*3 Years ago*

Nya's POV

I walk into stunt training with my head held high. It finally happened. After 4 seasons and two whole years, I am finally becoming a ninja. I get to be the master of water.

While I've been considered a part of the main cast ever since the beginning of the show, this is really putting me on an equal playing field with the guys. The show is called Ninjago after all, so getting promoted (in a sense) to being an actual part of the team means a lot.

I first found out the news when I was initially reading over the script with Jay. We were reclining on the couch in his dressing room when I first read when Wu tells Nya that she's the master of water. I jolted up when I read it. Bringing the script closer to my face, my eyes scanned over the words over and over again. I couldn't believe it.

"Looks like you found something interesting. Good news or bad news?" Jay sat up from beside me and peered over my shoulder at the page. I held it still to let him read it, unable to say anything. My skin buzzed with excitement.

"Oh my...Nya!" I looked over at him. His face was glowing, his smile so bright that it lit up the whole room. His blue eyes that make fangirls (and perhaps myself on occasion) swoon gleamed with excitement for me.

I nodded, the words still not coming to me, before I ambushed him with a hug, knocking him back onto the couch with my force. He let out a laugh before wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"I'm so happy for you," he said as he cradled his face into the crook of my neck. His hot breath fanned across my neck, and goosebumps popped up all over my skin. My heart raced frantically. We stayed there a bit longer until I finally found my voice, and I shared just how excited I was.

I still am beyond excited. So far, I have only talked to the guys about my new role as a ninja. I want the rest of the people in my life to be just as surprised watching the scene as I was reading it. It has been especially hard to keep it from my mom and Gabe, specifically Gabe since we live together.

When I came home from shooting an episode of another show on the day that Jay and I did our little read, Gabe was already home with dinner made. I forget what it was. I was too absorbed in my news.

"You're late," Gabe said before taking a bite of his food.

"Sorry, shooting got done later than expected," I explained, hanging my coat up on the rack near the door before walking over and taking the spot across the table from him.

"Where's my hug?" he placed his fork down and stuck his arms out. I stood back up, walking over to him to briefly wrap my arms around him before sitting back down. "You look awfully giddy."

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hide my excitement as I picked up my own fork. "I just had a good day. That's all."

"But we barely saw each other today cause you left so early to meet up with Jay. Is that why you're so happy? Cause you saw him?" he stirred around his food, his voice even but hard while he talked. My chest locked up at his tone.

"While I did enjoy seeing my friend," I emphasized the word friend to try to calm him down, "the day was just peaceful. That's all."

He was suspicious for the rest of dinner, probing me about my time with Jay as if anything scandalous had happened. It was so hard to keep my mouth shut since just telling him the truth would stop his racing mind. Even now when I come back from the Ninjago set all happy, he interrogates me because of just how enthused I am.

Even if it is putting even more tension on my already strained relationship with Gabe, I can't help but be excited every time I think about this upcoming season. The stunts are crazy, the visuals are going to be insane, and I am going to play a major role in it.

When I walk into the big warehouse filled with mats and harnesses and everything, I see the guys already at work. Kai, Cole, Zane, and Jay are all surrounding Lloyd, throwing their "powers" at him while also hitting him with different physical attacks. Lloyd, in his "possessed" form, counters them all, and the five of them keep going and going and going until their form gets sloppy and their chests heave.

Since they don't know how many times a scene will have to be shot to get it right, they like to have us practice our stunts continuously to build up our stamina. From the way the guys are huffing and puffing while dripping in sweat, they've clearly had to do this for a long time.

"Alright, stop! Take a five minute break, and then we can run it again from the top," our head stunt coordinator instructs them before walking away, and the five of them groan.

"I am so over this," Jay throws his head back before pulling his drenched blue shirt off and tossing it over to the side. The room was already pretty stuffy before, but now it feels like the temperature got cranked up to the max.

I've always known that my best friend was attractive. All of the guys are. It's like saying that the sky is blue. There is no disputing that the sky is blue just like there is no disputing that Jay is attractive.

However, I don't know when I went from knowing that he was attractive to feeling that he was attractive. He used to take his shirt off around me all the time without it affecting me, but now, my cheeks turn pink as I look at his sculpted torso that's glimmering with sweat. Both Kai and Cole also have their shirts off, but it doesn't trap my attention. I just know that they're attractive. I don't feel it.

Guilt grips onto me as my eyes are glued to Jay. I have a boyfriend of two years for goodness sake. Another guy shouldn't be able to steal my attention like this.

Even if Gabe is two years older than Jay, Jay is exponentially more ripped than him. Gabe never works out. When I tried to bring him with me, he just complained and said that working out is pointless and that he's upset at how much I have to work out because it makes me bulky.

We have to work out two to three hours a day for the show. Unless we are injured, it's non-negotiable. This contrast between Jay and Gabe has led to a big difference in their physiques, and as someone who vigorously exercises, I can definitely appreciate both the effort and aesthetic that goes along with Jay's body.

"Wow, look who gets to show up later than us all AND doesn't have to go through all of this," Cole's voice pulls me out of my trance, and my eyes immediately whip over to him.

"Jealous much?" I tease, approaching the five of them. "I'm actually a little bit early too."

"That's so unfair. You're literally a ninja now! You should have to struggle alongside us," Kai crosses his arms.

"Or you should at least have to get here at the same time as us. We had to get here at eight in the morning. Eight!" Cole throws his hands in the air.

"Oh, I'm not sure if you should be so disappointed," I feel an arm wrap around my shoulder, and my pulse quickens instantly. "I heard that our Nya here gets to carry buckets of water hooked onto a plank while doing hill runs."

"Yep, I'm not gonna complain about this anymore. I'm glad I'm not you, Nya," Lloyd says from where he is lying on his back like a starfish.

"You're joking," I look up at Jay, but from the amusement in his eyes, I can tell he's serious. "Damn it. Is it too late to go home?"

---

*present day*

I pop my lips after applying a fresh layer of lipstick. Looking into the mirror, I admire my work. In a rather short amount of time, I gave myself masterful smoky eyes, applied a thin layer of foundation, and touched up my lips. My hair is pinned back into an intricate bun that looks stunning with my maroon bodycon dress.

I need a break from the world right now. Ever since that video of me throwing up on Jay, being territorial over him, and trying to fight Tessa was posted, I haven't been able to escape it. Not only is it all over social media, but I can't even escape it in my own house. Gabe is constantly watching me to make sure I'm not messaging Jay, and on top of that, he said that he doesn't think he can trust me anymore.

Above all, I'm mortified. I completely embarrassed myself not only in front of Jay and the girl who is clearly trying to get in his pants but also the entire world. Now, there's even a shipping war happening online between the real life Jaya shippers and the people who are shipping Jay and Tessa. They found out who she was through some people recognizing her, and #Jessa has been trending ever since. It doesn't help that today was the day that he showed her around the city. Pictures of them have been plastered all over my feed. It's been making my stomach churn and head ache.

Due to all of this, when Skylor messaged me and said that we should have a girls night out, I couldn't refuse. More than anything else, I need to get out of this house and away from the cameras. I need some form of escape.

"Where are you going out looking like that?" Gabe's voice makes me jump in my skin, catching me off guard.

"Sky, Sel, Rumi, Pix, and I are going out to a secret A list club. They won't serve me alcohol cause I'm under 21, so don't worry," I explain, dropping my lipstick and mascara into my little purse along with the key to our apartment.

"I'm more concerned about who you'll be serving in that dress. Your tits are literally exploding from the top of it. You look like a slut, like you're trying to go to bed with whatever guy you can find there," he blocks the doorway, grimacing as he looks up and down at me.

"I'm just going out with my friends," I try to explain to him, but his face doesn't change. I look in the mirror at my dress. I thought it was a rather modest dress, going down to my mid thigh and not showing too much cleavage, but now I feel so bare in it. "I'll change."

He smirks as he walks over, patting my ass on the way to the toilet,"Good girl."

---

"Finally! We've been waiting here forever. Did Gabe hold you up?" Seliel crosses her arms as I approach them outside of the club. My friends shiver in their dresses that look nearly identical to the one that I had on earlier.

"It was just a dress malfunction, nothing big," I shrug. Now, I have on a black, long sleeve, high necked dress that goes down to my knees.

"Alright great. We already got Seliel her wristband so that she can drink if she wants, so we can head inside now."

---

"I can't believe they make you turn in your phone at the door. This would definitely make great content for my vlog," Seliel huffs before she takes a sip of her cocktail.

"I think that's the point," I laugh, setting my virgin mojito down. "They want this place to stay low key so they can keep drawing in high profile clients."

"It's nice to not be bombarded by paparazzi and cameras while I'm out for once," Skylor sighs, and the rest of us instantly agree.

"Cheers to that," Harumi smiles, and the five of us clink our glasses together. "Did I tell you all that Lloyd and I might move in together soon?"

"I do not recall you informing us about that matter," Pixie smiles from behind her mocktail.

"Yeah, we're both kind of tired of living at our parents' houses, and now that we're eighteen, we want some freedom, you know? Plus, considering how busy our schedules are, it'll be nice to at least share the same bed as him most of the time," she folds the napkin in front of her as she talks, turning it into a little origami swan.

"I definitely recommend it. Moving in with Kai has been one of the best decisions I've made. We moved in together when we were about your age, and while there's always the issues like 'don't leave your hair product on my side of the bathroom' and 'pick up your clothes after you've thrown them everywhere trying to find the specific outfit you want', it's amazing being around the person you love so much more. Plus, there's no more parents forcing you to keep your door open," the smile on Skylor's face makes my heart fuzzy. Kai will always have a special place in my heart as my show brother, so the fact that he and my best friend are so happy together always adds a little light to my life.

"It is all of the minute occurrences that accumulate into the grandest form of happiness. For example, Zane awakes before me every morning and presses a kiss to my cheek before he prepares for the day ahead. When I feel that subtle gesture, it makes my day better," Pix's cheeks turn pink as she shares her little story.

"Oh, and also, it's amazing to get an unlimited supply of their clothes. Most of the time, I just walk around in one of Cole's t-shirts instead of my own clothes," Seliel laughs a bit before turning to me. "What about your experience, Nya? You've been living with your boyfriend the longest."

Her question catches me off guard. "My experience?" I ask aloud, trying to encompass a word to describe it. "You really get to know your partner more after moving in with them."

"You get to know that he's a controlling dick?" Seliel quips. Skylor promptly elbows her in the ribs. "Ouch."

"It's alright. I know how you all feel about him," I rub my temples.

"Well let's not talk about him. The G word, or any reference to it, is banned for the rest of the night," Skylor grabs my wrist and pulls me up. "Tonight, we're going to have fun on the dance floor."

---

Sweat drips off of us as we sway to the music. We have been out here on the dance floor for over an hour, and we've definitely gotten a solid workout in. Our feet ache, with one of us making a comment about it every ten minutes, but none of us make an attempt to move. We just keep moving to the beat. We dance with and on each other. We spin each other around and fall into fits of laughter.

Several groups of guys, some of which we recognize from other projects, approach us, but we turn them all down. We don't need any guys tonight. It's just us.

After several more minutes, my feet are unbearable. Even though I took off my high heels a while ago, they still ache uncontrollably.

"I'm going to go take a break," I say to the other girls who are jumping around.

"What?" Seliel brings her ear towards me, trying to hear me over the music.

"I'm going to take a break. My feet hurt," I explain. Her mouth makes an "o" shape, and she shoots me a thumbs up before I walk back to our table.

I slide into the seat and put my feet up on the cushion to relieve some of the pressure. Then, I reach for my virgin mojito and chug it down to try to rehydrate myself (although I'm not sure if it will even actually hydrate me). I wince at the bitterness of it and question if they actually put some alcohol in it by accident.

I push the empty glass away from me before leaning my head back and closing my eyes. Within the span of a few minutes, I am absolutely exhausted, the adrenaline having worn off. I reach for my phone to check the time before realizing it is at the door. Shrugging, I let myself relax, my eyes fluttering open periodically. I try to fight the drowsiness, but it overtakes me.

When I open my eyes for the last time before drifting off, I see an array of sparkles before my eyes, like diamonds in the night sky.

A/N: AAAAAAH I'm the worst for this. A year and two months! I'm a whole menace. Sooooorry about that.

I bet a lot of people don't remember what happened, and that's alright! If you have any questions regarding the past 12 chapters that you don't really want to reread, drop them here! I'll answer them!

Regarding this book, the goal from now on is to update at least once a month. I want to get Escapade finished first (that's the main priority since it so much farther along) but I will try to not neglect this one again.

Thoughts on the chapter

Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck around waiting for an update! You're awesome!