Good Kid
••• Tell Me You Know •••

"Ever since Morro happened, he's... changed." Nya gave an uncomfortable shrug. "It's like how he was when he was getting ready to fight the Overlord... grim. Serious."

"Can you blame him?" I asked quietly. "What he went through was..."

"I know," Nya said, "it's just... it's intense. Worse than before, and with you - it's like he's paranoid something's gonna hurt you like how Morro hurt him, and it's changed him. He's different, now."

pew pew watergirl 🔫
hehe.. i can see you
Sent 9.56am

I rolled my eyes, shoving my phone back into my pocket as I scanned the surrounding rooftops for the water ninja. Nya popped her head up over the edge of the stationary warehouse I was headed to and waved. I snorted, raising my hand to wave back at her.

pew pew watergirl 🔫
u getting stuff for school?
Sent 9.57am

Me
Yeah
Delivered

pew pew watergirl 🔫
oh radicles can you get me two red pens for english? i forgot to pick them up last week
Sent 9.57am

Me
Sure lmao
Delivered

pew pew watergirl 🔫
thank uuuuu 🥺💖 ur the best
Sent 9.59am

Me
uwu
Delivered

pew pew watergirl 🔫
the fuck is uwu?
Sent 10.01am

Me
Nevermind. I'll give them to you on Monday

Delivered

pew pew watergirl 🔫
okee tysm!!!
Sent 10.02am

I dialled Nya as I locked the car and stuffed the keys into my pocket. She picked up just as I began walking towards the building.
"Hey babe," Nya greeted. "What's up?"
"The building stress of the inevitable beginning of school," I replied airily. "How's the search going?"
"Oh damn, I felt that," she snorted. "We're coming up with nothing. I don't get why we have to be on the lookout for Axon if we're just going to ambush him at your place on Sunday."
"Well, it's about keeping him from getting suspicious, right?" I replied, entering the warehouse and grabbing a cart. "If he notices that you guys aren't at least patrolling the city more, he might get some ideas."
"Yeah, I know," she groaned down the line. "It's just so boring. I'd rather be kicking scum butt."
I grinned at her attitude, grabbing a few textbooks I needed for a few of my classes and dropping them into the cart.
"What I want to know is why you're on watch out from the stationary warehouse," I hummed, grabbing a few extra red pens. "Pretty weird place to patrol since Simon doesn't go to Ninjago High."

Nya was silent.
"Lloyd asked you to babysit me, didn't he?" I said dryly, even though I already knew the answer.
"He literally would not remain home if I didn't agree," Nya complained. "And we all have tracking chips in our suits. He'd know if I lied."
"But he doesn't know where I am," I replied, scanning the rack for a pretty binder. "So how can he know if you've lied or not?"
She went quiet again. I stilled, suspicion building.
"Nya?" I pressed, grabbing a random binder and dropping it into the cart harshly. "What is it?"
She relented with a groan, quick to crack.
"He made me put a tracker in your phone!" Nya confessed and I paused in shock.
"When the hell did you put a tracker in my phone?" I hissed, jerking the cart into the next aisle.
"Last night," she replied, regret in her voice. "While you were asleep."
"You snuck into my room?" I yelped, feeling violated. "How?!"
"I'm a ninja, Y/n. I'm very good at getting into places where I shouldn't be."

I couldn't argue with that.
"Can I get the tracker out?" I asked, voice strained with annoyance and closing my eyes. I was suddenly at the mercy of a headache.
"Not without Lloyd knowing about it," Nya denied.
"Why the hell would he do this?" I shook my head and pinched my nose in frustration. "Why wouldn't he ask me first?"
"Because you'd say no," Nya replied, is if it were obvious, which I guess it was. "He just wants to make sure that you're safe. Axon's crazy powerful and he's worried that you'll get hurt."
"I won't get hurt!" I exclaimed, rubbing my forehead with my palm in exasperation.
"But you have been hurt before," Nya pointed out and I fell silent. "It's killing him that he can't be by your side constantly so this was the next best thing. You mean a lot to Lloyd, so please don't be too hard on him?"
I sighed heavily, dropping a pencil case into the cart.
"Fine," I caved.
"Besides, everyone in the team has tracking chips in their devices," Nya continued. "Think of it as the initiation into being an honorary member of the secret ninja force."
I huffed in amusement, shaking my head.
"Yeah, okay," I rolled my eyes, a small smile on my lips. "When you put it like that, it doesn't sound quite as creepy."

Nya laughed. I smiled.
"Alright, I'm going to call my boyfriend to chew him out and have a talk about boundaries," I sighed. "Gently, don't worry."
"If you make him cry I'll kick your ass," Nya warned.
"If I make him cry I'll kick my own ass," I snorted before my expression fell. "Has he talked to any of you guys about the... y'know. Ghost thing?"
Nya sobered. A somber atmosphere settled over us.
"Nothing," she said quietly. "We hoped that he'd confide in you."
I chewed on my lip as I grabbed the rest of the stationary needed, blindly dropping them into my haul.
"I've tried to talk to him about it but he just shuts down," I murmured softly. "I want to give him space but I'm really worried."
"So are we," Nya muttered lethargically. "Don't worry though, the senseis are working on it. He's in good hands."
I smiled sadly. "Thanks, Nya. I needed to hear that."

As soon as Nya hung up, I was dialling Lloyd.
"Hey, sunshine!" he chimed and despite the irritation I felt towards him before, my chest fluttered at the sound of his voice. Pleasant and warm.
"Hey, blondie," I smiled at the ground. "How was your night?"
"Boring," he complained. "I had to go straight home or else the others were going to rat me out to my parents."
My eyebrows quirked as I guided the cart to the check out, waiting in line. It seemed a lot of people were also getting their supplies last minute.
"Probably for the best," I hummed and he groaned. "What's this about you sticking a tracker in my phone?"
Lloyd paused. I waited with a patient face.
"I- I don't..." he stammered. "I don't know what- uh, what you're talking about."
"You're lucky that you're cute because you're a terrible liar," I mused. "Nya told me."
"She told you?!"
"Hey," I said firmly as I began piling my haul onto the register. "Don't get angry at her for what you made her do. I think I deserve to know if my boyfriend's tracing my location. Which, you know, in any other scenario would be incredibly controlling."

"It's a safety measure!" Lloyd defended.
"I know," I replied calmly. "Nya told me this, too. About how everyone has trackers. It just would've been nice to have had a heads up."
I ignored the odd look the kid that was scanning my stuff gave me.
There was a long pause as Lloyd digested my words. A contemplative silence.
"You're right," he finally said with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I should've run it by you first."
I smiled softly at his genuinely apologetic voice as I paid for my stationary while the kid bagged my stuff.
"I know that you're just trying to protect me, and I love you for that," I started, punching in the code for my card. "But we gotta communicate about this kind of stuff, okay?"
"Of course," he murmured as I grabbed my bags.
"Excuse me, ma'am," the cashier kid placed a hand on my arm before I could leave. I turned back, putting the phone against my chest. He looked concerned. "Did you say that your boyfriend is tracing your location?"
"Oh, its a military thing," I waved his worry away with a white lie. "Standard procedure stuff, don't worry about it."
"Oh," was all he said. He bought my words, turning back to the next customer.

"Who was that?" Lloyd asked when I put the phone back to my ear.
"Would you stop being so paranoid?" I snickered as I began the walk across the car park. "It was just the cashier."
"I'm sorry," Lloyd groaned. "Being stuck inside and doing nothing is making me lose my mind."
"I can tell," I snorted. "I'm heading to Mr. Robuntusson's store. Do you want anything?"
Lloyd immediately brightened.
"Have I told you that you're the best girlfriend ever?"
I huffed a laugh, dropping my stuff in the back before returning to the front seat and sliding in.

"I wouldn't mind hearing it more often," I teased.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

The candy store on the outskirts of the city welcomed me with the promise of sugar highs and warm smiles.

"Ah, Y/n!" Mr. Robuntusson greeted merrily as the bell chimed at my entrance. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"Hi, Mr. Robuntusson," I replied with a beaming smile. "How have you been?"
"Same old, same old," he said with a happy sigh, leaning his arms on the bench. "Where's Lloyd?"
"He's not feeling well," I said, eyes drifting to the side. Not exactly a lie, but not the whole truth, either. It still felt bad to lie to his friendly, old man face. "I'm getting some candy to lift his spirits."

"You know him well," Mr. Robuntusson said with a pleased smile. I huffed a silent giggle, grabbing a bag to fill. "Isn't school starting up soon?"
"Yep," I nodded as I focused on my task. "We're back on Monday."
"I see," he said, almost a murmur. When I was finished, I placed my haul onto the bench and paid.
"You be careful, alright?" Mr. Robuntusson asked as I picked up the bag. I turned back to him with a confused expression. "Kids at that school can be very nasty. I'd hate for you to go through what Lloyd did."
I don't think I have much of a choice.

"I'll be careful," I reassured with a smile. "Thank you."
He nodded, a sympathetic smile on his face as his eyes looked locked in the past.
"Goodbye, Y/n."
"Bye, Mr. Robuntusson."
I made it back to my car and sighed, dropping my head back against the seat. Everybody was so negative about school. Part of me wanted to believe that they were just being dramatic, but the logical side of me knew better.
Oh well. Future me can deal with that. Present me had a sleepover to mentally prepare for.
There were still a few more hours left to kill before Naomi arrived, so I spent it labelling my stationary and stuffing it into my overpacked school bag. Alongside that was the packet of candy for Lloyd. Hopefully that'll cheer him up while at school, considering he doesn't seem too thrilled about going back.

A knock at the front door had me scrambling to my feet.
"Naomi!" I yelled with a giddy grin as she came barreling inside, swamping me in a big hug. We laughed as we almost fell before I pulled myself away to close the door.
"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" Naomi whined as I dragged her to my room. We said hi to my amused mother on the way.
"I knoooow!" I sighed as we dropped down onto the bed. "When was the last time we had a sleepover?"
"Jeez, months?" Naomi winced. "When was the last time you were in the city?"
"Oh, boy," I hissed through my teeth. "This was so needed."
"Good thing we're doing it, then!" Naomi giggled, poking me in the side. I lurched with a laugh but then her face fell slightly. "Hey, not to bring down the mood or anything, but I have a question."

I turned my head to her. She sat up.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you want Aaliyah or Claire over?" she asked with a troubled frown. "Is... is everything alright between you guys?"
"We're fine," I sighed, draping an arm over my forehead. "I just had a hell of a week and only had the energy to handle one person."
"Do you want to talk about it?" she titled her head. I shot her a half-hearted smile.
"Nah, it's okay," I denied. It's not that I didn't want to, but rather that I couldn't. Not without risking the identities of the ninja. "I guess I also wouldn't be able to handle it if they brought up Lloyd. I'm already worried about school as is."
Naomi hummed despondently in acknowledgement. She nudged my side.
"Well, hey," she said with a grin to lift my spirits. "I'll stick by you, no matter what."
"Aw, Nomes!" I gushed, tacking her into a hug. "You're the best!"

She giggled quietly, patting my shoulder. She swallowed.
"... I have to tell you something."
I pulled back, frowning. What has Naomi been battling while I was away?
"I used to have a crush on Lloyd."
Oh? Oh.

OH.

I stared at her in shock, my brain having to replay the sentence again and again. I was having trouble processing it. She took my silence for anger.
"B- but I don't anymore, I promise!" she pressed frantically. "I swear that I don't-"
"Naomi, it's okay!" I grabbed her arms to stop her from panic rambling. "I believe you, don't worry about it! I'm just a little shocked."
"It was years ago," she said, running a hand through her hair. "I must've been like... fourteen, or something. It was when we used to be close. But I've totally moved on."
I perked up. "Is this about the guy you like..?"
Naomi hesitated before nodding. I squealed, pulling her closer.
"Spill!" I gushed, squeezing her tight.
"I..." she began before her face blushed a brilliant red and she hid her face into my shoulder. "It's Cole!"

I gasped loudly, bringing Naomi back to stare at her flustered face.
"NOMES!" I laughed loudly in shock and excitement. "You have a crush on Cole?! Since when?"
"For a while," she blushed furiously. "Before you met Lloyd."
"Oh, my god!" I said with a beaming smile and she laughed in relief. "Have you told him yet? Who else knows?"
"No," she confessed with a smile. "You're the only one who knows."
I laughed breathlessly, shaking my head in surprise.
"Naomi and Cole," I breathed in disbelief before shooting her a look. "I can't believe I didn't see it sooner! He's totally your type!"
"What's my type?" Naomi titled her head with a snort.
"Tall, dark and handsome," I pointed out with a snicker. Her blush tenfolded and she had to hide her face into her pillow to quell her scream.

And... a ghost. My stomach dropped.
Actually, what's Cole doing for school? He can't show up to class the way he is. Maybe they're looking into a way to reverse it? Can it even be reversed?
I sent an oblivious Naomi a sympathetic look. I couldn't even tell her about it, either.
She lifted her head, showing off the spark in her blue eyes and her bright smile. What could I say? I didn't want to wipe that happiness away. I'd never seen her look more content.

Time to plaster on my poker face.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

It dark by the time chaos decided to rain down upon my life again.

Naomi and I, after having an incredibly healthy dinner of desert pizzas, were huddled on my bed and watching It. Pretty dumb move, considering my nightmares, but Naomi had asked and I couldn't say no.

Naomi was particularly bad with horror movies, but was as stubborn as an ox. I couldn't count on two hands the amount of times she'd screamed while pressed against me, shivering like a leaf.
I had no idea why she did this to herself. I guess she liked the adrenaline kick.
My own heart was racing and we were only halfway through the movie. I wanted to turn on my bedroom light, but irrational fears of things under my bed and beings in my closet kept my limbs locked in place.
Naomi was only worse.

So, when something came crawling through my window and collapsed onto the end of my bed, we collectively lost our minds.

Naomi screamed. I screamed. The laptop was tossed to the floor as we scrambled back, smacking against the wall. The person fell to the ground in shock and it made us clutch at each other tighter. A horrible sound came from the movie and OH MY GOD IS THIS HOW I DIE-
"It's just me!"
I stopped abruptly at the familiar voice as he stumbled over to the light switch and flicked it on, holding his forehead with a grimace. My eyes widened.
"Lloyd?!" I yelled, untangling myself from Naomi. "You're not supposed to be here! You should be recovering-"
I cut myself off, eyes dropping to his green ninja gi. I slowly turned to Naomi, who was staring at Lloyd with a look akin to a shocked squirrel.

"Lloyd..." she breathed confusedly. "Lloyd's the..."
And then she fainted.

"Great," I cried, throwing a hand in the air in exasperation. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?!"
"Why didn't you tell me that Naomi was staying the night!" Lloyd accused.
"I shouldn't have to!" I argued as I stood, crossing my arms. "You should be at home, recovering! And I'm grounded from seeing you!"
Lloyd ran a hand down his face, cursing under his breath. I crossed my arms, shifting on my feet anxiously.
"What are we going to do?" I asked nervously, mood suddenly shifting as the reality set in. "That's Chen and Naomi who know about you guys, now. What if it keeps growing? What'll happen if everyone finds out about you being the green ninja?"
"That won't happen," Lloyd insisted. "We can get Neuro out and make her forget about seeing me in the gi."

I glanced at Naomi, chewing my lip nervously. Lloyd placed his hands on my shoulders with a reassuring smile.
"It'll be fine," he insisted gently. "I promise."
I sighed. "Why'd you come over? Why are you even in your gi?"
"I'm on patrol," Lloyd replied. "I'm still not allowed to leave the Monastery. So I snuck out."
"You're a very rule-abiding ninja, clearly."
"Aw, c'mon, not you, too," Lloyd groaned. "I already had the others on my back because of it."
"Because we care, doofus," I shook my head. "You're overworking yourself when you should be resting."
"I'm fine," he pressed as he walked over to Naomi and settled her down onto the bed so she wouldn't choke on her tongue or something. "I recover quickly."

"I trust the senseis' words over yours," I said dryly as I sat down at my desk chair. He pouted.
"I thought you were supposed to be on my side?" he whined. I raised my brow.
"I'm on the side that wants you to take better care of yourself."
Lloyd sent me a pitiful look that had my chest quaking.
"I just wanted to see my wonderful girlfriend," he said sadly. "Is that so much to ask for?"
"Lloyd," I said crossly. He draped himself over my lap, undeterred by my attitude.
"Tell me you love me," he whined and I broke. I snorted, rolling my eyes.
"Get off, you crackhead," I snickered. Lloyd grinned in accomplishment.

Naomi woke with a groan. It seemed that she was only out for a short while.
"What happened?" she drawled, sitting upright. "Ugh, my head."
Lloyd and I stilled. Her blue eyes fell over to us and they widened.
"Lloyd Garmadon!" she exclaimed in shock as she scrambled upright. "You're the green ninja?!"
"Surprise," he said weakly. My smile was tight and strained. Absolutely forced.
"Ooooh, of course," Naomi groaned, dropping her hand into her hands. "I'm so dumb, that makes so much sense now!"
I frowned. "What does?"
"Lloyd's-" Naomi began but caught herself off when Lloyd tensed and cleared his throat. "Green. Stuff. He's always wearing green. Duh!"

I sent her a look.
"... alright."
"Wait, is this why you like him..?" Naomi asked suspiciously, squinting her eyes at me. I snorted.
"God, no. I was head over heels for Lloyd way before I knew about him being the green ninja."
"Aww, you were?" he grinned shamelessly. I shoved his face away.
"Unfortunately," I muttered. He chuckled and I sent him a narrowed glare. "And you had the grand idea of being all flirty with me when you were Greenie." I sent an exasperated look at Naomi. "Bastard gave me a mid-life crisis at seventeen."
She snickered. That seemed to satisfy her.
"Damn," Naomi sighed, running a hand through her hair. "That's crazy."

"Hey, remember our old handshake?" Lloyd brightened, changing the subject. A smile grew on Naomi's face.
"Kind of!"
Lloyd leapt onto the bed, sitting criss-cross before Naomi. I wandered over amusedly as they fumbled, trying to remember the succession of movements from their youths. When they finally got it, they cheered.
"We should modify it so we can all do it together!" Naomi suggested, gesturing me over. I shuffled closer.
"Are you sure?" I asked worriedly. "I don't want to ruin your guys' thing."
"Don't be silly," Lloyd grinned, tapping my thigh with his knee.
"Yeah, we want you in on this business, bro!" Naomi grinned before it fell. "I- I don't know why I said it like that."
I sniggered at her words.
"Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?"

The next hour was spent fooling around. Naomi and Lloyd told stories about their years in high school, mostly sticking to the funnier tales and gossip rather than the whole bullying thing. Then we somehow ended up watching a movie again (this one a fluffy, happy, animated movie that wouldn't give us nightmares) with me squashed between Naomi and Lloyd.
When the credits started rolling, Lloyd declared that it was time for him to leave. I tried not to pout but it was hard, much to Lloyd's utter delight. Naomi turned around to give us privacy for a goodbye kiss.

"Wait," Naomi said as Lloyd had one leg out of the window. "Are... are the others..?"
"The rest of the ninja force?" Lloyd finished. Naomi nodded. "Yeah, they are."
"So... so Cole is..."
"Earth," Lloyd replied before his gaze narrowed in confusion. "Why did you want to know who Cole was?"
"No reason," Naomi quickly shook her head. I could already picture how the rest of the night would go - Naomi would be looking up every picture and video of Cole that she could get her hands on.

"It's a shame what happened to him," Lloyd murmured sympathetically. "We haven't been able to find a remedy for it, yet."
Naomi's blue eyes turned concerned.
"W- wait, what?" she asked, voice pinched in panic. "What happened to him?"
"He got turned into a ghost," Lloyd said bluntly before I could stop him. "Anyway, I should really get going. See ya!"
And he disappeared. I bit my fist in annoyance and Naomi turned to me with a pitiful expression.
"What does he mean that Cole's a ghost?"

Damn, you Lloyd.