Chapter 3: Raph

"Mom, I'm home." Silence greeted the red-banded turtle as he stepped into the run-down apartment. He frowned and called out again. "Mom?"

Still nothing.

Raph scowled, ripping his backpack off and throwing it on the floor of his tiny bedroom. Then he stomped into the kitchen to look for something to eat.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much that was edible in the kitchen. What meager food that remained in the fridge had mold growing on it, and pretty much everything in the cabinets was expired.

Raph's stomach grumbled and his eyes stung. He gritted his teeth and pressed his hands to his face to try and stop the tears. But despite his best efforts, a few escaped and tracked down his cheeks. He wiped them away angrily, grabbing his jacket and heading out of the apartment to go get some dinner.

Aw, is the freak gonna cry?

Big baby.

Why don't you crawl back to whatever pit you came from?

As the insults from long ago once again rang in his mind, Raph let out a cry of frustration and hurt. "Why did you do this to me?!" he screamed at the sky. "Why?! Why did you put me here in this place?! I would've been better off on the streets!"

Lightning cracked across the grey-covered dome and a rumble of thunder shook the ground under his feet. Rain started pouring down in sheets, instantly drenching him. Raph swore loud and long and increased his pace.

He arrived at Murakami's restaurant a few minutes later. By this time, he was soaking wet, chilled to the bone, and extremely ticked off. He slammed the door behind him, unsurprised to find the restaurant mostly empty.

"Hey, Murakami," he said in a weary voice, slumping onto a bar stool.

The blind chef greeted him with a smile and a cup full of piping hot cocoa. "Raphael-san! It is good to see you, my friend."

Raph snorted at the pun and took a drink from the cup he'd been given, not really caring that the liquid burned his tongue and throat as it went down. "Sorry about the mess."

Murakami shrugged. "It is just water. It will dry." He set a bowl of ramen in front of the turtle. "How was your day?"

Raph was so hungry he ate half of the noodles without taking a breath. "Got in a fight at school. Mom and Dad are gone again. Didn't have anything to eat at the apartment. Y'know, terrible as usual."

"Ah, but Raphael, you must endure bad times so that you may truly appreciate the good times."

The hothead scowled. "No offense, Murakami-san, but my entire life is one bad time. I have yet to see something good come out of my being alive."

Anything the chef might've said in response was cut short as the door opened once again. Raph's fiery green eyes narrowed.

Because standing in the doorway was none other than Leonardo Hamato himself. Raph's lip curled. He hated that insufferable, stuck-up son of a rat. He stood up, pushing his stool back. "Thanks for dinner, Murakami. I have to go."

Leo paused, seeming to take in the other turtle standing in front of him. "You don't have to go because I'm here," he said belatedly.

The red-banded mutant just snorted and flipped him off, then shoved past him and out into the rain. He could hear Leo laughing with Murakami as he walked away. A stab of jealousy went through him and he clenched his jaw.

Everything was so easy for Leo. He had all the money he could ever want, a nice house, food, loving parents, a girlfriend who cared about him...the list went on and on. He was the perfect son. The perfect student.

And then there was Raph. The bad boy that everyone avoided. The bully that everyone feared. The kid whose parents were never home.

He hated that. Hated how easy it seemed for the blue-eyed turtle, when his own life was a living nightmare.

Hot tears welled up in Raph's eyes again but this time he didn't wipe them away. What did it matter? It was pouring rain anyway - nobody would notice.

They never did.