𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗑𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 .

"wait, please don’t pick at the —” he elicits a sharp exhale as he moves from one patient to another. “no — i’m not allowed to give you any more pain killers so if you could just —” he’s slowly losing his train of thought with all of the noise. patient complaint here, patient vomiting over there and practically everybody else panicking and screeching through the other side of the emergency room doors. “could you maybe — could hold on a minute?” he gives his current patient a look of reassurance before turning and striding toward the emergency room doors. he takes a deep breath before removing one of the bands of his mask from one ear and practically bursts through the double doors. “will you all PLEASE calm the FUCK down,” his voice booms. it’s loud enough that it almost echoes, despite the amount of people in the waiting area. “i know you’re worried about your friends or your family, but it’s really, really hard for us to try and help them when you’re all SCREAMING at the top of your FUCKING lungs — thank you.”

the truth about lloyd and eliza was that they were actually really good friends and they probably would have never acknowledged each other if it weren’t for maverick. though ever since their breakup, lloyd often found himself siding with the latter. the bitterness was secondhand — he knew maverick would never cheat on his girlfriend, so when eliza accused him of such, he recoiled along with him. what was the use of explaining to someone who wouldn’t listen? now, having been forced to work alongside each other after the storm, avoiding the girl became more and more difficult. so what, with a wake of all things to bring everyone together, maybe it wouldn’t be so uncalled for for them pacify whatever antipathy and be a friend to one another. “eliza,” he says this in a neutral tone. maybe this was a bad idea. “hi —” is all he can muster, until “how are you holding up?” ( @elizawatson​ )

in mourning the death and celebrating the life of a peer, a wake seemed necessary. the whole idea of a dinner in itself? fairly disposable and, in lloyd’s opinion, a waste of food and supplies. the cafeteria was rather quiet, save for a few whispers and short titters of those who might’ve known benjamin. and while the others kept their heads down or aimlessly picked at their food, he loiters near the refreshments table, scanning the area for someone to talk to. it isn’t until he spots a familiar face that he takes two cups of coffee and makes a beeline to where they were sitting. he hesitates for a second before decidedly taking a seat in the empty chair in front of them. “hey,” he greets, placing a cup of coffee in front of her. he takes a sip of his own, ultimately thinking of what to say. don’t ask how she’s doing. he let’s out a short sigh. maybe it’d be best if he simply said nothing at all. at the very least, he’d hoped, his presence would be enough. ( @ofsylvias )

AH — qu 🤧

lloyd’s face twists up in incredulity. “what — dude, no.” this was a back and forth thing between the two. dylan would go on and on about wanting his space, but lloyd knew he just looking for a way out of dealing with anyone or anything. even when dylan dropped his family and the majority of his friends, lloyd stuck by him. whether it was checking up on him via text or dropping by his house to bring food over — he’d make sure the boy knew there was at least one person looking out for him without expecting anything in return. especially with the given situation, it’d surely be a lot harder for him to disassociate himself from his friend.

[ 10:13 PM ] : hey minnie mouse[ 10:13 PM ] : sorry if i’m interrupting your beauty sleep or whatever[ 10:15 PM ] : but i’ve been thinking about life. thinking about home[ 10:17 PM ] : and i know that we barely acknowledged each other in high school, but i just want you to know that i’m really grateful you’re in my life now

“daniela —” his voice is harsh, but tired. there’s a bit of a rasp to it. you can tell he’s at a party through his end of the phone line; blaring music, the clinking of beer bottles and laughter. “daniela, wherethefuck are yooou?” the question comes off as more of a whine and it’s as if you can see his sad eyes through the phone. “it’s not fun without you,” he presses. “amor de mi vida,” the distant words come out of the boy’s mouth as if the last time he took a spanish class wasn’t five years ago. “come heeere. ven dámelo ma—” beep.

doesn’t anything bother you? it takes a moment for lloyd to process the words being spoken to him. aren’t you afraid? the questions are like a constant ringing in his ears. he gives sophie an odd look, almost perplexed. did he seem unbothered? sure, he always played arbitrator — not clinging to one opinion or side over another — but it didn’t mean he wasn’t as apprehensive as the rest of them. he analyzes her face, hoping to see some sort of indication as to what kind of answer she was looking for, but there’s nothing. a small silence settles between them, before he clears his throat. “no,” he answers finally, confidently.

[ 7:27 PM ] : hey bub[ 7:27 PM ] : heard you had a bad day today[ 7:29 PM ] : i’m omw over and i brought taco bell even though it gives you the poops[ 7:29 PM ] : i brought gatorade and pedialyte — wasn't sure which one to get so i got both

a quirk of an eyebrow, slight facial grimace. he wouldn’t admit he thought badly of anyone, but oftentimes, it was hard to ignore the fact that her voice was like nails on chalkboard. he hesitates, the minuscule angel on his shoulder reminding him that if he didn’t have anything nice to say, not to say it at all. “jesus christ,” he groans. “what the fuck’s your problem?” he internally scolds himself. don’t come off aggressive. he inhales deeply through his nose and exhales, regaining composure. you’re better than that. “look, ariana —” he says this, keeping his tone neutral. “whatever you’re doing, whatever it is you feel like you need to say — save it. with everything that’s been happening, i think it’d be best if you just kept quiet for once.”

"i —” lloyd shifts uncomfortably in the spot he’d been standing at. he withdraws an arm — which had been arched upward in a weird angle — phone in hand. “well, n — no... i mean, i was just looking for signal.” his mouth opens and closes like a fish on dry land as he musters up the right words to say. he thinks maybe he shouldn’t say anything at all, but that’s not lloyd. “er... selene, right?” he’s seen her around campus here and there, but this might be the first time he’s actually spoken to her. it’s obvious she doesn’t want to be bothered, but he can’t help himself. “is everything alright?” he questions. his voice is soft, not necessarily trying to evoke any emotional reaction, but he was genuinely concerned.