A/N: It does feel odd to be writing a Christmas arc in the middle of the summer (which it is, here in Toronto, Canada), but here goes…

Chapter 13: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all though the ship
People were partying, old, young, and hip

This silly rhyme runs through my head as I wait for Cody at the Christmas Eve party outside on the Fiesta Deck on Thursday night. I'm wearing my new yellow dress and the platform sandals again. I look wowtastic, if I do say so myself. Now that I know Mr. Moseby (and Ms. Tutweiller) can barge into any empty cabin on the ship, I've returned the keycard to Cabin 2-330 and hidden my backpack in the biology lab. It's not like anyone is going to go in there on Christmas Eve. It's hard to believe tomorrow is Christmas Day, since it's about 65 degrees out here.

I'm pretty hungry after spending most of the day at an oceanography seminar, so I grab some shrimp and fruit salad from the ever-present buffet table. I won't be able to eat any fruit in front of Cody due to my Oral Allergy Syndrome, which I did Google last night. Tonight will be our third date. There are nine days left of the singles cruise. Holly Toledo will officially become a pumpkin on the morning of Saturday, January 2nd. How will it feel to say good-bye to Cody? If all goes well between now and then, will he want to keep in touch with me, have a long-distance relationship, visit me in Texas on his summer vacation? Or is this just another fling, a holiday romance? I may not have any of these answers, but I am sure of one thing—Cody isn't the kind of guy to have a casual shipboard fling.

Speaking of Cody, he should be here by now. His email this afternoon said he'd meet me at the party at 7:00 and it's now 7:15. I wander around the deck, watching couples dance to the DJ's music. I recognize a few people from the singles cruise. As 7:30 approaches and then 7:45, I wonder what's going on. Another thing I'm sure of is that Cody isn't the type to stand up a girl. But I can't even go back to my cabin to check my email dressed like this.

A fearful thought occurs to me and begins to snowball. Could Zack or London have somehow found out that I'm Holly and told Cody everything? Stop it, Bailey. There's nothing to worry about. I haven't even seen Zack since the Breakfast from Hell yesterday morning, or London since the craptacular run-in with that scrawny skank Addison on the Plaza Deck.

I'm just about to go to the ship's conference centre to check my email when Cody rushes up to me in a white dress shirt and skinny black jeans again. "Sorry, I had to work late," he says and does sound very sorry. "I wasn't even sure you'd still be here. Too bad I couldn't call or text you."

"It's OK," I say, so relieved I almost need to sit down on a deck chair to recover.

"Guess what, I have some good news," he continues, blue-green eyes shining. "Mr. Moseby gave Zack and me Christmas Day off. You should come to the big Christmas party with us. It'll be here on the Fiesta Deck. And you can meet my friends Bailey and London."

"Uh, yeah, maybe," I say offhandedly, secure in the knowledge that Holly will be busy with her mom during this event. Partying with the gang is not a bridge I'm willing to cross. Not now, not ever.

"Oh, OK." Disappointment flickers across Cody's face and right away I can tell he's upset about more than my Christmas plans. Holly Toledo may have only known Cody for 48 hours, but Bailey Pickett has known him a lot longer. "What's wrong, Cody?" I ask. "I can tell something's bothering you."

He looks briefly startled. Then he says, "My brother is on academic probation. He just told me today. Our teacher Ms. Tutweiller—you know, from last night?—told him on the last day of classes that he'll flunk out of Seven Seas High if he fails anymore assignments before the end of January."

"Seriously?" I can't keep the shock out of my voice.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Cody continues in a resigned tone. "Zack has always hated school. But he was doing so well for a while. He even took the shrink-wrap off his textbooks. It was unbelievable." He pauses to grab some mini quiches from the remains of the buffet. "Now I'll have to start doing Zack's homework again, on top of my own homework and my towel job. So much for having any free time."

"Well, I'm sure everything will work out." I attempt to sound caring and considerate while masking my own dismay at this news, and fear that I might have something to do with Zack's bad grades. I tried to get him to do his homework, honestly I did.

"I can't imagine life here without Zack," he says with a sad sigh. "We've hardly ever been apart, except for when I went to math camp for two weeks in seventh grade. Zack was a basketcase. He persuaded Muriel, a maid at the Tipton, to drive him, Maddie, and London up to camp one night to try to get me to come home because he missed me so much."

"Really? That's so sweet." Thinking of Zack missing Cody gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. So he does have a heart, underneath that flippant exterior.

"If Zack goes back to Boston, I guess the only silver lining would be that I could move in with Bailey and finally get away from Woody the human gas pump."

Cute nerd say what? Alarm bells clang throughout my brain. Cody and I cannot become roommates, not if I myself have any hope of staying at Seven Seas High for the rest of the school year. But what if—and now the gears begin to grind daringly in my head—what if neither Addison nor Zack nor Bailey came back for the second half of the semester? Holly Toledo could become a student at Seven Seas High and move into Addison's old cabin, and nobody would ever know she used to be Bailey Pickett. And then Cody and I could be together for real. I'm aware this plan has more holes than chicken wire, but I'm sure I could make it work somehow.

"Earth to Holly?" Cody's voice interrupts my nefarious reverie. He's waving a hand in front of my face. "Hello?"

"Oh, sorry." I smile apologetically. Luckily I don't have to explain myself further because the DJ puts on "You Shook Me All Night Long," one of my absolute favourite songs.

"I love this song!" I scream and start jumping up and down like I'm at a barn dance, shaking my spiral curls.

Cody flails along with me. "I was in an Everything Stinks video once," he says. "Zack and I cut school after missing the bus and hung out at the mall. While we were there I won a contest to star in the video and I kissed the lead singer, Matisse. It was my first time cutting school."

"That's awesome!" I like hearing about Cody's adventurous side. I'll never forget the way he saved us from the Moseby/Tutweiller love-fest.

The DJ plays a couple more fast songs, then "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera. A slow song at last. I put my hands up on Cody's shoulders, and he wraps his arms around me. We sway to the music, and after a while I lay my head on his shoulder.

Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, I saw debris
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the pain, I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today

To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The piece is gone left the puzzle undone
That's the way it is

As Christina's voice soars, I reflect that right now, under the stars with Cody, everything feels beautiful. My stomach seems a little woozy, though. Probably I shouldn't have jumped around so much. Come to think of it, I feel a bit like I'm back on the airboat at Cousin Cletus's alligator farm.

"Holly?" I look up into Cody's sweet earnest face, so close to mine. He's chewing on his lower lip. "I know we just met, and normally I'd have a six-month plan with a girl, but you're only going to be here for nine more days and we've been already been through, uh... so much together."

I think of last night's closet scene. Ain't that the truth.

"I feel like I've known you for a long time, Holly," he says hesitantly, "and, um... I really like you a lot."

At that very moment, my stomach lurches violently and instead of telling Cody I really like him, too, I throw up all over his sneakers. "I think I ate some bad shrimp," I moan, covering my mouth with my hand as the mortification sets in.

[***]

Cody insists on walking me back to my cabin, but once again I only let him take me as far as the hallway doors on Deck 4, swearing my mom will be in our cabin to look after me. He kisses my cheek, says he hopes I feel better soon, and promises to email me. Then I huddle in a stall in the women's washroom on the Plaza Deck for at least an hour, shivering and sweating. When I finally hobble out of the stall, there can't possibly be anything left in my stomach.

Standing hazily in front of the washroom mirror, I try to pull myself together. I rinse my mouth, remove my contact lenses and glasses, and splash some water onto my face. Next I stash my sandals in my purse and dampen my hairbrush so that I can straighten my hair. When I've done the best I can, I feel ready to make the long, winding trek back to Cabin 8-102.

Only I'm not. I quickly realize there's no way I can go up to the biology lab to change my clothes. I barely even make it to Deck 8. The floor rocks under my feet as I stagger down our hallway, leaning against the wall for support.

Another wave of nausea hits me as I fumble with the keycard for Cabin 8-102. It won't fit in the slot. I try one last time to unlock the door and then I'm falling into complete blackness.

A/N: Oh snap, the infamous bad shrimp from the "International Dateline" episode makes an appearance. By the way, I hope it's not politically incorrect to refer to specifically Christmas events. Please assume that other holiday events are also held on the ship and everyone is welcome to attend whatever they want. Big thanks again to you guys for reading and reviewing. I have lots of ideas for the rest of the story, and would love to know what you're thinking. Xoxoxo – Ellie