“you’ll be the saddest
part of me, the part
of me that’ll never
be mine.”
TO SAY THAT THE LAST MONTH had its ups and downs might have been an understatement in the eyes of Red Shoupe.
In fact, it was the biggest emotional roller-coaster Red had ever had to face. From picking coconuts, to fishing for food, and even crafting, it was fair to say that she definitely had to adapt to new environments.
She knew the basics. If you count knowing how to rub two rocks together to start a fire as basic survival skills. She’d definitely learned more than she had come with, but Red still couldn’t help but feel like dead weight when it came to her place within the pogues.
Constant treasure hunts left little to no time to hang out without being in danger of Ward or Rafe Cameron. Something was always there.
But that was what a month on a deserted island was for. A whole month to learn more about eachother. Red couldn’t say she didn’t enjoy it, even in the harder moments.
When it came to JJ? Red would almost laugh about how lucky she was to have him. Until it wasn’t funny anymore. The first two weeks were pure paradise between the two of them. Couple stuff, spending every second of every day together. How could things get any better?
Red Shoupe came to learn that when life feels like it can’t get better, it’s because it can’t. It can only stay the same if you're lucky. But for most, it usually just gets worse.
When they were alone, everything was close to heaven. It was only when Kie came around that every word she and JJ exchanged felt like burns to Red’s skin. Red knew Kie didn’t mean to, or at least she hoped she didn’t.
It was just that JJ treated Kie different. Not bad different, but not good. JJ would treat Red like a princess, but Red felt like nothing when she saw JJ steal glances at Kie.
She’d never felt more alone in moments like those. But everything would turn around, and Red would feel better when she remembered how JJ treated her.
There was certainly not a problem there.
That evening, Red found herself sitting on a wooden bench around the barely burning fire. With the Swiss army knife JJ had brought from home, she made a hobby of sculpting and carving things and people into the wood. She had gotten pretty good at it. Well, as good as one woodwork class could give somebody.
Red could carve nearly anything with the scraps of wood John B would pick up for her, returning almost every time he left with some for Red.
John B of all people understood just how much Red needed a hobby. He was the one who had shown up for her the most during their time on the island. It only made Red adore him even more than she did originally.
Because while Kie and JJ spend time together getting close, so did Red and John B. The two had become very close and had more than they’d thought in common. Sometimes it seemed that their minds were wired the same.
Like that feeling, you get when you're telling someone how you feel when something happens, and they say, ‘Exactly! I feel the same.’ That’s how it felt every time Red talked to him, and when John B talked to her.
Sometimes, Red talked to John B about things she just couldn’t talk about with anyone else. They were each other’s safe place. When no one showed up for John B when he found out that Ward killed his father, Red searched the island high and low to comfort him, not leaving his side the entire night.
It was Red’s most valuable friendship, undoubtedly. And all the other pogues knew that.
The wind blew softly through Red’s hair, but she didn’t let it bother her enough to draw her attention from the carving. She didn’t know what it was yet, but she usually let herself decide once she could already see it in the wood.
Red heard someone creep up on her from behind, soon feeling JJ grab her waist, tickling her from behind. “Stop that!” Red laughed, bringing her knees up to her chest to try to get him off of her.
JJ laughed softly from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and glancing down at the wood. “What is it?” He asked, his blue eyes fixated on Red’s movements.
“I don’t know yet, Red replied, careful not to cut her finger with the sharp movements she made.
“You wanna come to see the flag?”
Red turned her head towards him, setting down the knife and wood, and nodding her head, allowing JJ to lead her to where he had tied the white flag to a tree.
Red chuckled lightly, putting her hand on her forehead to block the sun. “That is amazing. You even did the chicken thing!”
“Hell yeah, I did the chicken thing.” JJ smiled, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind Red, laying a soft kiss on her head. “Paradise, baby. Paradise.”
“J!” Kie called, running up to the two of them from wherever she came from. “You coming?”
“Yeah, I’m comin’,” JJ responded, letting go of Red and walking away, turning back towards her again. “I’ll see you in a bit!”
“Don’t stab your foot!”
With a small sigh hidden under Red’s breath, she walked away from the two of them, looking around to see that she was alone. Pope and Cleo had gone to get food, She didn’t know where John B and Sarah were, and Bennie had gone who knows where. Bennie had surprisingly been the one who invented new things that they could use. Stuff nobody else thought about. She hadn’t told anyone what her latest ‘project’ was, but it was bound to finish soon after her last.
This was how it was most of the time. Just Red and her carvings every time other people were busy. It kept her occupied most of the time. She sat back down on the log bench, picked the carving and Swiss knife back up, and got to work.
“RL!” A voice called, approaching her quickly. Red turned her head, not that she didn’t need to know who was calling. There was only one person who called her RL, standing for Reding Lucille, of course. “Whatcha doin’,” John B asked, taking a seat next to her on the log.
“Wasting time. What’s new?”
“Where’s JJ at?”
“He’s probably still fishing with Kie,” Red replied, gazing out into the distance. “What about Sarah?”
John B sighed, always ready to tell Red about anything. It came naturally. That’s why they were so comfortable around each other. “Sarah thinks she saw her dad and Rafe. Again.”
“I mean… she’s traumatized. I get it.” Red shrugged, facing back down to her carving, which still hadn’t found its shape. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine now. I had to reassure her.” John B assured, facing his attention to Red’s issues. “What about you? We could trade thoughts and sleep on it for eachother, like always.
“Well, you know I’m always looking for an excuse to talk.” Red chuckled, instantly knowing what to tell him. It was usual at this point. “Same old, same old.”
“They do seem pretty close, don’t they?” One of the things Red loved most about talking to John B, is that he wouldn’t bullshit her. They’d tell eachother straight up. They wouldn’t lie just to make eachother feel good. It’s an underrated value. “Well, the way I think about it, you either stand up to it, or it stands up to you.”
“I think it’s already done that. Hence the topic.”
“Well, I know your not the confrontational type when it comes to your boyfriend, but at some point, you need to take it up with JJ.”
“I know.” Red sighed. “Everything’s just so great now, I don’t want it to change anything.”
“The more you wait, the more it’s gonna hurt.” John B reminded, getting a sigh out of Red. She really was lost. At least she had John B to set her back when she fell out of place, but she didn’t know if the boy could convince her to talk about it with JJ. It was a sore subject, that settled. John B wrapped one arm around Red, pulling her closer to his side with a hug. “I’m sorry it’s like this, Red. But it will get easier, alright? It can’t rain forever.”
“I know it won’t,” Red assured, not really in the complete belief that it would turn around immediately, but trusting that John B had a point. “And of course, on top of that, I feel useless. Everyone’s out there doing something helpful and I’m over here… carving wood.”
“Hey, don’t say that.” John B lightly hit Red’s side with his elbow. “You can do just about anything on this island. What’s stopping you?”
“Think about it, JB. I can’t spear or fish with JJ and Kie because I stabbed Cleo’s foot, I still don’t think she’s forgiven me for that. I can’t build with you and Sarah, because I always end up knocking something over”
“You broke one stick, It was no big deal.”
“Still. I can’t go hunting with Cleo and Pope because I almost twisted my ankle climbing those rocks, and I can’t make new things with Bennie because I have almost no creative motivation.”
“Red.” John B sighed, feeling bad that Red talked about herself so poorly. “Your welcome to craft with me and Sarah anytime, and I’m sure nobody else will mind having you around. Not everyone’s good at something first try.”
A few minutes after John B’s little pep talk, Red alongside all the pogues sat around the fire, playing a game of truth or dare for fun.
“Ok, John B, your turn. Truth or Dare?” Sarah asked, the circle of turns rotating back to her.
“Alright, alright, truth.” John B stood up, holding his arms out for the truth hat.
“Truth?” Sarah handed the straw hat to the boy who then put it on his head. “If you could do it all again… what would you do different?”
“Uh, get the gold out before Ward did.” JJ acquired, turning his head in the direction of the pogues.
“Maybe hide the cross a little better,” Pope added, the circle now rotating to Kie.
“Not yell, ‘murderer’ at Ward, maybe.”
“Yeah, probably wouldn’t jump into the Twinkie and follow John B to the tarmac.” Bennie breathed through her teeth, looking back at the decision in cringe. “Not a good move on my part.”
“Maybe steal a couple of bottles of rum before we jumped off that boat.”
“Yeah, why didn’t you do that actually?”
“I don’t know, JJ. Maybe because I was in a fight to the death.” John B retorted, earning a chuckle from Kie.
“I would look both ways before crossing the street,” Cleo admitted, looking back at when she was run over back in Barbados.
“Nothing,” Red spoke, earning eyes from the pogues sitting around her. “I don’t feel like I did anything wrong, y’know? We’re all here, I have everything I need. Although I would literally kill all of you for a hot shower right now.”
The group laughed for a moment, then turned to John B. “Your turn, chief.”
“Alright, Kie, truth or dare?” John B leaned over, dropping the hat on Kie’s head.
Kie shook her head, unfazed by the silly game. “Truth.”
“Alright, um… if you could go home to your parent’s house on figure eight… this instant… would you do it?”
Kie squinted her eyes in thought, thinking about the right response. She gave the pogues a reassuring smile, “No chance.”
“Seconded!”
“‘No chance.’”
“The shower is tempting though.” Kie joked, looking over at Red, who gave her a head nod.
“I could use a fat shower right now.” John B smiled, throwing the hat over towards JJ.
“JJ, truth or dare?”
“I mean, do you even need to ask?” He questioned, picking up the hat and putting it over his blonde hair.
Kie pointed the knife over to the cliff, Red felt her heart drop as she could already guess what the dare was. “Big jump, no one’s done it yet. Dare.”
JJ immediately stood up, getting ready to walk over towards the big cliff as his friends cheered him on before Red stopped him, “You don’t need to do it. You know that right? It’s a long way down.”
“I know,” JJ replied, taking Red’s hand off his shoulder. “I want to.” With that, JJ continued climbing up to the big cliff, his blonde head soon appearing climbing further and further to the edge.
“He’s not gonna do it!”
“Oh, I won’t, huh?”
“No, way!”
“It’s highly dangerous, uh, zero reward. Yeah, he’s doing it.”
With a few steps back and then a few more steps forward, JJ dove off the cliff, doing a few flips in the process as the pogues cheered. Red was still nervous for him but continued cheering quietly like the rest of the pogues.
“Red, your boyfriend’s crazy!” Bennie exclaimed, waiting for the boy to come back out of the water.
Red took a few steps forward, anxiously waiting for JJ’s blonde head to come into view.
Soon, JJ would come out of the water, the pogues cheering and greeting him back to the shore with hugs and compliments as they walked back to the sand.
This was the life. The life of Red Lucille Shoupe. Or at least it was for now.
ahhhhh!!! welcome to season 3,
I hope you enjoyed the chapter !
I'm uploading chapters 1-4
tonight!
are we ready for some Rafe x Red
action???