This is one of the chapters that I had to update a little. Only when Chloe comes into the picture does it start to cave away.
Disclaimer: I-
Mikey: Please say you own me? I'm so cute! Who wouldn't want to own me? *I stare at him*
Me: I own TMNT, and Mikey.
Mikey: Yay!
Me: *shakes head and mouths* I don't.
Leo pulls up and parks in the student parking. Raph and Donnie get out. But the eldest stays in his spot and scans the lot of cars. He doesn't see a blonde head though. "Leo, c'mon! You aren't having second thoughts on you outfit are ya?" Raph half-teases. Leo scowls at him. He doesn't find anything wrong with his Captain Ryan t-shirt.
He takes the keys out of the ignition and locks the car. Donnie rushes ahead to talk to one of his teachers. Leo waits with Raph, who's wrestling with the trunk again.
"What're ya waitin' for? Go inside."
"I'm making sure you aren't late again," Leo retorts as he pops the trunk and hands Raph the backpack.
"Right. Don't make me the reason yer late." They both walk to the doors. Leo is checking over his homework and Raph is fiddling with his t-phone. But he was also looking for Chloe. But he reaches the doors with his immediately older brother without a glance. They separate at the hall and then he sees her at her locker. Raph freezes for a second. But with the courage of a Ninja Turtle, he saunters over.
"Hey Raph," Chloe says as he arrives.
"Hi Chloe. How's your second day so far?" He asks. She grabs her Geometry textbook. 'She's in Leo's class. A sophomore.'
"Good.. How long have you been going here?" she counters, changing the subject to him.
"Whole life," he says plainly, "You'll like it here."
"You aren't leading up to the 'May I have your number' now are you?" She walks away before he can answer.
"Only a jerk would try that again," he says to himself, smiling.
Chloe walks into Geometry and sits down. "Hi Leo." Leo looks up from his homework.
"Oh, hi, Chloe." He frantically scribbles on the paper.
"Do you need help?" She asks. Leo shakes his head. But he feels her gaze stay focused on him and blushes. He studied even more after his workouts and he still has no clue what they learned. He sighs.
"Yeah..." Chloe giggles, making his embarrassment run deeper.
"I take you don't say that very often. Here," she helps him out on the assignment and answers what questions he has.
"I still don't think I understand," he says, shoulders fallen.
"That's what teachers are for... But if you want, I could tutor you."
"Naw that's okay. I have to drive my brothers home each day."
"How many of you are there?"
"Ms. Garcia, class has started," the teacher reminds her.
"I'm sorry." When the teacher turns around, Leo holds up four fingers. "Big family?" She mouths. Leo nods, slight annoyance playing his features.
"-no idea." she catches him mouth back as she peeks away from the teacher.
"So, Chloe, tell me about yourself," Leo says at the park. He had dropped his brothers
off at home and met her there.
"Well," she starts, setting her pencil down, "What do you want to know?"
"The meaning of life," Leo says, feeling inspired by Mikey. Chloe chuckles.
"Let's start a little more simple."
"Okay.. favorite color." Chloe lightly punches him across the table.
"I said simple, dork," she chastises. He blushes and looks away.
'Stupid. stupid stup-'
"But, if you must know, it's turquoise," she answers, "Now you, color."
"Blue."
"I can tell," she says, referring to his shirt.
"..Do I dare ask if you're a fan?" He asks, nervous.
"I've heard of it. But I prefer Starlantis."
"Huh, I've never heard of that," Leo shakes his head. Chloe's jaw drops.
"Never heard of Starlantis!? Are you crazy?"
"That's what I say about Space Heroes," Leo adds, feeling Chloe more as a kindred spirit. They get back to homework.
"That was a pretty tough punch," Leo jokes.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. No doubt you're in ninjutsu."
"I am, actually." Leo looks up. He was not expecting that. "Or, I was. My dojo is at my old school."
"Didn't like going there?" Chloe shakes her head.
"Worst high school ever."
"Well, you can only go up from there," Leo states.
".. Thanks Leo, you're right."
"So, what's your family like?"
"Well," she says, moving a new assignment to the top, "there's me, my older sister, Miley, and my dad. My uncle will be back soon, since my sister and I are the last of his family."
"What about your dad?"
"Uncle Bill is my mom's brother. He doesn't count Dad as family."
"So, does your family.."
"My sister's alright. Bit like a mother figure. My uncle is awesome, despite being cold towards Dad. And he on the other hand is..."
"What?"
"..Nothing, dads are dads; He took it hard after Mom died."
"Okay." The conversation is paused for a question on the homework. 'I don't think it's a good time to bring her mom up.'
"What's your family like?" Leo looks up from his thoughts.
"Four teenagers and a dad. Summed up in a word: Chaos."
"That bad?"
"Don't get me wrong, I love them. It's just, sometimes they just push the wrong set of buttons."
"Anyone in particular?"
"Mikey, our youngest. He's the prankster and goofs off a bunch."
"Oldest?" Leo looks at her quizzically.
"Are you a mind reader?" They laugh it off and call it a day.
"Hey Leo, where were ya? It's almost five," Raph asks as Leo climbs into the Lair.
"No where, just the park."
"With who?" Mikey asks with his head hanging over the back of his chair. Leo gives him a glare. The young pizza loving teen just smiles innocently.
"So you were with someone," Donnie, as always, looking at the facts.
"Sure," Leo sits at his desk and takes out his comic and tries to block them out.
"Was it April?" Mikey gasps, "Did you have a leader-to-informant meeting?" Mikey asks with flare. Leo looks over the page at him.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night Mikey."
"Mich-e-lan-jello," he enunciates with importance. "I go by that and that alone."
"Why?" Leo asks, not bothering to look up this time.
"He.." Donnie sighs, "took the art job with is school's murals."
"That's right!" Mikey yells, excited. He rushes to Leo and shoves papers in his face. "Just looks at my ideas!" Leo takes the drawings.
'Pizza, I heart pizza, #pizza, Mikey's Pizzeria,' he reads.
"So? What do you think?"
"I.. think you should try again. Only this time, do something, different," he tries. Mikey nods, excited even more.
"I got the perfect one. Pizza-"
"No pizza," his brothers all say.
"Oh, that's.. what you meant." Mikey takes the pictures back and sits at his spot.
"You know Mikey, you can bring the pizza themed ones. Just have a few that aren't just in case."
"Okay," Mikey says, not any happier. Raph pulls Leo to his corner.
"It wasn't April, was it?" He whispers.
"No," Leo admits.
"Well, who was it?"
"A tutor," Leo whispers. Raph looks at him with surprise. "No. Don't you dare tell the guys. Donnie won't leave me alone if he knew."
"Whatever makes ya happy. I'm trying to keep him from helping me."
"You need it in more than one class Raph. I'm only struggling in Geometry."
"Would I know her?"
"Probably not- hey! What makes you think it's a her?"
"You had Donnie's I-got-kissed-by-April look when you came in. I know a crush when I see one." Raph looks to Donnie to prove his point. He's staring soulfully at April's picture on his phone.
"What? I don't have a crush. We just worked on homework."
"Do you know her favorite color?" Raph inquires.
".. Noo, I do not," Leo lies. Raph lets him go back to Space Heroes. But he isn't so convinced. 'What was Raph talking about. I don't have a crush on Chloe.'
Leo reads the part where Captain Ryan is tricked into loving a villain and he has to vaporize her, even if he still wants to be with her. "Oyi, relationships," he mutters. 'I mean sure, Chloe's witty, outgoing, and pretty. But it doesn't mean- Why does Raph think..' Leo then drifts off to thinking about Chloe, and if maybe she would tutor him more.
So, how am I doin'? I love this story. It's just starting to come together from what the summary says.
Review! Comment! PM! BYE!
