Chapter 12

Cole arrived at Carol's apartment building a few minutes later, going upstairs to her door. He almost fainted at the sight of Carol in a beautiful dark purple party dress as she opened the door to reveal herself. She's was just drop dead gorgeous. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Didn't want to take his eyes off her. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and looked to be curled up as well. Her make-up consisted of light purple eye shadow, mascara, some press powder and light pink blush as well as dark red lipstick. She just looks like a model that came off the fashion runway, Cole couldn't deny it.

The moment was ruined when Carol's mother barged in between them, smiling at Cole while flipping aside her red hair and revealing way too much make-up on her face that almost made her look identical to a clown. She wore a dress that hugged her not-so-thin body figure so tight, Cole feared everything might start popping out, including a certain part he wasn't ready to see.

She shook Cole's hand. "Hi, you must be Clouse."

"Cole, Mom," Carol corrected her mother.

"I know that, Carol. I was just testing you to make sure you knew." Carol's mother chuckled. "So good to finally meet you, Caleb. I'm Rachel Dominez, Carol's mother. Oh, Carol was wrong. You are nothing like I imagine. She described you as being this handsome god or something like that, but you are nothing but a shaggy mess. If you plan to spend the rest of your life with my daughter, I expect you to look presentable. Trust me, unlike you, my daughter will definitely be going places and I don't want her spending time with some slob. You better work on your looks, young man. Now let's head out to the business. I can't wait for you to meet all my colleagues."

The ride to Accounting Incorporation would've been a pleasant experience if Rachel hadn't been spending the entire time talking and gossiping. That woman could definitely talk and was professionally skilled at telling a entire story in one sentence, not taking a moment to pause so she could breathe. It's no wonder Carol couldn't stand her friends gossiping so much. She has a mother who does the same thing every day.

Relief washed over Cole as they finally went inside the largest accounting services in all of Ninjago City. While Carol's mother began mingling with all her business colleagues, Cole and Carol stuck to each other like glue the entire time they were there.

One thing Cole discovered was the other employers didn't drag their kids along. Rachel was the only person in the entire place who brings Carol to these boring parties since she wouldn't be caught dead going alone. Or that's at least what Rachel says.

"Why don't you just tell your mom you're not interested in this type of crap?" Cole asked as the two of them walked over to the refreshments table.

"Believe me, I've tried, but she told me this was the only way to start thinking about my future," Carol said, "And, as usual, I don't have a choice in the matter. But I do believe part of it is because she hates attending these things lonely. She used to drag my aunt here all the time before she finally got fed up with it and refused to go to anymore boring business parties."

Cole nodded. "I have to agree with you and your aunt. Business parties are pretty dull."

After a while of wandering around and having nothing to do, Cole noticed Carol starting to fan herself with her manicured hands.

"You okay?" Cole asked, concerned.

"Well, with the amount of people here, it's just really cramped, which also makes it stuffy," Carol said, "You wouldn't mind if we go outside for a few minutes?"

"Sure. Beats sticking around in here."

The two headed outside and stood out in an alley, enjoying the fresh cool air of the city. They talked for a couple of minutes about an upcoming project their Chemistry teacher assigned them the day before when a guy came out of nowhere and began smoking a cigarette, walking up to Cole and Carol.

"Hey, either of you have change for a twenty?" the guy asked, "I'm hungry and figured I could buy some food out of the vending machine across the street, but all I got is sixty bucks in tens and twenties. You don't mind helping me out?" He blew out a line of smoke in Cole's face, causing the teenage boy to cough.

"We'd be happy to help you if you put out the cigarette," Carol said, "Don't you know those things are bad for your health?"

The guy shrugged. "So?"

"Well, second-hand smoke is just as bad," Cole said.

"I'd be more concerned about what's going on behind you," the guy said, pointing behind the two teenagers.

Cole and Carol turned around and faced two other guys that were dressed just like the smoker guy. They all had beanies and one of them wore a scarf around the bottom part of his face, concealing his nose and mouth. He carried a bat while the guy not wearing a scarf had a club. Smoker guy had a bat in his hands.

"What's going on?" Carol asked, staying hidden behind Cole.

"They're planning to rob us," Cole told her.

"That's right, buddy," the guy with a scarf on his face said, "Hand over all your money and personal belongings and we might spare you both from serious injuries."

Carol gasped, clutching the necklace she wore around her neck. She once told Cole it was a gift from her father that he gave her on her tenth birthday. Cole looked down at his wrist where a fancy watch sat hooked there. His dad allowed him to borrow it to wear out today and made Cole promise not to let anything happen to it because it's a priceless family heirloom. No doubt the robbers surrounding them would just snatch them off in order to collect their loot.

But Cole also knew that they wouldn't hesitate to hurt Carol if it came down to refusal. Careful studying proves that women are ten times more likely to be attacked by robbers and Cole had no plans for that happening. It may reveal his secret being the master of earth, but what choice does he have? It's either take down the bad guys or risk Carol getting hurt. So in order to protect her, he used his spinjitzu and skills in the martial arts to take down the bad guys.

Cole's done this hundreds of times before and beating up regular everyday robbers is more of an exercise for him more than anything else. Thieves were practically training dummies found at the Monastery of Spinjitzu. It wasn't too much longer before the three criminals called it quits and ran off. Luckily, some cops were exiting out of a donut shop and caught them before they could further escape.

Cole looked over at Carol, a worried expression on his face. "You okay? None of them hurt you?"

"No, thankfully," Carol said, "What did you do?"

"Pardon?"

"Those moves, especially the one that resembled a tornado. How were you able to do that? And how do you have so much strength?"

Cole sighed. The secret would have to come out sooner or later and now was the best time. "Figured I couldn't keep the secret forever. Carol, I…I'm a ninja. I'm the master of earth."

Carol chuckled, setting her hands on her hips. "I had a feeling about that. Especially after watching you pick bullies off the ground whenever they're picking on those poor freshman kids."

"You've seen me do that?"

"Only once, but I figured you just worked out a lot in your spare time. So how long have you know about your powers?"

"They unlocked when I was a kid. I never really tell people about a certain part of my running away phase because I still feel guilty about what happened. But you deserve to know. That is if I can trust you'll keep it a secret."

Carol made a motion with her fingers across her lips, pretending to zip it up tight. "Your secrets are safe with me, Cole."

Cole nodded, glad to know there's always someone that can keep personal information to themselves. Taking a deep breath, he told Carol everything.

"There was this guy name Buck. I had slept inside his cabin in the woods one night and the next morning I wake up to a big dog staring right at me. His name was Jerky, Buck's original owner. You remember me telling you about Jerky, right?"

Carol nodded. "Yes, I remember. Go on."

"Well, I was worried Buck would be mad at me for spending the night in his cabin, but he was actually pretty cool about it. He let me stay there for a while helping him with his little carpentry business he had going on. Then one day he said something about watching the news and seeing me on there, listed as a missing kid. Well, there was a cash reward for whoever brought me home safely and he planned on using it to buy a store here in Ninjago City to expand his business. Well, it was around that time I was beating myself up about whether or not I should go home, but Buck wasn't giving me a choice. He locked me in the room he let me have while I was there. I got so angry that I…smashed the wall in. But it helped me escape."

"Where did you go?"

"I went to live in the mountains. Nice place I had there, too. That cave was pretty cozy, come to think of it. But I began working on the new skill I unlocked. One day I helped another kid my age head over on the other side so he could get to Hiroshi's Labyrinth. Can't remember why he needed to go there, but once I got back to my cave, Buck was there and Jerky was sniffing around all my stuff."

"Something tells me this doesn't end well."

"Nope." Cole sighed. "I tried to hide, but Buck found me. He grabbed me, but I used my teeth as a weapon. And I got so scared that I…pushed some giant boulders down a steep part of the cliff and…they hit Buck and made him fall off and land on the nearest cliff at the bottom. Thankfully none of the boulders fell on top of him, but he looked dead to me. I was so scared. Then I saw Jerky. I was responsible for what happened to his owner and figured the right thing to do was take him in. So there's a part of my life that continues to eat me alive. And even to this day, I still have nightmares about it."

Carol nodded, walking up to hug Cole. "I get it. It's a secret that you've been scared to tell, but how come you're telling me all this?"

"Well, if you had a secret, would you trust me to keep it?" Cole asked.

"Of course. I can understand it was a difficult time for you. Speaking about your powers, how are you able to keep them in control? And how come you never told me about them?"

"Well, to answer your first question, there's a monastery I go to every summer to train at and keep my powers in check. And to answer your second question, I had to keep it a secret to keep the media off. That way I won't get bombarded by so many fans. And as long as I keep the hood over my head while saving Ninjago, nobody will ever know my true identity. You understand, right?"

"You bet. If I were a hero, I would definitely want it to be kept a secret. I've read a lot of books and watched a lot of television to know." Carol wrapped him in a hug. "But your secret's safe with me."

Now that the secrets were cleared up, the two returned inside the building. Rachel stormed up, giving Carol the stink eye. "Young lady, where on earth have you been the past half hour? My business partners have been waiting to meet you."

"We went outside to get out of the stuffy air in here, Mom," Carol told her.

"Carol, this young man here is keeping you separated from successful future business partners and I think it's time you tell Curtis to go home."

"His name is Cole, Mom."

"That's what I called him, Carol. Now hurry up and say goodbye. I don't have all afternoon." Rachel headed off to another section of the office.

Carol groaned. "Ugh! You best be glad to have a better mom than mine. Sorry you have to leave."

"Are you sure you can't convince your mom to let you come with me?" Cole asked. Because I secretly want the two of us to spend time with one another.

"I wish that were possible, but my mom will just drag me away from you. But I'll see you at school Monday."

"Yeah. I'll see you Monday."

Cole forgot that he left his bike at Carol's building so he had to catch a ride on the bus. It was there he remembered he wanted to ask Carol out on a date. He smacked himself on the forehead. The one thing he wanted to do and never did it. Boy, does he feel stupid now.

He pulled the bell cord to exit off the bus in front of Carol's apartment since he left his bike beside the building. But when he looked there, the bike was gone, nowhere to be found. That could only mean someone stole it.

Damn it! That's the third one I've had since we've moved to the city.

Luckily, the theatre is only a street walk away. When he arrived inside the nice apartment his family resides in, he was surprised to see them with an older couple sitting across from them. They were in the middle of a conversation when he entered the apartment, giving them a smile.

"Hello, everyone," Cole said.

"Hi, honey," his mother said, "We didn't think you would be home so early."

"Well, it ended earlier than I thought." He closed the door behind him.

"Well, it must have been a very formal party considering you're dressed so presentable," the woman in the living room said.

"Thanks," Cole said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry, you probably don't know me. I'm Cole Brookstone."

"Ah, yes, Lou's son," the man said, getting up and shaking Cole's hand, "I'm Dave Billington, and this is my wife Melanie."

"Such a pleasure to meet you, dear," Melanie said, "My husband and I are the president and vice president of Ninjago City University. We were just discussing with your parents about setting up some productions in your father's theatre."

"Sounds great," Cole nodded, "I'd love to stick around, but I think I'm gonna head off to bed."

"But it's only six o' clock in the evening," his father said.

"Yeah, but it's been a long day. I'm just ready to hit the hay."

"Okay, honey," Lilly said, kissing her son on the cheek, "Goodnight."

"Night, everyone," Cole said, heading off into his room.

He changed into his night clothes, settling down in his bed for the evening, trying to finish up his next play script in hopes Mr. Hinkson will approve of it. But he couldn't concentrate knowing that he's once again lost another chance to go out on a date with Carol. He just felt plain awful about the whole thing, but what else could he do about it?

Then a thought struck him. He had a cell phone. He had her number, both home and cell. He could just call her. Now why didn't he think of that before?

Dialing Carol's home phone, he waited for someone on the other line to pick up. It was a few seconds later he heard someone say on the other end, "Hello?"

It wasn't Carol, unfortunately. It was her aunt Rose.

"Hi, uh, my name is Cole," Cole said, "Is Carol there?"

"I'm sorry, dear, she's not," she said, "Would you like for me to leave her a message for you?"

"No, that's okay. I'll call her another time. Sorry for bothering you. You have a good evening."

"You too, dear. Bye, bye."

"Bye."

Cole hung up and signed, setting his phone and notebook on his nightstand and turning off his lap. As he tucked himself into bed, he made a promise to himself that one way or another, he will ask Carol out on a date. One way or another.

OH, MAN! COLE ONCE AGAIN MISSED OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK CAROL OUT! WHY DOES HE KEEP MISSING HIS CHANCE?

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE NO REVIEWERS TO TALK TO. MAYBE NEXT CHAPTER.

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