Chapter 55

Sorry for the delay in updating guys! It's been a busy end of the semester! Hopefully today I can catch up a bit on homework and studying so I can update again on Tuesday! Review, favorite, and follow the story please!

"Holly? That's a pretty name."

"You don't want to make Christmas jokes like everyone else?"

"No, should I be?"

Holly looked at the covered-up man with a quizzical expression. Was he serious? Everyone usually made a remark about how her parents must have loved Christmas.

"I think I'll be fine from here, though," she said adjusting her messenger bag.

"Are you sure? I want to make sure you're going to be okay. You can trust me, I promise ."

Holly doubted his words. She knew better than allowing a stranger to know where she lived.

"You can walk me part of the way. But if I tell you to leave-"

"I'll disappear! I swear!"

Michelangelo was excited. A new friend!

Holly looked at the bags in his hands and noticed they looked pretty heavy.

"What's in your bags? Just comics?"

"Yeah, I didn't get any new ones for a while, especially with the evacuation and all, so I got a bunch!"

Holly smiled. He sounded like a little kid.

"Do you read comics?" he asked hoping to start up a conversation.

"N-No. I like nonfiction mystery. Like Pat Brown and Dr. Jack Levin."

"Never heard of them. Sorry. What kind of stories are they?"

"Well, they both work in criminology and sociology. Pat Brown is my idol. I want to be a criminal profiler-"

Holly cut herself off. She was spilling out way too much information about herself to this guy.

Mikey was confused about a lot of what she was talking about.

"What does a criminal profiler do?"

"It's kind of hard to explain and we are close-by my house. Could we part ways here?"

"Sure, thanks for letting me walk with you. I don't have a lot of friends so it felt great!"

Mikey started to run off but turned around and waved.

"Bye, Wasp!"

"M-My name isn't Wasp! It's Holly!" she shouted with a small smile on her face.

Holly walked the next two blocks to her home, a small two bedroom apartment she shared with her mother.

"Mom, I'm home."

In the living room, Holly's mother had bills and forms laid out on the coffee table with a laptop in her lap. Her mother, Grace, was an accountant for several firms and usually brought her work home with her. The mother was wearing her red silk pajamas with her brown hair tied in a tight bun.

"Did you get the books you wanted or was the library closed?"

Holly went over to the mantel and grabbed her contact case and glasses.

"Yeah, I got them," Holly said as she took out her contacts and put her glasses on. "but I got jumped by some brutes."

Her mother looked up.

"Are you hurt?"

Holly shook her head and sat on the couch next to her mom.

"No, some guy came out of nowhere and saved me. It was something out of a cheesy movie."

"You didn't let him follow you back, right? I warned-"

"I know, I know, he could grab me in the middle of the night. Mom, it was fine. He was actually kind of nice. He genuinely seemed interested in hearing me talk about Dr. Jack-"

Her mom covered her ears with her hands.

"La la la! I don't like hearing about the doctor and him talking to gruesome killers! La la la!"

Holly kissed her mom on the top of the head and went to her room.

"Good night, Mom."

"Night, sweetheart."

When Michelangelo entered the Lair, Hikaru came over and barked a greeting at him.

"Hey, boy."

Leonardo groaned. Hikaru was not listening to "stay" very well.

"Mikey, you're interrupting our training."

"Stop being so hard on him. Give him some more treats and he'll do whatever you tell him. I know I'd get sick of hearing that stupid clicker."

Leonardo was ashamed to admit it but Master Splinter actually got fed up with the clicker and confiscated it.

"At least you're back. Everyone disappeared. Donatello took Zoey home and Claire and Raphael went out for a ride. Hey...something seems different about you..."

Mikey scurried to his room to avoid the interrogation but Leonardo could tell his brother was incredibly happy about something.

The blue-masked turtle assumed it must've been the new comics and went back to training with Hikaru.

Once Claire and Raphael found a nice spot to park, Raphael asked something he was afraid to for quite some time.

"What exactly are your plans for when you graduate? I get it, you've still got a bit to go but-"

Claire laughed.

"I actually want to study business and open my own gymnastics studio. Maybe even take over the Star Potential Studios one me and Zoey go to. What makes you ask?"

Raphael hated to admit it, but he was afraid that one day Claire would decide to leave. He wouldn't blame her of course, it wasn't like he pictured living with her and being happy.

That was mushy stuff that Donatello would think.

"Just wonderin' what your plans were."

Claire sighed and leaned into his arm.

"You're so weird. I love you."

Raphael and Claire's eyes bulged.

She didn't mean to say it! It just slipped out!

Raphael hesitated and felt his heart race.

"Uh-um-"

"Hey, it's getting late," Claire said moving towards the street. "I can walk from here-"

Raphael grabbed her arm and pulled her into a kiss.

"I'm not too great with words and I know I seem stubborn."

Claire kept her mouth shut...even though she had tons of remarks about what he said.

Raphael started pacing back and forth.

"But I don't want you thinking that I don't care about you. I do."

If turtles could blush, Raphael would be bright red.

"I love you too. But I'm not gonna be like Don-"

Claire kissed him with a big smile on her face. She nuzzled into his neck as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Raph, I don't care if you never say it again. I'm just glad you feel the same."

Raphael held her tight.

"Maybe I can say it more. Just not in front of Master Splinter. Or Leo."

"Why don't we just save ourselves the time and just say it only when we are alone?"