[ 14 ] tropical paradise

Calum's family had cars to pick everyone up at their homes and take them to a new place his family would be opening up in the next few months. It was a facility that was designed to look like a tropical paradise so that people could relax. Since they would be getting two days vacation for their mid-semester break, Luke and Calum had agreed this was the perfect place to spend it.

The facilities had a water part, botanical gardens, a zoo, a hotel, and various other things.

Louis and Harry rushed to Kennedy's car to greet her first, and when the door opened, they were surprised to see two people inside. From the elegant black car emerged a young man with dark black hair and fair skin. He looked a bit similar to Kennedy, but they didn't want to assume they were related. Instead, Louis crossed his arms over his chest, saying, "I'm assuming this is the guy that will take our bags into the hotel?"

Following the young man out of the car, Kennedy shot a glare at Louis, "Boys, this is my brother Clint. He's a third year at Empire Academy." She explained as she gave introductions. "Clint, these are boys from my first year class and members of the host club. Their names are Louis and Harry."

Clint raised an eyebrow at his sister after taking a look at the two brothers and how familiar they seemed to be with Kennedy.  "No boyfriends, right, Kennedy?"

She rolled her eyes at him with mock annoyance. "Yes, Clint. I joined the host club so that I could have nine secret boyfriends. You are so right."

"Well actually..." Lou grinned, cutting the distance between himself and Kennedy, and placing an arm around her shoulders.

But he was shot a glare from Kennedy's brother that could probably draw blood, which immediately caused him to get his arm away from their newest member of the Host Club. Harry narrowed his eyes at Clint with a bit of suspicion. "I thought Kennedy said she had a scholarship at Empire Academy because her family wasn't able to pay the tuition. But you are able to study there? I don't remember your name on the scholarship list."

"Perhaps it was a two for one special." Louis gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Two students, one scholarship."

"Actually no." Clint corrected. "Kennedy is the smart one, she has a scholarship. I am able to study at Empire because I work in the lunchroom. The headmaster agreed to let me study there in exchange for working off my debt to the school through labor."

"That's a very touching story and all." Louis commented rather bored. "But that doesn't explain what you are doing here."

At this, Kennedy sighed. "My dad said I couldn't come unless Clint came along."

"I'm just here to make sure nothing get's out of hand." Clint said.

"I can behave on my own." She assured her older brother.

"I know." He nodded in agreement. "I was talking about your friends. Everyone knows the Host Club guys love to mess around with women. None of them have ever been known to have a serious relationship."

Soon, they were joined by the rest of the boys who had emerged from their cars. All except Calum already knew Kennedy's brother was also coming along on their tropical paradise trip. Luke also thought he looked familiar, but could not recall where he knew him from. He did not remember that he and Clint Lynn were in the same third year class.

When the boys were all gathered around her, each of them wondering who the new guy was, she began to explain to them, "Guys, this is my older brother Clint. He's a third year at our school, so Luke and Calum have probably already met him. Sorry I had to bring him with me. My dad kinda forced me to." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh." It finally dawned on Luke. "You're in my class. That's where I know you from."

"We've been in the same class since first year at Empire Academy, Hemmings." Clint reminded him. But it wasn't expected that Luke would remember a person he didn't actually talk to, especially not when he met and talked to so many people each day.

"So..." Kennedy started, pulling her attention from the boys and looking around. There were palm trees all over the place, nearby was the water park, and beach chairs to sit on. The huts nearest to them were toilets and changing rooms for the guests. It was like a five star resort, but even then it was much nicer. "What's the real reason why we're all here?" Kennedy knew well that Calum wasn't one to do something nice for people without first looking for a way to gain from it.

Her answer came from Luke instead of Calum. "We've all been working so hard this semester. Its only fair to have a nice relaxing weekend to ourselves."

"I'd rather have a relaxing weekend back home." She muttered under her breath.

Her brother Clint nudged her. "And miss out on something like this? I heard this place wasn't opening for a few more months, and even then, we'd never be able to afford something like this."

-

For the sake of her brother, she decided to stay and attempt to enjoy their few days off. Clint worked very hard to be able to study at Empire Academy, and she thought he deserved the vacation. All the host club boys did was to live off their rich families and throw parties for their other rich friends who also lived off their rich families. They didn't need to go to school, they would already inherit millions from their parents, which was why they didn't try as hard as Kennedy or her brother did.

In the host club especially, it seemed like the top families in the country were present. 

Harry Styles was the son of an important business man who was a music producer. His son Harry could easily become a musician if he wanted to, and Kennedy knew it was something he loved because he was always carrying around his guitar and serenading his guests every chance he got. Kennedy also knew that Harry's family owned several music shops, back when they were still popular, as well as the shop Styles where instruments and other music materials were sold.

Louis Tomlinson was the son of a popular fashion designer in Australia. It was thanks to Louis and his mother that the host club was able to get the best clothes, and costumes to wear for their guests. When Louis' mother married Harry's father, two of the richest families in the country were united.

Both Niall and Ashton came from families who were in the baking business, which explained their love for treats. The Horan family, and the Irwin family were business partners, and their sons had grown up together. They were best friends. It was also rumored that Niall's family had been wanting him to marry one of Ashton's sister's named Elise, in order to keep the two families close.

Michael Clifford's parents had been video game designers for the top brands in the world, until they decided to branch out on their own. Kennedy knew that they were the best in the video game industry, and Michael always had the newest games before they were even announced. It was all due to his parents. 

Zayn Malik came from a family of respected artists who also owned a chain of art supply shops.

Liam Payne's family were people in the banking business.

Calum Hood's family owned several private hospitals, and medical supply factories.

Kennedy did not know too much about Luke Hemmings, since she was unsure if he belonged to the rich Hemmings family that owned hotels, night clubs, and were also investing in building various schools. That she had known of, that family had no heir because the patriarch never had any children. But if Luke was at Empire Academy, and was so widely accepted and liked by everyone, she assumed that he was somehow involved with them. It was probably no coincidence that he had the same last name as the family.

She knew they all probably had it easy from the moment they were born. From a very young age, they would be masters of the universe because they owned everything. And everything they did not own could easily be purchased by them.

-

Kennedy was sat in a beach chair, doing homework, when she heard footsteps returning from the changing rooms. The boys had told her they were going to have some fun in the water and had invited her to join them, but she declined. She hadn't been sure where they would be going that day, but she never imagined it would be a place with a water park. She didn't bring a swimsuit to wear.

It was the same for her brother Clint, but it was bound to happen that one of the other nine boys would have swim trunks that could fit him. She looked up from her text book to see the ten boys walk out shirtless, and in swim trunks. For the time being, it seemed her brother was getting along with the Host Club boys. That would probably last as long as they didn't get too close to her. Then he would go back to being the overprotective and insufferable older brother.

Kennedy had to admit they all looked good, almost like they could be people in a magazine.

She looked away when she knew she has been staring too long and went back to reading from her text book. It was for her ninth year english class.

The voice of the club president broke her concentration once again. "Don't you want to join us, Kennedy?" He asked her in an innocent tone. 

She shook her head, not taking her eyes off her reading. "No. I'm doing just fine this way."

"But you can do homework later." Luke pouted his lips.

"I didn't even bring a swimsuit." She finally looked up from her book. "You guys wouldn't tell me where we were going so I didn't know how to pack."

Louis stepped forward, a grin on his face, and she knew he had already thought of the solution even before it was a problem. "Don't worry about that." He said to her. "I brought a bunch of stuff my mum designed especially for you."

"Wait!" Luke shouted, rushing forward to stand in front of Kennedy protectively. "As her father I have to approve of these swimsuits before she goes out in public with them."

"What?" Clint asked, surprised. "Her father? What the hell? Is that some sort of daddy kink?"

Both Kennedy and Luke replied in unison, "No!"

"Clint, its not like that." Kennedy assured her brother with a blush on her face. "Luke just likes to pretend he's my dad. But its nothing creepy like a daddy kink. He means it like...actually being my dad and me being his daughter."

"That's still creepy." Clint commented.

"Maybe Luke is just saying that so he'll be the first to see her in a swim suit." Harry gave an innocent shrug of his shoulders. But Kennedy knew he and Louis well enough to know that this was another one of their mind games. They were trying to start an argument between her brother and Luke, just for their own entertainment.

With her brother there and with the way the host club members behaved, she was sure it was likely that something was going to go wrong.

-

another pretty fillerish chapter, but an update is an update and i hope you all like it. i have been working on it all day so that it would be ready for you guys. with all this newfound time now that im on vacation, im going to try to update as much as possible. 

thank you all loads for reading. it means the entire world to me.

i love you.

-clary xx