Mackenzie learns some zoomer lingo

"Ick! Did you just step in that?" said one of them.

"In these shoes? Are you tweaking? And don't change the subject. I'm telling you, the pool boy was like, high key rizzing you up," said another.

A sink turned on and three pairs of shoes squeaked on the clean floor.

"He was giving, like, Jacob Elordi vibes, too," said a third girl, this one closer to Mackenzie's stall.

Mackenzie gulped, unsure of what to do. Her phone. Her ID. Her room key. Literally everything she brought on the boat, except for the dirty wet clothes on her back, was in that suitcase. Where could it have gone? fretted Mackenzie.

"Bruh! You guys are totes delulu. He's a total unc!" said the third, who sounded like she entered one of the stalls a few doors to the right of Mackenzie.

"That's cap and you know it. Now, did you bring the bikini we got you for your b-day?" asked the first girl from over by the sinks.

"Yeah! You should put it on and give him a taste of rizz own medicine!" said the second. She paused to give the other two time to not laugh, and then continued. "We'll have him eating out of the palm of your hand in no time." She seemed to be pacing up and down just outside the stalls.

Mackenzie braced, as if she were going to be caught any second...

It took her the better part of a minute to realize that she was fully clothed in a bathroom stall, which is a obviously a totally normal place to be fully clothed. What am I even worrying about? thought Mackenzie. She just needed these ladies to leave so she could dry her shirt and go check the lost and found or something for her suitcase. What even happened to it, anyways? wondered Mackenzie. The bathroom was deserted before these three entered, so it's not like it could've been stolen.

"Bet. You'll eat in that bikini. Defo leaving no crumbs fo realsies realsies," said the first in reply.

Is this how people talk these days? thought the flabbergasted Mackenzie.

"Guys, I'm gonna crash out if you don't shut up..." said the third girl in the stall, "...And yes I brought it," both other women catcalled her. "But there's no way I'm wearing it! You guys have skibidi brainrot if you think that things going anywhere near my body anywhere outside of our room! In fact, not even in there. I'd be better off wearing a couple of eyepatches..."

"Y'know, that can actually be arranged," said the one by the sinks, "Heather and I could loan you our sleeping masks! Sooooo, if you'd prefer those...?"

The woman in the stall gasped.

The woman pacing past the stalls, who Mackenzie presumed was Heather, snapped in agreement and said, "Harmony, you're cookin', that's fire! Perfect sleepwear, too. For the poolboy's sleepover, that is!"

The woman over by the sinks, who Mackenzie now knew was named Harmony, immediately rolled with it and added, "Preach! Although Milly and him aren't gonna get much shut eye, ifyaknowwhatimean..." Both her and Heather squealed with laughter.

Mackenzie wondered how long this would go on. She certainly didn't want their life story, but somehow now knew all their names and a good deal of their personalities and group dynamic. Harmony was the one by the sink, and Heather was the one pacing back and forth. They were both tormenting their friend Milly, who was the one in a stall somewhere to Mackenzie's right. They were trying to influence her into showing off more skin, and Mackenzie cringed sympathetically with Milly being teased so mercilessly by her friends.

It was pretty relatable. After all, more than a handful of Mackenzie's past embarrassing adventures happened due to bullying or peer pressure at the hands of her own so-called 'friends'. Mackenzie could certainly imagine herself in a similar situation, going up on deck next to the pool wearing very little just because she was talked into it. But the thought of lounging by the pool wearing only a couple of sleeping masks as a 'swimsuit'? Mackenzie shuddered at the idea. Even compared to some of her more ridiculous 'outfits' that sounded pretty extreme!

Mackenzie wondered if Milly would succumb to the peer pressure, but she didn't need to wait long to find out.

"Stop being sus or I'm throwing you two overboard and ghostin' your asses!" Milly firmly retorted from her stall.

That seemed to appease the others because what occurred next was the first chatter-free moment since they entered the bathroom. Mackenzie was impressed with Milly standing up for herself and shutting her friends down like that.

Mackenzie was a bit ashamed that she immediately jumped to the conclusion that Milly would meekly strip due to her friends' influence. The Old Mackenzie might let something like that happen to her, but I'm taking a page out of Milly's playbook from now on. My humiliating days of embarrassment are long gone behind me! Mackenzie tried to reassure herself through gritted teeth, although her wet see-through white shirt and missing suitcase definitely didn't make her feel anywhere near optimistic.

"Uhhh guys check this out," said Heather, standing right outside of Mackenzie's stall.

Mackenzie held her breath and froze as if the girls could see through the door with X-Ray vision. She hoped that maybe they were like T-Rexes and wouldn't see her if she stayed perfectly still. The totally opaque bathroom stall door should've hid her existence from them, but Mackenzie was afraid she might've been discovered.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" asked Harmony over Heather's shoulder.