"Wow." That was the word that left my mouth when we entered a new crook in the jungle. It was like a bright light at the end of a dark tunnel. A chorus of green cheer.

Trees tower up to tickle the sky - A billion verdant wands of vegetation wave in arboreal air, while low, crooked branches sag limply, frozen in time like bent arms. Spotlights shown down here and there through the roof of treetops concealing the sun, exposing fragmented blues that lit up the floating leaves and fibers.

These trees remind me of the Angel oak tree in South Carolina, but they aren't oak trees at all, and there's an abundant amount in one spot. That's the only comparison I have. Jack does a quick 360 around the place to gain a feel for its ambience before immediately going to climb one.

I take it as a cue to follow him. His physique, honed by the blessings of genetics and his time in military school gifted him the ability to exude agile movements with effortless grace. With fluid ease, he practically sprints up the branches in a swift motion. Trotting over, I hoist my leg high, and pull up to sit on the lowest branch. A whistle then sliced through the air, sourcing from Jack who was many limbs higher. The neatest part here, is that you can easily walk on these branches and stay supported by their strength.

"Come up here!" He called down. I look at him, and mind the distance.

"Unless you're scared..." his coaxing voice drew out in front of a background of playfulness. A reluctant smile paints my lips, and I cave to his magnetic aura. I start making my way up, branch by branch.

During my climb, Jack slumped back. He would flash me that boyish smirk, and express a taunting shrug of the shoulders from his place above me. I would clench my jaw as it served an odd boost of motivation. When I made it to his branch, I plopped down for a seat and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Only took you five years." His voice spoke.

"Shut up."

I hear him snicker beside me, but I ignore it and take a moment to survey the foreign view. The trees are like bouquets of foliage. A three-dimensional wonderland.

"Isn't it so beautiful?" I say out loud, only for Jack to disregard it.

"I could probably fall asleep up here." He comments through a huff and rests his hands behind his head. Simon would love it here. I could probably bring him some day.

"I have no doubt, Merridew." I straddle the branch to face him. His blue eyes peek-a-booed through heavy eyelids, and his cheek lifts. Scary to say-- that he looked attractive for being the human embodiment of a reckless dog. 

"Where to next?" He asked, placing his hands down on the thick branch.

"Wait, I wanna sit here a while..." I explain. To humor him I ask, "Do you have any ideas after this?"

His face lights up at the words. "Somewhere I'd like to be?" He smirks and touched my knee. Frowning, I swat him away. "Gross."

"We're on an island," he justified dumbly.

I arch a cryptic brow and say, "Your point?"

"Isn't this the time that you can just let loose?" He asks somewhat seriously. It takes me a moment to understand why he was getting at that.

"When was your last real relationship?" He interrogates me, leaning against the bark.

"My senior year, I thought I told you that." I start talking before he can say anything else to retort.

"And before you call me a prude for not fucking you already, I've already learned my lesson about why I shouldn't dive straight into that with boys I've just met."

Jack laughs in my face. "Who said anything about that?"

I glare at him. "I'm not making out with you, either."

"Never said you had to," he raises his hands in defense. "What I am saying though, is you need to cut loose. Live a little. This is paradise, ain't it?"

I drop my chin and stare at him. He needs to get real.

"Paradise?" I scoff dubiously. Jack shows a short nod of the head.

"Yeah," he says. "We're living on a nice beach, no responsibility or teachers. You don't think that's a win?"

"Being the only girl stranded on an island with a bunch of rowdy teenage boys who don't know their elbow from their ass is paradise?"

Jack shrugs as if to say, take it as you will.

"Well, damn!" I exclaim sarcastically, throwing my hands up. "I guess this really is as good as it gets. Thank you, Jack, so much for that marvelous eye-opener! I'm a new woman."

"Calm yourself and your petty comments," he laughs boisterously.

"Say what you will, but some girls would kill to be in your spot, Vera." He leans back into a relaxed position again.

"No, I know they would," I quickly say. "Girls at my school would kill to live out the plot of The Blue Lagoon."

"Blue Lagoon?" Jack repeats in question. I nod slowly.

"The Blue Lagoon. 1980. Never heard of it?"

He shook his head again, confusion twisted across his features. My brows furrow harshly.

"You mean you've never seen it in your local video store...? Never heard of anyone talking about the novel?"

Jack still shook his head slowly.

"The insanely popular movie that sparked up lots of controversy? Not a word of it was heard by you?"

"Nope," he chimes. My eyes roll melodramatically. God, he's behind.

"Congratulations," I mutter. "Terrible movie anyway. Spare yourself."

Jack's intrigue seems to be piqued. He sits up and rests his elbows on his knees.

"Hold on now. What's it about?"

I buzz my lips in annoyance.

"It's an incest love story of kids who were stranded on an island together, and they made a product-of-incest-love-child. Nothing to be romanticized. Happy?"

Jack blinks, trying to unpack that.

"And girls like the idea of incest at your school?"

"Well obviously not." I snap. "They like the idea of being stranded with a guy who isn't their cousin, and falling head over heels for him like every other romance movie. But you see, Jack, no girl would realistically want my place here, because this isn't. A God damn. Movie."

I drop my hand onto the rough bark and began tracing the ridges to keep composure. Jack had an ever-growing smirk at my inner tirade. Why does he need to act like such a smugly-crooning shit? How does he manage to defy every thought I have about him that could somehow prove otherwise?

"Sure thing, Sawyer," he chirps happily. "Can we go now?"

I clench my jaw and look up at him and his stupid smirk.

"If you're that bored, you can go, but you don't see this stuff at home everyday. I'm staying for a while, whether you like it or not."

The boy raises a brow, seemingly unfazed. Why did I even offer for him to tag along?

"But, we've already seen it. What else is there to do in this spot?"

Taking off my blazer, I sling it to rest on one of the branches. "We take in the peace of it all. Which must be new for you since all you know is to be a walking disruption."

I earn a loud laugh.

"You sound like Simon." As if I wasn't just thinking about how much he'd love it here. I can get a few minutes of solace in before Jack pesters for us to move on. Art is subjective. That's what the adults say. Is that valid to say the same about this?

"Simon is such sweet kid," I muse, laughing to myself. "He's so quiet. He reminds me of my younger cousin from my dad's side of the family."

The blonde shrugged. "He's weird. He's all skin and bone since he'd not even cooperate in military school."

I stare in disbelief, biting back a doubtful smirk. "You mean to tell me Simon is some hooligan like you?"

Jack laughs even louder this time.

"No, but Roger sure has hell was. We'd get in tons of trouble together," he said mischievously. "Simon was always aloof, daydreaming and wandering away."

Maybe not much has changed. Regardless, it didn't change the fact that Simon was the most decent out of the group.

"That was kinda me, too," I admit. "Even in that superficial, popular crowd. Not that I would wander off, though." Heather Chandler creeps into my mind for a cameo. Her dwelling in my mind isn't a rare occurrence, regrettably speaking.

"Speaking of that, I wanna hear more about high school-you," Jack states. With one hand resting behind his head, he used the other to jab a finger in my direction.

"Well, I need to tHinK oF oNe!" I mimic his male voice, hoping it would rise up some reaction. Jack stares across from me before breaking out into a grin and diverting his eyes. Relinquishing my glare, I review a few moments packed away in my head.

"You were one of the Heather-bitches, right?" He spontaneously blurted out. I blinked in surprise and shook my head.

"No." I insisted earnestly. "No, I was a Veronica..." Pursing my lips, I drank in a breath of air as Jack stared at me like a fucking owl.

"I'm still trying to find the old me, you know? I thought traveling and going to school out of country would somehow-"

"Save the female teen angst before I hurl," Jack rudely cut me off. Who does he think he is?! He slumped back coolly and waved me on as I insisted a glare.

"Just get on with it."

"Okay, I got one," I raise my voice to assert myself once again over that asshat. "I always had to drop things I was doing just to tag along with them all half the time..." I clench my jaw.

"For instance, I would be studying, and Heather-fucking-Chandler's little lapdogs would appear out of nowhere, demanding that she needed to see me somewhere pronto."

Whenever I retell these stories, I ask myself, why not tell them to shove off? Only I can know why, deep down. High school me was a bitch who didn't dare speak up to that self-important Queen Bee.

"Next thing I knew, was that I had to haul ass to the cafeteria only to find out that she needed a note!" I stop my words at Jack's clear confusion. I backtrack for context.

"I can forge just about anyone's handwriting -- I had to forge one in this football player's handwriting... he's one of the boys that committed suicide."

Jack bobbed his brows. "Damn, Sawyer. Weren't you a ruthless one?"

I roll my eyes. "Before he committed suicide, idiot." I snap back. "But I had an old friend who really liked him. I'm talking big time. Heather demanded a hot and heavy, but realistically low-key letter."

I swallow, my mouth going dry again. Shit, I had nothing against that girl. But as things go, I obliged to Heather's wishes always. She told me to never think. Act immediately.

"And so it went; sneaking the letter onto that poor girl's lunch tray. We all stayed in this corner to watch it unfold... It was like multiple stages of her seeing the letter, reading it, the reaction... Then it was her debating whether or not go talk to him, and when she did, she became a laughing stock within an hour."

I was offered bad choices, but I could've said no. Jack sits up. I can't tell if he's impressed or simply amused.

"Damn. I knew you were popular but I didn't know that you were one of those bitches."

Oh, the irony. They had a disguise. A put up front of being prestigious and well-mannered when underneath, they were snakes. And me in all my glory during junior and senior year -- I was one of them.

"Well, Jack. There's a lot of things you don't know."

He waves me off dismissively. In my high school deep dive, I think about the students there.

"We made fun of these guys," I start, knee deep in my memories.

"They had a booth set up in the cafeteria, advertising that people donate their lunch money and tater tots to Africa after flat out asking for free lunch didn't work out." I laugh at that, gazing up at the clouds.

"I mean jeez, you'd think they'd be fed by how much they bribed in a day. They even pulled the Thanksgiving card."

Jack frowns in perplexion. "Do they even have Thanksgiving in Africa?"

"Oh, sure." I blurt, blowing air through pursed lips. "Indians, Pilgrims... Tater tots. It's a real party continent."

A smile painted across my lips, and I pulled one of my knees to my chest. A moment of silence beat by, and I peered up to be met by Jack's hard gaze. His blue eyes almost looked thoughtful.

"You're staring," I said blankly. "How do I make it stop?"

Jack smirked as he studied me for a moment more before asking, "Do you always do that?"

I furrowed my brows in question, cocking my head. "What do you mean?"

Jack watched me hard for another moment. "I mean when you get very deep in telling a story... you build it up, but blow it off in the end."

My forehead tensed. Truthfully, I've never noticed how I act.

"And your eyes," he continued. "You sorta squint your eyes when you're talking, but one squints a bit more. You look confused when you do that."

I scoffed like what he said was funny. "Is that a good or bad thing? And I dunno. It's kinda hard to remember things, so I get deep into it..." I paused and pursed my lips in contemplation.

"I suppose it doesn't matter once it's been said."

Jack flashed his eyes at me, and I realized it's because I did it again. 

"It's cute, though," he chuckled. Pressing my lips together, I nod in awkward acceptance. Better not to groan about his flirty comments.

"Right then..." I mumbled and squirmed in discomfort, hoping the interaction would be left at that. He looked at me for a moment longer, twisting the black ring on his finger, seemingly studying my features.

"I think you have a sunburn," said Jack blankly. He was right. I could feel it, a faint burn hissing underneath my skin. Without warning, he leaned closer to me and gently tapped his finger across my face where I'd been burned by the sun; left cheek, nose, then my right cheek. He retracts back again. 

"You, could use some aloe, Vera." Not a second went by before his lips split into a white grin as he couldn't stop the laughter bubbling up for the stupid pun. It took me the extra moment to catch it before I could roll my eyes and turn away in disappointment for the cheap joke.

"Hey, come on, that was a good one!" Jack fussed, angling forward again and roughly shaking my knee to stir me. 

"Am I supposed to applaud?" A smirk tickles my lips now. He can only snicker in response to my crumbling facial expression as the corners of my mouth dared to curl upwards.

"You're proud of that, huh?" I nod, egging the blonde on as he turned to the side to hide his face while he laughed boisterously. That boyish, immature hilarity. His contagious laughs infected me as a smile finally broke across my face, breaking the tension, and I can't hold back the laughter bumping up my throat to mix with his amusement. 

"Okay, yeah," I serve him with a faux bitch-face, smirking with all good humor. "Yeah, get it out now, blondie," I giggle, shaking my head. 

His chuckles begin to die down as he let out an exaggerated sigh, resting and staring at me through lazy eyelids. I swallow my grin and continue to press my tongue to the inside of my cheek, keeping the daring smile at bay. 

"You're fun to talk to sometimes, Sawyer."

"Am I?" A brow quirks up. "'Cause I think you're absolutely insufferable to speak with." The snarky words deliver as a joke.

Jack makes a smart ass face at me and then hops down from his branch. I do the same right after him, making sure to pause as I stare at his back with a look of perplexity so that he can't notice. How much longer until he decides to make a switch? When does the mental torment resume? -- Whenever he's around his friends again, I'm presuming? Slightly guarded, I follow after him, and just as discussed, Jack leads us to the next place.

♕︎♕︎♕︎

Moving some foliage away from our faces, Jack and I continue to scope out anything that might spark our interest. The ground has surely started to curve up and in the distance, the trees parted to a bright opening. On the same wave-length, we nod and venture over.

"Did I ever tell you about this neighboring prep school that was near Valley Forge?" He spoke up casually. Pausing, I reviewed the memories of different conversations. The matter of a prep school doesn't ring a bell.

"Nope." Quite frankly, I don't feel interested, but I listen anyway.

"It was an all-girls school." He explained. I look at him sidelong, reminding myself to not get too comfortable in conversation. 

"Lots of the students were able to get in close contact, if you know what I mean." Jack glanced at me knowingly. My brows furrowed in disgust.

"There was this snatch. Her name was Scarlett Callisto." Hearing that, a sigh blows through my lips.

"Jack, I really don't care," I laugh, still annoyed. Not taking my answer to mind, he talks over me.

"Let me finish!"

I inwardly scowl and cross my arms.

"She was sorta like you." 

Something churns in my gut. This is a conversation that could go in multiple directions. Seeing my expression, he broke into more explanations.

"No, really. She had dark hair and dark eyes. Scarlett also liked to strut. That girl knew how to argue."

That girl knew how to argue. I think of Heather Chandler, then I think of myself.

"Man, she just thought she was too good for the crowd at military school. And that to everyone else -- made her all the more irresistible."

"Ew, Jack!" My hand tosses up to cut him off.

"You always want what you can't have." He quotes. That was kinda true.

"But, sure. There were better chicks there that everyone went for." Jack runs his fingers through his gold hair, and I catch myself staring until a rock trips me. This goes unnoticed, thankfully.

"After a while, you get past the easy ones, then you face a new challenge."

A new challenge.

Easy ones.

Of course -- oh-so-high-and-mighty Jack Merridew always gets what he wants. That boy can barge into any school and just use some bullshit charms to take his pick.

Jack looks out into the distance as we walked, laughing to himself while recounting his memories. "As much as Scarlett didn't want to admit it, I knew she caved in with me."

That worries me with the lack of context.

"So yeah, we had a fling going, but it was on and off." The boy starts to tap every passing tree.

"She was different than lots of the others in certain ways. Like I said, she wasn't so easy and wanted something real."

Just hearing that, I feel bad for this girl. This girl who sounds like she wanted a real relationship and was with a guy who probably wanted one thing.

"That girl was smart, but damn, she could be a down right bitch."

I almost want to thank Jack out loud for unintentionally giving me the reminder that he's just like any other man out there. An icy bath bomb dropped into the pit of my stomach and fizzed out the scathing emotions, spreading along my bloodstream and into my chest to accumulate back together. 

Bitch. Of course. A nasty sneer curled my upper lip at the thought. Bitch -- She was called a bitch for likely being reasonable. For setting normal boundaries. 

"And is that fair to say?" My words shot out like an arrow, incredibly harsh in contrast to my former exchanges from this day-trip. Jack seems caught off-guard at the sudden tone change. 

"Listen, I know you're a savior feminist and all, but trust me, as similar as you both are, you would get fed up with her shit, too."

The inkling in the back of my mind continued to flicker like a flame. 

"Well, what did you guys do when you dated?"

"-Talked. Not dated." Jack corrects. "Like I said, we had a fling and we just messed around."

I blow a strand of hair from my face and sort out my thoughts.

"Well, what happened to her?" I face the blonde who shakes his head.

"Her and Roger happened. Scarlett would never get caught up with Roger on a normal day. She definitely wasn't fond of me, but imagine Roger."

An echo of a drum pounds through the jungle. It takes a moment to realize that it's my own heartbeat.

"Roger and her got together one night and well, it got around. Goody-two-shoes and Roger is quite a story to come across. The idea of me and her was already a story in itself."

God, that poor girl. My jaw clenched, and the inkling irritation insists on pestering me like cockroaches going up my back.

"Did Roger..." My voice trailed off to a halt, rigid and demanding a truthful response.

"No." Jack affirmed. "But it got around, and she denied it. But you know, she got shunned by the other bitches at that school 'cuz they were jealous, so she transferred somewhere else. Her and I lost all contact."

"That's horrible." I mumble softly, feeling my heart break for the girl. I go back, reviewing her story and comparing it to some of my own, as if that would help decipher the credibility.

"Are you sure anything actually happened with her and Roger? I've had rumors be spread around about me that weren't true at all."

Jack's expression falters at the information, but the worry soon vanishes back to unbothered.

"I trust Roger, and he was super detailed. She was the quiet type, but also some freak in the sheets." He emphasized too much for liking. My chest tightened up.

"So you're okay with what happened to her?"

"Nah," his blue eyes flashed. "It's a real damn shame. Girls can be vicious to one another."

I nod at that part.

"But it was a real damn shame. Her and I actually made some good memories. I'm sure Scarlett's at a better school now."

The name Scarlett always makes me think of the color red. Then again, Scarlett is a red shade. And red is such a pretty color. Though, I debate with myself whether my name is red or blue. Those are weird thoughts, but they visit me sometimes.

"What was the most memorable thing about her?" I question softly. This throws Jack off-guard, and it's not a surprise when he takes time to think hard about it.

"Probably her will. She strived for big things in her life. I don't get it." He pauses again.

"And her laugh." This surprises me.

"She annoyed me at times, but God her laugh was contagious. And beautiful."

Beautiful. That's the last thing I'd expect to come from Jack when talking about an old fling. I'm left alone with flurrying thoughts, all on different ends of the spectrum, leaving me confused. Sure, him reminiscing about her laugh is nice, but the bar is in Hell. 

"So... why did you tell me all of this?" 

"Just 'cause you remind me of her."

I don't know how to take that. We stay silent till Jack tries to brush the subject off.

"So, is there anything memorable about your old school?"

Yes, plenty of things.

"About what you said when you told me girls are vicious," I start off. "Heather Chandler was my best friend."

Jack arches a skeptical brow. "I thought you said she was your worst enemy?"

"Same difference," I blow those words off. "But really, though," I continue. "She was the definition of a mythic bitch."

I can't get anymore words in when he wraps a hand around my wrist and pointed ahead of us.

"Look!" We neared the opening that spilled out to the platform which ends in a cliff. I stare in awe. It's the best view of the island; and infinite stretch of green and vibrant wildlife.

Up here is windy, but the sunlight was especially peachy. We walk up to the edge of the small cliff to take in the scene before us. I feel Jack's stare on my side of my face. When I look at him, he quickly looks away. That's okay, though. In the end, it wouldn't matter.

"Do you think we'll ever get off of this island?" I ask randomly. "Do you truly believe no one is gonna find us?"

My voice cracked at the last three words. Jack, staying silent for a moment, turns to me and clearly forces a smile.

"Yeah." Not even he seemed fully confident in that answer. "I'm sure we will. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not in two weeks, but we will."

I shift on my feet, not liking the soft spoken words from him. They sound unnatural. But we will. Deep down, I know Jack doesn't trust a single word of that.

"Besides school, what all do you have to get back to?" He addressed me. I push my hair away from my face and take a breath before answering.

"My family."

He makes a weird face. "Just family? Don't you have tons of friends?" 

"Did." Another silence.

Thinking back to when Jack had convinced himself that he could read me like a magazine, the boy really proved himself wrong. It's laughable in a way, how confident he was.

"All of my friends are here." He explained. "There's not much worth getting back to at home. For me at least."

I chuckle through a huff, anything but pleasantly as I shake my head at that last part. Me and him both. I'm shocked out of my thoughts as his elbow nudges my side. 

"And I hope you'll find some peace, Vera." 

A slight tug unintentionally tickled the corners of my mouth.

"I'm sure great things will come into your life, Jack Merridew." I smile softly. He takes my reassurance with consideration before looking back at the landscape. Soon enough, this moment will have to end, and we'll have to return to the duties at camp.

♕︎♕︎♕︎

"Jesus Christ." An overbearing sensation of dread erupts in my gut as Ralph, Piggy, Simon and I watch Captain Benson toss and turn, hacking up the almost black blood. The retching sounds made me flinch every time.

The frail man moaned nonsense, babbling on about peculiar beings that lurked in the dark. Of course! The only adult we have is now mentally deranged and can't formulate a comprehensive sentence. Because why the hell would he be normal?

The stained dark, crimson color resembled the shape of a rose, bursting from the center in all directions on the bandage that had been wrapped snuggly around his head. Piggy's lower lip quivered as Captain Benson made weak attempts to sit up, emitting pained wails.

Andy, Peter, and Greg approached, pausing in their tracks at the disturbing scene before them.

"Beat it!" Ralph demanded. They back away slowly, wide-eyed and shocked by the sudden tone of Ralph's voice. The trio still remained. Flashing my eyes, I boomed my voice at them.

"He said go!"

"Come on, why isn't anybody getting food or wood?" Ralph stressed. We watch the three boys retreat quickly and quietly. I nod at him curtly.

"AHHHH-" a splash cuts off the party cry. My attention was pulled to the disruption -- Young boys swinging off tree branches, launching themselves into the into the lagoon like it swallowed them up. A vision of beaming faces and hair flying back. Ralph shook his head, brown shaggy curls bouncing before I turned to leave. My eyes drift over to a certain patch of bubbles frolicking up in the water. Jack broke through the tense surface, a sopping mop of blonde hair plastered to his head.

He takes notice of me, and waves his hand up in the air before getting dunked back under by Billy. My eyes flash into a roll when his head pops back up, and he begins swimming over to me. I walk up to the rocky edge and cross my arms, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, 'Ronica," he spluttered, wiping back the wet mess of hair from his forehead.

"Hey there, Thin White Duke." I muttered back, observing his soaking condition with distaste. Calling him the names of different David Bowie personas was far better than calling him 'No-name kid.' 

Watching him rest his elbows on the water's edge and looking up at me, the light immediately caught his squinting eyes. His arms were outlined by a shimmery film of water, highlighting his toned frame more clearly.

"You guys shouldn't be messing around, seriously. Ralph said-"

"I don't care about whatever Ralph said," his hand crashed into the still surface, sending more ripples across the lagoon. Beads of water splash up into my face.

"So you're saying the assembly didn't do anything for you guys?" I start rubbing the water from my skin. He snickered quietly.

"It meant nothing."

I hide a simper and roll my eyes.

"Careful, Chickadee, keep rolling your eyes and they might just roll outta your head." A smirk plasters across his face.

"Screw you."

"I mean... If you really wanna screw me then by all means, go ahead. But lets at least get dinner first," he bowed his head slightly, lifting his hands up.

Uncrossing my arms, I give him a good kick in the head. "Ow-" a yelp emits from him.

"I know you're trying to deflate my head because you think I have an ego, but I don't think that's how you do it."

"Sure." I mutter, glancing away.

"Why don't you dip in?" Jack repels off the side of a rock. He began to back stroke a few feet, gesturing for me to join. I shake my head vigorously and cross my arms once more.

"No!"

The same smug smirk spread across his face, before dissapearing under the water. Stupidly, I take a step forward, peering into the lagoon, searching for any sign of him -- not a bubble or a ripple, minus the ones coming from the other rowdy boys.

I continue scanning the water, blocking out the sounds of splashes and screams coming from the surrounding area. After moments of delicate tranquility, Jack bursts up from the water like a bomb.

Without having time to think or say anything, he grabs my ankles and yanks me into the lagoon. I had a slight moment of panic as the chilled water engulfs all around me, reminding me of the plane crash.

Kicking frantically, I manage to splash up to the surface. The water burns my nose, the faint fiery pain seemed to travel behind my eyes. Treading the water to keep myself afloat, I whip my head around in all directions. You know that feeling as if you're a pawn being stalked by a shark? Yeah.

"Woah!!" I shriek, feeling Jack's hands around my waist. He lifted me up out of the water, and tossed me back in playfully. An abundant amount of water shoots up my nose.

"What are you trying to do? Kill me?" I grunted, rubbing my eyes. Him saying nothing else, he swims in my direction, only calmer this time. Taking this as an advantage, I snake my arm around his neck and shove him below the surface.

Struggling through laughs, he quickly ducked under and appeared a few feet away. Figuring i'd prefer to end the water war, I swam over to him, making the sunlight ripple with the small waves.

"You're an idiot, Merridew. You know that?" I splash him in the face.

"That stunt you pulled with Luke was pretty severe, don't you think?" He brought up the event.

"The extreme always seems to make an impression," I monotonously joke. He smiled at me, his white teeth clamping his lower lip subtly as his eyes studied my face hard. Damn you, Jack.

I pretended to be oblivious to his adrenaline rushing motive when he swam closer to me, rapidly closing the inches of space. Acting like I was focused on something off to the side, I rest on the likely idea that Jack probably didn't have the most wholesome thoughts impatiently sitting on his mind.

"You'd assume those kids would be tired of having their hands scraped up from swinging off the tree branches by now." I breathe through a chuckle, maintaining the casual attitude I was able to front up. The silence remains, making me squirm in discomfort.

Is he not gonna say something? A frown braces my confused face when he swims closer, and I finally turn my head to look at his sultry face. My perplexity swelled again at the foreign closeness.

"What are you doing, Jack?"

When I earlier submerged out of the surface, the water had slicked my flat hair back, now clearing my surprised face to full exposure for his simper.

Not accustomed to such a high level of intimacy with Jack, I sent anxious glances in every direction, frantically searching for something to use as an excuse for a scapegoat. The thick tension pulled tighter.

"Your pupils are wide as shit right now," he finally spoke, intently studying my reddened face. Unmoving, I blinked in position, and answered in an evenly monotonous splurge.

"I... wasn't even paying attention to your pupils." My brows were raised, my head shook side to side slowly.

His lofty stare finally crumbled at my flustered dribble of idiotic words, giving into the awkwardness for a charismatic laugh. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and allow myself to chuckle along.

"See, I knew that would get you," he grinned boyishly. I roll my eyes again.

"Merridew, your smirks should be considered a health hazard-"

"What are you doing?"

Piggy barged in on us. My legs stop momentarily and I bob under the surface. The sudden voice startled me, making me forget that I was treading in water.

Thrashing back up, I turn to see Piggy with a stern look on his face. He stood at the lagoons rocky edge with sunburned arms crossed over his chest. Piggy missed the context that would explain the bizarre reason for being in such close range to Jack

"Hey, Piggy." I mumbled as I clumsily maneuvered through the water to the rocky stoop. Swallowing hard, I glance back at Jack, more so looking past him, and peel myself out of the lagoon's clutches. Piggy impatiently tapped his foot, resting his hands on his hips. Heat welcomed me as I stepped out, intensified by the stern look the nerdish boy shot between Jack and I. With a feeling of being caught, I wrung out my sopping hair as I brush past him.

"You guys really need to stop messing around," he critiqued boldly. Being out of water above Jack must've served him an odd dose of unwarranted superiority. I felt embarrassed to be caught by Piggy, and I didn't even do anything!

"And you," he turned to me promptly. I can see Jack scowling over his shoulder. "I expected better from you!"

I open my mouth to say something, though I'm a bit surprised he had to guts to raise is voice at me. The hot air grazed my wet skin and sent a sheet of cold to blanket my body. It's now that Jack chooses to speak up.

"Why are you up in her grill, dumb ass?"

Startled, Piggy flinched back at the sound of the blonde's voice, suddenly cowering. With a trembling voice, he meekly stuttered out.

"Y-You're one to t-talk about being- being up in her grill..."

Arching a brow, I lean back into my hip and stare daggers at him, telepathically sending the message saying, seriously? He straightened up formally at the look, starting to breathe harder.

"What was that you said?" Jack progressed closer to the stoop, daring Piggy to say another word.

"Jack!" I hissed, meaning to grab his attention. His eyes fell on me with my clenched jaw and making a hand slicing movement across my throat while mouthing, stop!

"Don't get so buffery and stuttery on me now, you little bitch!" Jack laughed, clapping his hands together.

I sigh in exasperation and watch the blonde stand up in the shallow area. My hair was drying uncomfortably against the back of my neck, and sweat started replacing the gleam on my forehead.

"So go on! Speak up, tits!" He smiled widely, and gestured to the audience that now narrowed on the altercation. I squeeze my eyes shut and berate my whole life at this point. Piggy digs his own grave, and Jack only stirs the pot.

"Yeah! Say it louder so we can all hear what your fucking smart ass mouth has to say!"

"Yeah, Ms. Piggy!"

"Get outta here, Piggy!"

"Oink oink!"

"Kick rocks!"

"Piggy! Piggy!! Piggy!!!"

Sick, crude laughter traveled up through the air around us. It so simply just rolled off their tongues and soaked up in the poor boy's ears. An with the infectious disease of cruelty floating in the air, a nasty laugh left Jack's lips. It just spilled out so perfectly, like tipping a glass of water.

Piggy sends a pleading look in my direction. I purse my lips in perplexity. A silver glimmer reflects in his eyes and I could see that tears had formed.

"That's enough now, guys." I say in my most assertive voice. "Like, seriously."

Jack of course looks amused. I glared in Luke's direction when a wolf-whistle sliced through the air, snickers following it. I glance down, realizing my white shirt was a bit too see through after being in the water, and my skirt clung a bit too high up on my legs. Shit. I make a face at him and whip around uppishly.

"I'm going spear fishing where Samneric are." I announce to the nosey onlookers, mainly aimed at Jack. Marching away, it's pretty quick that I hear another pair of footsteps clambering over, struggling to keep up. Literally none of these boys break a sweat when keeping up with my swift pace, except for one.

The wheezing was a dead give away.

"Wait for me!" Piggy heaved many yards back. Asthma was his curse. Stamping my foot in place, I grit my teeth and reluctantly wait. He trotted over, unaware to my impatience that wore thinner. The moment he shot me a sheepish grin, I breath out through my nose to keep composure, and strided on.

"Your choice in boyfriends is odd!" He ranted casually as if I would even agree. I snap a hand up to cut him off.

"I'd sooner drown myself before dating Jack, thank you very much!" I correct him rudely. "And next time you're pissed at them, leave my name out of it."

With the conclusion, I speed up again. He stood for a moment but scrambled to stay by me at the realization I was moving.

"Well- Thanks." He puffed between breaths. "For shutting them up."

Sucking in a breath, I sourly purse my lips.

"Piggy, if you wanna make it in this world, you need to learn the cues of when you should keep your head down, and when you need to grow a backbone."

My tone was stern, almost like I was scolding him as a school teacher would.

"But... you argue back with them all the time!" He shrieked critically, like he wasn't comprehending. I sighed, calmer now and relaxing the stiffened stance so I wasn't speeding.

"Because I know how to stand my ground," I explained, looking at him now. "If you're gonna walk into something, keep going till you've made it to the other side. Don't walk back out the entrance, or you'll get bit. Got it?"

He pushed his glasses up the sweaty bridge of his nose, and didn't answer. I didn't expect him to, but I really don't wanna fight his battles for him.

Real life sucks losers dry. If you wanna fuck with the eagles, you have to learn to fly. Heather's reminder bounced in my skull like a broken record. An eagle is just another bird until it can spread its wings... I remember that from the movie, Carrie.

We all learn these lessons the hard way. That's life. Piggy finally spoke up with a change of subject.

"My auntie took good care of me, always spoiling me with treats and toys." He chuckled.

"After my parents died, she gave me everything. I think she felt guilty."

"What?" Guilt twinges in my chest. He nodded matter of factly.

"It's okay, I never really got to know them anyway. I was young." He explains. I swallowed the dryness in my throat to unpack everything that went on in the last ten minutes.

"Oh." Words of my voice were carried off. There's really nothing I can say. He was content, so why should I try to offer anything?

A sharp hot pain shoots up the soles of my feet. Shards. We were walking on small stones and fractured shells as we approach the rocky drop off. I bite the inside of my cheek to bear the stinging.

"I'm glad I have my aunt. That's what counts." He takes off his glasses and cleans the lenses on his shirt. Did the other boys know of this? I'm sure they do, right?

"I got glasses at the age of three." Piggy held up three fingers. "I'm the only kid in my class with them. I'm also the only one with asthma - makes you feel like you're breathing through a straw."

The rocky drop off that looked over the ocean neared, no longer a distant grey blob stalking us from the distance. Other boys from the group speckled the area, spears plunging into the frothy water.

"It's always the same with Jack and his buddies."

Him and I peered into a salty pool nearby. Our reflections stared back at us. Glistening sunlight danced with the ripples flowing over our mirror selves.

"Whatever people say about us... the insults don't define us." I say softly, biting back my tongue.

"Even if it's about your body, or the way you choose to live. Afterall, we're all just- temporary." My shoulders bobbed in a careless shrug. Piggy forced a smile.

"I guess you're right. Thanks."

"Mhm. We need to meet up with the others." I lead him away from the pool.

We begin to make our way down the rocky steep. I strip off my jacket. The rocks were extremely slick. To avoid falling, I did a weird crab-walk thing down the slabs of stone, getting scraped by some sharp rocks in the process. Barnacles painfully pressed into my palms and the soles of my feet but I finally hopped down onto a rock by Ralph.

"Hey," I huffed.

"Hey," he returns the half-hearted greeting. Waves crashed against the rocks, salt water barley licking at our ankles. The white-ish turquoise sea foam that was tossed up rushed over our feet, tickling a bit.

Samneric were both perched up on a higher rock mound, looking across the five feet of water that separated us.

"Hi, Veronica." A casual voice greets. I look over to see Pablo with a kind face.

"Hi," I greet back softly. Maybe I'm becoming liked? In that case, I won't be subject of every male's joke, perhaps?

"What made her take ten years to get here?" One of the twins chirped pointedly to his brother.

"- The older boys, obviously." The other one cut in. "Jack, specifically," he teased in a goo-goo ga-ga voice that I hated.

They both giggled, and the twin who made the comment started making obnoxious kissy faces. I open and close my mouth a few times like a confused fish, quickly shaking my head and deciding to ignore the childish gushing.

"Nah, I just got caught up with things." I correct quickly, mentally cringing.

"Maybe she's just too slow to navigate across the beach." The twin on the right continued as if I hadn't said anything. Lefty makes a loud scoff at the comment.

"And you're still too slow to navigate your way 'cross Valley Forge's courtyard."

I open my mouth to argue, but shut it again. They're like twelve, Veronica. How sad would it be for you to argue with them? I swallow my pride and let the insult roll off my back while they bickered back and forth.

"Uh... Which one of you is which?" I question sheepishly, hoping I would pick up on their differences soon enough. They didn't seem fazed by the question that I feared would offend them

"I'm Sam," piped the right twin.

"N' i'm Eric," the one on the left said.

"Sam-"
"-N' Eric"
"Sam-"
"-N' Eric"

The set of twins repeated this few times. I nod, trying to find a way to differ between the two.

"Sam, Eric, Sam, Eric, Sam, Eric..." I mutter to myself. I hear Ralph laugh behind me.

Maurice squatted down, staring into the water for any fish. I scanned as well, eyes burning into the waves like lasers, mentally filling myself with some odd form of- determination? Ralph's arm was still bandaged in a sling making the deal of holding a spear difficult. I held mine readily in my hands, straining my eyes to see through the frothy water.

Splash...Splash...Splash!

On the very top of the rocky hill, Jack, Roger, and Rapper threw rocks down at us. It was intimidating in a way, knowing they had such an upper hand. They were mostly aimed at Maurice, landing too close for comfort.

"Hey, cut it out!" He shrieked. We tilt our heads up to the three.

"Are you crazy? Stop it!" Ralph demanded. I stood up abruptly, making eye contact with Jack specifically.

"Hey, Jackass! You're going to seriously injure someone by doing that!" I warned hastily. The boys poutily tossed the final rocks in their hands into the water at us. Roger flung his at Ralph instead before they walked away.

"Way to show maturity!" I sarcastically called after them.

"Wanna know why Jack got sent to military school?" asked Eric. His brother attempts to speak over him.

"It's because he was in trouble," Sam adds matter of factly. Anyone could've figured that on their own. I raised an eyebrow at the two.

"So I've heard," I nod. Pablo scrunches his face in perplexity and popped a question.

"Who says?"

"Tony did!" Eric emphasized. The twin set down his spear, distracted from fishing.

"Jack told him he took a car, and drove it down the highway." Judging by the almost scripted tone, this is how they recount the story every time. I could tell by their voices, that they were fully convinced.

"He's a liar, he didn't steal a car," Pablo smiled doubtfully.

"He didn't say he stole it," said Sam.

"He just borrowed it. It was the neighbor's. And the neighbor was away, so he just like- borrowed it, and drove it on the highway," Eric informed. I jeered, humored by the explanation. Ralph wasn't believing Jack's little background story one bit.

"Jack told me the same thing. He probably just borrowed his dad's bicycle and rode it around the block," I joked.

"Then how come he got arrested?" Eric justified quickly.
"Yeah! By highway patrol!" Sam quickly blurted in turn. I blink and the two are already finishing phrases.

"They caught him doing-"

"-eighty!" they exclaimed in unison. I raise an eyebrow, smiling at the two halves.

Maurice thrusts his spear into the water. We jump up at once, stumbling our way over to him to view his catch.

"Ewwww," Pablo groaned.

"Blech!" Samneric both grunted, scrunching their identical faces. A puffer fish was retrieved from the water. The poor thing only half alive, probably enduring horrible suffering. I snatch the spear away from Maurice and gently shake the creature off the spear. It dropped into the water with a 'plop' sound.

"Is it gonna die?" questioned Sam or Eric. I'm assuming it was Sam.

"I don't know," I lied. Something invades my train of thought.

"Wait, where's Piggy? He never actually came down, did he?" No one answered me, indicating what I thought to be true.

I climbed up the rocks, grabbing my blazer and shoes in the process. I see Piggy a few yards away. He had his feet wading in the pool that we stopped at earlier.

"Hey, why didn't you come fishing with us?" He looked up at me.

"I can't get down the hill, on account of my asthma-"

"Sucks to your ass-mar," I lightheartedly teased. He returns a halfhearted laugh that quickly died away.

"Alright well, I gotta go find Jack. I need to lecture him about how he shouldn't be throwing rocks at people." I gave a small salute before sauntering off.

I see Jack in the distance. Him and Roger were sharpening spears under a palm tree. I march my way over angrily.

"What the hell, Merridew?!" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him.

"What now?" He asked wearily. Exhaustion dripped off his bored face. Roger made eye contact with me. Without saying anything, he turned back to his work.

"Since when has it ever been ok to throw rocks at people?" I quizzed, placing my hands on my hips.

"Ever since we got here, I guess." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"No one to tell us it's wrong... There's no adults, no academy, no teachers..." his voice trailed off.

"You could have hurt someone!" I exclaimed loudly. I hear a chuckle come from Roger.

"Since when do you care about people being hurt?" he muttered, unblinking. My teeth grit like rocks pressing together while I look at his vigorous slicing of wood as he carved the point of a spear. He continues the tangent.

"Especially since you feel the need to violently jump any person that says one comment about you..."

"Ha-ha," I respond in a monotoned laugh. Jack lifts the corner of his mouth, sauntering over to me slowly.

"Hey, don't get on her," he simpered mischievously. "At least now we know she isn't just some feisty college gal," he says to Roger.

Continuing, Jack turns to me. "She's a feisty college girl who got a bit too bold for her own good."

Roger nods, breaking in a nasty sneer. "She'll soon enough find out that the real world isn't so soft on confident bitches."

I squint my eyes. "I've already seen the real world, you just don't realize it."

Jack laughs, raising his brows to fake his impression. "Quirky. Glad to hear it, Vera." He slaps a hand on my shoulder.

"Jack Merridew, what will it take for you to shut the hell up?"

Roger leaned his head to the side while Jack pretends to think.

"I know!" He snapped his fingers. "Show me a good time that'll get me distracted enough to save your precious ears from the mouths of pesky high school boys."

He strode up to me daringly, our chests touching. I lift my chin and parody in the same snarky leer.

"Charming. If I threw a stick, would you leave?" With that, I step back slowly. Roger stood up, quickly defensive for his friend. Jack blew air through his lips and composed himself.

"Vera, Vera, Vera..." he sighed earnestly, shaking his head. "You really do know just how to argue when it appeals to your agenda."

I shrug with a hint of pride. Roger steps up out of nowhere. "That's how most of em' are. They're most bold when the attention's on them."

Jack's jaw drops, looking to me for confirmation frantically. I can see straight through the taunts. "Really, Vera? Do you like attention??"

"Yeah," Roger interjects. "Are you an attention seeking whore?"

"Am I a whore? Or am I a prude?" I quizzed hyperbolically, leaning into my hip. "Make up your mind. The last thing I need from you two is your fucking validation." I bite back.

They lean back, the ghosts of a smirk etched on both simpering faces.

"You know, I used to have a little speech I'd tell my acquaintances when they decided they were some man God over me. Gee, Jack, I had a really nice-"

"Save it," Roger cuts me off. "If you're gonna run your mouth -- at least use it for something worthwhile." He looked at me knowingly. "You'll find it to be plenty of use here."

My face darkens. "You don't deserve a fucking speech." My palm shoved his chest as a final dose of rebuttal before I whipped around promptly. As I walk away, I hear the sarcastic howls of, "oh no! Not the speech!" Echoed by immature laughter.

I grumble under my breath as I stamp off to another place that isn't anywhere near them.

"Just a sec, Rog." Jack chuckles from yards away. I mentally berate myself as I hear the approaching footsteps padding the sand behind my back.

"What now?" I say flatly, keeping my focus ahead. Blondie appears at my side.

"Hope you're proud of yourself," he comments simply, digging for a reaction. I nod my head towards Roger who has gone back to sharpening spears.

"Tell your Stephen-King-bully buddy to keep to himself."

Jack disappears from my side for a moment as he diverts direction behind us, groaning, "oh, my God," gripping his hair in the utter most annoyance. As soon as the tantrum ends, he's next to me once more.

"You just never know when to stop talking," he rants. "You always dig yourself a hole then blame it on other people. Why do you have to be such a bitch??"

"You're calling me the bitch?" I exclaim in disbelief. He nods matter of factly.

"Yes, I am. Because guess what; You're gonna deal with guys like us anywhere you go, so stop trying to change the people around you and let the act go."

"What act?" My upper lip curled into a scowl.

"The act that you're some perfect little college girl. But don't act like you weren't just the same as us two years ago. You were a mean girl. You were a bitch."

My voice drops an octave, and I look at him scathingly. "I will never act like you, I never have. Just because I was popular doesn't prove I was a mean girl."

He sighs through a laugh, biting his cheek. "Sure. And I'm not the first lieutenant," he says, his words stewing in sarcasm. My eyes dart to his tag at the mention of his ranking.

Blowing the whole argument off, he looks at me smugly. "Anywayyyy, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

I start sputtering in bewilderment. "I- you can't just... we just-!"

He arched a teasing brow, and his perfectly white teeth just had to bite his lower lip the way he always does. My gut recoiled in irritation.

"Ugh! God! Why are you like this, Jack!?"

He answers in lofty silence, his eyes giving me a misty look. My expression softens and I grumble under my breath in defeat.

"Just stop chucking rocks at people who are trying to mind their business."

He smirks and raises his hands in surrender.

"Yes, ma'am," Jack answers with such simplicity. "That's the only thing I needed to hear. That's the only reason I followed you."

"That's the only reason we're walking then?" I ask flatly, finally accepting what was.

"Yep, but you had to blow up on me."

Did he really not see the matter?

"But anyway, purposely throwing rocks near people is half the fun." He chuckled. "Like- you know you're missing on purpose, but it's the slight possibility of making a little mistake," he popped the last word like a bubble.

"It's not! What if you hit someone in the head?" I forcefully shove his arm.

"We aimed near them. If you're really gonna take everything I say so seriously, just know we won't hit anyone," Jack insists carelessly.

"Jack, if you hurt someone-"

"- I know for a fact, that if Veronica-Fucking-Sawyer noticed someone get hurt, she would not put up nearly the same fit as Ralphie boy." I whip around, ready to explode till I notice the famous smugness plastered across his face. I recognized the sarcastic tone staining his voice, now knowing he was only kidding.

Seeing him stifle a laugh, I smack my hand down, covering his face and shove his head back, only half teasingly.

"Jack Merridew, you're an idiot. You know that, right?" I put my blazer back on.

"Yeah yeah, i'll stop throwing rocks at kids, or whatever..." he agreed, looking to me with a playful grin. It infects me, and a tug yanks the corner of my lips.

"What if Roger throws rocks again?" I ask, looking for a reaction.

"He won't. And if he does i'll beat him up," Jack says with that same old tone of his.

"Mm, sure you would. But if you did, I wouldn't mind taking care of that on my own."

"Hm, if you'd fight for a bunch of little brats, and slap down a petty bitch, would you fight someone for me?" He stops us in our tracks, facing me fully.

"I must say-" he continues. "Despite how much grief Roger and I have given you, you've lasted longer than I thought you would."

"I can say the same for you," I answer simply.

"Oh?" He challenged, grinning down at me. "I mean, our arguing gets a little too fun..." he trails off. I flinch a few times as his hand reaches up to my face. "It makes me feel a certain type a' way."

I lower my chin, smiling in doubt. "So you mean to tell me that you aren't getting any sort of frustration out of our little rodeos?"

He shakes his head. "No, not that."

Something snakes around my waist. I realize then that it was his arm.

"I wish I could say that I still hate you, but c'mon," he mutters under his breath. "Our young instincts may just take over."

Oh, so he's really gonna go for this.

"Is that so?" I inquired, clamping my teeth on my lower lip. Deciding to play along, my arms hook around the back of his neck, and I feel him pull me closer - the way any desperate man would. I get a rush of adrenaline to see how easily he was roped in by the sound of a seductive tone.

No trace of mockery is seen now, and his innocent teasing transmits into a different emotion. He was so willing, but I wasn't surprised.

"That depends." He answers. "You gonna keep asking questions?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Would someone like you, Jack, ever be seen with me and still act proud?"

"Who knows," he crooned. "Let's put that to the test, yeah?"

Our lips are only centimeters apart with a useless barrier of air. I can feel his breath brush my face. Well, that was quick. I didn't think we'd get to this point so fast, but that proved to me that Jack was easy. The thirst and insufferable yearn for human touch was absolutely pathetic.

It didn't take much for him to eagerly press himself against me like a vile dog. For him to submit at the slight possibility that I would actually mess around with him. That thought made this all the more amusing to witness.

"Testing each other out would be the most infuriating thing to endure by the time we'd be through." I tilt my head to the side with my answer. Jack tried again.

"Probably," he agreed. "Why would I wanna waste my time on an island fighting with a girl like you, when we could spend it in other ways?"

"Why you would want to argue -- I wouldn't know," I chuckle. "But I think I have a bit more self respect than to engage in such actions with you."

I pull back, a coy expression sinking into my petty smirk. Jack laughs in disbelief for the tease I insensitively, yet humorously pulled.

"For the sake of humanity, Jack..." I mock his overly smooth crooning voice, letting the words slip off my tongue like dribbling water.

"Touch some grass before you burst a vessel."

"C'mon, Sawyer. You want to tell me you're that righteous?" He quizzed, squinting at me. "I can read you more than you think."

"I'm sure you can," I muse in doubt, walking ahead of him. My playful breeziness was foreign to him. Should it have come from anyone else, he wouldn't have taken it as such a surprise.

"You're a tease." His voice floats into my ears. I turn to him, the sly grin hasn't dissipated from my face.

"Don't throw rocks next time, Merridew." He chuckled softly, continuing to walk by my side.

"For real, though. I would rather propose that we become friends for real. Get to know each other, yeah?"

I hum and tap my chin. "I'll think about it."

And this is where the digging my own grave starts.

♕︎♕︎♕︎

Hell, I don't even know if it's possible for you to receive all this.