The rest of speech class went smoothly for the earth ninja, who had taken his interaction with James as a good sign that he was fitting in quite well with the student population. When taking on a high-stakes mission such as this one, they couldn't afford to stand out. And, if he was being honest with himself, he found it flattering that a "big man on campus" type of guy would take such a liking to him.
So much so that after class, as Cole was packing up his stuff, James turned to him, leaning in as though he was about to tell him something top secret.
"Just between you and me, there's a party going on this Friday at the football house. You and your friends are invited to come, as long as you swear you won't tell anyone else. We're trying to keep it on down low, in case the authorities catch wind of it."
Cole nodded. "Sounds good, man. Can't wait."
"Awesome," James said, giving the earth ninja a fist bump. "See ya there."
"See ya. Catch you later."
After James left the room, Cole exhaled softly. It wasn't easy to act like a "normal" college student. Every interaction felt like a performance, especially when you were concealing a large part of yourself from the rest of the student body. James seemed like a nice guy, though. He was surprised that after speaking maybe a total of five sentences to him, James was already treating him like they were best buddies. Which Cole didn't mind. He was glad to have at least one friend in the class.
"Guess what?" Cole said as approached his three teammates, who were standing outside the dining hall later that afternoon. Jay was currently at the library doing his afternoon watch; therefore, they were down one ninja.
"You failed your pop quiz?" Kai asked. "Or worse, you failed the class already even though it's your second day?"
Cole shook his head. "I got invited to a party," he answered, puffing out his chest proudly.
"No way!" Kai exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yes, way!" the earth ninja answered. "And apparently I'm allowed to bring friends. So, clear your calendars, boys."
"When is it?" Lloyd asked, secretly hoping it didn't clash with his study date with Julia.
"This Friday. At the football house."
"Who invited you?" Zane asked curiously.
"This guy I met in class. His name's James," Cole responded. "He's cool. Just met him today, actually."
"Wow, who knew people here were so friendly?" Kai remarked.
"Indeed. I did not expect people to warm up to us this quickly," the ice ninja agreed. "It is a pleasant surprise."
"We're not here to make friends," Lloyd reminded them. "We're here because we're trying to stop a few crooks from terrorizing Ninjago."
Kai put his hands on his hips. "Oh, like how you're totally not getting cozy with Julia because you lo—"
"That's enough," Zane said, trying to prevent a fight from ensuing. "I think our lack of nourishment is fueling our impatience. Why don't we get some sustenance, then talk strategy some more?"
The four ninja looked at one another and nodded, realizing that they were pretty hungry. "Sounds good, Zane," Cole said. "I could really go for some chili."
"So, you ready for date tonight, Lloyd?" Kai asked as he took a bite of his hamburger.
As per usual, everyone, except for Cole, had gotten their signature meal at the dining hall. Lloyd had gotten pizza and Zane had gotten a salad, while Cole had opted for chili.
Lloyd glowered at Kai in midst of chewing his pizza. "It's not a date, Kai," he said, swallowing. "I'm simply going to the dorm to find Victor's room."
"It sure is lucky that you bumped into Julia when you did," Cole said. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have had an easy way in to Roosevelt."
"I know, right?" Lloyd said, reaching for a napkin. "It was like destiny, almost."
Kai rolled his eyes. His teammate was clearly in denial.
"When we find Victor, we'll likely find the others," Zane said.
"That's the plan," Lloyd said, wiping any remaining pizza sauce off his face. "Speaking of plans, you said there was a party on Friday, right Cole?"
"Yeah," Cole said. "James said we were all invited."
"Well, I was thinking that'd be a good time to investigate the students some more."
"Meaning, we wouldn't be going to the party to actually party," Kai said, lowering his head in slight disappointment.
"No. We're going to use that time to search for the other criminals," Lloyd answered. "And who knows, we might find Victor or José there as well."
"Logically, that would be a productive use of our time," Zane agreed. "However, we cannot ignore the possibility that they will use the party as an opportunity to gather while the other students are distracted."
"Then we'll need to split up," Lloyd said. "Since Jay isn't here, I'm going to suggest that you and him search the campus while Cole, Kai and I go to the party."
It seemed like the most reasonable division, since Zane, being the nindroid that he was, might have trouble blending in with the party scene, anyways.
"Sounds like a plan," Cole said, taking his last bite of chili.
"Then our priorities are set," Lloyd declared, feeling more confident about how the next couple days were doing to go. "I guess my biggest concern now is: How am I going to pull off this study date thing with Julia tonight?"
