Next chapter, *insert sarcasm (This is for those that can't tell written sarcasm)* because for some reason people want to know the ending. *shrugs* Maybe it's just me.
Raph walks into the kitchen. He finds the mail. Out of boredom, he leafs through it. He finds a letter to him. It isn't from the school; It's from the club leader. He opens it up.
'Dear Raph, since you and Hazel are still in need of much practice and little time to do so, you will need to-' Raph reads the next part and does something he would never admit to in front of Master Yoshi; he swore. He opened his mouth and said a foul word.
"Raphael!" Unfortunately, Master Yoshi heard. Raph cringes.
"..Comin'," he says, walking to the dojo. He stops in the center and kneels. Master Yoshi looks at him, stern and yet worried.
"What is the meaning of such vocabulary?" He asks.
"..Uh, I'm not really sure its exact definition.." Raph says slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, "..but-"
"No Raphael," Yoshi says, "I mean, why did you use it?"
"..Oh." Yoshi knows his second eldest son is not as ignorant as he seems. He is trying to tiptoe around something. "Uh.. drama club suggests I work on the script outside of class." Master Yoshi looks at the letter.
"Hmm," he says, interested, "With Hazel Reinberg?"
Raph groans, "Yep."
"Why don't you practice here?" Yoshi suggests, turning back. Raph looks at him suddenly.
"What?" He asks, "No! No, she isn't coming here."
"I would like to meet her," Yoshi says, "She can come over."
"You won't like her.."
"Won't like who?" Mikey asks, walking into the dojo. Raph groans as their father explains. Mikey gasps, stoked. "She's coming here!?" Yoshi nods.
"You can hang out with her, Mikey," Raph says, leaving. He plans to hang out with Casey once she arrives.
Hazel stands outside the door. She knocks twice. Leo gets the door. "Hi, is Raph home?"
"Yes," Leo looks behind him, his face creasing, "uh.. somewhere. Come in."
"Thank you." She steps inside and looks around. "Big place."
"Don't ask if they are rich, though," Chloe says, walking over, "They'll all deny it." She goes to Leo's side. He wraps an arm around her waist. Hazel's eyes grow big as saucers.
"You're.." she starts, "You're Leo?" Leo looks at her.
"Yeah.. and you are.." Chloe sighs, forgetting.
"I'm sorry, Leo, this is Hazel, a friend from my old school. Hazel, this is Leo-"
"Your boyfriend," Hazel says, as she shakes Leo's hand. Leo looks at her, surprised. "Chloe fails to say I'm her best friend. Don't worry, all good things," she assures. Leo nods.
"What.. are you doing here, Hazel?" Chloe asks.
"Raph and I need to work outside of the club," she admits, holding up the script. "Can I.." she motions to an empty hook. Leo gestures to it as well.
"Go right ahead." She beams and takes her coat off. Her boots go under it and she walks over to the couch.
Master Yoshi watches her interact with the other boys from the dojo entrance. He turns around and sees Raph starting to sneak out the side door of the dojo. He has on parts of his uniform. "Raphael," he says. Raph freezes, looking back. "Your friend is here."
"She isn't a friend."
"But you two have to work on the play."
"Why?" Raph asks, "It is a dumb story about two kids that make poor decisions. Not ta mention we have the sappiest scene in the entire-!" He stops his rant suddenly, a pressure point, well, being pressed. "Okay!" He says. Yoshi stops and Raph groans. His father usually does that when he's being irrational. And Raph realizes, he's right. Hazel is here and no one else is going to work on the script with her.
"She is waiting." Raph puts his sais away, along with his gear. He walks out of the dojo. Hazel sees him.
"Hi Raph," she says, grinning. His smile is there for a second, forced.
"Hey.." he sits on the couch. Mikey starts jabbering about his comic collection, not the ones he drew. Hazel listens and Raph lets them.
"Mikey, we need to focus," Hazel says finally. Raph internally groans.
"Oakie dokie! I'll be in the Lair." He leaps up and climbs the stairs. Hazel chuckles.
"What's 'the Lair'?" She asks Raph. He sighs.
"None of your business."
"It's private," Chloe says behind them, "Not even I've been allowed to see it."
"We have to get going," Leo says next to her, "The movie isn't going to wait for us."
Raph looks up suddenly, "I thought you had to study?" He asks, not looking in the direction of the couple.
Chloe shrugs, "We did. Bye!" They walk out the door. Raph realizes that no one else is on the main floor. He and Hazel are by themselves.
"Okay.. let's begin here," Hazel says, pointing. Raph takes his script out and finds the page. "I would not for the world they saw thee here."
Raph sees the next line. "I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight. And but thou love me, let them find me here-"
"Raph?" Hazel says, stopping him. "Umm, can you use more emotion?"
"What do ya mean?" He asks.
"You know.. like.." She tries to find the words, "Romeo is telling Juliet that he would rather them find him here and kill him than live without her love."
"So.. how should I say it?"
"With.. with passion," she says, "Like you mean it."
'I don't,' he says pointedly in his head.
"Just try," Hazel encourages, as if she heard his thoughts.
Raph looks at his script. "I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight," he says, not deadpan anymore. Hazel nods.
"Keep going.."
"And but thou love me, let them find me here. My life were better ended by their hate, than death prorogued," Raph looks up to see her blushing, "wanting of thy love."
Hazel looks at him. "Better." Raph rolls his eyes. Why is she blushing, that was terrible! "Now, how about here.." They work at the whole script until her grandma comes to pick her up. Raph relaxes once she goes out the door.
"How did it go?" Master Yoshi asks, coming out of the dojo. He had greeted Hazel midway into their session, on his path to his tea on the stove.
Raph groans, "Terrible. I hate the club."
"Hazel seems to be a very nice girl," his father comments, looking at the door.
"She's bubbly, idiotic, and too optimistic," Raph says, "she drives me nuts."
"And you do not like that?" Master Yoshi asks.
"Of course I don't!" Raph yells. Master Yoshi starts to walk away.
"..She may be just what you need, my son."
As I have said before, "Master Splinter knows what's up!"
And Raph is acting a little better with the whole 'drama' thing. Well.. he's not deadpan at this moment.
My favorite quote from here:
"And you do not like that?"
"Of course I don't!"
What's yours?
