It figures, doesn’t it?

Just when things were starting to feel... different. Just when I could breathe around her. When I stopped pretending I didn’t notice the way she smiled when she beat me in training, or how she laughed like nothing in the world could touch her.

Just when I started to think—maybe—she looked at me the way I looked at her.

That’s when the sky split open.

That’s when the alarms blared and Master Wu’s voice was quieter than usual and Lloyd’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking. That’s when Zane started calculating survival odds we didn’t want to hear and Jay stopped making jokes. That’s when we heard it:

“One last mission.”

“One last shot.”

“To save Ninjago.”

And all I could think—while the world threatened to crack open again—was whether I’d ever get the chance to tell her how I feel.

Because I’m falling for her. Harder than I’ve fallen for anything in my life.
 And the worst part is... I think she has no idea.

She’s focused. Always has been. Sharp eyes. Steady hands. Brave even when we’re all falling apart. And somehow—somehow—she still finds time to nudge my shoulder or toss a comment my way that makes my heart skip like it’s still sixteen and stupid.

I catch her looking at me sometimes. Not often. Just enough.
 But I can never tell what it means.

And now we’re loading up the vehicles. Armor’s on. Blades sharpened. The end of everything breathing down our necks. The skies are storming fire and the ground trembles every few minutes like even the earth wants to give up.

She’s standing a few feet away, tightening the straps on her gear. There’s dirt on her cheek and blood on her knuckles, and she still looks like the only thing in this world that makes sense to me.

I should say something. Anything.
 Tell her she’s important. Tell her I’m scared.
 Tell her she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, even if we only got a few quiet months of it.

But my voice won’t come.

So I just walk past her. Close enough to brush shoulders. And she doesn’t stop me.

“See you on the other side,” she says softly. And I say nothing. Because if I open my mouth now, I might tell her everything.

And what if we don’t make it back?

What if the world ends, and she never knows?