"Real rehearsals begin tomorrow," Garmy announced, crumpling the paper in his hand. "Review your script books."

"Goodbye," Misako called in a much more pleasant voice." Have a good night!"

This was followed by a chorus of "byes", "see yous" and "you toos". Vibi joined Eliza by the double doors, no longer angry with her. Instead, she began asking Eliza a plethora of personal questions. 

"That was your second time? Was it better than the first?"

"Are you gonna do it again?"

"What does it feel like?"

"Do you think he likes it as much as you?"

"Are you in love with him?"

"Are you guys official yet?"

"What was the first one like?"

"Is hair soft?"

"Are you the more confident one or is he?"

"Do you want his parents to know?"

"NO!" Eliza turned to her friend, a worried look on her face. "They can't know."

"Why not?" Vibi asked teasingly. "Afraid Garmy and Misako will kick you out?"

"Yes," Eliza admitted. "I can't lose this role. Not over some stupid boy who can't stand upright for more than two seconds. Promise you won't tell."

"Well-"

"PROMISE." Eliza held Vibi's gaze. Her eyes were both threatening and fearful, which made for an interesting expression. It suddenly occurred to Vibi how ridiculous it was to be so scared of love. It wasn't alive. It couldn't murder you in your sleep. It couldn't hurt you. It was merely an idea, something that everyone dreamed of but never truly got. 

"You can't make me," Vibi said at last.

"VI-"

"Eliza?"

Eliza spun around and immediately regretted it. 

Her long dark hair smacked Lloyd in the face, causing him to yelp and stumble backwards. He slapped a hand over his injured cheek and bit his lip to stop himself from making any more panicked sounds. 

At that moment, Lloyd Garmadon was more concerned about looking like a wimp in front of his crush than hitting his head on the cement floor.

Thankfully, Cole caught his friend just before he fell into the gaggle of managers behind him. 

"I'm so sorry," Eliza apologized, reaching out to grab Lloyd's free hand. She pulled him up and Cole chuckled.

"Gee," he whispered teasingly to Lloyd. "Don't fall for her so hard."

Lloyd kicked Cole in the shin and Vibi stifled a giggle.

"Hey, um, Eliza?" Lloyd asked, his fingers (which were becoming sweatier by the second) still intertwined with hers.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering, if you, um, want to, you know, go, I mean, you don't have to, but I was thinking, you, uh, and, I mean, if you want, um-"

"What he's trying to say is, 'will you go out with me?'" Cole interrupted. 

"Well, um, do you really, I, uh, I'm happy to, you know-"

"What she's trying to say is, 'yes, I'd love to go out with you'," Vibi explained. 

Lloyd and Eliza blushed and looked away. Vibi rolled her eyes and pushed Eliza towards Lloyd, almost frustrated by the fact that they couldn't kiss 24/7.

Eliza glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at the gum-chewing girl, mouthing a string of words that made Vibi glare harshly at her friend.

The black-haired boy started walking towards the hallway, but as he did, he whispered something in Lloyd's ear. Cole winked at Vibi, who blushed and smiled shyly. Then they raced down the hallway, banging against the lockers as they (not so quietly) slipped past the other actors and actresses. 

Eliza and Lloyd still hadn't let go of each other. They should've, considering that Misako and Garmy were still somewhere in the auditorium. But they had already gotten lost in each other's eyes, and the feeling of their fingers laced together was enough to stun them into a dazed state.

"Where do you want to go?" Eliza asked, ripping her eyes off Lloyd. She tried to concentrate on the carpeted floor, but that only reminded her of their first kiss. 

Everything seemed to remind her of Lloyd these days. 

"Wherever you wanna go," Lloyd replied, unable to think about anything else than the fact that he was holding hands with Eliza Cameron.

"I don't- you know what? I have a place you might like," Eliza said.

"Lead the way."

Lloyd squeezed Eliza's hand, and she smiled, a twinkle in her dark eyes. 

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"Well, what else do you do? Beside acting, of course." 

The couple had taken a bus to their beloved recording studio, then walked a short distance to another bus stop. Ninjago City was just as lively as it was on any given day, but to the beautiful dark-haired girl and handsome green cladded boy holding hands, everything seemed to be quieter than usual. 

They still hadn't let go of each other, despite the fact that anyone could've easily snapped a photo of them on the street.

It wasn't that they wanted to be seen in public holding hands. That was absurd. Already, dozens of people had stared at them in surprise, curious as to why two wildly different teenagers were clutching each other as if someone (or something) was threatening to tear them apart.

If Vibi had been there, she would've explained that Eliza and Lloyd weren't as unalike as the bystanders might've thought. It was difficult to explain in just words (because true love had never been the sort of thing that could be spelled out), but something about the way the two behaved around each other made it evident that there was indeed a red thread connecting Eliza Cameron and Lloyd Garmadon.

And even though they were both extremely talented performers, Vibi could tell they weren't acting. Their vibe was too powerful to be fake. They were truly and deeply in love. The world just had yet to see it.

Holding hands simply seemed natural. Their fingers interlaced in a way that suggested their hands had been sculpted to be together. Plus, both of them were secretly afraid that if they let go, they'd never get to experience the bliss of it again.

"I do a lot of reading," Lloyd replied. 

Eliza turned to him, surprised.

"Really? What kind of books do you like?"

"Mostly graphic novels," Lloyd admitted sheepishly. "I'm particularly interested in the ones about ninja. They're based off true stories."

"That's definitely a fascinating topic," Eliza agreed, smiling shyly at her crush. "History is my kind of thing. Did you know that there was a ninja, the green ninja, called Lloyd?"

"I think I'm named after him," Lloyd said. "There was a ninja called Nya, too. Legend says that she sacrificed herself to save Ninjago by becoming one with the sea."

"Ooh, I know this story!" Eliza exclaimed. "I've borrowed countless books about it. Nyad and Nya. Ninjago's greatest heroines. We wouldn't be here without them."

"Yeah," Lloyd murmured. He had tried his very best to focus on the conversation, but alas, he'd gotten distracted by Eliza's piercing eyes and sweet smile. She was so alluring for some reason. Lloyd just couldn't put his finger on it.

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"We're here!" Eliza announced.

They had finally arrived at their destination: a small library on a crowded street full of large bars. It was a thin, four-story building painted a beautiful cerulean blue. Instead of a grand sign declaring the library's presence, someone had taped a paper sign with the words "Open: Ali Gold Public Library" to the screen door.

Lloyd stared up at the place in amazement, wondering how he had managed to go his entire childhood without finding out about this place. 

"Vibi has a part time job here," Eliza explained. "I visit pretty much every week."

"Wow," Lloyd breathed. "It's so- so-"

"Unconventional," Eliza finished with a giggle. "I know. But wait till you see what the inside has to offer. Come on!"

Eliza ran up the steps, dragging her date behind her. She flung open the door and called, "ALI! IT'S ELIZA!"

A short girl scurried down the flight of stairs to Lloyd's left, her dark hair bouncing behind her. She was incredibly tiny, though her eyes shined with the confidence and power of a fierce fighter. 

"Hey, Liz! How is- who are you?"

The girl called Ali glared suspiciously at Lloyd as she clenched her small fists. She looked like she was capable of knocking him out with a solid punch to the noggin, even though she was only half of Lloyd's height. 

Eliza blushed as she remembered that Ali didn't know about her date. She quickly let go of Lloyd's hand and stepped away from him.

"Uh, this is Lloyd. Lloyd Garmadon. We're in the musical, Songbirds. You know, the one I told you about."

"I see," Ali muttered. "A boy with Eliza Cameron. That's not gonna be good."

"Ali!" Eliza scolded, shooting her friend a glare. "We're just friends. And we're here to check out the library."

"I don't mean any trouble," Lloyd said quickly. "I can leave you want."

"No, no, it's fine," Ali said, her gaze softening. "If you're just here to check out the place, that is. Any other funny business and you're gonna have to take it to one of the bars."

"ALI!" Eliza cried, embarrassed. "Stop it."

The elf-like girl chuckled before running down the hallway. She stopped to blow a kiss at one of the paintings before continuing to race away. Lloyd recognized it as Morro, master of the wind. 

Did Ali have a crush on one of Ninjago's past villains?

"Have a good time!" Ali called as she rounded the corner. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"Kitchen?" Lloyd asked once she was gone. "Does she live here or something?"

"Nah," Eliza said, making her way up the carpeted stairs. "She just doesn't want to blow up her own house. The library is her place to experiment."

"I see," Lloyd murmured, suddenly concerned that this date might be his last.

Eliza took another two flights of stairs to the fourth floor, where she paused at one of the large windows to admire the view outside. The city was beautiful in the winter, which made up for the freezing weather and broken heaters. It wasn't Christmas season quite yet, but Eliza was already getting the holiday vibes.

Lloyd spotted a shelf full of graphic novels and he immediately jogged over to check it out. Eliza rolled her eyes but dutifully followed him.

"Pick out a book," she instructed. "Any book will do. Then meet me by the windows."

She ran off to another room and Lloyd shrugged. Every girl had their secrets, and it looked like he was about to discover one of Eliza's.

It took the blonde-haired boy no time at all to choose a book about Morro, the guy that Ali had blown a kiss at. Perhaps there was something about the elemental that Lloyd hadn't discovered yet. Something that would intrigue him.

He walked back to the windows and waited for Eliza to return. 

"Look up," a voice called. 

Lloyd did as he was ordered and found, much to his surprise, Eliza standing on the roof of the library. She looked down at him through a circular hole, smirking.

"Climb," she said, and dropped down a rope ladder. 

Lloyd scampered up to the roof, where he was greeted by a cold breeze. He shivered and began to question the quality of his green hoodies.

"Don't worry," Eliza said softly, walking Lloyd to the edge of the roof. "We'll be in a much warmer place soon."

"What are you- AHHH!" 

Eliza quickly wrapped her arms around her crush and jumped off the building, biting her lip to prevent herself from crying out loud. Lloyd didn't bother to restrain himself, which he would regret later on, and he screamed in fear as they dropped a good twenty feet. 

There was no crash landing.

Instead, Lloyd suddenly found himself resting comfortably on a large pillow. The sound of laughter, bad guitar music, and glasses clinking together filled his ears, and the warm light of a few lanterns encouraged him to open his eyes. 

Lloyd felt like he had just woken up from a terrible nightmare, yet he knew for certain that he hadn't gone to sleep in such a cozy spot. And he definitely hadn't fallen asleep behind a large wooden counter with a man loudly demanding a drink sitting on it.

"What happened?" he asked groggily, sitting up. 

Eliza stood over him, a smile dancing on her lips. 

"Welcome to Laughy's," she said. "DARETH!"

A man dressed in all brown hurried over, carrying a boba. 

"Hey, Liz! Came to see me again, huh? Well, I've missed you!" 

He gave Eliza a big hug and she laughed, patting his back.

"It's only been a few days, Brownie. But I've missed you too."

For some odd reason, Lloyd felt jealous. Who was this man? How did he know Eliza? Why did they miss each other?

Eliza wasn't even Lloyd's girlfriend. She had the right to flirt and interact with whoever she wanted.

Yet Lloyd Garmadon found himself wanting to kiss Eliza right then and there to show "Brownie" that no one could have her. No one but him.

"Brought a friend, eh?" Dareth observed, looking over at Lloyd. "I knew you'd get lonely. I'll get him a drink." 

Dareth walked away, but before he could complete two full steps, he tripped over his own feet and dropped Eliza's boba on the floor. The glass shattered and Lloyd smirked. Eliza couldn't possibly want to be with this klutz, right?

"And I'll get you a new one too," Dareth called, standing up. "Clean the glass up for me, will you?"

"Sure," Eliza said good-naturedly. 

"I can do it," Lloyd said quickly, standing up. He forced a smile onto his face as he stopped Eliza from grabbing a dustpan. 

"Oh, you don't have-"

"Don't worry about it." 

Lloyd grabbed a broom that had been leaning against the counter and efficiently swept up the mess into the dustpan that Eliza had found. He discarded the broken glass in a nearby trash can that smelled suspiciously like vomit and turned to Eliza, his smile fading.

"You know him?" he asked.

"Dareth? Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. He owns this place. He's a clumsy fellow, that's for sure. But he's a good guy."

"I guess," Lloyd muttered under his breath.

Eliza could tell that Lloyd was jealous. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. But she pretended not to notice, just to keep the fun going, and kept on talking about Dareth.

"He's really kind and sweet, you know? Brownie's the type of guy you just want to keep on hanging out with. But now that I have to spend my afternoons at rehearsal, I won't be able to see him as often. That sucks."

"Come on," Lloyd said sharply, barely able to contain his jealousy. He grabbed Eliza by the wrist and pulled her up a few flights of stairs (he was getting tired of stairs by this point). They made it to the roof, where Lloyd turned to his crush.

And then he kissed her.

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"Are you getting this?"

"Yes. I'm getting every single second."

*A/N Well wasn't that exciting? ;)*