Storm Pt3

Storm
Part 3

Before Jennifer even opened her eyes, she could sense the commotion going on outside her cabin. As she tumbled out of bed she groaned. Even if she did have her own cabin, why did they give her the one right on the port side of the deck? It was always noisy out there. But it was especially noisy this morning. The day Jennifer had been dreading for weeks and had dreaded every fall for the past four years was here. "The first day of school."

This was the day that all of the guys would board, as students. There were two teachers, four classes. You see, the Sheldon family had run their own "school" for boys in their third and fourth years in high school, as many other captains did. But Captain Sheldon did things a little differently. On his ship, the students not only had to obtain passing grades but they had to go through his "sailing school" as Jennifer called it. They would be trained to do everything a regular sailor could do, EVERYTHING. Jennifer cringed as she thought of all those stupid guys drooling and hollering when they first met her. But they soon learned that the captain did not permit childish and immature antics like that on his ship. Everyone was serious and obeyed the rules.

As always, the first to talk to her was Robert Black, the literature teacher, telling her she slept in. She KNEW she had slept in, she did this every day. She was hungry and headed to the lower level to the galley. Unfortunately, her father was also there.

"Good morning," he said mechanically, as if his thoughts were not his own, as if his mind had been taken over, not even thinking of who he was talking to. It was clear his mind was elsewhere. And for once Jennifer understood him. He was thinking about what the next eight months would bring; of all the stupid antics and comments made by the typical teenage male; of all the slackers, jokers, and idiots he was sure had been tossed into his lap, but by his own will.

Jennifer did not respond, only picked up a mug of warm coffee, grabbed an apple from a basket of freshly purchased fruit, and headed out to the deck, to watch boats enter and leave the marina, watch the ongoings of her world. And she thought to herself, "My life is so predictable. Everyday the same dreary people, places and such." To anyone else, her life was exciting, action-packed and ANYTHING but predictable. But to her, life was boring.

Sitting there, lost in empty thought, she heard a familiar voice. She turned around and groaned. It would figure that the first "student" arrival would be the one guy that didn't give a shit about being on time for anything, ESPECIALLY an eight month school cruise... Brian Hague. He was selfish, lazy, not very intelligent (go figure), and totally self-absorbed. This was his second year, and Jennifer had remembered his voice because he was always the one walking behind her making raunchy comments and using lame pick-up lines. She tried to run to the second deck before he spotted her, but it was too late. A sitting duck would have had better chances.

"Well, well, well," it was obvious that some things never changed. Brian was still had that cocky over-confident tone when he spoke to Jennifer. "If it isn't Jennifer, the sexiest woman the high seas have ever seen?" He jumped in front of her to further block her from the safe haven that was her room. "So how about it Jennie? You gonna give me some this year? Or are you afraid daddy might find out?"

"Brian Hague," she was clearly pissed, but he took no heed. "How is it that you have the intelligence to pass the entrance exam to even get here? If you do have it, you hide it far too well." She could tell by the look on his face that this subject made him uncomfortable, something she took great joy in. "What's the matter?" she asked innocently. She would have had more fun, but then Jake interrupted the conflict.

"Hey, Brian. What's up?" He didn't wait for an answer but instead turned to Jennifer. "You have a lot of work to do." He meant it to come out better than it did.

"Lay off!" she snapped back. "Why don't you and dickhead here go fuck yourselves?!"

Jake knew she had taken offense but tried to ingore it. "I only meant that there is still a lot of stuff to do before everyone else gets here. But you would know that wouldn't you?" he couldn't help the sarcastic tone, but he knew he should stop.

Jennifer just walked off without even bothering to snap back. "These idiots aren't worth my time," she thought as she stomped away.

Brian laughed a little at Jake, trying to hide his own embarrasment. "You are so pathetic you know that?"

Jake wasn't very good at fighting, but he still knew that he was better at it than Brian. He sized him up and said coldly, "Not as pathetic as some people I know."

* * * *

Within the next three hours, five more guys had arrived: Warren Anderson, Francis Lotterell, Ronny Stevenson, Peter Amory, and Don Caswick. They were only missing four others, but they still had awhile to get there before the "orienation" at six.

After the newcomers had been situated with bunk assignments and schedules and such, they began to meet the teachers. Jennifer's mother Robyn Sheldon was the Science and Math teacher, as well as the ship's doctor. Robert Brooks taught English. And Paul Roger was the "chef" as he referred to himself. "Cook" just wasn't fitting.

As they unpacked, the boys got to talking...

Dopeychick