Possibly the strangest fic I've written in a while, but Adamo once referred to Lola as this generation's Spinner and after that I kept considering the idea of a friendship between the two.
Lola brushed her hair out of her face as she wandered down the street.
She hadn't had a nightmare about her mum in years, yet here she was with tears in her eyes and a desperate need to stop the thoughts in her head. Of course, it was two in the morning, so there wasn't exactly anything open.
Then she saw a light on in The Dot.
Before she even realised she was doing it she found herself at the door, fist knocking against the glass lightly. It was a few moments before someone answered, a tall guy with short hair and an earring, "We're shut, kid."
"Then why's the light on?" she countered, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest. There was a moment where he simply looked dumbfounded before sighing and stepping aside.
She gave a bright smile and stepped into the cafe, blinking a little at the stark emptiness of it and glancing around, "I'm only letting you in because I don't like the idea of a tiny girl like you wandering the streets so late at night," he clarified, shutting the door behind her.
"I can handle myself," she argued, sitting on one of the tabletops and swinging her legs. She wriggled out of her coat and noticed him raise an eyebrow at her pyjamas, though he didn't vocalise his thoughts, "What are you doing in The Dot at two in the morning anyway? The owner know you're here?"
"I am the owner, as of about three months ago," he smiled, the corner of his lip quirking up as he moved behind the counter, "I live upstairs. You want anything?"
"Chocolate milkshake please," she requested with a small smile, and he nodded as he switched the milkshake maker on. For a few moments they sat in silence, the only sound that filled the stagnant cafe being the whirring of the machine.
He placed a cup down in front of her and sat beside her, "What on earth possessed you to wander the streets of Toronto in your pyjamas in the dead of night?"
"Had a dream about my mum," she answered rather bluntly, slurping happily on her straw, "she left when I was a kid. Even when she was around she wasn't very nice," her tone was lofty, blue curls brushing her face as she turned her head to look at him, "Oh, I'm Lola by the way."
"Spinner Mason," he greeted in turn, "It's late, kid, don't you have school in the morning?"
She gave a small smile around the straw in her mouth, "My school's like twenty minutes away. Worst case scenario I head straight to school from here, steal some clothes from a friend, and sleep through all my classes."
He raised an eyebrow, "You go to Degrassi, then?"
She gave a small nod and put her empty cup down, wincing a little at the brain freeze it had caused, "Yup."
"Ha, I went there too. Small world I guess," he said as he stood to rinse the cup out, and Lola grinned cheekily, standing to lean against the bench.
"When was that, a gajillion years ago?" she teased. Spinner simply shot the girl a look.
"Hey, you're not allowed to mock me or I'll make you actually pay for the shake," he threatened unconvincingly, shaking his finger at her and turning to look at her, "It's late."
"You already said that," she pouted, propping her chin up on her elbows.
Spinner just smiled and moved around her to pick up her coat and pass it to her, "I'll walk ya home, kid."
"Stop calling me that," she protested as she shoved the jacket on. He seemed to realise she was genuinely put out by it, as he didn't try to argue.
Lola hovered by the door while he pulled his own jacket on, hands shoved deep in her pockets. Once he was ready he pushed the door open and she hooked her arm with his, simply beaming widely when he raised an eyebrow at her. She was starting to think that was his natural expression.
She hummed to herself as they walked down the streets, occasionally tugging on his arm to redirect him in the direction of her house. It wasn't a long walk, and Lola turned to look up at him when they arrived at the apartment complex.
There was a moment where they simply looked at each other before Lola stood on her toes, leaning towards him.
And was quickly pushed back down, the heels of her bare feet slamming against the ground, "What are you doing?"
"Think that's self-explanatory enough," she deadpanned, not seeming too unnerved by the cold rejection as she inspected her blue-painted nails.
"How old are you?" he sighed, beginning towards the door of the building and causing Lola to half-jog to keep up with his longer strides.
"I'm old for my age." She was pretty sure he wasn't going to accept that as an answer, but it was worth a shot. She was also pretty sure she'd stolen her answer from a movie anyway.
"Lola.." he warned, looking over his shoulder at her, and her own shoulders slumped.
"17."
"I'm nearly 30." He didn't sound like he was telling her off, which she was thankful for. She leaned against the front door and looked up at him.
"Sorry," she murmured, tugging a hand through her hair, "Thanks for walking me home. And for the milkshake."
Spinner gave her a small smile, "Any time," he answered and turned away, beginning back down the drive.
"You mean it?" she called after him, and he paused, turning to look at her, "Say, if I were to swing by around midnight some other time? Would you be there?"
He smiled and laughed, "Yeah, probably, but I might have to make you pay next time," he answered lightly, and then he was gone, disappeared back onto the dark streets of Toronto.
She smiled widely and went back inside. Maybe this was the start of a beautiful friendship.