Learning Curves || Rise Donnie x Reader

↫Twenty↭Five↬

Lol you thought I was gonna end it on a sad note??? Nah. Although if you want it to end all angsty then go right ahead (thanks for reading <3). The world is sad enough as is, I don't need that depressing shit in my story too (and no, I don't count all the angsty stuff I threw in previously because it doesn't stay angsty).
Love is a powerful emotion, and our favorite turtle is gonna realize that (against his will lmao). 

Life continued on like your heart wasn't broken, like you hadn't lost the love of your life, like everything was alright. And you were forced to pretend like that was true. With no more basketball, you focused solely on your studies, but even doing your homework reminded you of him.

At first, it was hard not to burst out crying at the mere thought of him. Everything hurt. It hurt a lot. Your whole body ached in a way you'd never experienced before, and it was all because of him. It was easy to be mad, to blame him for all your pain, but then he probably hated himself just as much. You knew him well enough by now to know he didn't want this. But he had to. To save you.

Somehow, the pain didn't care. It didn't matter that it made sense, in a twisted way. It didn't matter that it was, by all accounts, logical to save you from an early death. It didn't matter that you'd do anything just for a chance to see him again. It didn't matter that no matter what you did, you couldn't forget him.

Layla was there for you through all of it. She tried to get you to watch Jupiter Jim movies with her, but it only dissolved you to tears. Seeing you like this scared her. So even though the season was over, she would drag you with her to the gymnasium to play some basketball with her. It had always been your escape, but now it held no appeal. There was no fuel in the fire of your heart, so you were empty and cold.

As for your stuff at your parents' house, it magically showed up in your dorm one day. You knew he was the reason, and as thankful as you were, you wished you would've been there to see him one last time. You even debated going down to the sewers to see him, but you made a promise and your heart couldn't take more hostility—he'd probably actually follow through and hurt you with his bo this time, too.

"Winter break is next week!" Layla said, kicking her feet happily. 

You snapped out of your thoughts as you looked at her. "What?"

"I was talking about my plans over break. I've got everything planned out! You and I are going to go sightseeing on a road trip, skiing—or snowboarding if you'd prefer— and maybe tubing if we have time..." She continued, prattling on about everything she wanted to do with you. You knew the main reason she had such a plan was to get your mind off your broken heart, and you loved her for it, but you weren't feeling up to it.

"Thanks Lay, but I think I'd prefer a quiet break." You gave her an apologetic smile, but it didn't hold your usual confidence. It was cracked, and she could see right through your attempts to be unbothered.

"You've been moping around for weeks, Captain!" she protested, leaning across the table to rest her hand on your shoulder. The two of you were in the Lucky Cat Cafe, which was conveniently nearby Bro's Pizza. Your eyes had stayed mostly on the window wall beside you, hoping to catch a glimpse of him one more time. Cass, the owner, had asked about him when you came in, and that brought your memory to the surface of the two of you eating here weeks before.

"I'll be fine." But you couldn't even lie believably.

"Well, since you'll be staying over at my house over break, that'll give us plenty of time to sort out your broken heart and get you back into the dating scene!" Her grin was infectious, but you weren't immunocompromised. "I've actually started talking to someone, but um, we can talk about that later." She blushed lightly, awkwardly looking away as you slowly looked up at her. She was really bad at keeping her life private, so you already knew she was talking to Mikey. The two of them hit it off pretty well—they were practically made for each other. And despite not wanting to think about the turtles, you were still happy for her. At least Mikey wasn't going to push her out of his life on the moral grounds of 'protecting her'.