The next morning, they met in the common area. Fatima was wearing her full-length swimsuit and hijab, Devin was wearing swimming trunks and a t-shirt, and Jordan was wearing denim shorts and a fairly modest bikini top that showed her small belly button ring, which Devin had never been very happy with. They were all excited, and made sure they had everything they needed in a tote bag. They ate breakfast at the small restaurant in the hotel, then took a shuttle to the water park. They checked in and put their stuff in a locker, then made their way to the rides. They went on a few slides, then found a roller coaster that they were interested in. Fatima was a bit nervous, but she was willing to go. They got on and buckled their seat belts, and Fatima instinctively grabbed her boyfriend's hand. Devin chuckled and ran his thumb over her hand.
"Nervous?" he asked. Fatima smiled.
"A little. I'm good," she replied. They smiled as the ride started. They were splashed a few times with freezing cold water. By the time they got off, they were all shivering. Devin put his arms around Fatima, trying to warm her up. Fatima hugged him and smiled. They walked to another huge slide.
"Can we do that one?" Jordan asked.
"Sure, why not?" Devin replied. Fatima eyed it nervously. "Fatima, you good?" he asked.
"Um, yeah. I'm not sure I want to go on that one but you guys can," she whispered. She was, in fact, very sure that she did NOT want to go on that particular one.
"Um, okay. Do you want to wait here for us, or meet us at the pool?" he asked softly.
"I want to go on the other one, so can we just meet over there?" Fatima asked, pointing to the seating area.
"Of course we can," he replied. Fatima nodded and walked over to the other slide. Soon, they were all in the corner of the pool. They splashed around for a bit, then they decided to go on another slide. The rafts were for two people, so Jordan immediately stepped back. Fatima gave her a grateful smile and sat down on the raft. Devin sat behind her and put his arms around her. The attendant gently pushed the raft down the slide, and they were off. Fatima squealed as the raft splashed into the water. Devin climbed out, then helped Fatima out. They swam around for a bit, then found another waterslide. They repeated the cycle for a few hours, then got out and started looking for a restaurant.
"Can we maybe get snow cones later?" Fatima asked nervously.
"We absolutely can, baby girl," Devin replied. Fatima blushed and smiled, a little flustered that he'd called her "baby girl" in public. They eventually found a small burger shack and went inside. They went up to the counter and ordered, then walked over to the outdoor seating area and sat down.
"Hey, um, is it okay if I call my mom back? I missed, like, ten calls," Fatima said after pulling out her phone.
"Go," Devin said softly. Fatima nodded and stood up, then hurried a few yards away for some privacy.
"Mom, what's going on?" she asked, scared something horrible had happened. "No, Mom, I'm fine. I told you I was going to Universal Studios for the weekend." She was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "Yes, I did. I told you. I'm here with Devin and his sister," she hissed. "Mom. I'm good, I promise. I have to go now. I'll call you when I get home," she said softly. She hung up and hurried back over to the table.
"Everything okay?" Devin asked nervously.
"Yeah. I'm good. I guess she forgot I was coming with you guys," she said quietly. Devin nodded. "I told her I'd call her when I get home tonight," she said quietly.
"Okay. As long as you're good," he said gently.
"I am," she said, sitting down.
"For Rountree?" a voice said over an intercom.
"I'll get it," Devin said, standing up. He left the table and went into the restaurant, leaving Fatima and Jordan alone. Jordan smiled awkwardly.
"You okay?" Fatima asked softly.
"Yeah. I'm good. I'm just really hungry," she said shyly. Fatima smiled and nodded.
"Me too," Fatima said softly. Just then, Devin appeared with a tray of food. He started passing out burgers and fries, then sat down. The meal was mostly quiet, with them being too busy devouring the food to talk.
"I'm really glad you came, Fatima," Jordan said shyly. Fatima smiled and blushed a little
"Me too," she said softly. Devin looked up.
"Hey! Why don't I get any credit? I'm the one that invited her!" he protested. Fatima giggled and reached over. She tangled their fingers together and smiled,
"Thank you for inviting me," she whispered sweetly. Devin smiled and gently kissed her hand. After they were done eating, they walked around for a bit before returning to the pools. They goofed off for a few hours, until it was beginning to get dark.
"We should probably get going, we have work tomorrow, and you have school," Devin said softly. Fatima really didn't want to leave, but she knew deep down they had to. She nodded a little. They walked to the locker rooms and grabbed their stuff, then changed into different clothes. They went back to the hotel and packed up their stuff, then loaded their bags into the car. Fatima and Jordan were curled up in the backseat, half asleep after a long weekend of fun. The drive to UCLA was mostly silent, with soft music playing through the car radio. As they approached the campus, Jordan shifted in her seat. He parked the car and opened the door for Jordan, then went around and opened Fatima's door. The trio walked up to Jordan's dorm and walked her in.
"Okay, I'm going to get this one home. I love you, sweetie," Devin said gently. He hugged his sister, then kissed the top of her head.
"I love you too, Devin. I'm glad I got to meet you, Fatima," Jordan replied, setting her bag on the small couch. Fatima smiled.
"Me too, sweetie. Hey. If there's ever anything you need to ask me, or if you just don't want to talk to Devin about it, here's my number," Fatima said, handing her a small sticky note. Jordan smiled and took it.
"Thank you," she whispered.
