Love Never Lost

New Friend, Old Enemy: Part 2

Brooke's POV:

Once we reach the lair, Leo & I meet up with Splinter in the kitchen to deliver a full report of tonight's events. Meanwhile, Raph, Donnie, & Mikey are with April in the living room.

Leo: "Their leader was crazy good, by which I mean he was good and seemed a little crazy. Besides, he had all these guys with him. It wasn't a fair fight."

Splinter: "What do you mean 'fair fight'?"

Leo turns to Dad with a look of nervousness.

Leo: "A fair fight, you know, where either side could win?"

I smirk as I realize what Dad's trying to tell us, and interject my fair share into this conversation.

Me: "So, a fair fight is a fight we could lose."

Leo turns to me with a look of shock & confusion.

Leo: "Well, yes, but, well. What, what I mean is . . "

Splinter: "You don't want to assure your victory."

Leo: "No, I do, but..."

Before he can finish, Dad uses his staff to sweep Leo's feet out from underneath him. Once Leo falls to the floor, Dad pokes his staff in Leo's face with a sly smile.

Leo: "Hey!"

Splinter: "Was that fair?"

Leo: "No!"

Me: "Did he win?"

Leo: "I see your point."

Me: "Not every fight is fair, Leo. That's just a part of life. For everyone, not just ninjas."

Splinter: "Your sister is right. Seek victory, not fairness."

I go to give Leo my hand to grab onto and gently pull him up to stand.

Leo: "Thanks, Brooke."

I nod before we turn to our father with a respectful bow.

Leo & I: "Hai, Sensei."

As Dad walks towards the dojo, I go to the living room to see Donnie & April sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Mikey is on the floor with a magazine about Chris Bradford and Raph is doing push-ups with his sais supporting his weight off the ground.

Me: "Lookin' good, babe."

He sends me a quick wink before looking back towards the floor as I sit in between Donnie & April in the middle of the couch.

Mikey: "Whoa, rad! Oh, I wish me and Chris Bradford were friends!"

April chuckles at his innocence before stating the obvious.

April: "Mikey, you already have human friends."

Mikey turns to her in confusion as she continues.

April: "Me & Brooke."

Mikey turns to his magazine with an ignorant grin.

Mikey: "April, you don't count. We saved your life, you have to like us."

Me: "I suppose that means I don't count either."

Donnie: "Don't listen to him, girls. Of course you count, Brooke. You're our sister. Right, Mikey?"

Donnie sends a warning look to Mikey, causing him to don a nervous smile.

Mikey: "Well yeah, of course. But you're also Raph's girlfriend so..."

Raph must've heard that as he turns to face Mikey with a cocky grin.

Raph: "Watch it, Mikey. Besides, it's too bad there's no place for freaks to meet people where no one can see how hideous they are."

As much as I appreciate him defending my honor, I can't resist the playful banter he and I are famous for.

Me: "Well, joke's on you hothead, because there is. It's called the internet."

Raph gives me a playful eye roll before I turn to face Donnie.

Me: "Donnie, can I see your laptop? I'll be careful, I promise."

He nods as he hands me the computer, which I gently accept. I smirk when I see that his screensaver is a picture of April eating a slice of pizza. I turn to him with a wink, signaling that his secret's safe with me. He lets out a nervous chuckle as he glances at April, giving me a thumbs up as a way of saying thanks. I pull up the search engine and show Mikey the screen. I manage to find Chris Bradford's social media profile in a matter of minutes.

Me: "Here, Mikey. It's a site where you can make friends with virtually anyone online."

Mikey: "Sweet! Thanks, Queen B!"

Mikey takes the laptop from my grasp in excitement as he clicks the button that sends out friend requests. He then leans into the screen, impatiently waiting for Bradford's acceptance of the request.

April: "Mikey, people don't always respond immed-"

Before she can finish, the computer dinged.

April: "But sometimes they do."

Mikey: "No way! Chris Bradford accepted my friendship!  I have a friend! Thanks, girls!"

I take the computer from Mikey's lap before it falls over and he leaps to run out of the lair's entrance. I then give it back to Donnie, who nods his thanks for ensuring its safety before he turns to Mikey.

Donnie: "Where are you going?"

Mikey: "To hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford."

I turn to him with a worried expression.

Me: "Mike, this guy's a celebrity. They don't always treat their friends like real friends. Heck, some of them are just stuck-up jerks who think they're better than everyone else."

April nods in agreement before turning to Mikey.

April: "Brooke's right. This guy's famous. He probably has thousands of-*does air quotes with her fingers*-'friends'."

Mikey: "And guess who's number 5,286?"

April & I: "You?"

Mikey: "Daniel Ramirez! And I'm right next to him. Later!"

As he runs out of the lair, I can't help but fear for the emotional & physical safety of my little brother.

April: "Well, this should be interesting."

Donnie: "Should we go after him?"

Raph: "Eh, he's gotta learn somehow."

Me: "Yeah, but aren't you even a little concerned about what might happen if things go too far? Mikey can be, overly trusting of people. It's a good quality, but if he gets hurt..."

Before I can go any further, Raph stops his exercise, walks over to the couch, sits next me with an arm around my shoulders, and kisses my forehead as I lean into his plastron.

Raph: "Relax, babe. He'll be ok. He's a ninja, he knows what to do if things go wrong. Besides, I'm sure if Bradford tries to hurt him, he won't stand a chance against you."

I laugh as I cuddle further into his embrace. Still, I can't help but hope that he makes it out of this first encounter with his idol unharmed.

Me: *thoughts* "Be safe Mikey."

TO BE CONTINUED