"Hey, Garmy," Eliza called, tossing her jacket and backpack onto the floor.

"Cameron," Garmy said gruffly, not even turning around. "You're late."

Eliza rolled her eyes. She'd almost crashed her bike into the door in an effort to make it to class early. But when she'd hopped off and went to lock it in, her jacket got caught on someone else's bicycle. 

Which is why she'd spent a good amount of time awkwardly twisting herself into pretzel-like shapes in the parking lot.

By the time she'd ripped away from the Garmy's black mountain bike, she'd realized that she was ten minutes late.

"Sorry," she muttered, plopping down on a stool opposite Garmy's. Eliza leaned backwards, pressing her back against the cool wall.

"Sit up straight," Garmy said sharply. "If you develop a habit, before you know it, your back will be curvier than a model's ass." 

Eliza stifled a chuckle, adjusting her posture ever so slightly. There was nothing more satisfying than giving Garmy a taste of disobedience. Sweet, sweet, disobedience. He never did anything Eliza asked, whether it was letting her choose what song she wanted to sing or demonstrating a particular concept over and over. Maybe it was because he didn't like her. Or maybe he was a rebel like her.

But whatever the reason, Eliza was sure that he was going to disapprove of her relationship with his son. 

They weren't boyfriend/girlfriend (yet) and Eliza prayed they would never be. She couldn't handle him. She could barely handle herself when she was around him, so there would be no chance Lloyd would want to be her boyfriend. Would he?

Garmy cleared his throat. "POSTURE."

"Fine, fine." Eliza sat up straight, pressing her feet into the tiled floor. "Better?"

"A little. Let's get started." Garmy grabbed some sheet music from under his chair. "New song."

"Really?" Eliza asked, trying not to get her hopes up. She desperately wanted it to be "On the Ground" by Rosé, but it was unlikely that Garmy would approve of such music.

"Yes. Oh, and I heard you got into 'Songbirds'. You're playing Deryn Oak."

"What?" Eliza took her eyes off the papers Garmy was holding. 

"Thought you should know," Garmy said curtly. "It's a big role. Lots of difficult songs. At least I know they're difficult for you."

"Wait, but how did you-"

"My wife is the director."

"But the audition was-"

"There weren't many auditionees," Garmy explained. "Which is why they chose you instead of some insanely talented girl."

Eliza didn't even hear the insult. She was lost in thought. Deryn was the protagonist of the musical, the girl who would go on to become a famed singer (and fall in love with a musician's son). Her personality was much like Eliza's, though Deryn's ability to control herself in front of her crush made Eliza feel weak and insecure. 

"My son landed the role of Zalmir Realm," Garmy continued. "So you two will get to know each other quite well."

QUITE WELL??! Eliza thought. Her face turned red and her heart began to thump faster and louder. Zalmir was Deryn's love interest. The two fell for each other. They ended up together. And the worst thing was, they kissed! K-I-S-S-E-D. 

Eliza Cameron had promised herself the day before that she wouldn't get into an embarrassing situation with Lloyd Garmadon. That she wouldn't ever, EVER, even think about touching him again.

This definitely changed things.

They would have to pretend to fall in love until the show, which was probably going to be in  several months. They would have to talk to each other. They would have to be together practically every day. 

Of course, Eliza could do her best to avoid Lloyd off stage and then convince the director (his mom) that they should do the fake kiss...

"We intend to treat you like professionals." Garmy said, reading her thoughts. "So there will be no fake kissing simply because you guys don't like the smell of each other's breath."

"But you-"

"I'm the producer."

Well, that explained a lot. 

"Rehearsals start tomorrow after school and run for 4 hours every weekday. Saturdays are 1 to 7, Sundays are off. Let's go. Take the music."

Garmy dropped the papers in Eliza's lap. She looked down and gasped.

"But this is- this is-"

"Roseanne Park's Gone? I don't normally let my students sing such music but I found this one to be a good fit for you. Now hum it first."

Garmy's ability to read Eliza's mind was getting on her nerves. If she didn't put her acting skills to work, there was a good chance Garmy would know about her "walk" with Lloyd by the end of the lesson. 

But Eliza simply couldn't think about anything else. The only thing on her mind was the musical and Lloyd Garmadon. 

Eliza began to make out the notes, humming with as much confidence as she could muster in her frazzled state. 

Garmy had lied. Several hundred girl had auditioned for the role of Deryn. They came from all over Ninjago, from prestigious music academies, famous vocal programs. Eliza was the only one the judges thought would fit Deryn's character. She wasn't the most talented auditionee, nor was she the hottest. But there was something in her that screamed "CHOOSE ME". Maybe it was her personality or her confidence. But Garmy liked to think it was because Eliza was a hard-working actress and musician. 

To reward Eliza, Garmy had decided to teach her the proper way to sing Gone.  She deserved it. 

As Eliza hummed Rosé's song, she could see someone in the corner of her eye. Someone was dancing behind Garmy. Eliza glanced over Garmy's shoulder and almost stopped humming. 

It was Lloyd Garmadon.

He was obviously trying to make her laugh. He performed the most hilarious dance moves and made funny faces at her every time she attempted to hum the notes that went with the word "gone". He even mimicked her movements, licking his lips and pretending to toss his hair over his shoulder. 

It took all of Eliza's strength not to laugh.

Garmy was still thinking about the musical, so he hadn't noticed that Eliza's mind had traveled elsewhere. But he was still staring straight at her.

As Eliza got closer and closer to the end, Lloyd began making more and more exaggerated movements. He even pretended to dramatically take off his shirt, making Eliza blush and mess up.

"Cameron. That's a mistake. Do that phrase again," Garmy said without realizing he did. He'd listened to the song enough times to know when something was off, even when he wasn't really focused on it. 

Eliza repeated the phrase, making sure not to glance up at her crush. This allowed her to finish the song with no more mistakes.

The rest of the lesson continued this way. Garmy made her count out the beat as she began singing the lyrics, so Eliza focused on tapping her stool and reading the music. She also focused on ignoring the green blob dancing behind her teacher's back. 

Finally, Garmy said the words.

"Lesson's over. I'll see you tomorrow for our first rehearsal."

"Thanks," Eliza muttered, standing up and walking to the other side of the room. Lloyd was no longer by the door. Thank goodness.

Once she had stuffed her sheet music into her backpack and tucked her jacket under her arm, Eliza walked out, closing the door to the soundproof room.

She saw Lloyd as soon as she stepped into the hallway. 

He was smiling smugly, his blonde hair a perfect mess. His green eyes lit up when she looked up at him and he straightened his back and ran his fingers through his hair. 

"You!" Eliza dropped her jacket and backpack on the carpeted floor and tackled him to the ground.

A yelp escaped Lloyd's lips as he fell down, though it wasn't because his crush had just leapt on top of him. 

It was because his crush was ON TOP of him.

The pair rolled around, smashing into the yellow walls of the hallway, each trying to pin down the other. Lloyd rolled away as Eliza tried to punch him in the stomach, laughing.

"I was just trying to have some fun," he said, effortlessly dodging Eliza's fists. "I do what I want."

"What do you want? For me to embarrass myself in front of your father?" Eliza whispered, afraid that the soundproof walls of Garmy's room would suddenly stop being soundproof. "I thought you were a nice boy. That wasn't very nice."

"Then punish me," Lloyd said in a husky voice. "Do the worst you possibly can."

There was a hint of arrogance in Lloyd's voice, and Eliza was sure he knew what thoughts were running through her head. Apparently, he had inherited his father's mind-reading abilities.

Before Eliza could say anything, Lloyd flipped her over, his sudden burst of confidence surprising her even more than his actions. 

Eliza's hips were trapped between his legs, and his textured jeans touched the skin that her shirt had revealed. One of his hands gently touched her chest while the other stroked her thick hair.

Eliza looked into his eyes and immediately regretted it.

"What are you going to do now?" Lloyd asked with a sly smile, his labored breathing making him even sexier than he already was. "I've got you cornered."

"I know," Eliza said, taking a deep breath.

And then they kissed.

Their lips wanted each other so badly. The kiss was almost aggressive, like the two lovers had been wanting it for way too long. 

Eliza forced herself to use the breath she had saved in her lungs instead of letting go. She couldn't break away. She wouldn't. 

Lloyd's upper lip pressed down against Eliza's, the side of his cheek brushing against hers. Her skin was so soft and smooth and her breath smelled like fresh blueberries. He kissed her harder, his natural confidence taking over. 

Lloyd and Eliza continued the kiss for what seemed like an eternity. It went on and on, becoming heavier and heavier. They were so immersed in their own world that they forgot they needed to breathe. 

So when a door creaked open and they suddenly pulled away, both of them were gasping like a fish out of water. 

Eliza reacted faster than Lloyd. She pushed him away and stood up, picking up her jacket and backpack as she did.

Garmy walked into the hallway and stopped dead in his tracks. 

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon. What are you doing on the floor?"

"He tripped," Eliza said quickly, brushing her hair out of her face. 

"Yeah, I tripped," Lloyd echoed, staring at Eliza with a look that was both dreamy and boastful. He was an excellent kisser, and Eliza Cameron had just been the first to find out.

"Get up," Garmadon said sharply. "Your mother just washed those clothes for you."

Lloyd got to his feet, his eyes still on Eliza. "Sorry."

"I, uh, have to go," Eliza said, staring at the carpet. "See you tomorrow."

As soon as she rounded the corner, Eliza broke into a run, one thought sustaining in her mind.

She had just kissed Lloyd Garmadon.