Why All The Choices That I Make Leave Me With Scars?

Two Kisses To The Peace Sign

"So you've never been to an amusement park before?" Harumi walked beside Lloyd into the park, their other friends trotting ahead of them as they entered the fairgrounds.

Lloyd shook his head. "Nope. Kai and Nya tried to get me to go a couple of times, but it was never something I was particularly interested in doing."

"But the park is so fun!" Harumi put a pep in her step as she skipped forward. "There are rides and games and fun exhibits-"

"-and greasy food to give you a heart attack before the age of thirty." Lloyd smirked at her as she puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him. "I heard there was candy there tho..." He smiled.

"You'll have fun, I promise," Harumi insisted, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her hoodie.

Mega Monster Amusement Park reopened a couple days before, and in the middle of the day it wasn't so crowded just yet, due to the fact that school was still in session and people were still at work. Lloyd had taken the day off to spend time with Harumi, and the others, who had all made plans the week before to go to the park together. It was a tradition for them all to attend together and stay for most of the day and into the night, and now Lloyd was tagging along. Harumi had been very excited when he agreed to come, and she'd even offered to pay for his ticket, which he refused, of course.

After receiving their wristbands and they entered the main park, Lloyd looked around in wonder. It was loud, but not as loud as it would be if it were crowded. The rides were operating and there was music playing over the speakers at the game booths, and despite his earlier comment about the food, he had to admit that something smelled very good.

Harumi noticed his curious eyes and smiled. "If you think it's cool now, just wait until they turn the lights on at night."

"What are we doing first?" Cole demanded.

"Let's go on the Gravitron!" Vania said, pointing with her hand to the metal, spinning machine.

"I'm not riding that thing twelve times with you like last year," Harumi said to her.

"I don't know if I can do it at all ," Skylor said with a shiver. "I don't want a repeat of last year."

"What happened last year?" Lloyd asked.

"She leaned over the railing and threw up the corndogs she ate after the ride was over," Kai told him, patting Skylor's back with a hand as she looked away in embarrassment.

"I'll go on the ride with you," Cole offered, to which Vania bounced happily and tugged him along behind her.

"We'll meet up somewhere, text us!" Vania called behind her to the group as they disappeared into the line.

"Those two seem pretty close," Lloyd commented as the four of them continued down the path in between food stands.

"They've been best friends ever since I invited Cole and Kai over for the first time in high school." Harumi smiled. "She was adopted when I was only seven, but she always had more friends than me back home despite being a couple years younger. When we moved here, I think it was funny that Cole ended up being both mine and her first friend here in Ninjago City. But it looks like one of us is Closer."

She laughed as she pointed at the two in the line farther down.

Lloyd caught the bit about Harumi having no friends, though he didn't show it. He knew if he said anything she'd deflect like she always did, and he wanted her to have fun today. She had been ecstatic about it all week, telling him about the past years that she'd gone and how much she enjoyed it; he didn't want to ruin that.