Free Wrecked by Elle Casey Page B

getting some air?  Here in the hallway?”  Jonathan looked around at the enclosed space, trying to figure out what she was talking about.  Kevin could practically see his mind working, wondering if there an air vent hidden somewhere he wasn’t seeing.
    “Hey, buddy, whaddya say we go up to the bar and get us a beer?”  Kevin put his hand on one of Jonathan’s shoulders to steer him down the hallway away from his sister.  They both started walking down the hall together, leaving her behind.
    “Oh, I’m not drinking age yet.”
    “Don’t worry about that.  We’re in international waters now, and I have a fake ID.  I’ll get us both a beer.”
    “Actually, the fact that it’s international waters is irrelevant.  Each cruise line has its own drinking age, and usually it’s twenty-one.  I’m not twenty-one yet.”
    Kevin stopped walking for a second, forcing Jonathan to also stop since Kevin’s hand was still firmly on his shoulder.  “You know, Jon, there is such a thing as too much information.  Has anyone ever told you that?”
    “Oh, yeah, Candi says that to me aaaaalll the time.  T-M-I Jonathan, T-M-I!”
    Kevin glanced back at Candi and winked at her, causing her to blush all over again.  “Your sister is a sharp one.  I think we need to be careful of her, I’m pretty sure she’s not exactly what she seems.”
    Jonathan was completely oblivious to the undercurrent of flirtation present in that statement.  “Oh, I agree, totally.  Wait ‘til you really get to know her.  She acts totally different at home than she does at school.”
    Candi’s feet immediately went into motion, closing the distance between them and her, her expression telling Kevin she meant to try and stop her brother’s motor-mouth. 
    “Oh, I’m looking forward to it – getting to know more about her, maybe over that beer I mentioned.  Are you up for it, Mister I’m Not Twenty One Yet?”
    Jonathan hesitated only for a second.  “Yeah, okay, that sounds good. My dad said we should relax and live a little on the cruise; I guess having a beer qualifies.”
    Kevin released his shoulder and clapped him on the back a couple of times.  “Yes, Jon, my man, it sure does.”  He glanced back over his shoulder at Candi, who was now standing right behind them.  “You comin’, Gumdrop?”
    “No thanks, I’m going back to wait for Sarah.”  She stared at her brother hard before turning and walking back toward the cabin, while the boys continued to the stairs at the end of the corridor.
    Kevin shouted, “Suit yourself!” already forgetting about their exchange.
    ***
    Candi stood in front of her cabin door.  She knocked, then used her key to go in.  
    Sarah was still sitting at the makeup table.  “Back so soon?” she asked sweetly, as if nothing had happened.
    “Yeah,” Candi responded quietly.  She stood there for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of dealing with Sarah head-on, deciding eventually that it would be better to fix it and move on than to let it fester.  “Listen, Sarah, I’m sorry I said that stuff about your dad or whatever.  I don’t want to fight with you; I just want to hang out and have a good time.  I’d prefer to do that with you, but if you don’t want to hang out with me, that’s fine too.  I’ll understand.”
    Sarah stopped with her makeup application and turned to look at Candi, sitting on the edge of the bed.  “What is it exactly that you would understand?”
    Candi started playing with her cuticles nervously.  “Well, that hanging out with me might not be what you would want to do, I guess.”
    Sarah continued to push her, “And why wouldn’t it be what I want to do?”
    “I don’t know – maybe I’m not like your other friends at school and so maybe since I’m not like them, the things I do might not be your idea of fun or whatever.”  She was frustrated trying to explain this concept that was floating around in her head, which was essentially: