Chapter 9

"Miss Parker, late again. This is becoming routine." 

The annoyance is present on your teacher's face as well as his voice. You apologize, rushing to sit down. Pulling the necessary books, you drop your bag, directing your attention to the board. This is the first time you hadn't intended to arrive late to biology. Crime really didn't care much for your high school schedule. Neither did the mugger at the subway this morning.

"Rough morning." 

The whisper at your side makes you turn your head. You almost feel like your cover has been blown. But when you see the spot his eyes are trained on, you chuckle nervously. There's a small rip on your t-shirt's sleeve. You frown a bit because it's one of your favorites. The Captain America insignia on the front is a clear indication of that.

"Damn it!"

"Something you'd be willing to share with the class Miss Parker?" He's still facing the board, so you aren't sure how he knows without a doubt that it's you. "N-No sir." he just continues on with his lecture, and Milo gives an apologetic smile. For the remainder of the class you try to just ignore Milo. Lately it felt like he was causing so much irritation in your life.

~~~~~

The bell rings and bodies all filtering through the halls. You head straight to the cafeteria. You're in need of some food and a little alone time. Your eyes fix on a table. Perfect angle to watch the small television perched up on the wall. Usually it's stuck on educational channels or news. You take a seat, rolling your shoulders. Your bag is secured on the table, and you take the fruit cup, popping the lid open. Your eyes drift over the screen absently. For a moment you don't really register what's going on. The news anchor is speaking, and the words that roll across the bottom of the screen make you lean forward. It's then that the words become clear.

"No demands have been made yet, but five men have been identified. It's unclear just how many hostages are within, but our dedicated officers are working to get everyone out safely. " Your stomach churns, and the video of the chosen bank causes the fruit cup to fall out of your hands.

"No.." 

You rise to your feet unsteadily, almost falling out of the chair. A few students take notice, but you don't care. Grabbing up your bag, you spin around, almost colliding with another body.

"(Y/N)." You know that tone.

"Milo?" you really don't have time for this.

"S-Sorry I really have to go." you don't have time to explain, you just need to get to that bank. You take one stride and his hand grips your wrist, halting any chance of escape. You turn to him in question, and agitation.

"Listen, I know you're still upset but you can't keep running from me."

"I'm not trying to run I just really need to-"

"To what? Go. You always take off the moment you see me. "

He was really pissing you off. At first you did avoid him, but the times that followed were purely chance. It wasn't easy making up excuses when you were freelancing as a secret hero. Did he really think your world revolved around nobody but him?

"I don't have time for this okay. Just-"

"No! I'm not leaving here until we talk this over. Stop being a coward and tell me how you feel!" By now, ninety five percent of the cafeteria has tuned in to your argument. Not that you take notice. Your eyes move shakily to the television, and when you hear the echo of bullets on the screen, and the anchor scrambling for shelter, you shove Milo back angrily.

"LET ME GO!" Your voice is booming, and the force makes him skate back. He looks bewildered, and you don't even stay to focus on what just happened. You're racing out of the cafeteria. Milo just watches your hurried exit, the doors slamming behind you.

~~~~

You've all but ripped off your clothes, shoving them into your bag. Now in the red and blue outfit, you hide your backpack on a roof, pinning it to the concrete with some of your web just to be safe. Once it's secured, you dive off the building, heading straight for the bank. With each swing, you can feel the dread in your chest increase. 

You could have been overthinking it, but there's a high chance that you're right. You come to an abrupt stop when you see the trail of police vehicles, as well as a SWAT task force parked outside. You're just a building away, and from your spot, you can see through the window at the side. All the customers appear to be laying face down on the floor. The familiar head of silver hair is what verifies your assumption.

"Aunt May.." She's at the back, palms flat on the floor. There's a man with an automatic gun in his hand, from what you can tell he's probably the surveillance.

"What do I do!" You've never dealt with a bank robbery like this. Usually the thugs were already outside on the run, so you never had to worry about casualties. But if you storm in there without a plan, a lot of people could get hurt. You need a plan. A good one. You slump at the side of the wall, body trembling as you hold your head in your hands. "I can't do this." Why did you even think you could help people? It was stupid, you were just a kid. Even with all you were capable of, you felt powerless. Useless, just like the day you lost Uncle Ben.

A small sob leaves you, and you bury your face into your knees.

The ringing in your bag is what pulls you out of your somber thoughts. You aren't sure what it is at first. That's certainly not your phone. As you dig through, the blue covered cell phone makes your eyes grow wide. 

"That's right."

Leo gave you this in case of emergencies. You forgot you even had it

You click the button.

"(Y/N)." The voice on the other side gains your full attention.

"L-Leo?" There's a breath of relief. "I hope I'm not wrong in assuming you're at the bank right now. The fact that you answered must mean you aren't inside." You shake your head. "N-No I.." this still seems a bit crazy. You're talking to a freaking ninja turtle on a cell phone.

"Focus." 

Logic could wait until the danger was over. From the sound of it, he's also working on a way to help the civilians inside. Exhaling softly, you snap back into gear.

"I'm on top of the building on the other side. I have a clear vision of the first floor but that's it. There's at least five men in there according to the police." You're praying he has some type of plan to help.

"Five of them." There's a pause, like he's evaluating something in his head. Then he speaks.

"If we work together, I'm certain we can get everyone out unharmed."

"What do you have in mind? "

"I need you to turn on the location on the phone so Donatello can track where you are. Usually we don't work during the day, but we'll have to make an exception this time. " you fiddle with the screen, not even questioning it when you flick on the location. It beeps twice, and you hear Donatello in the background. 

"Let's go Leo."

"Okay. Just stay put. If anything changes please hold off. I know it's hard to trust strangers but we-"

"I trust you." No hesitation. Right now you can't afford to have doubts. Just a few seconds before his call you were about to give up. He has given you motivation and assurance that you won't have to lose another person you care about. If he's willing to risk his safety as well as his brothers to save complete strangers, then you could trust him.

"We'll be there soon."

He hangs up the phone

All that's left is for you to wait.