Starr and the High Seas Wedding Drama (Flower Girl World chapter book)

by Woolley, Lynelle; Wolcott, Karen

  For Hana

  Glossary and pronunciation guide included at the end of the story.

  Flower Girl World: Starr and the High Seas Wedding Drama

  Copyright © 2016 Lynelle Woolley

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Inquiries should be addressed to:

  Markelle Media, LLC

  12405 Venice Blvd., #350, Los Angeles, CA 90066 info@flowergirlworld.com

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2015920686

  ISBN 978-0-9912186-4-6

  Manufactured by Edwards Brothers Malloy

  Ann Arbor, MI 48103

  March 2016

  Job #315174

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  www.FlowerGirlWorld.com

  Chapter One

  “¡Delicioso!”

  Starr Rubio licked her fork and placed it on the side of her dinner plate. Her family was having tamales for dinner, Starr’s favorite meal. Each tamale was like a sweet-and-spicy food present wrapped up in a cornhusk shell.

  Starr was sure her grandmother, Abuela, made the best tamales in all of San Antonio, Texas. But she only made them on special nights. That meant something important was happening at the Rubio’s house.

  What could it be? Starr wondered. She looked around the table. It seemed like a regular evening. Her twin brothers, Ricky and Randy, were arguing. Her dad was rubbing his belly, and her mother and grandmother were complaining about the price of avocados.

  “Starr, please help me clear the table,” her mother said. “After the kitchen is cleaned, Abuela wants to share some big news. It involves all of us.”

  Starr’s grandmother had just returned from a cruise. For five days, she had sailed around Mexico on a huge ocean liner. Starr knew that Abuela loved taking cruises, because this trip was her third one this year.

  I wish I could go on a cruise, Starr thought.

  Taking a cruise was like vacationing in a fancy floating hotel, with all-you-can-eat buffets, day-trips into port cities, and, best of all, big shows every night. Starr loved everything about the theater: singing, dancing, acting, and especially being in the spotlight.

  Maybe one day I’ll be the star of a cruise ship show.

  Starr got goose bumps as she imagined herself on a stage, taking a bow, and blowing kisses to her audience. For a moment she got so lost in the dream, she forgot about the dirty plates on the table.

  When the dishes were finally back in the cabinets, the family gathered in the living room.

  “My dear familia, as you know, I love cruises,” Abuela said with her Spanish accent.

  “That’s for sure!” said Starr.

  “Surprise!” Abuela cheered. “I’m taking the whole family on a cruise around Mexico!”

  “Hooray!” Starr and her brothers leaped into a celebration dance.

  “Mama,” Starr’s mother said to Abuela, “tell them why we’re going on a cruise.”

  Starr’s parents glanced at each other with knowing smiles.

  “Because I’m in love!” Abuela announced.

  Starr gasped. Randy squealed. Ricky looked confused.

  “Aren’t you too old to fall in love?” Ricky asked.

  Starr’s mom shook her head. “You’re never too old to fall in love.”

  “His name is Walter,” said Abuela. “We met in a ballroom dance class during my first cruise. We’ve been dancing together ever since.”

  Abuela put her hands on her heart and sighed. “And that’s not all. We’re getting married!”

  “What?” Starr’s jaw dropped.

  “We want our families to meet before we set a wedding date. Walter will be on the ship too, along with his daughter and granddaughter.”

  Starr was speechless. This was a lot of news to absorb at once.

  Abuela pulled Starr aside for a private talk. “I know you’ll like Walter. You can call him Grandpa Walt.”

  Both of Starr’s grandfathers had passed away before she was born. This would be the first time she would call someone Grandpa.

  “Starr, I have something very important to ask,” Abuela went on. She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a large pink flower made of tissue paper.

  Starr’s eyes widened. “It’s so pretty!”

  “I made this for you during my cruise.” Abuela smiled. “On my wedding day, will you be a flower girl? You and Walter’s granddaughter can walk down the aisle together.”

  Starr loved being a flower girl. She had been in another wedding, along with two other flower girls, Rosie and Iris. The three of them lived in different cities, but their friendship kept growing through phone calls, video chatting, and a special club called Flower Girl World. Anyone could be a member, as long as that person loved everything about being a flower girl.

  Now, Starr had the chance to be in Abuela’s wedding and welcome a new friend into Flower Girl World.

  “¡Sí, Abuela!” Starr burst out. “I’d love to be your flower girl!”

  Chapter Two

  “Holy guacamole! It’s gigantic!” Starr shouted.

  Starr and her family were standing on a dock in front of a massive ship. After months of waiting, they were finally going on their cruise. The ship was much larger than Starr had imagined. It looked like a giant skyscraper that had fallen on its side.

  Woooooh! Woooooh! a foghorn bellowed.

  “Time to board!” Abuela told the family.

  The family walked up the gangway. When Starr stepped onto a plush red carpet inside, she instantly felt like a movie star. The lobby was the most glamorous place she had ever seen. It featured gold columns, two glass elevators, and a grand staircase.

  “Welcome aboard!” A tall man wearing a white hat spoke to the family. “I’m Captain Richard Stanton, and this is Cruise Director Jenny Stone. She’s in charge of all the fun on the ship.”

  The woman standing next to him smiled. “Hello!”

  “We’re the Rubios!” Starr replied. “My name is Starrina, but you can call me Starr Ruby. It’s my stage name.”

  “That’s a beautiful name,” said Jenny. “You must like to perform.”

  Starr nodded.

  “I hope you’ll enter our talent show. We have a big performance on the last night of the trip.”

  Starr’s heart almost leaped out of her chest.

  “The sign-up form is hanging in the Kids’ Club on deck four,” said Jenny.

  “I’ll definitely sign up!” said Starr.

  Starr beamed. She’d only been on the ship for five minutes, and already the cruise director was asking her to be in a show. Now she had to figure out what she would perform. She had so many options: singing, dancing, mime…

  “Starr!”

  The rest of the family stood near the grand staircase. They were waiting for her to join them for a family photo.

  Starr ran over and stood next to Abuela.

  “Smile!” The ship’s photographer raised his camera.

  Starr posed with her left hand on her hip and flashed her best celebrity smile.

  Click, click, click.

  Now she really felt like a movie star!

  As soon as she’d finished unpacking her suitcase, Starr rushed to the Kids’ Club. It was definitely the coolest place on the ship. The large room was filled with things kids love: video and board games, a serve-yourself cotton candy machine, and a dance floor with a glittering
disco ball.

  But Starr couldn’t be bothered with all of that. She was focused on the talent show sign-up sheet. It was already starting to fill up with names.

  Starr added her name to the sheet but then realized she still hadn’t decided on an act.

  Maybe I can sing a Gaby Snow song, she thought.

  Gaby Snow was the hottest pop star in the world. Starr knew all of her songs because she was one of Gaby’s biggest fans.

  At that moment, Starr heard some light guitar music. The playing was soft and slow, but she definitely knew the song—Gaby Snow’s latest hit.

  Starr looked around. In a dark corner, a girl was playing an electric guitar. Starr walked toward her. The girl was wearing black clothes. Her hair was black too, except for a few green streaks in the front.

  “That’s a Gaby Snow song, right?” Starr asked her.

  “Yeah,” said the musician. She kept strumming without looking up.

  “Why’s it so slow?” Starr asked. “It sounds really sad like that.”

  The girl glared at Starr. “I can play it fast too.”

  She jumped up and began to fiercely jam on her guitar.

  Waannnnng! Waannnnng!

  The kids in the club stopped what they were doing to listen. Many began to dance to the rock ‘n’ roll beat.

  The girl ended the song with an intense power chord.

  Neeeer! Deedle! Waaaaaanng!

  Everyone cheered.

  Starr turned to the guitar player. “That was cool!”

  But then she noticed tears in the girl’s eyes. “Are you crying?” she asked.

  “No!” the girl barked before unplugging her guitar and running out of the lounge.

  Yikes! Starr thought. I wonder why she’s so upset.

  Chapter Three

  The passengers celebrated their first night at sea with a special buffet in the elegant main dining room. Everyone wore fancy clothes. Starr had on a new dress that was covered in hot pink, orange, and red shimmery sequins. It sparkled every time she moved.

  The Rubio family was seated at a long table decorated with a gold silk tablecloth and glistening dishes. At the end sat three empty chairs.

  “I’m hungry!” Randy whined.

  “Please be patient. Walter and his family should be here soon,” said Abuela. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

  Starr was hungry too, but her mind was on the sad guitar player. What could be bothering her? she wondered. Starr could never be happy when others were unhappy.

  Suddenly, an older man with gray hair and wire-rimmed glasses approached the table.

  “Walter!” Abuela rushed to his side.

  “I’m sorry, Nina. My daughter and granddaughter are still getting ready, and—”

  He was interrupted by a shout coming from the dining room entrance.

  “We’re here!”

  Starr turned to see a woman wearing a long silver dress dashing toward their table. Lagging behind her was a young girl. Starr instantly recognized the green streaks in her hair.

  “Hello! I’m Diane, Walter’s daughter,” the woman said, trying to catch her breath. “And this is my daughter, Ivy.”

  Ivy was wearing a shredded denim jacket over a black dress. Her lips, which formed a frown, were covered in blue lip gloss.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Diane continued. “Ivy and I have been feeling seasick.”

  “Is that why her lips are blue?” Ricky blurted out.

  “Ricky!” said Starr, knowing that Ivy was already having a bad day. “I think she looks pretty”.

  Ivy looked away. Starr’s mother spoke to Diane. “I’m Regina. It’s nice to meet you.” Then she introduced the Rubios one by one.

  Regina turned back to Starr. “You and Ivy are the same age. I bet you have a lot in common.”

  Everyone at the table looked back and forth between Starr’s fancy, bright outfit and Ivy’s edgy, dark one. What could they possibly have in common?

  “Let’s eat!” Abuela suggested, breaking the awkward silence.

  The buffet was an all-you-can-eat feast of yummy food. Stations included soup, salad, pizza, pasta, seafood, and meat, along with a dessert table filled with cakes and cookies.

  Starr filled her plate three times. Once her belly was full, she mustered the courage to talk to Ivy. Maybe she could help her feel less sad.

  Starr sat down next to Ivy. “Did you try the steak? It was so juicy.”

  “I don’t eat meat.” Ivy didn’t look up. “I’m a vegetarian.”

  Starr quickly thought of something else to say. “You’re a great guitar player.”

  “Thanks,” said Ivy.

  “I’m a singer,” Starr went on. “Maybe we can perform a song together when our grandparents get married!”

  Ivy glared at Starr. Suddenly, she burst into tears and ran out of the dining room.

  Oh no! thought Starr. Not again!

  She raced after Ivy, finally catching up with her at the top of the grand staircase.

  “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

  Ivy choked back tears. “It’s not you. It’s your grandmother.”

  Starr’s mouth dropped open. “Abuela? What did she do?”

  “She’s going to marry my grandpa,” Ivy sniffled.

  Starr tilted her head. “What?”

  Ivy took a deep breath. “My grandma died two years ago. It was really sad, but when Grandpa Walt moved in with us, I felt better. We do special things together, like eat breakfast every morning and read every night.”

  Starr nodded.

  “Now, after he gets married, he’ll move out of our house to live with your grandma. What if they decide to live in Texas with you, instead of in California with us?”

  Starr gasped. “You live in California?”

  “Yeah, Los Angeles.”

  Starr hadn’t thought about what would happen after the wedding. Now she, too, started to tear up.

  “This is happening very fast,” said Starr.

  “I’ll say!” muttered Ivy. “They barely know each other. And they have nothing in common.”

  “They both like ballroom dancing,” Starr pointed out.

  “Yeah, but what else?”

  Starr thought for a moment. The truth was, she knew almost nothing about Grandpa Walt. At dinner, she’d noticed that Abuela and Grandpa Walt didn’t talk to each other very much. Instead, her grandmother exchanged recipes with Diane, while Ivy’s grandfather chatted about sports with her dad.

  Starr shrugged. “Abuela said that when they met, it was love at first sight. She knew they were meant to be together.”

  “How would they know that?” Ivy asked. “What if they’re making a big mistake? They could end up with broken hearts and ruin our families!”

  Starr’s stomach began to flip-flop. She didn’t want Abuela to move away or have a broken heart.

  “You’re right,” she said slowly. “But what do we do?”

  Ivy looked serious. “We have to convince them to break up.”

  “Really?” Starr’s heart beat at double speed—this seemed drastic. But Ivy looked so sure.

  “Believe me,” said Ivy. “It’s for their own good.”

  “Okay, but how do we do it? We’re just kids!”

  With a raised eyebrow, Ivy said, “We have to put their love to the test.”

  Chapter Four

  Starr and Ivy met early the next morning to work out their plan. They knew they had to be sneaky and smart. That was the only way to make their grandparents realize they were making a big mistake.

  Later, they found Abuela and Grandpa Walt relaxing on deck chairs by the pool. She was reading a cookbook while he flipped through Sports Today magazine.

  “¡Hola!” called Abuela when she spotted them from across the deck. “Come sit with us!”

  Starr and Ivy sat on a chair next to their grandparents. Ivy pulled a tween magazine out of her bag. She and Starr started to giggle as they looked at it together.

&n
bsp; “What’s so funny, girls?” asked Grandpa Walt.

  “We’re reading a quiz,” said Ivy. “It’s called ‘How well do you know your BFF?’”

  “What’s a BFF?” asked Grandpa Walt.

  Starr and Ivy rolled their eyes. “It means ‘best friend forever’!”

  “Oh!” said Grandpa Walt. “I have a BFF. Her name is Nina.” He grinned at Abuela. She batted her eyelashes at him.

  “You should take the quiz, Grandpa Walt!” said Ivy.

  Starr added, “If Abuela is your BFF, you’ll get a perfect score!”

  Grandpa Walt put down his magazine. “Okay!”

  Ivy read, “Question number one: Where was your BFF born?”

  “That’s easy!” said Grandpa Walt. “She’s from San Antonio, Texas.”

  “Beeeeeep!” Starr made a buzzer sound to show he was wrong.

  “Walter,” said Abuela politely, “I live in San Antonio now, but I was born in Mexico.”

  Grandpa Walt blushed. “I should have known that.”

  “True,” Ivy said smugly. “Question number two: What is your BFF’s favorite color?”

  “I know! The answer is pink!” declared Grandpa Walt.

  Starr burst in, “But what color pink?”

  He looked confused. “Isn’t pink a color?”

  “Yes, but there are many shades of pink,” said Starr. “Hot pink, ballet slipper pink, raspberry pink, cotton candy pink, bubblegum pink…”

  “Okay…” Grandpa Walt seemed even more confused than before. “Bubblegum?” he asked.

  “That’s right!” Abuela gushed.

  “Lucky guess!” Ivy said. “Question number three: What’s your BFF’s favorite ice cream flavor?”

  “Mmm,” said Grandpa Walt. “I love ice cream! My favorite flavor is chocolate. Maybe Nina likes chocolate too?”

  “Nope!” Starr blurted out. “Abuela doesn’t eat ice cream.”

  “I don’t like sweets,” said Abuela.

  “Really?” murmured Grandpa Walt. “I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like ice cream.” Grandpa Walt looked concerned. Starr didn’t know if it was because Abuela didn’t like dessert or because he was getting so many questions wrong.

  “Question number four,” continued Ivy. “What’s your BFF’s middle name?”