More is better.

     Her entire life, Tinsley had been used to being the center of attention. From being raised by two doting parents as an only child, to finding a group of friends to surround herself with who all looked to her as their de facto leader, the world had always been in her palm. It wasn’t until everything that happened over the summer that she had begun to realize she wasn’t the main character of the universe.

     Even now, though she had been putting in the hard work toward self-improvement and growth—and accepting that everything wasn’t about her—it was hard to resist the sheer force of energy she gained from being the life of the occasional party. She was already high on the atmosphere by the time she was found by one of her best guys, and Lloyd’s appearance immediately made her grin.

     “Hey, you,” she replied as he made his way through the throngs of people to her side. “Absolutely,” she answered to his question of drinks, hooking her arm through his so she could lead their way to the refreshments, the crowds easily parting for her. “Have you been here the whole time? I didn’t even know you came!”

.

Lloyd have always adored Tinsley’s attention. It was difficult for him to care about anyone else other than her. Nonetheless, he never had the chance to confess, or had opportunity to court her. Everyone else was grabbing for her attention. Sure, Randy was great. But they were terrible together and Lloyd knew it. After all that fiasco, another boring white dude came to the scene. He felt like the more he tries, the more she slips away. 

If he wanted to have his way, he could have. However, he didn’t want to make a scene and lose her in a tug of war. This time, as much as it aches him, she was happy. He wasn’t gonna ruin that for her. He kept his desire at bay. Wanting was enough, for him, it was enough. 

Lloyd smiled as she approached him. This was all there is to it, hoping. “I kinda was.” He answered, indulging in this momentary time with her. “Are you having a fun time? The crowd can get a bit tiring.” He said, as he asked for her usual drink and gave it to her. “Where’s your brand new boyfriend, anyway?” 

Lloyd saw her again, sitting alone in the park with a book in her hand. It wasn’t like he intentionally knew she’d be there, but he liked the summer breeze and the silence being in the park provides. 

He looked over her, casually glancing in her direction as he pretended to play with his switch. There she was, Gabriella Montez. It was easy to know her name in this day and age. And she was beautiful and bright, he assumed that a lot of men follow her already. 

While he was busy pretending not to look, he didn’t notice his thin notebook being swayed by the wind. It was his personal notepad on how to be a better gamer. He looked over his chair and saw that the wind blew it in her direction. Fuck, he thought as he tried to chase after. However, it was as if fate had a way of making fun of him because it landed on her feet. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.” He said, slightly embarrassed and definitely awkward. “Uh, that’s mine.” He pointed at the notebook in her hand. 

Lloyd always came to parties despite being an introvert. He knew that part of being the in-crowd meant that he had to socialize and create connections with strangers around him. Nonetheless, another reason he attends parties was to see Tinsley.

He wanted to talk to her, make her laugh. Her beauty stood out to him as she was strong and fierce, quite the fiery type he liked. It was a shame though that even when Randy was out of the picture, Dewey came along. It was as if he never had the chance, the opportunity to be with her. There always had to be someone else, other that him. The thought ached him. 

Making his way around the crowded people, a couple of girls went to him and distracted him. Lloyd was not interested. He didn’t have time to chat with girls nor flirt with them, he had his eyes looking for Tinsley instead. 

After what had to be minutes of looking, he saw her. Shining brightly among the crowd of party goers. “Tinsley!” He shouted, getting her attention. “I had been looking for you. Hi.” He smiled at her direction. He was delighted just to be around her. “Want to grab a drink?”

Lloyd had his laptop setup in an Al Fresco cafe nearby. He placed his printed photos by his side as he edited on his laptop. If he wasn’t streaming, or playing games (or stealing something), Lloyd had a hobby of taking photos. He never really shared that passion with anyone, even Tinsley. Nonetheless, he loved taking photos of her. For him, she was the perfect muse. 

While he was busy working on his laptop, the printed photos of random nature were caught by the wind. Lloyd got up to catch them. He left his desk and laptop open as he picked up all the photos in the ground. As he went back, he saw a man looking over his laptop. “What do you want?” Lloyd called him out, a slight annoyance seen on his face.