𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐘. [ 𝐋𝐁. ] :currently editing!

| "BETTER OFF."

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| SUMMERTIME /
SOMETIMES I FEEL
LIKE A MOTHERLESS
CHILD
  by  MAHALIA
JACKSON!

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1 JANUARY, 2026

over the past few days, madison spent the time
to herself hashing over what ally told her at the house, about how she should model. if she couldn't play tennis anymore, she figured she could find another way to spend time and make more money. and she decided she would give it a shot.

and what she was doing at this moment was a direct result of that decision. and at the end of the conversation between herself and her agent, lamelo and laney walk in. laney with a huge smile and lamelo with a huge bouquet of flowers.

she glances at them before giving generic responses to get off the phone, "thanks for the opportunity, i'll see you tomorrow. thanks, same to you. bye," she hangs up the phone with a smile, approaching her daughter.

"hey— mama face!" madison picks laney up. "you have fun back home?"

"yes—! and dad won all his games, he helped me dunk and we all went to disneyland!!"

"good, i'm glad to know you enjoyed yourself," madison sits laney on the kitchen counter.

"happy new year," lamelo kisses her forehead, handing her the bunch of white tulips before walking past her.

she was confused. they were just cursing each other out, he threatened to leave, and she threatened to keep their daughter if he did. they both knew what she said was out of spite, but still. she wouldn't take this, ratherish peace lamelo came with for granted, "thanks,"

but she couldn't even take it in because in the blink of an eye, he was on his way out.

"you just came back, where you going?" she stands tall, eyebrows furrowed.

"to the studio wit' miles. i'll be back in a little bit," he looks back at them before closing the door behind himself.

before laney could see madison get angry, she shuts the laptop and proposes, "you wanna go to the spa, tommy?"

...

miles takes off his headphones and leans back in his swivel chair, taking the stuffed backwoods from lamelo's fingers.