𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀

"You know dude, I bet this is why people will never accept us. Because you just keep giving them more reasons to cause us monsters."

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The next day came rather quickly. Harper had decided to stay the night with Serena, after going home to get a change of clothes and her dog. She was currently piled up in Serena's bed. Serena was propped up against her backboard, Harper laying on her, as she watched Law and Order: SVU.

Harper turned away as the bloody body of the victim on the show laid strung up from the wall.

"How do you watch shows like this?"

Serena simply shrugs her attention on the TV.

Liberty and Justice, Harper's red merle Aussie, coming running into the room. Jumping on the bed, the two dogs shower their owners in affection, causing Serena and Harper to chuckle at them. Liberty settled down and laid in between Serena's legs, as Justice snuggled against Harper's chest.

"You three realize that there is a whole other side to the bed, right?"

"We know, but your just so much more comfortable." Harper answers 

Serena rolls her eyes before settling back down into her bed. A few peaceful minutes of silence pass through, SVU playing quietly. Serena listened carefully as Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler interrogated a suspect, until Harper decides to ask the question that has been on her mind.

"So, Leo...?"

Serena pauses her show and turns to her.

"Leo...?"

"I mean...Do you like him?"

Serena stops, a deep blush to place across her cheeks.

"Well...I mean...he's a great guy, and..."

Harper listened to Serena stumble on. She laughed internally

"God, I haven't seen you this embarrassed since Sophomore year!"

Serena's face turns a deep crimson red, the tips of her ears beginning to do the same.

"I think its sweet! It's nice to see you happy again." Harper says to her

Serena gives her a sheepish smile before laying back against her pillow.

"You know Harp, Naomi had been my best friend since kindergarten. But with everything that has happened in the last few months, you were the only one there consistently."

"Ah, that's just what good friends do."

"No, that's what best friends do."

Harper smiles at her before cuddling closer into her. Serena smiled as she pulled her closer.

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The setting sun painted the sky a pretty cotton candy pink as Serena and Harper walked their dogs along the busy street. Turning into April's apartment, they unleash their dogs. Heading into the elevator, the dogs sit happily has the machine moves them upward.

A few minutes later, they are entering April's. Having texted April prior to their arrival, everyone was already split up. Serena headed straight for the kitchen, to prepare dinner for everyone. Harper was tasked with distracting the boys when they got here, and April had to make a quick grocery run.

Over the next few hours, everything was ready. Serena placed the chicken pot pies into the oven as she heard April and Harper greet the boys. She smiled to herself as she walked over to the fridge. As she opens its to grab a soda, she hears heavy footsteps coming her way. Expecting it to be Leo, she turns around with a smile.

"Hey-"

Her faces falls when she sees Raph leaning against the way

"Not who you were expecting, princess?" Raph says

His tone is dark and full of hatred.

"Don't call me princess."

"Why? I'm sure you hear it a lot, you know with all the money your family has." He spits at her

Serena is taken back his response. He smirks as he sees her confused face. Once she realizes, she reclaims herself.

"What on earth does my fathers' bank account have to do with anything?" She says, moving back towards the oven to check on the pot pies.

Serena dragged out her words, slow and steady, as if she was ready to explode at any moment.

"I mean, it explains your since of entitlement. I mean your obviously used to getting what you want. Aren't you daddy's little princess?"

That was it. A wave of silenced passed over the kitchen, until Serena turned to face him. Her face was a blood red, the steam practically coming from her face.

"Name one time...ONE TIME... that I have EVER acted ENTITLED?!" Serena screamed at him

She doesn't give him the chance to respond before she continues to yell at him. The two could hear the heavy pounding of running across the tile floors.

"I'll tell you...NEVER! NOT ONCE SINCE I'VE KNOWN YOU HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ME ACT BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!" Serena screamed at him

The others piled in the doorway, Harper and Leo standing in front.

"You know I deal with guys like you, every day?" She says, her voice getting quieter 

"Every day, I listen to them tell me that I haven't earned a single achievement, award, or skill. Guys like you tell me every day how, what, and why got to where I am."

"Oh, cry me a river." Raph taunts

Leo steps forward, angered by his younger brothers' actions

"Raph..." He warns

Raphael simply ignores him, keeping his attention on the girl in front of him.

"I have nothing to prove to you Raphael, I've done everything everyone here has asked of me. If you think for one second that I will spend a moment longer trying to prove to you that I'm not the enemy, you're surely mistaken."

With that, she begins to head towards the doorway.

"The pies should be done when the timers go's off if I'm not back in time." She says to Harper, who nods sadly at her

Leo's gaze was fixed on Raphael, a gaze of anger and hate that he had never seen his older brother have.

As Serena made to April's front door, Leo pushed past his brother too try and reach her.

"Serena, wait!"

Serena stops as she begins to open the door. She looks up at the blue clad turtle, his eyes full of worry and regret.

"I want to be alone right now, Leo."

Leonardo felt a pain in his heart as she walked out the front door, not waiting for his response. He begins to storm back into the kitchen but stops when he hears Donnie and Mikey's voices.

"That was not cool dude!" Mikey scolded

Leo peers around the corner, leaning against the wall.

Raph leans back, his eyes not meeting his brothers

"Serena has done absolutely nothing to deserve any of the disrespect and attitude you have been giving her!" Donnie continues

"What did you want me to do?! She's hiding stuff!"

"Even If she was, that still gives you no reason to act that way towards her!" Leo says, coming into light

"Oh, of course you would defend her! She's got you wrapped around her little finger." Raph snaps at him

"What is your problem?!" Leo yells at him

Harper and April watch as the boys continue to argue with each other. When Harper looks to the oven, she notices that there is only twenty-five minutes left on the timer

"My problem is, is that no one else seems to care that she's keeping secrets!"

"What she chooses to keep private is her own business!" Donnie interjects, Mikey nodding along with him

"Oh, quiet you! You don't keep your nose outta your computer long enough to know what's going on!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" April yells at the four

Harper simply stands beside her nodding

"I have no clue what your problem is with Serena, but I've known her since the 8th grade, and she is the most loyal and trustworthy person I know." Harper says to the red clad turtle

"Your word doesn't mean squat." He grumbles

Donnie shakes his head

"You never learn." 

Donnie exits the kitchen, and Harper follows behind him.

"You know dude, I bet this is why people will never accept us. Because you just keep giving them more reasons to cause us monsters." Mikey says to him

Mikey's words hit Raph hard. He looks up and watches him and April exit the kitchen together. Leo is the last one left standing there. The breeze of the wind blowing through the room.

"Go on, say it."

"You're not worth my breath, Raphael. Because it doesn't matter what I say, you will still do whatever it is you want. No matter who gets hurt in the process."

Leo turns to leave and stops, short of the doorway. He turns his head slightly to Raph

"I won't say it, but I'll ask it. Are you happy now?"

Leo exits the kitchen and heads to living room. Raph stands there for a while before taking of through April's kitchen window.

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The slight breeze makes Serena shiver as she whips the tears from her face. She felt like she had been walking for hours. The sky was now pitch black, the only light coming from the florescent ones that marked the streets. Serena had been told many times by her father to never walk the streets alone at night. 

But the usually rule abiding, Serena didn't care. Her mind was filled with the things not only Raph had said to her, but Bratt and the rest of the football team. She thought about the rumors Naomi had spread about her their sophomore year and, how Zach cheated on her as if she was nothing to him.

More tears fell down her face as she continued to walk down the street. The wind was beginning to pick up and it was getting colder. Serena shivered, her exposed shoulder and stomach began to grow cold, letting her know it was time to head back to April's.

Serena prayed that Raph wouldn't be there when she got back as she turned the corner of Bleecker Street. She continues on her path to April's apartment: which was about a fifteen-minute walk for her current position.

 As she makes it to the end of the street, she feels a hand grab her. Before she can react, she yanked into the alley beside her. Her back is pressed against the person who grabbed her. She felt the cool metal of a knife pressed to the height of her neck.

She doesn't give the masked man the pleasure of barking his demands. She moves her left foot backwards, slowly positioning it behind her attacker's foot. Once the man notices, he goes to respond but Serena grabs his wrist, ducks and turns around: knocking the attacker into one of the garbage bins.

Serena examined her attacker closer and realized that it was the body of a female. She was tall, thin, her face covered by a black bandana. Serena looks into her eyes, a deep chocolate color and feels a familiar feeling in her gut. She knew this girl from somewhere.

The two females circle each other, the unknown women clinching her knife. Patiently, Serena waits for her to make the first move. Unfortunately for the other girl, she did not share the patience. She charges at Serena, but it quickly met with the same force as Serena moves from in front of her. 

As the girl turns to kick her, Serena dodges and uses the move against her. As the girl hunches down in pain, Serena goes to punch her: but is thrown against one of the building walls. She groans in pain as she gets up, looking to the girl in anger, she charges. The girl goes to cut her with the knife, but Serena grabs her arm and flips her over her shoulder: disarming her of the knife.

Serena kicks the knife out onto the street, and she goes to turn her attention back to the girl: she's caught off guard. The girl tries ramming her into the wall of the building. But, using the wall as a track, Serena runs up the side and flips her over: throwing them both on the hard concrete ground. 

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Raph pushes through the cold breeze as he jumps from roof to roof. His thoughts were on finding and apologizing to Serena for his rude behavior. He crosses over to Bleecker Street as he tries to find the right words to say. As he jumped from one of the roof's, he hears the grunts of fighting coming from the alley over beside the next building. He quickly makes his way over there and finds Serena fighting a masked person.

He watches with amazement as Serena held her own against the person. Her form, technique and temperament clean and precise. He had to admit that he was impressed with her fighting skills. He began to get worried as he watched the unknow person turn and get on top of Serena, their hands going to her throat. Serena attempts to fight back, but her struggle to breathe makes it hard for her. 

Raph quietly jumps down and moves towards the masked man, their back towards him. Before Serena's attacker can react, their yanked from on top of Serena and thrown into the back-alley wall. Serena opens her eyes and quickly sits up to see who had saved her. She looked to Raph in shock as he turned his attention back on the attacker.

Raph noticed instantly that it was a female behind the mask, her form heavily defined by the outline of her clothes. Raph gets in his fighting position, but the girl has other plans.

"I'm coming for you, Serena."

The mysterious girl throws a smoke bomb at the ground, causing Raph to look away as the powder made him cough. When he looks back the girl is gone.