Page 30 of Adrift

“I’m not going to hurt the cunt. I just wanted to scare her. She fucking cut my braid off,” Shayla yells in my ear. “Who does that? Cuts someone’s hair off? You’re mental!” She thrusts her index finger at Brianna.

The tension in the room spins like a storm. “It’s a wig. And it was in my bed space.” Brianna shakes her head at Shayla. There was talk amongst the exterior team today about some kind of disagreement between them, but I didn’t expect things to go this far. Who would?

“It’s not a wig, it was my damn hair! You’re a psycho.” Shayla throws her hands up in the air. “She needs to go, Haley, or I’m going.” Shayla takes a breath, and I think she’s calmed down, but then she lurches for Brianna, her hands flailing about.

Haley nods at me, but I’ve already grabbed Shayla’s wrist. “Calm down.” Shayla has a temper. Everyone knows it. I don’t want to be around her. Not after what happened a couple of seasons ago. But cutting someone’s hair because it was flopping over the edge of the bed? Shayla’s not wrong; Brianna is far out of line. “Are you good?” I look into Shayla’s brown eyes. The girl is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but she wouldn’t stab anyone. But if someone cut my hair off while I was taking a well-deserved nap? I get it.

Time seems to slow. She nods once. And I let go. My arms are flexed, and I’m ready to jump if Shayla goes to attack again. Or Brianna. I exhale, my heart racing. Girl drama?I’m not sure why some guys think it’s so hot.

“Go with Haley to see the captain.” I position myself between Brianna and Shayla.

“Come on, let’s get you up to the bridge.” Haley puts her hand on Shayla’s back.

“I’m not going to work with her. She assaulted me.” Shayla huffs.

“Yup. Let’s go.” Haley’s voice is calm enough that I stop and watch them leave. Brianna slides out of the bench. But Shayla runs up the stairs toward the bridge.

Haley and I glare at Brianna, her eyes darting between us in apprehension.

“Move.” Haley nods at her remaining stews, her voice laced with an air of authority, like she knows how to take on tough situations.

Brianna has barely moved. Even with the death stare Haley gives her. Brianna rounds to the other side of the crew galley, away from us.

“Brianna can’t just walk away after pulling something like that,” Haley whispers to me.

I shake my head, my eyes never leaving Brianna. “She won’t. Captain will handle it.”

Haley nods and retreats, leaving me alone with the sulking Brianna. But then Haley stops on the stairs, her eyes meeting mine. Brianna is still in the crew mess. “Calvin,” she starts, uncertainty seeping into her voice. “Do you... do you think Shayla’s okay?”

The question catches me off-guard. It’s not that Haley’s not caring?she is?but so far, she’s seemed more about the rules, the structure. “Yeah, Haley, I think she’ll be fine.”

She gives me a brief nod, her face unreadable, before climbing the stairs after Shayla. Man, I wouldn’t want to be Haley now. They are already so undersized as a team. And to lose Brianna? Even if she’s not worth anything, she’s still a warm body. A crazy one, but at least she’s something. I just hope Captain doesn’t let them both go. The less stew work I have to do, the happier I am. Oh, I’ll help out as much as I can, for sure. But spending the day in the laundry room is my own personal torture. No, I take that back. Having to serve drunk guests until the wee hours of the morning?that’s got to be the worst.

I catch a last glimpse of her retreating figure and turn my attention back to Brianna, steeling myself for the confrontation that’s about to come. Brianna is making her way back to the crew cabins. “Stop right there.”

“I’m going back to my cabin.” She stands defiantly, her head cocked, her arms crossed over her chest.

“No, you’re not, Brianna. You assaulted another crew member. You’ll be lucky if you don’t go to jail.”

Her eyes widen, and tears pool on her lashes. Crying women bring me to my knees, but not this one. She cut off Shayla’s hair.

“Come. We’re going to see the captain.”

“Calvin, Calvin, Captain. I need you to bring Brianna to the bridge. Now.”

“Copy, Captain. I’m working on it.” I snap the radio back onto my belt. “You heard him. Move.”

She doesn’t move.

“You can’t hide from your actions, Brianna. They always come back to find you.”

“She was being so loud, and my head hurt.”

“Yeah, well, if you let Shayla get at you, a lot more is going to hurt. Move. I don’t want to drag you up there, but I will.” I give her the look, the one my old captain used to use. But I guess I have yet to perfect it.

She takes a step forward and stops. The scowl on her face is repulsive. She’s acting like I did something wrong. But damn. I follow her up the stairs, and on the first deck she tries to make a run for the gangplank off the rear deck. But I catch her forearm, and she yanks herself to a halt. Where does she think she’s going? If this is how this season is starting... I hate to be superstitious, but it doesn’t look good for the rest of it.

“The bridge is one more deck up.” There’s a hint of sternness in my voice. I don’t let go of her arm this time. A quick knock on the side of the bridge wall and I push Brianna in. “Captain.”

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