Chapter Seventeen #3
He didn’t understand why Donny couldn’t simply move on. If a girl said she didn’t want to be with him anymore, Kash wouldn’t waste his time trying to win her back. Why would he want to date someone who didn’t want to date him? It made no sense.
Now it was morning, and Kash needed to pee. But he dreaded getting out from underneath the covers. It was going to be downright icy, but the longer he lay there, the more he had to go.
“Ginger? Are you awake?”
She mumbled something that Kash didn’t catch.
“What?”
“We’re going to die out here.”
Kash rolled his eyes—again. The drama was starting first thing. It was more than obvious that this girl had never had to struggle a day in her life. Which, good for her, but it made being stuck in this situation with her very annoying.
“I need to pee,” he said bluntly. “You want to come with me?”
“To pee?” she said, almost hysterically. “No!”
“I didn’t mean to watch or anything. But you probably need to go too.”
“I’m holding it. There’s no way I’m peeing outside.”
“Suit yourself,” Kash said, thinking she was being ridiculous. It wasn’t as if they had running water in this cabin. He’d already checked.
He scooted out from under the blankets and shivered as the cold morning air hit him. It would be even chillier outside, but he couldn’t wait another second to pee.
Walking outside made Kash catch his breath.
It was definitely colder out here, but as he looked around, he found it surprisingly peaceful.
He could see the water between the trees and was drawn in that direction.
He wanted to see if he could spot something .
. . anything. Maybe land, or a boat, or some kind of civilization.
He stopped to piss against a tree on his way toward the water, and felt much better now that his bladder was empty. Kash wasn’t sure where they were going to find fresh water to drink, but he’d worry about that later.
Just as he cleared the trees near the house they’d commandeered, the sun peeked out over the horizon.
Kash knew a lot of details about the sun. It was a yellow dwarf star, it traveled at an average speed of seven hundred and twenty thousand kilometers an hour around the Milky Way, and it was absolutely huge—about one point three million Earths could fit inside it.
But staring at it rising, as if coming out of the ocean, had him forgetting all the facts he’d learned and simply appreciating its existence.
It was silly, but he could’ve sworn he felt warmer when the first ray of sunshine hit his face.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The cold air almost burned his lungs, but he felt alive.
There was absolutely no sound out here. There was nothing but Kash and nature all around him.
He didn’t think he’d ever be the kind of person who enjoyed hunting or spending a lot of time doing outdoor stuff, but in this moment in time, he could understand why people climbed mountains, hiked across the country, or otherwise chose to spend large amounts of time camping.
He felt alive in a way he hadn’t in a very long time. Even spending time in Fort Bad Assery didn’t make him feel like he did right this moment. He felt tiny in the big scheme of the universe. He already knew how big the universe was, but right then, the scope of it really hit home.
Kash stood there, staring at the water and enjoying the feel of the sun on his face, for what seemed like forever, but in reality was probably less than a couple of minutes before he heard Ginger calling his name.
“Kash? Are you out there?”
He sighed. So much for his peaceful morning. But he wasn’t heartless. Couldn’t let Ginger think he’d somehow disappeared and left her all alone. He turned to leave, but immediately paused. He looked back at the water and closed his eyes.
“I’m okay, Mom. But if you and Linc could please come find me sooner rather than later, I’d appreciate it.”
He felt stupid saying the words out loud, but he hoped that maybe, just maybe, they’d fly across the water and make it to his mom. And Linc.
Kash had never been more grateful his mom had Lincoln Young. When she discovered he was missing, that he hadn’t made it to the robotics competition, she’d be a complete mess. But Linc would reassure her. Would do whatever needed to be done to find him. Of that, Kash had no doubt.
His job was to stay calm. To wait for whatever was going to happen next.
Either Donny would come back to get them, or someone else would find them.
Today, tomorrow, a week from now, a month.
However long it took, he’d try to be patient.
Because no way would his mom give up. She’d turn over every rock, browbeat whoever she needed to in order to get them to get off their butts and find him.
With the image in his head of his mom yelling at Donny, threatening him, Kash headed back into the trees toward the cabin.
All the while, Ginger continued to yell.
“Oh my God, Kash?! Are you okay? Did you get eaten by a bear?”
He sighed. Ginger was pretty stupid. Kash couldn’t believe she thought there were bears on this island. But he had to be patient with her too. She might be older than him, but she was na?ve and clueless in a lot of ways.
When he got back to the house, she was standing in the doorway with one of the blankets wrapped around her shoulders.
“I thought you were gone!” she accused, as soon as he got within earshot.
“I told you I was going to pee. Besides, where would I go?” He asked what he thought was a very reasonable question.
“I don’t know! But I’m scared! I want to go home! I’m hungry and cold and thirsty. We’re going to die out here, aren’t we?”
Drama queen for sure. “I want to go home too. I’m also hungry and cold and thirsty, but we aren’t going to die. We just have to wait for either Donny to come back and get us, or someone to find us.”
“Donny’s not coming back,” Ginger wailed, her shoulders slumping. “He always told me I couldn’t leave him. That I was his forever and ever. If he can’t have me, no one can. That’s always what he said.”
Kash didn’t understand that. Not at all. “Well, you did leave him, and when everyone finds out what he did, he’ll be in big trouble. You think your parents won’t look for you?”
“Of course they will,” she said, sounding offended.
“Then what are you worried about?”
She scowled. “I know you’re smart and all, but in case you haven’t noticed, we’re on a random freakin’ island! One that no one lives on at the moment. How are they going to find us? It’s not as if they can search every single island. It’ll take days, even weeks for them to search them all.”
“If it does, it’ll be warmer by then, and whoever lives in the cabins on this island will return and find us and take us home,” Kash said reasonably.
“I can’t stay out here for weeks! I’ll miss prom! And my birthday! And Alistair’s solo in the band recital! We’ll starve! There’s no food out here. No stores. And I can’t even wash my clothes! I’m already smelly and it hasn’t even been a day!”
Kash was holding on to his patience by a thread. He wasn’t getting a girlfriend. Ever. He couldn’t deal with this level of stupidity and drama.
“Look, we’re actually lucky. We have a house, a couch to sleep on, and blankets.
No, there’s not a lot of food, but there are still a few houses we haven’t checked out.
Maybe there are tools around somewhere, so I can get the boards off the other windows.
We’ve been here for less than a day. If we have to, we’ll figure out how to survive.
It won’t be fun, but we aren’t going to die out here. ”
Ginger mumbled something under her breath that Kash didn’t catch.
“What was that?” he asked.
They’d gone back inside the house by now and were standing in the middle of the one-room living area.
“Nothing.”
“No, what’d you say?” Kash insisted.
“Fine. I said that you might be used to being homeless, but I’m not!”
Kash saw red—and he forced himself to breathe through his anger. He wasn’t surprised Ginger knew that he’d once lived in his mom’s car, but the fact that she was throwing it in his face right now was stupid. And ridiculous. And it hurt.
“From where I’m standing,” he said, in a controlled and even voice, “my life experiences have prepared me for this moment. And it wasn’t my ex who kidnapped me and brought me to an uninhabited island to suffer.
It was yours. If it wasn’t for you being so mean to me all the time, I wouldn’t even be here, and you’d be by yourself.
If Donny hadn’t thought it was so funny to strand you with the ‘biggest nerd in school,’ you’d be alone right now.
“I’m the one who got us into this house. I’m the one who found the blankets and the food, what little there is. And I’m the one who held you all night to keep you from freezing to death, and who comforted you when you cried.
“I’m sorry if my being homeless at one point offends you, Ginger, but my mom did the best she could.
She always made sure I had food before she did, and I know without a doubt if push came to shove, she would’ve confronted one of the violent and desperate druggies who were always prowling around looking for money so they could get their next fix.
“You’ve never experienced any kind of hardship—and I’m happy for you.
But you shouldn’t look down on those who are less fortunate, because as you found out yesterday, circumstances in life can change on a dime.
One minute you’re minding your own business, happy in your popular clique at school, and the next you’re freezing, abandoned with the nerd you picked on all the time, and you have no idea when anyone will realize you’re missing and come find you. ”
Kash was breathing hard by the time he finished speaking.
And he figured he’d better put some space between himself and Ginger, or he might say something he’d really regret.