Page 38 of Best Vacation Ever

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Walking into the pink party at the red-wristbands-only pool is like being transported into a cotton candy wonderland. The music is loud and upbeat, with people crowding around talking, dancing, and laughing. The pool water is a crystal blue, and I have no idea how they cleaned up the foam from last night so perfectly, but there are no traces of it anywhere. Almost the entire surface of the pool is covered in little pink floating balls the size of golf balls, and there are pink blow-up floats strewn about. All the lights are different colors of pink, and everyone is in a pink swimsuit.

Lori’s in a pink-and-white tie-dye bikini top with jean shorts over her bottoms, and I’m in a baby-pink string bikini.

My eyes automatically scan the area for Kellan, and I find him in the middle of the pool on a hot-pink flamingo floaty with Kiara on the one next to him. My face heats as they laugh and flirt, splashing each other and throwing the little pink balls at each other.

“There’s Dean!” Lori waves when he spots us.

“Hey,” Dean says when he reaches us, his cheeks newly sunburnt.

“Hey,” Lori and I greet in sync.

“Where is everyone?” I ask, not seeing my brother anywhere.

Dean scans the pool. “Alessio’s over there talking to Priyasha and Anaya. Dylan and your brother were at the bar when I last saw them, and Kellan’s trying to get lucky with Kiara over there in the pool.”

He says it innocently, but his words are like a punch in the gut.

I try not to let it bother me, but it’s obvious that I’m not paying attention to whatever Dean and Lori are talking about.

Why am I even trying to make him like me if he’s into Kiara? His stupid grin pops into my mind and my heart softens.

A familiar face at the other end of the pool comes into view.

Darius. I’m not interested in him, especially since he got my name wrong, but he’s near the bar in plain sight of Kellan and Kiara, and he’s easy to flirt with.

“I’m going to the bar. See you later,” I announce, interrupting whatever Lori was saying, and don’t wait for a response before confidently sashaying over to Darius. He notices me immediately.

“Hey, Faith,” he greets, his eyes appraising my body.

“It’sFaye,” I correct, and he smiles, clearly not remembering how last night played out.

“Of course,Faye. Can I get you a drink?”

Not exactly a big gesture since it’s an open bar, but I put on my best flirty demeanor and nod as I sit beside him.

He orders me a fruity drink that’s a little too sugary for my taste, but I still pretend to be enjoying myself, laughing at the appropriate time and giving him all the right cues. But the whole time, I’m subtly looking back at Kellan in the pool to see if he’s noticed me so obviously flirting with Darius.

He hasn’t.

Maybe we’re too far out for Kellan to notice us. We need to get closer.

There’s a chicken fight starting in the pool, where someone sits on someone else’s shoulders and faces another pair, and they try to knock each other off into the pool. A plan forms in my mind.

“Hey, why don’t we enter the chicken fight contest?” I say, pointing to where other people are already playing.

Darius follows my line of sight and sends me a confident smile. “If it means getting your legs wrapped around me, I’m in.”

Forcing myself not to roll my eyes, I grab his hand and lead him toward the pool. Wecoincidentallypass right by Kellan and Kiara.

“Faye!” Kellan calls out, and I pause, pretending to look around like I don’t knowexactlywhere the voice is coming from.

“Faye!” he calls again, and this time my eyes find his.

“Oh, hey guys,” I say like I only just noticed them and haven’t been staring at Kellan for the last twenty minutes.

Kiara looks less than thrilled that Kellan’s stopped his flirting to talk to me, but she does nothing more than stand in the pool pouting with her arms crossed over her chest.