The Love Robot (A Ninjago Jaya AU)

Chapter 1. Clubs are dumb!?

"Come on, just join the club!" Cole groaned.

"Ew, no. That place is full of sweaty nerds that never wear deodorant," Jay muttered under his breath.

Before Cole could retort, Professor Wu's sharp voice cut through the room. "It seems Jay and Cole have something to share with us."

Both boys froze as Wu fixed them with a menacing glare, his teacup in mid-sip. The air in the room felt heavier.

"See me after class," he added, setting the cup back on his desk with care before resuming his lecture.

When the bell finally rang, signaling freedom for the rest of the students, Jay and Cole reluctantly approached Wu's desk.

"Cole, you're excused," Wu said, barely sparing him a glance.

Cole exhaled in relief and left the room.

Wu turned his full attention to Jay, who was already regretting his earlier comment. "You have so much potential in this class, yet you're not involved in any clubs," Wu began, his voice both disappointed and commanding.

"I just don't think clubs are my thing—" Jay started, his eyes flicking to the clock. Lunch was ticking away, second by second.

"Join the robotics club," Wu interrupted, his tone allowing no argument. "It's something that aligns with your er, talents."

Jay opened his mouth to protest but closed it again when Wu raised an eyebrow. Moments later, he was dismissed.

In the hallway, Jay muttered to himself, his irritation bubbling over. "Join the robotics club? That cuts into my lunch! Damn these dumb clu—"

He was yanked out of his thoughts as someone bumped into him hard enough to make him stumble. A girl, carrying an armful of tools, barely glanced his way.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her voice distracted as she hurried down the hall.

Jay caught a glimpse of her, black hair tied back messily, brown eyes. She was pretty.

"There you are!" Cole's voice broke his thoughts. Jay turned to see his friend jogging up, completely unaware of what had just transpired.

"Let's head to the cafeteria,"

Jay agreed, and followed behind.

Jay and Cole made their way to the cafeteria, but Jay couldn't stop thinking about the girl he had bumped into. Her voice, her eyes— all were seared into his memory. He found himself scanning the cafeteria, searching for her face.

"Earth to Jay?" Cole nudged him, his eyebrows raised. "You're weirdly spaced out."

"Huh?" Jay blinked, realizing he had been staring. "No, it's nothing." He quickly tried to refocus on his lunch, but his mind kept drifting back to the mystery girl."

"Anyways, I signed you up for the robotics club"

"WHAT?!" Jay's voice echoed through the cafeteria. The room went silent. All eyes laid on him.

He cleared his voice "Sorry, anyways,"

"What were you thinking?!" Jay hissed furiously, leaning in towards Cole. "Now I have to go to some stupid club and waste my afternoons when I could be doing literally anything else!"

Cole rolled his eyes and took a bite of his burger. "I know you hate clubs, but maybe this one won't be so bad," he said between chews. "Maybe you'll even make some friends."

"Yeah, because hanging out with a bunch of nerdy tech geeks is exactly my idea of a good time,"