.
.
.
They quickly adjusted and pretended like they weren't surprised.
We went to them.
Now I was confident.. my hair wasn't messed up and toothpaste lather wasn't dripping down the sides of my mouth.
" Hey Edriel ...these are my friends... Mia and Sissy " I said and he shook hands with them.
" Lovely names for such lovely girls... Well meet my friends ...Drake and Ash"
I shook hands with them and then the friends shook each other...my friends and his friends.
Then we went to the piano.
" So the first mission is to know if he's got a girlfriend " Sissy said
" And how do I go about that... Ask him straight? "
" Hey!" Mia said
" I wasn't about to do that...I'm not a fool" I said.
" Just engage him into a conversation with girls and then ask him stylishly" Sissy said
" Okay?"
" No...my opinion is snatch his phone while he's not looking and check his photos...if he has a girlfriend... You'll surely see her pictures" Mia suggested and that seemed like a great idea...talking to Edriel gave me goosebumps so I was ready to do things...Mia's way "
" I think I'd take Mia's advice... I'd like to avoid talking to him ".
" I wouldn't if I were you" Sissy said.
" But in other missions you have to talk to him" they said together
" Oh okay... Still taking Mia's advice" I said
Then later they called the children downstairs and we all ate break fast.
" Please gather your luggage and move into a car" My uncle said.
Christa's four friends were here already...so were Johnny's three friends and so we were becoming much as other members invited a few of their friends too...and some Other people were going to Italy by themselves...some were already in Italy...some lived there..
I went to take my luggage
" Should we wait?" Mia asked
" Nope I'll be down in a sec" I told them as I searched for last minutes things.
" Okay I'm all done"
" Are you sure" I heard a voice behind me I gasped...it was Edriel, I turned around.
" How did you get into my room"
" Your door wasn't locked?"
" Oh...what are you doing here?" I asked looking at my clothes.
" Is it wrong to want to walk my cousin down to the car...?"
" Well ...we ....its weird..we don't talk anyway" I blurted out.
" Do you want us to?"
" I never said that"
" Awwwn now you're blushing"
" I'm not! Do you see me smiling?"
" You don't have to smile before you actually blush...your cheeks are pink... you look cute anyway" he said and went out...I looked at my mirror... I couldn't see whatever he called a blush.
" Oh God" I sighed and I took my luggage and I went downstairs...our garage was filled with cars... Like they were up for sale.
" Ellie!" My mum called.
" They're in a full car already come here!"
I was ushered into an SUV. ( With 8 seats)
It was my mum and my twin sister that were driving and then two girls were brought in...to seat next to me...one on my right...the other on my left...I was in the middle and then the back seats were left unoccupied...Aunt Beatrice got in and my mum put her bag in the driver's seat... I was so happy that I was free in here
" You should just head here"
I heard my mum say and then the door behind me opened and in came Drake...followed by Edriel then Ash and they sat behind me...jeez...this was the worst.
Their perfume filled the air and I sat as stiff as a doll.
" Aren't you so happy Luna?" One of the girls beside me said.
" I can't believe we're going to Italy"
" Ellie aren't you excited? "
" How do you know my name?" I asked in a tiny cat voice.
" Awn her voice is cute" someone from the back whispered... it wasn't Edriel's voice. My cheeks became hot...
" We're Christa's friends "
" Oh...I'm excited ".
" She seems...uncomfort...."
I didn't hear the rest
" Isn't she pretty? I ...."
I was straining my ear to hear and then I looked in the mirror and saw drake's eyes on me.
" Um mum?"
" Yeah darling...uncomfortable?"
" Oh come on Edriel stop looking at her!" Aunt Beatrice cushioned.
" What?"
" Ash, Drake! Don't join Eddie!" She added.
" I didn't say they made me uncomfortable " I said.
" They are talking about you aren't they?" She asked me.
" Um..."
" They're just silly boys, don't worry about them.." She said and then I heard the other cars starting...and my mum started the car...
" Isn't she beautiful boys?" My mum asked.
"She's cute..." Ash said
" Real pretty" Drake said.
" She's hot" Edriel said
" Edriel!" The two mums said.
" Well we have to give it to Ellie...she's hot" Aunt Beatrice said...
" Yeah she kinda is, thanks to me" my mum said
" Please can we stop talking about me".
" Awwwn she's got the red cheeks...okay I'm sorry" my mum said.
The boys kept on whispering and I heard my name on several occasions...I was dying to know what they were saying but it was in whispers ...I only caught..." Lovely " "girlfriend? " "Yeah " ..." no! " " She's okay" ..."Ellie ? ...cousin?" I couldn't match the words together but I knew they were talking about me...then we stopped the car at the dock and we saw the yacht...it was huge ...our family yacht...on it in huge letters was MASCOTS our family name... My dad's surname was Richard so I was Ellie Richard Mascots...while Edriel was Edriel Adams Mascots....and every female in our family had children with one name and two surnames.
" Edriel could I get some water at the back?" I asked while mum was parking.
" Ash give it to her" he said concentrating on his phone and he smiled at it...I wondered if he was talking to his girlfriend... Then Ash handed me the bottle and we locked eyes while I collected the bottle from him.
Awkward.
I broke the contact and got down from the car... The wind whipped my ponytail against my face...then I went towards the left...to see if I could find Mia and Sissy...and I opened the bottle to drink from it and while drinking...I turned my head and saw all three boys looking at me with this kind of look on their faces.. Edriel...Ash and Drake and I spat the water out...
The water ran up my nose and I continued to cough as I tried to get out of their sight...then Mia and Sissy came and patted my back
" Saw you from afar...you okay?" Sissy asked.
" Yeah yeah I am".
" So...why the coughing? ...the boys...what car did you get in...can you find them?.."
" They were in the car I took... ".
" What?"
" I could feel their eyes on me and they were definitely talking about me!"
I told them all about it...
"That's a start...did you find out anything?"
" I think he has a girlfriend " I pouted
" You can never know for sure...that's mission one " Mia
" What's mission two? " I asked.
" When you're done with mission one ... you'll know mission two".
" Oh gosh..." I looked at Edriel...
The guys were talking and laughing now...looking at the waves.
" Everyone gather! Get here! We don't want anyone missing."
We all gathered and then we all entered the yacht one after the other...it felt both exciting and terrifying...and then we were given rooms... I was given a room with my friends...and I was happy...the room was elegant...and no one could think of it being on a yacht... we laid on the big bed there and we slept instantly... then we woke for dinner and after, we went out and found the dining room and then... We saw the family all being served by maids and then we ate and after...we passed a room... And we saw Edriel with his back to his phone...while Ash was behind the curtain...
" Mission one...grab his phone! " Mia reminded me.
" I wouldn't say that is a good option though" Sissy said and then I rushed into the room stupidly to take the phone and halfway there Ash turned and took the phone and went out the other way and then it was too late to halt...and then at the last moment Edriel turned and I halted right in front of him.
" What the...!" That was the first thing to come out of my own mouth.
I looked straight into his eyes...i couldn't stop looking and whenever I looked directly into Edriel's eyes when I was younger...I used to blabber....and it turned out that I hadn't changed a bit
" Y..y..you look handsome".
" What?"
" I mean do you have a girlfriend!?"
I knew I had done it again.