Calling Lloyd seemed to become a regular occurrence after he left.
You see, it's funny because I'm terrible when talking on the phone. I get horrible, horrible anxiety. It's actually really bad.
So that made the first time that Lloyd called a total blast and a half.
The majority of the call (which was only a pitiful two minutes) pretty much consisted of us saying hi, Lloyd complaining that his 'brothers' were being annoying, then a hasty goodbye when an old man called him out for being on the phone while training. I shrugged the abrupt ending off.
As the number of conversations increased, so did the amount of time we spoke together did. Two weeks on, and we were having hour calls deep into the night without having a breather to think of a new topic. With Lloyd, words just seemed to roll right off the tongue. I began to grow comfortable around him.
At least, on the phone. In reality, I absolutely had a long way to go.
More than a couple of times had I talked to his friends, or 'brothers' (plus sister), or the rest of his team. Either way you put it, it was still the other five teenagers he hangs out with. Whether it was from them stealing his phone or butting in on our conversations. It always pissed Lloyd off to no end, but I just found the whole predicament hilarious.
"So what's the verdict for today?" I asked after I chimed a hello to Lloyd. He sighed.
"Mountain moving. With my mind."
I tried not to gasp aloud or huff in disbelief at his dismissive tone.
"Cool," I said, struggling to withhold my awe. Gotta keep it cool, gotta keep it cool. "Wish I could see it."
Lloyd chuckled from over the line, still warm even through the static. It made my heart flutter.
"I wish you were here, too."
The rest of the call lasted two hours. I shuddered to think of how my mother was going to react when she got the phone bill.
Eh. Lloyd's worth it.
The next day, I had organised to go hang out at the mall with Claire, Naomi and Aaliyah. We were supposed to go watch The Greatest Showman in the cinemas, but Claire decided last minute that she'd rather go see Jumangi: Welcome to the Jungle. I tried not to look hurt as Aaliyah eagerly took Claire's side, as I was looking forward to hearing Hugh Jackman sing. Naomi patted my shoulder, sending me a sympathetic smile as we lined up for our tickets. Maybe another day.
After the movie, the others insisted on going to Hot Topic and splurging their money on clothing. I trailed along behind them, trying to look at least interested as they fawned over material possessions they had yearned to obtain. I nodded when I supposed to, shook my head when I was practically urged to, not really putting in my personal input because honestly I didn't care if that peach shirt went with Aaliyah's streaks.
Claire ended up spending over one hundred and twenty dollars on a new leather jacket. I'm pretty sure that's her seventh.
Naomi just bought a shirt that was on sale.
As we left the store, she discreetly handed me a keychain with the green ninja symbol on it. I tried not to look panicked as a sudden thought of holy shit she knows crossed my mind. When I glanced up, there wasn't an indication that she knew that Lloyd was the Green Ninja. I almost sighed with relief.
"I know how much you like the ninja, and I saw that they had these at the checkout," Naomi said with a warm smile. "Claire can be a stubborn brute at times, and she seems to be targeting you recently. I hope this at least makes you feel a little better about today."
Targeting me? I tilted my head in confusion, but sent Naomi a thankful grin as I attached it to my keys. I quickly wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a swift hug.
"That's really cool of you," I said before stepping back. "Thank you."
