Stranded in Paradise

by Unknown

  After dinner, Gabriel and I go back to my room. While Gabriel is getting a shower, I pull out my computer and get on Staying Connected. I am hoping Ty is online, but he’s not. I send him a message for later.

  Me: Hey, Ty. I was wondering something… Earlier you referred to your mom in the past tense. Did she die?

  A few seconds after sending the message, Ty pops online and starts replying.

  Ty Newman: Yeah, she’s dead.

  Me: What happened to her?

  Ty Newman: She was murdered when I was ten years old. I watched her die.

  As I read the words, I let out a surprised gasp. No ten-year-old should have to watch that, and my heart is breaking for him. No wonder he is the way he is. I don’t think anybody could be normal after that.

  Me: I’m so sorry.

  Ty Newman: I’ve never told anybody that before — not even the police… I trust you. Please don’t tell anybody.

  Me: Did they ever catch the killer?

  Ty Newman: No.

  Me: Ty, you should really go forward. Put the killer behind bars.

  Ty Newman: I’ve never told anybody for this very reason. It’s my choice, and I am choosing not to go forward. Please understand.

  Me: Okay. I promise I won’t tell if you don’t want me to.

  I will drop it for now, but I will confront him again later. He has to tell the police. Withholding evidence is a crime. But I am not going to push him right now. I’ll wait until I see him, and try to talk him into going forward.

  Ty Newman: I need to go. Malika Sparks is about to come over. ;)

  Me: Malika… Really, Ty? She’s disgusting. You should go for somebody else… Maybe somebody with class.

  Ty Newman: Are you offering?

  Me: You wish.

  Ty Newman: Yes, I do. Later, beautiful.

  Me: Bye.

  I shut my computer just as Gabriel comes out of the bathroom. He’s not wearing anything but a towel. I can’t help but stare.

  “You know, my ribs are feeling better,” he says.

  I bite my lip to keep from smiling. “How much better?”

  “Eighty percent,” he says, but he doesn’t look me in the eyes as he says it.

  “Now tell me the truth.”

  “Fine.” He rolls his eyes. “I’m like fifty percent better. But I’m really horny.”

  “There is other stuff we can do besides sex,” I say.

  Gabriel smiles. “I’m liking where this is going.”

  He comes over to the bed, and gently pulls me on top of him. He runs his hands through my hair, and I shiver slightly at his touch. Will his touch always make me shiver? Will I always get butterflies in my stomach every time he’s near? I hate that I feel myself doubting my love for him. I hate that I’m not certain anymore. I fought so hard to be with him. Too hard to just give up.

  “You’re beautiful,” he says, putting his hand on my cheek.

  His words make me smile.

  I don’t know how much longer I have with Gabe, but I plan to enjoy every second of this… of him.

  Sunday, December 19

  9am

  I always wrap it.

  Veronica is still too sick to come to breakfast. Dad gets a to-go plate for him and her. He’s going to be taking her to her doctor appointment at ten. Toby and Victoria also get their breakfast to go. From the way they can’t keep their hands off each other, I think they’re going to be doing a lot more than eating. So at the table, it’s just Libby, Jack, Gabe, and me.

  “Well, this is kind of nice,” Libby says. “Breakfast is usually so noisy.”

  Ha. Every meal with us is noisy and filled full of drama.

  “We should have you over more often,” she tells me. “After all, you are going to be my daughter-in-law.”

  I choke on the piece of bacon in my mouth. Libby has always said stuff like this to me, but hearing her say it to me now makes me feel uneasy.

  Gabe scolds his mom. “She won’t be your daughter-in-law if you scare her away before I ever have a chance to woo her. We’ve been dating a month. I need more time.”

  “If she isn’t hopelessly in love with you by now, you’re doing something wrong.”

  A month really isn’t long enough to fall in love with somebody. Until a few days ago, I truly thought I was in love with him. Everything about Gabe is perfect. I would be stupid not to love him. I just hope whatever this bad feeling is in the pit of my stomach would go away. I want to be in love with Gabe.

  Libby smiles. “She’s blushing. She obviously is in love with you. Which means that you will definitely be marrying her.”

  “As long as you don’t start talking children, I think we’ll be okay,” Gabe says.

  I want to hide under the table at his comment. How can he be so nonchalant about this in front of his parents? I’m pretty sure if Gabe and I said anything about marriage or having children in front of my dad he would have a heart attack right on the spot.

  “You two will have beautiful children,” Libby says.

  I nudge Gabe with my elbow.

  “So what’s on the agenda for today?” Gabe asks them, changing the subject. I send him a grateful smile.

  “We will probably relax by the pool,” Jack tells us. “When we get to Hawaii we have a lot of plans, so we want to be well rested.”

  “What about you two?” Libby asks.

  “We will probably relax too,” Gabe answers. “In Kihanna’s room.”

  I blush slightly at his comment, because I am thinking about how awesome last night was. It’s amazing just how much fun you can have without actually having sex. Gabe shoots me a knowing look.

  “Just don’t hurt your ribs,” Libby says, smiling. “And use a condom, because I don’t want grandchildren just yet.”

  Oh my God… and I thought Veronica was outspoken. Nope. She’s nothing compared to Libby. I now understand why they get along so well, though it’s a wonder they don’t butt heads.

  “Well, I definitely don’t want kids yet. I always wrap it before I tap it,” Gabe says.

  My blush intensifies. “Gabe!”

  I actually haven’t told him yet that I got on the pill. I really don’t want to become a teenage mom. Maybe I won’t tell him. We will have double protection. You can never be too safe.

  “Sorry,” he says, kissing my cheek.

  Ha, yeah. I’m pretty much not hungry anymore now. I wonder if my red cheeks will be permanent.

  “Actually, Victoria and I were thinking about making a cup. They have a pottery shop, and you can paint a coffee cup. They will have it ready for us before we get off the ship. It sounds pretty cool. You are welcome to come with us. I think she’s going to try to talk Toby into coming,” I tell him.

  “I will come as long as you don’t laugh at whatever I make. I am a terrible artist.”

  “Me too,” I tell him. “My artistic skills end at bubbled letters and stick figures.”

  “I’m worse,” he says.

  “We’ll see.”

  10am

  I can run, but I can’t hide.

  We are about to head to make our cups when Veronica gets back from her doctor’s appointment. Toby and I go to check on her.

  “What did the doctor say?” I ask, as we walk into the room that Veronica and Dad are sharing. I take a seat beside Veronica on the bed, and Toby stands beside me.

  Veronica sits up, and grabs a Sprite off the table beside her.

  “She’s going to be perfectly fine,” Dad answers. “It isn’t seasickness after all.”

  “That’s good,” Toby says. “So you’ll get better?”

  “Yeah,” Veronica finally speaks up. “I’ll get better in about thirty-six weeks.”

  “Thirty-six weeks?” I ask. Then it hits me. “Oh my God… Really?”

  Veronica smiles and nods her head. My dad is smiling too, and I can’t help it. I let out a little squeal, and then run to hug my dad and then Veronica.

  “What’s going on?” Toby asks, complet
ely oblivious.

  I look over at him. “We are going to have a brother or sister.”

  Toby still looks confused. “You’re adopting somebody?”

  I roll my eyes. “If they were adopting, Veronica wouldn’t be sick.”

  A look of realization comes over his face, and then he smiles. “Oh, wow. But I thought that you weren’t having kids. Why wait this long? Aren’t you a little… old?”

  Veronica has an annoyed look on her face, but she answers Toby’s questions. “I am a higher risk than somebody in their twenties, but I can have a very healthy pregnancy as long as I eat healthy and exercise. I’ll be going to the doctor more often than I did when I was pregnant with you, but it’s completely worth it. And we didn’t have a child before now because we couldn’t. We’ve tried, but it just never happened. This was a surprise to us both.”

  Dad, who is still smiling, speaks up. “A very happy surprise. On the way back from Hawaii, Veronica and I are going to fly home. I don’t want her to suffer though another boat ride. You two can come with us, or you can ride back with Jack and Libby. I know you both have your friends.”

  I know what I should do. I should go back early with them. My stalker is on this cruise. Maybe I could sneak away. But the second the thought comes to me, I know it won’t work. My stalker knows everything. They would know that I left and they would follow me. I can run, but I can’t hide. Besides, I really don’t want to go back home. I want to enjoy my time in Hawaii, and the cruise has been amazing.

  “I want to stay,” I tell them.

  Toby looks surprise, but he nods. “I’m doing whatever Kihanna does.”

  Veronica smiles at us. “I’m so glad the two of you get along. When I first found out that you were coming to live with us, I was worried you two would hate each other.”

  “I was worried that Toby would try to hit on you,” Dad says.

  Toby and I both burst out laughing, because he did hit on me. A lot. Somehow, over the short span of our relationship, we have become friends. More than friends. Toby is my family — he’s my brother. I couldn’t ask for a better “older brother”… Okay, only two months older, but he seems a lot older. It’s ironic considering I am a grade ahead of him in school, but he’s protective like I always imagined an older brother would be.

  Dad looks at us like we are crazy. We probably are.

  “I hit on Kihanna numerous times, but she always put me in my place,” Toby says. “I guess my boyish charm doesn’t work on her.”

  I stick my tongue out at him.

  “I think this baby is coming at a perfect time,” Veronica says. “If I would’ve gotten pregnant before now, Kihanna would have missed out on a lot of the baby’s early life. Plus, I think it’s a perfect way of bringing our family together.”

  I am glad it didn’t happen before now, because she’s right. I would have missed so much of his or her life, and I don’t want that to happen. But part of me is also scared. Is this new member of my family going to become a target now? It seems nobody that I care about is immune. All I can do it hope and pray.

  A few minutes later, Toby and I leave their room. In the hallway, I stop Toby.

  “I have to stop my stalker,” I whisper to him. “I can’t wait another thirty-six weeks. I need this person gone before the baby is born. I want our new brother or sister to be safe.”

  “I know,” he says softly. “And we will stop this monster… Before our brother comes.”

  “Brother?” I ask, thankful that the mood is light once again.

  “Yes, it’s definitely going to be a boy. I’ve always wanted a little brother.”

  I roll my eyes. “I happen to think she will be a girl. And she will be beautiful and awesome.”

  Toby smiles. “With us as older siblings, how could he or she not be beautiful and awesome?”

  “Have you ever thought about what your own children will be like?” I ask.

  “Hold up,” he says, holding up his hand. “I’m seventeen. I definitely don’t think about children now.”

  “I don’t mean now. I mean do you think about the future?” I clarify.

  He nods. “I do. I see myself going to college, marrying a super hot woman, and having one kid that I will completely spoil.”

  “I want like five kids,” I joke.

  “Five?” Toby’s eyes get big.

  “Kidding. I am not sure how many kids I want. But I definitely want more than one.”

  “And Gabriel is okay with this?”

  “Why does everybody assume that I’m going to marry Gabe? We haven’t even dated a full month yet, and we are only seventeen. Between now and the time I get married I could have countless boyfriends.”

  “But you won’t,” Toby says. “You’re the kind of girl who is meant to marry your high school sweetheart, and Gabe is lucky enough to be that guy.”

  He starts to open the door to Victoria’s room, but I stop him. “How do you know that?”

  “Because you are the kind of girl that when a guy falls in love with you, they will do anything to keep you. You’re special. Gabe knows that. Even Ty knows that. Also, you’re the kind of girl who falls in love for life. You believe in fairytales and happy ever afters. I have no doubt that you will get that. You deserve that.”

  With that, Toby walks into Victoria’s room and I walk back to my own room thinking how lucky our new sibling will be to have such an amazing big brother.

  1pm

  Beautiful mess.

  After we make our cups, Gabe and I go to chill by the pool and Victoria and Toby go back to his room. The amount of time they are spending indoors on this ship is ridiculous, but I’m still insanely jealous. This whole “no-sex” thing with Gabe sucks.

  I still haven’t told him about Veronica being pregnant. I’m not sure if we are “supposed” to say anything, but I decide to just tell him.

  “The doctor figured out why Veronica has been so sick,” I say, and then take a sip of my virgin pina colada.

  “That’s good,” he says. “So she won’t be sick on the ship anymore?”

  “Actually, she’s going to be very sick. Her and Dad are going to fly back when we leave Hawaii,” I tell him.

  “Is it serious?” he asks.

  I sit up and can’t help but smile as I answer him. “Veronica is pregnant.”

  “What? No way.”

  “Yes way.”

  Gabe shakes his head. “No, you don’t understand. Veronica and your dad spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on fertility treatments. The doctors told them that they just couldn’t have kids. They gave up about five years ago.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “Of course, now we know why he or she waited to come into the world,” he says. “They just had to wait for their big sister to move to California first.”

  “I don’t want to sound selfish, but I am glad it didn’t happen before now,” I admit. “To think that I could’ve missed out on the first five years of my sibling’s life just sucks. It’s bad enough that I missed seventeen years with my dad. It’s just hard for me to imagine life before meeting him.”

  “That’s how I feel about you. Sometimes I wonder how I lived before meeting you. Every day when I wake up, the first thing I think about is you. When I go to sleep, you’re the last thing I think about. I just can’t even fathom the thought of you not being here,” he says.

  His words make me extremely happy until the very last part. Hearing that was like having a bucket of ice water thrown over my head, because the threat of me not being here is a very real one. And I know there isn’t a promise of tomorrow for anybody, but I’m pretty sure the odds are worse for me than most people. And even if I do make it through this, I’m not certain about what my future holds with Gabe. Everybody else seems so certain that we belong together. Why am I so unsure?

  Gabe sees the look on my face, and he gently pushes up my chin so that I’m looking him in the eyes.

  “I promise you that nothing is going to
happen to you,” he says.

  No matter how comforting his words are, it isn’t a promise that he can keep.

  I decide to change the subject.

  “I was talking to Ty yesterday, and he said something that concerned me,” I say.

  “Oh no,” Gabe says. “What was it this time?”

  “It wasn’t anything about you,” I tell him. “Ty told me that his mom died.”

  “Yeah. When he was ten. She was murdered.”

  “But they never caught the person who did it?”

  Gabe shakes his head. “Nope. It was an intruder or something. Ty was playing in his room when it happened. He said when he heard gunshots he hid under his bed. Hiding probably saved his life.”

  Wow. So Ty was telling the truth. He really hadn’t told anybody that he watched his mom get murdered. For a moment, I think about telling Gabe, but decide against it. I promised Ty that I wouldn’t tell, so I won’t.

  “That’s crazy,” I say, playing it off.

  “Why were you talking to your ex-boyfriend?” Gabe is using a joking voice, but I can tell that he’s jealous. I like that he’s jealous.

  “Ty is my friend,” I tell him. “Besides, he was the one who messaged me. He has been messaging me. I don’t want to just ignore him because that would be rude. Besides, you shouldn’t be jealous. I happen to know that he was hooking up with Malika Sparks last night.”

  Gabe rolls his eyes. “Malika is just a hook-up. She’s easy, and he hooks up with her when he’s bored. It was the same with Jacqueline Hoff… before she died. Ty is still pining over you, and I fear that he will never move on.”