Ready! Set! Hawaii!

by Annie Bryant

  “I ruined?” Kazie yelled back. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be cruising through the lava fields. You totally owe me a pair of pink track pants!” Kazie yelled, poking at the hole in her knee, which revealed a huge red bruise that was sure to turn black and blue in a matter of hours.

  “Are you hurt?” Charlotte asked, offering Kazie a hand.

  Kazie hoisted herself up. “Cuts and scrapes, thanks to Short Stack. Tell your friend she should learn how to ride.”

  “Don’t you dare call me short!” Avery reached for Kazie like she wanted to knock her down again, but Isabel managed to hold her back.

  Mr. Madden pulled up, followed by Andie and Kara-Lee. “…It’s a disaster!” Kara-Lee was frantically explaining.

  Mr. Madden jumped off his bike and ran toward his daughter, grabbing Avery’s hand and looking at her, then Kazie. “Are you guys okay? What happened?”

  Andie wasn’t quite as fast, but she made it to Kazie soon after and gave her daughter a gentle hug.

  “Kazie crashed into me!” screamed Avery.

  “You crashed into me!” hissed Kazie.

  “Okay, everyone just calm down,” Andie suggested, backing off. “You’re lucky you both didn’t get seriously hurt.”

  “If I was lucky, Short Stack would know how to ride!” Kazie yelled.

  “I told you, don’t call me that, you, you…vacation crasher! Why did you have to come on this cruise, anyway?” Avery screeched, fighting back tears.

  Avery and Kazie faced off, and then ran at each other. Mr. Madden grabbed Avery while Andie held Kazie back.

  “What the heck happened?” asked Mr. Madden. “I thought we were all having a gnarly vacation together, then—”

  “IT’S HER FAULT!” Avery and Kazie yelled in unison, pointing at each other.

  CHAPTER

  12

  Matching Band-Aids

  Avery sat in a hard plastic chair in the infirmary while Dr. Steve shined a penlight in both of her eyes. The doctor turned to Mr. Madden. “She’s perfectly fine, just a few bruises.”

  “Let’s check you out, Kazie.” He knelt in front of Kazie and performed the same tests, asking her to bend both her arms and legs, then prodding her stomach to see if anything hurt. “Just a few bumps and bruises here, too. It’s a good thing you were both wearing helmets. I want you girls to take it easy, okay?” Dr. Steve plastered Kazie’s knee with a Band-Aid featuring a smiling dinosaur. He’d used the same goofy Band-Aid for Avery’s arm.

  Avery and Kazie both nodded, avoiding each other’s eyes. Dr. Steve turned to Mr. Madden and Andie. “If there are any more problems, I’ll be here.”

  Mr. Madden shook Dr. Steve’s hand and held the door open for Andie. “Ave, Kaz, c’mon.”

  Avery followed her father and reached the doorway at the same time Kazie did. Kazie paused at the threshold. “Oh, please, after you,” she gushed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Avery crossed her arms, covering up the silly dinosaur Band-Aid, and refused to budge. “No way! I don’t know what you’re gonna do to me behind my back.”

  Andie whirled around. “That’s it! Both of you girls are going to end up grounded in your cabins for the rest of the trip if you don’t pull it together right now and behave.”

  Kazie groaned. “But it wasn’t my fault! Avery—”

  Avery scowled. “Me?”

  Mr. Madden put a hand on each girl’s shoulder. “If I were you, I would not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shred up some waves tomorrow. So…I think we need to have a little talk. But let’s get out of this hallway, first.”

  Parent Talk

  Avery, Kazie, Jake, and Andie were packed like sardines into Mr. Madden’s tiny cabin. Andie and Mr. Madden sat on the bed, while Kazie took the only chair.

  Figures, thought Avery, who had to sit cross-legged on the floor. Kazie’s knee was poking her shoulder, but there wasn’t any room to adjust.

  “We’re all here—” Mr. Madden started, and then stopped. He opened his mouth and then shut it and looked at Andie.

  Andie nodded. “We’re here because Jake and I are worried.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly it,” Mr. Madden agreed. “Worried.” They looked at the girls, waiting for one of them to say something.

  Kazie broke the silence. “Okay, well, it’s not like this was my plan.”

  “Yeah,” Avery said. “My plan was to just be on vacation with my friends. I mean, it’s nice you’re here, Dad, but…”

  Avery shifted uncomfortably, whacking her head into Kazie’s knee. “Owww,” she complained.

  “I’m supposed to be helping Kara-Lee with karaoke right now,” Kazie groaned.

  “It’s just that…” Mr. Madden trailed off again. He took a deep breath. “We were sorta hoping you two would be friends. But, y’know, you can’t force it.” He laughed awkwardly.

  Avery watched her dad fumble over his words. If there was anyone who always had something to say—especially something funny to say—it was her dad. As much as she wasn’t used to seeing him with Andie and Kazie, she really wasn’t used to seeing him like this.

  “You girls are a lot alike,” Andie took over. “And well, we thought that would be a good thing. You seemed to be bonding that week in Colorado…anyway, you’re both good sports and part of being a good sport is being civil. We certainly didn’t think you’d get so competitive you’d injure yourselves trying to outdo each other!”

  “Exactly,” Mr. Madden said, squeezing Andie’s shoulder. “That’s exactly it.”

  The more Avery thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t mind that her dad showed up and surprised her on the trip. But why did he have to bring Andie and Kazie too? Things were better when it was just the two of us!

  She glanced at Kazie, who looked like she might be thinking the same thing. Avery remembered Colorado, and Kazie definitely hadn’t been as crazy there as she was now. What was wrong with her? And what’s wrong with me? Avery looked back at her dad. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

  Kazie reluctantly agreed. “Me too, Snurfman.”

  “Are we done here? ’Cause my foot’s asleep,” Avery said from her cramped spot on the floor.

  “So we’re good?” Mr. Madden asked. “One whiff of trouble, and no surfing tomorrow. Got it?”

  I cannot miss surfing! Avery thought. Not for the world. She hadn’t been surfing with her dad in ages, and she couldn’t wait to attack the waves next to Jake the Snake. She hadn’t even told him yet that she had her own surfer name, now! When the BSG did that scavenger hunt on Cape Cod, she managed to get in some surfing practice and earned the name Aloha Jedi.

  Mr. Madden counted them down. “One, two, three, shake!”

  Avery shook Kazie’s hand. Maybe Aloha Jedi can be nice to Crazie Kazie for a couple of days, Avery thought. But deep down her feelings were much more confused.

  Pooling Around

  “Cannonball!” Avery screamed and took a flying leap into the pool. She tucked her knees into her chest and hit the water with a huge splash!

  After the painful lecture from both Andie and her dad, Avery had returned to the cabin. Everyone wanted to know what happened, but Avery avoided her friends’ questions and suggested they hit the pool instead. The girls made sure Franco had plenty of pineapple, then Marisol walked them up to the top deck.

  The trip to the pool quickly became a “Who Can Make the Biggest Cannonball Splash” contest with another group of kids. It was no surprise that Avery was ahead.

  Isabel grabbed her sketchpad out of the way of the flying water. “That’s a perfect ten, Ave!” she cheered.

  “Way to go!” Charlotte applauded as Avery emerged from the depths of the pool, grinning.

  A black-haired boy in blue and white swim trunks shook his head skeptically. “You’re so small. How do you make a splash that big?”

  Avery shook the water from her hair and shrugged. “Years of practice. C’mon, Maeve, you’re next.”


  Maeve waved Avery off. “I think I’m getting plenty soaked just watching you guys!” If Chad were here, though…, she thought, imagining impressing him with a gigantic surf-girl worthy cannonball. For some reason, though, the Chad in her fantasy morphed into Riley, her number one crush back home. I wonder if he’s written any new songs since I’ve been gone? she found herself thinking.

  “You’re no fun!” Avery looked around. The black-haired boy sized up the distance to the pool, and took a flying leap. He barely made a splash.

  Avery laughed. “I told you, practice!” The boy stuck his tongue out at her and exited the pool. “Okay, Katani, you’re up!”

  Katani made her way to the edge of the pool and got ready to jump when someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Kara-Lee. Kazie was hanging back, arms crossed over a pair of pink overalls that covered up her scraped knee.

  “What’s going on?” Kazie asked. For the first time since Katani had met her, Kazie didn’t look happy.

  “Oh, Avery just organized a little cannonball contest before we all headed down to dinner,” Katani said. She worried that it sounded more like an excuse than an explanation.

  “So why didn’t you invite us?” Kara-Lee wanted to know.

  Katani shrugged. “I don’t know…it just sort of happened.”

  But the truth was she did know. I didn’t mean to exclude the Kgirls! I just wanted to spend some time with the BSG. She hated the feeling that she had to choose between the two groups.

  “I guess I just didn’t think you’d be interested,” Katani concluded.

  “Yeah, okay.” Kazie shrugged. “I didn’t really want to swim, anyway. I’m still sore because somebody had to crash into me. See you at dinner.”

  “We’ll catch up at dinner?” Kara-Lee said apologetically, turning to follow Kazie.

  Katani watched her new friends leave, wondering why being a good friend to one group meant being a bad friend to the other. Friendship shouldn’t be so hard! she wanted to shout after them. What happened to silver and gold?

  Going Bananas

  After dinner, Katani and Kara-Lee walked through the aisles of Bananas, the boutique that Carla, the ship’s greeter, had recommended she check out at the beginning of the cruise. Avery’s dad had taken her to the on board arcade after dinner, and Kazie was mini-golfing with her mom. Maybe some Dad-time will help Avery calm down, Katani hoped.

  Kara-Lee tried on a necklace with an ivory-colored seashell pendant. She admired herself in the mirror. “I don’t get it. Why is Avery making things so difficult for Kazie? What did Kazie ever do to her?”

  Katani bit her lip. “I don’t think it’s that simple, Kara-Lee.”

  Kara-Lee turned to Katani. “What do you mean?’

  “It’s hard to share things,” Katani explained. “I have three sisters, so I should know! And, well, I guess Kazie and Avery don’t want to share their parents.” When she said it like that, it made perfect sense.

  “But Kazie’s totally cool,” Kara-Lee reminded her. She unhooked her necklace and tried on another one made out of tiny iridescent shells. “I mean, you obviously think so. We wouldn’t be the Kgirls if that wasn’t the case. So why doesn’t Avery give her a chance?”

  Katani felt torn. She liked Kazie, but Kara-Lee obviously didn’t know Avery like Katani did. “Yes, but Avery thought she was going to go on this cruise with her friends and whammo! Here’s her dad who shows up with his girlfriend and her daughter…totally interrupting her cruise, with her friends. That’s got to be weird.” Katani surmised. “And by the way, you should get that necklace. It’s beautiful.”

  Kara-Lee tilted her chin up to admire the necklace. “I think I will.” She turned to Katani. “Y’know, as an only child, I used to dream that someone would show up with a brother or sister for me.”

  Katani laughed. “I have more sisters than I know what to do with! But no matter how much we fight sometimes, I really do love all of them,” she confessed. “My friend Charlotte’s like you, though…it’s just her and her dad.”

  “Kazie’s only got her mom,” Kara-Lee mused. “Are you going to get this?” she asked, running a finger alongside a scarf with yellow flowers Katani had been admiring.

  “No, I’m saving my money,” Katani answered. “I want to get something really nice for my sister, Kelley.”

  “That’s so sweet!” Kara-Lee smiled. “What did you have in mind?”

  Kara-Lee and Katani left the boutique, chatting about the things Kelley might like—something horse-themed, maybe. Charlotte and Isabel waved from the bookstore.

  “Hi,” Isabel waved them in. “Listen to this! In one story I just read, there was this snow spirit, Poli’ahu, who lived on Mauna Kea and got in a fight with her sister, the volcano spirit, Pele…”

  “But she didn’t know it was Pele at first because Pele disguised herself and entered this competition to see who could sled down the side of the mountain the fastest,” Charlotte gushed.

  “Everyone said Poli’ahu won,” Isabel continued, “so Pele got all upset and made the mountain erupt and destroyed the sledding slope!”

  “Poli’ahu fought back with blizzards, covering the whole mountain in snow and ice,” Charlotte finished. “In the book it said myths like this probably explained geology. But I think it’s just a cool story!”

  Katani and Kara-Lee looked at each other. Those two fighting sister spirits sounded eerily familiar!

  Charlotte glanced at her watch. “We better go, Izzy.” She turned to Katani and Kara-Lee. “We’re meeting up with Maeve then going to visit my dad.”

  “Bye!” Isabel waved as they headed out the door.

  Kara-Lee and Katani decided to walk through the Atrium. The evening was winding down and people were talking quietly on the plush maroon sofas in the lounge.

  Kara-Lee unwrapped the necklace and put it on as they walked through the huge mirrored lounge. “We totally forgot to check out clothes for the karaoke competition!”

  Katani was hoping Kara-Lee would have forgotten, as the deadline to sign up was drawing near. Kara-Lee and Kazie were over-the-top excited about participating, but Katani was dreading it! “Oh. Right.”

  “What do you think we should sing?” Kara-Lee asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Katani said. “The last time I had to sing in front of a crowd I was with Nik and Sam.”

  Kara-Lee’s eyes grew wide. “Really? You know Nik and Sam? I love them!”

  Katani told Kara-Lee about their fateful trip to Big Sky Resort and how they had run into Nik and Sam at the airport and ended up friends.

  “They have that new single out!” Kara-Lee exclaimed, “‘Three Hours Till You.’ It’s perfect! You know how it goes, right, Katani?”

  Kara-Lee began humming a verse. Even her humming sounds better than my singing, Katani thought. “Yeah, I know it.”

  “I know that they each take a verse and then sing the last one together, but since there’s three of us we can each take one and all sing the refrain,” Kara-Lee decided. “I reckon we could even win!”

  Kara-Lee hugged Katani, who couldn’t believe she just blew the perfect opportunity to tell Kara-Lee that she couldn’t sing. “Three Hours Till Total Humiliation!” Katani cringed.

  Out of the Infirmary and into the Fire

  Charlotte, Isabel, and Maeve were now experts at navigating the maze of hallways to the infirmary. “Left at the ladder!” Charlotte called out as the girls hooked a sharp left and crossed through the long, green-carpeted hallways.

  “You know, that crash this morning was pretty scary.” Isabel remarked. “I’m really glad Avery and Kazie didn’t get badly hurt.”

  Maeve caught herself in a reflection of the glass that covered the fire extinguisher and stopped to fluff her hair. “Actually, girls, you know what’s scary? This whole Kgirls Club.”

  Charlotte doubled back to retrieve Maeve. “As scary as your obsession with running into Chad?” she asked, dragging Maeve away from the glass.

  Maev
e laughed. “Nothing wrong with a girl wanting to look her best!”

  “I actually think Kazie’s pretty fun,” Charlotte admitted. They turned right and continued down another long passageway. “But I see why Ave got upset.”

  “And I think that Katani didn’t make it any easier by forming a whole other club,” Isabel continued.

  “Now instead of us doing stuff all together, it’s like we’re in competition with each other,” Maeve sighed. “Not the sort of drama I was looking forward to on vacation.”

  “And not what the BSG is all about,” Charlotte concluded.

  When they reached the infirmary, Charlotte turned to Maeve and Isabel. “Let’s not talk about this in front of my dad, okay? The only thing I want him to worry about is getting better.”

  “I’m sure our Hawaiian myths will keep him happy and entertained!” Isabel promised Charlotte as they opened the door.

  Dr. Steve looked up from his desk. “Aha, here for our patient?”

  “Is he doing better?” Charlotte asked.

  Dr. Steve nodded. “He is, but we’re not letting him go until his fever is completely gone.” Dr. Weber handed a pile of masks to Charlotte. “You’ll still need to wear these to visit your dad. I don’t want any of you getting sick.” He pointed to Mr. Ramsey’s room. “He’s reading; just knock before you go in.”

  It took almost thirty minutes to catch Mr. Ramsey up on the BSG’s goings-on—well, most of the goings-on—they left out their pineapple-loving parrot and glossed over Avery and Kazie’s crash. When Charlotte retold the myth of Pele and Poli’ahu, it made her dad laugh so hard he coughed up some of his bland, mushy dinner!

  “I’m so glad you girls have me covered,” he told them. “If it weren’t for you, I’d be in a serious writer quandary!” Charlotte beamed inside at the compliment.

  Trouble at Sea

  “I’d love to head out to the deck so I can see the stars while I write in my journal,” Charlotte told her friends as they walked back toward their stateroom.