Shadow Mutation (Book Seven) [UNDER MAJOR EDITING]

Chapter 3: Seeing His Friends

Casey's halfway to the lair when he realizes where he's going. Embarrassment floods him and he slows down. He could turn around and avoid facing the consequences of his body's autopilot, but April and Andy's words ring in his head.

He doesn't see how it would make him feel better. Seeing Raphael will just make him feel guilty. The guy was pumped to run off to Pennsylvania with Taylor and kick butt with the Mighty Mutanimals, doing what Casey could only dream of having the freedom to do, but then Casey got in a car accident and Raphael dropped everything to stick around and "support" him.

Stupid.

"Casey? Holy cow, Casey?! Is that you?"

He winces. So much for making a clean escape. Annalise hurries up the tunnels towards him, eyes wide as she peers around a stack of pizza boxes piled eight high.

"Hi! It's been a minute!" she says, still looking awed. "Hey!"

She's perky. Therapy must be going well if she's starting to be all sunshiney again. Good to see at least some people are recovering after trauma. Whoop-dee-do.

Casey sighs as he takes five of the pizzas off of Annalise's stack, nodding once. She smiles softly at him, letting out a breath.

"Phew, thanks. I was white-knuckling it the whole way here," she says.

"Bet."

He turns and keeps walking towards the lair. He hears her quick footsteps, hurrying to catch up with him.

"I haven't really seen you around school," she says. "How is it?"

"It's school."

"Heard you punched Brayden. I bet he deserved it. What happened?"

Casey grunts. "Someone hit him with a hockey puck and he blamed me."

"Oo...and it didn't go well."

"Gee, what told you? The black eye or the split lip?"

She winces. "Yeah, should've taken those context clues, huh?" When he doesn't answer, she frowns sadly. "Sorry, I'm just trying to have a conversation."

"I'm not in the mood."

"You're not in the mood for talking but you're..." She drags out the word, slowly raising an eyebrow. "Coming to see your friends who you've been ghosting for weeks on end?"

His nostrils flare but he doesn't answer, because she's right. Hitting the nail on the head.

She seems to take the cue, settling into silence. As they approach the lair, he can hear the faint echoes of voices, conversations passing from person to person.

"So who stuck you with pizza duty?" Casey asks.

Annalise perks up. "I did!" she says. "Mikey texted, said they ordered some and asked if I wanted to come over for supper, and...it spiralled into me picking it up. Didn't really think ahead but I swore I could handle it!"

Part of him wonders if she seems so bouncy because he's so...not. Every word she says is so bright and positive that it's overwhelming him. He bites the inside of his cheek and lets out another grunt.

Then, they're back in the lair, and everything seems so normal and unchanged. Destiny watches Space Heroes reruns. Donatello lays on the opposite couch, curled up under a blanket and hugging a pillow with Sarina at his side. Michelangelo and Raphael battle it out at the pinball machine. No sign of Leonardo.

"Pizza's here, and I brought a friend!" Annalise hollers as she pushes past the turnstiles.

Every head turns, eyes widening. The pinball machine plays a little song as Raphael and Michelangelo's match ends suddenly.