Starr and the High Seas Wedding Drama (Flower Girl World chapter book) (2 page)

“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
.

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.