Secrets at Sea

Chapter 3

I head out of the cruise line office, ticket in hand, and make my way towards The Dutchess. My friends said that they would text me when they got to the port and I'm starting to get worried that they might miss the boat. I take off my jacket and tie it around my waist; the San Francisco fog is finally burning off and it's starting to warm up a bit. My pocket vibrates and makes the little chirping noise letting me know I have a text. I pull my phone out as I walk on the bridge leading into The Duchess.

Brooks: I see you!

Sea: Where are you guys??

Chloe: Look up!

I look up and see my three idiot friends waving at me with big smirks on their faces. I roll my eyes and type to them.

Sea: Y'all were supposed to text me when you got here!

Mason: We thought it'd be more fun to surprise you and see you when you got on the boat! And it was!

Chloe: Were you worried about us?

Sea: I thought you'd have to swim to Hawaii, so yeah I was a bit nervous!

I look up from my phone and see the three of them heading down the hallway to meet me. I let go of my suitcase as Chloe comes running up to hug me. She spins me around in her arms and plants a kiss on my cheek. I roll my eyes as she lets go of me and give Brooks and Mason each a hug.

"So where is our room?" I ask and Mason picks up my bag. We start walking away from the entrance and further into the boat.

"We already put our stuff in the room, but we're the last floor that has a balcony which is three levels below the upper deck. It's got a really nice view and the beds are super comfy!" Chloe exclaims. She's talking extremely fast, a dead giveaway that she's really excited to be here.

"When did you guys get here?" I ask, still a little peeved that they didn't tell me they had made it safely aboard.

"We got here like ten minutes before you, so it was just enough time to put our stuff away and come and find you." Mason states and looks at me, "You don't have to be all butt hurt, it wasn't that long Sea." He nudges me with the arm that isn't carrying my bag and I smile.

"We know you get worried about us," Brooks says. He turns around and walks backwards while he talks. "But this trip is supposed to be worry free, so, you aren't allowed to hover and keep tabs on us at all times. Deal?" He left eyebrow rises as if he's daring me to challenge him.

"Fine. I won't be a helicopter friend!" I say and Brooks throws his hands up in the air.

"Finally! We can do what we want!" Brooks shouts. He turns to Chloe and links arms with her. She starts laughing as he pulls her down the hall and the two of them skip ahead of Mason and me. Chloe's dusty purple hair falls out of her makeshift bun as they bound farther down the maple wood flooring and around the corner at the end of the corridor. I shake my head and look up at Mason.

"I'm not that bad am I?" I ask. He chuckles and shakes his head. I notice he cut his hair, so now instead of looking like scrumptious Jon Snow he has taken on the appearance of heart throb Chris Hemsworth. I'd never tell him that though.

"It's nice to have another mature friend. You're like the mom of the group, you want us to have fun, and be safe at the same time. It's nice." He says. I smile to myself. I'm glad he understands me.

"You ready to have a break from school?" I ask, but I already know the answer. Mason has been working two jobs while trying to put himself through school even though he's was a full-time student. He was able to graduate in four years which is basically a miracle in today's reality. The rest of us had to spend another year trying to get all our General Education and major classes taken care of before we could get that tiny piece of paper that unleashed us into the adult world.

"Of course I am. I'm just happy that I saved enough up so that I could get the cruise ticket." He said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"You know we would have given you the money to help pay for the ticket." I say looking up at him. He shakes his head at me.

"I can't take your money, I didn't earn it. Plus, I'd feel uneasy until I paid you back." He says. He has completely messed up the back of his hair now; strands of hair from his hair gel are stuck together pointing every direction away from his head. I reach up to flatten his jet black hair and he gives me a half smile. "Thanks." He mutters.

"Well at least you're done paying your way through college. The student loans are going to be a pain in the ass, but you'll be earning more money now that you got that job at Genocryte!" I exclaim. We're rounding the corner and I can see Chloe and Brooks talking halfway down the hall. They're situated underneath the ELEVATOR sign.

"That's true." Mason replies. He doesn't say another word until we get to Chloe and Brooks.

"What took you two so long?" Brooks whines, "We've been waiting forever!"

"Neither of you had a key to the room so we had to wait for you." Chloe sighs as she hands me a key card to our room. It's flimsier than a credit card, but it's got a nice scenic picture of a boat sailing towards a sunset on it. Chloe presses the elevator button and we wait for it to be called to our floor.

"Thanks for looking out for us. Whatever would we have done without you two?" I joke and I hear Mason chuckle next to me. Both Brooks and Chloe's faces light up and you can practically see the pride radiating off of them.

"Finally, the respect and acknowledgement we deserve!" Brooks declares. Chloe nods in agreement next to him and I can't help but burst out laughing. They still can't tell when I'm being sarcastic! Mason starts laughing too and we both stumble into the elevator as the doors open. "Oh haha, laugh at the good guys." Brooks pouts. He gets into the elevator and crosses his arms as he leans on the wall.

"We'll just leave you two next time. You'll have to find your own way and we won't help you." Chloe sticks out her tongue which just make Mason and me start laughing even more.