Ninja Training, Inc. [Ninjago Jaya AU]

Chapter Eight

Jay:

Just call her. She can't kill you if you only talk on the phone. Be brave. Love over reputation. You know you'll never forget this...

That voice in my head is getting more and more annoying. It's as if Skylor is still following me around, still yelling at me about ruining lives. And as much as I want to believe that I haven't, I know that if I don't listen to my intuition, my own heart will be forever broken, along with Nya's.

But who knows if her heart even is broken? Skylor seems to think so, but what does she know? How much does she know of what happened?

Part of me wants to find out, and to see if I can help, but I'm too scared. Too scared. I seriously can't keep using that excuse. I have to do it.

Finally, after days and days of going around and around and around in my head, and hardly getting any work done, I know I can't go on like this. So I pick up my phone and dial her number. It has long since been washed off my hand, but I memorized it days ago from constant staring at the messy numbers.

She picks up after a few rings. "Hello, how may I help you?"

Of course she doesn't recognize my number. I struggle to find words. "Um, this is Jay Walker, you gave me your number, remember?"

"Oh!" She exclaims. Then, lowering her voice, "Hold on a second, I need to get outside so I can properly yell at you if need arises. Also so I can hear you better."

Silence for a moment, except for something rustling and some words I can't quite pick up on. Then she lets out a breath. "Okay, what is it? Are you going to help me?"

"I still don't get what I could do. And no, I'm not encroaching on her privacy to apologize."

"Well, Christmas is coming up. Maybe you just need to find a way to win her back. Should be easy to do at this time of year."

"Win her back? Skylor, we weren't even together!"

"Hush. All you have to do is give her something, and apologize. It won't be easy; she's very stubborn. But I think you can do it, with my help of course."

"What would I give her? I've never given a Christmas present to a girl before!"

She sighs. "You're hopeless. But it shouldn't be hard. You're well-off, aren't you?"

"What?" I'm surprised. "What gave you that idea? And don't say-"

"Nya."

"Clearly she's got some misconceptions about me. Maybe that's why she asked me out. She doesn't really care about me at all. Bye!"

"Don't you dare!" Skylor exclaims, in a tone of voice which makes me very glad she's outside. "I have your phone number now, I'll just call you until you pick up!"

"I can put my phone on silent," I counter. Luckily I already thought up this retort before calling.

"Well, I know where you work."

Somehow I didn't think of that. I pause, trying to think of what to say to that remark. Somehow, I find myself asking, "Do you know why Nya thinks I'm rich?"

"Well, I guess it's pretty obvious. You have nice stuff, you work a good job at a well-paying corporation in the city, etcetera."

"But I'm not! Listen, Skylor, maybe if I tell you this, you'll understand why all of this isn't so easy for me.

"My parents have a junkyard in the Sea of Sand. I was homeschooled as a kid, until high school, when I got into a good school near Ninjago City. I was so happy to finally make some friends my age. But as soon as they found out that I was just a poor kid who grew up in a scrapyard, they pretended as if they never knew me.

"I worked very hard though, and I managed to get a partial scholarship at a university. Even in college, though, I had to study hard and get good grades to keep my scholarship, and I didn't know about a lot of the things the other students talked about, so I only had a few friends. And even worse, my past still hindered my social life. One of the bullies from high school had also enrolled in the same university, and he spread rumors about me. Soon I found myself with no friends again, and the girl I was dating broke up with me.

"Again, I used my friendlessness to my advantage, studying hard to get top grades and graduate faster. Then I got a job with Ninja Training, and moved to Ninjago City, leaving my old life behind.

"Now can you see why it's not so easy for me to trust people? Especially people who lie to me, and use me, and date me without even telling me?"

Skylor is silent for a few moments, unusual for her (at least what I've seen of her), but I did just dump a lot on the girl's head. I'm starting to regret telling her my whole life's story, when she clears her throat.

"Wow. I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No, don't be. I- I need to learn to open up again. I guess a poor guy among a bunch of stuck up, rich kids was bound to become the receiving end of bullying"

"Still, that must have been tough. Listen, I didn't exactly have a... conventional childhood, either. I know what it's like to be shunned for something that's out of your control. My dad's a criminal. I'll tell you my life story someday, but right now... Can you please try to understand? Nya's my best friend, and pretty much my only friend. I need her to talk to me again."

I'm shocked, and humbled, and suddenly I understand why she's so desperate for my help. "Okay. What can I do?"

Unfortunately, that brings back the tough girl Skylor I've come to know since she came to visit almost a week ago. "Why the frick do you keep asking that?" She exclaims. "Haven't I told you a million times? Just apologize!"

"I can't, and you know why now. If you want me to help you, you're gonna have to help me do it."

She sighs. "Fine. Give me your office number, I'll swing by tomorrow."

A/N: First off, I'm so, so, sorry for not posting in almost a month! I just went back to school, and it's been a big adjustment, and I haven't had much time for writing.  I really hope I can post more frequently in the future, but at the moment please try to be patient with me.

Now that you know Jay and Skylor's backstories, I hope you understand why they might act a bit uncharacteristically in the story. They've both had a rough spot in their lives, and they're more alike than they think...