The Forgotten Island

CHAPTER FIVE:

SHROOPER DOO, HE SEES YOU

-Arya-

I fell onto the statehouse bed with a giddy sigh, my heart beating so fast I thought it would burst from my chest. The last two days since setting sail had gone perfectly. Fish and I had lounged by the pool, socialized in the hot tub, ate like queens, and of course strutted around in our bikinis and dinner dresses feeling like goddesses. I was headed to meet Fish in our room to get ready for our third dinner on the ship when Blake approached me “Sup, Shrooper Doo!” Oh God, why me? WHY ME?!? “uh, hey, Blake. What’s uh…what’s up?” I couldn’t look him completely in the eye as I asked, so I settled for fiddling with my hair and looking at the space around his shoulders. I could smell his cologne; thick and spicy. “Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk with me tonight. Interested?” I looked at his face in shock, seeing his lips set into a sexy half smile. I started to see his smile falter and realized I was just standing there staring at his mouth, without answering his question. “oh sure! I m-mean, yes!” I stuttered. “Cool” he breathed “Awesome, I will grab you after dinner then”. I then watched his back as he sauntered away, his butt looking as delicious as two freshly baked cinnamon rolls. My mind was reeling; Blake just asked me to hang out. BLAKE, just asked ME, to hang out. Was this real life? I reached down and pinched my leg. The pain told me I wasn’t dreaming, and that was when my heart rate had gone through the roof. Dinner was only a few hours away, I had to get back to the room as fast as possible to get myself ready and glowing to perfection. And here I was, ten minutes later, hyperventilating on this bed instead of getting in the shower. Fish walked through the door, a pep in her step like always “Girl! You will never believe what they are serving for dinner tonight...dude, are you ok?” She had stopped in her tracks upon seeing me on the bed. “Hellooooooo! Earth to Arie! What is wrong with you? What happened?” she asked as she walked towards me, seemingly looking for physical injuries. “Blake” was all I could get out. “Shut. UP. When? How?” she replied as she hopped onto the bed with me. The jostling of the mattress was enough to have me sitting up and filling Fish in on what had happened. When I had relayed the very short exchange, Fish just stared at me. I stared back, my heart rate once again going up. Then in unison we started screaming at each other, high pitched excited screams that ended in us clutching each other and jumping up and down. I stopped mid-fist bump, “Fish, I have to get ready! I have to look perfect. Help me!” As always, Fish was a loyal wingman who immediately started ordering me around like she was a drill sergeant. It did not take long for her to have me showered, dressed and prepping for makeup. I opted for a natural look, with black winged eyeliner and mauve toned lipstick. The dress was not so simple; a knee length gold satin dress that clung to my curves. Thin straps complimented my shoulders, and the U neckline was a great balance between modest and sexy. I kept the jewelry simple with thin copper bangles and a matching pendant necklace with a tree of life at the end of its chain. With only a few minutes to spare I threw on some clear heels, and just for good luck I placed the turtle necklace my mom and sister had gotten me into the side of my bra. “Ready?” Fish asked. She looked stunning in a dress that looked exactly like mine, only in a flaming red color and gold jewelry instead of copper. “Ready as I will ever be.” I answered with a smile.

The dining hall in the ship was beautiful. The tables were covered in long white tablecloths, and the chandeliers shined like disco balls above us as we walked. We made our way to our assigned table and sat next to each other. As Fish had tried to tell me earlier, dinner tonight was lobster and steak, and the smells coming from the kitchen were divine. Five other students sat at the table with us, and we all chatted amicably while we waited for our food to be served. I kept stealing glances at Blake’s table, finding him staring at me with an eager look in his eyes. Every time I looked his way, my mouth got drier and I could feel sweat building up on my palms. The waiters brought us out our plates, and even though it looked amazing, my stomach was doing too many flips for me to eat more than a couple bites. All too soon the plates were being whisked away, and I began to feel nauseous from my anxiety. Some of our tablemates decided to stay and eat dessert, but as I saw Blake get up and walk towards me, I knew I would be taking a pass on the sweets tonight. I felt Fish grip my hand and heard her whisper “good luck, try not to drool” to me as I stood up from my chair. “You look great, Shrooper Doo” Blake told me as he pulled me towards him. Coherent thoughts left me with our hands touching, and all I could do was stare up at him like a mute as he pulled me away towards the deck, and the cool night air.