Don't want to go to school....
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own the Turtles – this is purely for the purpose of fan fiction and not for profit.
It was the typical morning in the Turtle household, fights for the shower and who'd get the last of the coco pops. Two boys sat at the breakfast table, one was already dressed in his school uniform, all prime and proper. The other was half dressed and had his shirt out.
"Tuck your shirt in Mikey...."
"I hate it tucked in!"
"Either you tuck it in or I will," his mother replied, as she walked into the hall.
"Raph, Don Hurry up, you'll be late for school!"
"Maybe I don't want to go to school!" Came Raphael's reply.
"I can't find my uniform!" Cried Donnie, from upstairs.
"It's in the laundry! Where all the other uniforms are. Splinter, can you see what is up with Raphael. Why he won't go to school?"
Splinter went and found Raphael, busy building with the Lego. He was still in his pjs.
"Hey, mate. Why aren't you dressed yet?" Splinter sat down next to his son.
"I'm not going to school."
"And why, may I ask, are you not going?"
"Because, school sucks."
"But Raphie, you gutta go to school."
"Just like I'll just be sent to the office when I get there," Raph mumbled.
"Look I know you don't like your teacher....."
"Correction – she's hated me from day one. What do you expect?! I can't even breathe without being sent to the office – simply for being alive."
"Look I have had a long chat with the principal and he said he's working on the situation. But remember you also have the responsibility to yourself to show your teacher what a great kid you can be."
"You know and I know I'm no great kid. I'm bad, always having been and always will be. Why waste my time trying to be something I am not?!" Raph got up to leave, Splinter stoped him.
"Raphael, stop and listen to me. I know that you are deep down a top kid. You can be really intelligent when you put your mind to things. That is one top brain you got in there. What you need to realise is that sometimes you do use it for the wrong reasons. You use it to throw your misery onto everyone else. Why Raph? We all love and care for you; we want you to be happy. I want you to realise that I love you and I only want the best for you."
"Too late for that isn't it? My life was stuffed the day I was born."
"What do you mean? Do you really think that Charlotte and I would have not spent four agonising weeks with you in that mini-crib not knowing weather or not you would survive? Do you really think that all the times you have kicked and hit us in your rage that you're still living here under our roof? We're still feeding and clothing you are we not?"
Splinter paused to make sure what he was saying was sinking into Raphael's brain.
"Raph it's because we love you, we always have and always will. No matter how much trouble you cause, at the end of the day you're still our boy. Nothing can change that. You're still our boy who makes us laugh at his jokes and antics, who pleases his mother by being the only kid in history to eat his vegetables without any bribes. You're the kid who brings home injured animals and birds and cares for them and releases them when they are better. You're also the loyal brother who'll defend his brothers' to the end. I have seen this in you Raphael. I know that somewhere inside you there is a good side of you. You just seem to keep it hidden from the rest of the world."
"I still don't want to go to school." Raph retorted ignoring his father's words.
"I am sorry, mate, but your gona have to go. Look, how about I go speak with your teacher again?"
"What's the point? She'll still see me as the devil," Raphael dreaded his teacher. From the moment he entered year six, he was labelled the devil child from hell. He had wanted to sit with Donnie and Mike in class, but his teacher had isolated him on the first day – simply for asking Donnie if he could borrow the sharpener.
Now Don got to sit with Mike and they would watch as he always got in trouble for asking a pretty fair question. Like last week when they were doing long division, Raph did not understand how you worked the problem out, and instead of having it explained to him – he was given 50 lines of "I will not interrupt the maths lesson, with pointless questions.
Even Leo thought it was unfair, he knew Raph was slow at maths and behind the rest of his peers. Leo and Don had spent countless times trying to help Raph understand his homework. Splinter just said that Raph would understand in time and that they were very good for giving up their time in order to help their younger brother with his disability.
Donnie walked into the room and put his arm around his little brother.
"Raphie, I need you to come to school today. I will go insane during music without you there to cheer me up!"
"See, Donnie needs you to go to school," Splinter was pleased that Don was willing to encourage Raph to go. He knew Charlotte was extremely tired and wanted the morning to rest. She was nearing her time to bring into the world a new child. She wouldn't get that rest with Raphael at home.
"You know I hate music!" Donnie told his brother, "It's the one thing I do badly at! And you know what the stupid music teacher's like. She'll be like "Why can't you be more like your brother, he's so gifted with his musical talents. I mean hello – I am not Leonardo am I?"
Raph laughed, "Na, Leo wouldn't help me to make fart noises to that stupid song every music lesson!"
"You two!" Splinter looked at his troublesome boys.
"It's so funny, Splinter. The song is really dumb! We're like grade 6 and we're singing a babies song!"
"Maybe you could learn it to sing to when the new baby comes," Splinter suggested.
"Na, we'll jus sing it the farted version – our version is much better," Raph smiled.
"I don't think your mother would like your farting at the baby," Splinter laughed at his kids.
"We'll do it when she's not in the room! Splinter you should know how me and Raph work. We're not stupid. Do we ever do our best mischief when Charlotte is watching? Half the fun is the fact she don't know!"
"I heard that, Donetello!" Charlotte walked past the room, "Hurry up! Leo and Mike have already left for school, now I am waiting for you three to get out of my hair."
"What even kicking Splinty out of the house?" Raph inquired joking with his brother.
"Yes, even Splinter, he'll be late for work! Now chop chop."
Raph and Don mucked around on their short walk to school.
"Hey, you should pick those dead flowers and give them to Mrs Wobbly-bottom!"
"Why would I give her anything, let alone dead flowers?" Raph retorted, looking at the dying flowers on the footpath.
"Make up some stupid story, like "I got your some flowers, oh no look what you did to them! You killed them!" Don laughed at his own joke.
"That's not really funny Don. Besides, I got a better idea!"
"What?"
"During art, steal some clay. Then we form the clay into dog poo. Then put it under her chair!"
"Oh, that's really gross. But hey I'm up for it!" Donnie laughed.
"Come on, we got a song to fart along to!"