"So what do you say, Sonny?"

I looked up at all their eager faces. Nico, Grady, Tawni and Zora wanted to go. I was the one being the downer, the party pooper. Whatever you wanted to call me, I didn't want to go.

"You guys know I don't like the idea of animals in cages."

When the studio has send us ('us' being the casts of So Random and Mackenzie Falls) to the Bahamas for a much-needed break, I'd had no idea that a swim with dolphins would be on the roster.

"But they're not in cages!" Nico said gleefully. "That's the great part! There's this inlet, or something, and they come to us. They're wild!"

Huh? I had heard stories like this before, but in the end, most of them turned out to be just that. Stories. Spun by locals eager to increase tourism.

"He's right," Zora agreed. "The merpeople send them."

Tawni gawked at her, and Grady looked intrigued. Nico hit him upside the head.

"I don't know..." I hedged. "I think I'd rather stay here."

"Sonny," Tawni said, a note of desperation in her voice. "The resort's great, but it's not that great."

Tawni was right. The resort was great. The rooms were huge, luxurious, and each had an en suite jacuzzi. The grounds were equipped with a spa, and Olympic-sized swimming pool, a riding stables, a game room and even an aquarium. But I was guessing my friends would rather spend time with dolphins than fish.

"Fine, fine," I said, throwing up my arms in mock surrender. "But I swear, if those animals are not treated with the utmost respect...!"

"We know," Grady groaned. "Whomever is responsible will be in deep, deep trouble."

Tawni grabbed one of my elbows and towed me out of the white stucco, sweet-smelling lobby. It was quite convenient that a limo had pulled up just as we've needed it, and that I'd already donned my swimsuit in hopes of a quick dip in the pool. A bit too convenient, actually. But I was too tired to argue. I allowed myself to be led into the back of the limo with nary a word of protest. Well...almost nary a word.

As the limo pulled away from the curb, Nico and Grady started blasting some band I'd never heard of. I tried to relax as our driver navigated the roads of the small coastal town that was home to the resort. In no time at all she'd pulled up to a stop and announced, "Last stop, folks. Have a good time." which was so generic I'd been willing to bet that it had been a part of her contract.

As we all piled out of the car, a smug voice greeted us.

"You've finally decided to grace us with your presence, have you?"

My cast mates glared and muttered unintelligible comments under their breath as they brushed past the other actors.

"Yup!" I said to Chad, smiling widely at him. He definitely hadn't been expecting that, and his smirk faltered. I breezed past him and took a deep breath of the fresh, fragrant air.

We stood on a modest wooden jetty that extended farther into the water. At the end of it, a not-so-modest yacht was docked. It was huge, white, and very, very flashy. So many antennae extended off the top I began to wonder what on earth they needed them all for.

"I'm guessing that's our ride," I said, to no one in particular.

"That's right," Chad said, joining me. "Bet you've never seen anything like that before." Rolling his eyes at me, and with his smirk still in place, he strutted towards the ship.

Muffling a scream of frustration, I followed him. The dock, untethered to the ocean floor, shifted slightly beneath us. Tawni let out a shriek and almost toppled into the water. I grabbed her hand before she could fall.

'C'mon, Tawni," I said gaily. "It's time to get your sea legs!"

I leaned over the bow of the ship as the crew brought up the anchor of The Mermaid. Needless to say, the name had thrilled Zora. She had insisted that this was proof of her earlier statement.

I gazed out at the scenery, entranced. I could not have dreamed up a more beautiful place. The clear turquoise water sparkled beneath a blazing sun. Palm trees leaned over the water's edge, and beneath the surface I could see schools of tropical fish. It was, in short, my idea of paradise. As we cast off, I realized that I wasn't alone. Beside me stood Chad, a look of awe on his usually sarcastic face.

"Fantastic, isn't it?" he breathed.

I just nodded, beyond words. Because as we picked up speed, a slight breeze pushed against us, and Chad - Chad Dylan Cooper! - didn't complain when it mussed his hair. I withheld the comment that rose to my lips, and instead turned back to the sea.

"So, do you come here often?" I blurted. A moment too late, I realized that I'd just used a cheesy pick-up line on Chad Dylan Cooper. Heat flooded my cheeks as I waited for him to call me on it.

But he just shrugged. "Not as often as I'd like."

The yacht left the cove, and swung out to face open ocean. I drew a breath. "I thought we were headed to an inlet."

"We are," he said simply.

I then realized that while it looked like we were headed towards open water, the bow was actually shifted slightly to the left. We'd begun a lazy turn.

Chad checked his watch. "C'mon, Sonny," he said. "They'll be serving lunch soon."

I dutifully followed to the top deck, my head buzzing from my encounter with this new Chad. We climbed up a steep set of stairs, from which a delicious smell was wafting. Mm, roast chicken. The deck was crowded with a long table, decked out in a pristine white tablecloth and set with china and silver cutlery. They really had pulled out all the stops for this one. It also had a fabulous view. Instead of the usual metal post-and-rail barrier, a shoulder height glass fence kept us from falling overboard. As the rest of our cast mates crowded onto the deck, we were assured that it was bullet proof and that a single square meter could support up to 200 pounds.

Within a few minutes we were served lunch, and then sent downstairs to digest. Chad's uncle - who owned the yacht, how surprising - had informed us that we'd be arriving within half an hour. Tawni and Portlyn announced that they were going to tan, and claimed a pair of deck chairs. Zora disappeared to who knows where, and all of the guys headed below decks to check out the ship's glass bottom. Which left me to do...well, whatever I felt like. So I did. I pulled out my phone and checked for fan e-mail. It actually helped to pass the time, and before I knew it, someone was calling, "Dolphins at 3 o'clock!"

I jumped up from my deck chair and raced towards the right side of the ship. And sure enough, there they were. A small pod of spotted dolphins were racing along next to us, and a few of them broke off from the group to ride in the wake we'd created. I pulled out my camera and began furiously taking pictures. About fifteen minutes later, the dolphins grew bored and swam about a hundred yards away. That was when we cut the motor.

The dolphins, evidently curious, had swum back to us. I could see one of them poking their head above the water, eyeing us curiously. I grinned.

"Alright, kids," Mr. Cooper said, walking over to us. "These dolphins are some of the friendliest in the words. But that doesn't mean that they won't defend themselves if they feel threatened. I'm going to let two or three of you in the water at a time. You're going to wear lifejackets. Don't try to touch the dolphins. If they're curious about you, they'll swim closer, and will initiate contact only if they want to. Am I understood?"

"Yes," we all chorused.

"Alright, um..." he surveyed us warily. "You three." He jabbed his finger at Tawni, Portlyn and Zora. "Hop in."

They did as Mr. Cooper asked, donning life jackets before slipping off the platform and into the water. The dolphins crowded in immediately, and I could hear their clicking and squeals as they circled them. One dolphin in particular took a liking to Zora, and swam so close to her I thought they might be touching. All three girls looked similarily awestruck. After maybe twenty minutes, they clambered up of the ladder, soaked and grinning.

Chad and I were next. I fastened my lifejacket, and dangled my feet in the water. I felt something poke one of my feet, and glanced down in time to see a grey and white form streek away. I slipped into the warm water, quickly followed by Chad. I ducked my head under the surface, and could hear them talking to one another. When I came back up, I saw two dolphins quite close to Chad. I paddled a bit farther from the boat, and the largest dolphin approached me. I could see his dorsal fin gliding above the water. Beneath the surface, two large, intelligent eyes watched me.

I couldn't move my eyes from him. Or at least, I assumed it was a him. I remembered reading somewhere that male dolphins were larger than females, and this one was huge. He brushed up against my legs and then poked his head above the surface. He was so beautiful. Finally, I looked away, and my gaze turned to Chad. He was murmuring cooing words at a dolphin that was gliding beneath his open hand. I had never seen him wear an expression like that. An expression of love. My heart flipped over in my chest. He, too, was beautiful. And in that moment, she began to believe in those stories.

A/N: There have actually been occurances like this before. Relationships between dolpins and people go back for centuries. The Atlantic Spotted Dolphins are actually the friendliest in the world, thanks to scuba divers who frequent in the area.

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