Rivals {Ninjago AU}

Chapter 6

A/N: Hey, guys, welcome back to Rivals!

I'm going to try updating on Friday nights at 7 p.m. EST from now on.

ALSO: Three things!

1) If you find the LEGO reference in this chapter, I'm proud of you.

2) The first person to find where my username is used in the chapter will make a cameo appearance in this book :) Just comment "found it!" next to the paragraph where my username is located. My username is beep24, but I left "24" off the end.

3) If you guys like this book, nominate it for the Ninjago Fanfic Awards! It fits into a few different categories, so you have options :) You can find the awards link in the comment beside this paragraph:

Enjoy!

***(Kai's POV)***

I yawn, stepping into the kitchen. "Morning, Mom. I'm up a little late, so I think I'll just take breakfast on the go." I sidle up to the stove, slide past her, and steal a pancake right out of the skillet.

She laughs and swats me away. "Oh, Kai, you're such a booger."

Yes, my mom has spent so many years away from me that she still calls me kiddie names. It's embarrassing, but putting up with it keeps me favored in her eyes.

Her face sobers before I can make a comeback. "Honey, did you hear what happened at Nya's school last night?"

I hitch a shoulder. "What, did somebody hold hostages there or something?" I try to come up with the most outlandish idea possible so my mom realizes how insignificant whatever problem she's talking about actually is. She tends to overreact about stupid things.

She chews her bottom lip. "Honey, somebody set off a bomb there. It wasn't high-tech or anything, but the explosion still took out part of a wall on the right wing. There's also a lot of damage inside."

My eyes widen. "No way. Nobody was hurt, right?" Sure, I don't like Graceton, but I don't want anyone there dead. I mean, my adopted mom runs the place. I wouldn't want her to break her record of never losing a student.

Also, human life is important and all that.

"Everyone was fine," Mom nods, her features still creased with worry. "But your sister's out of school for the rest of the week. Granted, that's really only today and a long weekend, but...just try to be kind to her, okay? This is a real hitch in her senior year, especially since her friend Skylor is moving away soon. They're missing out on making some memories together." She turns back to the stove and flips a pancake.

I pfft. "What kind of name is Skylor? Sounds like some hoity-toity rich girl name. Or maybe a name for a future track star or something." I elbow her.

"Kai, Honey, Nya's mentioned Skylor before. You really should try to pay attention to her friends' lives because they're important to her." She eyes me seriously before turning back to her cooking.

I scoff. "I do listen, Mom. Let's see here...there's Skylor, obviously. Then the one with the weird name...Pascal, I think?" I rack my brain, unsure of anyone else in my sister's friend group. "And don't forget Rachel, Jessica, Madison –,"

My mom swats me in the arm with a spatula. "Stop picking basic girl names, Kai. I think the first two names were popular when my generation was in high school."

I sputter. "I'm deeply sorrowed that you consider me anything other than the very embodiment of honesty," I chide her.

She rolls her eyes and laughs. "Kai, you've turned into such a turd over the years. Get to school."