The Pretty Girl
'The heart knows when the search is over.'
Despite that it was a rather cold November night and most of the inhabitants of New York were dressed in warm clothing, he didn't feel bothered by it. The cold was welcome as it made the night air smell fresher than usual.
He watched the city underneath his feet. The city that never sleeps. His city which he and his brothers swore to protect. Millions of people even at this hour walking around in rushed paces home or to their night shifts or to some parties. They always seemed to be in a rush. He wondered if that came with the fact that they stayed long hours in work to have enough to support themselves and their kids and then lacking the time for other things which were always important so they need to hurry.
'Hey, fearless, you listenin'?' asked one of his younger brothers. The truth was he hadn't been listening for a while, ever since Mikey started to crack dad jokes he became obsessed with lately.
'It is hard not to when you are practically yelling,' Leo replied drily before he looked away from the edge of the roof they were currently standing on and walked toward the others. His brothers were currently standing in the middle of the old factory warehouse which was closed for almost two years. It was their usual randezvous spot before and after a parole when they were apart.
Raph rolled his eyes at him before he went to the opposite corner of the roof. Lately the patrols have been a quiet manner which left the hotheaded ninja frustrated. From all of them Raph was the angriest one always looking for an excuse to fight. Although they argued the most Leo understood this need. For Raph fighting was a way to vent, to cope with the fact that they were outsiders and the only interactions they had so far was with each other, their father or April.
He momentary felt a bad taste inside his mouth as he realized it wasn't completely true. Leo had one more interaction apart from those three options. An interaction which involved the most beautiful girl he ever saw and him kissing her in someone's kitchen while she was barefoot. Yeah, he definitely felt warm despite the cold November night in that moment.
The nearby noise caused a welcoming distraction.
He nodded at his brothers, 'Get ready.'
'Oh, I was a born ready,' said Raph and already jumped down. Mikey started to sing Born Ready as he quickly followed him before Leo and Donnie joined.
'Some people are just nuts. Who doesn't scream when they are being robbed?' asked Raph annoyed as they were turning home. Ever since Donnie installed a special air cleaning device the smell wasn't as bad as it used to. It was a necessary improvement as April started to visit them more often and no matter how many times she would lie it didn't bother her that much her face expressions spoke louder than words.
Mikey looked really confused the whole way back, 'It was weird. She didn't even scream when she saw me.'
Raph hit Mikey over the head, 'Which was another stupid thing. You can't just go show yourself like that. Hidden in the shadows, remember? You are lucky she didn't scream and draw attention to you. We would have been toast.'
Mikey brushed the back of his head where Raph hit him and their conversation continued. Another girl who didn't scream when she saw us. It seemed to be becoming a new thing.
As we took care of the guy who tried to take this non-screamer's bag, Mikey foolishly went to return it. Leo couldn't see pass him but by Mikey's words she just accepted the bag and stared at him gratefully.
'She touched her chin,' said the youngest one, 'that's it.'
Donnie who was silent for the most part with his head no doubt in his inventions again looked over at Mikey, 'Was it something like this?'
He mimicked a gesture of touching his chin with his palm as if he was sending someone a kiss.
'Yes!' cried Mikey excited, 'Does it mean anything?'
'It's thank you in ASL,' replied his brother.
'ASL?'
'American sign language, Mikey,' Leo patiently explained. Their youngest brother was often just that. Their youngest brother. Never mind their upraising and everyday life Mikey was for the most part careless as a child often blind to the negative and cons of their lives. Leo had to wonder if it wasn't the reason why they often loved their youngest brother the most. Despite Raph always getting annoyed with him, he would defend him against anyone who would say or do anything bad to him and although he often caused damage to Donnie's devices he would never hold it against him for too long. No one could.
'So that is why she wasn't screaming?' asked Mikey since it suddenly made far more sense.
They stayed up for a little while talking about the deaf girl before eventually all of them went to bed. Leonardo wasn't looking forward to it. Since that night he accidentally ended up trapped in a house full of people, his days (since they lived at night) were haunted by blondes with soft lips and deep blue eyes.
It took everything in him not to follow her that night. He was lucky he caught a sign of some disturbance not far or he would have surely waited for her and followed her home. By the time he got back the party the blonde was nowhere to be found.
'Rest well, my son,' he heard his father tell him as he was also on his way to his room. Leo pressed his lips together wondering if perhaps his father somehow knew what was on his mind. He was a skilled and wise Master after all.
Eventually he managed to nod and enter his room without giving himself away. His room much like the rooms of his brothers were filled with things they found on their searches outsides or in the sewers when they were young. One man's trash is another man's treasure after all. It caused him to feel unworthy once again. He touched her with his hands. His hands which not only weren't human but also lived in the sewer surrounded by garbage. He didn't deserve what she gave him so freely without a doubt.
'I couldn't let you leave without knowing how it feels to be wanted like that.'
Those words will haunt him until his last dying breath.
He chuckled like a maniac. Wanted by a girl who looked like a goddess. Him of all the monsters.
As expected he once again dreamed about the girl with the name of blue bird. Oddly as he remember how she took off her shoes and pulled her knees toward her chest, it seemed fitting.
Jay
She opened her eyes and sat up on her bed. She thought she heard someone call her name, but it must have been a dream or her imagination. The sun was coming up.
She swung her feet of the bed and barefoot walked to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She was restless for weeks now and it was all his fault.
It had been weeks since she met him. She remembered that first night. She didn't wait for the end of the party. Her classmates begged her to stay. One of the boys even blocked her way, but she got out anyway and then practically danced home.
She couldn't stop smiling or thinking about him that night. What the hell was it? She kissed him, and gosh she kissed so many before but no one like that. When he put his arms around her and kissed her back…She was lying in her bed homesick for those arms. Why was it? How could it be that those few moments they shared linked her to him so deeply and profoundly? She couldn't find the answer in the timid light of a sunrise of her room feeling and hearing her heart's echoes. It was insane. She was never like this. She was never this schoolgirl crazy about anyone. She was always the one who was unfazed. Always the cold ice queen, the pretty girl, who no guy could get under her skin. Yet…that night everything changed with his ocean deep blue eyes.
She cursed herself and wondered if he would seek her out. She hoped the kiss would have been a deal breaker for his hesitation, but she couldn't be too sure. It has been weeks since Nicole's party and nothing happened. She wondered about it. Since he was so bothered by his looks it was clear he didn't come out in the day light. Maybe she should spend more time out at night. It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself.
And still, it had been weeks and he didn't come. She waited and went out for parties but as much and often as she looked around, she felt this cold feeling inside her, and she just knew that he wasn't around. She couldn't explain it, but she suddenly felt as if the whole world went greyer since then and nothing seemed to hold any color anymore. Everything started and faded with him.
'Earth to Jay,' she heard from her side as her friend sat down next to her, 'Your head is in the clouds, don't you think?' asked the always cheerful brunette, Carrie.
She shook her head and quickly denied thankful that the class has started. She didn't want to tell her or anyone what happened. It wasn't that she was ashamed of how he looked. Oddly, it was his looks which caught her interest at first, but she was never a sharer. As a child she was carefree and had many friends, she trusted deeply as only a child could. Then she grew up and realized that not everyone who is polite to you and wants to hang out with you is a friend you can share your thoughts, secrets and feelings with. She learned the hard way as her last best friend held her hands above her head and tried to rip her Wonder Woman t-shirt when she was thirteen. She never trusted girl or boy since then. She stopped trusting adults after her last psychologist season, but that was a different story.
She stayed silent for the rest of the day. She wished, no, she craved to see him. Just somewhere, somehow. She wished to know if it was just her. Maybe she got it all wrong. How was she different than those boys who thought they had a right to take her hand, call her sweetheart or try to kiss her just because she was a pretty girl? What right did she have to kiss him? Push him into a corner with all her intruding questions and then expecting him to come back to her?
The right of a pretty girl?
Fuck that.
She was mopping as if she was brokenhearted or something when it was all her fault to begin with.
Cursing herself one more time she promised herself she would stop. She decided that if she didn't get some sort of universal sign, she would stop thinking and daydreaming about him and focus on her life. It was just one kiss. One earthshattering under her feet kiss. They say the heart knows when the search is over, but what if his doesn't feel the same?
'Dude, check out the newest New York vigilantes' post,' she heard as she was walking toward the gym.
'I know pretty sick,' said one boy to another.
It caught her interest instantly and she found herself walking toward them, 'Hi? What are you boys talking about?'
The two freshmen froze in place which wasn't an unusual reaction when she spoke with nice guys. Assholes were always loud and aggressive. Nice guys were the shy and a bit awkward ones.
'Uh, hi, Jay,' said one of them, but she couldn't honestly remember who he was, 'We were just checking the new post on New York's vigilantes. It's this website where someone writes about the secret vigilantes of New York. The ones that protect the city. People often post their own stories about their rescues. A new post was written today,' he said and handed her the phone his hand shaking a bit.
She heard of the vigilantes. Everyone had. Someone was running around New York City helping out people. No one ever saw them, but by the description they were some sort of soldiers in large and heavy combat uniforms.
'Are these posts wrote by one person?' she asked the boys and they instantly nodded, 'Yeah, anyone can send their story through mail and the administrator checks it out, edits it and posts if it is worth posting,' explained the one who handed her the phone looking proud of himself that he actually knew something which interested her. It happened a lot that boys raced with each other to catch her interest.
If that wasn't a sign, she didn't know what was.
She handed the phone back to him, 'Thanks, Conner. It was helpful.'
She even gave him a smile before she walked to the gym.
'Hi, Jay,' she head by her side and watched a petite redhead walked toward her, 'The tryouts for the team are this Friday. We could really use your help.'
She looked down from her face to the flayer she was handing her before she looked back up at her, 'I really don't see myself as a cheerleader.' Not to mention she was checked out enough times even without wearing a short blue skirt.
'Well, I think you would look great in blue,' replied the redhead and Jay looked at her. She knew the cheer-captain, Kim, was a very involved in everything kind of girl. A perfect girl if you liked. The girl who was the captain of the cheerleaders, class president and on an honor roll. The girl who was friends and nice to everyone and who everyone adored and trusted to do everything perfectly. The girl who never handed an assignment late, who always made sure all the school events were flawless, dated the nicest senior boy imaginable who was destined to be the next senator if you believed everything you heard, as well as always showed up home before curfew. The perfect girl.
Jay decided that if she wanted her off her back she had to take the flyer with a fake promise to think about it. She at least waited until the redhead was out of her sight before she threw it into her bag wrinkled.
She spent the rest of her day surfing net for anything she could find about the vigilantes of NY. Most of the useful things she found were on the site the boys told her about. She found stories dated back two years ago when the site first appeared. There were several stories with similar surroundings about the vigilantes always keeping their appearance in the shadows although many claimed that they looked larger than average people and wore some sort of specially designed suits. It was the only logical explanation if you didn't see one up close as she did. If you didn't reach out and touch one of them, feel his skin, his head against your palm.
She opened her eyes only to find herself daydreaming in an empty library again. She quickly gathered her things and rushed home. It took her a while to get to her neighborhood. Her mother never liked when she was walking home alone, but she didn't mind. Not to mention her mom sort of didn't care lately. She got used to the weird noises, whistling and kissing sounds even if they made her feel uncomfortable and she felt like puking from time to time.
'Hey, pretty girl, going home?' asked a man on the street as she walked pass him. She didn't even look his way. Ignoring the question, but not increasing her pace. She didn't want to let it get to her.
'Come on, let me walk with you for a while,' she heard him call and then his footsteps as he was walking after her.
'Preetty girl,' he sang and she had to close her eyes to keep herself from engaging in anyway which could only make things worse.
'You're no fun,' he called after her one last time before he apparently stopped.
She couldn't contain the relieved sigh.
She was a pretty so why should she complain about the attention? Why should she be bother by it? She didn't ask for it, but she was a pretty girl, so she had to deal with people wanting to look and touch. She couldn't complain about it. It just was the way pretty girls were sometimes.
She remembered how a cop once told her.
Can you blame him? I mean look at you, such a pretty girl.
She started to hate those words. She wanted to grab them from his tongue and show them into a trash can and set it on fire so no one would ever call her a-
'Hi, pretty girl!' said someone as he grabbed her elbow and spun her around to look at him, 'Aren't you a sweet little thing?'
She didn't know if it was the same guy or not but she had enough, 'Not really.' He probably didn't even know what hit him when she kicked him and turned around. She heard him cry out in pain, but this time she started to full on run. She didn't feel like letting some guy know where she lived. She quickly rushed home checking a few times if she wasn't followed before she took the two-three steps at a time to their apartments on the third floor. It was once she was safely behind her closed apartment doors and locked that she truly felt safe.
She pressed her forehead against the door for a moment before she went to undress herself. She didn't feel like doing anything apart from more research. She made herself some dinner since her mom wasn't home again before she went to bed and turned on her phone to read more posts and articles.
At one point she began to doze off. It was probably from the stress of the situation she had just faced and as he clock told her the late hour it was. Her mom still hadn't returned home. No surprise. Things had been bad between them lately. Her mom thought it was her fault her last boyfriend try to kiss her on the after her got drunk on Halloween while she couldn't understand why her mom wouldn't take her side like she always did? She never asked for any of the things that happened. She never asked for anything. It just kept on happening.
She turned off her phone and covered herself with her comforter. She felt so good in the moment. Finally under the covers feeling tired enough to sleep without thinking about him for once.
When she heard the soft hit of someone's feet outside her fire-escape ladder she was instantly up again. She didn't dare to move as as she knew for sure that there was someone outside her window looking inside.
The window was closed and locked, but she wasn't afraid. Somehow, she knew she didn't have to be afraid. She felt sometimes else entirely. She was thrilled. Thrilled the way she hasn't been for weeks since that night.
She instantly threw her covers of her and ran toward the window nearly crashing into it as she unlocked and opened the rusty thing and quickly looked out.
'Leonardo,' she called out, and his eyes widened in utter shock that she opened the window in the first place while he was now frozen sitting on the rail at her fire escape ladder.
He opened his mouth clearly still surprised before he breathed out his first word to her since the weeks of separation, 'Jay.'
A.N: So after months chapter 2 is here. Sorry it took so many ages, and well might be a bit weird.
