Gonna Be OK

Preview One

Hugging his father tightly at the doorway of his foster home, Leonardo smiled brightly at his father.

"Please tell Raphael I will come to pick him up tomorrow." Splinter smiled as he placed a hand on his eldest sons shoulder.

"You got it, Dad." Leo nodded. Leo opened the door and walked into the house. As the old rat walked away, he looked into the window to see the youngest brother standing there, waving at him. He waved back at his son before climbing into his car.

"Mikey, sweetie. Can you go brush your teeth?" Amelia Jones asked. Mikey turned and nodded his head and stepped away from the window.

Knocking gently on the third door on the right,  Mason Jones, their foster father poked his head into the second eldest sons room.

"Hey, pal." He smiled. "Can I come in?"

Raph pulled his headphones off and sat up, wearing grey sweatpants and his fathers black zip up sweatshirt, he nodded his head. Mason sat down on the edge of the bed as the boy paused his music.

"How are you today?" Mason asked.

"I'm okay." Raph mumbled.

"Yea? Good, good. Um.....listen, pal, summer vacation ends in a few weeks and well, Amelia and I wanted to know if you wanted to go to school or not. You're not the only brother we're asking, we understand that you boys went through a lot last school year and didn't really have the time to go to school but......."

"I don't wanna go." Raphael interrupted.

"You don't wanna go?"

"No, they'll make me stay back.....and I-I don't wanna do that."

"Raph, you'd be going into your junior year. They won't make you stay back. They understand what you went through." Mason explained.

"Can I just stay home?"

"Of course, Amelia was a teacher long before she became a lawyer and she can do most of her work stuff at home. If homeschooling is what you want to do."

"What did my brothers say?"

"I don't want you to worry about that. I want to know what you want to do." Mason said.

Raphael looked at his black comforter and then back up to the kind eyes of his foster father. "I wanna stay at home. I don't wanna be the freak." He sighed.

"You wouldn't be the freak, pal."

"I'm a giant talking turtle who won't talk and can't look guys in the eyes.......I have major anxiety attacks for no reason at random times." Raphael scoffed. Mason sighed and reached for the boy, but he backed away.

"Sorry." Raphael whispered.

"You're okay. So you don't want to go to school?" Mason asked. Raphael nodded his head, his eyes darting to different parts of the room.

"Alright, why don't you go brush your teeth and then get some sleep. Sound good?" Mason smiled. Raph nodded his head once more as he watched Mr. Jones leave the room.