Remember your first crush? Mine was in High School. The first love is something you never forget, the way the world seems blurry when you focus on her/him/them. We give them the power to save us. The first love, the strongest. The one that hits the hardest. Unfortunately, due to that strength, it is also the one that destroys you the most.
"Adrian, tell me the truth"
Rose's heart was pounding hard and fast, something it had done the day before... but this time was different; it was out of concern and distrust. Could Adrian possibly be in cahoots with the Hockleys? They are the ones who pay his bills after all... Nevertheless, he wasn't the opportunist type of person, Rose's heart knew that for sure, her mind... not so sure.
"That's the truth babe, why do you ask? What happened?"
"Are you 100% sure you didn't forward the email?"
"I am. I'm checking on my computer right now, i sent Hockley just one picture and sent you the rest" Rose kept her quiet for a minute "Babe? You there? What happened?"
"It's just... Cal saw the rest of the pictures... of me and Jack together"
"What?"
"I don't know how that happened..."
"Maybe someone saw us... or maybe someone saw me editing"
"You're probably right... I'm sorry for getting mad at you"
"It's okay darling, i understand. I have to go now, i'm working... take care Rose, please"
"Yes. You take care as well"
Rose hung up the phone bewildered. How could he possibly find out? Maybe someone saw Adrian editing and rang Cal... or maybe someone took Adrian's camera without him knowing... There were thousands of possibilities, but Rose couldn't waste her time thinking about each and every one of them, the damage was already done, and she had fixed it the best she could.
The next morning Rose found herself walking through a not-so familiar hallway on the stern of the ship. The vibe certainly varied, especially when compared to the first-class cabins which gave a much more modern air, and all the doors stood out thanks to the photos and decorations, which gave life and personality to each cabin. Her red curls bouncing as she strutted with her head held up high, radiating confidence and energy. It was not a busy Tuesday at the RMS, since they would be spending all of next week exploring the Caribbean, they were dismissed early with just a few notes from Social Studies. The teachers would rather have them planning their field programs and classes and getting ready for the in-country days.
As Jack returned to his cabin, the fiery redhead passed his way.
"Good morning Mr. Dawson"
"What's up Rose!"
They kept walking and passed each other after their small interaction. Jack didn't react until seconds after.
"Rose? What are you doing here?"
Rose turned around and approached him, announcing the news with excitement "I'm the new member of the marketing team of the RMS!"
"Wow, that's amazing! congratulations!"
"Thank you"
"So... what is it exactly that you do?"
"I'm here basically as an influencer in their brand positioning strategy. I know there are other students who create content as well..."
"Yeah. I'd say probably half of them are walking around with a camera... so, are you gonna like... post stories and things like that?"
"Not exactly. I'm going to be documenting how the on board school works from my external point of view. Kinda like a report"
"Wait so... you're gonna be around here more often?"
"For the next two weeks i'm going to be attending all of your classes"
Jack was smiling and nodding like a hypnotized fool, a nervous wreck inside. He thought resting his hand on the catering cart behind him would make him look more relaxed... he thought wrong. He ended up putting all of his weight into the small cart that rolled away from him, making the young boy fall straight to the ground.
He got up immediately, his face as red as it could be. He tried to fix the mess of the silver tableware but failed miserably as all of it fell again with a loud screeching noise.
"I mean, that's cool. Cool"
Rose nodded. A little embarrassed herself.
"I better get going, I have to meet with the rest of the team"
"Yeah, I should probably go too. I MEAN- go to my cabin! Not to meet your team. I meant I should go back to my cabin. It would be weird if i went with you. That sounded possessive, i mean, it shouldn't because we're not- you're not... AGH- I'll see you around Rose"
God, I'm such an idiot. Jack thought to himself as he walked away as fast as he could to (finally) arrive to his cabin.
Upon arriving he jumped to his bed and let out a scream consumed by the pillow in his face. Immersed in his thoughts, he didn't notice his roommate was watching him from the other bed.
"What happened?"
"I'm such an idiot. I just embarrassed myself in front of Rose"
"That's new. You've never done that, that i remember" Fabrizio said as he climbed on Jack's unmade bed. The blonde one sat up next to his friend, still hugging the pillow.
"I know. No one has made me that nervous before"
"Ooooooh it's cause you like her"
"Stop it 'brizio"
"Ooooooh you're blushing"
"Stop it, i mean it" Jack hit him with the pillow
The two friends continued in a small pillow fight until Tommy arrived a few minutes later
"What's up Tommy?"
"Guys... I've been analyzing the tape in rewind, and something just doesn't make sense"
"What did you find?"
"At one point someone clearly says 'they found the necklace' I just went to the exhibition but i found no necklace. The box is empty"
Jack knew it was none of his business to say, but he didn't want to torture his friend either... which wasn't logic at all, since the point of Tommy's existence was to tease Jack and play pranks on him.
"Maybe a passenger owns it"
"Yeah but... why would they say that to us? We're not supposed to help them get it back, are we?"
"We don't even know the owner"
"I do"
"What?"
"Rose has a similar one"
"Maybe it was a confusion, they thought it was the real one..." Fabrizio added, noting his lovely accent
"Are the spirits spying on her?"
"That sounds creepy"
"If they're spying right now... can you send us some more peanut butter on the buffet?"
"Tommy, they are not at your mercy"
"Well. I'm going to research everything there is to know regarding that necklace" The Irish one stated.
"I just remembered what i came to ask you Fabrizio, can I borrow one of your shirts?"
"Sure"
"Since when are you worried about not repeating your outfits?"
"Since he started liking Rose"
"Oooh I see, boyo has entered the honeymoon stage"
"She'll be attending all of our classes as a blogger for the next two weeks"
"Right. Like half of the ship"
"Jack says she's like a big influencer"
"Look at her profile" Jack handed Tommy his phone... not his best move.
"Ow, it would be a shame if I accidentally liked one picture..."
"Give me that" Jack tried to snatch the phone and failed miserably. Tommy got up and they started chasing each other around
"Or two"
"Give me my phone! Guys! It's not funny!"
"Jack and Rose sitting in a tree..."
"What are you? Five? C'mon" One of the special things about Fabrizio, was that he didn't do absolutely nothing in those situations, he only limited himself to laugh. Sometimes Jack thought it was cute, other times (like this one) he'd rather have his friend helping him. Finally, he managed to get his phone back "I wanna eat before we pack, where are we going first?"
"Nassau. Ooooh you are going to see Rose in a swimsuit!"
"Guys c'mon. We're too old for this you know. ...do you happen to have any swimsuits I can borrow?"
"We'll go shopping once we dock"
"And you my friend, will look so hot you'll melt her"
"Tommy just... no"
"I'm so excited for you!"
"Thank you, Fabrizio, glad someone is"
"Oh c'mon Jackie i'm just playing... are you gonna practice your kissing skills with the pillow?"
Fabrizio burst out laughing. Tommy grabbed the pillow and started to loudly make out with it. Between Tommy's nothing sensual noises, Jack's complains and Fabrizio's laughter, the boys didn't realize Rose was standing in their doorway.
"Hey... sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to know what field trip you were taking?... I think i'll just... go..."