Hey, here's the next chapter and I'm changing Sydney's age to 10.
"All right boys, my dad is probably going to send out a search party for me if I don't get back in time for dinner so I'll just see you guys later," Janie said as she got up.
"We'll probably be right by each other in the dining room."
"Then I'll see you at dinner." Nate had his legs up on the coffee table so Janie tried to jump over him but one of her legs got caught on one of his and she went down face first.
She quickly jumped up. "I did that on purpose."
Jason smiled at how cute she was.
"Right. Let's hope you make it through this trip without breaking anything," Nate said with a roll of the eyes.
"I hope so too. Bye guys."
"Bye."
She left.
"So you like her," Nate said, sitting back and crossing his arms.
"You sound like Shane."
"So he sees it too."
"What?"
"The puppy eyes. And you sure were quick to speak up when I said she and Shane would be good together."
"I just don't think they would be."
"Yeah because you want her all to yourself."
The door flew open and Shane ran in.
"So about twenty girls know where our room is," he said.
"Great. Leave it up to Shane."
"If I wouldn't have tripped on the stairs I would have made it."
"So Shane, have you met Janie?"
"Why yes I have little bro and it looks like big bro has a crush."
"Ok, I'm done listening to this. I'm going to shower," Jason said.
Nate and Shane made kissing noises as Jason walked away.
"Real mature guys!" Jason yelled back at them.
"Well I thought you had jumped overboard," Scott said when Janie walked into the room.
"Sorry, I got caught up. I actually made some friends."
"Really? Who?" Sydney asked.
"Their names are Shane, Nate and Jason."
Sydney's eyes widened.
"I told you I saw Shane dad! Ah! They're on the cruise with us and Janie knows them! Where's their room? Do you know where it is?"
"Right next door." Sydney ran to the door. "Don't! I'll introduce you to them at dinner but promise me you'll be cool."
"I promise."
"Don't believe you but I'll still do it."
"Ah!!!!!!!"
"Ok, I'm going to jump into the shower."
"All right hurry up."
"Hey Jason look who just walked into the dining room," Shane said.
Jason turned around and Janie was walking down the stairs in a multicolored patchwork dress with purple tights and green braided flats.
She noticed the boys and gave them a small wave.
"Oh my gosh there they are," Sydney said when she saw the guys.
"Sydney be cool." Their table was right next to theirs so Janie walked over to the guys before going to her table. "Hey guys."
"Hey Janie," Jason said.
"Hey." Shane looked at Sydney. "This must be Sydney."
"You know my name? I think I'm going to die."
"Guys this is my sister, Sydney you know them right?"
"Shane, I love your hair, Jason you're so awesome and Nate...can I hug you?"
"Sure."
Nate got up and hugged Sydney.
"Thanks Nate," Janie said as he walked by.
"Hey you get one too." He hugged her.
"Oh man I think I'm in love," Sydney said.
"Ok Sydney let's let the boys eat dinner."
"But..."
"Sydney we are sitting right next to them and you can talk to them later."
"Are you lying to me Janie?"
"Syd when do I lie to you?"
"Ok fine."
They sat down and Shane and Janie were practically back to back.
"Janie if you continue leaning back in your chair you're going to fall," Gina, her mother, said.
"Mom, I'll be fine."
Shane was doing the same thing and they went back at the same time and smacked their heads.
"Ow!" they both yelled.
"Shane!"
"Janie!"
"Idiot," Janie said.
"Spaz."
"Kids," Gina and Denise, the moms, said.
"Dude it's scary how alike they are," Nate said to Jason.
Shane and Janie picked up a piece of bread and broke it in half then broke that half in half and scooped butter onto it.
"Julian can I have your bread?" Janie asked her twenty-two year old brother.
"No."
"Please."
Julian couldn't resist a please from Janie and handed the bread over.
"Thanks best brother in the whole wide world." She ate the bread then turned her camera on.
"First night at dinner, say hi Julian."
"Hi Julian."
"Hardy har har," Janie said before filming the rest of her table. After everyone said hi to the camera she got on her knees on her chair and turned to the Gray family table.
"Come on Shane, I know you have something to say," she said.
He looked up at her.
"Yeah, do you have any more bread?"
"Sorry sweetie."
"Awe. Can I get a kiss?" She kissed his forehead, Jason getting jealous at the action.
Janie pointed the camera to the parents.
"And what may the names of the lovely parents be?"
"I'm Denise and this is Paul."
"I'm Janie, nice to meet both of you." Denise and Paul smiled. "All right, I'm going to sit down now because that waiter is eyeing me evilly." She sat down and continued her dinner with her family.
Jason had a perfect view of Janie. He watched her as she laughed with her family and played around with her brother and sister. She was talking so much that she forgot about her food in front of her.
"Janie that's your fourth coke, no more after that one," he heard Gina say at one point.
Janie moaned but refused when the waiter asked her if she wanted another one. She was so cute; she had an air of maturity but at the same time the personality of a kid.
"Janie I'm done eating, can you take me to the top of the boat now?" Sydney asked.
"Yeah. Is that ok?" she asked her parents.
"Sure."
Janie got up and turned to the guys.
"You guys want to come? You can bring your little cousin there if you want," Janie said about Conner.
"Let's go guys!" Conner yelled.
"Guys make sure you watch the little ones," Denise said.
The boys got up and since everyone was sitting they noticed Connect 3.
"Ahh!" some girls yelled.
"I'm not about to deal with another riot so move it," Janie said.
They quickly walked up the stairs and out of the dining room.
"It's already getting cold out there lets go get some jackets before we head up," Jason suggested.
"But..." Sydney started.
"Syd do you want to freeze?" Janie asked.
"No."
"Ok."
They grabbed their coats from their rooms and headed up to the top.
"I'll race you," Conner said to Sydney.
"You're on." They took off.
"Stop when you get to the door!" Janie yelled.
"Hey Janie I'll race you," Shane said.
"Gee I don't know I'm in a dress and..." she took off.
"Hey!" he yelled. He started after her. Janie passed Sydney and Conner as did Shane.
"And I win," she said.
"You cheated."
"Stop whining."
They waited for Jason and Nate to come up and walked outside.
"Ok, a little nippy," Janie said, tightening her arms around herself.
"Cool, ping pong!" Conner yelled.
There were two tables so Syd and Conner started playing on one and Shane and Nate took the other one.
Janie and Jason walked off and stood by ship railing.
"I love watching the boat sail at night," Janie said.
"Yeah, I mean the sky looks amazing at this time."
They both looked up and every star was in sight.
Janie stood up on one of the rails and Jason got scared.
"Whoa, be careful."
"Don't worry; I just like feeling the wind on my face."
"It's just kind of dangerous."
"Well then silver knight why don't you stand behind me?"
Jason stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Janie wasn't expecting that but she definitely wasn't complaining.
Shane pounded the ball to Nate but it flew right by him because he wasn't paying attention.
"Dude!"
"Look over there," Nate said.
Shane turned to where Nate was pointing and saw Jason and Janie.
"Dude let's leave them alone."
"What about those two?"
They looked at Conner and Sydney and they were having a super ping pong battle, grunts and everything.
"We'll take them to get ice cream, come on." They quietly walked to the kids and soon disappeared.
"So how about we stop beating around the bush and start the Q&A portion of getting to know each other?" Janie asked.
"Ok, I'll go first. Where were you born?"
"Miami native. What about you?"
"Jersey."
"Cool."
"Ok, favorite rock band."
"Oo, tough one. Vintage or new?"
"Both."
"Ok, Vintage I'll have to go with The Beatles or Aerosmith and I like Wolfmother."
"Nice."
"And you?"
"Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd are my favorites."
"Sweet."
"So what did you think of me the first time you saw me?"
"Well I didn't really see you; all I saw were your hands rescuing me. But I'd say I thought you were really sweet..." he knew she had something else to say.
"And?"
"And cute. There I said it."
"Well I'm going to have to say the same for you. Right off the bat I could tell you were cool."
"Cool, I think." Janie noticed how quiet it was. "Hey why is it so..." she turned around and saw the empty deck. "Quiet?" she finished.
"They left us."
"Why would they do that?"
"Because Shane and Nate are idiots."
"Interesting." She took her camera out of her coat pocket.
"You never let that thing go do you?"
"Nope. So tell me Jason Gray, do you think you're going to enjoy this trip?"
"Yes I do. Very much actually." She closed the camera.
"I think I will too."
"Come on, I know a place on the ship where they make a great hot cocoa."
"Well there are three places on the ship that have hot cocoa and I hit all of them up today. Let's see if we think the same one is the best."
"What are you proposing?"
"You go from the right of the ship and I go from the left. If we end up meeting up at the same place then I'll see you again, but if we don't then this will be the last time we talk."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. Hope to see you soon Jason."
She walked away and Jason stood there dumbfounded.
"It's worth a shot," he said to himself. He took off and ran all the way to the little shop.
"Two cocoas," he said to the bartender.
He sat there for about two minutes and was starting to think that he wouldn't talk to Janie again. The back door opened and someone stepped out and placed the cocoas in front of Jason.
"So would you consider this a date?" the person asked.
Jason looked up and there was Janie.
"How did you..."
"Guess we think alike." She walked around the counter and sat down next to Jason. "The answer to my question?"
"Yes, this is a date."
"Good, because I didn't want to be the only one that thought so." She sipped some of her cocoa. "Are you going to ask me out on another one?"
"That depends on your answer?"
She stood up.
"I'm tired; it's kind of been a long day. Goodnight Jason."
"Wait, what?"
She turned around and headed to the stairs.
This girl drove Jason crazy but in the best way imaginable. He couldn't wait till tomorrow.
Numero dos! What do you think of my lovely Jason?