Madd Mack's Love Cruise Ch. 01

"Well, too bad, I am."

Jenn cuts in, "Don't tease Emma. It's not her fault she's so cute." Emma blushes. "Anyways, I waved you over because I talked to the ship's captain, and our group is checked-in. I thought we should go up now, get our room keys from the front desk, and put our stuff in our rooms. Maddi is going to make sure everything is ready, and then she wants to make some speech to her guests, and she wants us back out here to watch her pick the winners of the free trip."

1.2Liz

"Are we really doing this?" Madeline asks, her face lit up with excitement.

I pull her suitcase out of the trunk of my car and place it on the sidewalk next to mine. "Looks like it," I say, slamming the trunk closed and locking the door with the key fob.

"Omigosh," Madeline gasps dramatically, "It's six minutes till three! We're gonna miss it!"

"Not if we hurry," I reassure my little sis, "Come on." I take charge, leading the way across the parking lot, down the sidewalk, and to the crosswalk which leads to the port. Madeline is antsy the entire sixty seconds we have to wait for the streetlight to change and the crosswalk signal to come on. She practically runs across the street.

"Relax," I advise her as we get nearer to the cruise ships, "We're here. We have time."

"I know, sorry," Madeline turns back and waits for me, then resumes walking at my pace, "It's just that I'm so excited, Liz, you don't even know. I've been following Maddi Macklin since I was seventeen, back when she only had like ten thousand followers. I can't believe we're going to see her in person, and maybe even get to celebrate her birthday with her, and go on a cruise. This is so exciting! I hope we both get picked." She turns to send me an anxious look.

"There are a lot of people here, Mads," I point out, only just seeing the mass of people and suitcases now, "I don't know how great our chances are. But I want you to know, if you get chosen and I don't, don't waste a second of your time feeling sorry for me. Just go, and have an amazing time. Okay?"

"Thanks, Liz," Madeline smiles, looking like a shorter, skinnier clone of myself, "But I have a good feeling about this. You're definitely coming on this cruise with me." She's always been optimistic, and I love her to bits for that, but sometimes she can be naïve, and a tad bit immature for her age. She turned twenty-one last week, another thing she and Maddi Mack, or whatever her name is, have in common, but she still acts like a teenager. I was kind of surprised she was interested in winning this trip, since it means leaving home for almost two weeks and Mads is very attached to our dad, but I wasn't going to discourage her from chasing her dreams. If she wants to meet this Instagram girl, then I'm going to help her try and do just that. That's what big sisters do.

It appears we aren't the last to arrive at the pier in hopes of winning the free trip, but there are so many others who came before us, there's no way we'll be able to be seen or heard from back here. We won't have the chance to be picked. "Stay close to me," I tell Madeline, "I'm going to get us closer to the front"

I move through the crowd in a sort of diagonal direction, using techniques I learned attending punk rock concerts in my teen years. Man, I miss those days. Those were good times. A few well-timed, "Sorry, excuse me, my sister is up that way," and we've reached a small pocket in the front, close enough to see...

"Omigosh," Madeline squeals in my ear, "It's Maddi Macklin! She's even prettier in person. Her make-up is flawless. Eyebrows on fleek, everything on fleek. I wish I looked like her."

"Mads, don't say that," I plead, "You are beautiful even without make-up on. You're a knock-out, how could you not be? You look like me." I scrunch up my nose and smile teasingly. "Kidding, but you are a total babe. And even if you weren't, you are sweet as pie, you've got the cutest laugh, and you cook the best damn banana nut muffins I've ever tasted. You've got a lot going for you."

"You're so cheesy," Madeline rolls her azure eyes.

"Hey guys!"

Madeline's head snaps in the direction of the speaker, because it's Maddi Macklin, of course, and that's who Madeline came here to see. She and many others cheer and applaud, so I politely clap my hands together a few times. She's a pretty girl, rather petite, with medium-length light brown hair, changing from brown to blonde just below her shoulders for the last three inches or so, and styled in loose, beachy waves. She's wearing a white and navy striped dress, which is button-down, collared, and very short. She has the sleeves rolled to her elbows. It reminds me of a man's dress shirt, thrown on after sex, but she pulls off the look well. She looks sexy and cute.

"I'm so excited to see you all here!"

She's speaking into a megaphone, so her voice can be heard loud and clear, at least for me and Madeline, who are standing less than thirty feet from her.

"For those of you that don't know me, my name is Maddi Macklin, or maybe you've heard of me as 'MissMaddiMack' or 'MaddMacks'. I've been planning this trip for a little over six months now. That will probably come as a surprise to some of my family and friends, who only found out last month, and my poor sister who just found out thirty minutes ago." She makes a face that reads 'oops!' and looks over her shoulder to one of the females standing behind her. "Sorry Syd. I love you! Anyways, if you think you're excited for this, you have no idea how excited I personally am! It means the world to me that so many incredible guys and gals want to celebrate my twenty-first birthday with me! We're going to have the time of our lives! I have the extreme honor of sharing a birthday with my eldest sister, who is not only gorgeous, but also very smart and hard-working. And she's got the whitest teeth of anyone around! Flash 'em a smile, Jenn. Show off those pearly whites! This is Jenn, guys; she's a dentist. So, tomorrow, when I turn twenty-one, Jenn is turning the big three-oh! Are you guys ready to party with us?!"

The cheers from the crowd are so loud, I'm again reminded of being at a rock concert.

"Without further ado," Maddi Macklin continues, "Let's get things started. If you paid for a ticket, please make your way towards the gangway, and have your ticket and passport ready to show security so they can ensure you get checked-in on the guest list. You won't get your room keys just yet, but you will get a welcome packet with more information and an itinerary for the trip. Have a look around on the ship, look through your packets, and mingle! Soon, we'll be saying 'bon voyage'!"

There's a shift in the crowd as a quarter of its audience makes way toward the gangway, set to embark on the cruise ship. I watch Madeline as she stares wistfully at the ticket-holders. She wants this so bad. I hope she doesn't leave disappointed.

"The rest of you, I assume, are here for a chance to win a free trip, am I right?"

More cheers from the crowd, Madeline screaming her little lungs out along with the rest. Part of me wants to join in, because I am enthusiastic at the opportunity to win this trip. I've never been outside the country before. I was supposed to go on a cruise to Mexico, with my ex-boyfriend, last year over spring break, but he broke up with me the week before. It was shit because he still went on the cruise, it was an annual thing for his family, so he got to go to Mexico for like the twenty-third time in his life, and I got to stay home and return all the cute outfits I bought that I couldn't really afford in the first place and no longer had a place to wear them to. I did keep one bikini though, I couldn't part with it, and the chances might be slim but if Mads and I win this free trip I'm finally going to wear it this week.

Maddi smirks mischievously before her amplified voice announces, "Well, let the games begin, then. If you want a spot on this ship, you have to prove it. First thing's first, can I get all the ladies to move over to the left, and the gentlemen to move over to the right?" She waits as the crowd splits off, and since Madeline and I are already to Maddi's left, I use the moment to advance our position to a spot where I'm sure Maddi Macklin will see us. "I hope you all brought your passports; we can't let you board without that. Get them out now and my guys in the yellow Security shirts are going to be coming around and checking. If you don't have yours, I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave." She shrugs, her face sympathetic. Madeline jabs me with her elbow and gestures for me to start searching for my passport. I put it in the outer pocket of my suitcase, for easy access, so I don't have to go searching. "While that's going on, Brooke and Kaitlyn-" A dark-haired brunette and a tall, swimsuit model-looking blonde step forward and wave to us, "-will be coming around with Love Cruise pins! Everybody gets one!"

The security start checking passports from the back of the group first, so Maddi's girls come around the front and move towards the back. Madeline and I each grab a small, round button pin from Kaitlyn's basket and attach them to our shirts. I pin mine on the upper right side of my black tube top, careful not to stab myself in the tit as I do. Once it's on, I check on Madeline. I notice her pin doesn't look like mine. My pin is a blue sky with white clouds and the words 'Love Cruise' in pink lettering. Madeline's pin has sand and a palm tree, along with the words 'Love Cruise' in pink. I glance around at the other girls' pins. I notice a couple that look like mine and Madeline's, but most of the girls are wearing all pink pins with 'Love Cruise' in white lettering. I don't have a good feeling about this...

"Does everyone have a pin?" Maddi Macklin scans the crowd once her girls return to her side, and when she looks confident no one has been missed, she continues speaking, "I saw some of you looking around, noticing that all the pins are not the same, and maybe wondering if that means something? Well, it does. Those of you who have a pin with a pink background and white letters..." She takes a breath, drawing out the anticipation, "Thank you so much for coming out here today, but you will not be joining us on Love Cruise. Please take your bags and go."

Madeline's mouth drops open in shock and she looks at me with wide eyes. There are groans from the owners of the pink pins, who are no longer in the running for the free trip tickets.

"The rest of you have made it to the next round. Congratulations! Here's where things get harder."

Madeline grabs my hands, squeezing them and exclaiming, "I can't believe we're still here! I was worried for a minute when I saw your pin didn't match mine!"

"So was I," I agree, "I thought we were going home, for sure."

Maddi's friends are dragging a long rope down the middle of the empty space between the girls and the boys as she explains, "There are a hundred of you left. We're going to play a game, it's a classic. Tug of war! The losing team leaves immediately, and the winning team will move on to the next round. How badly do you want to win a spot on the Love Cruise?" She grins, "Now, turn and face the rope. Step forward, and claim a piece of the rope. I'm going to have Kaitlyn and Brooke come down the line and count to make sure each side has fifty."

I head for a spot of rope in the middle of our half, to ensure Madeline or I won't be in danger of being sent to the other side and therefore be separated. Sure enough, when Brooke comes down our side to do a head count, she winds up sending two players from our side over to the other end. Brooke and Kaitlyn send Maddi a thumbs up.

"You guys ready? Your goal is to move the flag that's tied in the middle of the rope over the chalk line that marks your team's territory. Those of you on Kaitlyn's side are orange! Those on Brooke's side are blue!" Madeline and I are on the blue team. "Kaitlyn and Brooke will be the judges. Everyone got a good grip?" She pauses and I use the moment to adjust my hold, gripping the thick rope and readying myself to pull with all my might. "Ready...set...pull!"

Immediately, there's tension in the rope, and I tighten my muscles and focus on stabilizing my core so I don't feel as though I'm going to be swept off my feet. Madeline is directly in front of me, and she lurches forward as the rope is pulled in the opposite direction. I dig my heels down in my shoes and lean my full weight back, pulling the rope with me and hoping Madeline will recover. A long, muscled arm reaches under my hands and picks up the slack Madeline is leaving, and it feels like the two of us stop the rope from sliding any further into the orange team's territory. When the tension seems to reach a deadlock, I chance a glance over my shoulder at Mr. Muscles. He sends me a dimpled smile that makes my stomach do a somersault. He's so cute. I return my attention to the front as I feel the rope wobble. I lean back further, my body flattening up against the hot man behind me. Madeline finally starts to lean back, and the rope moves in our direction. Moving with the momentum, as a team, we take a step back, and then another, and another.

"Blue team wins!" Maddi yells loudly into the loud-speaker. "Sorry green team. It was a close call! Please take your bags and go."

I drop the rope in relief, my hands burning. Madeline immediately jumps into my arms, squealing in excitement. I return her hug, squeezing tightly. When she releases me, I notice Mr. Muscles has stuck around. I meet his gaze and smile brightly.

"Hey."

"Hey," He says, "I'm Sean."

"Liz," I return.

"I'm glad you were on my team, Liz. I don't think we would've won without you." He winks a hazel eye at me cheekily. "Hopefully I'll see you up there." He looks to the ship and then walks off, following Maddi's next direction to split back off into two groups, boys on the right and girls on the left.

Madeline drags me to the left, back to where we were when we received our pins and where we left our luggage, gushing, "Oh my gosh, he's into you!"

I smile, tight-lipped, not willing to say anything on the subject. He may find me attractive, but that won't really matter unless we see each other again. I'm not willing to get too excited about the prospect of winning this trip, it still feels too out of reach. If I don't get my hopes up, I won't be disappointed when I lose. I know, it's very different from Madeline's happy-go-lucky outlook on life, but that's just the way I am. I'm definitely a realist, not an optimist.

"Congrats on making it through to Round Three! There are now twenty-five ladies and twenty-five gents left in the running to make it on Love Cruise," Maddi is saying, sounding as if she's doing a Tyra Banks' impression. "This is where things get a little more...personal."

Madeline and I exchange a glance.

"It is called Love Cruise, after all," Maddi elaborates, "And in order for there to be any hopes of a love connection, there has to be an attraction. For this round, you will each be given three stickers, and you will put these stickers on the three people you are most attracted to. Those with the most stickers will move on to the next round." Brooke and Kaitlyn pass out the stickers, pink for the girls and blue for the boys.

"Let's have the boys line up first. Face the ladies. Put on your best faces, gentlemen." She turns to face the girls, "Now girls, take a good look. I'll give you thirty seconds. Then, I'm going to have the boys turn around, and you're going to put your stickers on their backs!"

Sean is the first guy that stands out from the crowd to me, probably because we spoke, but also because he's very, very hot. I'll definitely put one of my stickers on his back. He catches me looking and smirks, a dimple appearing on one cheek. Damn, I love dimples. I avert my eyes, looking further down the line at the other males. A guy with blonde hair nearly to his shoulders and a serious smolder in his eyes makes me pause. He's very dreamy, like a dashing prince in a fairy tale. He can have my second sticker. Now, for the last one...

"Five seconds, ladies," Maddi announces. "Four...three...two..."

There. At the end. He's taken his shirt off and he's flexing his eight-pack abs. Yummy.

"Turn around, gents. And no peeking!" Maddi orders, "Ladies, pick wisely!"

I immediately set off towards the shirtless guy on the end, as he's furthest from me. He has one sticker on his back already when I get to him, and I stick my little heart-eye emoji sticker above the first. I move away from him and spot the long golden locks of Mr. Dreamy Eyes. I head for him next. He's popular; four stickers already. Five now, I note as I stick my second sticker amongst the others. Last, I make my way to Sean, who also has four stickers across his back. I feel like a giddy teen with a crush as I add my sticker and hurry back to my spot. Madeline is still making her choices. She goes for a guy who looks to be about her age, with chestnut brown hair and a skateboarder vibe, and gently puts a sticker on his t-shirt. I watch her head turn and look further down the line of men.

"Hurry up, ladies!" Maddi cheerfully nudges along the indecisive girls, including my sister.

Madeline jumps and selects the closest back to her to place her last sticker on. She turns and runs over to me, giggling. When she gets to my side, she says, out of breath, "I don't even know who that last guy was, I got so flustered. I just stuck it on the first rando I saw. How did you get done so fast?"

I shrug, "It wasn't that hard to pick."

"Maybe not when they were looking this way, but the second they turned around, I forgot who was who!"

"I'm sure it's fine," I assure my sister. "Who was your first pick?"

"That one with the long blonde hair," Madeline says, "He's so pretty."

"He is so good-looking," The girl beside us, a fellow blonde, adds her two cents, "Like a young Thor." She bites her lip. The three of us laugh.

"Looks like the girls have made their choices," Maddi says, "And now it's time for you boys to make yours. Ladies, straight line, please."

Madeline squeezes my hand quickly and I shoot her a reassuring smile and a wink. I shove my hands in the back pockets of my jean shorts, and I hold my head up high, meeting the stares of the boys with a cool one of my own. When I make eye contact with any of them, I send them a friendly smile. I'm definitely not shy around strangers. I'm a bar-tender, so I meet new people practically on a nightly basis. The thirty seconds is over pretty quickly.

"Three...two...one. Turn around, girls. The boys are going to come around and make their choices now."

I wasn't nervous meeting their gazes head-on, but it is a bit unnerving knowing the boys are watching us from the back, possibly making their choices last-minute based on how big each of our assets are. Speaking of assets, the girl next to me is wearing a black bikini with a maroon-colored sarong, which she just adjusted to reveal her thong bathing suit bottoms, thick thighs and a full apple-shaped ass. She pops her hips, twerking her booty a bit. I catch her eye and she laughs shamelessly. She has large teeth and small lips, making her look a little like an angry rat. I feel bad for thinking it, she's probably a nice girl. I guess she's just making sure the boys get a look at her best feature.

I feel a few fingers brush against my back and I have to bite my lip to keep from smiling. I've been picked by someone. It's nice to feel wanted. I wonder if Sean put his sticker on me?

"Clock's ticking, boys!"

Another sticker is placed on me, and then another. I wonder how many that is.

"All right, you've all picked! Let's see what we've got here. Line up again boys, across from the girls, and turn your backs towards me." Maddi moves between us and the boys, scanning their backs and ours, likely adding up the stickers and deciding who stays and who goes. "If I tap you on the shoulder, unfortunately, it means you did not make it through Round Three to Round Four. I'm so sorry, and thank you for coming." She starts at the end furthest from the gangway, where her family, friends, and some of the other passengers are watching this spectacle, and begins tapping shoulders. I feel her walk behind me, but my shoulder isn't tapped. When she has reached the other end, there are only eight guys and eight girls remaining. All three of my picks made it through to the next round, plus the young skater guy Madeline chose. Me, Madeline, and the twerking chick are amongst the girls who are safe.