A/N: Hello everyone! Five more days and then its all over :( I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm working on another idea for a story as well. It's still a pretty rough idea but It's starting to come together in my head. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I can't believe that there are over one hundred! I love you guys:)
Disclaimer: ...Nothing is owned by moi...
Back on Board
"He's totally going to walk over and start hitting on her." Wally says. Artemis nods.
"He's a total player. This is the third girl this hour that he has attempted to flirt with." Artemis responds. The two of them watching the teenage passenger approach the girl tanning by the deck. The girl lifts up her sunglasses and rolls her eyes. She drops them again, and the boy sulks away.
"Ouch, Three strikes and he is out." They watch the boy sulk off of the deck, persumably to go play video games in the arcade would be Artemis' guess. Artemis looks away from the deck and back down to the towel she was folding. Her shoulders were still a bit stiff, but they had begun to heal in the three days since they were forced back into place. She was still stuck at the towel station though, not wanting her to reinjure it in kitchen duty, lifeguard duty or anything else.
Yesterday she had had Kaldur to hang out and talk with. Today, she had Wally. They had started playing a game of guessing what the passengers were saying to each other, before being distracted by Mr. Pick up lines.
"God, I really want to know what pick up lines he used because obviously they sucked if he got turned away by not one but three girls." Artemis says. "They were probably hilarious."
"Not like mine." Wally proclaims. Artemis laughs.
"Yours are the worst. They are beyond cheesy." Artemis tells him, having had to listen to him try to pick up multiple girls on their first voyage to the Mediterranean.
"They are not! They are genius!" Wally says.
"Oh really? About half of them have to do with chemistry, which goes over a normal bimbos head, and the other half are just plain cheesy." Artemis informs him.
"You're just jealous." Wally states. Artemis turns to him.
"And what would I be jealous about?" Artemis asks.
"That I'm not using them on you." Wally responds.
"As if Baywatch, get over yourself." Artemis replies and changes the subject. "That guy is probably asking his wife if he can take the kids to the kiddie pool. Most likely because there is some hot single mom there he wants to flirt with."
Wally follows to where she was pointing and examines the couple. Two little kids hung on the dad's legs and the mom was sunbathing. "Or he is asking if he could take them for ice cream. Why do yours always have to be so negative?"
Artemis shrugs. They watch the guy walk away with the kids over to Megan behind the ice cream counter.
"Ha, I win, eat my dust." Wally declares.
"Next person." Artemis says. "Your turn to choose the people."
Wally examines the crowds, his eyes landing on a little girl tugging on her mom's shirt. "The girl is asking to go to the bathroom."
"Wally! That was way to easy, anyone could guess that. Come on, make it more challenging." Artemis tells him.
"Okay, guess what the people are saying game police." Wally says, throwing his arms up into the air. His arm accidently knocked into Artemis, pushing her left side into the counter. She winced as her left shoulder suddenly flared up in pain. She grabbed it with her other hand. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Artemis."
Artemis grinds her teeth together. "I'm fine. Watching where your hands go next time kid Klutz." Artemis didn't realize what she had said until after it was out of her mouth. Wally stared at her for a moment, obviously trying not to laugh. Within seconds, the two teenagers were full out laughing.
"Okay, I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that and just ask again if you're sure you're okay. Do I need to get John to take a look at it?"
"No Wally, I'm fine." Artemis insists, the pain fading away.
"Okay, I'm really sorry."
"I know you are Baywatch."
"Like really sorry."
"Baywatch!" Artemis says in annoyance. He grins.
"Now I know you are fine."
"You're infuriating."
"I know you are but what am I?" Wally replies. Artemis sighs loudly and looks behind her to the pool to give Zatanna a "help me" look.
^^^^^^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Artemis walked into the archery range, knowing that Roy would be there. She tried not to stare at the perfectly lined up bows and arrows calling to her. Four more days, the doctor said she just had to wait a week. Four more days.
Roy was shooting at the target at the far end of the range. Artemis watched quietly as he shot an arrow, hitting just a little left of the dead center.
"Ouch, so close, yet so far." Artemis says. Roy spins around, obviously not having noticed her walk in.
"What are you doing here Artemis? I have strict instructions from Ollie to not let you anywhere near a bow." Roy tells her, laughing.
"You laugh now Harper, but someday when you bust up your shoulder, you'll understand how it feels." Artemis informs him.
"I'll be careful. What brings you here?" Roy asks.
"I came to take down measurements for a big party I plan on throwing in here." Roy gives her a shocked look.
"You serious?" Roy asks.
"No. I came here to talk to you. It's not like I can shoot an arrow right now." Artemis replies. "Boys, you would think you would achieve common sense after some time."
"Okay, okay, no need for that. What did you have to ask me?" Roy asks. "I actually have some questions for you." Roy puts away the bow on a small table and walks away from the line that you shoot behind. He sat down on a bench, Artemis sitting across from him.
"I'm guessing we have the same question. On the count of three?" Artemis asks. Roy nods. "One, two, three."
On three they both ask the other how they know Cameron. They smile, realizing that they did indeed have the same question for each other.
"I'll start. Cameron and I were in the same school together. We lived near each other before my parents died. We were somewhat friends, but I realized that he was bad news after I moved in with Ollie and Dinah when I was twelve, two years before you showed up. We used to get into arguments a lot at school. One day when I came home with a black eye when I was thirteen, Oliver told me that there was no point in fighting, and I stopped rising to his bait. Eventually he got expelled, which I asssume you know." Roy tells her. "Your turn?
"His dad and my dad did business together. When I was six, and he was eight, we moved to Gotham. When I was twelve, and moved back, we started hanging out again. We dated, we broke up when I didn't want to get involved in his antics." Artemis says shrugging.
"Okay, so we both hate Mahkent, agreed?" Roy asks with a smile.
"I and my injured shoulders agree." Artemis says.
"How come I never knew that you and him were dating? I mean, you've practically been living with us for a year."
"I never told Ollie and Dinah, so why would I have told you?" Artemis asks, standing up. "See you at dinner Roy."
"See you Arty." Roy replies. Artemis rolls her eyes as she slides the door shut behind her.
^^^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^^^
"Earth to Megan!" Raquel says, waving her hands behind Conner's head. She didn't notice, to involved with sucking face with Conner. Wally tries getting Conner's attention, again no response.
"Should we just leave them?" Kaldur suggests. "We can find another spot to hang out."
Artemis shrugs. She and the others had all come out to their usual nighttime hangout spot, but Conner and Megan had already been there, making out. It seemed some people had decided to rebel and sneak out of dinner.
Megan opened her eyes, suddenly realizing that they were all standing there. She pulls away from Conner. Both of them blush, looking around at their friends.
"You know, I've heard that there is an empty storage room below Deck E that you two can make out in." Dick tells them. "Or do other things."
The two of them glare at him as he cackles. Everyone else rolls there eyes, used to his tactics by now.
"Sorry guys. You haven't been there long, have you?" Megan asks sheepishly.
"No, not at all." Kaldur says, glaring at Wally and Dick before the two could say anything.
"Good." Megan replies smiling. She leans against Conner, the two of them sharing a lounge chair. The rest of them arrange their chairs to form a semi circle of sorts. A lack of lounge chairs (darn passengers, why are they always moving them?) meant left Wally and Artemis sharing one. The two of them sat side by side, both aware of the mere inches between them.
"So Megan, where has John said we are stopping first?" Kaldur asks. They had seen a few islands from a distance, but were mostly just traveling through the Caribbean aimlessly.
"As a matter of fact, Uncle John told me this morning at breakfast that we are arriving in Costa Rica sometime tomorrow." Megan tells them, smiling as Conner wraps his arms around her, pulling her into his lap.
"Yuck." Raquel states.
"Um...what's wrong with Costa Rica?" Zatanna asks.
"Well there is a rainforest there, that means lots and lots of bugs, imparticular, mosquitoes." Raquel says making a face.
"You hate bugs?" Artemis asks.
"Yes." Raquel replies.
"All types? Some are really cool." Wally tells her.
"You would say that." Artemis says quietly, so that only Zatanna could really hear. She laughed, causing everyone to give the two of them a weird look.
"Yeah, I hate all bugs, but in particular Mosquitoes. You don't get a lot of them in Dakota City."
"Well I'm sure, we can find a way for you to still enjoy the trip." Kaldur tells her with a smile. Raquel smiles in return. Megan and Artemis exchange looks.
"Speaking of Dakota City, we haven't heard about your break yet Raquel." Dick says. "I mean I told you about Barbara pushing me into a snow bank. We heard about the girl Kaldur liked dating his best friend. Wally told us all about Bart's antics and Conner told us about the farm. Megan went on and on about her millions of family members." Dick ignored the look Megan shot him. "We even heard about Artemis and Ollie's shooting competition and Zatanna and her grandmother's shopping trip. But we never heard what you did."
Everyone turns to Raquel who stares at her feet.
"If you do not wish to tell, you don't have too." Kaldur offers.
"It didn't start out bad. I ran into a childhood friend of mine and I hung out with him and all of his school friends since they were all there on vacation. It was good until I ran into the old crowd I used to run with. Virgil, my friend who I ran into, and I had kind of drifted away from them. He going to his new school and me coming here so it was just awkward to see them." Raquel tells, still staring at her feet.
"You're keeping something." Dick notes.
"Dick, stop being such a dick." Conner tells him. He makes a face at Conner.
"Fine, my ex boyfriend was there and it was awkward. I don't like seeing them since they all think that I think that I am better then them since I stopped hanging out with them, but who wouldn't? They left me to get caught!" Raquel complains. Everyone looks at her, confused. "Oh right, I've never told you guys how I met Augustus."
"How did you meet Augustus?" Wally asks, curious.
"Oh, simple, my "friends" convinced me to break into a house with them. The house was Augustus'. I sprained my ankle trying to get out when we heard police sirens and they all left me to take the fall for them. Augustus dropped all charges as long as I helped out in the law office and the two of us became friends." Raquel explains. Everyone is silent for a moment.
"They really sound like great friends." Conner comments.
"I know. They are real charmers." Raquel says.
"I can't believe your boyfriend just left you. That is cruel." Megan says.
"Hence the word ex." Raquel tells her.
"I'm sorry Raquel." Kaldur says gently.
"It's not a problem anymore. I met Augustus and now I am here. If I didn't get caught, I never would have met any of you guys."
"Funny how things happen sometimes." Artemis says.
"Yeah." Wally replies.
The eight of them talk for a lot longer. Sometime around ten o'clock, before they were getting ready to head back down for the night, they realized that Artemis and Wally had stopped talking. They looked over at the farthest lounge chair to see that the two of them had fallen asleep, Artemis' head resting on Wally's chest, his arms wrapped around her.
"I bet they start dating in a month." Dick says.
"I say six weeks." Zatanna counters.
"Forty bucks?" Dick questions.
"You're on boy wonder." Zatanna and Dick shake hands.
"Do you think this is wise?" Kaldur asks.
"Aw, let them have some fun." Raquel says, laughing quietly. They all turn when they hear rustling from where Dick was sitting.
"Dick, do I even want to know what you are doing?" Conner asks. They all blink as a flash goes off.
"Did you just take a picture of them?" Megan questions.
"When they have been dating for five years and living together, we'll all laugh about this." Dick states. They all just shake their heads.
"Really? They aren't even dating yet." Conner says.
"I know. I just have a feeling." Dick tells them. They all just shrug, and then do rocks paper sisscors shoot for who has to be the one to wake them up since they can both be very grumpy when they first wake up.
^^^^^Line Break^^^^^^
Roy walked into the archery range to finish tidying everything up before people arrived in the morning. He turned on the lights and spotted a figure lying on a bench in the middle of the range. A girl with long black hair looked up.
"Geesh, Red, I'm sleeping here. You want to turn the lights off again?" The girl asks him.
"Um...you're not supposed to be here." Roy states.
"Hm, stating the obvious now are we." The girl says. "You going to report me?"
"I should." Roy tells her.
"People should do a lot of things, doesn't mean they do them." She states. Her smile quickly falls. "Look Red, I needed to hitch a ride some place. Your little ship here is going to my destination. Would you please be a dear and just let me ride this out. I promise I won't be in here in the morning."
Roy contemplates for a moment. I mean, there was no harm if she stayed out of sight.
"Fine, one condition, you need to make yourself scarce." Roy informs her. She laughs.
"Don't worry, you won't even notice me. I'll be like the Cheshire cat and disappear." She says with a grin similar to that of the famous cat.
"Alright. I'm Roy by the way."
"I prefer Red." The girl says, resting her head back down on the bag on the bench. Roy goes to exit the range.
"What's your name anyway or should I just call you Cheshire?"
"Jade. Jade Nguyen."
A/N: And enter drama. Wow, that was written a lot quicker then I thought it would take. Raquel like never gets any screen time, so I looked up her bio on wikipedia and decided to include her background in this. So review and tell me your thoughts. Hopefully fourteen will be up on Thursday or Friday. Until then, stay traught.