The Kooks
••• Sweet Emotion •••

yes, i feel sweet emotion
every time you're near me
every time you are near

•••••

TW: slight bodily harm, blood

  Look, I didn't search for the book on prevalent families of Ninjago. It just jumped out at me from the library shelf. And I took it. Eagerly.

  The librarian gave me the side-eye when I returned on Friday, only a day after checking out an ass load of books. I had returned with the ones I had devoured when I found myself unable to sleep after the encounter with the Green Ninja.

The books had kept me grounded throughout the night, and while I had bags under my eyes, at least I wasn't plagued by night terrors from being manhandled the way I was. I couldn't even bring myself to tell my mother about it.

  A phantom tightening of the skin on my throat reminded me of the cool sharpness of the thug's blade. My body gave a delayed shudder in fear.

  The book - namely the edition that logged all the known (yet unfortunately sparse) records on the first village settlements - hopefully had information on the Garmadon lineage and their part in establishing Ninjago. I had those sleep-avoidant questions again, and I needed answers. My unending curiosity was one of my biggest vices.

  It sat heavy in my arms as I meandered my way down the library rows. The book was heavy and old, made of worn leather and aged buckles and yellow-edged pages, and so chock-full of information that it had me almost salivating at the thought of dipping my head into its knowledge.

  This book had to have been older than my great-grandmother. Maybe even older than my great-great-grandmother.

  The sun was hot, beating through the windows and dancing with the smell of paper and old, leather-bound books. I added a few more novels that had caught my eye and after checking them out, made my way home.

  It was noon by the time I returned, once again teetering awkwardly with my volley of books. The name Garmadon kept ringing through my head - it sounded familiar but also so foreign; like it was part of a different section of the world, a different era, a different class.

  "I wonder if his family's from one of the first nineteen houses?" I mused to myself as I set the heavy, old tome onto the desk before me.

  The first nineteen houses was a speculative group of lineage dating back thousands of years to when society was first recorded. Some people even thought that the origins of these powerful houses went back to when humans were first born, or created, or however you want to think of it as; but this was largely regarded as myth.

  Still, the first nineteen houses, whether it's pure hearsay or not, were still mighty powerful. They were the one percent before the one percent even existed. They were the ones who created settlements, which turned into villages, which turned into the cities that dotted Ninjago to this very day.

  God's Chosen, God's Firsts - just among the many titles the first nineteen houses boasted. It was rumoured that they even had powers, a connection over the earth's elements, but it was thought of purely as hyperbole. Surely those wars with warriors wielding the elements were only false interpretations as tall tales to tell around a campfire?

  Well, I guess that was the general thought, until the secret ninja force arrived and proved that elemental powers did in fact exist.

  My brows furrowed as I carefully turned each thin page, eyes roaming over the scratchy ink like a cat hunting for a mouse. If the ninja had powers, and it was true that the first nineteen houses had powers, then surely they were related?

  Even if they were, it wouldn't do much help. The records of the first nineteen houses were so few and far between that it was almost impossible to trace descendancy. I was lucky enough to spot even a few birth recordings or death dates per each house, each limited to every few centuries or so.

  There was no mention of Garmadon.

  I frowned and skimmed through the book again. That didn't make sense. It was an ancient surname, surely there was at least a mention of it? But no, nada, there was nothing. I had to have been missing something.

  Giving a huff of frustration, I turned the book back to its front and began pawing through it again.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

  I woke with a start to the chirping of my phone.

  Giving a groan, I dropped my arm over my eyes and sighed through my nose. Sleep still desperately wanted me to return, and I was more than willing to walk back down its yellow brick road to dreamland.

  A reminder from my phone had dinged, grabbing my leg and hauling me back to wakey-wakey world. Another distressed, tired sound escaped my throat.

  Pawing at the device, I shoved the old tome that rested over my chest to the side, leaving it thudding onto the mattress while I wiped drool from the corner of my mouth. I'd fallen asleep while reading after relocating the frustrating search from my desk to my bed. It was a far more comfortable piece of furniture to curse the world from.

  I grumpily blinked through bleary eyes as I pulled my phone off of its charger and squinted at the screen. It was too early to be getting texts.

Lloyd🛹:
hey, sorry im running a little late! where do u wanna meet up?
Sent 10.03am

  Sent 10.03am.

  10.03am

  TEN IN THE MORNING?!

  "Shit!" I gasped and kicked the covers from my legs. "GOD, SHIT!" I had less than half an hour to get ready and meet up with Lloyd. "Shit!"

  "Hey!" Mum chastised as she watched me clamber down the stairs four at a time with a book and coffee in hand, still in her own pyjamas. "Who fuckin' taught you to talk like that?"

  "I'm late!" I whined, ignoring her jest as I quickly grabbed a banana to eat and snatched some underwear from the clothes horse that had somehow taken residency in the study.

  "For what?" Mum called as I scrambled back up the steps.

  "For meeting Lloyd!" I yelled back while desperately shoving on some random clothes from the spilling load in my closet. I gave the big shirt a sniff and decided that it was clean enough before grabbing Lloyd's hoodie and my phone and making my way back downstairs. "See you, love you, bye!"

  Mum stared at me with wide eyes as I stormed out of the door like a girl on a rampage. I made it to the end of our driveway before I realised that I had forgotten shoes and while giving a maddened yell, I retreated for some slides and continued the course.

  I texted Lloyd as I ran, stumbling over the rubber toe of my slides as I bombed my way down the street.

Me:
hey, dont worry me too lol! i dont mind, whatevers easiest for you! :)
Read

  His response was almost instantaneous.

Lloyd🛹:
book cafe?

Me:
sounds good!
Read

  I huffed as I sprinted down the streets and awkwardly avoided the curious gazes of elderly residents as they tended to their gardens, or drank tea, or read books and god, the Green Ninja was right, this entire suburb really was just an unofficial retirement home.

  I mean, I did find myself very much preferring this vibe than the middle-aged, PTA-member, rich neighbourhood I was stuck in before in Jamanakai. Old people reading books and listening to classic vinyls on record players that really shouldn't be playable anymore was far more my speed.

  Slow, calm, peaceful.

  A car burst its horn in my ear as I leapt across the road. My feet went skittering faster than my body in shock, and I raised my hands in sheepish apology to the annoyed driver before continuing with my sprint.

  Perhaps it wasn't as peaceful as I had initially considered.

  I felt faint by the time I reached the block across from the book cafe. Resting one arm against the brick wall of a building, I panted, my clammy hand having sunken into the folds of the green hoodie in my grasp. I was lightheaded but at least I was only a little bit late.

  As I was wrangling air back into my lungs and wiping perspiration from my forehead, my eyes spotted a mop of blond hair in the window of a familiar cafe. Pulling in one last desperate inhale, I straightened to my full height, wiped a final arm across my warm forehead, and strode across the street to face Lloyd.

  Who are you? I wanted to ask as I pushed open the door, subtly grimacing at the clanging, old bell that loudly announced my arrival and bellowed in my ears. Why wasn't your name in the records? It should've been. I know that it should've.

  Eyes met mine. Even from this distance, across the entire cafe floor and past the talking heads of patrons, the electrifying green of his gaze had me pinned. But it was warm, though. He always had seemed to be warm and kind. We shared a sheepish wave.

  I finally tore my eyes from his and went up to order a drink - a cold one, this time, in favour of the summer heat. I would not make the same mistake twice.

  When a cool glass was securely in my hand, I finally approached the table Lloyd had stolen for us. Right by the window, so we could people watch or take in the sun or stay as far away from the toilets as possible. I liked the way he thought.

  I slid into the booth across from him. He was fidgeting, fingers curling and twisting and teeth gnawing at his lips in a way that seemed familiar to myself. I was worried that he was going to draw blood doing that.

  "Hey," Lloyd greeted with a hesitant smile. He shoved his ever-moving hands into submission by tightly crossing his arms across his grey shirt and leant on the table. "Long time no see."

  I tilted my head in confusion and cycled through what it was that he could be referring to - and then my muddled brain remembered; we'd only just seen each other the day before.

  "Oh, yeah," I said amongst an awkward chuckle. I uncapped my glass and fiddled with the lid, pondering whether or not to take a sip yet. I watched the lid fumble through the limbs of my fingers. He had ordered a lime milkshake.

  "Are you okay? You're a little, uh... flushed."

  I glanced up. Lloyd was staring, brows knotted in concern. I almost jumped to my feet in embarrassment at my hastily thrown-together appearance but I fortunately managed to keep my ass glued to the seat.

  "I ran," I blurted, cursing the fact that I must've still looked pretty sweaty from my sprint across town. My skin did feel warm. "I... I was running late."

  He nodded in understanding. And then we kind of just sat there for a few agonising, long, painful seconds as we avoided looking at one another. I stared at the table and awkwardly tapped my fingertips along the edge of the wood, drink cap forgotten.

  The quiet was killing me. It was chopping my limbs off and skinning my flesh.

  "Dr. Seuss invented the word 'nerd,'" I said, breaking the silence. Lloyd raised his brows in intrigue and our eyes finally met.

  "Really?"

  "Yes," I said, and bit my lips together. My next words blurted out without my control. "In his book 'If I Ran to The Zoo."

  "Interesting," Lloyd said with a nod. He reached for his milkshake.

  "In 1950," I added. His hand faltered, before continuing.

  "Even... more interesting," he said with his brows pulled together and an unsure chuckle.

  I nodded quickly and fiddled with my fingers as I berated myself for letting my mouth run off. By the way that he was slowly bringing the milkshake back to himself, I could tell that he was even more uncomfortable than before.

  This was awful. I wanted to go home to sob and yell and cry but I also didn't want to leave. This was awkward. And strange. And weird, why was I acting so weird?

  He smells nice.

  God, Jesus Christ, Y/n. Get ahold of yourself and your stupid MHC.

  "You have a plaster," I noted, catching the edge of it from under his fringe. He stiffened. I felt myself grimace. "... from when I hit you?"

  "From when you executed a perfect backhand?" Lloyd corrected with a smirk. My cheeks flushed an ashamed pink. "I can probably take it off, now." He reached up and quickly tore the plaster off and crumpled it into his hand. He shoved it into his pocket as I tried to see the extent of my damage, but his cornsilk fringe shielded his forehead from my prying eyes.

  "I- I'm sorry," I began unsurely. "I'm really bad with, uh... conversations. I don't mean to be weird."

  Lloyd offered an understanding smile. "I'm not good with talking to people, either. At least we're in solidarity. Besides, the quiet is underrated."

  I huffed through a tiny grin in agreement. "Yeah."

  "You like AC/DC?"

  I blinked, taken aback by the sudden topic change. "Huh?"

  He nodded down. "Your shirt."

  I glanced at the graphic on my garment. Lo and behold, I'd grabbed one of my father's band shirts that I had stolen years ago and worked into my own wardrobe. It was ratty and old, clearly well loved and worn too often. A couple of holes dotted the fabric near the hems.

  "Ah," I said, cheeks turning pink as I stared at the retro design, looking like something from the 90s. It probably was. Hopefully, I could pull it off with the intent of looking 'distressed retro.' I'd already got the distressed part down pat - in more ways than one. "It's my dad's."

  "Oh," he said. The slight disappointment that I probably imagined in his voice made my eyes shoot up.

  "But I like them, too!" I quickly added. "I was raised listening to them. And The Kooks."

  "Kooks is good." Lloyd nodded approvingly. "What about The Cure?"

  "I love The Cure!" I answered brightly. He grinned, clearly pleased by our similar tastes in music. What an unexpected camaraderie. I jumped as I recalled the reason for our meet. "Oh, here's your hoodie. Clean from hot chocolate."

  "It better be," Lloyd teased, grabbing the garment from my grasp and pulling it in for a dramatic whiff. He sent me an accepting look. "You're safe. Not a hint of coco."

  "Oh, thank god." I sighed with relief as I played along. His grin faded a tad.

  "Your skateboard didn't make it out quite as lucky," he said apologetically, though I wasn't surprised. "But I have an old one that I never use if you're interested."

  Now, I was surprised.

  "What?" I asked in disbelief as Lloyd reached for something under the table and pulled it out with him. He sat the board up on the booth beside him so I could see the design, and I began to giggle in shock. "Oh, my god, is that a Green Ninja themed skateboard?"

  Lloyd's shoulders crept up for a brief second before falling in a sheepish, breathy laugh. The art on the board itself was gorgeous, a dark ombré green with a gold dragon silhouette plastered right in the middle, gold trucks, and black wheels. It almost looked brand new aside from a few small nicks.

  "I can't take it," I realised. Lloyd's green eyes jumped to mine in surprise. "That's probably worth, like, a lot. My one was just a cheap thing I bought second-hand when I was fourteen."

  "I don't want to sell it," Lloyd said simply. "I want you to have it."

  "I guarantee that a fan will pay a ridiculous amount of money for that," I insisted. "It would feel like stealing."

  "Then don't think of it as stealing. Think of it as a gift from one ninja fan to another."

  I stared at the board, conflicted, glancing between Lloyd's expectant face and the pretty board with a reluctant look. I felt awful just by wanting to take it.

  "Fine," I sighed. "But only because I have the feeling that you won't take no for an answer."

  "And you'd be correct." Lloyd grinned triumphantly and lofted it over the table.

  "I'll have to hide it when my dad visits," I said amusedly as I took the board from his hands and laid it across my lap. At the confused tilt of his head, I grinned. "He's not the biggest fan of the ninja."

  A curious, slightly hesitant look crossed Lloyd's face, but I was too busy admiring the board to notice it fully. "... and you?"

  I shrugged airily. "They're growing on me."

  Lloyd was quiet for a moment, and our conversation took a brief pause. He changed the subject. "You're new here, right? New to the city?"

  "Oh. Well..." I placed my chin on the lid of my bottle and pursed my lips. "Kinda? I used to live here until I was seven. I'd sometimes visit my friends in the holidays, though."

  "Has it changed much?"

  "Does it ever stop changing?" I asked with an amused smile. "There's always something new being built or converted here. I can't keep up."

  "It's not called the city that never sleeps for nothing," Lloyd said. I hummed in agreement.

"Have you always lived here?" I asked.

"I moved around a bit when I was younger," he vaguely answered with a shrug. "Got any favourite spots?"

  "The park," I said quickly, and he smirked at my eagerness. "It's nice to have a break from so many buildings. And this place. What about you, seasoned city-goer? What are your favourite spots in this constantly moving mayhem?"

  Lloyd tilted his head an inch with a thoughtful, handsome smile, and I was almost rendered breathless by his expression. What a nice face.

  "I have a couple of spots that I like to go to," he said. "Mr. Robuntusson's, for one. Best candy store in the world."

  "High praise," I noted.

  "Just wait until you see it," Lloyd said seriously. "You'll understand."

  Feeling a distracting prickle in the side of my head, I turned to try to find the source of my flash onset of discomfort. I snagged eyes with the blue-haired barista and found her sending a look that could kill both me and my grave digger. I quickly whipped back around, unnerved and embarrassed by her staring.

  Lloyd noticed the nasty look, too, and brows lowered slightly over his eyes in something somber. He ignored her nasty look and continued taking sips from his milkshake. We'd fallen into a silence that had briefly been comfortable, but the knowledge of the blue-haired girl still watching us with such hatred in her eyes was enough to recharge the entire atmosphere Lloyd and I had created into something tense.

  Sigh. Back to square one.

  I looked up with an idea. "Why don't you show me Mr. Robot- Robo-"

  "Robuntusson's?" Lloyd eagerly finished for me. He leapt to his feet. "That's a great idea! I can restock my candy stash, too." He sent me an unamused look. "Whenever one of my brothers find my stash it's all gone within seconds."

  I forced a giggle, still feeling off from the angry glaring behind us. "Sounds like brothers."

  We made our way out of the cafe and away from the angry girl, and I tried not to think too hard about who she was and what she represented. I couldn't help but be aware of the red flag that appeared, however. Was she a stung ex or an old friend turned sour? What happened to make her hate Lloyd so much? Was it self-imposed or did he do something?

  Lloyd carried the skateboard for me, which was certainly chivalrous of him. We walked in silence for a short while until the streets grew a little less populated. It wasn't empty, there was still a reasonable amount of foot traffic, but it wasn't as bustling as city centre.

  "You better not kidnap me," I said, suddenly breaking the silence. Lloyd glanced at me. "I'm warning you, I'm tight with the Green Ninja."

  Bemused, his brows raised. His attention was invested. "'Tight?'"

  "Oh, yeah," I said as I stared at the sidewalk. "We're super tight. Best friends. We do each other's facials and share the same temporary tattoos. We even have weekly sleepovers."

  My eyes jumped to his bewildered face. He looked equal parts confused and amused.

  "I'm kidding," I clarified.

  "Ah." Lloyd seemed to be slightly baffled by my dry sense of humour, but at least he found it a little funny. "So you moved out of Ninjago City when you were younger, right?" Upon my nod, he continued. "Where'd you go?"

  "Jamanakai," I replied. "Mum and I moved when she got a promotion at work."

  "Just you and your mum, then?" he asked. I gave a measly half-shrug and a tilt of my head.

  "Kinda," I elaborated. "My parents are still together, dad just has to live in-job."

  "That must be hard." There was a sympathetic colour to his voice that felt like drinking molten chocolate. I found it comforting rather than infantilising, unlike how I'd felt all the other times when it'd been brought up.

  "You kinda learn to live with it," I said with a crooked smile. "It's been like this my whole life, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything. And I see him every summer and holidays, he even makes sure to stay the week for my birthdays. What about your parents? What do they do?"

  Lloyd turned his eyes to the street. He watched the cars pass.

  "My mother works for the museum." His green gaze flickered to me for a brief second. "And my dad... he's a stay at home father. Why'd you move back here?"

  I hummed a heavy exhale as I recalled the three major points as to why we relocated back to the big city. It's not as if Ninjago City was particularly safe (hence my father's insistence that we found a place in the outskirts - to lessen the chance of mythical beasts invading).

  "Well, my mum got another promotion," I began, "but I was also kicked out of school."

  Lloyd looked shocked. "What'd you do?"

  "What did my mother do," I corrected. "She punched another PTA mum's face and got a restraining order. We were basically run out of Jamanaki Girls."

  "Oh, wow," Lloyd breathed. He was clearly stunned for words, and there seemed to be nothing in his vocabulary that perfectly represented his emotions to such a revelation. "Why'd she punch someone?"

  "Her daughter was bullying me, but she was trying to pin the blame on me for, and I quote; 'having developmental issues because my father wasn't around'" I rolled my eyes. "She just entitled and so was her daughter."

  "She got what was coming for her," Lloyd claimed. A big grin broke across my face before I pulled it back into a controlled look and a nod.

  "I'm glad you agree," I said. I gave a sigh and turned to gaze upon the passing windows of storefronts. "That school sucked. I'm glad that I'm finally going to a public high school for my last year."

  Lloyd went quiet again, watching the sidewalk thoughtfully. I turned to him, confused by his sudden silence, but then he stopped and smiled at me.

  "Here it is."

  I looked up and found an old 50s-style blade sign hung over the sidewalk. 'Robuntusson's Sweet Shoppe' was painted in a pink, curly font.

  Lloyd held the door for me, which I thanked him for with warm cheeks. The inside smelt like jelly sugar and was so overwhelmingly sweet that I almost thought I was going to get lightheaded just by stepping inside. The feeling passed, however, and I took the opportunity to gaze at this new wonderful place of confectionary.

  Barrels of candy lined the walls and dispensers that held unwrapped sweets sat on the wood above them. Jars of liquorice rope and bubblegum and a million other delectable tidbits sat on shelves on the back wall, and behind a glass counter that held even more candy stood a man that looked exactly how an elderly person that ran a candy shop looked like in my head. Rows of soda towered behind him while he worked on a jigsaw puzzle. He looked up at our entrance.

  "Young Lloyd, my favourite customer!" he greeted with a surprised smile and a gruff, old-man voice when he noticed us. His glasses slid down his nose when he straightened from his puzzle. "I wasn't expecting you today. And who's this?"

  "Hey, Mr. Robuntusson," Lloyd replied politely. "This is Y/n."

  I gave a wave and a small smile.

  "A delight to meet you, Y/n," the old man said warmly.

  "It's nice to meet you, too." I tried my best to make sure that my voice wasn't small from shyness, but I think I failed.

  I perused the barrels of candy while Lloyd and Mr. Robuntusson caught up. The old man apparently had a small, white yappy dog called Calbi who'd just recovered from surgery on his back leg.

  I wasn't trying to pay attention to what they were talking about, but I couldn't help but still when Mr. Robuntusson mentioned bullies.

  "Are they still giving you a hard time?" the storekeeper asked with a quiet voice in an attempt to be discreet. I continued to wander on the opposite end of the store, but my ears had been pricked and I was listening in with my full attention. Lloyd was getting bullied? What for?

  "Nothing I can't handle," Lloyd whispered back. Mr. Robuntusson was unconvinced and, while still surprised, so was I.

  "Son," the old man said shortly. The wood creaked under my shoes as I walked. "You don't have to fight your battles alone."

  "I'm okay, Mr. Robuntusson," Lloyd murmured. "I promise."

  The conversation had turned to checkers, somehow, but I was still stuck on Lloyd being bullied. Why on earth was he getting bullied? Not only was he cute, but he was kind and charming and had (in my opinion) a great taste in music. If anything, I would've thought that he'd be one of the more popular kids in school. What on earth was he getting bullied for?

  Maybe it has something to do with that blue-haired girl.

  It made sense that he went quiet once I mentioned public school. He probably went to the public school here, where he was being bullied. A twinge of sympathy struck me through the chest. I'd been bullied before, and it sucked, but not the extent it seemed that Lloyd was going through.

  I held back an annoyed sigh as I scooped some candy into a brown paper bag.

  More questions. So many more questions.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

  When Lloyd got a bag so full of candy that it was bigger than my head, we finally left the sweet shoppe. Just in time, too, as I was about to go woozy from the extreme sugary scent of the place.

  He didn't say anything about his conversation with Mr. Robuntusson about the bullies, but it wasn't as if I expected anything different. He smiled and spoke as if he never had that conversation with the old man in the first place.

  I found myself looking at Lloyd with a new light upon this recent information. It suddenly made sense as to why he was fidgeting so much when I first arrived, or why his eyes could never settle on one spot, or why he looked uncomfortable in the cafe that first day I saw him - he had anxiety, no doubt a symptom of being bullied.

  And funnily enough, I felt a blossom of kinship bloom in my chest. It was like I was slowly figuring out this massive, gazillion piece jigsaw puzzle of a boy and I was beginning to notice that we had more similarities than differences. It made me feel more comfortable around him.

  And it made me surprisingly angry that he was being bullied. Really, truly frustrated.

  I wasn't sure where that feeling came from.

  Lloyd snacked on his candy while we walked, the skateboard pressed tight between his arm and side. A comfortable silence had settled over us, one that felt familiar and reassuring.

  The familiarity, the comfort - it unnerved me. I'd never been so comfortable around someone new before, and yet with Lloyd, the awkward tension had all but passed. It took way longer than this to get comfortable around Naomi and Aaliyah. What made him so different?

  I snuck a glance at the side of his face and found him with a content, thoughtful look as he chewed on a gummy. I found myself comparing him to paintings of the sun god Apollo - a crooked nose from once being broken, blond hair so golden that it looked as if it were glowing, faint freckles dotting his pale skin, a smile that could brighten the world.

  Feeling my stare, Lloyd dropped his green eyes to me and I quickly whipped my head back around before he could catch me. I blinked, feigning obliviousness while I sucked on a toffee.

  "You're not that sneaky, are you?"

  Of course I wouldn't get away with it. With an embarrassed groan, I hid my face into the brown paper bag.

  "No," I grumbled into its sweet-smelling creases. "Unlike my very real best friend the Green Ninja, I'm not as adept at sneaking."

  Lloyd laughed, and I blushed at how pretty I thought it sounded. He went to reply, but my attention was deftly and wholly snagged by an approaching storefront. He followed my engrossed gaze.

  "Do you wanna go in?"

  I sucked in a breath and shook my head. "No, it's okay."

  "You really look like you want to go in," Lloyd pointed out with a hearty grin. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the old, vintage books that were proudly displayed in the window. "Go on."

  I finally managed to look away from the beauties and sent Lloyd a warning frown. "If you let me go in there, I won't be able to leave."

  Lloyd's smile only grew. He began herding me through the door, and I caved. Easily.

  I smiled at the nostalgic smell of old books and mentally mapped this as a place to return to. Lloyd followed behind me as I meandered through the shelves of old, second-hand novels and scrolls, and I looked for so long that I ended up losing him. I spotted Lloyd a couple of times as we each explored the small store, and when I did, I would find myself staring as he picked up a book and open the dust jacket to read the blurb.

  Pretty boys with books had always been my weakness. I had to force myself to continue perusing the shelves more than once.

  Honestly, I would've stayed in the store forever and made a home for myself in the darkened corner, but the thought that Lloyd was getting bored and that I was being annoying had settled a home in the back of my mind. I settled with the book I'd been holding for the past fifteen minutes and went in search of him.

  He looked up at my approach with my pretty hard-cover version of Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. It was frayed and soft from the years it had under its belt and its pages were all stained yellow, but it was in good condition considering its age.

  "You found something?" he asked from over my shoulder. My skin prickled at his proximity, but I found myself enjoying it. He had a small pile of old comics as his own haul.

  "Maybe," I murmured. "I'm tempted." Really tempted. I tried not to look at the price despite the fact that I have paid and will forevermore pay an arm and a leg for books.

  "Do you like it?"

  I nodded.

  "Would it make you happy?"

  Again, I nodded.

  "Then get it," he said.

  "You've played my hand," I sighed, and smiled when I caught sight of Lloyd's beguiled face. We made our way to the front and I tried my best to not be lured in by the numerous other books that called my name.

  "Is this all, dear?" the woman at the counter asked. She was eyeing Lloyd oddly, but that was probably because he had his nose stuck in one of the comics already.

  "Yes, thank you!" I chirped and had busied myself with grabbing my card when I heard the telltale ping of the eftpos machine being paid.

  I glanced up in lame shock, mouth agape as my brain caught up. Lloyd was pulling away his phone from the machine. I gasped.

  "Lloyd, no!" I complained. "Why'd you pay for it? You've already given me your board."

  He shrugged. "Think of it as a gift."

  My frown deepened. "That's what you said last time."

  He only chuckled and prepared to pay for his comics, but I shot out my arm and slammed my card over the machine before he could. His eyes were wide as he stared at me.

  "There," I huffed. "Now we're even."

  Lloyd laughed. His laugh sounded even better than his chuckle, if you could believe it, and it was like he brightened the entirety of this dim little store. He was like Apollo in more ways than one. He was his own sun.

  "Alright, nerd," he snickered, gently tapping the back of my shoulder with his comics as he passed. "Let's leave before you buy me more stuff."

  "I may be broke, but don't tempt me," I threatened. He fell into another snigger and held the door open for me again.

  I held my book close to my chest and was confounded by the flustered, fluttery feeling in my chest as we walked. It was as if my heart had skipped a beat, or began trembling instead of thudding. It took me a while to realise that Lloyd was the cause.

  "I never realised that the forest was so close," I thought aloud while we strolled down a street that boarded the very edge of the city. Beside us, a massive forest towered and covered an area of land more than three times the size of the city.

  "They say it's haunted," Lloyd said slyly. "It's said that if you go into the Forest of Tranquility, you'll never come back out. It's full of ghosts."

  I raised a brow. "You believe in ghosts?"

  Lloyd snorted. "No. Do I believe in the Yatagarasu? Yes. Ghosts? Not a chance."

  "I dunno," I mused. "I used to be a skeptic of pretty much everything but ever since the ninja appeared out of nowhere, it's changed my perspective on things."

  Lloyd sent me a questioning look. I took it as a sign to elaborate.

  "The physics of it - it doesn't exist," I explained. "The biology. Either mythical beings are real, or they're from extraterrestrial origin."

  "Aliens." Lloyd interpreted in astonishment. "You think they're aliens?"

  "Don't you think history would've said stuff about people that can control the elements? Don't you think there would've been studies?" I pressed. "It's a major conspiracy."

  "They have legends," Lloyd pointed out.

  "Legends can stem from extraterrestrials," I reminded. "Legends don't tell us how ordinary people can control the earth or wield fire."

  "You're very invested in this."

  "I know," I groaned. "I don't like not knowing stuff. I want to know everything. It's awful."

  Lloyd relaxed into a sympathetic smile. He stopped walking and faced me, so, confused, I did the same.

  "Pursuing knowledge isn't awful," he reassured. "It's a great strength. Knowledge strikes sharper than the sword."

  "But the agony of never getting your questions answered hurts more than a cut from one," I dryly challenged. Lloyd smirked at my quick comeback.

  "Okay, then. If you were in front of the Green Ninja right now and he'd answer any question you have, what would you ask him?"

  I paused. What would I ask the Green Ninja? I stared at Lloyd's face as I sifted through my thoughts, trying to pick the perfect question.

  Where do your powers originate from? How do you do spinjitzu? What's it like being so powerful? Are you human? Did you have a normal childhood? How old were you when you realised you weren't like everyone else, or did you know all along? Is there really a secret society full of people like yourself?

  Lloyd's eyes were deceptive; green just like the ninja's. If I focused only on his eyes, it almost felt as if the Green Ninja really was standing before me.

  And then with that thought, I got hit with guilt.

  "I'd apologise." I finally found my answer, despite it not being a question. Lloyd's face twisted with shock, taken aback by my words.

  "Apologise?" he echoed. "What for?"

  I pulled my bottom lip with my teeth and exhaled, dropping my gaze. Guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders.

  "I hit him with my car, first off." I wrapped my arms tightly across my chest. "And then I walked into one of his battles like an idiot." I shook my head. "I don't know what's going on with me. He must think I'm so stupid."

  "I'm sure he doesn't," Lloyd reassured, and the look on his face almost led me to believe him. He certainly did. "The guy's pretty forgiving."

  I wanted to argue, but couldn't bring myself to. Instead, I pulled a small, crooked smile in thanks. He looked around us and sighed.

  "I should get going," Lloyd admitted. "I've gotta get back home. I didn't mean to stay out this late."

  With a glance up to the sky, I was shocked by how late it was. Nearing mid-afternoon, the midday warmth had disappeared, and I found myself suddenly chilly in the shadows of the large forest.

  "Oh, wow," I agreed. "It is late." My body gave an involuntary shiver.

  "Are you cold?"

  "No." Another shiver. "A little," I confessed, "but it's fine."

  "Here." Lloyd pulled off his hoodie and held it out for me. "I'm pretty good at regulating my temperature. I don't need it."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Take it," he said, and pushed it more toward me. "I'm sure."

  I hesitantly took it from his outstretched hand and pulled it. I was immediate to sink into its warmth. It was kind of embarrassing to wear it in front of him, and even more embarrassing knowing that it wasn't my first time, and then even further embarrassing by how nice it felt to wear. I had to resist the urge to sink my face into the garment and hide under the hem.

  "Thanks," I murmured. There was a strange expression on his face that I didn't want to read too much into, and my cheeks blushed hot. This felt a lot more intimate than it should've.

  "Can I walk you home?" Lloyd asked. I nodded, unable to trust my voice. He wanted to walk me home - surely that was a good sign?

  Was this a date? No, it can't have been. But was it? No. Yes? Ugh. I would've asked him if I had the courage.

  Once we passed the heavy traffic of the city and entered the retirement area, Lloyd took the chance to skate on the empty roads. I watched him as he did, caught between wanting to take every detail of him in and wanting to read my new book. My eyes would jump from the words to Lloyd and back again, unable to settle. I couldn't focus.

  His stance was comfortably lazy as he skated, the position of somebody who was either a genius on the board or someone who had great trust in their centre of gravity. He made it looked effortless, and every movement was calculated with ease. How could a boy be so pretty with everything that he did?

  Why was he getting bullied? I wanted desperately to know so I could reassure him of the opposite. I couldn't ask, though, as it would've been insensitive of me. We weren't that close. We were still practically strangers.

  But we were more alike than I had first realised and I found myself hoping that, if anything, we could be good friends. That growing sense of camaraderie from before had taken root in my chest.

  "Nice place," Lloyd commented as we turned into my drive. The board was hooked back under his arm, and he took in the peach blossom trees and the daisy-riddled lawn and the empty garden crates with a curious scan.

  "Thanks," I smiled. "Mum was pretty stoked when she found it." And then my smile dropped. "Though, I'm pretty sure it only went on the market because the last owner died. The realtor was pretty reserved about it."

  Lloyd grinned at me in amusement. We stepped up onto the porch silently and I berated myself once again for letting my mouth run off. He probably thought I was weird. Actually, no, that was a definitely. He most definitely thought I was weird.

  Lloyd set the board down onto the porch swing that my mum had installed shortly after we moved in. He hovered, and I fidgeted, and I was sure that both of our words had failed us. The silence stretched.

  "Well," I said finally, risking the move to break the quiet. No more words were forthcoming, and I stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do now. My vast expanse of romance literary knowledge failed me.

  "Today was fun," Lloyd said. A relieved smile crept onto my face. "Thanks for the comics."

  "Thanks for the book and the board," I said. "And for showing me Robuntusson's. I'm pretty sure my haul will last me for the rest of the summer."

  Lloyd's smile was amused and boyishly crooked and I took an internal photo of it in my mind. He was so cute.

  "I think mine might last a day," he commented amusedly. His expression turned a little meek and hopeful. "I'll see you later?"

  I nodded quickly. He stood for another moment and I found my eyes being drawn to his smooth, freckled cheek. My breath stopped at the idea that had just sprung to the front of my mind.

  "Have a good night, Skateboard girl," he said in farewell, and turned to descend the porch's stairs.

  "Wait!"

  Lloyd turned back toward me, startled from the volume of my voice. I hunkered back in on myself, surprised and embarrassed from my outburst.

  "Yeah?" he asked when I remained quiet.

  I chickened out. "I- I forgot to say thank you for today."

  Lloyd relaxed into a calm smile. My eyes were drawn to his cheek again.

  "It's no problem-"

  His words were cut off when I, throwing caution and also any sense of dignity and logical thought to the wind, quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek.

  I stepped back with wide eyes and skin that was probably steaming. The kiss was so fast that it was blink-and-you'll-miss-it, but the lingering sensation of his warm cheek had all but been branded to the nerves of my lips.

  Lloyd's face went red, and he'd drawn still at my action as he stared at me in frozen shock. Regret barrelled into me like a bull. I felt winded and knocked and wished that I could've taken it back. Stupid!

  "Okay, bye!" I exclaimed in a shrill voice, panicking out of my mind, before turning and promptly thwacking my head on the door frame. I felt my eyes shake in their sockets.

  Lloyd gasped my name and, temporarily stunned, I staggered backwards. His hand caught my shoulder.

  "Are- are you okay?" he worriedly asked, reaching for my forehead before thinking better of it. His green eyes dropped to mine. He was still blushing as red as a firetruck. "You're bleeding."

  Mortified beyond belief, I lifted my fingers to where I'd hit my head and winced. They came away with drops of blood. My panic burst.

  "Oh." I tightly laughed before shoving on the handle and throwing the door open, unable to meet his eyes. "Blood's fun, bye!"

  Lloyd barely had the time to look bewildered before I ducked inside and quickly shut the door. When I was sure that he had left, I yelled into my hands. What a way to ruin a perfectly good not-date.

  "'Blood's fun?'" I echoed incredulously. I stormed off to grab myself a bandaid and an ice pack. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

  I didn't even realise I was still wearing Lloyd's hoodie.

Lloyd really be out here subconsciously like *notice I'm the green ninja* *notice I'm the green ninja* *notice I'm t