Island Jumper 3

by M H Ryan

  “Eliza, what do you think about making a second home on the boat?” I asked.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Eliza said.

  “See, she likes it too,” I said to Cass, hoping she remembered the clairvoyant nature of Eliza.

  “Of course she does, she’s part of the I’m-fucking-Jack group,” Cass said.

  I set my leaf down on the sand, stood up, and walked over to Cass. She put the last bit of food in her mouth as she looked up at me.

  “Get up,” I said.

  “What?” she asked with a mouth full of food.

  “We need to have a private talk,” I said and nodded to the forest.

  She swallowed and then said, “Oh, is this my initiation into the club? Will I finally get some respect after this?”

  “Shut up,” I said, my temper flaring. “Get up and move.”

  “Are you serious?” Cass asked.

  I reached down, but she got the clue and stood up from the stump without me touching her.

  “Okay, I’m going,” Cass said.

  I could hear the snickers from behind us as we walked into the forest, and I heard Aubrey muttering something about it being about time.

  Chapter 23

  We walked in silence for a way into the forest, past the fern patches and getting near the waterfall. I stopped, and Cass stayed with me. We stood, facing each other, and she had a confused expression on her face.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I’m going to give you a chance, right now, to tell me honestly what’s going on with you. If you aren’t honest with me, we’re going to have problems.”

  “Why are you acting so…different?” Cass asked, eyeing me with a cocked brow.

  “I’ve given you slack. I’ve allowed you to be lazy and rude to the group because of what has happened to you out here, and I keep hoping that you’ll turn a corner but you aren’t changing. You might even be getting worse.”

  “What do you expect from me?” Cass said, some red flowering on her chest and neck. “I’ve been here for what, a week, and all of you are so happy, and functioning as a team. And here I am, standing on the outside, looking in.”

  “Wrong, I’ll give you one more chance to tell me what’s really going on. Because something has set you off today,” I said.

  She looked up at me, and I could see another lie biting at her lips. I glared at her, daring her to tell me another story. She closed her mouth, lips thinning, and she turned away from me. When she faced me again, tears were in her eyes.

  “I heard you and Emma last night,” Cass said.

  “What?” I said.

  “You and she had a conversation about what she saw in you. She told you how amazing you are and how much you loved the girls, but I’m not included in that love. You don’t look at me in the same way as you look at them.”

  “So this is about jealousy?”

  “No, it’s not jealousy…” She rubbed her forehead, and I could tell she was struggling with what to say.

  “Just talk to me, Cass,” I said. “Speak from the heart and stop trying to think of what to say and just say it.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to go on this trip,” Cass said. “I didn’t tell my boyfriend or my family. I just wanted to escape it all. I wanted to be rid of that life they created for me.”

  “I know about escaping, but if you wanted this, why are you fighting it so hard against it out here?” I asked.

  “Because I wished for this,” Cass said and sobbed. “I literally prayed for this to happen.”

  “You know you didn’t cause this, right?”

  “I know,” Cass said softly.

  I put my hand under her chin and raised her gaze to mine. “This isn’t your fault.”

  “I feel guilty, Jack, and not just for the prayer, but for what this place has made me feel. Hearing you and Emma last night brought everything home. And then you said you liked her. Just like that…so easy. Jack, I like you, even when everything tells me I shouldn’t. I have a boyfriend. I have a life paved out for me back home, but I keep looking at you.”

  “You haven’t shown me that you are even remotely interested in me,” I said.

  “Why would I? I can’t have you. The other girls are beautiful and funny and wonderful people. Everything I’m not,” she sobbed, face twisting.

  “Remember when you and I were fishing?”

  “Yeah.”

  “At that moment, I got to see the real you, and you were everything you just described, but then you reverted back to this mean girl that is disrupting the group.”

  “Jack, I can be that girl again for you,” Cass said, rushing toward me.

  I leaned back as she pressed against me. She and I were nearly the same height, and I stared into those eyes full of pain and confusion. She went in and kissed me, her lips pressing against mine.

  I did not kiss her back.

  She backed up and looked confused.

  “You don’t get my affection that easily,” I said. “That has to be earned.”

  “What do you mean, earned? The other girls lay with you, and they are your everything. I want to feel that.” She moved against me again.

  I lightly pushed her back from me.

  “No one has ever pushed me away,” Cass said, and some of that sass came through those bloodshot eyes.

  “I am, and I will keep pushing you away for as long as you push our group away from you. After you heard Emma describe my feelings for them, you should know better than most how I am with the other girls.”

  “You love them,” Cass said. “Unconditionally.”

  Love. I’d heard the word last night, and now again with Cass, and then it hit me. I felt like such an idiot, and I wanted to rush back to camp right then, but I had to finish with Cass first. She was not quite there yet.

  “I do love them.”

  I hadn’t said that before—not out loud. I did love them. This was not just an infatuation, but a love that I could hold onto for the rest of my life. Even if a ship came to our island right then, I knew my life would be with them.

  I continued. “Then you know it’s not a crush or a physical desire but a true love. I would do anything for them, and they would for me, too. We put those that we love before ourselves and know that no matter what, we have each other. Especially out here.”

  I was speaking to myself as much as her.

  “Then what about me? See what I’m saying? Where do I fit in all this?” Cass asked.

  I took a deep breath. She wasn’t getting it.

  “You say you like me, and I know you like the girls back at camp, but every opportunity you get, you insert a pissy comment or a spiteful look for what seems like the sheer sport of it. I don’t really care what you’ve left behind, or that you’re having issues with your feelings for me, or you have guilt about being here. All of your shit ends now.” I pointed to the ground for emphasis.

  “I’ve never seen you like this,” she said, putting a hand over her chest.

  “I don’t have time for this shit, and I don’t have time for some spoiled brat to not put in her fair share of work. When we get back to camp, I want to see a different you. The real you. Not the one trying to be mean, for whatever stupid reason is floating around in your head. And if you don’t start behaving, your time out here will just be misery for you, because all the rest of us will just keep on being happy.”

  “No one has ever—”

  “No one has ever what? Told you in simple terms what they expect of you? I’m guessing your dad never said no, right? I’m guessing you were an only child, and mommy poured all her love into you, but it was in the wrong way. She smothered you, and your daddy spoiled you, and then a Prince Charming came in, and all the pegs fit the holes and everything in the world seemed perfect—but there was one problem, wasn’t there?”

  She cried and stared at me in horror. “Jack, please.”

  “You were miserable, and the fact that you had everything and were still miserable made you c
rack. It made you run from everything and get on that boat. It made you land here.”

  She moved toward me and then stopped herself. She wanted to hug me, but I wasn’t in the hugging type of mood with her.

  “I couldn’t breathe, Jack. I felt as if there was a corset wrapped so tight around me that my heart would stop beating from the pressure.”

  “And when you got here, you tried to go back to what was normal. Being miserable and abusive and spoiled.”

  “It’s what I knew, Jack. It was my comfort from all this,” Cass said, tears streaming from her face. “I didn’t know what real love was.”

  “Yet I showed you. We all showed you every day, and you still pushed back against us all.”

  “I swear, Jack. I’m not going to do that anymore. You’ve made me realize what I’m doing out here, and I’m so sorry.” She moved toward me again, her arms reaching before she put them back at her side and stayed back from me.

  “You can hug me,” I said.

  She rushed toward me, exploding into sobs as she pushed her face against my shoulder. I held her, and I felt some of my anger falling away. I couldn’t relate to most of what she was going through, but out here we didn’t have years of therapy to wait for some breakthrough. I needed a cohesive group. I needed everyone to know that each person had their backs no matter what, and I needed a person that would put in the work to make something awesome out of difficult situations.

  I nudged her back, holding onto both of her shoulders and held her gaze.

  “Now, you said you like me. Cass, I like you as well—when you are you. So I’m not saying you and I can never be… something more, but affection is the result of trust and actions. I expect you to behave and be kind to the girls around you. They love you so much and sacrificed so much to find you.”

  She nodded her head. “We seem to want to hurt the ones we care about most.”

  “No, those are the ones that you can hurt easier than anyone else. If we didn’t care about you, there wouldn’t be a thing you could have done to hurt us, and I think that was your way of seeing if we cared for you or not.”

  “I never thought of it like that.”

  “So every time you think of saying something to test that pain on us, do the opposite, and show us that you care for us.”

  “Okay, I will. I promise.”

  “And if you start giving us trouble again, I will make a belt just to spank you with.”

  She sucked in a breath, and I thought I heard a soft moan from her. “I like this side of you, Jack. I feel like you could take me right here, and there wouldn’t be a thing that I’d do to stop you.”

  “No,” I said flatly. “I’m not cheap, Cass. Now, I am going back to camp, and I want you to apologize to everyone for your behavior and tell them you are a changed person and want a second chance.”

  “You think they’ll give me a second chance?” Cass asked. “I mean, I watched Benji once struggle for hours with heavy rocks, moving them to the stream, and I didn’t help. How can she forgive me?”

  “Stop it,” I said. “Don’t play a victim to me. It’s not going to work. I can’t say if they will forgive you right away, or if the wounds will take time to heal, but as with me, you will have to earn it.”

  She nodded as if she understood and I think she did. I hoped she did. With a feeling the conversation was over, I headed back to camp, with hopefully a new Cass to present to the group.

  Chapter 24

  Cass gave a heartfelt apology to the group. Some of the girls were crying, and by the end, they were all hugging a shocked Cass. She hadn’t expected such quick forgiveness, but I knew the girls. While Cass had said crappy things and been a rather mean-spirited, lazy person, she wasn’t beyond redemption.

  With the girls letting go of Cass and finding their way back to their seats, I stepped toward the middle of the circle, near the fire.

  “Cass, I couldn’t be happier about you deciding to make a change for the better,” I said.

  “It was because of you,” Cass said, smiling with puffy eyes. “I never want to hurt any of you again.”

  “Good, and we’ll be keeping you honest,” I said with a smile. “Now, I want to address something else, and this may not involve all of you, but I need to speak on the matter of my relationship with you all.”

  “Go on,” Aubrey said, crossing her leg and leaning forward with great interest.

  “During these last two weeks, I’ve grown closer to you guys than I ever thought possible. Some I have even been intimate with.”

  “More than intimate,” Aubrey said, nudging Sherri.

  “Yeah, and that’s kind of what I wanted to talk about.” I cleared my throat, not nervous about what I was about to say but wanting to make sure it came out in the right way. “Speaking with Emma and then again with Cass today, I understand the importance of being open with the ones you care about. I don’t want there to be any room for doubt. I don’t want there to be a question ever raised about how I feel about you.”

  I made sure to pay special attention to the ones with whom I’d shared my love within a sexual context.

  “I love you ladies, and we’ve formed more than just a bond—we’ve formed a concrete foundation for love.”

  “I love you, too,” Benji said, tearing up.

  “Thank you, Benji,” I said.

  “Me too,” Aubrey said.

  “We all love you, Jack,” Kara said. “Well, maybe some more than others.”

  “Dude,” Sherri said. “I fucking love you more than Aubrey does, and that’s a lot.”

  “Please,” Aubrey said, rolling her eyes and then giggled. “Why the sudden love fest, Jack?”

  “Cass has expressed that she likes me,” I said.

  “Jack…” Cass said, turning a shade of red.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Benji said. “Jack’s such a good lover. Generous, kind. He came in my mouth and then went right down on me after. I nearly cried. What kind of man does that?”

  “Wow,” Emma said. “You guys are comfortable with each other.”

  “Hell yeah, no other way to be,” Aubrey said.

  “I’ve never been happier to have a man in my life,” Sherri said. “I would rip those stupid shorts right off Jack right now if we didn’t have freaking weapons to make.”

  I took a deep breath, feeding off the look Sherri gave me. She wanted to devour me, and I wanted it to happen.

  “I think it’s safe to say we’re going to be bringing in more of your sorority sisters, and as our group grows, I don’t want things to be hidden from anyone. I want a complete and open group.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Benji asked.

  “This group needs a clear leader, for starters,” I said.

  “That’s simple,” Sherri said, looking confused. “You’ve been our leader since day one.”

  “Yeah, Jack, you’ve kept us alive out here and saved others,” Kara said. “I would follow you to the ends of earth…which I think is where we are.”

  “I’m glad to hear you guys feel that way, but I want to put it to a vote.”

  All the girls raised their hands.

  “That means I will have final say on all major decisions,” I warned.

  “With counsel?” Eliza asked.

  “Of course.”

  They all kept their hands up and I motioned for them to lower them.

  “But there are moments where we will need a single voice in command and as your chosen leader, I promise to keep all of you as safe and happy as I possibly can. Now back to my love for you all. Cass made me realize something today, and that is what we can look like from the outside, especially to a new member. Right now I have a sexual relationship with five of you: Kara, Benji, Sherri, Aubrey, and Eliza.”

  Eliza had the biggest smile, as if she was just included in some exclusive club.

  “I want to speak to you five. The chances of us getting off these islands seem slim, but I will do what I can to make that happen. I want to
commit to you five, right here and now. We don’t have to call it anything formal, but I want a union between us. I want something that lets everyone know that we are together now and forever. Even if we left these islands, I never want you all out of my life. Now, I don’t need an answer right—”

  “Am I going to be your wife now?” Benji asked, interrupting me, tears of excitement welling in her eyes as she rapidly patted her legs.

  “We’re going to be his wives,” Aubrey corrected.

  “No, I didn’t mean… We don’t have to name it—”

  “Oh, I’m going to be your fucking wife,” Sherri said.

  “Same here,” Kara said. “I’ve been wanting to wrap you up since the moment in that cave.”

  “Like, this means we’re together, forever?” Eliza asked.

  “Yeah, all of us,” I said.

  “What about other men?” Emma asked.

  “No,” I said flatly.

  “Good,” Benji said. “I only want one.” She stared at me, looking as happy as I’d ever seen her.

  “So, wait,” Eliza said. “I don’t know this kind of stuff, but you’re saying, you’ll never leave me?” Tears flowed from her eyes.

  “Yes, I love you, Eliza and if you will have me, I want to make a commitment to you five,” I said.

  “Can others join in this group?” Emma asked.

  “Of course,” I said.

  “With council,” Aubrey added. “We don’t want anyone that is bad for Jack trying to get to him.” She glanced at Cass for a second.

  Eliza sobbed, and Kara went to her, hugging her.

  “We’re all together with him. It’s like a big family now,” Kara said.

  Eliza got up, running to me with Kara right behind her. They nearly tackled me, colliding into me and hugging me tightly.

  “Oh, I want some of this,” Sherri said, rushing over to us.

  Benji and Aubrey were right behind her.

  “We need to have something to symbolize that we’re with Jack,” Benji said.