The Frenemy

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE FRANCHISE, THIS IS STRICTLY JUST A FANFIC

A/N: This chapter is a bit short because I mainly wanted it to get straight to the point, but either way I hope you guys enjoy it. Also, I just wanted to say that Casey doesn't know about the turtles yet. He knows about Elisa's deal with Shredder but as far as he knows, the turtles are just some guys that Shredder wants.

7 ~ Pretending & Regretting

[ Elisa's P.O.V. ]

I jogged across the street, as soon as the light hit green, and made my way to The Grove. Hopefully Casey didn't ignore my text and would be there in the same corner booth we always sat.

I pushed the double doors open and quickly scanned the restaurant with my eyes, and let out a sigh of relief. Casey was sitting in our usual corner booth, but he wasn't alone.

It wasn't until I reached his booth that I noticed he sat with some girl. Both of them looked up at me, smiling brightly. "Oh hey, Lis'," Casey greeted, shooting up out of his seat. The girl looked at me observantly, as if I was a science project. "This is my good friend, Simone. Simone, this is Elisa." He said gesturing to me and the girl.

'Good friend?' I thought, enviously glaring at Simone. She had dirty blonde hair, in which she tied into a sock bun, and indigo colored eyes. I'm not gonna lie, she's beautiful, but her and Casey must be in a budding romance for him to he introducing her as his 'good friend.' He never introduced me to his other friends as his "good friend" and we were BEST FRIENDS!

Now was the worst time to be getting jealous since I had bigger problems to focus on. "Hey." I mumbled, forcing a smile. Simone exchanged a confused glance with Casey, then smiled back. She's very odd...for Casey's taste at least.

"Are you one of Casey's friends from school?" I sounded like a mother asking this question. "Uh, no, actually I moved here a few weeks ago. I met Casey here at The Grove." She responded, cheerfully. Ew.

I simply nodded, then turned back to Casey. Out of the corner of my eye, I seen Simone shoot me a dirty look. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked. I could feel Simone's eyes burning a hole in my head.

Casey nodded quickly and pulled me away from his table. He probably caught the looks his 'good friend' was giving me. "What is it?" Casey said, in his most polite tone ever. I could tell he was itching to go back to his little rendezvous with the wicked witch of the west.

"April knows about the deal." I revealed. It all came out so fast, Casey failed to here what I said. "Wait, what?" He said, raising his eyebrows. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "The girl who was with us at your apartment heard us talking about the deal I made with Oroku Saki." I explained how April threatened to tell the turtles about my "plan" if I didn't quit while I was ahead.

Casey pulled at his collar and turned to see if Simone still sat at the table. I rolled my eyes, "Hello! Earth to Casey!" I snapped. Casey turned to face me again, blushing embarrassingly. "Listen, Casanova, there are more important things going on than your date with Satan."

"Yes, I understand that, but let's not forget who got you into this mess." Casey replied, crossing his arms. Great! The only person who can help me at this point has his head in the clouds. I just needed him to somehow convince April not to tell the turtles. I needed more time.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Go finish your date." I murmured. I pushed the double doors open and stomped out of the bistro. I had every right to be mad at him. Sure it was my own fault for getting myself into this whole mess but Casey did say he would help me no matter what.

On the other hand, I should be able to solve my own problems. As I made my way back to the turtles manhole, I began to go over every possible outcome. If I were to leave, Shredder would do more than torture me and go after the turtles and Master Splinter himself. If I stayed and continued on with my mission, April will end up blowing my cover which will lead to Shredder AND the turtles being upset with me.

Then if I tell the turtles myself, who knows what'll happen? Raphael will be pissed off because he would think I played him and the rest of the turtles will be disappointed. I should've just went looking for Dylan on my own. I should've left Shredder and the turtles alone.

The only question that was running through my mind ever since April found out about the deal, was: what would Raphael think? He was the only person I was concerned about. Forget Shredder, forget the rest of the turtles, forget Casey, forget everyone! Raph was the only person I was worried would hate me for eternity.

I shook this thought out of my head immediately. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. I couldn't fall for Raph, regardless of how handsome he was, I just couldn't. Then it would lead to me becoming attached and not being able to let go. First Casey and now Raphael. Why do emotions exist anyways?

Raphael sat alone in the kitchen, stirring what was left of his tea. It was so aggravating, his feelings towards Elisa. One day he's head-over-heels for her, then the next day he wants to bash her head in. Sometimes, he just wants to come right out and say it, "Elisa, I have feelings for you. I like you...no I'm in love with you."

But he was terrible at showing how he really felt, so he just replaced most of his emotions with anger. Elisa was able to see past his anger. She knew what it felt like to have to bottle up your feelings for the sake of others. Her and Raphael were alike, but so different.

Master Splinter entered the kitchen and headed towards the refrigerator. "April is going to have to go to the store again, we're out of milk." He sighed, closing the refrigerator. Raphael turned around in his chair to face him. "Sensei?" He said.

"Yes, my son?" Splinter replied, approaching the turtle. Raph quickly looked down at the floor and sighed. "When you first met Tang Shen, did you tell her that you liked her or did you wait?" He asked. Splinter tilted his head in an observant way. It was really weird because he was never asked a question like this before and what made it even more weird is that Raph was asking this question.

"I waited until I felt it was right to tell her." Master Splinter finally answered. He watched as Raph shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Raphael stayed silent for a few minutes, debating whether he wanted to ask another question. "Well, when is the right time to tell someone how you feel?" He said, avoiding his father's gaze.

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "It depends how strong your feelings are towards the person." He responded, watching his son like a hawk. "Is there a reason for all these questions?"

Raph's cheeks turned bright pink and he quickly turned away from his sensei. "No." He mumbled. Splinter chuckled and walked over towards where Raphael sat and placed a paw on his shoulder. "My son, it is very unprofessional to want to start a relationship with someone you live with." He warned him.

Raphael rolled his eyes and went back to stirring his tea. "But I am not going to stop you from what you are feeling." Splinter continued. "If you have feelings for Elisa, tell her. The worst she can say is no and even then, you can still walk away knowing that you had the courage to tell her."

Raph looked up at his sensei. He was right, he should tell Elisa how he feels. Sure, she pisses him off at times but that didn't stop him from liking her. "You're right." Raphael said, nodding his head slowly. "Thanks, sensei."

Master Splinter patted his son on the back before walking away. Raph got up from his chair and headed towards his room. He searched his drawers frantically for his Shell Cell. As soon as he found it, he texted Elisa. He set his phone down and plopped down on the bed. "The worst she can say is no." He whispered, placing his hands behind his head.

[ Elisa's P.O.V. ]

It wasn't until I entered the turtles' lair that I received Raph's text. It said, "Hey Elisa. Whenever you come home, we need to talk...it's important." What was important? Did April already tell the turtles about the deal? It hadn't even been a week since she found out!

I stared at his text for what seemed like an hour until I heard something moving behind me. I quickly spun around to find April shutting the front door behind her. "Did you tell the turtles about the deal?" I questioned her. April furrowed her eyebrows at me and crossed her arms. "Were you that eager to get rid of me?" I began to get closer to her.

"I told you I would give you time to make your decision." April calmly responded, backing up a little. I pulled out my phone and shoved it in her face. "Then what the hell is this?" I snapped. April glanced at the screen and shrugged. "He wants to talk, what's wrong with that?" She said, heading towards the kitchen.

I sighed impatiently and put my phone back in my pocket. April tossed her backpack on the couch and spun around. "Why are you always throwing crap at me?" She spat. I raised my eyebrows at her. This girl is really pushing my buttons. "Well maybe if you didn't stick your nose where it didn't belong, I wouldn't have to!" I raised my voice at her.

We both turned around to find Raphael standing behind the couch, a surprised look on his face. April shot me a dirty look before grabbing her bag and heading towards the dojo. I rolled me eyes and plopped down on the couch. "So I'm gonna pretend that didn't happen." Raphael announced. "Yeah, I'd really appreciate it if you did." I responded.

Raph sat down next to me and sighed, letting his shoulders drop. "So, I figured you got my message." He said, after a minute of awkward silence. I nodded, avoiding his gaze. Nothing but awkwardness filled the air.

He cleared his throat and took my hands into his, which completely took me by surprise since it happened so quickly. "Right now is probably the worst time to tell you this, since you have more important stuff to focus on, but I really need to get this out." He began.

I felt the hairs on my arms begin to raise and my heart begin to beat faster. I knew where this was headed but I was extremely nervous if it would turn out to be something completely different from what I thought it would be. "Okay." I responded.

"So...over the past few weeks, I've been really confused. I haven't been able to come to terms with what I want...but now I know." Raphael continued. I stared deeply into his beautiful emerald eyes. I could've sworn I heard his heart begin to beat faster, which made the moment even more special.

All of that was ruined by the sound of my phone going off. My face turned bright red, "Sorry," I murmured. Raph let go of my hands and sighed impatiently. I quickly grabbed my phone out of my pocket and stared at the screen. Casey had texted me.

C: Hey, do you wanna continue what we were talking about earlier at The Grove?

I bit my lip nervously and glanced at Raph. As much as I was dying to hear what he was about to say, this was much more important. "Well, what is it?" Raphael demanded, tapping his foot impatiently. I pushed a lock of my corkscrew brown hair behind my ear and sighed.

"Uh, I have to run a quick errand." I said, getting up quickly. Raph shot up out of his seat and followed me to the door. "What do you mean an errand?" He interrogated. I placed my phone back in my pocket and grabbed my hoodie off of the coat rack, and pulled it over my head.

"My friend is in town and she's leaving tomorrow morning, so I wanna say goodbye." I replied. It killed me to have to lie to him. "I promise you, it won't take that long. I'll be back before you know it so we can finish our talk, okay?"

Raph sighed and nodded in response. That was surprisingly easily. I honestly that it would take a wrestling match for him to let me go. "Okay, I'll be back in a few." I announced, exiting the lair.

It took me less than fifteen minutes to get to Casey's apartment since I jogged my way there. As soon as I got there, I found him standing outside the complex. "Hey." I panted. Casey raised his eyebrows at me. "Hey," He responded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Look, we really gotta make this quick 'cause Simone is waiting for me upstairs."

I threw my hands in the air in frustration. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" I shouted. I was not going to share him with Simone whether she was with him or not. Whatever he was doing with her wasn't as important as what was going on at that moment. Sure it sounds conceited but it was true.

"I haven't seen you for weeks since we had that argument and the one time I'm free to talk, you're too busy with some girl you barely even know!" I continued. It really hurt knowing I couldn't even rely on the one person who's suppose to be my BEST FRIEND to be on my side.

"Simone isn't just some girl! I know her more than you think!" Casey objected. "She hasn't been here that long for you to be introducing her as your good friend!" I pointed out. Casey sighed, letting his shoulders drop.

"I don't want to argue with you, okay?" He said, looking deep into my eyes. I shook my head sadly. "It seems like every time I try to talk to you, it ends up in an argument." He continued.

Silence filled the air for a few minutes before he cleared his throat. "Never mind." I mumbled, adjusting my hoodie. "This is my problem, I'll solve it on my own." I shrugged. Casey ran a hand through his jet black hair and sighed. "Elisa, wait!"

"You know, it really hurts, knowing that I can't even count on my 'best friend' to be there for me." I said. Casey jogged over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "I want to be there for you, Elisa, but you make it so hard when you shut me out." He sighed. He sounded so sad.

I shook my head, trying hard not to start crying. "That girl, April, she's threatening to tell the guys about my deal with Oroku Saki." I revealed. My eyes started to burn with tears. "And that's not even the worst part, I'm in love with one of them which makes it even harder to leave. So what am I supposed to do?" I sobbed.

Casey wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a warm embrace. My life was turning upside down and there was nothing I could do about it. I quickly pulled away, wiping my tears. I completely forgot about my talk with Raphael.

"What can I do to help?" Casey asked. I looked up to find Simone standing in the main lobby of the apartment complex. "However and whenever you can, I need you to convince April to change her mind about the whole situation. I need way more time than what she's giving me."

Casey opened his mouth to say something. "I know you don't know her that well but you need to figure something out. Look, we're gonna have to finish this later 'cause there's something I need to do."

Before Casey could respond, I dashed down the street. I needed to tell Raph how I felt before it was too late. Every single day, April was getting closer and closer to telling the boys. Heck, she could tell them tomorrow for all I know! But regardless of when she told them, Raph needed to know how I felt and soon.

As soon as I reached the turtles manhole, I lifted the cover and dropped down. Everything was dark but I still managed to make my way to the turtles lair. I pushed the door open and ran past Leonardo, nearly knocking him over.

Raphael was nowhere to be found. "Where's Raph?" I asked, turning towards Leo who had a shocked expression on his face. He pointed to Raph's room and watched as I burst into the room.

Raphael sat at the edge of his bed, watching some cartoon. He looked up at me and crossed his arms. "Took you long enough." He grumbled. For once I was glad to hear his rude remarks.

I slowly approached the mutant. "You're such an asshole." I said. I wrapped my arms around him and crashed my lips against his. This was the moment I was longing for. He kissed me back gently and wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me onto his lap.

I wanted nothing more than to be here, in his arms. I felt like a huge weight was being lifted from my shoulders. It was truly the best feeling in the world. We both awkwardly pulled away from each other and blushed.

I looked deep into his eyes and smiled brightly. "You really don't know how long I've been wanting to do that." I giggled. Raph chuckled and leaned in to kiss me one more time. "Then that makes two of us." He whispered.

I hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go. I haven't felt this good in so long. This is exactly what I needed, a break from everything else, something positive to focus on. I have to admit, his lips tasted a bit salty but it didn't bother me at all. All I wanted was to be with him, I didn't care if he was a giant walking-talking turtle, I just wanted him.

Meanwhile...

Simone sat by the window and held the phone close to her ear. "I trust that you've been carrying out your mission." The Shredder said. Simone smirked and pushed a lock of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. "Don't worry, sensei, everything is going exactly as planned...and I've only just begun."