Part 5 (1/2)
Sarah saw it as a chivalrous attempt to take Candi's mind off of whatever was making her frown right now. She couldn't figure out why he kept flirting with Candi, though, since she definitely wasn't his type. Maybe he was just trying to make her blush. The girls he usually ran with weren't the blus.h.i.+ng type, and Candi's face was on fire now like it usually seemed to be whenever Kevin was around.
”Yeah, okay. And thanks. I think.” Candi looked at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze.
Just then they reached the door to the inside of the s.h.i.+p. The interior looked dark compared to the outside where they were nearly blinded by the bright Miami sun reflecting off the side of the dazzlingly white s.h.i.+p.
Frank took charge. ”Okay everyone, get your ticket and your IDs out. And let's make a plan for meeting up later.”
Sarah looked down at her ticket, frowning. She looked over her mom's shoulder to see her ticket.
”What the h.e.l.l, Mom? You guys have an ocean view with balcony and you have us on the inside without windows? Are you friggin' kidding me?”
Frank stood there with a fake smile frozen in place. He spoke carefully through gritted teeth. ”Yes, that's right. Kids below decks and parents above. Someday when you're buying the tickets, you can spring for a balcony. Until then, deal with it. Okay, sweetie?”
Sarah huffed out a breath of air and stormed off, knocking a couple of guys out of her way, ignoring the catcalls that followed her.
If Sarah had turned back she would have seen Candi and Jonathan sharing a look. They had no idea what the big deal was. Who needs a window in a room you're just going to sleep in anyway?
Frank continued as if the tantrum hadn't just happened. ”Let's meet up after the muster drill for dinner. We'll do the first seating at the Nautique Restaurant at six o'clock.”
Candace and Glen nodded at one another. ”Sure, Frank, that sounds great. We'll see you later, then.” Glen turned to Candi and Jonathan. ”Kids, just get settled in and do the muster drill, then we'll see you for dinner, okay?”
Candi and Jonathan agreed immediately. Candi knew they were both thinking the same thing freedom! She was happy to be getting away from their parents. Not that she was planning to get into trouble, but it wasn't often that she and Jonathan did things with other teenagers and no adults around outside of school activities.
”It's party time, guys, let's. .h.i.t it.” Kevin clapped Jonathan on the back as he walked by. Jonathan stumbled forward, catching himself before he fell into his father.
They all entered the dimly lit interior, using the map given to them to find their rooms.
Candi noticed that Sarah and Kevin were traveling down the same hallway as she and Jonathan. Eventually, they stopped at the door directly next to her and Jonathan's door.
”Oh, s.h.i.+t, they actually have us rooming together, Kevin,” said Sarah, looking down at her ticket.
”That's lame,” he responded. Then he looked up at Jonathan and Candi. ”You guys rooming together too?”
They looked at their tickets, comparing them. Jonathan responded, ”Yep, looks like it.”
Kevin and his sister exchanged knowing looks. Sarah shrugged her shoulders. Kevin looked at Jonathan and said, ”How 'bout this Jon ... you change tickets with Sarah and come room with me. Then the girls can be roommates next door. That way, we don't have to deal with hair stuff and makeup all over the bathroom, and we can take a dump with the door open.”
Jonathan just nodded his head, a stunned expression on his face. Candi was pretty certain he was trying to picture a situation where he'd want to go to the bathroom with the door open and another guy in the room.
Candi was grateful that her brother seemed temporarily speechless. ”Yeah, that's fine with me,” she agreed. This way, she could have some more quality time with Sarah. If they roomed together, maybe they could become friends and ...
”Well, it's fine with me, but I'm going to be the first one in the shower every morning, and I call the table inside for my makeup area. You can put your stuff somewhere else,” said Sarah. She held her hand out to Jonathan.
He stood there looking at it, confused as to what she wanted.
”h.e.l.lo, McFly, key please.”
”Oh, yeah, sorry!” He handed her the plastic card key and took the one she offered.
Candi looked at her brother. ”See you later, Jon.”
”Yeah, okay. We'll come and get you and go to the muster together. We'll be in the same lifeboat area.”
Candi nodded her acquiescence. Now all she had to do was figure out what she and Sarah could possibly talk about that wouldn't be humiliating, unlike her super crush on Sarah's brother or her lack of proper cruise attire.
CHAPTER THREE.
Making Waves Sarah used the key card to open the door. She stood staring at the inside of the cabin. ”Holy s.h.i.+t, this sucks. I can't believe there's no window in here.” She casually gestured towards Candi. ”If I vomit on Sugar Lump here, it's not going to be my fault.”
Kevin took a quick look inside their cabin while saying absently, ”That's Gumdrop, idiot, not Sugar Lump.”
”Whatever.” Sarah brushed off her brother's correction and went into the room.
Candi followed, trying not to think about being vomited on by someone who wouldn't care one bit about doing it. She could probably ask her brother for a seasickness remedy. If she knew him, he had one in his backpack somewhere.
Candi shut the door to the cabin, leaving the guys standing out in the hall. She looked around and realized there wasn't much room to move around. Candi saw that there was a small table with a mirror in front of it off to the right, opposite the bathroom door, which she guessed was the makeup area that Sarah had claimed for herself. Candi didn't much care since all she wore for makeup was some occasional eyeliner and mascara, if that. Lots of the time she went without any at all.
There was a knock at the door. Candi turned around to open it expecting Jonathan to be there, but it was a man in a white uniform with their bags. He left them on the bed and then continued on his rounds of bag delivery.
After he left, Candi watched Sarah open up one of her bags and start rummaging around, mumbling under her breath. ”Where is that thing? I know I packed it ... A-ha! There you are!” She pulled out a small piece of material in a leopard print. She was humming as she reached to open another, smaller bag, pulling out a pair of very high heels from inside.
”What are you doing?” asked Candi. She looked at the material and shoes, thinking Sarah was putting on some kind of negligee and heels, which didn't make sense since they were going to be leaving the room soon.
”I'm getting ready to muster.” And with that, she started pulling off her clothes.
Candi stood there speechless, not used to strangers just stripping down in front of her. Sarah was wearing a really s.e.xy, lacy bra and matching g-string panties. Candi thought about the serviceable white cotton underwear and flesh-colored bra that had zero lace anywhere on it that she was wearing, feeling embarra.s.sed that her things were so plain. She looked at the bathroom to gauge whether it was big enough for her to change in so maybe Sarah would never know.
She turned back to watch as Sarah took the leopard print thing, which turned out to be a very thin mini dress made out of something s.h.i.+ny, and slipped it on over her head. She kicked off her sandals and slipped her feet into the delicate, black, strappy heels, bending down to secure the tiny buckles that rested above her ankles.
Sarah stood up to see Candi standing there with her mouth hanging partially open, too stunned to say anything. ”What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Sarah asked, waspishly.
”Uh, no. I'm just ... ”
”What?” Sarah demanded, bristling at the naked disapproval coming from her roommate.
”It's just that ... I mean ... aren't we going to the muster?”
”Yes, of course we are. I don't see your point,” said Sarah, being deliberately obtuse.
”Well, I don't know, I mean, maybe it would be easier in ... other shoes ... or something?”
”What? These things?” She lifted her foot up to the side, twisting her leg around a little bit, showing off her long, shapely, tan and very exposed leg. ”I walk around in shoes like this all the time. They're as comfortable as those horrible shoes you're wearing.”
Candi glanced down to look at her flip-flops. ”I doubt that.”