Mind Games Pt. 5

Ara

"Leo! Ara! Come here! It's Donnie!" Shredder's voice boomed from the lab, and Ara froze mid-roundhouse as she was sparring with Leo.

Leo let his blocking hand go slack. "You don't think…"

Ara broke out a grim smile, heading for the lab. "Nah. Donnie's really careful with that gun." They swung open the lab door to find a limp Donnie on the floor, the brain gun not far away. "Then again…"

"I scared Donnie, and he dropped the gun. It was all weird and broken, and then it fired a missal and…" Raph gestured helplessly at Donnie.

Ara groaned and knelt beside him. "Not AGAIN! Who do you suppose he was thinking about?"

Leo crouched beside Ara to check Donnie's pulse and breathing, even though it was basically a useless formality at this point. "Let's just hope he wasn't thinking about who he's usually thinking about."

Ara's eyes widened. "Uh-oh."

Raph sighed. "Well, we're going to find out. He's coming around."

Donnie's eyes fluttered open, and he struggled to sit up. "Where…where am I?" he murmured in a daze, rubbing his head.

Ara reached forward, grasping Donnie's shoulders. "Umm… April?"

"Yeah?" Donnie—or April—gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Why do I sound like…" She looked down at herself. "Woah! Why am I Donnie?!" The flustered turtle shook off Ara's grasp and grabbed HER shoulders, shaking Ara until her teeth rattled. "WHY AM I DONNIE?!"

Leo reached forward and peeled her fingers off of Ara. "It's a long story."

April looked up at Raph, who raised his hand briefly in greeting. "'Sup."

"Gaah! Why is Shredder in your lair?!"

Leo sighed. "That's an even longer story."

Just then Splinter… or Mikey… rolled into the lab on a skateboard, chewing a piece of pizza. "Hey, dudes. I heard Raph shout. What gives?"

April's mouth dropped as she stared at the giant rat. "I suppose that's another long story?"

Leo gave a tired sigh as he leaned back on an in-progress invention. "Correct."

April shook her head. "You guys have been having a bad day, haven't you?"

Ara nodded, rubbing her temples. "What was your first clue?"

Donnie

Donnie let out a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the office. Detention was finally over, and he could get home. "C'mon!" Cassidy grabbed his hand and tugged him urgently down the hallway.

"What? Where are we going?"

"To softball, silly. If we hurry we might make it on time."

"Softball? I kinda have to get home."

"No, you don't! Your aunt knows we have a big game today! Now HURRY UP, we're gonna be late!"

"No!" Donnie pulled away. "I REALLY have to get home, believe me!"

Cassidy's face fell. "What? But you're the best player on our team! And with Irma home sick… please, April?"

Donnie paused, looking at the pleading expression on Cassidy's face. She had just gotten herself hours of detention for him. He at least owed her this much…and softball sounded tempting. Using a bō staff made you really handy with sticks and bats. Everyone at home would be mad, but then, they would be anyway.

"Okay, okay, FINE! But RIGHT after the game I have to…"

Cassidy grinned, gave him a quick hug, and then nearly dragged him out the doors of the school. "I knew you would! C'mon!" They sprinted around the school and down a couple blocks to a baseball field. The game was obviously already underway, with all three bases loaded. Cassidy cursed under her breath and led Donnie to the dugout before finally letting go of his wrist and stopping for breath.

"Where have you two BEEN?!" a woman boomed, storming up to them and fixing both girls with a glower. The woman wore jeans and a Vikings jersey, her frizzy black hair pulled into a ponytail through the hole of her worn baseball cap.

"Sorry, coach," Cassidy huffed. "April punched Luke Poppydiar and got us both detention."

The coach's eyes lit up, and she turned to Donnie eagerly. "Really?! Did you hit him hard?"

"Uhh…"

The coach clapped him on the back. "Way to go, O'Neil! He's had that coming for a long time. Just don't tell the principal I said that."

"Strike three! YOU'RE OUT!"a voice boomed from home plate.

The coach winced, then tossed him a jersey. "Anyway, you're up. If you strike out, we switch sides. No pressure."

Donnie slipped the jersey on over his shirt, accepted the offered bat, and jogged up to the plate. He swung the bat a few times to get a feel for it, resisting the urge to twirl it between his hands. "Woo, April!" Donnie glanced at his teammates cheering him on in the dugout, then took a deep breath. Grinding his foot into the dirt beside home plate, he tapped the bat on the ground, then propped it up on his shoulder. Best player on the team, Cassidy had said? Oh, he would show them best player!

The pitcher wound back her arm, then sent a fastball flying in Donnie's direction. Donnie swung the bat with all his might. CRACK! The ball soared into the air, over the outfield, past the surrounding fence, and far beyond. Donnie thought he heard a car alarm sound from somewhere far off, but it could have just been his imagination.

The small crowd watching the game went dead silent for a few moments, then erupted in cheers. The stunned players on the three bases remembered how to run, and they headed for home. Donnie followed them, taking his sweet time rounding the bases as he basked in the applause.

For the first time in his life, it was applause, and it was for him. Well, for April, but it was for something HE did. CHEERS, not screams. If only… Donnie pushed the wistful thoughts out of his mind so he could enjoy the moment.

He was feeling pretty full of himself, so he did a couple cartwheels on his way to home. That got laughs out of everyone, followed by a standing ovation as he trotted into the dugout.

"April…" Donnie turned to an astonished coach after his teammates finished drowning him with enthusiastic cheers and pats on the back. "Keep playing like that, and we got this game in the bag."

Donnie grinned. "Would you like paper or plastic?"