Holiday In Cambodia

Maggie had always been a light sleeper, so sleeping out on a beach, underneath the stars, she hadn't expected to sleep through the night with all that open air. Sleeping with another person curled up next to her didn't make it any easier, especially since he slept with his limbs flailed everywhere and insisted on changing position every ten minutes. It surprised her that someone who seemed so meticulous in other ways could be such a chaotic sleeper. What was perhaps most surprising was how little she minded. Just having him next to her had been more of a comfort than she could have imagined.

She woke at the first rays of daylight, to the sound of whimpering nearby. It took a moment for the world to come into focus, cut up into squares by the net that covered her eyes. She turned her head to see Billie Joe next to her, sleeping soundly, and she smiled a little before the whimpering sound attracted her attention once again, and she turned her head the other way.

Tre.

She crawled out from under the net, taking care not to disturb Billie Joe, and crept across the warm sand, stepping over the sleeping bodies until she got to Tre, who was lying on his side facing away from her, and jumped when she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"
"No... " he groaned, quietly, "It's getting worse... "
"Oh fuck... " she muttered, a wave of sympathy washing over her as she crouched down next to him and covered his forehead with one of her hands. She was struck with fear as she felt his scorching skin, just as another wave of pain seemed to grip him and he clutched at his stomach and moaned.
"Tre... " Maggie whispered, desperately, wrapping her arms around his sticky body, "You need some water?"
He shook his head.
"I'll throw it back up."
Maggie put her hand into his damp hair.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Tre," she assured him, "You have a fever and you can't get dehydrated."

Tre nodded, curling his knees up to his chest and resting his forehead on them.
"Maggie," he groaned, "I've never felt like this before... this is bad, Maggie... "
"We're going to make sure you're alright, Tre."
"It was the caterpillar... wasn't it?"
Maggie bit her lip, looking down at Tre's hand, where his finger was more swollen than it had been the day before.
"I think so, Hon," she nodded, quietly.
"Fucker!"
"I know... look, I'm going to get you some water, okay?"
"Okay... " he mumbled, "After... will you come back... and sit with me?"
Maggie nodded.
"Sure," she said, squeezing his hand, before standing up and hurrying across the sand to where the few remaining bottles of water had been left in the shade of a tree. She picked one up and headed back, mumbling a hurried 'good morning' to Lara, who had stirred at the sound and was sitting up, her eyes bleary and her usually poker-straight black hair sticking up in funny directions.

Tre closed his eyes, relief washing over him as he took a long drink, before handing the bottle back to Maggie, who set it down on the sand. She took his hand again as another wave of pain hit him and he groaned, biting down on his lip, which was starting to bleed.
"Hey," Maggie whispered, gently, "Don't do that, Hon."
"But it hurts,"
"I know, Tre, but you're shredding your lips up with your teeth... "

Tre clutched at his stomach again and Maggie's heart ached when she saw his eyes glaze with tears and something halfway between a sob and a moan came out of his mouth.
"Oh Tre... " she muttered, reaching out to him so suddenly that she didn't notice the bottle of water until it was too late.
"Maggie!" Tre screamed, and she spun around, just in time to see the disaster unfold in front of her eyes.

It seemed to happen in slow motion, as disasters often do, which you'd think would have given her time to put a stop to it, but before she had even lunged for the plastic bottle, its contents were soaking into the sand.

Maggie let out a cry that attracted the attention of Lara, who was suddenly screaming along with her as she picked up the bottle, which was now empty.

"Maggie!" Lara yelled, "What the fuck were you doing?!"
"Oh my God... " Maggie muttered, tearfully, "I- I'm so sorry... I wasn't looking... I was... I'm sorry, I-"
"I can't fucking believe you!" Lara screamed, panic coursing through her veins, "Get some fucking common sense, Maggie! We're never going to have enough now, we're fucked! All cause you couldn't screw a cap on a fucking bottle!"

Everything seemed to go blurry as Maggie felt tears run down her face, her guilt consuming her, the look on Lara's face causing her physical pain. Lara was crying now too, and suddenly Mike was at her side, a concerned arm around her shoulders and a confused look on his face. When he noticed the dark patch beside the empty bottle on the sand, realisation hit him at the same time as his own frustration and anger. It seemed no time at all before most of the others were awake, demanding to know how Maggie had allowed such a fuck-up to take place and she could feel the panic rising in her chest as she choked out her apology over and over again.

She hardly noticed Rick until his arm was around her and his normally drawly Australian accent was cutting through the chaos like a knife.

"Will everyone shut the fuck up please?" he shouted, angrily, "This is not helping! Give her a fair go, she made a mistake and you can see by the state of her she feels like shit already!"
"We hardly have any water, Rick," Jack yelled back, "I'm sure she does feel like shit but you must realise that this was a fucking stupid thing to do!"

The yelling roused Billie Joe from his sleep, and he woke in confusion, entangled in the mosquito net, which he scrambled out of and tossed to the side.
"What's going on?" he murmured, sleepily, just in time to see Maggie pass him in a blur and run off down the beach.

She knew they weren't going to let up, and she knew she deserved it. She didn't have any comeback to their angry accusations of her stupidity. How could she have let this happen? Sinking down onto the sand, she covered her face with her hands, and cried. This was it now. If she thought life on the island had been tough before, it would be nothing compared to how it would be from now on. They hated her.

She couldn't face going back to the beach, so for a long while she just walked, enjoying the feeling of being alone for once, and somehow hating it at the same time. Her legs felt weak. Her whole body felt weak. It was no surprise really. She hadn't got a lot of nourishment in the past few days. She brought a trembling hand up to her face and pushed a piece of her ratty dark hair behind her ear, feeling her insides twist in anxiety. She had always been a worrier, but she had never felt quite so stressed in her life. All the problems she had faced recently with her family and her love life paled into insignificance compared to the prospect of actually getting out of this place alive.

Exhausted, she let out a shaky breath, sitting down on the sand again in the cove on the West of the island, satisfied that she was far enough from the beach to go undisturbed. She was wrong. She hadn't been sitting there long before she had company in an unexpected form.

"Maggie!" yelled Billie Joe, breathlessly, from the other side of the small cove, as he splashed through the small waves that were gaining on the rocks. She looked up in surprise, feeling dread building in her stomach. She said nothing.

Billie Joe was panting as he trudged across the sand, alarmed at how tired he could feel from walking such a short distance. It was strange to think that only the week before he had been in good enough shape to jump around on a stage for nearly two hours straight.

"Maggie," he said again, as he dropped onto his knees next to her, "... Are you okay?"
Maggie looked up at him, and tried to keep her voice from wavering as she answered. She didn't do a very good job.
"I'm so sorry!"
"Hey... " he said, reassuringly, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder, "It was a mistake... any one of us could have done it... "
Maggie tried to answer him, but she was too choked up with feelings, one of which being the shock that he hadn't come to yell at her for the others. She let out a strangled sob into her hand and Billie Joe bit his lip, moving closer and reaching out an arm to pull her against his chest.
"Maggie... don't cry... "
"I feel so stupid!" she choked out, "Everything's fucked... "
"We were going to run out of water anyway," he said, quietly, "We're going to have to deal with it. And this makes it harder but the point is... it was an accident."
Maggie took a shaky breath as she pressed her face against his painted skin and felt his fingers tangle in her hair.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"It's okay... I wanted to find you... you took off in a bit of a hurry... I didn't want you getting lost or anything."
Maggie smiled a little.
"We're on an island. Where could I go?"
He smiled too.
"You know what I mean."

They were quiet for a minute, as Maggie closed her eyes and Billie Joe felt her tears seep onto his skin.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"I know... we're all scared, Hon. That's why the others flew off like they did. They didn't mean to upset you like this... "
"Come on Billie... they hate me now and I-"
"Maggie, they don't hate you. They were angry and frustrated and frightened. Plus, we're all tired and hungry. It had to come out some time, and you're the one that opened the can."
"What's going to happen?" she asked, shakily.
"We're going to give them some time to cool off... go back to the beach... and straighten everything out."
"I meant... what's going to happen to us... "

Billie Joe sighed, closing his eyes as he rested his tired head against Maggie's, feeling the fear twist in his empty stomach. Maggie bit her lip as she felt the stubble on his chin scratch against her forehead.
"I'm not sure," he whispered over the crashing of the waves, "I'm not sure how bad it's gonna get... but I know you can take it. I know you're stronger than you think you are. We can all get through this. Cause at some point a boat has to come. And I'm not leaving anyone on this island... . Okay?"
Maggie nodded, dumbly, suddenly feeling more tired than ever, leaning her weight into him as his arms tightened around her.
"Thanks," she whispered, "For not being mad at me."
Billie Joe smiled.
"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life," he said, kindly, "Believe me, this was nothing. How many times have you spilled a drink before? It just happened to have some bad consequences this time, is all. The others will see that too. Trust me."
"Okay," Maggie sighed, wearily, "I trust you."
Billie Joe smiled, before shifting a little under her weight.
"Can we move into the shade?" he asked her, "I feel as though I could pass right out in this heat."
She smiled, reluctantly lifting her head from his chest.
"Sure," she said, quietly, "It's pretty humid today, huh? Funny to think it's probably snowing back home in New York... "
Billie Joe sighed as they shuffled back into the shade of the rocks.
"Pretty funny to think of home at all right now... don't you think?"

She nodded, feeling tearful again just at the thought of New York City. It seemed like another world away.
"I thought we were trying to conserve water," Billie Joe smirked, teasingly, as he lay down on the sand.
Maggie laughed a little in spite of her tears, wiping hurriedly at her eyes.
"Sorry," she said, wistfully, lying down next to him and propping her head up on her elbow. A piece of tangled hair fell in front of her eyes and she pushed it back. She smiled. "Some of that shampoo of yours would be good right now, huh?"
He chuckled, pulling a piece of his own hair down so that it just entered his vision.
"Sure would. I'm starting to get some dreadlocks again."
"Could be worse I suppose."
"Yeah, we'll just go home looking like hippies."
Maggie sighed.
"What if we don't get to go home... " she muttered, quietly.

Billie Joe was quiet for a moment, not knowing how to answer. When he didn't respond, Maggie looked up from the patterns she was drawing in the sand and met his eyes with her own.
"We will," he said, softly.
"But how do you-"
"We don't... but we can't think like that... cause the thought of seeing my kids again is what's getting me through this."
Maggie nodded. She could hear a hoarseness in his voice that she hadn't expected, and when he turned his eyes to the ocean she knew it was to hide his own tears.
"My family hate that I spend so much time away," he said softly, "... The thought of what it would do to them if I never came home... "
He trailed off, swallowing back a few pesky tears that were threatening to surface. He couldn't cry in front of Maggie. She was fragile enough as it was. If he couldn't stay strong, there was no hope that she would.
"You know... how lucky you are to have people who love you so much," Maggie told him, quietly, "Don't you?"

He nodded, smiling weakly as he pressed the heel of his palm to his eye to stop his tears from leaking out. Maggie shakily bit her lip, sliding her hand across the sand to meet his and linking their little fingers together. In an attempt to control his emotions, Billie Joe sucked in a deep breath, before pulling Maggie closer to him and enveloping her in a warm hug.

It felt good to have somebody to hold her. She was very aware of how fast her heart was beating as she rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes drifting shut again as they lay out on the sand. Trust her to fall victim to some pathetic kind of rock star crush at a time like this. She didn't suppose it really mattered though. All that mattered was that she needed a friend, and he was there, and she didn't have the resolve to take any kind of moral standing and push him away. There was no way she could push him away.

Meanwhile, back at the beach, the atmosphere was tense and the conversation was few and far between. The cracking of stone against coconut shell echoed around the rocks, as Mike focussed his attention on trying to break into one, desperate for the liquid inside. He glanced over at Tre, who had finally been relieved by sleep, and chewed his lip nervously. He really didn't look good.

Mike looked up as Jason took a seat next to him and glanced down at his progress on the coconut.
"How's it going?"
"I don't have the energy for it anymore," Mike sighed.
"Pass it over, I'll have a try."
Mike nodded, handing the rock and the coconut to Jason, before wearily resting his head in his hands.
"Where d'you suppose Bill and Maggie got to?" Jason asked him.
Mike looked up, and shrugged.
"Don't know, man," he said, "But I hope Billie isn't doing anything stupid."
Jason frowned.
"Come on Mike," he said, disapprovingly, "You know Billie Joe better than that."
Mike sighed.
"Yeah... I know. Sorry, my brain isn't really... engaged this morning."
"Everyone was pretty harsh on Maggie this morning, huh."
"Yeah... you think we were too harsh?"
Jason nodded, thoughtfully.
"It was an accident, man. I can picture myself doing the same thing, and the thought of having everyone against me right now... things don't need to get any harder."
"I know. I think she feels really bad."
"And she was only trying to help Tre," Jason added, looking in his direction where he was still sleeping on the sand, curled up in the foetal position. "... You worried about him?"
Mike nodded,
"Of course," he said, quietly, "He's really sick but... we won't be here long. We'll get him to a doctor as soon as we get back to the mainland. He's going to be fine. We just have to look after him till then. Soon enough, we'll be back home, get given one day to recover, and then get pushed right back onto the stage again."
Jason smiled a little at Mike's light-hearted joke, but he couldn't help his guts from twisting. His future on the tour had been playing inside his own mind for long enough by that point, and he had no idea what made his decide to let it out then. It was hardly the time for such discussions.
"Mike... " he said, "I... I've been thinking. After this leg of the tour is over... I've been thinking I might... call it a day."

Mike looked up at Jason in shock, his mouth falling open. He wondered if he'd misunderstood him.
"What?"
Jason looked down, scratching the sharp edge of the rock in his hand against the coconut husk.
"I know its probably kind of unexpected for you guys but I... I just feel like I've done it now, you know? You guys... are awesome. I don't just mean as a band I mean... you're awesome friends to me. And you'll always be awesome friends to me. We go back way too far to ever be anything else, Mike. But... this isn't going anywhere for me. It isn't leading to anything."
"Jason," Mike gaped, "How can you say that? We're going higher than ever right now... It's one success after another... we've never had it this good!"
"Mike, it's incredible. I love performing with you guys, you know that. But it isn't my band! I'm not the one going higher and higher, you guys are."
"Jase, we'd be nothing without you. We wouldn't be able to even play any of the music that has got us where we are right now."
"I know that. And you know that. But that doesn't help. I know this sounds selfish, but I want to be recognised as a musician in my own right. Not just part of the set. I want to feel part of something."
"You are part of something. Don't you realise that? When I think of Green Day, you're right there, man."
"Well... it doesn't always feel that way, Mike. It isn't your fault, it's just the way it goes. I don't know. Lately, I've just been craving getting my band back together and getting up there... getting recognised for what I do. I know it's childish but... I wanna feel like a rock star again."
"Jase... you can't get the Influents back together. That would mean taking Bill Schneider, and then who would order us about on tour?"
Jason smirked.
"Is isn't as if you guys listen to a word he says anyway. And I don't know if the others would wanna get back together but maybe I could do something different? I just feel as though I need to move forward and with Green Day... I'm not doing that."
"Is this about Lara?"
Jason frowned.
"Why would this be about Lara?"
"Cause she's ignoring you and it's pissing you off."
"Wouldn't you be pissed off if someone was ignoring you for no reason?"
"Well, yeah but... I know it gets to you that our fans don't appreciate you as much as they should."
"Sure, sometimes it's annoying but that's only part of it. And Lara isn't just some fan. There's something else with her. We've been over this. Did you talk to her yet?"
Mike shook his head.
"It's hard to get her on her own, y'know?"
Jason nodded.
"Keep trying, Mike."
"Why don't you try and talk to her?"
"She won't even look at me! She's hardly going to agree to going for a nice chat."
Mike sighed.
"With any luck, we're not here much longer, man. And Lara not talking to you... well it's pretty low in the scheme of problems right now. Can't you just accept that she's not worth the trouble?"
"But she's really cool to everyone else and she... I want to get to know her too! I mean she's smart and she's pretty and she's friendly and... it's not fair, Mike! What's her fucking problem with me?"
Mike groaned, putting a hand to his head. He really didn't have the energy for Jason's insecurities that morning.
"I don't know, Dude," he said, "If I get the chance, I'll talk to her... but don't beat yourself up over it. And as for the band... don't make any hasty decisions until we're back home, okay? We don't want to lose you."

It was late afternoon before Billie Joe and Maggie returned to the beach. They hadn't planned on staying away so long, because they knew that their absence would only cause the tension to build further, but the sand had been warm and the breeze had been comforting, and within minutes they had both been fast asleep.

"Hey butterfingers," Rick smiled, teasingly, as they approached and, at Maggie's guilty expression, he pulled her into a hug. "I'm joking, babe. If these fuckers give you a hard time, ignore it."
"Thanks," Maggie smiled, quietly, hugging him back as she looked towards Lara, who was kneeling by the campfire with Jack, trying to get it going again. She nervously went over to them, and sat down on the sand.
"Guys... " she said, softly, "I'm really, really sorry about earlier. I... I know it was really stupid and I feel awful... I don't know what else I can say."

"There's nothing much to say," sighed Jack, "Let's forget it, the damage has been done."
Maggie bit her lip, looking towards Lara, who shrugged.
"He's right," she said, "No use arguing about it now."
Maggie nodded.
"Uh... thanks," she said quietly, wishing they didn't sound quite so much like they were forgiving her out of weariness.

"Hey, you guys!" Rick called over, suddenly, "Billie and I are going to get some more rice, right?"
"Thanks guys," Jack replied, as the fire started to burn brighter.
Maggie bit her lip as she watched what appeared to be her only genuine allies leave the beach, before wrapping her arms around her knees and focussing her eyes on the wispy flames, hoping they'd hurry back soon.

"I swear this walk gets longer every fucking time," Billie Joe complained, as he followed Rick through the thick jungle.
"I know what you mean... I feel like shit... I'm getting off this island scrawnier than ever."
Billie Joe laughed.
"Tell me about it. I don't think I've been able to see these ribs before."
"When we get back over that fucking water I am walking straight into the nearest fucking burger joint before I do anything else."
"Even the plane food is exciting to me right now," Billie Joe sighed, in agreement. "I can't fucking wait to get on that plane."
"You're giving Hong Kong a miss then?"
"Are you kidding? Everyone can fuck off. I need to go home and see my family and spend a week on the couch. Are you hanging around?"
"Can't let this set me back. I was planning on exploring Vietnam a bit anyway. It's supposed to be amazing."
"Yeah but... you're only young. You have plenty of time. I think maybe you should take a little time out and let your body recover. When you tell your family what we've been through... they're gonna be worried sick, right?"

Rick didn't reply. He concentrated on stepping over the tangle of tree roots, avoiding the lumps and ditches in the ground underfoot as he pushed the branches aside.
"... Rick?"
He sighed.
"I... don't really get along with my family anymore."
Billie Joe raised his eyebrows.
"Why not?" he asked.
"We... had some disagreements... on a few things. They hate that I left to go travelling."
"Why do they hate it? Plenty of kids your age go backpacking, right?"

Rick stopped walking and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Mind if we take a break?"

Billie Joe shook his head, sensing that was the end of their line of conversation. They took a seat amongst the leaves on the dusty floor and leaned back against the trees. For a moment, they were quiet.

"I wasn't supposed to go travelling," Rick said, suddenly.
Billie Joe looked up, and raised an eyebrow.
"I was supposed to go to Uni," he continued.
"Oh... well... what happened?"
"I was... I was meant to start in Brisbane in October... to study medicine."
"So what are you doing here?"
Rick sighed, a little confused that he was suddenly volunteering this information to Billie Joe, having forced it to the back of his mind for so many months.
"I couldn't do it," he shrugged, "I just... couldn't face it... "
"Why not?" Billie Joe asked, softly, "I mean... being a student would be pretty fun, right?"
Rick shook his head.
"I used to think so... and all through school I got told I was so smart. I always knew I'd have to go to Uni. And I thought it was what I wanted. But it was just kind of... presumed, I guess. I never really had any say in the matter. Anyway... when school finished it was like... I was starting this new stage in my life, you know? And I wanted to start it right. I wanted to be honest with people. I wanted to be honest with my family."
"Honest about what?"
Rick bit his lip, and rested his head on his knees.
"What d'you think?"

Billie Joe frowned a little, scratching his head, not quite knowing how to handle the situation. He could tell he had stumbled on something emotional all of a sudden, and he wasn't sure he knew what to do. Suddenly, Rick's hands were sliding over his face and Billie Joe reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay, man?" he asked, quietly.
"I can't go home," Rick mumbled through his fingers.
"What? Rick that's crazy, why can't you go home?"
"My Mum and Dad... they hate me... "
"Come on, man, they don't hate you, they're your parents. So you missed out on college this year... there's always next year. And it's good to get some life experience."

Billie Joe studied Rick closely, and was surprised to see him wipe at his eyes.
"It's not that," Rick muttered, "It's not just about Uni. It's... the reason I left was because... when I finished school... I came out to my parents. And they... I mean... it didn't go well."
Billie Joe took a deep breath, as understanding suddenly hit him.
"Fuck... man, I'm sorry. I had no idea... that's why you left Australia?"
"I just couldn't hack it anymore," Rick told him tearfully, keeping his eyes on the leafy ground, "I'd been bottling all this stuff up inside since I was fucking ten years old... and then when I finally decide to be honest with people it blows up in my face. My Mum said she felt like she didn't know me anymore... and my Dad was just disgusted with me... and I couldn't face going to college and having to deal with all the fucking people. I just wanted to be on my own and get out where nobody knew me. People I've met since I've been travelling... I only see them a few days, then I move on and I never see them again. They don't care about me and it's better that way cause I can be myself and they don't give me any aggro. I can't go back now, cause if things were bad before, now I've skipped out of Uni, they're even worse. So you can say my parents don't hate me cause that's what everyone says, but you didn't see the look on their faces! I should have just kept my fucking mouth shut!"
"Shit... " Billie Joe muttered, feeling choked up with sorrow for Rick and anger at the people who had caused it. Sliding his arm around the boy's shoulders, he chewed thoughtfully on his lip.

"You know... this happens to a lot of people right?" he said, "I mean, okay, they weren't happy to hear it, but that's something they'll get over. Shock makes people say all kinds of shit they don't mean. People at college aren't going to react that way. They'll be cool with you cause you're a cool kid. Sure, you'll get some assholes, but you get assholes everywhere and they aren't worth a minute of your time."
"You don't understand," said Rick, shaking his head, "Everything's fucked, Billie. I've lost my family. I can't believe I thought I could deal with this."
"Of course you can deal with this! You are dealing with it! Look at you, you came out here all by yourself, which was a fucking brave thing to do for a start, and you've made some friends that care about you. That's the only decent thing that's come out of this whole nightmare, we've all made some friends that care about us. And we don't give a rat's ass what your sexuality is."
Rick smiled a little.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Look man, you have to talk to your parents. I'm sure they'll come around. And if they don't, well, they aren't worth worrying about. You're gonna meet a ton of people who'll love you."
"I can't imagine meeting anybody," said Rick, gloomily, "It's okay for you, you just walk into a room and you have people hanging off you."
"Well... that's the other extreme. Neither of them are much fun."
"I wouldn't mind."
Billie Joe laughed a little.
"Well... sometimes it's hard to understand what other peoples' lives are like unless you're in them."
"I know... I wish people understood me."
"We all do but... think about it. If you hadn't ever told anyone you were gay, no one would ever understand you. Surely it's better that things are shitty with your parents than that they don't know you at all."
"You think?"
"Definitely. I'd rather people hated me for what I am than loved me for what I'm not. Cause soon enough someone'll come along who loves you just the way you are."
Rick smiled, wiping at his eyes.
"Thanks," he whispered, "I've never actually talked to anyone about this before."
"Well, there you go. You think everyone's prejudiced, but you're surprised."
"I am surprised. You probably think I'm being really dramatic."
Billie Joe laughed.
"I don't think that at all, man. I've been there myself, I know how fucking scary it is."
Rick turned to him for the first time.
"What?"
"I'm bisexual. You knew that... right?"
Rick's eyes widened in surprise.
"I didn't... "
"Oh... well... yeah."
"Oh my God... how old were you when you came out? Did everyone go weird on you too?"
"I was about your age... and I had a lot of very cool friends. Some people were dicks, but I didn't care about them either so fuck 'em cause I'm the one laughing now."
"What about your mum and dad?"
"My Mom was pretty surprised... but after she'd gotten over the initial shock she was fine. She loves me how I am. And my Dad... well, he passed away when I was just a kid, but I know he'd have been cool with it too."
"Sorry about your Dad."
"Thanks, man... But the point is you did the right thing. And things are gonna work out for you. You just have to give it time."
Rick smiled.
"I hope so," he said, "Listen... thanks Billie Joe. You've been awesome."
Billie Joe smiled, pulling Rick closer and dropping a kiss against his cheek. He couldn't help but laugh when Rick blushed.
"You're a great kid, you know," he said, "It won't take long for people to work out that's what matters."

"You know, if I can say one good thing about this fucking island, it's that it's the best diet I've ever been on," Lara sighed later that night, hitching up her jeans as she stooped down to stoke the fire. The group were sitting around it for their fourth night running, having eaten a particularly unsatisfactory meal of plain rice, all of them desperate for some water to wash it down with.
"Yeah, but that's a problem for me," Jack complained, "I didn't need a diet in the first place, I'm gonna get back looking like a fucking rake."
"Are you saying I did need to diet in the first place, Jack?" Lara questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"What? I... No... Oh... what?" Jack stuttered, prompting a few giggles.
Rick sighed, rolling his eyes at Jack.
"None of the girls needed to go on a diet in the first place," he said, "I wanna see them stocking up on some of those ace banana pancakes the moment we get back to the mainland so they end up back the way they were before."
"I love you Rick," Amber grinned, and he grinned back before she turned her eyes to Jack, "You should pay attention to him, you know. Watch and learn."

Maggie smiled, turning to Tre, who was huddled next to her, shivering slightly.
"You doing alright there, Hon?"
He nodded.
"Are you cold?"
He nodded again, despite the fact that he was wearing Billie Joe's shirt and Jason's on top of his own, and that the air still felt tropical even though the sun had been down for a good two hours. Maggie hugged him, tightly. She knew there was nothing more she could do.

Billie Joe and Jason were still sitting up talking when she went to sleep that night. She couldn't help missing his company a little as she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the rumbling in her tummy. Listening to Tre's uncomfortable murmuring didn't make it any easy to sleep, and she was still wide awake, looking up at the stars an hour or so later, when she heard the shuffling of sand nearby and looked up to see Billie Joe ambling towards her, the glow of the fire dying behind him.

"Hey," he whispered, as he got close enough for her to hear him without raising his voice. "Are you still my net buddy?"
Maggie smiled, feeling a flicker of warmth in her stomach.
"Only if you try not to sleep like an octopus tonight," she whispered back.
He laughed under his breath as he kneeled down next to her.
"Like an octopus?"
"Yep."
"Oh... sorry. Well, I'll try not to fidget."
"Hmm. Okay," she replied, like she really needed to think about it.

He smiled as he crawled under the net and flopped onto the sand next to her, and surprised her when he stretched out an arm and pulled her so that her head was resting on his shoulder, the same way it had done when they had fallen asleep in the cove that morning. He sighed.
"Night Maggie," he whispered.
She smiled, nervously, as she closed her eyes again.
"Night Bill."

Lara pulled her own mosquito net tighter around her as she listened to Maggie and Billie Joe's whispering float through the warm air, and squinted through the darkness at how close they seemed to be cuddled together. She felt a flicker of irritation in her stomach. Partly because she knew that Billie Joe was married to Adrienne and shouldn't be snuggling up to other women on beaches, partly because she still blamed Maggie for the fact that her throat felt like sandpaper, and partly just because she wished she had someone's arms around her right now.

Sighing in frustration, she rolled over to face the other direction, and found herself staring straight into the eyes of Jason, which quickly snapped shut as he pretended to be asleep. Lara bit her lip, feeling a familiar lump rise in her throat. Why was she such a fucking idiot? He was a nice guy and he didn't deserve to have her treat him this way. She squeezed back her tears. There was nothing she could do now. It had gone too far. Rolling onto her back, she looked up at the sky and watched the stars blur into each other, wishing on all of them that she could just tell him how she felt.