"OK, OK, I'm good!" I raise my voice just a little, and all of a sudden, I feel my mouth dry. Mikey still acts a bit jumpy when I stand up. I don't look at him, just take a seat and concentrate on the table. I don't feel embarrassed, I'm frustrated. It's taken me a great deal to summon all the courage to go and open up a little at least with Donnie, and now everything's desappeared into thin air. Great, now I have to start all over again. They just don't get it. Donnie's voice reaches me from far away, and I try to look at him.

"Raph, are you all right? You look really pale".

"I told you, I'm all right". It surprises me that my voice comes out as a whisper. I must be worse than I thought. I hear Mikey sigh.

"Phew. You totally have to learn how to control your temper, bro. You gave me the crazy eye back there".

There it goes again. I picture myself smashing him into a wall and wiping off that silly smile of his with a couple of well delivered blows. Dork. Deep inside I know he's right. And deep inside is where I take a deep breathe, not that they would notice. No matter waht, I eye him trying to transmit all the anger I'm holding inside, building thick walls all around my uncontrolled temper.

"Crazy? You were the one acting mad, coming in as if you had lost it".

Donnie takes his eyes from me to look at Mikey.

"Raph's right. What was all the fuss about?"

"Don't ask me".

I don't see it, but I know Donnie's raising an eyebrow. And I know, because I've lived this situation thousand times, that his next move is going to be to shake his head and then to meet my eyes, searching for an answer to Mikey's nonesense. And I know I'm going to shrug my shoulders and let all the air in my lungs go. I'm going to roll my eyes and then get up and grab Mikey by the elbow, just to shake him. And that is exactly what happens. At the very same time, my mind is counter reacting, sending confusing messages. What a dull. How on Earth could you predict all those reactions in such an accurate way. And a faint voice in my brain answers back. Beats me.

"Eeeeasy, dude" says Mikey just when I touch him.

"Would you please stop acting like a maniac for a change?"

Now it's their turn to exchange looks. They are amused by my using the word "please". Idiots. At that very moment Mikey shrieks, and makes me jump, releasing my grip on him. I'm about to go all over again about his insanity, but he speaks first.

"Oh dudes, now I remember! It's Leo! He passed out like fifteen minutes ago. He gave me the creeps! He was all right like blah blah blah and then all of a sudden he was on the floor and I was like Leo, are you OK? And his mouth went all foamy and gross so I had to run away screaming for help! And then what did you do? You were the one attacking me like a maniac!" He taps my shell with his finger two, three, four times, until I slap him. I'm seconds away from tackling him again when Donnie steps in the middle.

"Guys! Keep it together, will you?"