Rivals {Ninjago AU}

Chapter 22

***A/N: Welcome back! Sorry it's taken so long to post this, but this summer has been a wild ride.

Hopefully you all had a great summer and are looking forward to a wonderful rest of your year!

Also, be sure to check out the wee little surprise I mentioned in my announcement for this chapter :)***

***(Harumi's POV)***

As soon as I step into the fresh air, I inhale deeply. It's like the afternoon sunshine is wiping away that trapped feeling inside, the one that somehow always seems to sit in my chest but escalated with auditioning and all Cole's questions.

"Hey," I hear Lloyd's familiar greeting.

I look up to see him, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, with a half-grin that shows off his dimple. He's all friendliness, all kindness, and it just makes my heart sink further into my stomach. Why am I being such an idiot for Skylor here? I don't want to break Lloyd's heart to get on her good side.

But I can't just let him down, either. He clearly likes me, and if I were to leave right now, things would only be weird between us. Plus, if he's anything like me, he'd be questioning what he did wrong that I seemed to like him and suddenly stopped.

"Hey, yourself," I greet. "Ready to teach me all about parabolas?" I say the word perfectly this time so he can feel like he taught me something over lunch.

"I'm more than ready." He turns and points toward the road up ahead. "There's a park right up there that we're headed to."

"Perfect," I smile. "Any chance you know when we'll be finished? My dad usually picks me up from school, and he needs to know when to come."

He considers this. "We'll probably be done in an hour or so. But I could, uh, always give you a ride home if you want."

The invisible hand that's been gripping my heart all day seems to tighten its grasp. Lloyd doesn't need me leading him on, but how can I just push him away? I'll hurt his feelings. I need to stick to my original plan of showing interest in him, then dating him until I get him to think he's the one breaking up with me. Then he won't be heartbroken.

"Sure!" I accept, forcing enthusiasm into my expression and tone.

He raises his eyebrows, clearly catching the hitch in my act. "Are you sure? If you'd rather your dad drive you home –,"

"Oh, it's fine," I reassure him. "I was just, um, a little concerned about my dad letting me ride home with a guy he doesn't know. But I'm sure he'll be fine with it." The lie slips off my lips, and I whip out my phone to hide my guilt.

In all honesty, though, my dad wouldn't care if I told him I was riding home with a boy he didn't know. He's gotten used to that from me over the past few years.

"Okay," Lloyd smiles. "Just let me know what he says." He repositions his backpack on his shoulder. "Ready?"

"Yep!" I fall into step beside him. "I don't think I've been to the park in a while."

I haven't really gone ever since I used to spy on Jackson and my former best friend's dates back before I stole him. I didn't trust him from the beginning, and I know it wasn't right to spy, but she wouldn't listen whenever I told her my concerns about him. So I wanted to be close at hand in case he decided to do something stupid and flirt with other girls while they were out.

"I sometimes go with my family on weekend afternoons," Lloyd explains. "But I used to come to this park all the time when my mom worked late at Graceton. My dad would come pick me up from school, then spend some time playing with me here until she was finished."