Thank you to everyone who's reading this story. I really appreciate it. And thank you to Mahone-chic-89, Archermusician, and NicoleVonDee for reviewing.
Where she stops, nobody knows
Chapter Three !
"Alright, drop it." Kyle watched as the ninety-eighth pot slid down the ramp and dropped into the dark, below freezing waters of the Bering Sea. Her blue eyes turned to Josh, who was busy tossing the buoys into the ocean. "Two more," Murray called up to Phil, who gave him a nod in return.
"Come on Kyle, shake a leg," Freddy said, motioning for her to grab more bait.
Kyle wiped an orange clad arm over her forehead. Despite the fact it was freezing out, Kyle still found herself breaking out in a sweat. She jogged back to the bait area and scooped up what she needed, throwing the bait into bags to attach to the inside of the pot. Once that was accomplished, she jogged back to the nearly ready to launch pot and slipped inside, hooking the bait onto the pot before sliding right back out. Josh winked at her as he picked up the buoys and threw them into the water after the pot had slid into the ocean.
She went back to the bait area, noticing Jake waiting for her. "What do you want?" she questioned as she began to fill the bait bags. They were on their last string and Kyle thanked God, she was ready for a break. They'd wait a few hours or so before coming back to this spot to check out Phil's latest testing grounds. The break that offered was more then welcomed to the crew.
Jake shrugged and lit a cigarette. He offered it to Kyle who nodded before breathing in on the end Jake had set to her lips. "Just finished moving the last pot."
"Oh, well, hold on," she said as she turned her head to breathe out the smoke. Kyle hurried back to the waiting pot and slid inside, locking the bags in place before sliding back out. She wiped her hands and walked back to Jake. "So, now we wait?"
"Now we wait," he confirmed. Again, he held out the cigarette for her and this time, Kyle took it herself. She inhaled, holding it in for a second before exhaling. A second later she passed his cigarette back to him and Jake took it. "I'm going to go in. I'll see you in a few."
Kyle nodded and smiled as he left her. Everyone was cleaning up and getting ready to disappear inside. She went to Josh and offered him her help. He smiled and nodded, asking if she'd help make sure everything was secure.
"Where's Jake?" he asked.
"Went inside." Kyle moved the baiting tools around, making sure they were stowed away where they were supposed to be. "How do you think we'll do?"
Josh shrugged, "Dad seems confident about this place. Something about crab farts," he said, laughing slightly. His dad had weird theories. Though, to the older man's credit, the last time he'd brought up crab farts, they had pulled up pot after pot of numbers that seemed to double. "I think we'll do alright. How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright. Nothing compared to what it will be when we start pulling up full pots, yeah?"
Josh laughed and nodded. He checked on the hook they used to pull up pots, making sure it was stored where it belonged. "Yeah. I think you're doing pretty well. I mean, for a Greenhorn, you're not bad. And as far as the whole you being a girl on a crab boat, you're definitely better then I thought you were going to be," Josh said with a grin.
The woman shook her head before lightly elbowing him. "Well, I feel like I'm pulling my weight around here. I don't want it to be easy, you know?"
"Yeah, well, it's still early. There's still plenty of time for the guys, including me, to carry on with the Greenhorn hazing."
Kyle nodded as the put up the rest of the supplies. She looked around at the now empty deck. "Do I smell that bad?"
"What?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked around as well and noticed that everyone was back inside. "You're so fucking weird," he commented as he threw an arm around Kyle and dragged her into his side.
"Right back at you, Joshie."
Shooting the brunette a playful glare, he tightened his grip on the woman. "What was that?" he challenged.
"Nothing," she paused as if she were deep in thought. Joshie," Kyle said after minute, grin on her face.
"I'll show you Joshie." With that, he began to tickle Kyle, knowing where each and every ticklish spot was hidden.
Kyle writhed around, trying to get out of his grip. It was to no avail though and soon she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. "Okay. No, no more Joshie. You're Josh. I fail. You win." Josh let her go and Kyle moved back, trying to catch her breath.
"Come on. Let's get inside. You do smell bad."
"Ass."
"You love it."
& &
"Bullshit."
"Goddamn it! I really hate you guys." Kyle leaned forward and picked up the discarded cards, which she was sure equaled about twenty, and added them to her stack.
"Can't help it if you're a sorry ass liar, Ky," Jackson commented as he grinned at his twin.
"Who's turn is it?" Freddy asked.
Corey raised his hand and put two Queens down, no one calling bullshit on him. It went like this for a while until Jake went to put down four twos. "Bullshit," Kyle exclaimed, having a fairly good idea he was lying.
Jake, grinning, showed her his cards. "Read 'em and weep, Kyle."
"I quit." Kyle threw her cards into the middle and leaned back. "I suck at this game. Don't know why I bother trying. Can't lie for shit." The boys laughed and Kyle got up, going to the sink to rinse out her empty mug that had once been full of hot chocolate. "I think I'm turning in boys."
They called out their good nights and Kyle disappeared into the room she shared with Jackson. Once she was changed and curled up in bed with Pet Sematary by Stephen King, she heard a knock on the door. A few seconds later, Josh opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind himself. "I knew you weren't asleep."
"Nope. Game over?"
"For me."
Kyle nodded and closed her book. She scooted over to the side, allowing Josh to slide in beside her. He offered a smile before making his way under the covers, letting his head rest fully on the pillows. Kyle turned on her side, her elbow holding her head up as she looked down at Josh. They just stared at each other, neither saying a word. "I'm cold," Kyle said finally as she laid back and burrowed underneath the covers. "Hey, remember when we were younger you, me, Jackson, and Jake would make a tent under the covers? We'd all climb into one bed and hide out," she recalled, memories floating fondly in her mind.
"Oh yeah. Jake had a habit of leaving half of himself out of the huddle." Josh shook his head as he lifted the covers over their head, forming a tent. He sat up and leaned back against the wall, using his head to hold the makeshift tent up.
Kyle sat up, following Josh's actions. "Just like old times. All we need is Jack and Jake." This earned her a nod from Josh. It was funny how close she and Josh had gotten over the years. Sure, they'd grown up together but that didn't mean they were as close as her and Jake were. Growing up, they'd rarely hung out. Now though, it seemed like they were attached to the hip. If she were to be honest, it made her miss Jake. The roll of the boat over the waves made her tired and she yawned.
"Go to sleep, Ky. I'm here."
& &
Josh slid out of the bed Kyle was now resting peacefully in. He hadn't stayed long, maybe ten minutes after she'd crashed. He stretched before leaving Kyle and Jackson's room, finding everyone just as he'd left them, playing cards in the galley. He sat down next to Jackson and watched for a few minutes as they played back and forth.
"Bullshit," Jake called on Murray, who must have come down from the wheelhouse while he had been with Kyle. Josh laughed because Jake had been wrong and had to pick up the stacking laying in the middle.
"Looks like Kyle's shitty luck rubbed off on you, little bro."
"Shut up, Josh," Jake countered. Everyone laughed and continued one with the game.
Not much later, Jackson, Murray, Corey, and Freddy took off for their rooms, leaving Josh and Jake to themselves. The two sat in silence, Josh drinking from his cup of water, and Jake mindlessly shuffling the cards.
"It's weird to have Kyle on the boat," Jake said as he put the cards in the middle of the table.
Josh didn't say anything at first, just picked up the deck and cut them. He divvied them out between himself and Jake. "War?"
"War."
"Yeah, I guess it's kind of weird. You think she'll last?" The older Harris brother asked as he finished passing out the cards. He flipped one over and waited for Jake to do the same.
When Jake did, he grinned, finding he had a Queen and his brother had a ten. He grabbed the cards and pulled them to his side of the table. "I don't know."
Silence reigned over them as they continued the game. Josh laughed as he grabbed Jake's King, having beaten him with an Ace. "Jackson seems to be fitting in fine. Does his job, and quick. Helps out a lot too, when he's got down time."
Jake nodded before shoving the cards toward Josh. "I'm out. I'm going to bed."
Josh nodded, stacking up the cards and sliding them into the case. He watched as Jake disappeared into their room and he got up, going to the stairs leading up to the wheelhouse. He lit a cigarette as he settled in beside his father. "Got a good feeling about this season?" he asked his dad.
"I think things are going to change. And by the amount of bubbles we saw earlier today, I think we're gonna land a shit load of crab," Phil said with a bark of laughter. He picked up his cigarette and took a drag before putting it back on the ash tray it had been on previously. "From what I could tell, Jackson and Kyle looked like they were doing their jobs. Were they?"
"Yeah, they were. They're both fast and determined. Both help out when others would bail."
"That's what we need, Greenhorns with initiative."
"You want to take a break old man? Seas look calm, I can take it from here," Josh offered, wanting his dad to get as much rest as a captain could get.
"Yeah. Give me a few hours." Phil stood up and stretched his aching muscles before moving away from the chair he had been planted in since the night before. He patted his eldest son on the shoulder before heading below deck.
Josh looked out at the open sea, eyes roaming upward to the dark sky blotted with bright stars. He finished off his cigarette, gave himself a minute, and lit another one.
& &
Restless, Kyle sat up, frown crossing her lips when she realized that Josh was no longer beside her. Blue eyes darted to the bunk across from her and she noticed that Jackson was in bed. What time was it? Forcing herself out of bed, Kyle placed her feet on the carpeted floor, then padded out into the galley. No one was up. She looked at the microwave, it read three-twenty. Jesus.
Kyle rubbed at her eyes, trying to wake up some. Yeah, that didn't work. She made her way to the room Josh shared with Jake, wondering if her friend would be in bed. Probably so. Once she'd opened the door, she slid quietly inside. "Josh?" she asked the darkness. Nothing. "Josh?" she tried again, only this time a bit louder.
"What?" This time there was a reply, only the voice didn't belong to Josh. It was Jake.
"Shit, Jake. I thought Josh was in here."
"No. It's me. He's, I don't know where he is. Probably up with dad." Kyle nodded, though she had a feeling Jake wouldn't be able to see this anyway. Jake could feel Kyle standing there. Why was she just standing there? "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she answered. "Just woke up and Josh was gone." She turned to leave but was caught off guard by Jake's fingers wrapped around her wrist.
Jake let her go and sat up, rubbing at his tired eyes. "Fuck," he breathed out, trying to hold back a yawn. "Come here." And she did. Kyle turned around and sat on the edge of Jake's bed. He couldn't see anything and reached out blindly for her. His hand found her shoulder and he tilted her back a bit, silently telling her to lay down. Once she had done that, threw an arm around her waist.
It was different to be in this situation with Jake. They hadn't done this in forever. It was usually Josh she curled up to. Her body tensed for a second before she told herself to relax. A few seconds later, she was listening to the steady breathing of her best friend. Fuck her life. It wasn't too much longer before Kyle fell asleep herself.
& &
"Sixty?" Phil Harris asked from the wheelhouse the next morning.
Freddy nodded as the crew let out cheers and hollers. Already, the crew was having a good morning. They'd been woken up at what seemed to have been the ass crack of dawn, hauled on their gear, and set to work pulling up pots they'd set a mere few hours ago. It seemed like they were in a prime crabbing spot. Phil would have to remember this. He penciled down the number and laughed. "Goddamn," he muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. He lit a cigarette and looked out the window, watching his crew haul up pots and count out crab.
His eyes stayed on the Greenhorns, surprised at how efficient they were. Both Kyle and Jackson moved on deck like lightning, it almost seemed like they were working of the other's energy. Art would be proud, and Phil grinned. He looked down at Freddy for the next count, eighty. Christ.
[ Bad Influence – P!nk ]