Island Rush (Sample)

Chapter 16

It was expected that things were going be awkward after what just went down. So I wasn't surprised when he didn't say much after that. I not only told him about my past and how he was giving up something precious with his mother, but I also told him exactly how I felt about Jill. In reaction to that, he was wearing a mask, hiding his feelings and opinions on everything I dumped on him. At least he now knew what my views were on his relationships, which I guess had good and bad sides to it.

It was good because I felt so much better telling him everything. I've wanted to do that, and now, it was pure relief. It was bad because I knew how this looked to him. I never met Jill, and therefore, I guess I had no right to say such things. He probably thought I was a jealous girl with a schoolgirl crush on him.

Right now, we were walking. Not a sound passed between us other than our breaths. We could thank the sun, the amount of time we have been walking, and the shit we were carrying. In the hours we have been walking, I drank two shells of water. It was not enough, but we had to save some for later.

We noticed that the flint we had been carrying could be discarded. The further we walked parallel to the beach, the more sources of flint we found. It allowed him the space to shove the remaining shells of water into his pocket as he carried the bananas. That's why now, I was the lucky one carrying just the spear.

Besides dealing with that, there were no other words exchanged. We just continued walking under the shade of passing trees. The sun showed no mercy, especially towards my black shorts which attracted its rays even more. Not wearing a shirt wasn't even helping. As more time passed as we moved... it became too much.

We were walking only for a few hours when we had to stop. We collapsed to the ground in relief and ended up sitting against the biggest tree we could find blocking the sun. When our rapid breathing calmed, my eyes met his after avoiding them this whole time. I didn't need to ask.

Reaching into his pocket, he handed me a shell of water. Mr. Rush took one out for himself too. After tilting the opening up so the water wouldn't spill, he picked the piece of clay out. I did the same and put it to my dry lips, tasting the wonderful warm water. It wasn't just water I was swallowing either. Mr. Rush took this water in his mouth and drained it into the shell. It was gross but at the same time, as pathetic as it sounds, it was thrilling in a sense too.

I must have blushed because when our eyes met, his gaze left mine and turned out towards the beach in a flash. I sighed. We were already fighting to live on an island. We didn't need any more drama.

"Look, Mr. Rush, I am sorry for calling Jill a bitch, okay?" I said in a hurry.

He looked back to me and when he did, his eyes traveled down my body in a swift motion. I just barely saw it before his eyes returned to mine. I was still self-conscious, walking around him in shorts and only a bra. So with him specifically looking at me like that... I can only imagine how awful I must look. The heat was making me sweat terribly. It ran down me in droplets, burning my eyes. I forced my full attention to his response.

"Huh? Oh... well, thank you, Janice," he said, uncomfortable. He also looked guilty. It was enough to make me recognize what his mask was hiding.

I offered a sad smile. "That isn't even what you're dwelling over," I said, nodding to myself. "It's your mom. You should know I didn't mean to invade your personal life like that. I guess what you said just..." I trailed off and shook my head, not sure how to explain it to him.

"Just hit you in a spot that was too much to ignore," he finished for me.

I nodded, and my sad smile was replaced with one of admiration towards him. "That is exactly it. I am sorry for the way I decided to tell you. The way I did it was childish."