Rivals {Ninjago AU}

Chapter 13

***Hey, all! It's been a while :)

If you're anything like me, you need a quick refresher on this book, so it may benefit you to look over the past few chapters quickly ;)

Hope you enjoy!***

***(Nya's POV)***

I sigh, shoving my backpack further up my shoulder and trying to dispel the nerves in my stomach.

Because I was settling yesterday's cafeteria incident with Principal Misako yesterday, I had to miss my meeting with the student leading Ridgewood's journalism club. He was willing to reschedule for today, but I'm more than a little concerned he'll have a bad opinion of me now.

I try to smooth over our upcoming encounter in my mind. Hi, are you Scott? I'm Nya, the Graceton student who mentioned needing an opportunity to practice journalism while at Ridgewood. No, I'm not a terrible student who gets kids into fights in cafeterias. What, my brother told you that? Don't believe him! He's just poisoning your mind against me! What's this? Oh, it's the latest article I finished for Graceton. Would you like to see it? Wait, don't rip it up! That's my life's work...

I roll my eyes at the dramatic fantasy playing through my head. Scott will probably be a very forgiving student at Ridgewood who will judge me based on the merit of my articles, not my brother's apparent distaste for me.

I stop in front of the room where the journalism club is held, taking in a deep breath. I'm missing part of my lunch period to be here, but it's worth it.

It's also worth being away from Skylor and her vocal assertions that my brother is a demon sent from the Cursed Realm to haunt me and my friend group. I know Skylor needs someone to hate right now – it keeps her sane, what with her dad's sudden plan to remarry and move hours away – but it doesn't make it right. I'm the only one with a right to hate my brother. He acts like some upstanding guy to pretty much everyone else.

And besides, I have to deal with the fallout of Skylor's conduct.

I put all thoughts of my personal life aside. It's time for me to focus on something I'm good at: journalism. I'm terrible at making peace in my friend group, but I can write like nobody's business.

And as long as I impress the journalism club in this interview, I can keep doing what I'm good at and finally ditch Graceton's cruddy school newsletter. Ridgewood actually has a newspaper, and if I were published in it, more of my articles would reach the public.

You can do this, Nya.

I knock on the door twice, and I watch a guy turn toward me through the door's window portion. He smiles and waves, then jumps up from his desk chair.

I swallow. Hi, I'm Nya. I'm here to speak with Scott, the student director of –

He opens the door before I can finish rehearsing my introduction.

"Good morning," he greets, his tone chipper. "You must be Nya."

I blink. "Um...yes. I hope I haven't kept you waiting." I look down at my phone, but sure enough, I'm a few minutes early.

He gives me a grin. "No worries." He waves me toward an office door. "I'm glad you were able to come. Scott said you might not make it."

I raise an eyebrow. I never told Scott that I might not make it, so that must've been his own impression of me.

Great. He probably thinks I'm some unprofessional journalist newbie.

"This is his office," my guide says, clearly unaware of my mood change. "I'm Griffin, by the way."