It was a dreary, rainy morning in Boston. The weather was a good match for the moods of several young people preparing to leave the Tipton hotel.
Zack had not said much to anyone since Max had left him the day before. He shrugged off any attempts to comfort him. Even Cody's best efforts had met with failure.
Bailey understood how worried her boyfriend was about his twin. She was supportive and understanding as she let Cody deal with his family concerns…but this left her unable to discuss her own worries with him.
London was quite unhappy as well. She didn't know of anything she could do to help Zack. Trying to comfort Cody could prove to be…awkward. And Bailey? Despite London's best efforts, there seemed to be a slight tension in the air whenever she tried to talk to her friend.
Still, all of the troubled teens (and Woody) were going to ride back to the ship in London's limo. They'd agreed to meet down in the lobby but London was the only one who'd showed up so far.
So much for being fashionably late, she thought. But while she may have been earlier than friends, nobody could accuse her of not looking fashionable. She cut quite a stunning figure in her red, tailored raincoat, matching scarf and designer sunglasses (which were utterly unnecessary given the weather).
"London?" a hopeful sounding voice sounded from behind her. When she turned she saw a handsome, smiling face that she hadn't seen in a long time. She was so surprised that she couldn't even speak.
"London, it is you!" Todd St. Mark said as walked up to the stunned heiress. "I just got into town and heard you were here…but that you were leaving this morning. I'm glad I caught you before you left."
Finally finding her voice, the rich girl hugged the first boy she'd ever kissed and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I can't believe it," she said. "But why are you back? Did you get done with dentist school already?"
He laughed. "No, I have a few years left to go. But it seems my father actually missed me, not that he'd admit it. He's let me transfer from my school in Europe to a dental college here in the states."
"Probably because I'm off at sea most of the time," London replied. Todd's father was a fierce business rival of her own dad. Neither patriarch had approved of the short-lived romance that had once blossomed between London and Todd…which had been the reason Todd had been sent off to study overseas in the first place.
"Yeah," Todd concluded. "But hey, at least we're both here now. And may I say, you are as beautiful as ever." He gazed at her with an appreciative look in his eyes, but as he increased his scrutiny he became a bit confused. "Did you…cut your hair?"
Now it was London's turn to laugh. "Prepare for a shock," she said as she reached up and removed the scarf from her head.
"Oh my god! What happened?" Todd exclaimed as he saw her bald scalp.
The heiress responded by putting her hands on her hips and frowning. "I know it's a shock…but do you want to try that again?"
Realizing his mistake, and getting over the surprise, Todd offered a contrite apology. "I'm sorry. It's just…unexpected." A worried expression came to his face. "You aren't ill, are you?"
"Oh no," she quickly reassured him. "I'm fine. This is just...well, I lost a bet." She smiled. "I actually like it though."
"Okay, now this is a story I want to hear," Todd said.
When Bailey stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby, she saw London laughing with a handsome, dark-haired stranger. The farm girl observed the two with interest but did not approach them directly. Instead she edged towards the duo quietly. She managed to overhear a few words before the young man turned and left.
"Sorry again for my reaction," the stranger said to the heiress. "You do look absolutely beautiful." He hugged London and kissed her forehead before making his exit.
"So…friend of yours?" Bailey asked as she stepped up to the rich girl's side.
The heiress was startled momentarily but recovered quickly. "That was Todd," she offered. "He just stopped by to say hello."
"Todd?" Bailey raised an eyebrow and then smiled. "Your Todd? Todd St. Mark?"
For a wonderful minute or two, there was no tension at all between the two girls. London and Bailey had swapped many stories of former flames in the past, so the farm girl was well aware of Todd's history with the heiress. She began to fire questions at London, wanting to know every detail of her and Todd's brief reunion. They were both giggling like girls at a slumber party by the time the rest of the group joined them.
But sadly, their giddy mood vanished when Cody appeared with Zack and Woody in tow.
Most everyone was quiet on the limo ride back to the ship.
Life back on the ship was the same as always…except not as happy.
Zack remained morose and spent most of his free time in his cabin. Nothing seemed to cheer him up, though all of his friends kept trying.
Cody's mood naturally suffered as he worried about his twin. And Bailey suffered as well. The farm girl truly wanted to overcome the doubts that had been put into her mind about her relationship with Cody, but circumstances seemed to conspire against her. It wasn't that Cody was unkind or neglectful. He spent as much time with Bailey as he could…but his focus was always divided. Bailey never felt like he was truly with her anymore. Not completely.
So Bailey decided to do something about it.
"Come in Cody," Bailey called out when she heard the knock on her cabin door. She knew it was him. This was the time he was supposed to pick her up for their dinner date, after all. He just wasn't aware that they would be eating in that evening.
When Cody opened the unlocked door he was surprised at the sight before him. There was a small table and two chairs set up in the middle of the cabin. Food and drinks were set out and ready, and a few well-placed candles lent a romantic air to the scene.
Bailey stood near the table, appearing absolutely breath-taking. She'd spent quite some time on her hair and make-up…and the new, daringly low-cut dress she had on caused Cody's eyes to widen.
"Like what you see?" she asked in a low tone that she hoped sounded sexy.
Bailey? What is this?"
"What's it look like, baby?" She sauntered past him and closed and locked the cabin door.
Cody didn't have much time to analyze his girlfriend's uncharacteristic behavior, because she suddenly grabbed him and kissed him passionately. Questions or not questions, Cody couldn't help but respond. Bailey's aggressive efforts aroused him even as he grew more confused.
In their time together as a couple, Cody and Bailey had done little more than light petting. That was the most Bailey had ever done, and Cody was far too caring and considerate to push her to go further before she was ready.
Apparently she was ready now.
Bailey pushed him back so that he fell on her bed. She straddled him and guided his hands to her breasts.
"Y-you like how they feel?" she asked.
Despite how excited he was…Cody didn't miss the hesitation in her voice. He looked in her eyes and saw more than just nervousness. Bailey was scared.
"Stop," he said.
"No," Bailey replied. "Come on. Don't you want me?"
"Not like this." Cody carefully pushed her off him and sat up.
The farm girl self-consciously crossed her arms in front of her chest. She turned her face away from Cody and looked down at the floor as she fought back tears.
"Bailey, please," Cody said. "What is this all about?"
"I just wanted things to be better," she said. "Everything's been…wrong. Ever since that weekend in Boston."
Cody put his arms around her and held her close. They began to discuss some of the problems that had been hanging over them for nearly two weeks now. Bailey had thought that if she moved things forward with Cody, it would put their relationship foremost in his thoughts and taken his mind off Zack's problems.
And also, thought she didn't say it, she thought that making love to Cody might have ensured that his thoughts would remain focused only on her and not on any other girl.
"But Bailey," he said gently. "You can't do that to yourself. I know you're not ready yet, and that doesn't bother me. I'd never want you to do something you'd regret. And I definitely don't want you to regret your first time."
The farm girl smiled slightly. Despite her doubts and worries, she knew Cody meant what he said. He was such a good boyfriend. But that only made the idea of possibly losing him more alarming.
"It's Zack," Cody went on. "He's been so depressed and it's affected the rest of us. Me, you...London."
A twinge of resentment shot through Bailey at the mention of her roommate's name. She cursed herself silently for having such a feeling. She didn't want to have a negative reaction to the heiress. London was her friend. A good friend, damn it. A friend who'd all but come out and said that she'd never interfere with Bailey and Cody's relationship.
"We have all been unhappy," Bailey agreed. "Heck, the last time I laughed was the morning we left Boston. I was teasing London about Todd."
Cody seemed to tense up ever so slightly. Bailey could feel the change as she leaned against him.
"Todd?" he asked.
Bailey studied her boyfriend's expression closely as she recounted the short reunion that London had experienced that morning in Boston. He didn't show much of a reaction to the information. In fact, his demeanor was entirely neutral.
So neutral that Bailey couldn't believe it was natural.
"She never told me she ran into Todd," Cody said.
"Should she have?"
"Uh…no," he responded. "I'm just surprised she didn't mention it." He paused and then changed the subject. "You know, you've got a nice meal here for us. Let's eat."
Bailey nodded. She saw no need to discuss London any further.
She already had all the answers she needed.
London stood on the deck and looked out at the night sky. She was trying not to think of what was going on back in her cabin.
When Bailey had asked London to stay out late that night, the heiress had agreed without complaint. Bailey certainly deserved to have some quality time with her boyfriend.
She deserves to be happy, London thought. So does Cody.
She tried to ignore the part of her mind that yelled back: But so do I!
Fortunately, a strong wind and the lights that began shining up from the ship's helipad gave London something new to think about. She watched as her private helicopter came in for a landing and actually managed a smile. She knew who was arriving…she'd arranged for it, after all.
London may not have been able to attend to her own happiness at the moment, but she could still help out a friend.
Zack lay face down on his bed. He was tired, but couldn't quite sleep. He didn't really care, to tell the truth. He didn't see the point of caring.
Lost in his sadness and fatigue, he barely heard the door of his cabin open. As he heard the soft footsteps crossing the floor he didn't bother to turn and look. If it had been one of the ship's workers who had access to a master key, they would have announced themselves. So it had to be Cody, using the extra key Zack had given him for emergency use. Nobody else had access to Zack's cabin.
Except for London, who had her own master key. It was her father's ship after all.
Zack didn't react when he felt the hand touch his shoulder. But when he heard his name spoken, he was suddenly wide awake. The voice was the last one he'd expected to hear. He sat up and looked to the speaker.
Max stared back at him.
To be continued...
author's note: Co-written with Woundedhearts. We think that two more chapters will wrap this tale up That's subject to change, of course...but the plan now is to conclude in chapter nine. It has continued to be fun working on this story as a duo. Hope the results are enjoyable, because we'd love to write together again. Please review.
