A Touch of the Master's Hand

The Monkey Butt of the Joke

Chapter Four

The Monkey Butt of the Joke

A few days later was too soon to change how one went about school. Lloyd found himself coming out the front doors after a full day of lessons in the three R's and in social teenaged breeding, and he was ready to put his mind to the "foundation" yet again.

Did it have anything to do with the Temple of Crumbling Foundations? He wondered.

He might have thought that the "foundation" of the Secret Ninja Force was his own father, but then again, he was not one of the students of Master Wu. Then again... again, Master Wu did say he was secretly mentor-talking with his older brother...

Nya met him ruminating as he reached the gate.

"Hey, bro, tough day at school?" asked Nya.

"Huh?" asked Lloyd blinking back. "Oh, yeah, it's school."

"I told the guys to meet us here to hang, cuz I don't really like school as much without them either, y'know? C'mon. Just like old times, right?"

Part of Lloyd kind of wanted some space and silence to think, but he shrugged with a smile. "Sure."

He paused suddenly, and Nya raised a brow.

Wu had not told him not to confide in the others, he realized. Maybe keeping this a secret was the wrong way to go about this. Wu had said something about trust in all this. Maybe they could figure out what he meant by the "foundation" if they all figured it out as a team.

"Say, Nya," said Lloyd.

"Yeah?"

Maybe Nya was the "foundation". She did hold everyone together in a sort of feminine way. Master Wu had pegged her for Green Ninja material early on before it was evidently his juvenile delinquent nephew, and maybe this was why. She had used to offer that Wendy-like, motherly attention to the guys in the real old days before she started going to high school, but she seemed to be getting a little of it back after a full summer and the defeat of Garmadon somehow. Maybe the absence of the others actually at school had something to do with it too.

"Yeah?" pressed Nya cocking her head with confused interest.

A van suddenly pulled up with a screech.

"Hey, sis! Hey, Lloyd!" said Kai popping his head out the rolled-down window on the driver's side.

"Oh, hey, Kai!" said Nya.

Lloyd sighed unsure of whether he was relieved for the interruption or annoyed.

"That's the last time you drive, Kai," muttered Cole in the passenger seat; though he sounded more amused than annoyed.

"We almost hit a fire hydrant!" cried Jay in the back.

Zane slid open the back door for Nya and Lloyd to climb in.

"Hello, students! Prepare to be escorted away from your high school trauma to the fresh air of real life."

"Ha, poetic, Zane!" said Nya.

"Thank you."

"We could've been arrested!" Jay was still complaining, and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Where'd you learn to drive, Kai?"

"Hey, I didn't, I didn't," laughed Kai. "Uh, hit it, I mean, ha!"

Nya jumped in first, and Lloyd was just about to join her when Chen showed up with his girl pals.

"Hey, Lloyd! Wait up!"

A jolt went through Lloyd. The other secret ninja turned to look at Chen before Lloyd did. He had to pause to roll his eyes before he turned around with a forced smile.