"Aniya: WHAT!!?"

"Milly: Guys, I got us VIP cruise ship tickets!"

"Rex: Milly!"

Rex and Aniya start "crying" and run over to hug Milly.

"Both of them: You're the best! Thank you!" 

Milly starts laughing. 

"Milly: You're welcome, guys."

"Casper: Where exactly are we going, Milly?" he asks curiously, his expression calm yet impressed.

"Milly: Since it was a surprise and you couldn't directly tell your parents what the destination was, my family and I chose the cruise ship that just goes south for a few days and then returns. In short, it doesn't have a final destination." 

"Rex: I'm so excited and so happy I brought my sunglasses and swimming suit."

"Aniya: Me too, but Milly…" she begins.

"Milly: What's up?"

"Aniya: Where in the world did you get the money for these tickets? Is your father a billionaire?" 

"Milly: I never told you guys this, but my father is a famous scientist."

They all looked at her confused. 

"Aniya: Are you serious?" she exclaimed, looking at Milly arching her eyebrows. 

"Milly: I thought you guys could tell from my last name,” she replies scratching the back of her head, smiling nervously. 

"Casper: Are you talking about Arnold Liam Colmin?" 

"Milly: Yeah..."

"Rex: Milly, we've been friends for about five years, and you never told us this?" he asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Milly: I didn't want to mention it because I don't want to sound like I'm bragging," she says in a quiet voice, looking down at her shoes.

"Aniya: You're an angel, Milly. If I were in your place, people would be serving me right now."

Milly chuckles, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Milly: Sure."

Then, she turned to Casper, who was sitting down and reading his book. She heads over next to him and sits down.

"Milly: What do you think, Casper?"

"Casper: Oh, it's going to be great."

He sarcastically smiles at her. She finds it funny and smiles back.

"Milly: I think it really will though."

Casper thinks for a moment before speaking.

"Casper: Sarcasm aside, thank you. It's really expensive to get a normal ticket for this kind of cruise ship, yet you got us VIP. You have a heart of gold, Milly."

Milly's cheeks flushed slightly and Casper held back a smile.

"Milly: It's just… I'm so grateful to have you guys as my friends. You guys bring me happiness, love, and joy. This is the least I could do," she says softly.

Casper slowly nods then looks back down and continues reading his book. Aniya and Rex join them, sitting down with their suitcases in hand.

"Aniya: When do we board?" she asks, excitement evident in her voice.

"Milly: At eleven. So, in about fifteen minutes or so."

"Rex: Only fifteen minutes left! That's nothing! Let's go stand in line!" he exclaims, quickly standing up. 

"Aniya: For fifteen minutes? Hell nah." she scoffs.

"Rex: Okay, watch. We're going to end up being last in line," he says sitting back down, pouting as he puts his face between his hands. 

Fifteen minutes later, two staff members come out with a list and some other things in hand. Everyone in the waiting area gets up and gets in the line.

"Milly: Okay guys, it's time to go."

"Rex: That was the longest fifteen minutes of my life!" 

Aniya smirks at Rex while arching her eyebrows. 

"Aniya: Told you," she hums.

"Casper: Stop talking and stand in the line."

"Aniya: Chill out, dude.” 

They take their luggage and head over to the line. People began boarding the ship and the line slowly got smaller and smaller. Finally, it was their turn to board. 

"Security guard: Tickets, please."

Milly takes the tickets out of her small purse and hands them to the security guard. 

"Security guard: Can I have all of your passports and boarding documents?"

Just as Milly was about to hand over the documents, Casper pushed her hand down. 

"Casper: They already checked us at the security check-in." 

The security guard looks at Casper with a stern look on his face. 

"Security guard: Well, we have to check again." 

"Milly: It's okay, Casper."

Casper's eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue. They give the security guard the passports and documents, quietly waiting for him to check them. 

"Security guard: All right, please proceed and have a safe trip." 

The security guard weirdly smiles at them and Casper’s eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Casper (thinking): Am I overreacting? What was with that smile?"

While they proceeded up the stairs and into the ship, Milly glanced at Casper, worried. 

"Aniya: Eeek! I'm so excited!" she exclaims.

Aniya tugs Rex's arm with excitement, who in return gives her hand a gentle pat.

"Rex: Will there be like a swimming pool and stuff?" 

"Milly: You guys will see."

They soon board the cruise ship and are welcomed by a lady who guides them to their rooms. The girls entered the room reserved for them and Aniya sat on one of the beds.

"Aniya: These beds are awesome!" she exclaims in awe as her eyes survey the room.

Milly joins her and sits down on the bed. 

"Milly: Yeah, they're like marshmallows!" 

"Rex: This is so rad. The boys get their own room!"

"Aniya: What the hell is ‘rad’?" she asks in distaste. 

"Casper: How exciting, I get to share a room with a sleep talker," he says in a low, sarcastic voice.

"Rex: What!? I do not sleep talk."

Aniya bursts into laughter. 

"Aniya: Good luck, Casper!” she yells from the other room. 

"Rex: Hey!" he yells back in mock offense.

Milly smiles warmly as she watches her friends laugh and talk together. Everyone then met up in the hallway. 

"Rex: Alrighty, the tour lady gave me a map of the whole ship. I see there's an arcade, restaurant, outdoor swimming pool, gym, and a library?" 

"Casper: All right, you know where to find me," he says, turning to leave.

"Aniya: Wait right there. We have to spend this time together," she says sternly.

"Milly: Exactly!" 

"Rex: Okay, I have a plan. First, we’ll all go to the outdoor pool, which is located on the front deck. Then, we’ll all head to the restaurant for dinner. And finally, we will go to the arcade. If Casper wants, he can go to the library."

"Casper: Whatever, I’ll go to the library another day," he says with a defeated sigh.

"Aniya: Okay then, let's go to the pool!" 

"Milly: We'll wear our swimsuits and meet outside, okay?" 

"Rex: Ye!"

They all head back to their rooms and change into their swimsuits. Rex and Casper finish changing first and decide to wait outside for the girls. 

"Rex: Do girls always take this long?" 

"Casper: I would know because?" he says, raising an eyebrow. 

Rex shrugs. Meanwhile, Milly and Aniya finished getting ready and prepared to leave their room.

"Aniya: Milly, do you have your beach hat?" 

"Milly: Yeah, let's go!" 

Aniya and Milly took a large beach bag, packing everything they thought they might need. The boys, on the other hand, went out with just a towel and sunglasses. 

"Rex: You brought a whole beach bag?" 

"Aniya: And you guys came empty-handed? Are you kidding me? Where's your sunscreen? Where's your lotion? Your skin is tan as is," she retorted, looking him up and down.

"Rex: Who needs lotion? We're going to be swimming." 

"Casper: Enough chit-chat. Let's just get going already," he interrupted, having had enough of their bickering.

They walked out to the front deck, where they saw a massive swimming pool and hundreds of people. 

"Casper: It was a mistake to even come," he grumbles quietly, looking around.

"Milly: I have to agree; it's a bit too crowded." 

"Aniya: Wait, aren't we VIPs though?" 

"Rex: Oh yeah!"

"Aniya: We should ask that guide lady if there's a VIP pool or something." 

"Milly: This ship is huge though. We won't be able to find her."

"Rex: She's right there, standing near the exit," he says, pointing his finger towards the exit.

They all turn around. 

"Aniya: Great, let's go."

"Rex: Are you just going to carry that huge bag around?"

"Aniya: Oh, you're right!"

Aniya takes the beach bag and throws it at Rex, who stumbles back.

"Rex: What!? I'm not carrying this around." 

"Aniya: Well, now you are."

Rex rolls his eyes, puts the bag over his shoulder, and follows the others as they go ahead to talk to the lady. 

"Aniya: Excuse me, guide lady!" 

"Lady: Oh, hello again." 

"Aniya: We just had a quick question. We got VIP tickets, so we were wondering if there's a VIP outdoor pool here."

"Lady: It's actually on the map I gave to the gentlemen over there." 

She pointed at Rex, who had resorted to dragging the beach bag on the ground instead of carrying it. 

"Aniya: Oh, okay. He probably didn't notice because he's stupid!" she says, smiling angrily at Rex while crossing her arms.

The lady looks at her confused and smiles. 

"Milly: Thank you. Have a nice day," she says politely, giving a small smile before turning back to her friends.

The lady nods and walks away.

"Aniya: You idiot! It's on the map!" 

"Rex: Well, I didn't see it!" he grumbles.

"Aniya: Are you blind now?" she argues, rolling her eyes.

Aniya grabs the map from his pocket and opens it. 

"Milly: Calm down, Aniya. He just made a little mistake." 

"Rex: Yeah, you tell her Milly." 

"Casper: More people are arriving, let's just go." 

Aniya guides them to the pool, which was located at the back of the cruise ship. However, when they arrive, they find a security guard standing near the entrance with a stamp in his hand. 

"Casper (mumbles): It's that same guy."

"Milly: What did you say Casper?"

"Rex: I heard, ‘is that name guy’." 

"Casper: What does that even mean?" he asks, a perplexed look on his face.

"Rex: I don't know. I'm asking you." 

Casper rolls his eyes in response. They then head over to the security guard, who asks for their VIP tickets. He stamps each ticket before allowing them to proceed to the back of the ship. 

"Milly: Woah, it's nearly empty," she says in awe as her eyes roam over the large pool area.

"Aniya: That's more like it,” she states with a smirk.

They walk towards the beach chairs and set down their things. Aniya, Milly, and Casper take a seat, while Rex jumps into the pool. 

"Casper: You're going to make my book wet." 

Rex has a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Rex: Will you stop reading if I do?”

Casper’s eyes darken.

"Casper: No, you'll only end up having a funeral an hour later after I drown you." 

Knowing how quickly things could turn messy, Aniya tries to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Aniya: Casper, aren't you going to put on some sunscreen? Your skin is as white as a ghost, dude." 

"Casper: I'm going to stay under the umbrella anyway. It doesn't matter." 

Aniya shrugs, and Casper opens his book to start reading. Milly and Aniya continue to talk and joke around while Rex swims. About thirty minutes later, they suddenly hear someone else entering the VIP section. They turn their heads to see who it was, only to be met with a girl with fair skin and splattered freckles on her face. She has green eyes similar to Casper’s, and short orange hair styled in a half ponytail. She wore a full-body swimming suit and had a pair of goggles in her hand. 

"Rex: Kathie?" 

The girl suddenly turns her head to Rex. 

"Kathie: Rex?!" 

Rex quickly exits the water and runs towards her, while Casper hurriedly puts his book and sunglasses on the chair and jumps into the water. Milly and Aniya look between all of them, confused. Rex stretches out his hand to give Kathie a fistbump, a wide smile on his face.

"Rex: You're on this cruise too?" 

Kathie returns his fistbump with an excited smile.

"Kathie: Yeah, how did you get here? Wait, is Casper with you?" 

"Rex: Yeah, he's right-" 

Rex turns around and doesn't see Casper in his chair anymore. 

"Rex: I don't know where he went. What about you? Did you come alone?" 

"Kathie: No, I came with Leo. Are you just here with Casper?" 

"Rex: Nope! My friends are here too." 

Rex continues to talk to Kathie while Aniya and Milly go over to Casper. 

"Aniya: Who in the world is that girl?" 

"Casper: My nightmare of a cousin," he grumbles.

"Milly: Is that why you're hiding?"

"Casper: Thought you wouldn't guess." 

"Aniya: So she's your’s and Rex’s cousin...and she's bad?" 

"Casper: Not bad…annoying!"

"Aniya: Imma go talk to her,"she says conclusively.

Aniya gets up and heads over to Rex and Kathie. 

"Aniya: Hi, I'm Aniya," she says cheerfully.

Kathie returns her smile.

"Kathie: Hi, are you Rex's friend?"

"Aniya: Yup."

"Kathie: Oh, I'm Kathie Lorn. I'm his cousin," she says, shaking hands with Aniya.

"Aniya: Nice to meet you, Kathie. If you're looking for Casper, he's in the pool," she says with a chuckle, pointing her finger to the pool where Casper is hiding.

"Kathie: Oh, thanks!" 

Kathie ran over to Milly and Casper. 

"Aniya: Rex, Casper says she's annoying. Why does he feel that way exactly?" 

"Rex: I don't know. I guess she talks a lot, but I don’t see a problem with that,” he says with a shrug.

"Aniya: Hmm..."

Kathie notices Milly talking to Casper and assumes Milly is their other friend. 

"Kathie: Hey guys!" 

"Milly: Oh, hi! I'm Milly." 

"Kathie: What a pretty name! My name is Kathie." 

"Milly: Thank you. Your name is beautiful too!" 

Kathie gives her a wide smile and thanks her before turning to Casper.

"Kathie: Casper!! You weren't answering any of my calls! What happened?" 

"Casper: I was...busy," he says flatly, not making eye contact.

"Kathie: Busy? Yeah right, you liar," she retorts, bending down to flick his forehead.

"Casper: Back off, If I answered those calls, all you'd do is talk," he says through gritted teeth, rubbing his forehead.

"Kathie: Isn't that what humans do?" 

"Casper: Unnecessarily!" 

"Kathie: You're so mean." 

Casper rolls his eyes but tries to soften his tone. He gets out of the water and reluctantly gives her a fistbump.

"Casper: So, you came with Aubrey or Timothy?"

"Kathie: No, Leo." 

"Casper: Where is he?" 

"Kathie: He's coming now, I think he met one of his friends or something."

The evening continued with everyone playing in the pool. Leo joined them later, and Milly and Aniya did their best to get to know the two new individuals in their group. Eventually, as the sun began to set, the group began heading to their rooms. 

"Aniya: We should go to the restaurant together!" she suggests excitedly.

"Rex: Yeah, and then we were planning to go to the arcade, you guys should join us." 

"Kathie: Alright! We'll meet at the restaurant then." 

"Aniya: Okay then, bye!" 

"Milly: Bye, Kathie." 

"Kathie: Bye guys!" 

Kathie and Leo headed back to their rooms, followed by Milly and the others. 

(The girl's room) 

"Aniya: Kathie is so nice, isn't she?" she says as she searches for an outfit for dinner.

"Milly: Yeah, I didn't even know they had a cousin." 

"Aniya: She's also around our age. I think she is fourteen..." 

"Milly: We're the same age, but I've never seen her in our school." 

"Aniya: She probably goes to a different school,"she says thoughtfully.

(The boy's room) 

"Rex: Bro, what are the chances that we boarded the same cruise ship?" 

"Casper: I don't know and don't care," he grunts, annoyed that he’s going to interact with more people.

"Rex: So rude." 

~

Thank you for reading ♡(｡- ω -)