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A 17-year-old with spiky hair was minding his own business when his sister stuck her head over his shoulder.
“Have you seen the new gang?” she whispered, cutting through the bustle of the cafeteria.
“No. Who?”
Nya pointed over at a group of five, all dressed in black, some decorated with silver chains. The leader of their conversation had a green streak in his hair.
“Goths? So what?”
“I saw the leader following Lloyd last night. I caught up with him and he found a bit of a hurry to find another way home.”
Kai nodded. “I’ll take a morning shift looking after the Green Bean.”
“Excellent.”
The aforementioned boy in green was slightly smiling to himself the next morning, though not brightly enough for anyone to notice and think he was up to something. Kai met him at the doors and walked as he always did, hands folded behind his head, glancing around his honorary little brother’s perimeter. His eyes ever so slightly narrowed when he noticed the kid with the green streak. He briefly forgot about what Lloyd was saying, putting on a tough expression when he turned from his locker.
“Morning, Morro!” Lloyd called casually.
"Screw you."
Kai jumped at Lloyd's poking the bear. “You have a problem?” the fire ninja sharply asked 'Morro.'
“With what?" the goth asked. "A tiny sophomore?”
“Who is this guy?” Kai exclaimed to Lloyd, who had buried his gaze and kept walking. Morro subtly picked up his pace as well as people began to glance.
“Uh- no. Forget it, he- told me not to talk to him anyway...” His voice faded quickly.
Kai frowned but continued. He thought they had escaped a confrontation before finding a small mob in short shorts.
“Lloyd Garmadon!” Chen snarled. Kai gave him a warning look, but the cheerleader bunched up a pom-pom in his fist. “Your dad got the senior trip canceled! You better not have been showing him where to attack, or I’ll-”
Before either Kai or Lloyd could react, Chen’s hair was shot up in a burst of wind. Everyone looked down the hall. Morro had his backpack over one shoulder and leaf blower under the other.
"Get a life,” he groaned. “He was squirreled away studying all dang night.”
Chen blinked rapidly, between the shock of the leaf blower and at someone new defending the son of Garmadon.
“Is that for a science project?” Lloyd asked, following after Morro.
“None of your business.”
“Who? What?” Kai sputtered. “What don’t I know here?”
Morro gave Lloyd a sharp look. The blond zipped his lips till they turned to a quieter corner.
“Kai, this is Morro.”
“I’ve never met this kid in my life,” the teenager deadpanned.
“He’s my cousin.”
“Adopted.”
“Oh…” Kai remarked. “What about the gang?”
“Gang?” Lloyd asked.
“My friends.” Morro grinned. “I may not be a” he tauntingly dipped his voice to a whisper, “ninja like you guys, but once Garmadon’s settled, we’re next in line to take over the city.”
Kai wasn’t sure if he was serious or not.
“Assuming you don’t flunk science class,” Lloyd added with a smug grin.
“You don't need to rub it in," Morro muttered.