***Just as a disclaimer, this song is the best Zoomer song about fighting I could think of. No, no one kisses or breaks up in this chapter. This song is used platonically.

Another disclaimer: No, I don't ship Lloya. I used to a little, but now that we have S15, I know there is absolutely no one for Nya but JAY - *steps down from pulpit*

I'm done LOL***

***(Jay's POV)***

I gawk at the TV screen, then burst into laughter. "Kai...I think you accidentally put in an old family video DVD, not Austin Powers! None of us needed to know you used to run around diaper-less!"

Cole, my best friend, frowns. "Yeah. And who's the baby in the background your mom is holding?"

Kai's tanned face turns sheet-white, and he leaps off the couch in front of the TV. "Uh, everyone, avert your eyes! No need to see – uh – a naked two-year-old!" He punches a button on the bottom of the television with his thumb, and the screen goes dark.

I double over and clutch my stomach. "Kai, you...what the heck did we just witness?" My hair falls in front of my eyes, and I lift one trembling hand to push it away.

Kai's face begins to turn from pale to red. "Um...uh...my mom...must've been watching that. Yeah, she's been upset all day because school started, and she's really sappy about all that, so..." He modulates his expression and reaches for the bag of potato chips he dropped on the floor. "Who's hungry?"

As a celebration of our first day back to school, the guys and I all headed over to Kai's bio-parents' house. He's never introduced us to them, so we kind of coerced him into letting us meet them today. Until this summer, he's always lived with his adopted family, the Garmadons.

Lloyd, Kai's adopted brother, raises an amused eyebrow. "So you weren't a big fan of Pull-Ups back in the day, huh?"

"No one is!" Kai defends himself.

Cole stifles a snort. "Except Jay. He wasn't potty-trained until he was five and a half –,"

"Five and a half months!" I shout, trying to interrupt him. "Um, yeah, I was five and a half months old."

Lloyd turns to me, his forehead furrowed. "You were five and a half months old when you learned to use the bathroom on your own?"

Zane, the genius among us all, raises a finger in the air. "It's not entirely unheard of to be toilet-trained at that age, Lloyd. Many experts recommend against it, but toilet-training as a reflex can be accomplished within the first six months of life."

Kai crosses his arms. "We all know from our last visit with Jay's parents that you didn't even have your 'first time on the potty' until you were three, Jay. Your mom told us that story in wonderful detail."

I scoff. "You ran around buck-naked at that age! Which would you rather do, flash everyone on camera or complete toilet-training a year later than average? I bet your mom didn't even try potty-training you until you were the same age as I was!"

Kai rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't know. My bio-mom doesn't tell the story whenever we have company over."

I sputter, but Cole just stretches back on the couch and yawns. "Say, Kai, when are you going to introduce us to your parents? They're the reason we all decided to come over to your house."

Kai hitches a shoulder, not looking any of us in the eye. "My mom's at work right now, and my dad's finishing up something for one of his online classes. They're kind of busy."

"Or you're just embarrassed to introduce us," I offer. "Which I totally understand." My parents must've taken classes in Embarrassment 101 before I was adopted.

Some people marvel at the number of adopted kids who attend Ridgewood Academy: seventy percent of those in attendance are either adopted, bio-kids of foster families, or teens who've lost a parent. It's because the school awards extra scholarship money to those from certain parental backgrounds. The only reason my family can afford Ridgewood is because I was adopted when I was a baby.

I think Graceton, the girl's school down the road, offers the same kind of scholarships. Which reminds me...

"So..." I pick a potato chip fragment off my shirt. "I met a girl today."

Cole chuckles. "We meet girls all the time, Jay."

"Yeah, well, this girl was stranded at a gas station, and I gave her a ride to school." My eyes drift to Kai, who's ejecting his home video from his family's DVD player.

His posture stiffens at my words. Interesting.

"Was she hot?" Cole asks, taking a swig of his cola.

Kai turns to us and sputters. "Does it matter if she was hot?"

I wrinkle my eyebrows. "Um...yeah. I mean, I think it does. Is that a big deal?"

Kai opens and closes his mouth, then grabs a handful of chips from the bag. "I guess not. It's not like you'll ever see her again if all you did was give her a ride this morning."

"Maybe not," I shrug. "Anyway, I was only bringing her up because she looks a lot like you, Kai. Are you sure you don't have any relatives besides your parents? I think it'd be super cool if you had a long-lost cousin or something who lived around here."

This time, it's Lloyd who stiffens beside me.

Huh.

"Did she say what her name was?" Lloyd asks, never taking his gaze off Kai.

"Her name is Nya," I reply. "She said her brother had driven off and left her at the gas station this morning." I think about this for a moment. "So if she's related to you, Kai, then I guess that means you have two cousins – her and her brother. Though her brother sounds like a jerk, so maybe you don't want him for a cousin."

Kai awkwardly flops down beside the couch on a beanbag chair. "Nah. My parents have always said we have no living family, and given that none stepped up to the plate to take me when I was put in foster care, I don't think it really matters if I have any bio-family or not."

I shrug. "I just thought it was cool. I mean, I would give a lot to find any of my bio-family." My adoptive parents are great, but I'll always wonder about whether I ever had parents or siblings. I've been an only child all my life.

It kind of sucks.

Lloyd clears his throat. "Did she say...why her brother left her at the gas station?"

I shake my head. "She kind of clammed up when I asked why. Still, I can't think of any good reason to just leave your sister somewhere. When I first pulled into the station, I thought she'd been kidnapped or something."

Yeah, that whole situation from earlier still doesn't sit well with me.

Cole elbows me. "She didn't steal your wallet or something while she was in the car with you, right? It could've been a scam."

I roll my eyes. "No, Cole, she didn't steal my wallet." I grab it from the back pocket of my jeans as proof. "And the only money she asked for was a quarter for a payphone. She was legitimately in trouble."

Lloyd rises from the sofa. "I have to agree with Jay on this one, guys. Sounds like her brother is a jerk." He snatches a can of soda from its box. "I'm going to go get a slice of leftover pizza. Anyone want one?"

I raise a hand. "Oh, me!"

Kai snorts at my childish antics, but I ignore him.

"I'll take one, too," Cole pipes up, waving a hand in gratitude. "Thanks, bud."

Lloyd nods before shooting Kai a look, pivoting on one heel, and marching down the stairs.

Cole turns to me. "So...did you get this girl's number?"

Kai throws a hand in the air. "Jay knows nothing about this girl! Why would he want her number?"

I roll my eyes. "We talked for a while in the car, Kai. And by the way, you've asked for girls' numbers with far less incentive." I turn my gaze back to Cole. "But to answer your question, no, I didn't get her number. I thought about asking, but she seemed a little on edge, so I thought it best to leave it alone." I hitch a shoulder. "She goes to Graceton, so maybe we'll see each other around sometime."

Kai sighs. "This conversation bores me. I'm going downstairs after Lloyd."

"Have fun," I call after him as he leaves.

"That was...strange," Cole frowns. "Kai usually doesn't show that much interest in girls we ask out."

"Yeah." I shrug a shoulder. "Maybe he's just in a funk tonight."

***(Lloyd's POV)***

They say having an older brother is like having a mentor, but I can't look up to mine anymore. I love him, but he's a world-class jerk.

I flop down in a kitchen stool and sigh, grabbing the last slice of pizza from its box. I can't believe Kai would just leave his sister by the side of the road!

Unlike the rest of Kai's friends, I know about Nya. My family's always known about her. My parents wanted to adopt her, but she was a huge handful when she and Kai first came to us. We intended to try fostering and adopting her again when she was a little older, but by then she'd been hardened to the idea of staying with any family besides her bio-parents.

She also grew mad at Kai as the years passed, which definitely added to her hostility against my family. Most of the time, he pretended she didn't exist.

And he still does, apparently. He's always been secretive about why he doesn't tell the guys about Nya, but I think it's because he somehow feels guilty about ignoring her while she was in foster care. What used to be a move to protect his heart is now full-blown denial.

But dropping her off at a gas station so she can't get to school? That's ridiculous.

I hear footsteps on the stairs behind me, and I turn my head to see it's my brother.

Good. Just who I wanted to talk to.

"Kai," I beckon him, "can we talk for a minute?"

He blanches when he sees me. "Um...Lloyd! Yeah, I forgot you were down here." He scratches the back of his head.

I motion toward him. "What's this crap about you leaving Nya at –,"

He sighs, the move deflating his entire posture. "It's a long story, Lloyd. I'll save it for another time. I really just want to grab a slice of pizza and –,"

"I have the last one." I raise my half-eaten piece in the air. "Now, Kai, if you don't mind, get talking. Otherwise, I'm sure I could talk to Mom and Dad about what happened, and even though you don't live with them anymore, I'm confident they could still find a way to enact punishment."

He rolls his eyes. "Seriously, you're going to tell Mom and Dad? What are we, in elementary school?"

"That pretty much describes abandoning your sister at a gas station today." I arch an eyebrow. "What gives?"

"She wouldn't listen when I asked her to respect my privacy with you guys."

"Which means?"

He crosses his arms. "She wouldn't duck down in the floor when I saw Jay in traffic behind us."

I blink. "You left her standing at a gas station, ready to be mugged or kidnapped or who knows what, and your excuse is that you couldn't let Jay see that you had a sister?"

He looks sourly at the table. "It was a nice area in town. She wasn't in any danger." Even as he says so, I see his uncertainty skitter over his eyes.

"You don't know that. Nom is right outside Ninjago City, and we all know the crime rates there." I scowl. "Just promise me you won't do it again."

"Next time, I'll just plain refuse to take her," he mumbles, stealing a piece of pepperoni off my pizza. "Obviously, trying to drive her to school this morning was more trouble than it was worth."

"You didn't try, Kai, and that's the problem," I argue. "Back in the day when we would go visit Nya in foster care –,"

"She hated me," he snaps. "She hated me, remember?" He swears under his breath, turning away.

I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "She didn't hate you, Kai. Yes, she was angry with you because she felt like you'd left her there alone, but there was always this hopefulness in her attitude toward you. My parents could never get through to her, but you? Different story." I polish off my pizza crust.

He pivots toward me. "Yeah, well, you've seen Nya maybe five times in the past three years she's lived with our bio-parents, so quit acting like she still likes me, okay? She hates me." He says it confidently and with little remorse.

I close my eyes. "If you're in the habit of leaving her at random destinations along your route, I can't say I blame her."

He turns his back on me. "I have my reasons, Lloyd, and I don't expect you to understand." The sound of a car rumbles outside, and he freezes.

"Mom's not off work until nine," he says slowly. "It's only eight-thirty. That can only mean..."

He suddenly bolts for the front door, and I leap out of my chair and run after him. "Kai, what's wrong?"

"She's back!" he calls behind him, sliding up to the front door and slamming his weight against it. He deadbolts the door and presses his face to the peephole.

"Who's back?" I frown. "Kai, what's going on?"

"It's Nya. She's back." He continues to watch out the peephole. "One of her friends must've dropped her off." He sighs, turning away from the door. "Her friend must have poor taste. Who the heck drives a pea green smart car?"

I shake my head. "Wait. You're...locking Nya out?"

He shrugs. "She can use dad's car to go somewhere for another half hour while we finish up here."

I blink. "You're joking, right?"

The doorknob rattles for a moment, then the doorbell sounds.

Feet sound on the stairs above us. "Kai, is that your mother?" Zane's voice asks.

"No!" Kai yells, panic lacing his tone. "It's...uh...the neighbors! Yep, our annoying neighbors must want to borrow another cup of sugar." He laughs uncomfortably.

The doorbell rings again, and I try to shove past Kai. "Go distract Zane, and I'll ask Nya to stay in her room or something," I say through clenched teeth. "You can't just leave her outside!"

"I'm not taking my chances on someone seeing her," he snaps.

I balk at him. "Kai, what the heck is wrong with you?"

Before he can answer, his phone rings. He grabs it out of its pocket, scowls when he sees the caller, and presses the device to his ear.

"I need you to stay out of the house for another half hour," he whispers, not bothering to greet his sister.

Nya's response is loud enough for me to hear. "Get out from in front of the door before I break your window and come in through your room."

"I'll tell Mom you broke in. You know I'll find a way to make her side with me."

"And I'll kick you between the legs until I have a sister instead of a brother."

My eyes bug.

Yep, Nya certainly hasn't changed since I last saw her in May.

"No you won't," Kai argues. "You'll just decorate my room in lava lamps or something, and then Mom will repurpose them throughout the house."

Given that the Smith family home currently has a lava lamp in every room, I assume that's what happened the last time Nya threatened him .

She scoffs over the line. "Kai, I have an assignment I need to work on for the school paper! Just let me in! I'll leave you and your stupid friends alone for however long you want me to. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is spend time around them!"

"Sorry, but I'm not taking my chances tonight. You've already fraternized with Jay today, and if he sees you here, I really doubt I'll just be able to write you off as my family's foreign exchange student."

"You left me at a gas station today, Kai! What was I supposed to do, refuse the only help in sight?"

"Dunno, Sis, but I can't let you in."

"Kai –,"

"Later." And he hangs up, silencing his phone and stuffing it in his pocket.

He then smiles up at me. "She can be a bit much at times."

I blink in disbelief.

He sighs, his jovial expression collapsing. "I do what I must. Let's go back upstairs." He slides past me.

I bite my lip, pondering my next move. "I'm going to – um – go back to the kitchen and...try one of those cookies Zane brought." And unlock all the windows.

Kai turns to me, his expression tired. "I see right through that. Lloyd, as my brother and best friend, I'm asking you not to let my sister in."

Oh, he's going to pull that card?

I open my mouth to respond, but Jay shouts from upstairs, "Hey, Kai, is your sugar-borrowing neighbor in the habit of throwing pebbles at your window?"

He blanches. "Wha – you've got to be kidding me!" He lunges for the staircase.

I simply watch as he ascends the stairs at record pace, leaving me all alone.

My gaze then flits back to the front door.

Dang it. I have too heavy of a conscience to respect Kai's wishes.

I stride down the winding hall toward the back door, unlock it, and quietly slip out. I proceed to round the front of the house before taking a quick peek around the corner.

I spot Nya collecting pebbles off the ground, staring angrily up at Kai's window.

The scene would be comical if it weren't for how awful Kai's been to her tonight.

I wave a hand at her. "Hey, Nya!" I whisper-shout.

She freezes, slowly turning toward me. Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees me.

"Lloyd?" she asks, dropping a pebble from her hand. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm letting you in." I motion for her to follow me around the back of the house. "Come on."

She raises a skeptical brow. "Do you have an army of Kai's minions out back ready to sacrifice me?"

I shake my head slowly. "Um...no?" I'm really hoping she doesn't actually believe that.

She sighs, dropping her cavalier façade and the stones in her palm. "Thanks," she mutters, trudging toward me.

"No problem." I awkwardly shuffle toward the backyard.

When she doesn't say anything, I cough. "So...does Kai do this to you often?"

"What do you think?" she asks, picking her way around a shrubbery.

"I don't want to make assumptions." I frown. "He never pulled this stuff on me, Nya. I don't get why he's such a lamebrain to you."

"He hates me," she says matter-of-factly. "But I'm sure you don't want to hear it. He's more your brother than mine, after all." She angrily brushes her hair back, stopping at the back porch.

I wait for her to ascend the porch steps. "I think he really does care about you. He's just...I don't know why, but he's messed up." Foster care did nothing good for his relationship with Nya.

"I'll believe it when he acts like it." She crosses her arms and jerks her head toward the backdoor. "Go inside, Lloyd. I'm not getting you in trouble with my prat of a brother."

I study her stony features. "He'll get over it."

"Clearly you and I know two different Kai's." She flops down on the back porch. "Go inside, Lloyd. Once you and his friends are gone, I'll spray his pillow with bleach or something."

I shake my head. "You don't deserve to be stuck out here alone while –,"

"Go inside." She turns away from me. "Thanks for trying, though."

I sigh, knowing there's nothing I can do to change her mind. Kai and Nya are both stubborn as heck.

"Fine," I finally reply. I start toward the door, then stop and turn back toward her. "Oh, by the way, I heard you caught a ride to school with Jay this morning."

She inclines her head toward me. "Yeah. He's not a perv or something, right?"

I bite my lip on a laugh at that idea. "Um, no. He's a nice guy. He might follow you on social media and like all your photos, but he's not a creep."

"Huh." She shrugs. "Thanks for extinguishing any nightmare fuel I may have had."

"You're welcome." I head for the door once more, only to stop again. "Hey, if you don't want to ride with Kai to school anymore, I can swing by and –,"

"You already live half an hour away from Ridgewood," she waves me off. "Not an option. And anyway, I've secured rides to school for the foreseeable future with a friend." She gives me an out-of-practice smile. "But thanks."

***So...

This is Skylor's car. It made my life better to have her car look like this while I was planning a future scene.***