between these walls | ninjago au

Chapter 17

3rd Person POV

The Gordon's villa was closer to the school compared to Ed and Edna's junkyard. Libber had pulled up in a nearby car park and sprinted across the busy roads and pushed the doors, speeding to the front desk.

Misako looked ahead at her, "Libber! Can I help you?"

"I need to speak with Jay... and Seliel."

The elderly woman consulted her clipboard, "Those two signed out of the building, but haven't returned yet. You're welcome to wait here."

"Yes, please." Taking a seat on the couch, Libber's eyes averted from her phone, to the door and back to her phone. She nervously watched the students walk past, talking among themselves.

Almost a full half hour ticked past, and Libber straightened up, and headed to the front desk, "Is there a curfew? When will they be-"

"Jay, Seliel, there you are!" Misako greeted, smiling warmly. Libber whipped around to see the two twins standing stunned. Silently, Seliel pushed past and signed in, as did Jay, completely ignoring Libber's presence, but the former master of lightning wasn't giving up that easily. She raced after them.

"Jay! Seliel! Wait!"

They'd just reached the first floor when they abruptly stopped and turned around, "Not now." They headed into Jay's dorm where Cole and Nya were, and Libber managed to catch up to them.

"Jay, please just...let me explain-"

"Explain? How can I trust you when you've been lying to me my whole life. First you hid a secret about my powers, then you hid the fact that I have a twin, what's next? Do I have another sibling I don't know about?" His eyes flashed with anger, hurt, betrayal.

"No! I..." Knowing Jay was still mad, she turned to Seliel, who had taken her coat off. Cole and Nya were silently observing, before quietly leaving the room.

"Seliel, please-"

"Why should I listen to you? You clearly had no time for me, and didn't want shit to do with me!"

"I know, I screwed up-"

"Yeah, you screwed up big time. I don't want you in my life."

"I'm still your mother-"

"No, you're not!" She yelled, tears in her eyes, "You may have given birth to me, but you're not my mother! Cliff isn't my father!"

"I did it for your own good-"

"Are you serious?!" Jay snapped, "Secrets ruin a family, they don't make it better! I can't even trust my own mother now!"

"Jay, please don't say that-"

"Why shouldn't he?" Seliel asked, "He has every right to not have trust in you." Libber took Seliel's hands, "Please, Seliel, I just want a second chance-"

"Yeah, well you shouldn't have given me away straight after I was born. How can I call you my mother when you don't know a goddamn thing about me? You didn't even bother to give me a name!" 

Libber stared silently, tears pooling in her eyes as Seliel snapped.

"Ed and Edna were the ones who helped me walk. Ed taught me how to drive. Edna taught me how to do my hair. They were the ones who sat down with me at every parent-teacher confrontation. Ed was the one who helped me fix a tire. Edna was the one there for me when I got my first period. Not you or Cliff. Them."

"Jay may see you as family, but I don't. Not then, not now, and certainly not in the future. The exit's downstairs, Libber." With that, she stormed out. Helplessly, the blonde turned to Jay, who had tears running down his cheeks, "I'm sorry, Mom. I just...I need some time." Silently, he too, left, and ran upstairs, running into one of the dorms, before letting out a frustrated yell, punching the wall.

"Jay, Jay. Hey, calm down!"

"I can't!" He yelled at Nya, "I can't! My parents are pathological liars who have kept my twin a secret from me for eighteen years, and expect me to forgive and forget! And you want me to calm down?"

Nya wrapped her arms around the auburn, "It's okay, let it all out." she whispered.

Jay hugged her back tightly, sobbing, as they fell to the ground. Jay looked at her, "I'm sorry I yelled. I didn't...I didn't mean to..."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad. You're angry, upset. We've all had those days." Nya assured, placing her forehead against his.

Jay sniffed, a tear dropping to the ground, "Why does life have to be so difficult?"

"Because it's life. It's never in a straight line, and there's gonna be ups and downs. Several of them. I haven't known you for a long time, but you are one of the strongest people I know, Jay Walker-Gordon."

Jay smiled and cupped her chin, "Thank you. It's been a while since I've had a shoulder to cry on. You're a good friend."

Friend.

Friend.

You're a good friend.

Nya's smile faded. Friend. Was that what Jay saw her as? Is this what rejection felt like? She bit her lip and smiled sadly, "No problem."

"Um...I was gonna ask if you've seen my phone, but you're clearly busy..." Nya looked up to see Lloyd standing at the doorway, his hands in his pocket. She jumped up, "Yep." Grabbing it off his bed, she tossed it at him.

"Cheers." He left again, and Nya looked at Jay, "Um...we should get going...Skylor's mom showed up out of the blue and um...we were gonna ask her about the hitlist."

"Yeah, let's go." He mumbled confusedly, wondering why Nya had brought up an excuse, why she visibly drooped, until he realised what he'd done.

Friend.

Friend.

You're a good friend.

There was supposed to be a Jaya kiss but I wrote it out last minute; Imma just stall it at the friendzone *evil smirk*