"There, Mikey, you're doing fine." I complimented. My one-year-old baby brother giggled as he approached me, falling once he took two steps. He giggled despite his small fall and clapped his hands.

I smiled back at him, licking the gap in my teeth that I had gotten that year when an adult tooth had fallen out. I crawled over to him and helped him to his feet. Once he was secure on his own feet, I crawled back over to my place where I had originally been sitting.

I opened and closed my hands. "C'mon, Mikey. I know you can walk to me."

"Ababa bo!" He cooed as he began to chew on his own hand.

I giggled. "C'mon, Mikey. Come to me. You can do it!"

He looked at me for a brief moment before shoving his hand back into his mouth.

I looked to the plate behind me from dinner time. I had been determined to get my baby brother to walk to me. So much so that I took my dinner plate with me so I could eat and get my brother to walk.

I grab the slice of pizza that lies on my plate and take a bite. Mikey's eyes suddenly widen as he looks at the triangular food item in my hand. He opens and closes his hands to indicate that he wants the food item.

I looked at him and then looked at the pizza.

Light bulb.

"You want the pizza, Mikey?" I asked him as I waved the pizza in front of him. I giggled lightly as his eyes followed the pizza in wonder, amusement, and sheer hunger.

Sure, Mikey didn't eat much 'older people' food, but he could eat small pieces of 'adult food'.

Slowly, Mikey began to take steps towards me, his eyes solely on the pizza. I smiled at the sight. "Come on, Mikey. You got it!" And he did. One step after the other, his chubby legs finally reached me and the pizza.

But just as he had, that's when he fell.

He fell sideways, and, to my horror, down towards the stairs. My small hand reached out to grab his hand, arm, sleeve, pant leg, anything that I could!

But I was too late.

Much too late.

I could hear tiny, high pitched, screams as he bounced down each step. My maroon eyes had shrunk to the size of peas as they widened, my eyes filling with tears with each agonizing scream.

"Daddy!" I had screamed.

But after I had screamed that simple word, I couldn't stop screaming. I screamed so hard that my voice only began to stop when my throat was raw enough to go out on its own. I could hear the front door open where he had been on the porch watching Leo, Raph, and mom play.

I could hear a loud gasp. My vision was hazy. I couldn't see, even with my glasses on. I could hear multiple voices in the room. Voices of worry, fear, sadness, anger, and calmness. They were all in the voices that surrounded me.

I think someone may have been yelling at me, but I barely noticed. Was that a hint of blood on the stairs? My eyes were still wide, my pupils still small, my eyes still filled with unshed tears, my mind still processing everything through slow motion.

Did I just kill my baby brother?

"Donnie?"

I jump out of my thoughts and shake my head, finding my pencil lead still pressed against the paper, only no words were written on the delicate white sheet.

"Oh," I said sheepishly, a small blush creeping onto my face, "sorry. Where were we?"

"Finding the volume of x," Fang said, trailing off at the end of her sentence. She looked to me, her hazel eyes full of concern. "Hey, are you ok? You don't seem ok."

"Nah," I said, shaking my head, "I'm just fine. Just some memories of my family popped into my head s'all."

Her face suddenly fell and she shied away. "Oh, I, uh…I see," She looked to the paper on the table. "Well, uh…the volume isn't going to find itself." She said, nervousness written all over her voice.

My eyes glanced at her in wonder. "Hey, are you ok? You got silent all of a sudden."

"Yeah," She said, pushing a piece of blue hair back behind her ear, "I'm fine. Now, uh, the volume…"

"Ah, yes. Well, since density equals mass divided by volume to find the volume all we have to do is divide the density by the mass."

"Well, the mass equals 122 grams and the density equals 1,098, so 1,098 divided by 122 equals nine." Fang answered.

I smiled at her. "And there we have it."

She stood from her chair and placed her paper into her folder. "We're going to ace this science project."

"Yeah." I said, a small smile lit on my face.

She looked at me through her own black rimmed glasses. "So, uh, how's Lego Robotics?" She asked.

I looked back at her. "We have the necessary programs that we need. All we need is a great summary, which, unfortunately, none of us in the team are good writers."

Her eyes filled with a shimmer of hope. "Well, I, uh…I can write pretty decently. But I…I know how you feel about me, so uh…y'know what…j-just forget the offer. It was stupid anyways." She looked away as she slung her old, rundown backpack around her shoulder.

I quickly grabbed her by the wrist before she had the chance to move. "Wait," I said. She looked back at me in surprise. She waited, her eyes a bit fearful for anyone's guess. I smiled softly. "Maybe I overreacted a bit. You seem really nice. If you're still interested in joining the Robotics Team, we'd be glad to have you with us."

Her eyes brightened, her mouth smiled. "R-Really? You-You mean that?" She asked hopefully.

I nodded, a smile on my face as well. She jumped up and down in ecstasy, her blue hair bouncing along with her. "This is the best day of my life!" She gripped me in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

And that's when I realized how skinny she was. As I hugged her back, my arms and hands could feel the outline of her bones. Each and every one of them. When I took a step back I had to suppress a gasp. How had I not noticed before?

She was so skinny that her ribs practically projected from her sides. "Fang?"

"Hm?" She asked as she stopped jumping.

"How many times a day do you eat?"

She looked down at her form. She looked back up and then looked away. "I eat three meals a day."

"Are you lying to me?"

"So what if I am?"

"I just want to know."

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're a human, and I want to know why I can see your bones." I answered with a dangerous tone.

She flinched. At what? I don't know. "It's none of your business."

"Are you starving yourself?"

"What? No!"

"Then what's up?"

"It's none of your business." She said with a snippy tone. She tried to walk out of the room, but I grabbed her by the wrist.

"Tell me."

"Let me go!" She told me, yanking her arm in my hand.

"Not until you tell me!"

"Let me go!"

"Tell me!" I yelled. I raised my other hand to grab her other arm, but I stop. Her eyes are wide. Her breath is quick.

"Don't hit me, please!" She yelled, tears building in her eyes.

I look at her in confusion before letting her wrist go. "I'd never think about hitting a girl," As soon as I let go of her wrist, she sinks to the floor and brings her knees to her chest. I look at her in confusion and sit next to her.

"Hey," I say. "what's wrong?"

"Don't hurt me, please." She pleads, hiding her face in her hands.

"Hey, hey, hey," I say as I pry her hands away from her face. I look into her hazel eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She takes a minute to process my words, tears glistening in her eyes. She dabbed at her eyes gently with her finger. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"Are you ok?" I ask as I take her hands into mine. "Did I, like, trigger a memory or something."

She hesitates, her mouth open but producing no sound before she shakes her head and stutters. "N-No. I'm fine. It was nothing."

I look into her eyes. "It doesn't seem like nothing."

"It's nothing."

OoOoOoO

"How is the old bonehead?" I asked as I plopped down on the couch beside Raph.

Raph sighed, his hand cradling his head. "The doctor said he'd be fine, but he was beat up pretty bad. His leg's all busted up and he's got a concussion."

"And how's Cody?" I asked, looking at Raph as he rubbed his hands together.

"He's still shaken up pretty bad. He's really upset. Last time I was at the hospital he told me that he wanted to kill whoever had done this to his big brother."

"That's a normal instinct," I say as I allow my hands to fall on top of my knees. "If someone were to do that sort of thing to you, I'd kill them for sure."

Raph paled and shook his head. "Nah, don't. I don't want that."

"Well, I'm sure Casey doesn't want Cody to do that either, but that's not gonna stop Cody."

"Yes," Raph sighed, "I know that."

I looked out the window that was on the left side of the couch. "Hey," I said, "remember the time when Mikey fell down the stairs?"

"Ugh," Raph groaned as he threw his head back against the couch. "Don't remind me. That was terrifying."

I nodded lightly. It had been. I wonder if that's why he has dyslexia.

"Hey, didn't you talk a bit more to that Fang girl?"

I took in a deep breath that sounded more like a hiss. "It was hard. I tried to talk to her a bit, but she's not very open."

Raph also looked out the window. "I could've sworn that I had seen her digging out of the trash a few nights ago."

My face contorted into a look of shock and confusion. "Why would she be doing that?"

"Beats me," Raph shrugged before sending a serious look towards my way. "Maybe you should talk to her."

"I've already tried talking to her. She doesn't listen though. She doesn't allow me to say two words without freaking out." I protest.

Raph cocked an eyebrow. "Why would she freak out?"

"Beats me," I say with a shrug of my shoulders. "She's really weird though. I'm not too sure if I even like her."

"Hey, c'mon," Raph scolded me, "don't be like that. Things aren't exactly as they meet the eye."

"How would you know? It's not like you've talked to her at all." I protest.

Raph shakes his head. "Forget it," He tells me. "It was a stupid thought anyways. Do what you please." And with that he stands and walks away. I watch as his frame moves away from my vision.

I sigh.

Maybe something was up.

OoOoOoO

"C'mon, dude, why don't you want to come?" Spencer urged me on.

I rolled my eyes as I readjusted my backpack. "Knowing that Mark and Jack are the ones throwing the party there's bound to be beer and maybe even some drugs involved. And tell me again why you want to go?"

"Because," He began as he walked alongside me, "everyone's invited. Including us. Don't you want a chance to fit in?"

"As tempting as 'fitting in' sounds, I'm not sure that I want to risk being pressurized into drinking alcoholic beverages. Do you realize the number of things that those types of drinks can do to growing boys like us? And though I trust myself to not getting pressurized into stuff like that, I don't want to risk it." I rant as we walk towards study hall.

He looks to me with pleading eyes. "C'mon, man! We're finally invited to a popular party, and you're just going to blow it off? Man, what is with you?"

"Man, what is with you?!" I shoot back. "Do you really want to chance getting drunk off your wits end and ruining the rest of your life?"

Spencer rolls his eyes and lets out a frustrated sigh. "You're impossible."

"I know." I said smugly.

He shook his head. "You're not right in the head."

I glare at him. "You're not right in the head! You know what beer can do to us! Why do you want to risk getting drunk?!"

Spencer shook his head. "Man, Donatello, you know me! I'm not going to do anything like that! C'mon, if you go I'll do your homework for all next month."

I sigh in frustration and look to him with angry eyes. "When is it? I need to make sure that that's not a day that I have to watch Mikey."

Spencer smiled widely. "This Saturday. I know you don't have to watch him, so don't try to get out of it."

I sigh and hold my head in my hand. "What am I getting myself into?"

OoOoOoO

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." I say with a groan as we get out of Spencer's older brother's car.

"Well," Spencer said as he slammed the car door shut, "believe it. Because we're here and we're staying."

I sigh and shake my head. "I wonder if Raphael is here."

"He may be," Spencer said as we walked up the paved stones that lead to Mark's front door. "He never misses a party."

"Has he ever gotten drunk though? If so, I've never seen it." I ask.

Spencer shrugged. "How would I know? This is my first rodeo."

I sigh and shake my head as we near the front door. Spencer knocks on the door and we both wait. After a minute or so the door finally opened revealing a smiling Jack.

"Hey, guys," He said with his heavy Irish accent, "come on in. We're having so much fun."

I thank him before stepping in, and as soon as we do I gasp. There are so many kids with beers in their hands. There are so many boys flirting with girls and trying to do things that speak for themselves. And the girls were enjoying it.

My eyes widen in fear, reluctance, and regret. I knew we shouldn't have come! Why couldn't Spencer just listen to me?

"Looks like fun, huh, Donnie?" Spencer asks me as he nudges me with his elbow.

I look to him in shock as I push his elbow away from me. "No!" I tell him. "This does not look like fun! This looks like a one-way ticket to jail! Are you kidding me? If Leo knew I was at a party like this he'd tan my hide for sure!"

"Don," Spencer reminds me, "Leo's not your father. He can't lay a hand on you like that."

"Maybe not," I say as a drunk kid pushes past me in order to get to the snacks, "but he sure can ground me. Spencer, I've never seen this side of you. What is with you?"

Spencer sighed impatiently. "Man, this is the first time we've ever been invited to any type of party, and you're just going to blow it off?"

"No," I say with an exasperated tone, "that's not what I'm getting at, and you know it. Spencer, I don't want to be pressurized into drinking. Why can you not respect that?"

He looks to me. This is the last time I see him all night and the last thing he says to me all night. "Because this is the first time, and probably the last time that we're ever invited to a party like this."

As he leaves my visual sight range, I sigh and plop down on and empty spot on the couch. Why did I come, I ask myself? I should have just stayed home with Mikey and Leo. Raph may be here, but I'm not like Raph. He's strong willed and knows how to get himself out of trouble. Now, me? I've never been in a situation like this.

"Hey, cutie," A female says as she nears me. I can smell the alcohol on her breath. Her bloodshot eyes are another dead giveaway. "Why don't we go somewhere a bit more comfortable?"

My cheeks flush with red, and I shake my head. "N-No thank you. I…I'm perfectly fine right here." I say as I back up further into the couch cushion.

She pouts and moves one of her brown pigtails out of her face. "C'mon, babe, just for a little while."

I shake my head, my eyes wide in fear never having been in this type of situation. "No. I'm not going anywhere with you." I tell her. She pouts with a glare before stumbling away. I sigh as I relax a bit.

I need to get out of here. I stand up and run for the door, but Mark almost immediately stops me.

"Going already?" He asks me.

I nod. "I'm out of here!" I grab for the doorknob, but he pushes my hand away from the brass handle. He gives me a dangerous smile. One that tells me that he can do whatever he wishes with me if I don't do something he approves of.

"But you haven't tried any yet."

"Pardon?"

"You haven't tried any beer yet!" He insists. He grabs an unopened Bud Light can off of the nearby snack table and cracks the tab open. I watch in fear as the sound of the packed up carbonation is let out. He places it in my hand. "Try some."

I look at the brownish-yellow liquid in fear before pushing the can back towards him. "N-No thank you. I don't want any. I just want to get back home."

He pushes it back towards me, that dangerous smile etched back onto his face. "Come on, I know you want some."

"Really, I don't."

"Oh, come on," He urges me on with the same wicked smile. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Yeah," Another boy says as he places a hand on my shoulder, "it's not going to hurt you or anything."

I shake my head, fear building up in my body. "N-No! I don't want any!"

"What are you," Another boy yelled at me, "chicken?!"

"I am not!" I yell back.

"Then why won't you try it?" Mark asks me.

I look at them in desperation. "C'mon, guys. I don't want to do this. Why are you guys trying to get me to do this?"

They all smirk. "You're just a chicken. We all know it!"

"I am not a chicken!" I yell back, looking at the brownish-yellow alcoholic drink.

"Then do it!" Another kid tells me.

"Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it!" All of the kids chant as they circle around me.

My eyes are wide, my pupils are small, my hands are shaking, my head is hurting. I shouldn't have come! If I didn't I wouldn't be in this position. I can't get out, and they're all chanting at me. You have to do something. What will it be?

"Fine!" I yell. I tip the can back and the liquid dribbles down my throat. It has such a bitter taste, but I keep drinking. I can hear cheers in the background.

It's so gross! But if this is what makes them stop…

I continue to chug the alcoholic drink until the can is all gone. I place the can down on the table and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. With my immune system, only a can was all it took.

Things started going in and out of focus and I felt much more loose. I felt so much more calm.

"Here," Jack said, handing me another can of the bitter soda, "have another one. We know you like it."

At this point, I couldn't argue. I could barely think. Another one won't hurt, will it?

And so down goes another one.

Oh, boy.

Looks like Donnie-Boy has got himself into some serious trouble. Did you like it, love it, hate it? Let me know. Your opinion matters. :)