---

Clover flushes a little under the other girl’s praise, scratching at her nose and giving a soft cough. “Aw, you flatterer. Stop it, I'll turn all one color,” the pale girl quips, flicking a little bit of water at Lila.

"So, what were you up to this morning?" The brunette asks as she slips her sunglasses back down. Lila’s skin almost looks golden in the early afternoon sun and one of the pool boys is openly gawking at her from across the Solarium. ’That’s more like it,’ the ginger thought. Delilah Duclerc was the kind of girl that lit up any room she entered and she always garnered a lot of attention from men and women alike.

“I went to the gym. I’m down to a six minute mile,” Clover explains, letting herself relax back into the water. The temperature was perfect and felt splendid against her sore muscles.

"Oh my God. Tell me you did not actually blow-dry your hair to come hang out at a jacuzzi?!"

“Mmhmm,” Clover hums, cracking an eye open and peeking at Lila. “I sure did. And once you hear about my morning, I think you’ll agree that it was the right decision.” The pale girl straightens back up and turns so that she’s facing the younger girl completely.

“So I ran into…,” she pauses here and glances around quickly, almost like she was checking to make sure no one else was around. Her former boyfriend was a lot like Voldemort, she tried not to speak his name unless she had to. “...Jareth. And he looked perfect, like he was getting ready for a fashion show or something. And I looked like a wet dog. Seriously, I was in my ancient, ‘Save the Dolphins!’ t-shirt and covered in sweat. My hair wasn’t even brushed, I just had it up in a ponytail.” Clover makes a mortified groan and she buries her face in her hands, feeling her ears burn at the remembered humiliation from that encounter.

She really was all one color now.

“So I’m not leaving the suite anymore unless I look my best. I can’t face him again unless we’re on equal footing,” she finishes, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before letting her hands fall back into the water. “What kind of fresh hell is this, that all of our exes are here? We must have been wretched people in past lives, like the kind that kicked puppies or tripped little old ladies or something.”

Hunter was on the verge of breaking down. Jareth was right, Hunter was looking for a scapegoat for his problems. He always was looking for one no matter how bad things seemed to get. He was also right on the fact that this was supposed to be the vacation of their lives! And so far things just seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Even though he hated the idea of Jareth restricting the idea of his friend restricting himself due to Hunter's problems he felt a sense of relief when Jareth poured the drink down the sink. "Pizza sounds nice man... it sounds really nice." Hunter was barely able to speak. "Uh... Jareth? Look man... sorry for freaking out on you like that... I'm just... just stressed as hell." Hunter want tot eh living area to find his wallet from his pants from the day before. He found it with his shirt that he was wearing the other day as well. Now he was still wondering how he woke up in a shirt that wasn't his, and who's shirt it was. And why was his shirt still here if he changed into a new one? 'Dammit' He thought as he tried to remember. "Reason one hundred and fifty two to stop drinking." He brushed it off and met Jar at the door again.

Hunter put a smile on his face. It was forced but he was looking forward to things getting better. "Alright then, let's go have some fun." Hunter started to leave when he remembered something. "Also, I found a picture of Delilah if you're interested? It's somewhere in my wallet full of coupons, receipts, matches, and gift cards with about 30 cents on them. Maybe even a couple dollars." He started to dig through all the random crap in his wallet when he pulled out a cheaply printed picture of his ex studding in the campus library, she was unaware of the picture when it was taken. "Proof! Told you I have the ability to have hot girlfriends." He was still struggling to hold a smile but it wasn't as forced now.

---

”Pizza sounds nice man… it sounds really nice.” Hunter admitted after a few moments of silence. Jareth released a breath he was holding in… good, at least he didn’t go for the face punching route. Sure, Jar deserved a good punch for a hell of a lot of reasons, but he wasn’t one to just take that kind of thing sitting down. Jareth nodded with a smile “Cool… I, uh--” he looked down at towel that was the only thing between Hunter and all of Jar’s nekkid glory. ”Just let me get dressed real quick.” Jar offered a crooked grin before turning to head to his room to change.

”Uh… Jareth? Look man… sorry for freaking out on you like that… I’m just… just stressed as hell.” Hunter called out an apology from behind him. Jar paused and looked over his right shoulder, which sported a female sugar skull tattoo design. ”Don’t worry about it, man. It’s bad to keep shit like that bottled in.” At least that’s what Wendy says… he thinks the last part as closes the distance to his room.

After closing the door, Jar retrieves his cell phone and shoots a text to Julius reading: “Hunts and I are heading out to grab some pizza and hit up that Challengers Arcade. You and I got a date with the DDR machine.” He finished off the text with a saucy kissing-face emoji and chuckled at his own stupid humor.

Jar decided on a black and white tank and skinny jeans before checking himself out in the mirror. His air-drying hair was starting to get a little too fluffy, so he smoothed down the flyaway curls with some water before shrugging. Good enough…

Hunter met up with Jar at the doorway. He started rifling for his wallet, and Jar assumed he was just making sure he had cash on him when he mentioned having a picture of Delilah. ”Proof! Told you I have the ability to have hot girlfriends.” He boasted as he displayed the picture for Jar’s viewing pleasure. ”Hey now, I never said that you couldn’t!” Jar said defensively as he briefly glanced at the picture. She was a bombshell, all right, but Jar thought it would be in poor taste to say such a thing. Plus, he wasn’t looking to provoke Hunter much more tonight. Instead, Jar had another idea. He reached into his own back pocket and produced a zippo lighter, because any self-respecting rockstar always carried a lighter on them. And zippos were the classiest of lighters. Jar flicked it open, igniting a small flame. “Here’s to new beginnings.” he said, gesturing for Hunter to burn the picture. “To forgetting past heartbreak, and attempting to make the most of this overpriced boat ride!” He would say once Hunter decided to go through with burning Delilah’s photo.

After that, the boys would leave and meet up with Julius at the arcade with a pizzas in hand. Something atrociously meat-packed for the boys, and a smaller veggie delight for Jar.

---

“Mmhmm,” Clover hummed in answer to Lila's question of blow-drying her hair, cracking an eye open and peeking at her “I sure did. And once you hear about my morning, I think you’ll agree that it was the right decision.” she told Lila before straightening back up and turning so that she was facing Delilah completely.

Lila slid her sunglasses to the top of her head, gave Clover a questioning look and shifted her position so she was also facing her best friend completely. "If you wanted to get my attention, you did an excellent job. Lay it on me, babe. What the hell caused you to think that blow-drying your hair during a cruise in humid weather was something you had to do?"

“So I ran into…,” she pauses here and glances around quickly, almost like she was checking to make sure no one else was around.

Lila raised her eyebrows again, this time in an exasperated gesture. "You ran into... Who?!"

“...Jareth.”

Lila let out a loud gasp and covered her mouth with her hands, making the glitter on her pink nails sparkle with the sun. "Noooooooo?! That Jareth?! Are you fucking serious?! Shit!" She was destroyed that Clover had also been cursed with running into her own ex at the cruise. Lila still remembered how happy Clo was during her relationship with Jar, the length and consideration she'd taken when deciding what was best for her, and how heartbroken she'd been after taking the decision to break things off with him. And judging from the pain in her voice, Clover was still not over him.

"And he looked perfect, like he was getting ready for a fashion show or something. And I looked like a wet dog. Seriously, I was in my ancient, ‘Save the Dolphins!’ t-shirt and covered in sweat. My hair wasn’t even brushed, I just had it up in a ponytail.” Clover said, making a mortified groan as she buried her burning face in her hands

"Oh, good God, no." Lila groaned, wincing at the thought of her friend's cringe-worthy scene. If she'd thought her encounter with Hunter had been bad, it had nothing on Clover's.

“So I’m not leaving the suite anymore unless I look my best. I can’t face him again unless we’re on equal footing,” Clo finished, tucking a lock of that gorgeous red hair behind her ear before letting her hands fall back into the water.

"And I agree 100%! It's pretty damn horrible to run into an ex, but getting that sweet satisfaction of watching the expression on their face as they realize what they lost is one of the most rewarding things on this planet. So, if you need any advice on how to look like a drop-dead diva -which you are, but could probably use a little help in the sexy department- feel free to ask or come to my room and borrow anything that fits.

“What kind of fresh hell is this, that all of our exes are here? We must have been wretched people in past lives, like the kind that kicked puppies or tripped little old ladies or something.”

Lila let out one of her loud cackles of laughter, sliding her sunglasses back on. "Oh, honey, I'm pretty wretched in this life! In my case, it's probably karma for being such a spoiled bitch, but in your case my only guess is that life's playing you a pretty sick prank. But, seriously, though. Clo: you're a smart, beautiful, independent young woman with your whole life ahead of you. I know how much Jar meant to you, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be right now. If it's destined to happen, it'll happen. If not, then cherish the memories and move forward. That's about the best advice I can give ya.

Adelisa looked up at the man with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk. "Now, who said anything about hate? I don't hate you! I just don't want to be near you. Big difference. As for settling things, I won't settle anything until I get off everything from my chest that I need too." She cleared her throat and crossed her arms, ready for what she had been dying to say since their inevitable split.

She started with "if you don't listen to what I have to say or you try to manipulate your way out of it, I will make this vacation a living hell for you and you don't want that do you? Now, let's begin!" She moved to stand directly in front of him, looking up at him as he was quite taller than she. She said "you were so distant with me, I felt like we were strangers. When you were able to hang out it felt like you were more interested in anything other than me and I know for a fact that I am not boring. You talked about yourself all the time, barely letting me tell you what I was doing or who I was. Your kisses felt forced, like you had absolutely no attraction to me. You manipulate, you lie, and you close off. I know you weren't the only one at fault, but damn! I never knew whether to punch you or kiss you to make you shut up!"

She took in a breath, realizing she hadn't breathed for that entire rant, before continuing "you jump to conclusions before asking, if you don't remember you accusing me of cheating on you with one of my bandmates... WHO WAS MARRIED. You victimized yourself whenever we got into fights. You always made stupid comments about how I 'was lucky' because I 'wasn't your type' but I 'had a great advantage with my voice'. What the hell is that about?! You aren't my type either but I never said crap like that! Sometimes, you were so oblivious about how I was feeling or why I was doing something that I almost slapped you! You drive me insane!"

She inhaled, almost panted, for breath. It was a lot of weight on her shoulders that she wanted off. The shock of what she said hit her like a cold wave and she knew she had it coming. She knew she would be yelled at. Her anxiety kicked in and she was biting her bottom lip once again. Her face with flushed from the rant, but she also noticed the lack of distance she put in between them and she took a step back while her cheeks reddened even more.

---

Julius rose his brow in the same manner at her response. Wasn't that really just the same thing in the end? Not that he felt the need to argue the point. It was fairly futile. He allowed her to believe what she wanted in that regard. He stared straight at her as he heard her rant. He wasn't about to let her intimidate him and she'd know it. He knew Addy, and she knew him. She should know that threat wouldn't get her anywhere. If anything, it just got Julius annoyed at her. Was the way he had approached her so awful that it was worthy of that demeanor? Or had he really been so bad to her that he deserved that? Well he found that out rather quickly.

He kept silent through her rant, letting her finish all the way through. During the rant his expression went unchanged, keeping his ice cold stare trained on her. Her face had gotten red that it rather amused him. He hadn't moved his head at all during her rant, allowing her to draw closer. Her reaction afterward made things even more amusing. It caused a bit of a smirk. She backed off, but he wasn't going to allow her that much breathing space. He moved his right hand to his chin and bowed forward, moving his face back right in front of hers, about the same distance it had been before. "Feeling better? But I wonder what would've happened if you would've actually said these things during our relationship instead of afterward. It's all true, sure. However, you tend to bottle things up, and then explode without really explaining anything. I'm pretty sure I would've heard a rant like that."

His smirk dissapeared "I'll tell you what would've happened. I would've apologized and told you that it must've been because I was tired. The reason we could spend to little time together was because I was working my ass off besides school and moving to a new apartment. I was happy if I could get four hours of sleep, goddamnit! I tried to give you whatever time I had. Maybe that was why it felt forced? I was forcing myself to stay awake every moment I was with you. Maybe that was also why some of my comments were off? Heck I don't even remember myself saying that. Oh, and you should see how that guy was looking at you when you. He might be married, but he definitely was not thinking of staying faithful." Oh, Julius could tell her stories about married men being unfaithful, but he wouldn't. His father's past was none of her business. He raised his voice as he continued. He wasn't yelling, not yet, but the anger was very audible. "At the very least I tried. I might've talked alot, but at least I was talking. Maybe you should've kissed me to shut me up and talked yourself. But no, you took no initiative of any kind. At least I complimented your voice, you never showed me any real affection. Whenever I thought about you, I wondered if you actually cared about me even a little bit. And honestly I am still doubting if you did. Instead of putting any effort in talking about what was troubling you, you just cut things off completely. How the hell do you think I felt back then?"

Slowly he backed off. He studied her reaction for a second, then sighed. "Whatever. I'll do whatever the heck I want. You do whatever the heck you want. If we see eachother, lets just say hi or something. Or ignore my existance, I don't care. I just can't be bothered with the same kind of silly drama like yesterday, it's so damn childish. I'm just done." He had hoped so badly to resolve this nicely, but just felt disgusted right now. He wasn't at disgusted at Addy, not at himself. He just despised this entire situation in its entirety. He waited for a reaction, just a simple nod; a confirmation that he could just have his nice and quiet for the coming days. Hopefully it was so and they could both be on their merry way for the rest of this ruined day.

---

“...you always make me feel so good about myself. One day, when I win the lottery or something, I’m going to hire you to be my life coach,” Clover pauses, tapping her index finger against her chin, before adding, “...and I’ll probably get you to write out all my comebacks too. You’re the best at those.”

“Hey, have you seen Addy around today?” The redhead asks, changing the subject and scanning the room to make sure the other blue eyed girl wasn’t looking for them. There was no sign of her. “Here,” she starts, turning around and drying her hands on a towel before snatching up her phone and straightening back up. “Let’s send her a selfie, yeah? Show her what she’s missing out on.”

Clover crowds in close to the vivacious brunette, almost sitting in her lap, as she turns the front facing camera on and gives a ridiculous, over-the-top pout. The speckled girl takes half a dozen at various angles before she's satisfied, sliding back to her previous spot in the hot tub. She flips through them, holding the phone so Lila can see if she wants to, and selects the one that is most flattering for both of them.

The ginger pauses, blue eyes lingering on the picture she'd just taken. Some people might have been intimidated or even jealous, to have a bestfriend that was as beautiful as Delilah, but Clover never saw it that way. If anything, the bombshell was kind of like her secret weapon. Since she'd met her Clover had learned all sorts of girly things she had never been able to grasp before, like what contouring was or how to walk in high heels without looking like a newborn calf.

Yes, Clover would be lost without Delilah. And probably wouldn't own any sort of bra that wasn’t geared towards working out.

But that was beside the point.

Swiftly she tapped out a message for Addy, her finger hovering over the ‘send’ button for just a moment before she mashes it down with authority.

Get yourself out here pretty girl, we miss you!
--Clover

Jareth said his cheers as he was about to burn the picture of Hunter's Ex girlfriend. Hunter was ready to go through with it too, but as soon as the flame touched the cheaply printed picture he backed out. "Not... Not just yet. I don't think I am in a place to do that yet." He said with compassion in his voice. Not because he wanted to get back with Delilah, but because he still felt guilty about what he had done. "At some point I will, just not yet." After the awkward moment the two soon went to yet another part of the boat Hunter was not familiar with to get some Pizza. If anything could make this trip better is was Pancakes and Pizza.

Hunter sat down at the table with his pizza and a glass of rootbeer. It felt nice, it felt like older days when all he had to worry about was how to get to work without going to the hospital. Which gave Hunter an idea. "Did I ever tell you about the first time I rode my truck to work? It's an interesting story." He smiled after taking a sip of his drink. "So, I had spent months working at the local fair trying to raise money for a car back in Highschool right? So I finally got the money and well covering some favors at the demolition derby that weekend I landed myself with a a car that almost was able to pass inspection. Though before I could register it and get it inspected with the new repairs I had to get to work." He starts laughing well attempting to keep a strait face. "So, my mom who is worried that my dumb ass actions will be the death of me tells me I am going to have to use my bike to get to work again. And I'm here thinking 'Why the hell would I do that? I have a perfectly fine car sitting int he driveway!' So... After my mom left for work I did a little makeshift job on the engine so it would run with out breaking down." He kept laughing well speaking. "So... So, I also learned just how flammable duck tape was that day! I finally finished getting the engine to run and then rode off to work! Right when I saw the fair grounds the hood FLIES off the engine and fire starts spewing out of the engine!" He screams with a smile. "And I'm here thinking, OH SHIT! MY car's on fire!" He calmed down and took another sip of his drink. "There was another derby that week so the fire crews were already there. I was able to talk things out with them to get out of trouble, but mom was pissed. She took my keys to the truck and never gave them back." Even though his keys were taking he quickly learned how to get his El Camino to start with out them.

Hunter knew this story wasn't really relevant to anything going on, he just liked telling these small stories every once and a while. And he thought that flaming car stories were funny. Even when he was the star of that story.

Addy stared at him, her jaw clenching slightly. "I cared about you. I still- nevermind. Do whatever you want!" She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket but she didn't look. She was too busy trying to keep down the tears that began to well in her ice blue eyes. She looked away from him and walked back into the library, collected her things, and looked at the text. Clover! She smiled at the text and sent back:



Addy walked out the door, still looking at her phone, and made her way to Solarium. She felt the tears falling down her cheeks and it was then that she knew she was crying. She cared about Jules. She loved his laugh and the way he styled his hair in the morning, even if it took forever. She loved his stupid jokes and how peaceful he looked when he fell asleep. She cared so much about him, but maybe she should've said that. Maybe she should've said it to him just now. What would that change, though? She shook her thoughts away as she made her way towards Clover and Delilah. She pushed her glasses up and smiled softly at them. "I heard you guys missed me so I had to make my appearance!"

---

Jules thought those last words were what he wanted to hear. However, for some reason they stung more than her entire monologue. He hadn't wanted this to end as bitter as it did. He felt like a fool. He hated it when he snapped like that. He hated the feeling of losing control. What he said may have been how he felt, but that didn't mean he wanted her to know that. It went against what Julius was, or at least how he wanted to appear: A man that always knew what he was doing, always in control and indominitable. But something about Addy just did that to Julius. He wasn't really mad at her, he was just... frustrated. Even though she wasn't showing it directly, he knew he must've hurt her at least a little. There would've been many different occasions, many different people, that would've allowed Julius to feel pride of having done that. But not this time. Julius had tried to ensure that they, or at least he, could enjoy the rest of their time on this boat. But Julius had failed, and failure is something that Julius couldn't stomach. He couldn't even bring himself to be curious at what she really wanted to say, the part that she cut off. Instead he gave a simple, solemn nod and turned to fetch his book before leaving the library. Inside Julius's head were thunderstorms. Why couldn't he just be happy that she'd probably leave him alone for the rest of this goddamn week? That's what he really wanted, wasn't it? Was it really?

Julius's inner hurricane was momentarily disrupted by the buzzing of his phone. It was then that he had realised he had been walking for a few minutes straight, away from the library, without any real plan. God, he wondered how many people he had frightened with that sour face of his. Not that he truly cared. He grabbed his phone from his pocket, finding the text from Jareth: “Hunts and I are heading out to grab some pizza and hit up that Challengers Arcade. You and I got a date with the DDR machine" Honestly, he wasn't really sure if he wanted to, but if anyone would help him cheer up it'd be them. Not to mention, he hadn't had breakfast yet. "I'll be right there" He texted back.

As Julius made his way five floors down, his thoughts continued to linger on the prior conversation. The entire situation still just left him so uncomfortable, but what was he to do? He just had to accept it and move on, right? He assumed that, after this ordeal, Addy would be pretty much done with him anyway. There was no other option, so what was the point in thinking about it any further?
He finally arrived at a pizza place called Sorrento's. Weird, he remembered having some pretty awful pizza in Sorrento. Rome was definitely the place to be for good pizza! What did it matter, anyway. He stepped inside, scanning the room for his friends. He found them without too much effort. He made a grin "You guys always know exactly what I need, don't you? I just had an argument with my ex and... " he fell silent for a second, his grin made way for a sigh "Wasn't pretty." He then ordered the largest, meatiest abomination available. A Welcome, and much needed, treat, definitely.

---

The veggie delight turned out to be quite delightful indeed. Jar was feeling particularly sinful and paired it with a ridiculously sugary energy drink. Hunter sipped his root beer and kicked back to tell one of his signature Hunter-style stories. Jar listened dutifully, nodding his head and laughing at the appropriate times. When he was brave enough to take a bite of the steaming pizza, it was still to hot and the cheese slid off and wrapped down on his lip and chin. “Ahh! Fuck!” he hissed before slurping the molten cheese up. “Wait, so if she still has your keys, how are you driving El Camino around?” Jar asked after recovering. Just as Hunter was explaining, Julius met up with them. Jar flashed his charming pearly whites at his friend.

“About time, bro.” Jar said as Jules sat down with his sausage-laden slices. “Look at all that meat… trying to make up for something you're lacking?” the question was punctuated with a light chuckle. His joke was awarded some laughter before Julius explained the reason he ran a little late. Jareth’s eyebrows stitched together. “You too? That’s crazy…” he murmured in disbelief. “I ran into Clo this morning, and I thought that was misfortunate enough, but all three of us?... Damn” His eyes studied his own pizza thoughtfully. He looked like he was holding something back, most likely emotion... he had to stop using his nickname for her.

After a nearly imperceptible head shake, Jareth finished up his lunch along with the guys without any more words on the exes. Once finished eating, they made the short walk to the arcade. There were some kids around, but the guys weren’t the only folks over twenty there, which was nice. “Oh man, this is the shit! I call a game of The House of The Dead with Hunts, but first, I gotta school Jules at DDR.” he flashed another joker’s smile. For the moment, this was actually starting to feel like a vacation again, and he was happy.

---

Lila chuckled lightheartedly. "If you want a life coach that says it how it is with no fucks given, then feel free to hire me: $100 the session. And as for the comebacks: you know I'll always have your back, Clo, no matter what happens," she told Clover, giving her friend a quick hug.

“Hey, have you seen Addy around today?” The redhead asks, changing the subject and scanning the room to make sure the other blue eyed girl wasn’t looking for them. There was no sign of her.

Lila hesitated for a moment, just remembering that she hadn't seen Adelisa since the Hunter fiasco. Wow, she was such a good friend. "Nope, not really. And from the sounds of it, neither have you. What should we do about it?"

“Here,” Clover said, turning around and drying her hands on a towel before snatching up her phone and straightening back up. “Let’s send her a selfie, yeah? Show her what she’s missing out on.”

Lila gave Clover a smile. "You're a genius, Clo-bear."

In return, Clover scooted closer to Lila and turned on the front facing camera, giving it a Kylie Jenner-style pout. Meanwhile, Lila made sure to purposely perk up her oversized breasts and give the camera a mock-seductive face that made it seem as if she was licking her top lip. Clover made sure to take lots of pictures at various angles until they were satisfied before sliding back to her previous spot in the hot tub to flip through the pictures until they decided on the one that reflected the best of them.

"Make sure to send me that pic on Whatsapp!" Lila told Clover, watching as her best friend tapped out the following message for Adelisa as a caption to their picture:

Get yourself out here pretty girl, we miss you!
--Clover

Seconds after having sent the text, Clover's phone chimed with a reply:

Sorry, ex drama. Jules is here... I'm on my way.
~Addy

"Aw, shit, not Addy too!" Lila whined, having read the text over Clover's shoulder. When you had a friendship as close as theirs, privacy was kinda limited. It was pretty much habit of theirs to nose around reading texts over each other's shoulders. It had made for lots of awkward, embarrassing but hilariously funny memories.

Just mere minutes after Clover and Delilah had read Adelisa's text that the Powerpuff Girl that was missing joined them over at the Solarium. As she walked towards them, Adelisa had pushed her glasses up and smiled softly at them before saying: "I heard you guys missed me so I had to make my appearance!"

"Addy, baby!" Lila exclaimed cheerfully, waving at her other best friend. As soon as Adelisa had taken her seat at the jacuzzi, Lila wrapped her arms around her in a hug meant to convey love and support. "What did that fucker Jules do to you, hun? You just say the word and you know I'll take care of it just like that." Lila said to Adelisa, adding a snap of her fingers after that last word she'd spoken to show that she meant every word she said.

God, it seemed like all of them were cursed with running into their stupid exes in this trip! While Lila had taken everything in stride (even if she had made an itty bitty tiny scene with Hunter), it was obvious her two best friends were still not over the guys that were the cause of their current dilemmas. Too bad for them that Delilah wasn't gonna let them go around all depressed and sad all the time. If one of them was gonna be the one to take control of the situation, it was gonna be Lila.

"I'm sorry girls, but I don't want to be around a pair of chicks moping around for the rest of the trip over good-for-nothing assholes," Lila declared, back in her usual blunt tone. She knew her friends were a bit more sensitive than she was, but they were currently on the first full day of their highly- trip around the Caribbean: there was no time for drama. "So, what we're gonna do is that we'll hang out here for a while, grab a light lunch, get some rest, go out for dinner and get our asses all dolled up so we can take that deck party by storm and hopefully end up in bed with one of the many hotties that are sure to be around! I'm not taking no for an answer, so you all know what's gonna go down tonight."

---

“...damn…,” Clover murmured, visibly deflating. Not Addy too. This ship was an actual living, breathing nightmare. The brochure should read, ‘Come enjoy a week of fun in the sun and visit exotic places! Oh and by the way, there is a 100% chance you will be trapped on the boat with the very ex lovers you were trying to forget about by taking this vacation! Guaranteed to make you wish you had never been born!’.

"I heard you guys missed me so I had to make my appearance!" Addy chirps when she gets to the hot tub and Clover shimmies over so the tattooed girl can take her rightful spot in the middle. Once she’s in and Lila is done hugging her Clover takes her turn, wrapping her arms around the petite rocker and giving her an extra firm squeeze.

"What did that fucker Jules do to you, hun? You just say the word and you know I'll take care of it just like that." Lila exclaims and from the glint in her bambi eyes anyone can tell she means business.

“M’sorry Addy,” Clover murmured, resting her hand on the blue eyed girl’s shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’ve been doing really...,,” the ginger pauses here, making direct eye contact with Addy, ““...really well on my hand to hand combat training for the police academy. Just so you know. In case you need me,” Clover offers, feeling a wee bit over protective of the songstress. “I’ve got your back.” Addy was a clever girl though, she didn’t need either one of them to come to her defense, she was a spitfire through and through. Plus, from what Clover had heard the younger girl’s ex was harmless, just a bit of a jackass sometimes.

Or all the time, depending on who you asked, but that was neither here nor there.

"I'm sorry girls, but I don't want to be around a pair of chicks moping around for the rest of the trip over good-for-nothing assholes," Lila’s voice cuts through Clover’s musings and she looks up, quirking an eyebrow and sticking her tongue out at the brunette. It seemed like tough love Delilah had made an appearance. "So, what we're gonna do is that we'll hang out here for a while, grab a light lunch, get some rest, go out for dinner and get our asses all dolled up so we can take that deck party by storm and hopefully end up in bed with one of the many hotties that are sure to be around! I'm not taking no for an answer, so you all know what's gonna go down tonight."

“O-oh, erm...” Clover stuttered out, fidgeting a little under the water. “Well, that all sounds like a lot of fun, but maybe n-not that last bi--...you know I’ve n-never---hgn--that’s not what I meant….um, how does that even work? You just go up to someone and say, ‘Take me to bed, stud!?'” Clover finally gets out her question, trying not to be embarrassed about her lack of finesse when it came to the art seducing the menfolk. It wasn’t like she was a blushing virgin or anything, Jareth had seen to that particular need thoroughly and quite frequently, thank you very much, but he was the only real experience she had.

’Could I even do that?’ the freckled girl wonders, gnawing at the inside of her cheek. She thinks about her textbook back in the cabin and how the world didn’t end when she put it down to come hang out by the pool. Maybe it would be alright, just this once...if she lived a little?

“Yeah, alright,” Clover agrees suddenly, determination in her eyes as she nods quickly. “Let’s get laid,” she barely gets that last word out before she’s cackling at how ridiculous she sounds. “Oh jeez, that’s not something I thought I’d ever say. Teach me your ways, Lila!”

---

Once the screens were sufficiently splattered with zombie blood and the dance pad arrows stomped in time with the beat, the guys wrapped up their time in the Challengers Arcade. Jar finished the visit by playing an old classic - pacman. He wasn’t very good, but enjoyed it none-the-less. “Damn those ghosts!” He murmured at the machine before turning to find Jules and Hunter.

“Hey!” He announced once reaching them. “I read that there is going to be some big party tonight. Naturally I planned on going, but it’d be great if you guys came too! Lots of people and good music, live karaoke if you’re feeling ballsy- you know I won’t be able to keep my ass off of the stage. I think it would be a good to get our mind off of… things.” Jar said as he checked his pockets to make sure he had everything he had come to the arcade with. “And, I don’t know about you guys, but tonight I’m hoping to end this dry spell I’ve been in.” He grinned with a devilish glint in his eyes.

Over the next few hours the guys went their separate ways. Jar chose to explore the ship some more, browsing what some of the shops were about and even heading to the highest deck on the ship, which had a chapel of sorts where people could get married. Jar wondered briefly if he’d ever get married. Kids were out of the question, but a wife? A few months ago, the idea would seem more likely, but now he wasn’t so sure. Rather than dwell on that, Jar decided to head back to the suite to make sure he looked spot on for this party.

If Jar was going to be performing, even with something small scale like karaoke, he liked to wear a little bit of black liner. Some of his biggest idols wore stage makeup, so why shouldn’t he? After checking his full appearance in the standing mirror, he debated his outfit. What would the deck party be like? Should he keep the skinnies on, or switch to trunks in case he ended up in a pool… or a hot tub! Now that was a fantastic goal for the night, hot tubbing with some cutie he met on the dancefloor. Jar decided on the best of both worlds and wore a pair of grey and black trunks instead of boxers underneath his skinny jeans. Finally convinced that he was ready, Jar set out on his journey to the deck party.

Jareth, Hunter, and Jules all headed down to the party together. You could hear the deck party long before you could see it. The bass was thumping through the floors and walls, and colorful lights scattered around in sweeping motions. The dancefloor was packed with gyrating bodies and a good portion of the girls still sported their bikinis tops. Maybe there was a god after all…

“Catch ya’ll later, don’t wait up for me!” Jar said with a quick wink before making his way out onto the floor. Jareth Wells was not one of those creepy guys to be found skulking around the edges of the dancefloor scoping out girls, nor was he the guy grinding on unsuspecting and unwilling dancers. No, Jar much prefered to do his own thing and let all interested parties come to him. So there he was, shamelessly shaking his ass to some song about eating cake by the ocean. That seemed oddly appropriate.

Jareth asked Hunter about his car, how he was still driving it despite not having keys for it anymore. "Well for a few weeks I wasn't driving, then when I needed to start driving again I wasn't able to get my keys back for... lots of reasons. So I hot wired my own car. I figured that was a skill I was never going to need, but hey! It works. Then after a while of hot wiring my own car and getting arrested for people thinking I was stealing a car I simply made a new starter system." Hunter leaned back and smiled with pride. "Now it's like an electric lock combination that only I know."

Later things turned out pretty nice. The guys played video games until Hunter ran out of quarters... and cash... and coupons. But Hunter enjoyed himself. By the time everyone went their separate ways to get ready for the party Hunter was dumb founded a bit. As he looked at his bag on the couch he was deciding what to wear to the party. Was this something he was going to have to dress at least casual nice? Was this something he could go shirtless to? Or was this one of those parties where he didn't have to wear any clothes? then again those parties always end funny, and generally it just turns out he was drunk again. "Reason 57 to quit drinking..." He said as the thought about past parties.

He eventually decided to wear his swim shorts and a t-shirt with a picture of a tux on the front. The way he say it, perfect combination of casual, comfortable, and professional. Though as he packed up his bag again he noticed something. The strange band shirt. The one he woke up with this morning. Not sure what to do with it he balled it up and crammed it in the larger of the pockets in his shorts. And having already spent what money he could spare for the day Hunter decided to leave his wallet in his bag. Then at least if it was lost or he forgot it he wouldn't lose it on a ship. Or it would be stolen and he would have a chance to show off his awesome ass kicking skills. At least awesome in his eyes. Lacking strength, form, or all around coordination the only advantage he had in a fight would be some height to him. Even that wasn't much compared to a lot of guys.

PARTY TIME! Hunter thought as the trio arrived. "Alright! Time to dance, drink, blow something up, and have fun!" He stopped to think for a moment. "Other then I can't dance.... I'm quitting drinking... and we're on a boat and explosions are a bad idea... We can still have fun!" He was ready for a good time. Then Jareth mentioned something about leaving for the center of the party. "Okaaay then..." Hunter trying to rely on his soberness wasn't all outgoing. He was hoping to motivate himself by sticking around with Jules and Jareth. Three's a crowd anyways! "Jules!" And he froze, Hunter was at a blank. Now what? He got his friends attention, and froze. "I've never been to a party sober, what now?"

---

Jules was notoriously horrible at anything videogames. The only exception to the rule was DDR. It was probably the only game he could prove a match to his friends, seeing how it actually required some level of physical activity. The rest of his time was spent using the pinball machines, which saw some of the lowest scores in human history, and on the original street fighter, at which Jules won 50/50 of the time by pure button mashing skill. But he had fun, and it allowed him to get rid of some of that pent up frustration he had. He'd rather take it out by some aikido practice... but this was a decent substitute. If the arcade made his friends feel better about their situations, he'd happily oblige going with them.

Jules wasn't entirely sure how eager he was to prioritize his dry spell. A part of him didn't really feel like partying at all today. But if he did that, then what had been the point of arguing with Addy in the first place? He had done it so he could have fun again, not to destroy any semblance of it... even though the efforts had totally failed. No, he'd go to that party and have fun. He owed it to himself... and maybe even a little to Addy? He had probably hurt her quite a bit with what he said. So maybe he should just do as they had told eachother. She could do whatever she wanted, he could do whatever he wanted. At least that meant neither of them were hurting in vain. He wasn't sure if it made sense, but that's what he made of it. Still, Jules couldn't be bothered putting too much thought into his clothing. Knowing these kind of parties, most people would walk around half-naked anyway. He figured he would just keep the same clothes on, but leave his blouse unbuttoned to show his abdomen. His athletic body was one of his strongest features anyway.

Jules smirked when the trio arrived at the party. Now this was what he was talking about! The pounding beat made Jules want to get moving as quickly as possible. When was the last time he got to let loose anyway? Far too long ago, that's for sure. As he was about to follow Jareth's example and head off, he could hear Hunter call his name. It wasn't often that he saw Hunter this hesitant. Then again, usually this was the time he drank himself silly. "Being drunk simply means not giving a shit about the stupid shit you do. Being sober just means you'll just have to do it consciously." He smirked at his friend "Get in there, be your silly self and make us jealous with a bombshell even better than the last one."

With that, he saluted Hunter and headed off. He didn't want his friend to see that he was going to get a drink or two first himself. He didn't seek to enhance the good thoughts, he wanted to dampen the bad ones. Even if just for this party, he wanted to forget the thing with Addy had ever happened. As the alcohol kicked in, he could feel himself lighten up a bit. That was all he needed to jump into the crowd and dance to the beat. Jules wasn't an amazing dancer, but he concealed that with by simply moving smooth enough to justify the confident smile on his face, while showing off his best features. In the meantime, he scanned the crowd, looking for that one perfect catch. He wasn't about to let anyone else go home with the party's queen.

---

“O-oh, erm...” Clover began to stutter and fidget a little under the water, clearly embarrassed by Lila's openness even though she should be way over it by now (they'd been friends for a couple of years now: how much longer would it take for Clover to get used to Lila being so blunt and expressive? Would she ever?). Lila raised her eyebrows at her friend, as if telling her Go on, say whatever it is you wanna say, and say it NOW. “Well, that all sounds like a lot of fun, but maybe n-not that last bi--...you know I’ve n-never---hgn--that’s not what I meant….um, how does that even work? You just go up to someone and say, ‘Take me to bed, stud!?'” Clover finally asked.

Lila simply rolled her eyes at her. "You know that's not how it works, sweetie," Lila replied, clearly annoyed at her older friend's obvious lack of flirting skills. But after she'd said that Lila noticed the hesitant look in Clover's face, and she switched from tough-love-Lila to motivational-life coach-Lila. She knew Clover needed to be a bit babied for her to be more open-minded about things, so the passive-aggressive technique wouldn't work. "Look, babe, have you seen yourself in a mirror? You're a fucking bombshell! Even when you're wearing those ratty T-shirts, the plain-Jane sports bras and that greasy ponytail you seem to have most of the time, you're still freaking sexy. Hell, if I were a guy, I'd totally bang you. So, stop worrying so much about it and just go with the flow, 'kay? I know you'll be having a great time if you simply just let loose. Or am I wrong, Addy?" Lila finished, bringing Adelisa into the situation so Clover would have even more support.

“Yeah, alright,” Clover agreed suddenly after some thought, her gorgeous green eyes gleaming with determination as she nodded quickly. “Let’s get laid!” she exclaimed.

Lila punched the air with a triumphant expression."That's the spirit, Clo-bear!" she said in approval, giving Clover a quick hug.

“Oh jeez, that’s not something I thought I’d ever say. Teach me your ways, Lila!”

Lila gave Clover and Adelisa a devilish smile. They knew that, whenever Lila gave them this look, it meant that she was up to no good. "Watch this, girls," was the only thing she told them before she put her 'master plan' to action. Without another word, Lila looked around at the few people hanging by the Solarium and before long her eyes had scored into a handsome foreign man around their age standing alone by the bar. Their eyes met briefly, and they both exchanged interested smirks. For this plan to work, Lila needed to make sure that only Clover and Adelisa would be witnesses to what she was about to do, so she tore her eyes away from the guy and gave a quick look around the area. When she was sure no one else but the guy was looking, Lila looked at the guy again, locked her eyes on his, grabbed the top of her bikini and shamelessly flashed her voluminous chest to the guy. She let out a giggle and watched with amusement as the guy stared dumbfounded at her bosom, and she gave him a few seconds to process what had just happened before slipping her bikini top back into place. To top it all off, Lila winked at the guy and blew him a kiss before turning back to her best friends. Not even a minute afterwards, three premium drinks had been sent their way, and when Lila turned to the bar she saw the guy smirk at her and raise his glass in a silent 'cheers' gesture followed by his head nodding in the direction of the private cabanas.

Checkmate
"And that, girls, is how you effectively seduce a guy." Lila told them with a proud smirk on her face before collapsing into a fit of overwhelming giggles.

---

After a fun afternoon and a super long makeup ritual, Lila was finally ready to hit the deck party alongside her best friends. Even though she knew fully well most of the attendees would be sporting their bikinis and swimming trunks, she still wanted to go all out in typical Delilah fashion: tight black dress, soft brown waves cascading down her back, sultry face makeup, dark red matte lips and some nude peep toes with just enough heel to give her outfit a boost and make it comfortable to dance the night away with the most handsome stranger of the party. Of course, the usual nearly-bathing-herself-in-perfume part of her routine was also ever-present. She hoped that all of these factors combined would help her score tonight: it was much needed -and looooooong overdue- after a year-long dry spell.

The three women arrived at a party that was in full swing: a mass of dancing bodies wearing an assortment of fancy clothing (like Delilah), regular clothes or just plain bathing suits as if they'd just arrived from the pool or jacuzzi areas. As Lila's brown eyes scanned the area, she couldn't help but become more and more excited as each second passed by. So many possibilities... Delilah, sweetie, you will not be leaving this party by yourself. That I can promise you.

"Well, girls, I trust that I've taught you enough tips during our makeup session for you both to have half the guys at this party begging to be taken up to your rooms to get a piece of what you guys can offer. So, while I get myself a hottie that can do me right like the pool guy did a few hours ago, I'm hoping you two'll be big girls and do the same thing. Catch you guys later!" And with an excited wave, Lila buried herself into the center of the crowd and straight into shaking her hips to the contagious music.

As she was busy dancing and looking around for potential victims, her eyes fell on an incredibly attractive young man who seemed to be exhuding confidence. His smile was magnetic, and the way his open shirt emphasized his toned, sexy chest nearly sent Lila drooling. The longer she looked at him, the more she found herself attractive to this handsome stranger. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she'd be doing everything in her power to be leaving this party with him tonight.

Instead of going down her usual route of shameless flirting, Lila decided to shake things up by playing the 'shy girl' role: when in normal circumstances she would've just gone straight to the guy and shot him a compliment or a suggestive comment, this time she settled for making eye contact with him for a few long seconds before looking away with a shy smile on her face and biting her lower lip.

---

Clover is just as surprised as the foreigner when Delilah pulls her bikini top aside and flashes him. She is also equally enraptured because oh sweet mother of God that was the most perfect rack in the history of all mankind.

The older girl was no slouch when it came to the lovely tata department, but damn, those things deserved a gold medal.

Within a couple of minutes the gentleman sends them all drinks and Clover is wondering if she should go grab her notebook to take notes, because clearly she has a lot to learn.

---

Well, they’re at the deck party now, and Clover is 100% sure that this is a bad idea. She’d turn around and run back to the cabin this very instant, but Lila had spent so much time helping her get ready that the ginger thought it would be a shame for all that hard work to go to waste. Not to mention she had something very specific to accomplish this evening...

Clover’s homework assignment for tonight was to get over Jareth by getting, ahem, comfortable with another man. Well, a woman would probably work too, Clover supposed. She should keep as many options open as possible at this point, she was gonna need all the help she could get.

The base is so heavy that the future game warden can feel the vibrations in her teeth and the dance floor is packed with gyrating party goers. Clover is lovely, her hair curled perfectly, a splash of lavender oil behind her ears, and not to mention the white dress she was wearing made her legs look about ten miles long, but she still feels like a spectator watching some sort of alien courtship ritual. These sorts of things had been so much easier when she was dating Jar. Whenever she was feeling nervous he would just tuck her under his arm and make her laugh so hard that she forgot all about looking silly or that she didn't know any fancy dance moves.

Fuck. She was thinking about him again, wasn’t she? ‘Right. Time to get liqueured up,’ the freckled girl decides, shouldering her way through the dance floor to get to the bar. “Hey,” she calls, flagging down the bartender, “Can I get an old fashioned? A double, please.”

“Sure thing, little lady,” the older woman says with a wink, causing the college student to giggle nervously. The blonde was beautiful, there was no question about that, but she looked like she was at least ten years Clover’s senior. Not exactly her first choice, but it was good to have backups, right?

The barkeep comes back and presses the cocktail into her hand, fingers lingering just a touch too long to be professional. “Here you go, darlin’,” the lady drawls, leaning over the bar so her face was a little closer to the redhead’s now. “Come back and see me when you're runnin’ low. I'll fix you up real nice,” she assures, reaching up to tap the tip of Clover’s nose playfully.

The freckled girl resists the urge to lick her lips and ruin the red lipstick that Lila had artfully applied earlier and takes a sip of the cocktail instead. “It’s good,” Clover admits, flashing the other a flirty smile. “I’ll swing back by when I need a touch up.”

“You be sure and do that, sugar,” the bartender explains, patting Clover’s cheek gently before closing the gap between them and slating her mouth against the redhead's for a quick peck. Clover squeaks, jerking back and pressing her fingers gingerly against her lips. “Well aren't you the cutest little butterbean this side of Louisiana?” The blonde giggles with another provocative wink before trotting off to take care of the next customer.

“Huh,” Clover huffs, pursing her lips and tasting the other girl’s cupcake flavored lipgloss. “...ha, maybe I can do this,” The speckled girl murmurs to herself, her lips still buzzing from the quick kiss as she takes another sip from her cocktail.

'Right,' she decides, turning back to the dance floor and squaring her shoulders. 'Time to go hunting.'

Addy smirked slightly as the party was full swing. Her heart still drummed inside her chest from this morning, but she managed to throw on her 'get-lucky' outfit and her 'ravish me' makeup. This outfit consisted of a black lace dress showing her red bikini underneath. The bikini basically covered the essentials but showed off her thighs and hips by only two strings tied together on each side of her. Addy's dress went to her mid-thigh and her long legs were flattered by white wedges. Her makeup was a simple back smokey eye and sinfully red lips that brightened her light blue eyes.

She sighed as she made her way To the bar as Clover went back to the dancefloor. Addy noticed the scene with the female barkeep and she grinned slightly. Clover learns pretty quickly doesn't she?, Addy thought with a sense of pride washing over her. Adelisa giggled under her breath as she made her way into a seat. She was about to call for the 'tender, but a raspy voice cut her off: "barkeep! Get me two vodka tonics please? And four yager shots!" Adelisa looked up to see a rather muscular man stand behind her, looking her up and down like she was the last piece of steak.

She did a bit of checking out herself and determined that, while he was definitely not her type, she would get into the flirty mood with a bit of a buffer. He was tall, about 6'0, and had the trust-fund baby look to him. He seemed far too cocky, like getting the "bad girl" would be easy. She smirked flirtaciously at the man and said "well, well. Mr. Big Shot over here." He grinned confidently and said "well, I expect you'll pay me back eventually."

Oh, that did it.

Adelisa's smirk faltered and her eyebrow raised as the man seemed to notice the sudden shift in energy. She saw the drinks come and she grabbed the two shots, downed them, grabbed her tonic, and threw it in the guy's face. "There. Now I definitely don't have to pay you back. Wasn't even thinkin' about it, Buff-Brains." She thanked the bartender and quickly left the man drenched in her- his drink. She wasn't some escort. She definitely wasn't sleeping with him either. Addy made her way to the dancefloor and started dancing. She rolled her hips seductively and used those strip tease and belly dance workout classes to her advantage.

She wanted her mind to go blank and her moves to mesmerize.

---

One song blended into two... or four, to be honest he had lost count. His shameless dancing had succeeded in getting him into full-on party mode, but one thing was missing. Well, a couple of things were missing but, besides alcohol, the others he was either trying to give up, or he had lost.

Jareth made his way to the bar beside the dancefloor. It was decked out with gaudy party lights depicting flamingos and palm trees, but it worked for the venue. Jar wondered how far away he was from seeing his first real palm tree. He couldn’t wait to arrive to the first beach and get his ass in the sand. The flirtatious blonde bartender made her way to take his order. She was pretty, but just a tad too old for his tastes. “What can I get yah, sugar?” she asked.

“Jack and coke, as hard as you can make it.” he said, mimicking her flirtation and adding a signature Jar-style wink. It came more naturally than he expected. Maybe he was finally ready to move on. The barkeep returned with his drink and told him to come back when he was running low. After taking a sip, Jar made his way to the outskirts of the dancefloor. Once the liquid courage had started to fill him up, Jar danced his way back into the undulating mass of bodies. A brunette beauty danced her way passed him in a tight black dress. Jar caught himself checking her out until she turned enough that he could see her face and he saw who she was. Shit, that was the girl in Hunter's picture… he hoped they didn’t end up running into each other again, the kid probably couldn’t take it. The coincidence made Jareth wonder if Clover might also be here. What would he do or say if he bumped into her again ?

Jareth downed the rest of the drink and turned his eyes to the stage. Hell, he was going to live it up even if she was here, come what may… jealousy, regret, or maybe even a heated rekindling. Did he want that last thing? Maybe a little more than he’d like to admit, but he wasn’t going to limit his options. After setting his empty glass on the nearest table, Jar made his way to the stage.

After browsing the karaoke song selection, he found the perfect one. It had a danceable beat, dirty undertones, and it was a genre that he was more comfortable singing than the numerous pop options. Once the current performer was done doing her rendition of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”, Jar hopped up the steps and took the microphone.

The first few notes of the song played in the large speakers behind him and he stared out into the crowd to prepare himself. It didn’t matter that he’d played in front of crowds before with Crim Son, he still gets stage fright when a show first begins. This was different though, he wasn’t used to not having a guitar while he sang… what was he supposed to do with his hands?

Well, there was no time to think about that now, because the lyrics bounced their way across the screen at his feet. Not that he needed the lyrics, Jar new the song just as well as any of these other young twenty-somethings, if not better! Once the first verse was under his belt, the crowd-pleasing stage persona took over. Jar danced his way across the stage in a combination of hops and hip shimmies, holding the wireless mic in his right hand while his left was raised high above his head.

---