A/N:The title comes from P!nk's "So What". This and the first of the series have not been beta'd. Sorry about that. Also some dialogue comes from the fourth episode of the second season "Mutagen Man Unleashed". It's not too much just some of April's lines and most of Timothy's. Thanks for everyone who has read, favorited, and followed so far! You're awesome!

Disclaimer: I don't own "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in any incarnation or form.

Part Two:I'm Gonna Get In Trouble. I Wanna Start A Fight.

Casey decided that April O'Neil was a pretty tough customer.

They had lunch together because April wanted a good idea on where Casey was having problems in Trig. It quickly became clear that the answer was everything. Casey was having issues with everything in Trig.

During that time, at least four people had pointed at her and about dozen were clearly talking about her current fatherless predicament, all of which would have had Casey play puck to face roulette with some of them.

Yet April was clearly ignoring it and pretending like nothing was wrong. Oh she knew something was wrong but she wasn't going to let the wrongness invade her life at this moment in time. Even if she had every right to just curl up in a ball in a corner somewhere because someone she loved had vanished from her life.

Casey respected the hell out of that life philosophy. Oh sure maybe it wasn't like healthy to repress it, but you needed to do something to get through the day.

No one tells you how to get through the day to day when someone that important is gone, nonetheless when they disappear twice.

So they sat together with April pointedly ignoring the whispers and Casey sprawled out inelegantly on three chairs.

"Yeah. Okay I can see why you need help," said April giving up the endeavor of finding something that Casey was good at in the subject.

Casey's mouth twitched upward, "Coulda told you that myself, Red. I'm just not that good at math."

"But in your other classes you're doing fine?" asked April.

"Shop is a pass/fail class. I'm passing by the way. Teacher loves me. I'm pretty decent at drawing so Art's an easy A. I like chemistry and even if my work isn't always perfect, I get the result that is needed. Creative writing is just, ya know, making up stories and shit. Not exactly stuff for a rocket scientist. History…well yeah I'm pulling a C there but I have a hard time remembering numbers so it's the dates that trip me up. Trust me they're better grades then I was getting last year. Except Trig. Trig's where I was last year."

April looked confused, "Last year?"

"Failed all my classes, Red. Nothing says wake up call like having to repeat your sophomore year at a new school," said Casey with a wry grin. She paused and blew a piece of her black hair out of her vision.

Then she winced when she saw the uncomfortable look on April's face. Crap, not many people like to hear you repeated a grade. Okay she can fix this before scaring off her only chance of passing Trig. Casey quickly rearranged herself from her sprawl into a lotus style posture on one chair.

"S'alright now, Red. I was just a dumbass last year. Being a dumbass is rarely if ever rewarded.

"When is it rewarded?" asked April after a couple of seconds. Her brows were furrowed together like she didn't really know.

Casey grinned, "Usually when it pans out in your favor even if you didn't intend for it to happen. That's when being a dumbass is rewarded. Internet fame, television clip show…shit like that."

April bit her lip, but a little giggle was escaped. After a couple seconds of fighting it, she started giggling a bit more like she wasn't sure why she found it that funny but she did.

Casey looked absolutely delighted, "Made you laugh! You got a cute giggle there, Red."

Huh. Casey didn't know whether to be proud or worried that April was now blushing the exact shade of red as her hair. It was definitely cute though.

"Awww don't blush like that on my account, Red."

"I'm not blushing on your account, Jones," said April trying to stop blushing and be that tough customer again.

Casey laughed as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. She stood and did a free throw with her trash, pumping her fist in the air when it made the trashcan with room to spare on either side.

Seriously, Casey Jones' awesome knew no bounds.

"Sure, Red," she called over her shoulder with a wink. "Catch you later. Seven right?"

"Seven on the dot, Jones!" called April desperately trying not to blush and give the other girl the satisfaction. Casey Jones is a horrible flirt apparently. The problem is April was just unused to being flirted with whether it was by boy or girl.

She was pretty sure that if someone did it with the intent to date her, she would never, ever know. God it sucked to have those awkward years and miss out on those boy-girl parties. She probably would have known something about flirting.

Casey waved her hand lazily before disappearing around the corner.

April sighed. She was starting to think this whole 'be a normal teenage girl' thing was harder then previously thought. Not that she thought it was going to easy leaving behind a life of mutants, ninja turtles, and alien robots…but yeah, definitely harder than she thought.

She had study hall now. At least, maybe she can start figuring out easy problems for Casey's study session later. It's clear that they needed to work up from back to basics.

Then maybe after she did that she could read that new book she bought the other day.

(Maybe it will take her mind off of missing what she normally did during study hall, which was text the Turtles about a variety of different things. Sometimes it was just nice to talk with them when it wasn't an emergency. But no. No. She is not missing them. She is not.)

Casey Jones, despite appearances to the contrary, was an extremely punctual person. It was the side effect of growing up in a family where if you were fifteen minutes early, then you were on time and if you were on time, then you were late.

So after practice, after assuring Coach that yes she had a tutor and yes she will be getting her Trig grade to a C, she made the bike ride to the small park near Antonio's pizzeria.

"Goooood evening, Red!" she called out making April jump. Casey stifled an inner laugh at April's shocked face. Apparently, she was expecting Casey to be late.

Casey so loved screwing with people's expectations of her. It really was the little things in life that brought her so much joy.

"Casey," said April trying to keep the surprise out of her voice, "hey. I wasn't expecting you until later."

"Practice is done at six. So I took a shower, talked to coach, and came right over. Of course I'm starving now, but I promised Coach that I would be getting a C in Trig so I can keep on the team. I'm hoping like hunger can help focus my mind and stuff. Because I need it. I need it bad, Red."

Her story finished, Casey collapsed into the swig next to April in a grand over the top maneuver. Her eyes shut and her hand to her forehead in a mock swoon as she kept her balance on the swing.

"Really, Jones?" asked April with her own lip twitching. She was clearly fighting a smile.

Casey opened an eye with a grin on her red lips, "Too much?"

"Just a bit," said April as she replaced the book she was reading with the Trig textbook, "Okay. So I think what we need to do here is start at the bottom and work our way up. You need to build a strong foundation and know that really well. Once you understand that inside out then everything should be easy."

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy?" said Casey as she twisted the chain of her swig and moved over to look at the book.

"I'll let you know when we reach lemon squeezy levels, Jones," deadpanned April.

"I'll hold you to that then, Red. Now foundations," said Casey with a nod. "Okay yeah let's fix the foundations then."

April looked at her notes and began the process of explaining to Casey the things she didn't understand (in relation to Trig anyway).

It was actually nice. It was the first time in awhile that she wasn't thinking about them.

For the record, Donatello would just like to point out that he wasn't stalking April. What he was doing was merely a precautionary measure.

Even if…Even if April hated them (him), then well she was a still a target of the Kraang for whatever reason made sense in their twisted alien brains. So on patrol, he would just swing by the park or run past her aunt's place to make sure the light was on.

He just needed to make sure that she wasn't in trouble that they had put her.

It was past seven and a nice night. The fall air was a pleasant coolness on his skin, not horribly chilled. So April would probably be out studying in the park near Antonio's.

He checked over his shoulder. Leo and Raph were trying to get Mikey to take stealth training seriously. That or to not go around eating strange pizza left on rooftops. Both options were, in Donatello's book, valuable life lessons for their youngest brother to learn.

Still, it provided an opportunity for him to quickly check on April and come back before he was missed.

Of course, he wasn't expecting April to be with someone.

It was a human boy. Donatello could only see him from behind but he was certain about it. He had messy, dark hair of medium-ish length and was dressed in black and gray. His boots made a line in the sand as he rocked the tangled up chains of his swing back and forth gently. His head was bent over the textbook as April pointed something out in it.

Something was said, but Donnie couldn't hear it, whatever it was made April start laughing so hard that she snorted. He leaned closer and went tumbling off the building, falling into the dumpster below.

"Did you hear that?" asked April after a crashing rang out into the peacefulness of the night.

Casey narrowed her eyes and waited for several seconds. When it seemed like no one was going to come out and attack them, she just shrugged.

"Must be some raccoons fighting it out in the dumpster."

"Really?" replied April in a fond exasperation.

"They're vicious little bastards, Red," said Casey brightly. "It's why I like 'em so much. They know how to survive."

"Still. I think we should wrap it up for the night," April said checking her watch.

"Yeah. Probably the best idea…sorry if it was annoying. All my questions," said Casey with a shrug, "I know I'm not the best at this stuff. S'why I'm thinking of become a member of US Hockey team in the Olympics, an international bounty hunter, or a graffiti artist one day."

April's eyebrows quirked up at that, "Really?"

Casey's hand quickly reached up to touch something underneath her shirt.

"Yeah. Who wants an ordinary life anyway, Red?"

She didn't see the incomprehensible look that flashed across April's face as she went to go unchain her bike. Casey looked over her shoulder, "Come on, Red. You want something to eat? There's an awesome grilled cheese truck that parks near here every couple nights around this time."

April paused and picked up her books. Maybe Casey didn't fit the whole "normal teenage girl" definition that she wanted to hit, but dammit she kind of liked the other girl.

April nodded, a smile on her face.

"Yeah. That sounds like fun, Casey."

"Cool. My treat. Least I can do for you, Red."

When Casey Jones said that she didn't want a normal life, she was being perfectly serious about it. She doesn't want a normal life. She wants to do something that matters. She does want to make a difference.

Maybe Casey Jones isn't going to set the world on fire. Maybe she isn't going to change it in a huge way. But she's not going to settle for being anything less than extraordinary.

Maybe she's not smart enough to do it, but that doesn't mean her other skills should be ruled out.

Case in point: there is a giant green Jell-O like thing with clearly visible intestines coming toward her and April as they walked to April's home. At first, Casey thought that maybe those fresh mushrooms in her grilled cheese sandwich were for some other purpose then edibility.

One look at April's face, who did not have mushrooms in her grilled cheese, told Casey that she wasn't hallucinating.

If this isn't a sign from the universe telling Casey that she was meant for more than an ordinary life, then Casey doesn't know what is.

"APRILLLLL!" screeched the thing from a creaky voice box. It's strange hands made grabby motions at her, like a toddler demanding a favorite toy.

Casey acted without really thinking, positioning herself between April and the monster.

"April I know you can handle yourself, but this thing clearly wants you. So I'm going to distract and you're going to get on my bike, get to your house, and like…I don't know call the Coast Guard or something!"

This thing was totally cool looking in like an awesome gross disgusting kind of way. She wasn't going to let it get her Trig tutor though.

"PUNK! KID! I! WILL! GET! YOU!" cried the thing as it ran toward them.

Casey pushed April out of the way before diving into a nearby trash heap. She saw a pipe there. She know she did.

"Come on. Come on. Come on," she said fervently. The thing started stomping behind her. She could feel her heart in her throat but cleared her head.

Her hands wrapped around the pipe. She took a deep breath and the world became smaller in that moment.

She jumped out of the dumpster just as the thing reached it. Disappearing into the darkness of the alley, she smirked at seeing the trash spilled across it.

It seems like the tank was keeping it together. If she could crack the tank, get it to explode, then the thing would be goo across the street.

She spun the pipe in her hand and ran toward her ammunition. She started hitting anything that she could. There had to be a weak point in the glass, somewhere anywhere.

It wasn't breaking. It refused to break.

Okay. Time for the stupid plan then, this should be good. After all her best plans were usually stupid ones.

She took a running start.

Swing and a promise, Casey thought as she cried out. "GOONGALA!"

She struck with all of her strength, which was no joke. She then tumbled into a pile of trash, the pipe rolling away from her.

And the thing was still coming as if it hadn't stopped.

"NOW! I! CRUSH! YOU!" cried its humanly inhuman voice.

Well…frak. Casey always thought that she would probably end up dead at a young age.

But this really wasn't how she wanted to go.

Casey was trying to orient herself and grab the pipe for defense. Thankfully, at that moment, a strange black boomerang fly through the air and hit the tank, distracting the thing.

"I don't think so, gruesome," said April with eyes like steel and a strange metal fan in her hand.

Casey definitely wasn't expecting that when she woke up this morning.

Now she understood how girls in those magical girl anime feel. Which was something else she wasn't expecting would happen today.

Today's been weird.

Casey took a moment to appreciate April's surprisingly graceful fighting style and form. Then she grabbed her pipe and stood up, ready for round two.

"APRIL! FRIEND!" insisted the thing as earnestly as its voice box could allow.

"Well isn't that the definition of stranger danger. Been talking to weirdos online O'Neil?"

April's look told her that it was not the time. Casey just smirked unrepentantly and gestured to their newer, uglier group member.

"We're not friends, you walking anatomy class!" said April as she struck out with her metal fan.

"Sorry handsome but we girls gotta stick together. Especially from creeps who don't take no for an answer," quipped Casey as she struck out with her pipe.

Then, almost as if by agreement, she and April struck from both sides.

It did nothing.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT GLASS MADE OF?!" cried Casey in exasperation.

"NOT THE TIME, CASEY!"

Casey had to agree. But still the point stood to be made.

She went to go to attack the thing, which really needed a name, from behind.

Except that it turned, wrenched the pipe from her hand, and mostly melted it with its acidic touch.

"Acid hands?" she asked weakly before getting punched back a couple of feet.

Dammit that would have been so cool, if it didn't hurt so damn much. Casey quickly caught her breath, years of being winded from a well place hit on the ice (or just in a general fight) had taught her body a fast recovery time.

Luckily, the thing (okay that's it she was naming him Goo Guy) punched her near her bike.

Casey cracked her neck, settled on her bike, and began pedaling for her life as she saw Goo Guy advance on April.

April saw her and her hand was already waiting.

With natural strength assisted by adrenaline, Casey grabbed her and wrenched April onto the bike.

"How fast can you go?!" called April as Goo Guy approached.

"Faster then Goo Guy!" Well at least she hoped she was faster then Goo Guy.

"Goo Guy?!"

"Well I had to name it something! I couldn't keep on calling it 'the thing' because then that makes me think of John Carpenter's The Thing and not the good one. I'll keep thinking about the shitty prequel from a couple years back. Then all THAT will do is make me go into a rage felt by fellow horror movie buffs. I refuse to die thinking of that piece of shit and in a total rage!"

"That's a nice story and all Casey but…he's gaining on us!"

Casey looked over her shoulder.

"OH FOR FU-" she began before taking the piece of acid burned pipe just as Goo Guy's creepy paws were about to enclose on April and threw it as hard as she could.

The pipe, apparently as sick of Goo Guy as she was, struck true. Casey crowed in delight as Goo Guy rolled down the street. Right as he was about to get up, Goo Guy got hit by a truck in a case of really fortunate timing and flew into the air.

Casey stopped the bike on the sidewalk, breathing heavily.

"God I hope he won't come back. That had to break that damn glass."

"Seriously? Seriously with the glass still?"

"I will hate that glass until the day I die. I go driving with my permit once and my dad's car gets a tiny crack in a windshield from a goddamn pebble. We hit that thing with a sizable pipe and metal fan thingie…"

"It's called a tessen," corrected April helpfully. Her eyes were bright from the rush of the fight and there was some color in her cheeks.

"And a tessen," said Casey not missing a beat. "We didn't get one damn scratch on Goo Guy's tank. Now either the universe wants to screw us around or God has a twisted sense of humor. Either way that glass was the real enemy for it refused to break and thus was our true enemy."

April stared at her.

Casey stared back with a raised eyebrow.

April nodded to herself, "Okay. Yeah definitely time to go home. Because that? That started to make sense to me. And when that makes sense to me, it's time to go home."

"Yeah that sounds about right, Red," said Casey as she got off her bike. "I'm walking you home though."

"I think that I would appreciate that."

"Do you think I could get another pipe? Just incase he comes back?"

April didn't let Casey get a new pipe.

Casey was not pouting about this. She has pride dammit.

The two of them walked cautiously, peering around corners and in alleyways. It was tense, but they were safe near each other.

As they neared April's place, Casey let out a sigh of relief she had been holding in.

"No Goo Guy here," she said.

"Maybe we got rid of him for good."

Casey laughed a bit at that. It was a kind of a nice feeling, to laugh like this with someone again.

She considered the other girl carefully before speaking.

"You know what, Red?"

"What Jones?" shot back April, but her voice was kind and in good humor.

"I think we just had our troll moment."

"This is going to make sense to me again. Isn't it?" asked April in plaintively tired tone.

"Always best to just give into the insanity, Red," said Casey with a sharp grin. "It makes life easier since the whole world is descending into chaos anyway."

"You were saying about a troll moment?"

"Right! A troll moment y'know like in the first Harry Potter book where Harry, Ron, and Hermione kick the troll's ass and become best friends after it. And it said there were some experiences that people couldn't walk away from and not be friends. I think that was one of them."

April blinked and considered Casey, who was looking off clearly embarrassed at being so sentimental.

The other girl also looked kind of…scared? Like she was thinking that April would laugh at her or something.

April wasn't going to laugh at her though. She missed it. Sure she and Irma from her Biology class were starting to be more than just acquaintances, but Casey had a point.

Some things you can't walk away from with a person (or people or mutant turtles) and not be friends (for however long it may last).

April looked down at Casey, "So I was thinking since the hockey team doesn't have practice tomorrow you and I could meet for Trig studying after last bell. Then maybe we could just hang out?"

Casey looked up both relieved that they weren't going to get all sentimental and a bit happy at the idea.

"Well that's a date then, Red."

"Who said it was a date, Jones? Even if I was interested in you in that way, you have to work for date status."

Casey's eyes fired up into her hair before she broke into delighted laughter.

"Course, Red. My apologies. I just see pretty people and flirt with them, natural reflex. Of course is there a chance?"

"I like boys, Casey," said April almost apologetically.

Casey shrugged, "S'cool. Red. I just like everyone. So Trig studying then hanging out? Sounds like fun. You can tell me about the what did ya call it? Your tessen?"

She smiled at April and turned to leave.

"Wait! Hold on!"

Casey turned around with an a raised eyebrow, "Yeah?"

"I need to give you my number," said April suddenly. Her heart in her throat as she watched the Turtles fight Goo Guy.

Even if she never wanted to speak to them again, she didn't want them to be found out.

(And seriously? She was with Casey. She hated that glass.)

She quickly programmed her number into Casey's phone. Out of the corner of her eye, April made sure to keep track of Goo Guy and the turtles fight as it would occasionally spill over from the alley.

"And by the way," she said trying to keep it cool. "You really shouldn't go down that alley. There have been weird fumes coming out of their for awhile. Don't want you to get sick from them after surviving Goo Guy."

Casey wrinkled her nose at the thought. Normally, she would have just shrugged it off. But after tonight? She just didn't feel like playing chicken.

"That's a good idea, Red. I don't want to be done in by fumes. That's just embarrassing after Goo Guy. I'll head back the other way."

"Thanks Casey. Have a good night."

Casey grinned. Those red lips pulled back to show off her missing canine, "You too, Red. Don't let the Goo Guys bite."

(For the record, goo guys (as Casey would later learn) did not bite. They were flash frozen in an alleyway before they could do any form of biting by mutated turtles.)

A/N: I hope everyone was decently in character. Yaaay writing for a new fandom leads to all these fun worries. The Turtles won't be appearing in a significant until the fourth part of the story. At least that's according to my timeline.