Triangles

by Kimberly Ann Miller

  She softened. “Sorry, I did say that, didn’t I?” She taped the gauze in place and looked at me. “Fine. Did Joey want something before?”

  I shrugged my thin shoulder. “Not really. But he tried to be sweet while you were in the bathroom by giving me a hat to cover my hideous head. He’s kinda decent, don’t you think?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “No. Are you forgetting all the times he made Mom cry because he tried so hard to split her and Skip up before they got married? He’s gotten better over the last few years, but still. He caused so much heartache in our house. I’m shocked to hear you defend him. Unless…” She stopped talking and put tape on the end of the gauze roll.

  “Unless what? Spit it out Jessica, I’m dying, right? Just say it.” I pointed to my latest bandage. “I don’t have much time.”

  She put her hand on her right hip and stared at me. “I was going to say, unless you like him?”

  Fourteen

  I felt the instant rush of heat to my cheeks. “No! I just know Joey’s a nice guy, and you know it, too. And you know Marcus is a man-whore. You should totally stay away from him.”

  Jessica shrugged. “And since when do you care what I do? You never did before.”

  I sighed. “Since now. I don’t want to see you get hurt. Just finish me up so I can get some sun before the damn cruise is over.”

  She looked at me strangely for a minute, then shrugged. “Fine. You’re done.” She got up and threw out the medical trash.

  I pursed my lips. “And what if I do like Joey?” tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. I think I looked as shocked as she did when I said it.

  “Mom will be pissed.” Jessica smiled at the thought. “She thinks he’s too much trouble after everything he put her through. Mom knows he’s interested in you, and she isn’t happy about that.”

  “Why was he such a jerk to her?” I asked.

  She washed her hands and ignored my question. “I’m going to get ready for the pool. You coming?”

  “Rephrasing here. What did Joey do?” I asked. “Answer me.”

  She pursed her lips. “Come on, we’ll talk later. Who wants to go over that crap yet again? Let’s get to the pool. You feel okay to go? We can relax in those big chaise lounge chairs.”

  I nodded and followed her out the door. Why wouldn’t she tell me what Joey did? Was it that bad?

  At the pool, while walking among the crowds, I scanned the area for Joey and Marcus. No sign of either of them. That was a good thing.

  “Here’s two together. Is this okay?” Jessica asked, gesturing toward two chairs near the elevators.

  I shrugged. She sat on one chair and held my bag for me so I could sit and get comfortable. “We have to take some pictures for Mom. Don’t let me forget. And try to look happy, okay?”

  I forgot about Mom and this reality’s remarriage. “And what’s Mom doing now? Is she off with Skip somewhere?” If she was on the ship and I could talk to her too, my life would be complete. I would move into the Bermuda Triangle and spend the rest of my life pretending my parents were okay. Even if I wasn’t. Even if I had to have cancer and chemo and falling-out hair every day.

  I would put up with all of it to keep them in my life.

  “Oh, Autumn, don’t start. Everyone knows you hate Skip, but she loves him and he’s good to her. They went sightseeing on the island, then extended their trip by staying at a hotel for a few days. They fly home from there. We have to remember to pick them up from Newark, so don’t let me forget.”

  Geez, I just wanted to know if I could talk to her like I’d talked to Dad. “Mom and Dad took the same cruise while Mom is remarried?”

  She shot me a glare. “They’re grown-ups, Autumn. They tolerate each other. It’s not a problem. Why are you acting so shocked?”

  I sighed. “Forget it. My brain is just fried. Don’t listen to me.” I didn’t want to get into an argument over what Dad was or was not doing. I wanted to keep that memory of him precious, so I dropped it.

  “Hey there. Can we talk?”

  I opened my eyes to see Marcus, two drinks in his hands. I started to move to let him sit next to me. But he looked at me the way I looked at Sleepy when I wanted to sit in my favorite chair and he was already there. Except, I wasn’t a cat, and Marcus had no right to displace me.

  “Oh, sorry, Rayne.” He didn’t give me a second glance. “Jessica? Can we talk, please?”

  Marcus had always drooled over me. He’d noticed me when I didn’t even know him. Now he was treating me like I was a part of the chair? Asking for Jessica?

  When did I become invisible to him?

  Jessica slid her legs up on the chair and motioned for him to sit. I lowered my sunglasses so I could stare without them seeing me.

  She tilted her head and smiled at him. “Is that drink for me?”

  “Of course.” He handed her a sweaty glass with an umbrella floating in it. “Anything for you, beauty.”

  “Thanks.” She took a dainty sip of the pink liquid. “Now, are we hanging out today or are you spending the day with the redhead in the purple thong?”

  “She’s no one. I met her for dinner, but I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to upset you. Because nothing happened, Jessica.” He took her hands in his. “She’s known my family for years. I told her I wasn’t interested in going out, but my mom pushed it.” He flashed a dimpled grin that I was sure had melted many hearts before.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. Jessica’s face appeared calm and unconcerned. She needed a giant smack in the head. If he could so easily sway her, she wasn’t as smart as I thought she was.

  She pulled her hands away. “I’ll have to talk to Joey. He doesn’t lie to me.” She blinked once. “And you do.”

  He started to protest, but she put her hand up to stop him. “Hey, Marcus, it’s fine. This is vacation. I know how it goes. What happens on the ship, stays on the ship, right? So, whatever. I really don’t care what you do. Just don’t think you can lie to me and get away with it. Besides, I’m just here to have fun.” “You go, girl!” I said. Ha!

  He dropped his shoulders and sighed. “Jessica, don’t listen to him. He hates me and wants you, so he’ll say anything to change your mind. You should realize that.”

  I sat up. Did he just say Joey wanted Jessica? And if he had, why was I surprised? Maybe they were never interested in me to begin with. Maybe this was all an elaborate scheme to get to my sister.

  Note to self—I hate men.

  She shrugged. “Whatever.”

  I slid my sunglasses onto my head. “Jessica, I’m going to walk around a bit. I’ll meet you back here. Watch my stuff, okay?”

  “Sure,” she said. “Don’t overdo it, though. Take it easy.”

  I rolled my eyes at her warning and left.

  The comments she’d made earlier about Mom hating Joey had me curious. I searched through the buffet and the pool area before I finally found him sitting alone at the back of the ship, staring off into space. His white tank top made his dark tan stand out. He’d kicked off his flip-flops and crossed his long legs in front of him.

  I touched his shoulder. “Hi,” I said, somewhat out of breath. Damn, cancer sucked.

  He didn’t turn around. “Hey.”

  “What’s up with you and Marcus?” I walked around to face him, but his eyes didn’t meet mine.

  “Forget it. It doesn’t matter. He’s a jerk.”

  I knelt in front of him. “It does matter. I don’t want Jessica to get hurt. She says she’s just out to have fun, but I know her. Her heart is fragile.”

  He looked out over the vast blue expanse that supported the ship. “I didn’t plan on telling you this, but I was walking around late last night, checking out the ship and some of the quieter, deserted areas. I heard some noise coming from behind one of the life boats.”

  My heart picked up the pace. I knew what he was going to say. Even though this whole time in the Triangle was some twisted fantasy, I still felt inside
of me the way a girl feels when a guy cheats on her. Used. Ugly. Worthless. It had happened to me freshman year and ruined my self-esteem for months.

  I wanted to run back to the pool deck and beat the crap out of Marcus.

  “Marcus was screwing some girl in a corner under the stairs. I thought he saw me, but I just turned away and kept going. I mean, I wasn’t going to hang around and watch the show, you know? I can’t believe Jessica could want anything to do with a guy like that.”

  The past three days had worn me down to my last nerve. I’d once heard Mom say she needed a vacation to recover from her vacation. Now I knew what she’d meant.

  “Joey, I don’t feel so good.” I plopped down onto the ground.

  He jumped to my side. “What can I do? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I’m fine. Just do me a favor and help me get to the doctor’s office. There’s a lady there I want to talk to.”

  Joey helped me up and walked with me to the infirmary. The girl at the desk had her back to us as she faxed something. A bag of yellow liquid sat on the desk next to her.

  My body started to go down. Joey wrapped his arm around my waist and supported me.

  “You okay?” he whispered. Concern colored his eyes.

  “Can I help you?” the girl asked before I could answer.

  “Can I see Dr. Hardy, please?” I asked, my voice a little breathless.

  “Who?” She turned, looked at my face and hair, and winced.

  I reached up to touch my head. I wanted to make sure my head was still covered with the hat Joey had given me.

  “Dr. Hardy. The lady doctor? I saw her the other day. I need to speak to her.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Oh, I know who you mean. Sorry about that. Have a seat, please. I’ll see if she’s available.”

  I sat while she called someone, glancing at me during the conversation. “Miss? We have two doctors here today, and both are men. Dr. Margaretta and Dr. Turk. Do you want to see one of them?”

  I stared at her for a second, then walked away without a word. I willed the cancer to take me now or cut the crap and let me get on with my life.

  “Miss Taylor? I can see you now,” Dr. Hardy said from behind me. The receptionist raised her eyebrows and shrugged when she noticed Dr. Hardy, then mumbled something about doctors and their schedules.

  I turned and followed the pretty doctor into the same exam room I had been in the last time.

  She shut the door and took in my appearance. A gasp escaped her pink lips. “What happened?”

  I had no time for bullshit. I mustered up my strength and gave her my best glare. “I think you know what happened. Why don’t you tell me, before I drop dead of whatever is happening to me.”

  She put her clipboard down and sighed. She stared at me for a full minute before speaking. “Every cruise, someone walks in here and tells me they think they’re going nuts. They worry that the Triangle is to blame. The experiences are different for each person, but I can tell you that you aren’t the only one.” She leaned closer to me. Her stethoscope smacked me in the shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone, but it’s happened to me, too.”

  My eyes widened. “Really?”

  She winked and nodded. “I don’t tell this to anyone except for my patients like you. If I admitted it to anyone else, they might think I’m crazy. But people like us—” she pointed to us both “—we know the truth. And sometimes, we get stuck here.”

  At this point, I didn’t care if she told me unicorns and fairies were real. I just wanted answers.

  And it looked like she had them.

  “So what’s going on? Tell me everything.” She took a seat across from me and put her hand on my knee.

  I had already told her about my parents, Jessica, Joey, and Marcus. Now I added the cancer part, and recapped the rest.

  A serious expression crossed her face when I was done. “Listen to me. Things happen in the Triangle that no one can explain. I’ve been trying to explain what happened to me for years. But don’t take these changes lightly. Any day on this ship could become your permanent reality. I can’t tell you how it works, but you have to believe me. Do you understand?” The intensity of her green eyes scared me. Her tone took on such a serious edge, I almost burst into tears. “Remember my words. Any changes that happen on this ship can become your life back home. Keep that in mind.”

  What the hell? I could get stuck in this screwiness forever? And what if I got back to Jersey and everything was different for the worse, not the better? What if…what if? There were so many what ifs, I didn’t know where to begin.

  I frowned at her. “How come I’m the only one noticing it? Why don’t the others realize things are different? And what did I do to deserve this?” Yet I knew what I did. I didn’t have to ask.

  I ruined lives all around me.

  “Whoa, dear, one thing at a time. The Triangle affects everyone differently. Some people change with the changes, some notice weird things, like you did, and some experience nothing out of the ordinary. I’m sorry, honey. I wish I had better news or a simple answer, but I don’t.” She held out a hand and helped me off the exam table. “Go. Have fun with the rest of your cruise. But think about your life and where you’re headed. Think about where you’ve been. And if you solve the mystery of the Triangle, please drop me a line and let me know, okay?”

  I nodded. “Thank you for understanding. I thought you’d send me to a mental hospital or something.”

  She shook her head. “Never.” I reached for the door, but she grabbed my hand with surprising intensity. “Keep searching. I need answers just as much as you do.”

  “I will,” I promised.

  Joey caught up to me as I slipped out of the room. “Autumn, what happened?”

  I spun to face him. Dizziness gripped me, so I reached out to steady myself against the wall. “Nothing. I’m going to lie down.” He grabbed my arm, but I shrugged him off and stumbled down the hall. When I got to the room, I realized my key was in my bag by the pool. I banged my head against the cabin door, hoping to shake loose whatever curse had taken hold of me.

  “Autumn, slow down,” he called after me. “What’s the problem?”

  I sat down against the door. I could feel the rocking motion of the ship attempting to comfort me. I put my head between my knees and started crying.

  Joey put his arms around my bony shoulders.

  “I’m so confused. I’m sick, I’m ugly, I’m…I’m a bad person,” I mumbled into my knees. “I just want to make things right.”

  “Autumn, you’re beautiful. Don’t talk like that. Once the chemo is over, your hair will grow back. The bruises will go away. Being sick is only temporary.”

  “And sometimes it’s permanent. Who would want me like this?” I pulled some loose strands of hair from my head. I wiggled my fingers and they floated to the floor. “I’m being punished, Joey.” I looked at his concerned face. “I…you—”

  My words were stifled by his mouth on mine. The desperation in his kiss crushed my desire to push him away, and against my will, I kissed him back. The past few days with him being so sweet to me, and then holding me close on the ship, melted my resolve to deny him. He wrapped his arms around my waist with a gentleness that made me shudder. I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer to me. For a moment, I forgot where I was, who I was, and how much was wrong with my life. It was just me and Joey, our kiss, and nothing else.

  He broke the kiss before me, but I pulled him to me and planted my mouth on his for another round.

  He pulled away and looked at me, his eyes full of wonder and surprise.

  “Autumn, you actually kissed me back. I had no idea how you felt.” He pressed his lips together for a moment. “I mean, I’ve been interested in you for a long time, but with your mom and my dad, the things I’ve done…” He trailed off looking at the floor. “I thought you hated me for making your mom so miserable.”

  Oh, damn. He had to bring u
p my mother? For a little while, I’d forgotten about my crappy life back home.

  Another wave of guilt slapped me hard across the face. Mom was miserable and sick, and I was making out with Joey. I had to put a stop to this.

  He leaned in to kiss me again, but I put my hand on his warm chest to stop him.

  “Um, Joey, I’m sorry.” I covered my face in my hands. “I didn’t mean for that kiss to happen.”

  He let go of me and got up. I peeked up at him. He opened his mouth to say something as he reached for me, but I tilted away from his arms, and he walked away with his head down.

  I sat there for a minute and tried to focus. Did it matter that I had upset him in this weird dimension? Not really. Did it matter that I had kissed him?

  Absolutely. More than I realized.

  I slowly made my way to the pool deck, stumbling along and breathing hard. When I got there, Marcus was asleep in my chair. Jessica slept beside him with her face covered. I slid my bag out from between the chairs as quietly as possible and tucked myself away in my room. The best option for me at this point was avoidance of everyone and everything. I didn’t want to cause any more damage to anyone.

  The only person I wanted to see now was my dad. Another chance to talk to him would warm my sad heart. I headed back to the room, knowing he’d check on me again.

  If he was still around.

  After a long nap, I woke up to darkness. I had no idea how long I’d slept, but Jessica had come in and covered me with a blanket. A tray of cheeses, strawberries, bananas, and grapes sat beside me on the nightstand, along with a bottle of water. More of my hair littered my pillow.

  I sat up and turned on the light. After brushing the loose hairs away, I took the books out of the bag and munched on the snacks while I flipped through another one of the Bermuda Triangle books.

  A chapter on people who got lost in the Triangle had photographs and captions describing when they had gone missing. It was strange reading about people who had disappeared off the face of the planet. I wondered what really happened to them.

  One of the women in a black and white photograph looked familiar. She held an old-fashioned suitcase while boarding a small ship behind her. Her expression was almost terrified, with wide eyes, a half-opened mouth, and pale skin. I wondered what could have scared her so much when it looked like she was just going on vacation. I scanned the caption.