***A/N: Welcome back! Sorry it's taken so long to post this, but this summer has been a wild ride.

Hopefully you all had a great summer and are looking forward to a wonderful rest of your year!

Also, be sure to check out the wee little surprise I mentioned in my announcement for this chapter :)***

***(Harumi's POV)***

As soon as I step into the fresh air, I inhale deeply. It's like the afternoon sunshine is wiping away that trapped feeling inside, the one that somehow always seems to sit in my chest but escalated with auditioning and all Cole's questions.

"Hey," I hear Lloyd's familiar greeting.

I look up to see him, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, with a half-grin that shows off his dimple. He's all friendliness, all kindness, and it just makes my heart sink further into my stomach. Why am I being such an idiot for Skylor here? I don't want to break Lloyd's heart to get on her good side.

But I can't just let him down, either. He clearly likes me, and if I were to leave right now, things would only be weird between us. Plus, if he's anything like me, he'd be questioning what he did wrong that I seemed to like him and suddenly stopped.

"Hey, yourself," I greet. "Ready to teach me all about parabolas?" I say the word perfectly this time so he can feel like he taught me something over lunch.

"I'm more than ready." He turns and points toward the road up ahead. "There's a park right up there that we're headed to."

"Perfect," I smile. "Any chance you know when we'll be finished? My dad usually picks me up from school, and he needs to know when to come."

He considers this. "We'll probably be done in an hour or so. But I could, uh, always give you a ride home if you want."

The invisible hand that's been gripping my heart all day seems to tighten its grasp. Lloyd doesn't need me leading him on, but how can I just push him away? I'll hurt his feelings. I need to stick to my original plan of showing interest in him, then dating him until I get him to think he's the one breaking up with me. Then he won't be heartbroken.

"Sure!" I accept, forcing enthusiasm into my expression and tone.

He raises his eyebrows, clearly catching the hitch in my act. "Are you sure? If you'd rather your dad drive you home –,"

"Oh, it's fine," I reassure him. "I was just, um, a little concerned about my dad letting me ride home with a guy he doesn't know. But I'm sure he'll be fine with it." The lie slips off my lips, and I whip out my phone to hide my guilt.

In all honesty, though, my dad wouldn't care if I told him I was riding home with a boy he didn't know. He's gotten used to that from me over the past few years.

"Okay," Lloyd smiles. "Just let me know what he says." He repositions his backpack on his shoulder. "Ready?"

"Yep!" I fall into step beside him. "I don't think I've been to the park in a while."

I haven't really gone ever since I used to spy on Jackson and my former best friend's dates back before I stole him. I didn't trust him from the beginning, and I know it wasn't right to spy, but she wouldn't listen whenever I told her my concerns about him. So I wanted to be close at hand in case he decided to do something stupid and flirt with other girls while they were out.

"I sometimes go with my family on weekend afternoons," Lloyd explains. "But I used to come to this park all the time when my mom worked late at Graceton. My dad would come pick me up from school, then spend some time playing with me here until she was finished."

I try to imagine Lloyd's childhood in my mind – the picture-perfect moments with a loving and understanding family, the hugs and apologies after fights, the cozy and laughter-filled holiday dinners. I mean, who can say they had a childhood that good? Who can say they hope to have the same things with their own families in the future? It's not realistic – in fact, it's far from it.

But Lloyd probably wants that. He probably pictures marrying some girl that looks like Barbie and cooks and cleans with all the practice of Snow White. She probably never says anything out of turn, and her IQ is probably about a negative four. There's no way you can be hot, a homemaker, and smart. I should know – I gave up being the 'smart' student in school when I was in seventh grade so I could be considered hot and popular.

Well, I guess Lloyd is all three. But he's an outlier. Most people can't do it.

"So how long have you lived in Ninjago City?" I ask abruptly, wanting to escape the weird mess of covetousness that is my head right now.

"I've lived here all my life," he smiles. "My mom has been principal of Graceton for over twenty years." He looks down at me. "What about you?"

"I've been here since June." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I feel like I'm just now settling in, though. I didn't really know anyone when I first got here." The words are honest, if not a bit lame. Lloyd wants to be a knight in shining armor, and if that means he tries to save me from how lackluster my social life is precarious to being, so be it.

"That sounds difficult," he tries.

"It wasn't fun." I flashback to days of trapping myself up in my bedroom with nothing to do but read. When I got stir-crazy, I would go on walks for hours just to stay away from my parents. I was really, really struggling.

"Anyway, how was your summer?" I ask, clearing my throat.

He slows as we approach the road ahead. "It was fun. I hung out with Kai and my other friends a lot, and I worked a summer job as a lifeguard. I think it was a good break before senior year." He looks both ways, then says, "We're good to cross."

I walk beside him in the crosswalk. "Lifeguarding, huh?"

He nods. "I did it this summer and last. Did you happen to visit the city lake this summer? That's where I lifeguard at."

"I think I went there a few times." I definitely boy-watched there when I wasn't reading, wandering around the city, and stalking my old friends' social media accounts.

"Gotcha. Maybe we saw each other sometime, then." He points toward the park entrance ahead. "We're heading over to the volleyball courts first. Have you ever played before?"

I shrug. "Some. I play beach volleyball at my parents' vacation home every summer, but I've never practiced enough to get very good."

"Fun fact, I didn't even know how to play catch until I was nine years old," Lloyd smiles. "So you're probably not as bad as you think."

I find the thought amusing. "How come you never played until then?"

"My dad's terrible at it," Lloyd admits. "I didn't learn until Kai came to live with us and finally showed me how." As we approach the courts, he sets down his black backpack.

I take the opposite side of the net. "How was growing up with Kai?" I ask out of curiosity. I know Skylor hates his guts, and it kind of sounds like he's been a jerk to Nya, but Lloyd clearly loves him.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to my family." Lloyd slides a pair of aviator sunglasses up his nose before pulling a volleyball out of his bag.

"I was an only child before Kai," he goes on. "My parents wanted more kids, but at that point, they were looking to adopt. They got registered as a foster family, and within a few months, Kai and Nya came to stay with us."

"Nya too?" I ask, engrossed in his story now.

He nods. "Both of them. My family wanted to adopt her, but Nya had her heart set on waiting for her bio-family to come back for her."

"I don't mean to pry," I ask carefully, "but...what happened to her parents?"

Lloyd shrugs. "It's pretty much common knowledge at this point. Her parents were convicted of a crime they didn't commit. They went to prison for years."

My eyebrows shoot up. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. They got Nya back when she was a freshman in high school, I think. Kai lived with my family until he turned eighteen, and now he lives with his bio-family again as well."

I shake my head. "That's crazy. I never knew Nya and her parents went through all that."

"And Kai, too," Lloyd adds. "He grew up with my family, which was a much better situation than what Nya chose in foster care, but...well, let's just say there are reasons why he and Nya don't have the best relationship. Not that Kai is justified for how he treated her in the past, but he didn't do it just to be cruel."

"In the past?" I ask, unable to stop now. "What about his relationship with Nya now?"

"Kai's been really convicted about how he's treated Nya lately," he explains. "And he's been doing a lot better."

I frown. "But doesn't it seem convenient that he's nicer to her now that everyone knows about her?"

He shrugs. "Maybe, but it's better for him to start trying to have a good relationship with her now than never."

I consider this. Lloyd's not wrong.

In the silence, I absently notice the way his sandy blonde hair teases the frames of his sunglasses, how the muscle in his shoulders is evident but not gym-rat showy. His plain green t-shirt hangs on his frame so the hardness of his chest is emphasized, and the funny thing is, Lloyd probably doesn't even know. He gets me as the kind of guy who's never considered his own attractiveness.

I snap out of my thoughts so he doesn't think I'm checking him out.

"So what, are you teaching me math through volleyball?" I smile sweetly. I've studied him at lunch the past few days, and I've learned this is his favorite of my looks. He always blushes when I do it.

"Your serve," he grins, tossing over the volleyball. I don't miss the tinge of pink in his cheeks.

I catch it, then position my fist under it. "Ready?" I ask.

He nods, his curls dipping down with the move.

My fist collides with the ball, and it arches up over the net perfectly.

"Nice!" Lloyd calls. "Now watch how it moves – it arcs in the air." He steps to his left, and with a smack!, the ball goes soaring up over the net and back to me.

"Now the point at which the ball stops moving upward is the point at which it has no velocity up or down," Lloyd tries to explain. "Do you understand what I mean by that?"

I thwack the ball back toward him. "You mean that at that particular point, it's not technically moving up or down?"

"Exactly. Gravity hasn't pushed it down yet, so there's no upward or downward motion from our perspective. But it is moving in the horizontal dimension from our perspective – you saw the ball moving toward me, and it never stopped doing that."

I release a laugh – a full-on, bubbles-out-of-my-chest laugh. "The horizontal what?" I'm not even trying to act clueless here. I just want him to say it again because I've never met anyone who talks like that, and it's so characteristically Lloyd.

"The horizontal dimension," he grins. "The dimension describing the ball's movement left and right." The ball topples to the ground next to him as he seeks to explain what's happening.

I try not to grin. "Okay, okay. So you mean that the ball has the same height right before and right after it hits the point of no upward or downward movement because...of gravity?"

"Yes," he nods. "You initially accelerated the ball upward and toward me when you served it, but gravity acts on the ball's resulting velocity in...oh, let me just draw a picture." He jogs over to his bag and grabs a notebook and a pencil.

We spend the next ten minutes talking about the horizontal and vertical planes of movement and the work of gravity and my initial force applied on the volleyball. Lloyd is definitely smart, but I can't say I'd understand him if I hadn't taken physics last year. If he wants to tutor anyone, it should be AP students.

"Okay, so you seem like you have parabolic motion down," Lloyd finally smiles. "Now I want you to look for other examples around the park."

I bite my bottom lip and glance around us. "Um...I assume you want something other than people tossing a ball, given that we just did that."

"Right," he nods. "You can think outside the box. I have faith in you."

I can't help but chuckle again. Gosh, Lloyd is so good. I've never spent much time around a guy who actually believed I was intelligent.

"Okay," I play along. "What about..." I scan our surroundings. "What about – oh, the fountain!" I leap up from my spot on the ground. "Here, follow me." I jog over to the stone fountain-turned-birdbath not far ahead of us. Water shoots out of a spout in the middle, arcs off in different directions, and falls back into the pool beneath.

"Good eye," Lloyd congratulates, catching up behind me. "Now explain how it demonstrates parabolic motion."

I give him the rundown, trying not to sound like too much of a master and stumbling over a few minor details. He nods and smiles throughout my whole explanation, listening like he's proud of my progress.

When I finish, he offers me a thumbs-up. "That's perfect. I think you're better at math than you give yourself –,"

He stops short when the tinkling of music carries over the breeze.

"Is that an ice cream truck?" he asks, and I'm sure I see interest light his eyes.

A giggle escapes my throat. "Yeah, and?"

"And I think I have some spare change in my pocket," he elaborates. "I want ice cream. Do you?"

I furrow my forehead at him, but I can't help but smile. "I don't think I've stopped at an ice cream truck since I was in elementary school."

"Then it's been way too long." He looks to where the music's becoming louder. "I think I recognize this one. It always stops at the park on summer afternoons. It should stop just ahead at the park's main entrance."

"Why do you know that?" I laugh.

"I like to memorize important information," he defends himself. "Now you can either join me or watch jealously. I personally recommend the first option."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Next, you'll be trying to throw coins in the fountain or something."

"I do have a few extra if –,"

I snort-laugh and grab his hand, pulling him along to where the ice cream truck is stopping up ahead. "Let's just settle for some creamsicles for now, okay?"

***(Skylor's POV)***

Another day, another detention.

The only difference is that instead of being at my throat, Kai Smith is doing a fantastic job of ignoring me over in the corner. He's looked depressed all day, and every time I've verbally jabbed at him to try to get a rise, he just shrugs and goes back to whatever he's doing. It's like he's just accepting that he's been a terrible sibling to Nya.

And for some reason, instead of bringing me the feeling of justice I thought it would, it makes me feel guilty and slightly annoyed. I know I said yesterday that I felt like me reacting against Kai was actually bad for his relationship with Nya, but after he freaked out at her over the phone yesterday, I'm not feeling very nice toward him.

"Have you heard that Nya now believes the bomber might be from Ridgewood?" I try. Take the bait. Get angry because I've been pushing that the bomber was from Ridgewood all along.

"Hmm," he replies halfheartedly. He scrolls through an article on his computer screen.

"How does that make you feel?" I ask, and the condescending sound of my tone makes even me bristle at it. Gosh, I've become annoying lately.

He hitches a shoulder, somehow not even fazed at my remark.

I'm up and out of my seat in a moment. "Why won't you react to me?" I blurt, all honesty and confusion now.

He slowly drifts his gaze up to me, then back down to his screen. "Because it's not worth getting mad and saying anything else stupid about you or my sister or anyone else." The words are calm and polite.

It makes me want to groan in frustration. "You can't really believe that."

"I do," he shrugs.

"You've only been trying to resist arguing with me since Friday," I point out.

"It's worked so far."

His words just make me feel like a jerk. "Seriously?" I sigh.

"Yeah." He somehow has the nerve to smile.

I bite my lip and count to ten in my head, trying not to explode when I know I'm in the wrong here.

Then I count to ten again because Kai Smith is just that frustrating.

"Kai," I finally manage, "you realize I'm not that bad of a person, right? I'm just trying to defend Nya here."

"No, you're not," he replies. The words sound gentle, but they stick like a barb in my mind.

"What do you mean?" I snap. "Everything I've done to you is for her!"

"You trying to prove to me that you're right isn't doing anything for Nya, Skylor." He closes his laptop. "I think Wu and Misako would understand if we decided to finish detention separately, don't you think?"

I scoff, but only because his words hit deep.

He's right. Me trying to get him mad isn't helping Nya.

He studies my expression, and some of the stony resolve from a moment ago gives way to understanding. "Listen, Skylor, I tried not to listen in while you were talking about your weekend at lunch, but you're really loud and" – he shakes his head and takes a deep breath – "sorry. Anyway, it would be really easy for me to give in to your egging and get angry, but I choose to believe that you're only acting this way because life isn't easy for you right now and I seem like the best person to take it out on."

I'm speechless. I knew Kai had been different since the end of last week, but now he's straight up trying to understand my feelings in this. There's no way anyone learns that in a weekend, but I can't believe he's known the slightest bit about caring for people all along.

And what did he mean, I'm "really loud"?

He sighs. "Listen, I don't want to fight with you. I mean, don't get me wrong, part of me wants nothing more than to chew you out right now, but I do have a conscience, believe it or not. And my conscience is telling me that I'll thank myself later if I just walk away." He rubs a hand over his forehead. "I think you should do the same."

I want to sass him in response. I want to tell him that he can shove whatever he thinks up his high-road loving booty.

But somehow I stop myself. I don't know if it's the way he's trying to see where I'm coming from, or maybe it's how he actually seems unfazed by anything I've done today, but it silences me.

He watches me for a moment, determining if I'm going to fight back or not, then abruptly turns and heads for the door.

I bite my tongue as he leaves, but the funny thing is, I don't even have anything to say. Not to him, at least.

How can Kai Smith be better than me at this point? How can he answer me honestly and kindly when I can't even look at him without wanting to scream? Why did he have to be the one to say that he didn't want us to fight?

I take a deep breath and just let the truth of my own faults settle in.

I acknowledged it when I went to Nya's house yesterday. I've been treating Kai badly because I'm messed up with my dad right now, and unfortunately it hasn't done anything good for his and Nya's relationship.

But it also hasn't been right to Kai, and somehow it took him realizing he wasn't being understanding to me that made me find that out.

Why, oh why do I have to learn life lessons from Kai Smith? Is this some kind of cruel joke from fate? Is this the First Spinjitzu Master's way of getting back at me for all those times I ran stop signs when no one was around and didn't tip waitstaff? Am I cursed because I spend more time working on my appearance in the mirror every morning than I do on my own crappy attitude?

I huff and gather my things together. I don't have to be rude to Kai if I don't want to. I don't even have to have a sour outlook on life if I don't want to. I can be like PIXAL and think the best about everybody, or I can be like Seliel and not take flak from people while somehow maintaining healthy relationships with them.

I'm Skylor Chen. I can do whatever I put my mind to.

I shove my laptop in my bag and make a beeline for the door. I can go home right now and prove to my dad that I'm a great daughter before he leaves on his business trip. I can wrap him in a hug and wave him off and make him feel like he's the greatest dad in the world.

But it wouldn't be true, and I wonder if a great daughter would actually sit down with her father and talk about her feelings in their relationship. It's just that having healthy conflict seems so...hard. And kind of terrifying.

I step out into the sunny parking lot, the humidity enveloping me. It's a beautiful day. It would be a shame to waste the afternoon getting my dad's placating apologies after I told him how I really felt about how absent he is and how he lets me get away with everything.

I make my way to my little green car and unlock it. I'm supposed to hang out with Nya tonight anyway, and she's currently at Seliel's. I'll have to drop by and pick her up, so realistically I won't even be back until my dad's already left home.

But guilt has me popping him a text as I climb in my car.

Me: Hope u have a good trip

I debate on sending the next one because it feels too vulnerable at the moment, but I get over those emotions and send it anyway.

Me: i love you and sincerely hope u have a good timr

Me: *I meant timy

Me: nvm you'll figure it out

I start my car and begin my drive to Seliel's. She lives in Nom, an area bordering the outskirts of Ninjago City, and driving to her house always feels convicting somehow. She lives in a moderate neighborhood right off a street in town. It's a stark contrast to the mansions PIXAL and I live in, and it's not even in the suburbs. Seliel's dad doesn't believe he should live above anyone else in the community just because he's the mayor.

Before I know it, I'm sailing past the local coffee shop and Nom's iconic Dairy Bar. But it's the book shop PIXAL loves to go to sometimes that catches my eye as I drive by today. It's decked out with flowers, a bold contrast to the end of summer so quickly approaching.

Whether it's the banner out front proclaiming a sale or the fact that there's a Bloomfield's Boutique ahead I'm looking to avoid, I find myself pulling into the bookstore's parking lot.

I wonder how their self-help section looks? Heaven knows I could use some serious assistance with life right now. If they have a section devoted to learning how to get over a snotty personality streak, I'm sold.

I'm also sold if they have something on getting rid of future stepmoms, but my dad would not appreciate me using his credit cards to buy something like that.

Too bad I don't have cash on me.

I open the glass door, and a bell tinkles above my head. A cute college-aged guy smiles at me from the counter, and I return the gesture before heading for the giant sign labeled "self-help" in the back. If the sign is that obviously helpful, hopefully the associated books satisfy their genre as well.

I finally reach the back and skim the titles on the spines before me. How I Made My Fortune by Clutch Powers and Finding Your Story by Gail Gossip are two reads featured for their local authors. Keep That Man by Ingrid Williams has a whole shelf full of copies, so either they keep stocking it because it sells out so much or because they have too many on their hands now.

Either way, I will not be buying that book. I don't think I've ever even wanted a boyfriend who did more than keep me entertained. Maybe that sounds selfish, but lots of guys show interest in me and I haven't ever felt the need to make one stay.

When I turn, my eyes widen and my jaw goes slack. No way. That can't be –

But sure enough, More Than Yourself by Yvette Bloomfield sits primly displayed on a stand, the picture on the cover showing my dad's fiancée in her natural tanned beauty. Automatically, I reach out to grab a copy.

I didn't even know she'd written a book. And given that it's so prominently displayed, it probably came out recently.

I flip over to the back cover and begin reading.

Ever felt like you're trapped in a pit of self? Like you can't think beyond your own needs and wants because they seem too big see past?

Oh, this woman has no idea.

Hear from Yvette Bloomfield, who spent ten years of her life starting a now-chain boutique, investing in high-dividend stocks, and building her career as a social media influencer. At thirty-five, she found herself feeling empty and worthless because all that time, she'd only placed value on herself and her needs. Her resulting journey of self-discovery turned into a mission to love others well as she realized that valuing others is key to a truly worthwhile life.

Quotes from critics on the back praise the work.

"Yvette writes with an honest hand that calls out wrong for wrong and reels the reader in with humor and humility. She's not afraid to reveal the dark secrets of her own heart, and the culminating book challenges and inspires readers to look beyond themselves as well."

"A breath of fresh air into the self-help world that suggests that perhaps the question isn't, 'How can I achieve my fullest?', but rather, 'How can I help others achieve their fullest?'."

"Bloomfield's story proves there's more to the businesswoman than handbags and heels. She desires to know the hearts of everyone she meets and help them become the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves."

I blink back shock. Does my dad know about this book? How come he never told me?

I hug the book to my stomach because I have to. After all, there's no way I'm not reading this so I can figure out everything about this woman that I can.

I also don't want anyone to see me with it and think I worship Yvette like her book critics do. That's a secondary but very useful purpose of holding the book so close.

I immediately head to the counter and pay for the book, then race out to my car. I shove the book in my dash as soon as the driver's door is unlocked and open. Needless to say, I will not be letting Nya look in there during our ride.

I just can't believe Yvette wrote a book all about putting others above herself. After all, here she is about to ruin my life. Not that she isn't being nice about it – I mean, she's the reason I get to stay in Ninjago City for another two months.

But I still do not trust that woman. She has to have ulterior motives for wanting to marry my dad.

As I start my car and begin to back out of my spot, I catch a glimpse of familiar auburn curls across the street. I hit the brakes, then crane my head to get a better view.

Sure enough, Jay Walker is dressed in a Dairy Bar uniform and about to walk into work.

I saw him with Nya yesterday. Their interactions are weirdly comfortable – Nya usually has a hard time being friends with guys, particularly guys who are friends with her brother. And I've noticed how they talk over lunch sometimes, or how she finds the way he picks at his home-packed sandwiches funny.

Oh, gosh, I sound like a maniac. But any good best friend would keep an eye on her friend's boy drama, right?

Maybe I should run Nya by the Dairy Bar on our way back through town, just to get a better read on the situation.