Something Else Entirely

9 - This can't be good.

Dad and Sadie arrived at the Fyres' hotel room at 8 o'clock the following morning as planned, so we could check out and be on our way.

I was dragging my feet when I heard their knocks on the door because I really was bummed to be leaving them all behind. Byron, all harmless joking about our alleged romantic love aside, was a great dude and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to miss him. It isn't often you meet someone that you instantly knew would be a mate for life. The only other friends I had ever felt that with were my boys back home, Ryder and Jasper.

I opened the door and could immediately feel the tension in the air outside pouring into the hotel room, which was made worse by seeing the looks on Dad and Sadie's faces, and the way they stood half a metre apart, instead of their usual glued together with tongues down each other's throats.

"What's going on with you two?" I asked immediately, curious to know what had changed between when we left them last night and now. It must have been something big because I've never seen them like this.

"We'll talk about it later, Jetty," said Dad, pulling me into a hug that lasted longer than usual, and he's already a typically long hugger. I looked over his shoulder as he gripped me there towards Sadie, who was trying her best to avoid meeting my eye.

Yeah, this can't be good. Just as Dad is a long hugger, Sadie is an avid eye looker.

Sadie leaned into us as Dad held me firm to him, holding my shoulder and kissing me on the cheek before she continued walking into the hotel room to greet Madden and the Fyres.

"Hey, kiddo. How was your night?" she asked Madden as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her least convincing unaffected tone clearly not working on him either as his eyes started darting back and forth between Dad and I, and Sadie above him.

"How was your night, Mum?" he asked, trying to coax out her truth with his big, blue eyes.

"Later, baby," she said, before putting on an almost-real smile to great Kendall and Carson. "Thanks for watching the boys last night, guys. Ruben and I really appreciate how kind you've all been to us."

This wasn't good. Sadie doesn't call Dad by his actual name. It's always 'Ruby' or 'Husband' nowadays. Never Ruben.

"It's our pleasure," said Kendall, eyeing off all our weirdness apprehensively. "They're much better behaved than our kids are most of the time," she continued, trying to lighten the mood.

Byron, sensing it all too, piped in with his own attempt. "Feel free to trade us, mother. I'd gladly stay around Hawaii for another 3 weeks instead of going home. What about you, Darce?"

"Minus the death by sharks and volcanoes, I reckon I wouldn't mind swapping places," says Darcie, giggling as she walked up next to her brother who wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe not with you, though."

"Is that so? Would you rather just swap with Jet, perhaps?" he stirred, and tried to direct her towards Madden standing in front of Sadie, staring at little Darcie as if waiting for an answer I was almost sure she wouldn't give.

"Sounds good to me," she replied confidently, smiling wide at Madden, whose cheeks rose to match hers. It made me both a little sad they weren't older and ready to date, and envious that my baby brother had more game than I did at almost-18. I'll have to ask him for tips later.

"Alright. Well, we best get going, boys," said Ruben, missing the opportunity to carry on the joking at Madden's expense. This really wasn't good. "Thank you, Kendall and Carson, for watching our boys last night, and you also, Byron and Darcie, for keeping them out of trouble. Meeting you guys has been so great and we'll be looking forward to seeing you when we get home in a few weeks."