𝕴 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚 ; ʟʟᴏʏᴅ ɢᴀʀᴍᴀᴅᴏɴ x ᴍᴀʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Chapter nine: start of new beginnings.

♫ ❝I wanna be alone. alone with you, does that make sense?❞♫

YOUR POV.

The halls of the school buzzed with animated chatter as Lloyd and I made our way through the sea of students. Whispers and hushed voices spoke in reverence of the heroic deeds that had unfolded just days prior, each retelling of the harrowing encounter laced with a new twist of intrigue.

But it was the Green Ninja, the enigmatic figure who had saved me, who captured the most attention. As I threw my arm over Lloyd's shoulder, the weight of my coach's words, a specter that had clung to my conscience since our confrontation, resurfaced. The chilling declaration that being gay could ruin my life forever echoed in my mind, the stark implication of his words a nagging reminder of the precarious position in which I found myself.

A clenched fist of fear tightened in my chest as I contemplated the possibility that my coach might have been right. But as I squeezed the shoulder beneath my arm, the truth became apparent. I couldn't, and wouldn't, deny the feelings that coursed through me when I was with Lloyd.

The bond that had formed between us, forged in the crucible of chaos and comradery, had grown into something indescribable. The weight of societal expectations, the whispers of potential ruin, paled in comparison to the all-consuming warmth that enveloped me in Lloyd's presence.

My relationship with my girlfriend, the remnants of which had been reduced to ashes by the scorching heat of the confrontation with Chen, lay dormant. I had cut ties, blocking Chen from my digital life in a firm, if somewhat cowardly, declaration of independence.

Lloyd, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between us, posed a question that seemed innocuous on the surface. "So," he began, "everyone seems to love the Ninja."

I nodded, the memory of our late-night phone call resurfacing. "Yeah, they were cool. We talked about this yesterday on the phone, remember?" I tilted my head, a playful smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Lloyd's brow furrowed in contemplation, his train of thought diverging from the topic at hand. "Yeah, but," he hesitated, his eyes scanning the room before meeting mine once more. "If you could date any of the Ninja, who would you pick?"

The question caught me off guard, my mind racing as it processed the implications. "How could I date someone I don't fully know? I wouldn't want to date someone who hid their true identity."

Lloyd's response, a nervous, awkward chuckle, revealed the lighthearted intent behind his query. His fingers fiddled with his hair. Why was he nervous about, what i said?

I broke the awkward silence that had settled between us, my voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty. "I think I know one of the Ninja."

Lloyd's eyes widened, his gasp echoing through the relative quiet of our shared space. "Do you?"

I recounted my encounter with the Green Ninja, the peculiarity of the situation still fresh in my mind. "I think so, the Green Ninja kept talking to me as if he knew me. It was odd."

I shrugged, the weight of the implications hanging in the air between us. "Maybe he goes to our school."

Lloyd's response, a sharp intake of breath, signaled his disbelief. "That's ridiculous!"