Ninja Training, Inc. [Ninjago Jaya AU]

Chapter Seven

TW for uncensored use of h*ll. This is probably a good time to warn you that this book will probably include more swearing, in moderation.

Skylor:

I'm really, really worried about Nya.

I haven't told anyone about our conversation in the bathroom, the only heart-to-heart we've had in over a month. Who would I tell? Who, besides Kai, can I talk to about this? I almost tell him, but I don't want to worry him. And I don't want him to murder Jay, or anyone else, at least before I know more about what's going on.

If only I could talk to her, but she's suddenly cut herself off from me. It might not seem like it; she still goes to dinner with Kai and me every now and then, or meets up with us on the weekends. But she always leaves early, saying she has a lot of work to do, or she's tired from a long day at the office, or whatever. Even on Thanksgiving! She barely answers my calls or texts, and never lets herself be alone with me. It's as if she's avoiding me.

And maybe she is. But why? I can't figure it out on my own. And getting information out of my best friend can be as difficult as interrogating a rock. A very stubborn rock. And there's only one option left...

I put on my woolen wrap coat and newsboy cap, adding a knitted scarf and leather boots, and take the elevator down to the ground floor. It's the first week of December, and it's starting to snow. This has to work. I need my best friend back by Christmas.

Soon I'm stepping off the bus, and there's the building, towering above me. I pull down my hat to hide as much of my braided red hair as I can, and tie my scarf over my mouth to disguise myself even more. They should be on lunch hour in the cafeteria, so I need to avoid attracting Nya's attention if this is going to work.

I take the elevator up to the cafeteria, and stand by the door, my eyes searching the room for a certain familiar face. I don't see Nya, but Jay is sitting alone in the corner. I walk briskly towards him, doing my best to ignore the inquisitive looks everyone gives me as I pass. When I reach Jay's table, I sit right down in front of him. He looks up, clearly confused.

He opens his mouth to say something, but all he can come up with is "Um..."

"It's me. Skylor." I say to help him out. "Nya's friend."

"Oh!" He flushes. "Why are you in disguise?"

"I'm not!" I pull down my scarf and take off my hat to reveal my crown of scarlet braids. "Well... I guess I am. I'm here to talk to you, and I didn't want Nya to find out."

"Why not? Don't best friends tell each other everything?"

"She's not been acting herself recently. She's stubborn and wants me to leave her alone, but I'm getting really worried. I thought you might know something." I pause for breath and notice he's gone pale. "By the way, why isn't she here? I thought the whole company ate together."

"Well, most people do. But... I think she's avoiding me."

"She's avoiding me too. So tell me, do you have anything to do with that?" I raise my voice unintentionally. "What the hell did you do?"

Jay:

Skylor can be scary, what with her halo of flaming red hair, crimson lipstick, flushed face, and fiery hazel eyes. But I know I deserve every bit of her anger. And the guilt is a million times worse than being yelled at.

"Look, I didn't know I would offend her that bad!" I try. "Anyways, what can I do now? What's done is done." I wish I'd been brave enough to do differently, but I can't change the past.

"You know perfectly well what you can do! You can go up there right now and apologize. Heck, I don't care what you do, but you should know better than to just ruin other people's lives!" She counters, unfortunately quite validly.

It's hard to argue with her when I know she's right, but I have to stand my ground. That'll be easier than following her orders and confronting Nya.

"I didn't ruin her life." I'm trying to convince myself as much as Skylor. "And you know I can't do that. I just can't."

"Well, if you're such a coward, Nya doesn't need you in her life anyways." She says, which just makes the guilt worse. "But there is one thing you can do. There's..." She lowers her voice confidentially. "There's this guy she likes. The heir to this company, I think, the son of your boss or something."

"Lloyd?" I'm honestly baffled. "Really?"

She shrugs. "I don't know much about him. She didn't even know his name."

"Wow." I try to figure out how I feel about this. "How can she have a crush on him if she doesn't even know him?" I know that's a stupid question the moment it leaves my mouth. I fell for Nya before I even met her, didn't I?

"That doesn't matter. Do you know where I can find him? Maybe he'll help me."

"No, you can't do that! He's already got a girlfriend," I explain, making sure not to give her the idea that I don't want Nya dating someone else. "Besides, what would you do, set them up?"

"Yes. I'm her best friend, that's my job." She says matter-of-factly.

"Well, sorry, you can't. I've got to get back to work now, but good luck with Nya, and happy holidays. Goodbye." I stand up curtly and shake her hand.

She sighs and shakes her head. "Whatever. If you change your mind, here's my number." She pulls a pen from her bag and writes it on my hand. Then she puts her hat back on and strides back across the cafeteria without so much as a goodbye, leaving me to stare at the uneven numbers scrawled across my palm.