TROLLS-- While Foundations Crumble (A Clay Fanfiction)

Babysitting...

I am SOOO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO DARN LONG TO WRITE

PLZZZ I BEG UR FORGIVENESSSSS 😭😭 (tho it was really high school's fault...) This chapter is supposed to be way more comedic than the others, which means I added way more emojis.

I love emojissssss.

Anyhooooo, here ya go!!

The BroZone breakup was posted in almost every newspaper, bulletin board, and record shop that ever existed ever only a day later.

Of course, as soon as they heard that, my whole book gang understood why I had been so off before and begged me to let them help me out.

I refused. The whole point of this was to look out for myself and learn who I was.

I wasn't going to lean on anyone else. Nope, not me.

Cliff refused my refusal though, and the next day told me out straight.

"Clay, this is ridiculous. What I told you yesterday was totally true, but you can't start off on your own. We'll be in this together."

At the time I had been passing shop windows, looking for any job that would take me. Cliff had followed, ranting.

I looked at him superiorly. "Thank you, friend, but believe me, I can do this by myself 😌."

"At least let me give you a place to sleep," Cliff offered.

I examined one of the "Hiring" posters on the shop window. "Do you think I would be a good Deli Meat Slicer?" I asked.

He frowned slightly. "Ew. No. Clay, are you listening to me?"

"What about a Weekly Newspaper Editor?"

"Dude, you totally aren't listening to me!"

"I am, I am," I assured him casually. "I just don't think we should worry about it at the moment."

"Where are you planning on sleeping tonight?"

"Well, that bench was pretty comfortable," I suggested.

Cliff gaped at me. "Are you serious?"

I was going to blurt out my usual response to that question--"Of course not!"-- when I stopped short. I realized that, for once, I actually was serious. That was odd.

"When was the last time you even took a shower?" Cliff asked, not waiting for answer to his last question. He crossed his arms.

I lifted an eyebrow. "I've only been gone from home for two days, Cliff."

"Just answer the question."

I stopped reading posters to think. "Well, I'll say about-- uhhh.... uhmmm, well-- it's gotta be somewhere around...hmm--"

"Okay, that's it," Cliff interrupted. "If you actually have to think about it, it's been too long. You're living with me."

"But I need to find a job!" I argued.

"Maple and I will help you find one."

It was no use. There was no talking Cliff out of it.

...

Cliff's couch wasn't as comfortable as he promised. I actually think I'm allergic to it. It's the grossest color green you've ever seen, and when you rubbed your hand on the cushion it felt like sandpaper. I think it may have been made of it too, actually.

But whenever he'd see my frown when I laid on it and asked whether I wanted the bed and he could have the couch, I shook my head and gave him a bright smile.