4I wanted to call this chapter "The First Time He Was Betrayed(yes its happened multiple times)" but that was too long so I couldn't
When Lloyd was 8, he ran away from Darkley's for the first time. It really wasn't unusual for boys to do that, but they came back more often than not, so no one really cared and Lloyd was sick of the dreary hallways, so he figured he'd just wander around for a few days. He hadn't expected to make a friend, and he certainly hadn't expected them to be a girl.
The first time Lloyd saw her, he didn't pay her any mind. He was walking through a busy town, so a little schoolgirl with twin braids wasn't an unusual sight. He did notice that she followed him a little way, but he hardly cared. She disappeared soon enough, and Lloyd figured he'd never see her again.
But when she followed him again the next day, on a different route, Lloyd realized that it was intentional and also that he'd never actually spoken to a girl, unless you count the receptionist lady at Darkley's, but he certainly didn't. Didn't the older boys say girls had cooties? Yeah...Lloyd decided to keep walking, but the girl persistently followed. After a few more minutes, Lloyd spun around.
"Why are you following me? Go away!"
The girl stepped back, eyes wide. She was clean and well-kempt, unlike the blond boy, and her hair and eyes were dark. She was wearing a dark blue dress and an over-sized pink-striped sweater.
"Go on," Lloyd told her, trying to sound angry. "Get lost!"
"Why are your eyes red?"
Lloyd was taken aback for a second, before smirking and declaring, "Because I am Lloyd Garmadon, son of the evil Lord Garmadon!"
"Oh," The girl smiled. "I'm Imani Nakata. Nice to meet you!"
"Aren't you...scared of me?"
"No," Imani shook her head. "You seem nice."
Lloyd gave his best evil grin, showing off his too-sharp teeth. "But look! I have fangs."
"Really?" The girl peered at his teeth, then pouted. "I don't. You're lucky."
"I guess...why were you following me?"
"Because I hadn't seen you at school, and you looked like you were wearing a uniform."
"I'm not from this town," He said. "I ran away from my school."
"Why?"
"Because I'm evil! I'm going to be just like my dad!"
Imani tilted her head, "My dad paints houses, but I don't wanna do that. I wanna make jewelry, like my mom."
"I've never met my mom."
"Oh...do you wanna met mine? She's probably home by now, and you can-"
"No!" Lloyd practically shouted. "I'm-I'm evil. I don't...do that stuff."
"Oh...alright," Imani pouted. "But if you ever wanna, just tell me, okay?"
She skipped off before Lloyd could disagree.
oOo
Try as he might, over the next week, Lloyd could not avoid Imani. She was always peering around corners at him, giggling from up in a tree, throwing ham sandwiches at him. The last part was a little confusing, but he didn't actually mind all that much, because it was a lot better than digging through the trash.
Sometimes, after she got out of school, Lloyd and Imani would sit on a little wooden bench in a park. Usually, they'd talk about anything on their minds, but sometimes they'd just sit in silence. Occasionally, they'd play tag or hide-and-go-seek, which Lloyd was really good at, because at Darkley's, if you got found, you'd get beat up. Imani seemed pretty horrified when Lloyd told her that, so he shut up after that.
"What's it like not going to school?" She asked, once. "Is it fun?"
"Not really," Lloyd sighed. "But school's no good either. I hate everyone there."
Come to think of it, Imani was actually the first decent person Lloyd had ever met, save for his uncle, who he hardly even remembered. Maybe, he thought, he'd just stay in that town and live off of ham sandwiches and half-eaten cookies and never have to see Rai or Scott or Gene ever again. That sounded pretty great.
He changed his mind the very next day.
oOo
Lloyd was walking around, a chill autumn wind blowing, when he came across Imani's school. He'd seen it a few other times, but Lloyd had decided to meet Imani right as she got out of school that day. As he approached the chain-link fence surrounding the schoolyard, though, he heard someone talking.
"I can't believe it's working! I thought it'd take longer for him to trust me," Said a voice that sounded far too much like Imani's.
"I'd be too scared to talk to him. His red eyes are freaky!"
Lloyd crept along the fence, peering over some bushes and staring at a trio of girls in the schoolyard.
"They are," The first girl agreed, and Lloyd's heart broke. She was facing the other way, but her duel braids and bright pink sweater gave the girl's identity away. "His teeth, too. But it'll be worth it once we get him to steal that doll back for us."
"Yeah," The third girl laughed. "Maybe he'll even beat up Aaron for taking it from us in the first place!"
Lloyd's vision grew blurry and he frantically tried to wipe away his tears. It made sense, really. No one would think his eyes and teeth were cool, no one wouldn't be afraid of him. It made sense that Imani was just using him, but it still hurt.
He wanted to say something, to tell Imani that he knew of her ulterior motivations and he hated her, but he didn't trust his voice to not break. So instead, he just got up and ran in the other direction, forcing himself not to cry.
Bruh my writing quality is just...no bueno.
