Take a deep breath and count to ten, and when you’re done you won’t see red. Its a little rhyme Lucie’s first therapist had given her. It’s supposed to help her deal with her anger, but the only problem is she has never been able to get past five with out breaking, or throwing something. For the first time Lucie is happy there is nothing of value in the minuscule ‘room’ she has been assigned. Seriously, the room was so small she seriously believes it must have been a closet until some asshole decided to make more money by turning into a room.

Lucie falls heavily onto the ‘bed’ and tries to calm down. She’s never been this mad. And she has good reason. She has to spend two full weeks alone with the father she has barely spent a day with in the past six years. Oh, and on a ship. Her fiancé was supposed to go with her but he had cancelled at the last minute because of work! And it’s his stupid idea to ask her father for money for their wedding. That’s why she’s here. For two weeks!

“Its only for two weeks, Lucie,” she mumbles to herself, staring at her reflection in the vanity mirror across from the bed. It’s the only thing in the room other than a small closet. Seriously, a vanity, like it is the nineteen fifties or something. “Two weeks.”

A knock on her door makes her jump. She has been alone in her room ever since they set sail a little over three hours ago. She hadn’t realized just how quiet she had been until now. She walks toward the door trying to force a smile on her face.

“Hello Dad,” she says opening the door. Her father smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He doesn’t want her here anymore then she wants to be here.

“Hello Lucie,” he bends down and kisses her on the top of the head like he used to when she was five. Lucie bites her tongue. She didn’t feel like starting the trip off fighting. “Enjoying your cabin?”

Lucie nods. “It’s, uh, nice Dad. Very cozy.” If cozy was claustrophobia inducing

Something beeps from within her father’s pocket and she knows he’s being summoned away. Big surprise there! That’s what comes with your father being the captain of the ship, she thinks. Not that she saw her Dad much before he took this job. Her father had been in the marines her whole life. That is why her Mom left him- he was just never home. That was ten years ago when she was fifteen. Two years ago her Dad remarried- a girl so young she could have baby-sat her step mom when she was in high school- and they had a baby. New Mom decided being in the marines was too dangerous so she made Dad get this job as cruise ship captain. She knows her Dad hates it, but he had said yes. Something he never did when Mom asked him to leave.

Her Dad pulls out a pager from his pocket, looks at it, and then frowns.

“We’re having some difficulties in the cargo bay,” he tells her. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Sure. Whatever.”

She watches as her Dad starts to walk away. “We’ll have dinner together though. I promise.”

She nods again. She’s heard that one before. “Sure Dad, whatever you say.”

She closes the door, leaning against it with a loan sigh. At least she didn’t have to ask him for the money yet. She doesn’t want to ask her Dad for anything but Kevin- her fiancé- is insisting because even though both his parents, and her mother are helping the wedding they are planning needs more money. So Kevin has made her promise to get that money from her Dad before she leaves. God! It’s going to be a very long two weeks.

She walks back to the bed and picks up her phone. Flipping it open she sees she already has two texts from Kevin.

“I <3 u.”

Even though she knows he’s trying to make up for bailing on her, she can’t help but smile. She quickly types back 1 <3 u 2, and goes to the next text.

DID YOU ASK HIM YET???

She sighs throwing her phone onto the bed. She knows her Dad isn’t going to give them the money. He’s given them nothing before, and he’s not usually one to give her many gifts. His birthday gift of choice is usually a ten-dollar gift card to Starbucks.

The room is getting small though, and she finds herself in the mood to get into trouble. She suddenly wants to do something terrible to get back at Kevin. She puts on her most tight fitting sweater- it is chilly for June- and jeans. She then throws on some make up, and pulls her hair out of the pony tail it was in so that it falls down to her shoulders in black curls. She’s not planning on doing anything too drastic, most likely mack with some hot guy. Kevin will never have to know.

She doesn’t know exactly where to find people on a crappy post-war cruise ship, but she decides to just hang out around the deck before it is time to head to dinner.

It’s around four, but already the hallways are milling with people. There seems to be people everywhere; old people, young people, fat people, anorexic people…even animal people.

Lucie pushes her way through the throngs beginning to feel like a sardine until the smell of salt water tells her she’s close to the deck. With a final push to get a fat man out of her way, she can see the water in front of her. She smiles, leaning against the deck. Tonight, she thinks, is going to be fun.

“Hey…”

Lucie smirks. The voice behind her is males, and she thinks she might have finally found her revenge partner. She turns around and bingo. Standing in front of her is a tall blonde. He looks to be a little younger then her, but she’s done a lot worse to boys probably a lot younger.

“Um, hello?” play coy, she thinks. You need to reel them in. That’s when it’s the best.

“I think you dropped this,” he says, holding a small rectangular thing toward her- her Ipod.

Lucie shoves her hands into the kangaroo pouch in her hoodie and finds her headphones but indeed no Ipod. This is not part of the plan. She loves her Ipod more then she loves Kevin. It’s the only thing in her life that keeps her sane.

“Oh my god,” she says taking the music player from him. “You saved Bach.”

He gives her an odd look and she blushes. She has never told anyone but she likes to give her electronics names. Her computer is named Steven. Her TV Kramer. And her Ipod Bach.

“My Ipod.”

“Oh,” he says before giving a small laugh.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” he says. “I know I’d lose it if I had to go even an hour without mine.”

She smiles. This boy is perfect, she thinks going straight into seductive mode. She gives a small giggle, “You’re my hero, know that?”

He blushes. “I was only doing what I thought was best.”

“Still,” she says, batting her eye lashes, “You must let me buy you a drink to say thank you.”

“I’d love that,” he says slowly, “but I’m only eighteen.”

Lucie gives a fake, shocked look, “Really? Seriously? I would have guessed you were twenty five at the youngest.”

He blushes again, and looks at his feet, before back at her. “Nope, eighteen.”

“Well that’s fine,” she says, “I’ll buy you a pop at the restaurant. I’m only twenty one any way.”

He seems to open up more now. He smiles at her, and extends the crook of his arm toward her.

Revenge, they say, is a desert best served cold. But Lucie thinks it goes best lots of alcohol. But this will work too.