I'm so sorry this is late at night. I would've posted this in the morning, but I had to go do family things away from home and I hadn't had enough time any other day. But anyway, honoring this day, April 12, I present this story as a present to Egyptgirl2431. Happy Birthday!
Lloyd walked down the sidewalk, a look of determination on his face. The ninja had sent him on a very important mission a few minutes ago. They said it was top secret and it was imperative that he succeed and not fail it. As Lloyd walked, he took in his surroundings. It was a beautiful sunny day, people and other children were out of their houses walking back and forth. Some people looked at Lloyd and gave him a soft smile or greeted him with a 'Hello'. He smiled and greeted them back but kept his poker face as he did.
Lloyd grinned and put his hands on his hips when he reached his destination. The ninja will be very proud of him when he comes home with his prizes. He walked into the grocery store with a small list in hand. He scanned the aisles for the secret loot he was told to retrieve. He finally found his prized possessions and took the gallon of milk, block of cheese, a loaf of bread, tea, and a few sticks of butter to the check-out.
Lloyd's green eyes then fell to a row of colorful candy. He smiled and took a chocolate bar and a few pieces of gum off the row and put all of his things on the counter. When the clerk looked down and saw that a little boy of 11 or 12 was at her counter, she smiled and said, "Hello there. What is a little boy doing here without his parents?" Lloyd stood on his tip-toes to see above the high table. He was always teased for being short for his age. "I'm on a top secret mission, lady. My friends said it was important not to fail it." The lady laughed as she scanned the items on the scanner and bagged them in a large paper bag. "Well, good luck coming back from your mission." Lloyd put the money on the table. He tried to reach for the paper bag, but to no avail. The clerk pushed the bag to the edge of the table so he could grab it. "Thanks," he said and walked out the store with his booty. The clerk giggled and shook her head as she watched after the green boy. "Kids these days."
Lloyd walked along the sidewalk looking triumphant with his progress. The ninja will surely be happy with him when he comes back. He heard a noise and Lloyd stop in his tracks. He looked around, and then continued walking again. The noise was heard again and he stopped again. The noises sounded like a 'quack'. He looked behind him. And there, at his feet, was a white duck. It had been following a track of small bread crumbs. Lloyd tilted his head to the side. The duck followed his suit. It then quacked at him and pecked around on the ground for more crumbs. Lloyd wondered if the bag had a hole in it and some bread crumbs fell out. That must have lured the white bird to him. He thought of the irony. It was quite funny to him. To have a duck follow you all the way home like you were its mother.
Just then a girl came around the corner with a leash. She spotted the green clad boy looking down at the duck. She ran towards him. "Donald! I'm so sorry about him. He always manages to slip out of his collar." The girl bent over and picked the white bird, by the name of Donald, up. Lloyd stared at her while she did. As she leaned back up, she seemed to tower over him by an inch. She was a bit tall, but diffidently attractive. Her chocolate hair fell over her shoulders and danced with the wind as it blew. The way the green specks in her hazel eyes sparkled made Lloyd want to sigh. The girl stared back at him with a perplexed look. "Is this a staring contest? My record is two minutes and thirty-five seconds." Lloyd blinked then shook his head a little. The girl giggled. "I'm Angie. I moved to Ninjago City just a few days ago." Angie held out a hand. Lloyd gladly shook it with his free hand. "I'm Lloyd. So, that's your…pet?" Donald looked at him and quacked. "Yeah, I know it's a little odd, but ducks make great pets. I have another back home. He's a black duck with a white ring around his neck. His name is Daffy." Lloyd can see Angie named her ducks after characters from two famous kids' shows. "So, where are you off to?" "I'm on a mission." "Oh, really? What kind of mission?" "It's top secret." Angie giggled. "Well, it seems that your 'mission' took place at the grocery store." She gestured to the bag Lloyd was holding. He blushed. "Well, my friends sent me on this mission and said it was important not to fail it." Angie laughed at him. Lloyd decided to change the subject. "Where did you get the ducks?" "My mom got me Donald for my 11th birthday last year. Then, I got Daffy as an early birthday present, yesterday." Lloyd tilted his head. "Early?" "Yeah, my birthday is tomorrow…I just wish I could have a party." "Well, why don't you?" "My parents think they're 'too expensive'. I'm surprised that they can afford ducks." Lloyd felt sorry for the girl. He really wanted to make her happy. "So, you never had a birthday party?" Angie shook her head. "Never, nor have I been to one. I have no friends." Lloyd is starting to feel a deep passion for this girl. Not only did he want to help her, he wanted to make her feel special. "Angie, I'd like you to come over to my home, tomorrow." Angie looked at Lloyd with surprised eyes. "Why?" "I just wanna get to know you better, that's all." "Oh, ok. But where do you live." A smirk curved upon the edges of Lloyd's lips. "In a flying ship along Ninjago's coastal line. You can't miss it." The girl raised a brow. "Ok…" The sun started to set Angie sighed. "I need to go home. It's getting late. It was nice to meet you, Lloyd." Angie put the collar back on the duck. "You too." Lloyd said. The two of them parted ways and went to their homes.
"That was a long mission, wasn't it Lloyd?" Kai said as Lloyd entered the Destiny's Bounty. "Yeah, I ran into trouble along the way. Listen Kai, now that I've completed this mission, I need you guys to complete a mission for me." He said as he put the paper bag on the counter and took out his candy. Kai sat in a chair beside Lloyd. "Ok, lay it on me." "I need you guys to help me set up a birthday party for a girl I just met." "…No way man. Why would we do that?" "Kai, please! She said she never had a party and never been to one! I want to make her happy. She just moved here and said she didn't have any friends…but I want to be her friend." The two heard loud footsteps running towards the kitchen. And through the sliding door came Nya. As she ran in, she almost tripped on nothing and fell flat on her face. "Is that love I smell?!" She said with a crazy expression on her face. "Um...no…and how can you smell love?" Lloyd asked eyes wide at the surprise. "It's a gift and I really think a party for this girl is a great idea!" "Wait, were you eavesdropping again, Nya?" Kai asked with annoyance. "I can't help myself. But, can we please Kai! I want to meet Lloyd's new girlfriend!" "She's not my girlfriend! And yeah, Kai! Please?" Both of them got on their knees and put their hands together. "Please?!" The both said. Kai rolled his eyes. "Fine…but I'm not cleaning it all up after words!"
With that said, the three informed the others for the party. Of course they looked annoyed, but were convinced by hearing there was cake, tea, dancing, games, and everything else they liked. So, they all pitched in on the making of the surprise birthday party.
And then, the time came. Today was Angie's birthday and she was walking to the coast line of Ninjago City. Once she saw the mysterious dragon ship, she almost fell over. "So, he wasn't kidding…" Angie slowly boarded the ship and knocked on the door only for it to creek open eerily. Curious, she opened the door all the way and stepped inside. "Hello, Lloyd?" She said before the lights suddenly turned on and confetti was blown everywhere. "SURPRISE!" The ninja, Nya, and Lloyd jumped out of their hiding places and startled Angie. "GOOD GOD!" She held her chest. "What the…" Lloyd walked over to Angie. "Happy birthday, Angie." She looked at him with wide eyes and at everyone else. They smiled back at her, especially Nya. She made sure her smile was extra big. Angie looked back at Lloyd with tears in her eyes. "Lloyd, you really didn't have to…" He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "But I did, Angie. You said you never had a birthday party. I felt so sorry for you and I wanted to make you feel loved. I've gotten all of my friends to put this together and make it as special as possible. Angie you deserve this." Angie looked around again and spoke quietly. "Thank you for all of this, Lloyd." "Hey, it's what friends do." The tears had finally fallen and she looked back at Lloyd again with a look of shock on her face. "We're…friends?" Lloyd's smile grew bigger and nodded. Angie threw her arms around Lloyd in a hug. He had a surprised look on his face but he hugged her back. Nya tried her best not to cry, but failed as a river of tears flowed out. Jay took the opportunity to sooth her by taking her in his arms and rubbing gentle circles on her back. Angie pulled from the hug and kissed Lloyd on the lips. Lloyd stood there in shock, a blush creeping upon his cheeks.
"Thank you…friend."
The End