Chapter Text
It’s Friday once again.
Lloyd jumps into the pool at 6:00am, and has managed to swim countless lanes, by the time the clock on the walls of the swimming hall strikes 7:00am. When his phone shows the time to be 7:45am, Lloyd is out of the shower, dressed, and on his way to class.
He buys an iced latte with oat milk and 2 pumps of caramel syrup at 8:15am (he spots the time on the machine as he pays with credit card). At 8:30 he waltzes into the lecture hall 30 minutes early and snubs a spot all the way at the back, and at 8:45 the messages start to tick into the group chat. Lloyd’s phone vibrates as he logs into it and tabs into the group.
It’s the usual; Kai and Cole are complaining about headaches and are motivating each other to skip. Nya’s spamming memes, Jay’s trying to make them all stop. Zane, smart as he is, is never active in the chat. Lloyd suspects that his friend has the group chat on mute or has changed number without telling anyone.
At 9:10 the professor arrives 10 minutes late. His hair’s a mess and there’s coffee spilled on the blue button up shirt. A hickey is blooming on his neck. Lloyd scrunches his nose in disgust at the sight of the bruise, hating to imagine the man falling his papers in such situations. Hopefully the guy just missed it. Maybe his hookup lived far away. Or they had a morning round. Who cares? Lloyd definitely doesn’t.
The group chat is still active when the professor finally begins to do his job. Kai and Cole are skipping. Nya is, like Lloyd, not paying attention to class—and Jay who doesn’t have class is complaining about missing Nya. Lloyd doesn’t engage much in the conversation and sticks to reacting with fire emojis, when Jay leaves behind “His and Nya’s pillow fortress of love” as he (much to everyone, especially Kai’s-- discomfort) calls it, in favor of Joining Kai and Cole’s hangover dungeon.
It really is lunchtime at 11:30 when his class ends, but by then has Lloyd decided, that college life isn’t anything for him today and gone back to the dorm. He throws his bag onto the floor and himself into bed. The group chat has gone quiet by now, and Lloyd ponders about what he should do with his newfound free time.
Out of pure fomo, or “fear of missing out” (an American term which Kai introduced him to) Lloyd’s free time ends up being spend at Cole’s dorm. It’s a double room, but that lucky bastard’s roommate has a girlfriend with a real apartment that he spends most of his time at. So, Cole is basically living in a two-man dorm alone.
The place is a mess. Kai’s looking like a pool of bare, tan skin, messy hair and red boxers on the couch. A bowl that is luckily empty is on the floor next to him. Cole has been running around the kitchen making everyone instant noodles with Jay rambling about a new Nintendo game. Lloyd doesn’t miss that his friend pours extra amounts of the spicy sauce into the bowl he ends up handing the innocent Jay.
“I’ve invited some of my friends from art class and wrestling over later.” Cole announces before starting to inhale noodles.
Kai grunts loudly from his spot on the couch. “For more drinks?”
“You don’t have to drink, Kai”
“But i want to!” Kai suddenly sits up straight, which was a bad move. Lloyd watches as friend curls together in pain with his head in hands. Moaning about his heading hurting.
“Did Kai drink a lot last night, or is he just a pussy?” Lloyd asks humored.
“Lloyd don’t use pussy that way. Who taught you that?” Cole shakes his head.
“I don't know, ‘heard it somewhere. And I'm not a kid you guys are teaching bad words or raising. I’m new to the us, not English.”
“You know that wasn’t what i meant.”
“It was exactly what you meant, but it’s okay. Sorry i used pussy that way.”
Jay scuffs with his mouth full of noodles. “Cole isn’t saying it to teach you anything.” His eyes are teary and his face red, Lloyd feels bad for the poor guy, those noodles are really doing a number on him. “-- if Nya heard you say that she’d rip you one. Cole knows that from experience.”
Kai starts to cackle “I’ve never seen Cole look so scared. Not even when our math teacher in high school found him in his-” he suddenly stops. Lloyd glances at Cole, who’s glaring at his hungover friend.
However, said friend being Kai, just smiles challenging and continues;
“-at out math teacher’s, daughter’s closet.”
Jay gasps. Whether it’s from the spice or the story is uncertain.
“I haven’t heard that one before”
Okay, so it was shock.
“I also threatened Kai to never mention it!” Cole is bright red.
“But how did Kai know?” Lloyd adds.
There’s quiet for a bit.
“Kai was friends with her brother and was also visiting.” Cole finally says. “That was how we became friends.”
“No way!” Jay sputters. “You guys said you met at math tutoring.”
Lloyd laughs. “Oh, I'm sure Cole was being tutored ”
“Shut up!”
Jay and Lloyd almost hit the floor laughing at the comment. Jay fights for breath as he repeats Lloyds words, just to succumb to laughter again.
“When are your friends coming over?” Lloyd asks, through his laughs.
“I invited them over after dinner. Mostly so that I can enjoy my free day and Kai can feel a little better.”
“What are you talking about? I’m on top of the world right now.”
“You’ve said enough dipshit. Do you still feel like throwing up, or can I get my popcorn bowl back?”
Lloyd furrows his eyebrows. “You use the same bowl for popcorn and throwing up?”
“It’s an American thing, you wouldn’t get it.” Jay sighs.
“It’s really not. They’re just fucked up and I’ll never eat popcorn at their place.” Kai spits. “And no, I don’t feel like throwing up anymore. I feel like throwing back shots.”
“This soon? It's only like, 1pm.”
“It’s only Friday once a week, we need to celebrate! What if the government decides to take away Fridays, and we’ve wasted ours doing nothing.”
“Kai it’s you who’ve been sick on the couch all day.”
“I went swimming and to a lecture today” Lloyd beams proudly.
“See?” Cole hugs Lloyd tightly from the side, squeezing their cheeks together. “Lloyd here is a good, healthy and productive guy!”
“You make it sound like I’m a dog.”
“I do not! I'm trying to express you being my favorite friend.”
“don’t let him sweet talk you Lloyd! Don’t let him sweet talk youuuu”
⚾
Nya shows up when her classes end at 3pm, delivering promises of Zane showing up later, and the statement that it’s nasty and they need to clean the dorm. Soon after she leaves to catch up with one of her girlfriends but promises to return with alcohol once there’s clean.
So, the boys are put to work. Kai is thrown away from the couch and put on dirty dish duty; Washing the dirty dishes left by the sink as Jay dries it with cloth next to him. Lloyd carries the trash bag as Cole fills it up. In it, he throws:
- Multiple empty bags of chips
- Many, many, empty and half full soda cans of variating flavours.
- A pack of empty cigarettes (that Cole lies about and says isn’t his own)
- Kai’s dead vape
- Jay’s socks with holes in them that was hidden under the couch last weekend
- The snus that Nya likes to stuff up under the dining table out of pure spite
- A few empty bottles of whine
- An empty box of whine
And just as Lloyd think they’re finally finished with gathering trash:
- Four empty bottles of vodka that’d been laying under Cole’s bed (the fifth that was half full was saved for later. For how long it’s been open, no one knows.)
- A pack of condoms that Kai had in his pocket with orange flavor that allegedly tasted horrible
But with that they wrap the cleaning and the trash bag up, and Cole is sent out to get rid of the trash bag of doom. Somehow, he returns with one of his friends in tow.
“We just bumped into each other on the stairwell” Cole says as if it explains everything.
The friend smiles shyly and waves. His hair is bright purple and his face heavily pierced, the most noticeable being the two sharp silver jewelry going through his upper lip, imitating a pair of fangs. Lloyd wonders how he kisses people, if his looks don’t scare people away.
Cole doesn’t seem the least bit scared though. Casually swinging an arm around his fancy looking friend. Lloyd doesn’t miss the way the friend goes a little red at the gesture.
“This is George, he’s also an art major.”
Ah, an art major, explains him looking like the main character of the Mangas Lloyd read as a kid. He greets George by waving lazily and introducing himself. Lloyd’s itching to ask further about their friendship but decides that it’s better not to. Kai, who’s sitting next to him is like a hot oven. There’s a strange look in his face that Lloyd can read; anger? Suprise? Discomfort? Is it the hangover? Or for unexplainable reasons, Cole’s new friend?
Then he suddenly smiles. “I’m Kai, Cole’s best friend. How come you haven’t hung out with us before?”
There’s so much venom in his voice that Lloyd almost winces. His eyes contact Jay’s, who is lounging on the couch next to Kai. Both boys have wide eyes and raised eyebrows, surprised at the tense situation.
But George doesn’t seem to sense it, or maybe he simply ignores it. Instead, his voice is excited, when he responds.
“Kai! I’ve heard so much about you. Cole mentions you every other second whenever we talk.”
It seems to warm their friend on the couch up a little.
“Of course he does” Kai scuffs with a smile. “I’m amazing.”
“My name is Jay!” Jay suddenly interrupts. “I’m dating Kai’s sister, Nya. You'll meet her later” he says with the fast and high-pitched voice that he gets whenever he’s feeling nervous.
“I’ve also heard quite a bit about you!” George laughs. “I think I’ve heard a lot about you all, actually. You guys seem like tight knit bunch.”
“We are!” Jay exclaims. “Kai, Nya and I have known each other since the beginning of middle school. Zane and Cole joined us i high school, and little Lloyd here joined us last year.”
“Only last year? You guys seem close compared to only having known each other for a few years.”
Lloyd shrugs; “What can i say? I charmed my way into Nya’s heart. And Nya’s heart is everyone’s heart.”
“She’s our queen bee. We’d be lost without her.”
Jay laughs “And living in filth”
George laughs heartily. His smile is big, and dimples appear on his cheeks. There’s an almost unnoticeable flush on his dark skin. Lloyd decides that he likes the guy and invites him to sit on one of the table chairs, that they’ve moved to the couch.
The following hours consist of a single boardgame, in which Lloyd (not to brag) kicked everyone’s asses, a very long discussion about video games, mending into new netflix shows and anime, followed up by a pizza debate when they decided to order some in. When the clock strikes 8:00pm, Zane and Nya show up bearing pizza. Because apparently, they’d met the pizza guy on the stairs, and apparently it could only be Cole and friends, who ordered that much pizza.
Nya, true to her promise, also pulls a generous number of shots from a backpack she’s brought, receiving a deserved applause from her audience. And when Lloyd has inhaled a margherita pizza, a soda and 7 shots, the clock on the oven shows 9:30 pm, and the first of Cole’s friends begins to show up.
An hour later, by 10:30, it seems that everyone invited has arrived, possibly even more than planned. Lloyd had occasionally met some of Cole’s art and wrestling buddies, but there’s more than many unrecognizable faces in the crowd of drunk people. Silently, Lloyd is happy to not be the host, and the one who had to clean tomorrow.
Later, he finds himself in the kitchen Nursing a warm can of beer, which makes his face scrunch up in disgust at every sip. Lloyd attempts standing straight as he chats away with some of the art majors. At first, it’d only been one girl, who was wearing a shirt with a show which he’d loved as a kid. A single, drunk, compliment of it, had sparked a loud and excited conversation about said show. This led to the girl waving a guy over; another one with brightly colored hair and a heavily pierced face. Lloyd fails to ignore the two bright blue spikes under each side of his underlip.
Said guy laughs hoarse and confidently. “Do you want to touch?”
Lloyd blanks for a second. “Touch what?”
“The spikes?”
He thinks for a second, before nodding. “Yes, actually.”
The guy tips his head a little forward to give Lloyds raised hand better access. The piercings are slightly cool and smaller to the touch than they look.
“’don't see piercings often?” the guy laughs.
“I do, but usually in this placement and color.” Lloyd responds absentmindedly. “I grew up in Japan where it’s a little more taboo. Not a stranger to them though. “
“Japan? That’s cool. Why’d you leave?”
“’Had some issues back home that i needed to get away from. I’d seen movies about American college life as a kid and decided i might as welll go here.”
“I’d rather live anywhere else to be honest with you. We can trade if you want.”
Lloyd laughs at that and shakes his head. He looks at the two art majors. “You guys look cool; the other biology and health science majors are so gym-bro looking.”
“Have you seen Cole?” The girl laughs. Her lips are covered in dark red lipstick, dark eyes with sharp eyeliner boring into his skin. “He’s the most gym-bro looking art major to have ever stepped grounds.”
“That’s true” Lloyd agrees, his head is spinning “I can’t step into the gym here without being harassed by him.”
“You work out?” The girl’s eyes fall to Lloyd’s arm. They stay there.
“A little. I swim and run pretty regularly, ‘attempt to lift weight once or twice a week as well.”
“Damn, we mostly just rot in our dorm.” the guy says as he carefully reaches a hand around Lloyd's bicep. Not minding the touch, he leans into it, noticing how both art majors have moved closer as they spoke. He’s by now being pressed up against the space between the refrigerator and the water tap.
“But biology and health major you say? What do you want to be, huh?”
“Physical therapist. “Lloyd gulps. “My uncle had a bad injury when he was younger, it destroyed his career.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Meh, it’s fine, that’s what happens. Sports careers will always be a risk—but he was very depressed, and seeing what he went through made me want to help others.”
The two people have moved even closer. They’re all basically standing hip against hip. Lloyd is taller than the girl, so he must look down a little to look into her brown eyes. She smiles at what he says, and her eyes curl together, she fixes her dark hair with a bejeweled hand. The other has been wrapped around his hips.
“Your eyes are really pretty” she slurs.
The guy lines in to get a look at Lloyd’s eyes. “They are!” He smiles, and Lloyd feels his cheeks flush. The hand wrapped around his bicep was now placed at his waist, making Lloyd practically locked in between the two-art majors. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he wraps each of his arms around the other two, closing whatever knot they’ve made of themselves.
Then, the two in front of him suddenly go quiet as they make eye contact, before Lloyd can even brace himself or register what’s happening, they’re leaning in to kiss each other. The action would have made Lloyd look and back away, had he been sober. Since he was not, the boy just kinda stood and stared fascinated at the way the two strangers ate each other's faces. After some moments the two giggling pull away, Lloyd makes eye contact with the guy.
“Do you want a smooch too pretty boy?”
Lloyd has never been called pretty. Or kissed a boy. He nods without saying anything, making the two others laugh.
“You’re a quiet one, aren’t you? It’s cute.”
And then suddenly, he’s pulled in and a pair of lips meets his. The piercings poke slightly at his skin as their lips move. It’s not bad, not much different from kissing girls either for that sake. Lloyd relaxes into it, moving in closer till their chests brush against each other. A hand touches his neck, sliding down his back as another pair of lips contacts his jaw. For a moment, he’s reminded of the dark red lipstick that the girl had been wearing. But then the guy, whose lips his are still attached to begins to claw at his shirt, deepening the kiss and bringing his mind back to present.
After multiple years of being out of the game, this is a kind of surreal experience.
Lloyd eventually discovers that the guy has a lip piercing. A small gasp escapes his lips, when the girl bites into his sternocleidomastoid at the same that as the guy slides his tongue into his mouth. Someone’s pulling his hair, dragging his head slightly backwards and giving more space for the girl to access his neck. She sucks and bites down his neck and Lloyd is reminded that the show they initially bonded over was about vampires, and that the girl might’ve worn the shirt for other than nostalgic purposes.
He has no idea how long they’ve been at it, when he’s suddenly being pressed even harder up against the kitchen countertop behind him. None of the other two seems to mind the public attention, because a shock goes through Lloyd when one of them suddenly presses a hand against his dick and stays there.
Then the guy pulls away, lips swollen, and eyes blown. His cheeks are flushed red. There’s a mischievous smile on his lips when Lloyd yet again senses pressure down below and a shock goes through him, making his jaw go slack. He senses a finger under his chin, dragging his face towards the girl. Her lipstick is smudged and almost completely gone, maybe it’s all on his neck now.
“you’re so cute” she slurs before leaving a peck on his lip. “We could eat you right up, couldn’t we? You’d so let us?”
“Eat me up?” Lloyd asks in a haze.
“We want to take you home silly” the girl giggles, moving a strand of blond hair away from Lloyd’s face.
Just as he’s about to agree, Lloyd, for unknown reasons, glances behind the girl. And makes eye contact with Harumi.
She’s wearing a see-through black button up paired with black jeans that sits tight and low on her waist. Her white hair’s loose like always, with how thick her hair is, her scalp gets sore from having it put up for just a few minutes.
And she’s already on her way over to him.
Lloyd snaps out of his haze. “I’d really love to” he says, “but i have to go.”
The couple looks at each other, then at Lloyd, and then back at Harumi where he’s looking. They seem a little disappointed, but don’t say anything as Lloyd practically runs for life, headed towards the living room. Under his breath, he curses Harumi for once again ruining his night. And for even getting close to him again. Still drunk out of his mind, Lloyd reaches the living room.
“Lloyd!” Nya exclaims loudly when she sees him. “Where have you be-”
“Why is Harumi here?”
“Who?”
“Harumi.”
“Oh, your e-”
“Hey Lloyd.” A cheerful voice says behind him.
Harumi’s gorgeous as ever and it’s annoying as hell. Her red lips are pursed in a sweet smile, that Lloyd knows from experience isn’t entirely authentic. It’s Nya, extra bold because of the alcohol, who responds.
“Why are you here?”
“My friend invited me” Harumi shrugs, “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“You didn’t have to walk up to me. Especially not when I was-” Lloyd stops himself, “talking to other people. ‘Thought I made it clear last time that I didn’t wanna talk.”
Mockingly, Harumi tips her head to the side and smiles. “We’re talking now, aren’t we? Stay and chat with me Lloyd. There’s so much to catch up on.”
Nya puts her hand on Lloyd's shoulder. “Come on, we’re going outside for a breather. It stinks in here anyways.”
Then he’s pulled away through the crowd. Nya smacks open the door to the dorm, pulling him along. In the hallway, it’s a lot quieter, the noise being muffled by the walls. She sighs.
“Let’s go all the way outside. I need to smoke anyways.”
Lloyd nods quietly, following his friend’s fast paced steps like a dog.
“I’m sorry for that. I was trying to get away from her, not drag you into it.”
“Don’t worry about it” Nya cackles, “I just hate seeing you look so anxious. She really did a number on you, huh?”
They’ve reached the stairs leading down to the ground floor. Lloyd has to concentrate as he takes the first step down. Still dizzy and wobbly from the alcohol.
“It wasn’t fun for su-”
While temporarily distracted, Lloyd’s knees seem to give up. First, he feels the hard surface collide with his poor butt. The next is the back of his head, which ultimately knocks him out.
⚾
The next place he wakes up in is in a room lit up in bright, white light. His head hurts, but it’s manageable, maybe more of an early hangover than anything else. There’s a clock ticking, it hangs above a door. The time is 3:12am.
He’s on a white bed, still in his day clothes. And yeah, it’s definitely a hospital room he’s in. By his side are his friends lined up on a chair each. Cole and Kai, who have a black eye for some reason—are watching something funny on one of their phones. Jay is with his head resting on Nya, who’s chatting quietly with Zane’s shoulder.
“Oh! You’ve awoken!” Zane bursts out with a smile.
This wakes up the rest of their friends.
“Are you alright buddy?” Cole asks, “Nya came running back to us saying you tripped on the stairs and got knocked out. Kai almost had a heart attack.”
“I did not !”
“Yes, you did ! Liar liar pants on fire!”
“I’m fine to be honest” Lloyds sits up, “you didn’t have to bring me all the way out here.”
“Lloyd” Nya says with a stern face, “you went from looking like you’d drank an entire bottle of vodka and were gonna have fucking panic attack, to being knocked out on the stairs within five minutes. Of course we were worried about you.”
“Thank you.” he mutters. Sincerely. “Did you call my mom?”
“You bet we did! And you better call her back, because she’s worried sick about you.”
“Yeah, we had to tell her not to immediately catch a plane here. You’re welcome” Cole sighs. “Luckily Zane’s good with moms”
“I’m also good with moms” Kai cackles. He’s met by silence.
“I’d take the call over seeing her face any day.” Lloyd rests his face in his hands.
“Yeah, however...” Zane says, looking uncertain, “Your mother did say that she would ask an adult to pick you up.”
“ I’m an adult. I can get myself ho-”
The door to the hospital room opens. But it’s not a nurse. The sound wakes up Jay, who returns to the living with a last, loud, snore before he opens his eyes and disoriented begins to look around.
In the door stands a man. He looks to be about the late fifties, judging by the wrinkles and well-styled gray hair that looks a little messy from having rushed to the hospital.
He also looks startling much like Lloyd. It’s like using one of those filters that makes you look old.
“ Dad?! ” Lloyd gapes.
“ Lord Garmadon!? ” Jay screeches.
The man stops up to stare at his son.
“Hello, Lloyd.”
“Fuck off.” Lloyd has already swung himself off the bed, “I’m not dealing with you now.” he hisses, heading past his dad and towards the exit.
His friends look completely lost, as they watch the scene unfold. Heads turning between the stranger and their friend.
“Did mom send you here? Why the fuck would she do that?”
“I was already in the area. She called me and said you were at the hospital and needed a guardian present.”
Lloyd's father sounds sad. It pisses him off.
“You get out of jail and the first thing you do is follow me to the us? Do you hear how fucked up that is?” Lloyd has reached the door; he’s slams it open into the hallway, it’s heavy. “I left home because of you!”
He turns to send his dad one more furious look before leaving, before turning back.
Just in time for the door to slam back into his face. Apparently, it shuts on its own. Who’d known. Lloyd definitely didn’t.
“You were lucky there” the nurse says once Lloyd wakes up again. “Two head collisions in one night, and yet you escape with a few stitches on the forehead and a concussion. No brain damage tonight.”
Lloyd’s head feels like it might explode. How heavy was that damn door.
The room is empty now. Everyone must’ve been kicked out by the nurse.
“Yeah, just my luck” he mutters sarcastically, “what a great end to my night.”
“Yes, it is. Because you’re going to sleep the moment you’re getting home.”
“Don’t have to tell me that twice ma'am.”
“I’m going to let your friends in, while I give your father some instructions and you should be good to go.” the nurse smiles and pats his cheek.
“No, not my dad” Lloyd shakes his head “I can take the information myself!”
“I’m afraid you’re in no condition to do so young man.”
With that, the discussion is over. That much is obvious. The door slams close when she leaves, making Lloyd flinch a little and painfully aware of the stitches in his forehead.
“Lloyd why did you never mention that your dad is Lord Garmadon ?!” Jay whisper yells the moment he steps back inside the room.
“It never came up” and Lloyd never wanted anyone to know.
“The Lord Garmadon?! As in the Garmadon brothers?! The most iconic baseball stars to have walked this ear-” Jay stops himself. His face goes blank, his mouth is wide open as it clicks for him.
“You’re Lloyd Garmadon ? As in, the Lloyd Garmadon?”
“What the fuck is going on?” Nya breaks in.
“I can’t believe you guys don’t know this!” Jay responds aggravated, “The Garmadon brothers are like, the biggest baseball stars to have ever been. They’re the ultimate superstar status in Japan and every kid who likes baseball’s idols.”
“And Lloyd’s dad is...?”
“Lord Garmadon! One of them! And Mr. Mysterious here was until two years ago the heir to their massive legacy!”
“Heir and heir” Lloyd mumbles, “I played a bit of baseball because it was expected of me.”
“Lloyd, you were pro level before even going pro!” Jay sounds like he’s about to shed a tear, “Do you know how insane that is? I’m pretty sure you hold every single youth record there is to hold.”
“How do you even know this?” Kai suddenly asks, “I thought you’d always played soccer?”
“I played baseball before i gave up and shifted to soccer. The Garmadon brothers were my idols, I had posters of them in my room.”
Lloyd scrunches his nose in disgust at the thought, “ew”.
Jay sighs, “not my point! You guys don’t seem to get it.” He turns to his friends, “Their impact is massive. Sadly, their careers were cut short when Wu got an injury and Lord later- oh.”
Finally, Jay shuts up. Sadly, he turns back to Lloyd, to give him the most pitiful look to have ever been given. “I’m so sorry, Lloyd.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I want to go home. Alone.”
“I’m afraid that won’t happen” Nya sighs, “but we won’t mention what we talked about here until you’re ready. Okay?” She sends their friends a stern look, they all nod in agreement.
“Not until you’re ready” they echo.
It’s Jay who takes Lloyd’s hand gently. “We respect and love you, okay Lloyd? Knowing who your dad is won’t change anything. You’ll always be silly and quiet loser-loyd who falls and knocks himself out on the stairs when drunk.”
They all laugh, Lloyd can’t help but join. “I know that. I love you guys too.”
Zane giggles, “It has been a bit of a hectic night, has it not?”
“It for sure has” Cole agrees before suddenly looking confused.
“Hey Lloyd?” He asks.
“Yes?”
“Where were you before finding Nya tonight? I feel like i looked everywhere after you?”
Kai cackles, “he was busy being snacked on in the kitchen”.
“Being ‘snacked on’?” Zane asks, “I think you might mean that he was ‘getting a snack’?”
“Oh no, I know what I saw.”
“Wait what?”
Lloyd flushes red as Cole proudly ruffles his hair, before quickly stopping when Jay reminds him of the concussion.
The sun will already rise soon, and he’s exhausted. On the wall, the clock says 5:10am.
By 5:20, Lloyd’s dad walks into the room. When it’s 5:45 they’re in the car. After a long, tense and quiet car ride to the large apartment his dad’s renting, Lloyd is in bed in a guest room at 6:00am.
At least it’s Saturday.
⚾