Skylor's POV

"I'm worried about her," Kai tells me as we sit in his car after our practices. We were supposed to be on our way home by now, but he was distraught, so I had him talk things about.

"Which one, Harumi or Nya?" I clarify.

"Both honestly. Harumi has been really out of it lately. I know she usually gets a bit off when I'm not dating her, but never this bad. She's missing a lot of the time, and when she's here she always seems like she wants to leave," he says with a deep concern in his voice.

"And Nya?"

"She likes Jay now, like she has feelings for him," he groans as if it's the worst thing in the world.

"So she's happy?" I ask, an eyebrow raised.

"Last time she let someone in she got hurt. I don't want that for her again," he expresses his concern, but it just confuses me more.

"But you're trying to get her back with the guy who hurt her," I bring up.

"It's a complicated situation," he dismisses my point. "Anyways, I don't know what Jay is capable of. He might be totally manipulative, or..."

"Jay seems like he couldn't even hurt a fly. He seems like the guy who refuses to step on bugs because they have lives too," I admit. Kai sighs, looking over at me

"If I can do something to keep her safe, I'm going to," he states, starting the engine of his car.

"She doesn't need that, Kai. I think you're overreacting. She's 16 or 17 now. She's a big girl," I try to derail him from the train of thought he's on.

"You know how closed off and hesitant Cole is on letting people in, right?" he looks at me. I nod. "Nya is the same way. When both of them let someone in, they allow themselves to be vulnerable and give their full selves up to that person. It makes it so much worse when they get hurt."

"Everyone is going to get hurt. No one can escape it. It's a part of life," I explain to him, leaning back in my seat. "Your sibling dynamic confuses me."

"Why?"

"Well, Nya and I are in the same seventh period, and I've heard her talking to Jay about how big of a jerk you are to her, but from what you tell me, you're a great big brother. Things don't add up," I point out the discrepancy.

"I try, but I'm really temperamental. I say stuff I don't really mean, and she takes what I say to heart. Sometimes I avoid her just to avoid conflict since it feels like we're always fighting."

"Have a heart to heart with her sometime. She seems like she just wants company," I advise, adjusting my ponytail in the rear view mirror. "And I agree that Harumi is really out of it. She's changed since I first met her."

"She has, but at least she's pestering you less. It's means we can hang out more, and she won't even notice," he winks at me, his typical Kai behavior coming back.

"She'll notice. It's like she has a little Kai radar that goes off any time you're near me," I laugh to myself, thinking back to today. I was talking to Mackenzie and Morro for several minutes, but as soon as I started to talk to Kai, Harumi automatically showed up.

"Well, is she coming now?" he asks, a little mischievous smirk on his face. I know it shouldn't, but I nearly melt at the sight. I don't though. With all my self control, I make it so I have no reaction, only so I look out the window.

"I don't think so."

"Perfect," he hums, looking over at me. In a quick motion, he places his hand over mine. "When I do that, what do you feel?"

In all honesty, I feel a warmth that floods throughout my whole body. Just having his hand on mine makes me want to lean over and kiss him, but there's no way I'm going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"I feel that you have a sweaty hand," I smirk back at him. Panicked, he lifts his hand up and wipes them on his pair of skinny jeans. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

"I should've known. I never sweat. It's as if my body can't overheat," he groans, pulling out a pair of sunglasses from his glovebox.

"Your body is abnormally warm though. I swear every time I touch you you're so much warmer than me."

"It's not my fault I'm so hot," he winks, making me a laugh a bit. "I actually went to the doctors for that though, and they said I just run at a higher temperature."

"So it's not just something I'm imagining?"

"Nope," he smiles to himself. He pauses and scans over my face. "You're really, really gorgeous."

"And you're a really, really big flirt," I counter, grabbing the water bottle from my bag.

"Is there a problem with that?" he asks. A playful smile rests on his face.

"I just wonder how many girls have fallen to their knees after getting one of your charming smiles," I shrug.

"So you're saying my smiles are charming?" he lifts up his sunglasses, making it so I can see his eyes.

"You already knew that."

"But it's so much sweeter hearing it from you."

---

Harumi's POV

"Look at who's texting me to be at the bleachers now," Lloyd laughs as I walk up to him.

"It's an emergency," I inform him. Once I get in front of him, I drop my cheer bag on the ground.

"What is it?"

"I need to rant," I tell him.

He raises his eyebrows, looking amused,"Don't you have your minions for that?"

"Chamille wouldn't understand," I brush off the thought. "The balance in my life has been thrown off."

"Oh?"

"Balance is the foundation to everything in life, and all of mine has completely messed up now. My picture perfect life has been thrown off its axis," I sit down on the ground. Lloyd sits next to me, a comfortable distance between us.

"And I take it that it has something to do with being a part of the Sons of Garmadon," he predicts, his emerald eyes looking over at me.

"When I was a kid, as I told you, I planned everything out. I was going to be the queen. I was going to be the cheerleading captain who dated the football captain. I was going to be the most popular girl at the school, the homecoming queen. I was going to have the group that followed me around and did whatever I pleased. I was going to be the it girl."

"Bold goals."

"I've achieved so many of those though. I am that girl. I've dated the football captain, just not while he was the captain. I have the group. All I need is to get Kai back and win the election for homecoming queen," I exhale.

"But? I know there's more," he tells me.

"But I'm conflicted now. I still want it. I really do. That life is the life I've always wanted. I want to get back together with Kai. I want to fulfill little me's dream of dating the football captain, who also happens to be one of the most attractive guys in the whole school," I sigh.

"How long did you know that Kai was going to be the football captain before he actually became it?" Lloyd asks.

I furrow my eyebrows. "Well, it was a toss up between him and Cole, but once Cole went off the deep end I knew it'd be Kai, so about a year and a half of being sure."

"Did you think he would be when you got together with him?"

"I thought there was a chance, but I liked Kai for Kai," I shut down the hypothesis that I could sense was coming up.

"Have you ever gotten back with Kai just because you knew he was going to be the football captain?" he asks me. I sigh, otherwise staying silent. I cross my arms. "Harumi?"

"It might have impacted the past four times I've gotten back together with him, but I'm also attached to him since he was my first boyfriend," I look down.

"Which one influenced it more?"

"I think you know which one. The chemistry just isn't there anymore. We've both changed, and I know a part of him hates me for exiling his sister. All that's left is two teenagers with sex drives who don't want to give up their first love and say that the spark is gone," it hurts to admit.

"Then why don't you let him go and let him be happy?" he asks softly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I can't. We need to be homecoming king and queen together. We need to have the night of my dreams. Several months ago it seemed like there was no way that wouldn't happen. With each day that passes, it just seems harder," I rest my head in my hands.

He rubs his hand up and down my back in a comforting way. "Why?"

"First of all, Skylor is here. He looks at her in a way he never did to me. Secondly, I'm just not as drawn to them anymore."

"Then what are you drawn to?" he asks, fixing his messy blonde hair with his free hand.

"You...and the rest of the Sons of Garmadon."

"Listen to your heart. It usually brings you to what you really want," he advises.

"Like how your heart brought you to that cotton candy frappuccino this morning," I smirk.

"What?"

"You're not slick. I saw you throw out the cup as soon as you got to school. I told you they were good."

"Oh be quiet."

A/N this update is significantly shorter than the other, but oh well

I watched part of the back half of season 11 today (I really disliked the fire chapter so I didn't have any motivation to finish it) but I actually enjoyed it. So far the ice chapter is a lot more interesting

This book is going to pick up more speed soon. We're at teh half way mark now! The two chapters I've been wanting to write the most are yet to come!

You guys aren't ready for the drama that's about to go down

Everyone was so sweet last chapter! I worked really hard on it and all of you guys made me so happy. You helped motivate me to write this chapter quicker. You all are the best