A Day Earlier

Jen had unlimited sympathy for Anakin Skywalker because he got something very right: sand was a pain in the butt. It was coarse. It was rough. And it definitely got everywhere. She wouldn't have expected anything less from a Bahamian beach, but holy moly was the stuff irritating.

Slathering on another layer of sunscreen, she shifted on the lounger and scooted further under the sunbrella. Her family was off in the surf, playing in the waves. Although she would have rather been back in her cabin with headphones on her ears and a book in her hands, her parents had forced her to come ashore.

It wasn't her fault that she didn't share in their understanding of what relaxation and fun meant. And of course to add to her misery, Justin was nowhere in sight.

With her luck, his parents probably let him hang out on the ship, as reasonable people should do for their teenage children. Oh, well. It was too late to do anything about it now. Maybe in a few hours she could fake a headache and get permission to leave. Until then, the first thing she was going to do is find a cold drink.

Wrapping a towel around herself, Jen left the beach and headed toward the nearest refreshment kiosk. On the way, she ran into Sam.

"They had a two-for-one deal in the snorkel rental place," he said happily, holding up a plethora of masks, fins, and pipes. "I can share it with you. Wanna come and find some sea life? I heard there were some cool urchins and sting rays around here. Maybe even a barracuda?"

Jen shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm really claustrophobic. I can't even put my head underwater because it makes me freak out," she said.

Sam looked disappointed. "Oh, that's too bad. Are you coming kayaking tomorrow, though? No going under with that."

Jen felt bad. Although she was being truthful about her fear, she also just didn't want to do any organized excursions. She hoped Sam wouldn't think she was purposefully making excuses to avoid him—because she wasn't . . . well, not directly anyway.

"No. I don't kayak either," she said before starting on her way again. Looking over her shoulder, she waved at the boy. "But have fun!"