The Boy Who Couldn't Hold His Breath Underwater ✔

I Knew You Were Scared

I heard steps behind me but I ignored them, thinking it was probably other campers coming to swim. I reached the shore and there was no one else yet so I took off my hoodie and phone and left them on top of the rock. I climbed in the boat and pushed it off the shore. When I turned around I saw Even running towards me. My mouth dropped open when he jumped and landed straight into the boat, making it swing from side to side and for a moment I was afraid it would flip.

"What the hell, Even?"

"I can't let you go by yourself", he replied.

"Go away."

"No."

I stared at him. I wanted to be alone yet here he was, refusing to leave. Had he seriously ditched Sonja to run after me? Why would he do that?

He sat down and I did so too because one shouldn't stand in a boat. I kept glaring at him and he raised his eyebrows.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"I wanted to be alone."

"Well you can't go rowing alone. It's against the rules."

I sighed. "Fuck the rules."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Seriously, what is wrong?"

"Nothing."

Hell to the no. I wasn't going to tell him that I felt kind of jealous when I saw him kissing his girlfriend. I wasn't going to tell him that I kind of had developed a small crush on him during these few days we had been on the island because that would sound crazy and I was probably just imagining everything and he didn't like me back. I started rowing away from the shore.

"Is it Emma? Did something happen with her?" Even asked.

I groaned. "Why everyone keeps thinking I have a thing for her?"

Even shrugged. "It seems pretty reasonable conclusion."

"You know nothing", I hissed through my teeth, rowing as fast as I could until I couldn't see the shore anymore through the woods.

"I do have a girlfriend, though", Even said. "I know a thing or two about girls."

"But you don't know anything about me."

"You're acting stupid."

"You're stupid", I shot back childishly but I also didn't care. "You can go back to your stupid girlfriend and keep your stupid conclusions to yourself."

Even laughed which irritated me even more. What was going on in his pretty little head? I would have really liked to know.

"Wow", he said. "Are you jealous?"

My mouth dropped open. "What? Me? Jealous? Pfft, of course not."

"I think you are."

"You wish", I said, rolling my eyes so hard I could almost see my brain.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you jealous because I have a girlfriend and you don't or are you jealous because you'd like to be in Sonja's place?"

My eyes widened. That was so blunt and unexpected and just what the fuck? Why would he say something like that?

"You're kidding me, right?" I said.

He shrugged and grinned. "Maybe."

"I'm not gay", I said matter-of-factly, feeling the need to explain myself even though literally no one asked. Maybe I was a bit gay but I wasn't going to admit that out loud to him.