I Need Courage

Chapter Seven

A very special thank you to Trocks252 and UnravelingAwesome for being the first two commenters on chapter six. Your responses truly mean a lot to me! If you would like to have this same 'honor' all you have to do is be the first to comment, a exclamation point will count!!!

I stare into his eyes, those blue, blue eyes that seem relieved that I'm here. I throw the letter down onto my bed and race to the window with a squeak before quickly shoving it open with wobbling arms. He helps himself into my bedroom and tumbles rather ungracefully to the floor.

"Casey! What are you doing here?" He gives me a smile that makes the heat rise to my cheeks as he pulls himself up off the floor.

"Hey Kat, have you se-" 

Casey gets cut off by my best friend storming into the room, surprised with the fact that Casey Jones was in MY room! "What the hell are you doing here Jones?" Rose said in an icy voice and a stiff hand lodged onto her hip, and I try not to flinch as Rose cursed.

"This is kind of private matter so I'd rather you leave this to Kat and me." He gives another toothless smile that doesn't seem to have the same effect on Rose as it does me. 

"Her name is Kit you thick-headed numskull." She is still in full glare mode and I watch Casey's lovely eyebrow twitch. I try to make amends between them saying how much I truly love cats but neither of them seemed to hear me. Another moment of awkward silence and intense glaring passes until Casey tries to break it, but Rose beats him to it. "You should leave right now before I call the police because I don't even want to think about how you know where she lives." Rose doesn't give him the time to argue before she is pushing him out of my room and onto the fire escape. 

"We can't find Raph!" Casey manages to yell before the window is shut locked and the blinds drawn leaving the room a couple shades darker. 

It takes me a moment to process what Casey said and realize that Rose was blocking the window as if she knew what I was planning on doing. I don't even know what I am doing as I sprint out of my room and down the hallway to the stairs on the opposite side of the small apartment. Both Dragon and Rose follow me as I run down messing up my footing on the second to last step and slam into the door at the bottom. 

My shoulder really hurts and will definitely be bruised tomorrow but despite that I get back up and open the door to a bakery full of really concerned customers and a slightly angry mom. I rub tears out of my eyes as I race past the windows that coat the front of the store to the front door stumbling out into the busy street, ignoring the indignant calls of my best friend and the barks of another. 

I find Casey and April leaning against an ally wall by the bakery where our fire escape combines with the apartment complex next door. He waves me over and I'm already headed there when Rose and Dragon come out charging after me. 

"Where do we start?" I ask ignoring Rose yelling at me which makes April give me a strange look. 

"You are not going anywhere! Kitty please it's way to dangerous!" She begs me. Casey makes a statement about the fact that she called me Kitty, and I'm sure we both feel bad about the fact that we ignored him.

"Rose." I look at her sternly, a way I never have before. "These people saved my life... three times now and I'll-"

"Three?" She interrupts but I ignore her something I'm scared I'm turning into a habit. 

"I will never be able to forgive myself if I turn down the opportunity to repay them, even if it is just a little bit. Please Rose let me go. I'll be fine Casey is some sort of fighter and Dragon will protect me if I ever need it, which I won't!" I can see her conceding.