So I really appreciate how many people have read this story already! I hope everyone is enjoying it. Remember: basically none of this is mine.
**Cam**
We were told to meet in the dining room at 5:00, so Derrick and I decided to tour the ship after the girls had all left to change out of their bathing suits. Most of the guys stayed on deck to fill out Kemp's ranking chart. Basically, you choose the girl you'd most like to hook up with, and give her a 10. Then you put down 9 other girls in order of preference. That way, you know who you are up against when trying to get with a girl. There is the no-hard-feelings policy—you know ahead of time who might get the girl instead of you, and we all have been together as a class since kindergarten and are like brothers, so we'd never let a girl mess up the friendships. Kemp created the chart in sixth grade, and on every trip since them the whole class filled it out. Except me. I like girls, don't get me wrong, but I'm not going to rate who I want to hook up with. Because if I like a girl, I will try to hook up with her. I'm just not about to do it just because a lot of them are hott.
After checking out our room (standard—two beds, two dressers, a table, a bathroom and a closet), we wandered all the hallways and decks of the ship. There was a skinny ladder up to a small, circular upper deck, and it was cool to sit up there and wait for orientation.
"So, Cam, what did you think of Massie?" Derrick asked me as we sat in the breeze, watching the other guys milling around on the main deck below, an occasional shout or playful shove coming from them.
"Mmmmm…" I thought about it as the boat rocked slightly, "She's undeniably gorgeous," I offered, and he nodded. "She seems at least a bit more complex than the girls back home, but maybe sort of in that way where she'll play head games? Like she likes attention from a lot of guys so maybe she'll not commit or something," I glanced over, and he was nodding, seriously considering my analysis like always. But he did appear disappointed. "She did seem to take a liking to you," I added truthfully, remembering how she focused on him when talking about her school and only talking to the other guys when they asked questions.
"Oh hey, I think it's time to go," Derrick spoke up, pointing to the guys heading inside. At the same time, the ship's horn sounded, and we started to pull away from the dock. We stood up in the cramped space and climbed down the ladder to join our classmates in hearing about the trip.
**DERRICK**
The dining room was the one place we hadn't stopped to look at because we knew we'd be in there soon anyway. The boat was stocked; it had an arcade room, multiple lounges, and a pool. The dining room had two long tables running down the middle of it, and booth tables lining the perimeter. The two tables were full, pretty segregated with boys down one side and girls filling the other. Cam and I slid in to a booth, hearing the chatter of our classmates as they waited for the teachers to start. A quick scan of the table concluded Massie wasn't there, so I turned to Cam, who sat opposite me. He seemed to be scanning the room for someone as well, but when he noticed me watching him with raised eyebrows, he just shrugged. The teachers rang a bell to get our attention but before they could start, Massie and her blond friend Clara who I'd barely noticed before walked in giggling about something. Dressed slightly fancily (I had just realized the rest of the girls in the room were as well), Clara was definitely cute but Massie was beyond breathtaking. I was glad that the tables were filled, because after realizing as much, they came over to sit with us. I was disappointed when Massie slid in next to Cam, but having her across from me was almost as good as next to. She leaned in like she was about to spill a secret, and I was all ears until we heard a throat clear.
"Excuse me girls, we're about to start orientation. It is one thing to walk in late, but please at least pretend to pay attention so the rest of the students can learn what this trip is all about," a male teacher stood above the table, glaring at Clara and Massie, but mostly Massie. I sort of had the feeling that she might be the type to walk into class late and be disruptive.
"Myner, babe, relax. My greatest apology for our tardiness, and of course we'd love to hear your babble about what is in store for us this trip," Massie spoke sweetly and batted her eyelashes at him, causing Cam and I to raise our eyebrows. Clara looked my way and rolled her eyes.
"Just keep quiet, and don't distract these guys," Myner replied, slightly amused, and returned to the front of the room.
Massie giggled at his retreating form, making me wonder if she was into older men, when Clara spoke up.
"That's just Mass. She's got all the teachers wrapped around her little finger. It's pretty convenient most of the time," she told me in a soft voice, and Massie looked over at her with a grin. I couldn't read Cam's expression, but Massie mostly just looked smug.
"Welcome aboard The Dreamer!" Ginnah announced to the group, and everyone cheered. "This trip is designed to be educational," we all rolled our eyes, "but we plan to have as much fun as possible, okay?" Kemp let out a wolf whistle. "You all need to be on your best behavior, especially when we are visiting historical sites," she warned, sending a look in Kemp's direction, "But we'll definitely take time to relax in ports and such. This is our tour guide for Spain, Senor Sanchez. If you have any questions about his glorious country, feel free to ask him after orientation. We will be stopping in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Libya, and Algeria before returning to Morocco," she explained.
Ginnah continued on with the rules of the boat (no boys staying in girls' rooms, curfew at 11:00, be respectful to the crew, etc) before introducing the rest of the chaperons/teachers. There was Mr. Gelt, our history teacher Mr. Myner, the geography teacher at OCD who Massie had "wrapped around her little finger" as Clara put it, and Ms. Lyle, their history teacher.
Then they handed out schedules for the first two days and let us talk about it amongst ourselves until dinner was ready.
"Why do you call your geography teacher by her first name?" Massie asked, crinkling her nose. Cam just shrugged.
"I dunno, she's super progressive and always telling us we should all be equals," I tried to explain, though I wasn't 100% sure myself.
We got our schedules last, and I was eager to see it after hearing the excited chatter from everyone at the long tables. It looked like this:
The Dreamer
Day 1
2:00-5:00: Arrive, Unpack, Settle in, free time
5:00: Orientation in the Dining Room
6:00: Dinner
7:00: Free time
9:00: Welcome Fiesta in the Green Lounge
11:00: Sweet Dreams! (tomorrow: Valencia!)
Day 2
9:00: Wake up! (bell will ring)
9:30: Breakfast
10:00: Tour La Catedral, El Miguelete and Plaza de la Virgen
12:00: Plaza del Mercado (please buy lunch!)
1:00: Jardin Botanico
2:30: Tour any other areas of interest; beach time
6:00: board back on ship for dinner
9:00: Charades in the conference room (boys v. girls!)
11:00: Sweet Dreams! (tomorrow: Barcelona!)
"Ooooh, a fiesta!" Massie squealed. "Alicia is probably jumping up and down with excitement, to be heading to Spain!" Clara nodded, plugging her headphones into her ears and tuning the rest of us out. Massie looked at her pointedly, then rolled her eyes and turned to Cam. "What are you most excited about?" Cam just shrugged.
"I'm pretty excited about the fiesta too," I shot her a smile, and she smiled back before glaring at Clara once more. "Also for just seeing Valencia, I mean there are so many museums to check out and cathedrals to photograph," I added, realizing she thought I was just agreeing with her to be nice. She perked up hearing this, and we got into a conversation about photography.
I noticed Cam was checking out Clara without wanting to seem like he was, which made me grin to myself. "Hey, what are you listening to?" He asked eventually, but apparently she didn't hear.
"Oh, she's listening to one of her songs. She's the incredibly brilliant singer/songwriter type," Massie stopped our conversation to answer Cam with a bat of her eyelashes. He ignored the flirtation and continued to look at Clara with admiration.
"Think she'd let me listen?" He asked, finally turning to Massie.
"She normally very shy about sharing her music, but you could try," She replied with a winning smile. I wished it was aimed at me, and thought back to what Cam had said about head games. But I also knew she wasn't his type, so I wouldn't have to worry about him falling for her charms. Still, I didn't need to look at one of Kemp's charts to know she probably was rated 10 by most of the other guys. "Hey Claire, can Cam here get a listen to the song you're working on?" Massie asked. Oops. I guess I've been getting her name wrong. "Not the one you just started, the other one."
"OW!" Claire yelped, and I guess Massie kicked her under the table. Cam looked at Claire expectantly. She took one of her ear buds out, but didn't place it in Cam's hand. "It… I mean it's not that good. It's missing a lot…"
"Oh shut it Claire and let him listen," Massie said playfully.
Claire still hesitated, so Cam took the ear bud out of her grasp and asked "May I?" Claire just nodded. I watch Cam listen, seriously listening to her music, before restarting my conversation with Massie.
"So, you were saying you model?"
**CLAIRE**
Let's face it: I will always be jealous of Massie Block. There. I said it. But I mean, c'mon. She's model gorgeous and all the guys go for her. She can get away with anything with the teachers, even calling them "babe". She has a family name to get her anything she wants, but she doesn't even use it because she's such a charmer. And she makes it impossible to stay mad at or hold a grudge against her.
I was frustrated because as much as Cam totally gave me butterflies just looking at him, Massie had laid her claim. It bothered me that she felt bad for Derrick and wanted to make him happy by setting him up with me, because we were both always second best. But I knew she had good intentions, and wanted me to be happy. Still, it sucked to always be in her shadow.
I actually held my breath as I watched Cam listen to my almost-completed song Teardrops on My Guitar. I labeled it done a little while ago, but I couldn't help feeling like it ended too abruptly. As much as I knew Massie was trying to sing my praises and get Derrick to be impressed by me, I was only partly a singer/songwriter, because none of my songs have been introduced to the public, and I am only completely satisfied with two of them. The rest are pretty good, but something was missing.
He looked completely focused on listening the whole entire time, staring off into space with a look of concentration on his face. Earlier I almost could have sworn he was looking at me, when I was listening before, but that's impossible. Especially with Massie right there and available. Still I studied his perfect face, and wished Massie hadn't claimed him. Finally the song ended and he took out the ear bud, smiling.
"That was good! Sad, you know, but really good. You have an amazing voice. Where do you get your inspiration for songs?" He asked, seeming genuinely curious.
"Oh, you know, movies and stuff," I replied hastily. I was not about to tell him that it was because all the guys I like go for Massie. He seemed the type that might pity me and then start being nice because he didn't want to hurt my feelings. Plus I didn't want him to think of me as whiney. "But did you actually like it, or are you just saying that? I mean, it's kind of cliché, and—"
"Yes, I really did like it, especially how you repeated the first line slower at the end. Nice touch," He grinned, handing the ear bud back. The bell rang for dinner, and I got up slowly so that Derrick could get out, but I was still in shock. I hadn't done the repeat line at the end, and yet that would be the perfect way to wrap up the song. My mouth dropped open a little, and Cam just chuckled.
Massie linked arms with both boys and pulled them to the front of the line. Cam looked back at me. "Hey, aren't you coming?" he asked, as Massie led the way to the front of the line for the buffet. I shook my head slowly, and turned to go fix the end of my song on garage band before I forgot.
As I was leaving the dining hall, I heard Massie say, "don't worry, babe. Claire gets really wrapped up in her songwriting, and if she gets an idea, you might not be able to successfully communicate with her for days!" I sighed, knowing she was right, but wishing she hadn't said it like that.
**Cam**
"She's just so cool," Derrick was going on about Massie again, "and did you know she's a model?" I shook my head, watching the waves. We were on the main deck, and most people were in their rooms or still eating. "I dunno, it seemed she was equally flirting with both of us, though…" he shot me a sideways glance.
"Go for it, dude," I answered. "She's not my type."
"You sure? You did say she was more complex than SF girls," Derrick and I strictly obey bros before hos, and once decided that if we both like a girl, neither of us get her.
"Definitely, man. She's gorgeous, but definitely not what I go for," I assured him, Thinking of Claire's sweet shy smile and her expression of concentration when she's songwriting, like the very first moment I saw her. Even if there had been no words, her voice was so full of emotion. I loved that she had such a connection with her music. That's the kind of girl I go for, I thought to myself. I had a feeling that Derrick suspected my crush, but I wasn't about to confirm it yet. Some things are better to keep for yourself.
**MASSIE**
"Claire! Code red" I burst into our room, pulling her away from her computer where she was changing whatever Cam had suggested. "I think you need to work harder to woo Derrick. You did fine at the beginning of dinner, but then you got lost in your music again." She looked up from her computer, shutting it so that it went to sleep.
"Why the urgency, Mass?" she asked tiredly.
"Be-cawse, when I was coming down from dinner, I heard Cam and Derrick talking. Cam is backing off me because Derrick asked him for the green light! Pleaseee work on Derrick for me? Or, I know, just let Cam know I really do like him. He probably let Derrick go for me because he didn't know if I liked him. I have been flirting with everyone, so maybe he took that the wrong way." Claire looked hesitant, and I reminded her, "Claire, I have helped you out tons of times when getting guys. Please do this one favor for me? Pleaseeeee?"
It's true. Even if sometimes the help wasn't requested, or even appreciated, I always did my best to set her up with guys. And I had promised to get her with Derrick, hadn't I? I was impressed that she even took the initiative to whisper to him during dinner even if… oh.
"And I'm sure Derrick likes you back, but he was probably not sure what to think when you didn't join us for dinner," I added hastily. She nodded, but not like she was convinced. "Please, Claire, either assure Derrick you're into him, or clear things up for me with Cam?" I asked, giving my best puppy-dog pout, which she fell for, as always.
"Fine, I'll see what I can do," she sighed. All of a sudden our door bust open and our friends Alicia and Dylan walked in.
"Hey guys, Josh and Plovert are stopping by our room soon before the fiesta, if you want to join," Dylan announced.
"Yea, I swiped some of my dad's wine. And the boys are coming from the pool, so they'll just be in their suits," Alicia added significantly. Claire and I looked at each other before both jumping off our beds and grabbing our keys.
"Let's go!" I exclaimed, leading the way.
Here we go... Massie working her magic (read: manipulation) to get her man (although she does truly have the best intentions), a bit of alcohol, and voila! The next chapter will be a bit more eventful.
Have a truly spectacular Sunday!
Hugs, Sky