Empty Seats (NINJAGO)

Chapter Two

"You just joined, huh?" The Wednesday meeting before auditions started out slow until Skylor plopped down in the seat next to Kai after Garmadon took roll. She was eating out of a can of Pringles, offering its contents to him.

Kai grabbed a stack and nodded. "Yeah. To be honest, I'm pretty confused." He crammed the chips in his mouth, forgetting how hungry he was.

"That's okay. Most of us are." She flipped her red hair onto her shoulder and leaned in towards him. "Who are you thinking of auditioning for? Or are you gonna be a techie?"

She had moved so close to him that Kai nearly choked on the chips. "Uh, I don't even know yet." Skylor handed him a copy of the cast list, encouraging him to read it over. "Jay mentioned I should be Kenickie..." He wasn't sure if he should announce he was thinking of auditioning for Danny. Kai got the feeling that was sort of an unspoken rule.

Skylor nodded. "Kenickie's good. He gets to sing Greased Lightning in the play version, not Danny, like in the movie."

Greased Lightning. Kai remembered that one from Nya's constant rewatching of the film. "Sounds exciting. You?"

Skylor moved in a bit closer to whisper, her sweet scent surrounding Kai. He blushed as she cupped a hand over his ear. "I wanted to go out for Sandy."

"Oh- Wanted?" Kai asked, raising a brow.

"Well, yeah, but it sounds like Harumi's got it in the bag." Skylor shrugged. "Plus, I think your sister wants to try out for it."

"Really?" Kai had both brows raised in shock now.

"Yeah. She's trying to downplay it, but we all know she's always wanted to be Sandy." Skylor grinned. "She's got my full support, so that's why I'm going for Rizzo."

"You should stick with that." Kai said quickly, understanding why Jay suggested trying out for Kenickie. "I think we'd have good chemistry as a pairing. F-For the play, you know?"

Skylor smirked. "Oh yeah? What makes you think that?"

"Well, I mean, look at us now. We instantly clicked, and I don't even know you."

Skylor raised her hands in the air. "Ah, you've convinced me." She pushed him lightly and laughed. "I'll think about it, hot stuff. For now, you should probably go over your lines."

Kai grinned and glanced at the sheet music for Greased Lightning. Simple enough. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.
-
Saturday morning approached and Nya was frantically dashing about their shared room.

"Kai, help me out here!" She ordered, tossing clothes about. "I have to find something to wear!"

"Does it really matter?" Kai sighed, shrugging on a hoodie. He was just planning on going in with sweats.

"Of course it does! The clothes make the part!" Nya decided on a simple blouse and pants, rushing to change in the bathroom. "We have to get there early if we want to get top priority!"

"Alright, alright." Kai yawned and tugged on his shoes, walking out the door. "Just waiting on you, now."

As they walked to school, Kai brushed against Nya's hand lightly. "Hey."

"What?" Nya mumbled, shuffling through her lines. She had calmed down, but Kai could tell she was still incredibly nervous.

"Don't worry about a thing, alright? You're gonna crush it." He wrapped an arm around her in a side-hug. "Don't show that you're nervous. You've been studying for weeks. Believe in yourself, because I already believe in you."