Title: Well, Dang

Ships: Jaya and Kailor

Main characters:

Jay Walker - The class clown who's always had it for the overachiever. He may or may not have done something in the past that she hates him for. 18.

Nya Smith - You guessed it: the overachiever. She low-key despises Jay for making fun of her in grade school. Whether he intended to make fun of her or not remains to be seen. 16 - she's a senior, but she skipped a grade (so she's the same grade as Kai).

Setting: New Year's (about the time of Chinese New Year) in Shintaro. Jay, Nya, Kai, and Skylor have just finished their school's senior trip there and are about to head back home.

Snippet:

"Kai!" I exclaim, waving my arms in the air. "Wait!"

My brother revs the engine of his junk car, his girlfriend Skylor rolling her eyes from the front seat. They pull to a stop in front of me after their loop around the hotel parking lot.

I sigh, heaving my bag toward the vehicle. "Kai, you are such a pompous - "

He rolls down his window, holding up a hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, sis. I thought I told you to find your own ride."

I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"I told you last night that I'm not driving you home. You've been a butt over our school's New Year's trip."

Ah, yes. The trip for seniors in high school who want to drink underaged or make out with their significant other without much interference. The adults have a horrible time keeping track of everyone, so students can pretty much get away with whatever they want.

That's not why I came. I came to see more of the world - I lived in the tiny town of Ignacia until I was four, and then I got transplanted to Ninjago City for the next twelve years of my life. I rarely go anywhere outside city limits, so I was craving some new sights.

I take a deep breath and count to five. "I don't have a ride other than you, Kai. All my friends are riding the bus."

"Then ride the bus." He shrugs as though this is okay.

"The bus is leaving in five minutes, Kai. I know you want to share a room with Skylor or whatever, but - "

He hitches a shoulder. "Sorry, sis. The Kai-mobile is too full for the bad attitude you've had all week."

Skylor punches him in the arm. "It's fine. Just let her come."

"No," he argues. "Nya has friends on the bus. She'll be fine. She complained the whole way here, which was just annoying. If she's not with us, we don't have to worry about it." He puts his car in gear and begins to pull forward.

I open and close my mouth, jogging after him. "Kai! You lowlife, stupid, fat, ugly - "

"You sound like a three-year-old," someone teases from behind me.

And I know exactly who that person is, and that makes me mad.

I pivot. "Why are you even out here, Jay?"

"Because I saw you yelling and wanted to make sure everything was all right." He shrugs as though this is the most obvious thing ever.

I sputter. "Oh, really? Well, everything's fine, so you can go now."

Kai yawns, apparently having stopped to watch me chew out Jay Gordon-Walker. "I grow tired of this conversation," my brother monotones. "Nya, get on the bus. I'm not leaving you without transportation, but I'm not letting you come with me. You've been a bear all week."

"I have good reason!" I cross my arms and scoff. "You're such a loser, Kai."

"Pfft, see what I mean? You're a grump." He shakes his head.

Jay places a hand on my arm.

Like he has any right to do that.

"I'll make sure she gets to the bus," he reassures my brother, smiling.

Of course he's smiling. Jay doesn't have to ride the bus. Jay's birth dad - Cliff Gordon, the famous movie star - is a millionaire. Jay drove his snappy little sports car here and will gladly and stylishly drive it back.

"Works for me." Kai dons his sunglasses. "I'll see you guys."

My eye twitches, and I throw open Kai's back door, thankful his child lock setting is turned off. "Hold up, hothead. I'm coming with you." I shove my luggage inside, trying to make room for myself, but I fail. I slam the door shut and stalk to the driver's window to beg for mercy. Or demand mercy, or whatever the case may be.

"Nope," Kai says adamantly. "I've been worried about you and your lack of social interaction lately, Nya. You'll have fun on the bus. Seliel and PIX are on there."

"I'll be cramped in with twenty other smelly, sweaty bodies! That's not fun, and that's too much social interaction for anyone!"

Kai pulls down his sunglasses to eye me. "On the bus, Nya. I'm concerned about you. Just think about this as a way to get two extra days on your trip back." And the idiot waves, zooming off.

I stumble backward, trying to get away from his junk car before he accidentally runs over my foot or something. I topple onto the sidewalk.

Or rather, I topple onto Jay, who just happens to have his arms ready to wrap around my shoulders so I don't hit the ground. And dang, he smells better than I remembered from fourth grade.

I blanch. "He...how..."

Jay chuckles. "You look like you're about to blow a fuse. Let's go get on the bus, okay? You don't want to be stuck here."

Especially not with a jerk like you. "Whatever." I slide past him, but he rushes up to keep in stride with me.

"Did you enjoy the trip this week?" he asks, smiling. He acts like we've been friends forever or something.

Well, maybe we were friends at one point. Maybe I even liked him a little bit - I had a teeny-tiny fourth-grade crush on him. But he ruined that, so he doesn't get friendliness privileges with me anymore.

"Hellooooo?" he grins. "Ninjago to Nya Smith?" He waves his palm in front of my face.

"What now?" I snap. Then I freeze, suddenly remembering that -

"Kai has my luggage," I breathe, my voice a strangled sound.

"Oh, right. Because you threw it in his car right before he drove off." Jay puts his hands in his pockets. 

I feel my pocket for my phone, but then I realize...

It's with Kai.

"Dang it!" I fume. "No phone. I can't call him."

Jay turns on his. "I have his number. Kai and I know each other pretty well." He taps a button and holds the device to his ear.

I wait. And wait. And wait.

He sighs. "No answer. He probably doesn't even realize your stuff's with him. And at this rate, you're going to miss the bus if we don't get a move on. Do you need something from the gift shop - a toothbrush or contact lens wash or whatever?"

"Duh, but all my cash - and my cellphone - are in those bags I just chucked at my brother." I feel myself grow hot with rage. I can't even use BorgPay to purchase anything.

"Hey, it's okay. I can help you pick up whatever you need, Nya."

"So you can rub your rich daddy right in my face?" Everyone knows Jay's bio-dad is Cliff Gordon, the famous movie star. Jay didn't actually figure out he was the son of a movie star until around the eighth grade. Before then, he was just the kid from a junkyard. At least he was bearable back then, but then he became basically famous, and...

And now, I can't even tolerate being around him.

"Nya? Are you okay?"

I snap to attention, looking up at him. "What, Walker?"

"I just wanted to know if you were all right. You're zoning out today." He gives me some look that passes for a caring expression.

"Why do you want to know?" I shake my head, looking at the ground and feeling my cheeks heat.

Stupid me. I haven't had too many crushes in life - only ever had one boyfriend - and after all these years, I still get fluttery around Jay Walker. But he got me high and let me fall. Or the fourth-grade version of that, anyway.

"I want to know because we're friends," he replies. "Come on. I'll take you to the gift shop to pick up a few things and call the bus driver so he doesn't leave without you."

"We're not friends, Jay. We never even talk." I cross my arms.

"We're talking right now."

"We're arguing. There's a difference." I see something big and yellow moving out the glass door, and my eyes bug. "Oh, heck no! The bus - it's leaving!" I make a beeline for the door.

Jay runs right past me. Of course. He somehow has muscles without playing sports, and I'm left wondering what he does to get muscular when he's not geeking out over a videogame or buying junk food or telling a stupid joke.

Things that are lame, but that I've always...always found cute about him.

Stupid me.

He reaches the door and shoves it open, unaware of my internal reverie. He waves his arms in the air like a maniac.

However, the happy yellow school bus is happily leaving the parking lot and merging onto a highway of happy traffic.

I guess we're all so happy.

"Well, dang," I moan. "Can you try Kai's phone again?"

"I can, but that's not really what you're asking, is it? You want to know if I would be willing to call - "

"Just do it," I exclaim. "Please? Otherwise, I'm stuck in Shintaro a thousand miles from home, and I have no ride back, no money, no phone, no nothing."

"I know everything seems bad right now, but you have me."

Oh, of course I have Jay. Because the Destiny Writers see fit to ruin my life. Why couldn't they leave me with that kid who picks her nose and wipes it on someone else's shirt? Or the pervy guy who left weird notes for every girl in the eleventh grade?

Jay tries Kai's phone again. No response.

"I don't have the bus driver's number," he frowns. "I can text one of my friends who's riding the bus, though. Or..." His eyes brighten, then dim a little as he studies me.

"Please spill, Walker. How else can we ensure I'm not stuck in a foreign kingdom and probably kidnapped and held hostage by a band of Munces?" Wouldn't surprise me if that happened.

"Well..." He gives me an innocent, hopeful smile. "You could always ride back with me? Just until we catch up with Kai, or the bus, or...or, if you wanted to ride with me the whole way back, you'd be welcome to do that." 

I have two letters for him, and they spell a big fat n-o.

But stupid me, I have the gall to find the prospect exciting.

***So another YA romance trope - the "we're-stuck-driving-together-on-a-road-trip" trope.***