Befriending the Criminal

I Don't Do Letting Go

Who's ready for episode 77 today?!

Definitely NOT me,,, if that's what you were thinking :'D

Oh gosh, I hope Cole finds the baby in this episode. IM BETTING IT ALL FOR THIS.

***

~~Flashback~~

About a year and a half before the attack on Palace Way.

Jay sped across the sidewalk, the cool flick of the wind brushing against his cheeks, leaving a smile on his face.

It was summer and the young boy had promised to meet his friend, Lloyd Garmadon, in front of the library steps at 2 PM sharp. As usual, Jay had fallen a little behind as his parents insisted that he leave his brand new watch at home. Jay snorted at the thought - they had gotten it for him, so technically, he had the choice to do whatever he wanted with it.

For years, the two boys had been close friends, best friends, sharing secrets, going to each other's houses, many of the times without warning, and helping one another out in school. And for several months, Jay had been noticing a downfall in Lloyd's usual character - his friend was less cheery and more caught up in his own world, confined inside his own little bubble. Jay, as Lloyd's best friend, felt obligated to do whatever it took to cheer him up. But the reality of it was that Jay never knew why Lloyd was feeling this way and he had no suspicions either. And the truth was, Jay would feel it was his fault whenever Lloyd or anyone close to him wasn't acting like themselves.

As he neared the library, his eyes spotted a mess of blond hair and his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Hey! Llooooooyd!" The brunette neared and slowed to a jog. "What's crackalackin?"

The small blond haired boy puffed his cheeks out as he tried to hold back from laughing. A smile flickered across his face and Jay grinned. "Jay, who says that anymore?"

"Well, psh, I just did." His hands dove for his pockets and he felt around for some cash. At last, Jay pulled out his right hand and held it out for Lloyd to see. "I got ten bucks! Wanna get some ice cream?"

Lloyd knitted his brows in thought precisely and searched for the ice cream shop from where they were. "Hmm… I don't really know. My Dad doesn't want me spending so much on sweets. But I love sweet stuff! Oof-" The green eyed boy glanced up at his friend's freckled face.

Although Lloyd was older than Jay by just a couple of months, the brunette was significantly taller than him by an inch, which made Lloyd a bit annoyed at the time but he soon grew into the habit of asking Jay to do many of the things he didn't feel like doing, just to tease the kid.

"It's my money. Not yours." Jay pulled apart from Lloyd and tugged his wrist forward. "Come on! Let's go get some ice cream!"

As the two boys made their way to the ice cream shop, Jay whipped his wrist out of his pocket and stared at the time scribbled on the watch. "What time do you have to be home by?" He asked Lloyd. His friend shrugged in response, looking a little in the dumps. Jay nudged his arm with a half smile. "You good?"

His half smile fell when his friend didn't say a word and only slumped more. "C'mon, Lloyd. We're buddies, you can tell -"

"Can I hang around your house a while after ice cream?"

Jay blinked stubbornly and cocked his head at Lloyd looking struck with shock. "Eh, yeah…? I mean, you always do."

"Yeah…" Lloyd murmured, letting his head tip forward. "I just don't really want to go home today…"