanted him to. He always tried to make time for her and do fun things with her. But lately, they were drifting apart, and Angel didn't like it. She needed her big brother to be there for her.
22222
"I'm sick of you treating me like a child!" eighteen-year-old Ryan yelled. "I can't stay here anymore!"
"Young man, you are living in our house and will abide by our rules!" Mark yelled back. "We know you and your friends stole that television set. You're lucky we bailed you out of jail, young man. You're grounded for two months. You're not allowed to hang out with those friends of yours. Understand?"
"No!" Ryan replied. "I don't have to stay here anymore. I'm eighteen and legally an adult. I'm going to live with one of my friends. At least his parents don't treat me like a kid!"
"Ryan, don't go!" Louise begged. "We love you so much. Think of Angel. Remember your promise that you would take care of her?"
"Yeah, and I was seven when I made that promise," Ryan retorted. "Things have changed."
Angel was upstairs listening to the argument She couldn't believe that her brother was going to walk out on them. She ran downstairs and confronted her brother.
"You promised to protect me!" she yelled. "You said you'd always be there for me! How can you just go and leave me?" Tears were streaming down her face.
Ryan looked at her and shook his head. "Sorry, Sis," he said. Then he turned and walked out of the house, his mother's and sister's cries echoing in his ears.
22222
Angel was excited because it was her thirteenth birthday today. Her parents were going to take her out for dinner after school. Ryan had called her before she left for school to wish her a happy birthday. Though she was happy that he acknowledged her, she wished he would come home so they could be a family again. For two years, Angel had had to live without her brother, and it was hard. Sure, he called sometimes and visited once in a while, but he never asked to come back. It just wasn't right.
When Angel got home she found her parents getting ready in their best clothes. "Are we going to a fancy place?" she asked.
"Well, your mother and I are, sweetie," her father said. "My boss wants us to go to his house for dinner. I know we were supposed to go out for your birthday, but we can do that this weekend. Is that okay, kiddo?"
Angel's face fell. She'd been looking forward to this all day. Why did stuff like this have to happen to her? "It's fine," she said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. "Have a good time."
"Thanks, sweetheart," Louise said with a smile. "We'll make it up to you. I promise." She gave Angel a kiss and a hug, and Mark did the same.
"Be good, kiddo," he told her.
Angel smiled even though she was disappointed. "I will, Dad," she said.
After her parents left Angel started on her homework. She wasn't fond of school, but she knew her parents wanted her to graduate high school and go on to college. Angel wasn't sure if she wanted to go to college because she didn't want to deal with snobby people. She had enough of that in high school. When her homework was done she took out some leftover spaghetti and heated it up. She loved her mother's cooking and always looked forward to dinner. She took it into the living room and turned on the TV.
As it got later and later, she was getting worried. Weren't her parents supposed to be home by now? Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Angel froze. Who could be at the door at this time of night? She approached the door cautiously and looked through the window at the top of the door. Two policemen were standing outside. What was going on? She opened the door and stared at them.
"Are you Angel Corrigan?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, I am," she replied. "What's going on?"
"I'm Detective Lewis of the Newark Police Department," one of the men said. "This is Detective Ralston." He pointed to the man next to him. "We were dispatched to the scene of an accident involving a drunk driver. The victims in the other car were identified as Mark and Louise Corrigan."
"Those are my parents," Angel said. "What happened?" Her eyes were filled with fear for her parents. Were they okay?
A somber look crossed Detective Lewis's face. "I'm sorry, Miss, but your parents are gone," he said.
"Gone?" she repeated. "How?"
"The drunk driver was going the wrong way and hit your parents head-on," Detective Ralston replied. "There was no way they would have survived such a crash. Is there anyone in the house with you?"
"No," Angel responded. "My brother left when he was eighteen. I'm the only one here."
"Do you have any other relatives that could be your guardian?" Detective Lewis inquired.
"I have a grandmother who lives in New York," Angel told him. "She's my dad's mom. I'll give you her number."
Detective Lewis nodded and went to the phone. Angel gave him the number and listened as he explained the situation to her grandmother. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She was an orphan now. She'd read about orphans in books but never thought she could become one. How could she go on?
After Detective Lewis finished talking he turned to the young girl. "We've made arrangements to place you in your grandmother's custody," he said.
"What about Ryan?" she asked. "Does he know?"
"Your grandmother is going to call him," he replied.
"I'll be able to come back here, right?" she asked. "This is just something I have to do for now, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid not, Miss," Detective Ralston answered. "You'll be living with your grandmother permanently."
"No!" Angel cried. "This is my home! I have to stay here!" How could she leave this place?
"I'm sorry, but you can't stay here by yourself," he said kindly. "You're a minor, and you need a legal guardian to care for you."
Angel thought about running away, but she had nowhere else to go. She knew Ryan wasn't fit to be her legal guardian right now because he was still in college and didn't have a way to care for her. But as much as she loved her grandma, she didn't want to have to go to New York and go to a new school. It just wasn't fair. She went to her room and began to pack some of her things. The rest of her things would be picked up later. It was hard for her to choose what to take and to come to terms with the fact that this wasn't her home anymore.
When she was done she gave the room a final glance and went downstairs She followed the detectives out of the house and to their car. Detective Lewis opened the door for her, and she got in. She looked at the house one last time, pressing it into her memory.
"Goodbye," she whispered as she left the home she had known to start a new beginning.
Tbc…
A/N: So, what did you think? Was it good? Is there anything I should improve on? Feel free to leave a review and have a shell-tastic day. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I am working on it. I'm sorry if this started off kind of slow.