Just Go With It

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” pleaded Bam, tugging on Amelia’s arm.

Amelia had been living at Castle Bam for nearly two weeks, and was beginning to get used to her new crazy life. Bam had toned his mood swings down a little, and was much more agreeable to be around.

Although he still flirted with her, she didn’t take it any more seriously than she would with any of the others. Novak had upped his game, to the point where he wandered around in the nude most days, and she wondered if it would be worth taking out a restraining order.

This morning in particular, Bam was planning to row across to a small island with the crew and his family, and was then going to abandon April, Phil and Vito on the island for twenty four hours. Bam was currently helping Dico to pack “supplies” into a bag for them, in the form of a few food items.

Amelia shook her head. “You can’t do that Bam, its mean!”

“That’s what I do best!” he argued back. The look on his face made it obvious that he had made up his mind and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.

Dunn had informed her earlier that Bam and his girlfriend had finally split up.

“It was about bloody time.” Dun sighed, “I just can’t wait for him to move on now.” He flashed Amelia a strange smile.

Seeing as Bam was apparently alright about the breakup, Amelia reasoned that it was best to keep him in this good mood for as long as possible. That was the only explanation Amelia could think of as to why April, Phil and Vito had agreed to join them on the trip in the first place. April was more than aware of her son’s explosive mood swings.

“You don’t need me; one of you can operate the camera just this once.” Amelia moaned. She really did not want to be any part of this horrible prank on Bam’s family. It was also cold and raining outside and it was far too warm and cosy in the castle for Amelia to feel inclined to leave.

“I want you to be there!” Bam grinned. And what Bam wanted, Bam usually got, thought Amelia, remembering the words of Glomb.

Amelia surrendered, and went to fetch her coat. She supposed spending time with Bam on a deserted island would be better than having him ignore her. She wrapped herself up in a hat, scarf and gloves, and allowed Dunn to usher her into one of the cars. She sat in the front passenger seat as Bam drove, with Phil, April and Novak in the back. Dunn drove the second car, containing Vito, Rake, Raab and Dico.

“Dude, it’s pissing it down!” complained Novak, looking miserably out of the car window. “I am totally not up for getting out of the car.”

For once, Amelia was on his side.

The boat trip was not fun. Amelia pulled on a life jacket, and wedged herself between Rake and Novak, assuming they were the least likely to try and throw her overboard. Once they arrived on the island, the guys began dicking around in the woods. Raab started drinking from a bottle of vodka as soon as his feet touched dry land.

“I’m an alcoholic and proud!” he beamed, as Amelia propped herself up against a tree and let her camera roll.

As usual Bam was filming additional footage on another camera, which the guys took turns to operate.

She really didn’t need to be there, she thought with a sigh, dreading the moment when they left April, Phil and Vito on the island. She considered admitting the plan to his parents, but then she would have to face the full wrath of Bam. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to be on the receiving end of his temper, especially considering they’d only just cemented their friendship.

“They’re going to leave us.” April realised after a while, as she watched the guys laughing a few metres away. “Amelia, they’re going to leave us here aren’t they?” Her voice raised a few notches.

Amelia looked at the ground. She didn’t want Bam to think she had betrayed him, but she also didn’t want any part in abandoning his parents.

“I wouldn’t put it past them.” She replied, wrestling with her conscience.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe they’re going to leave us!” April exclaimed. “Come on; let’s give them a taste of their own medicine!”

After a little persuasion to get Vito to move faster than his usual pace, Amelia was following April and Phil as they made their way back to the boat. There was no way she was sticking with the guys. She would just have to take whatever revenge was coming to her.

The guys didn’t notice Amelia and the others leave until they were safely away from the island. They were too far away to see the expression on Bam’s face, but Amelia could hear shouting and swearing aimed at the boat. It was quite amusing, Amelia had to admit. Vito found it hilarious in fact. He loved getting the upper hand over Bam.

By the time they arrived back at Castle Bam, April was beginning to feel a little guilty, but Phil kept reminding her that Bam would have done the same to them. Amelia took the opportunity to get some much needed peace and quiet. She also rang a few friends and family members back home in England to let them know how she was getting on. This was literally the first moment of rest Amelia had gotten from Bam and the others. Realising this she felt exhausted, and after checking her email, she collapsed on the bed into a deep sleep.

Later that evening Amelia couldn’t decide whether or not she felt bad for the guys stranded out on the island. They deserved it without a doubt, but it was very cold and they had few supplies. In the end, after sharing a little guilt trip with April, she resolved to take a boat back out with Vito, and provide them with some blankets and food. It would also give her the chance to get her own shots of the guys’ reactions to being stranded. Vito was a nightmare to travel with. He jabbered away in the darkness, making little sense at all, so she simply nodded and agreed with whatever he said as the camera rolled.

The wind had picked up, and it was now bitterly cold on the island. The guys pretended they weren’t happy to see Amelia and Vito emerge from the woods, and gave the both of them plenty of abuse for leaving. However, after Amelia had handed out the supplies they appeared to be in better spirits. Amelia noticed that Glomb had joined them and had fashioned a hut out of sheets of wood. They had also managed to start a fire, and were huddled around it, trying to keep warm.

Bam seemed quieter than usual, and she suspected he was reeling from having the tables turned on him. While the other guys tucked into the chocolate and cakes in the warmth of the shelter, Bam was sitting in a tree, deep in thought.

After several minutes of maintaining that he was neither cold nor hungry, Amelia managed to coax him out of the tree with a thick blanket and a can of beer. He jumped down with a thud next to her, and allowed her to wrap the blanket around him. Amelia ushered him over to the fire and on to an abandoned deck chair. The guys could tell it was a bad time to tease him, and instead continued bugging Vito, by pushing a football helmet on to his fat head and shoving food into his mouth. Amelia filmed them for a while, enjoying the banter.

Bam looked on with a bemused look on his face. Amelia’s legs were beginning to ache from standing in the cold, and she shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying not to draw attention to herself. Bam picked up on this however, and pulled her arm so that she ended up sitting on his lap. She was too tired and cold to resist. He repositioned himself and the blanket so that Amelia could share the warmth, and she ended up feeling quite comfortable. They chatted like old friends, and giggled together, watching as Dunn sprayed an old fire extinguisher into Raab’s face. She barely noticed as he slid his arms around her waist. She really didn’t want to cause a fuss as she was so cosy and Bam’s arms were so inviting. Amelia remained still, enjoying the moment, for she knew she would regret it the next day. She hoped Bam wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

Amelia and Bam had both drifted asleep in front of the campfire. The others were still awake, but barely, and Amelia stirred to the shouts of Don Vito, complaining that he wanted to go home. Bam was still sound asleep and Amelia didn’t want to disturb him, but she knew there was no way she could leave Vito to row himself back to the mainland. She wriggled free of his arms and gathered her things together.

When she was sure no one was watching, she gave Bam a little kiss on the cheek; her way of making sure he was ok. He must have been aware of this, because while his eyes remained closed, his lips turned into a smile and he mouthed the word “thanks”.

Amelia smiled to herself, and turned away to embark on her journey back to the castle with the ever gracious Vito.

The next morning Amelia tried to persuade April that they should go and pick the guys up. April decided they should let them stew for a bit longer. In the meantime, Glomb had made himself a raft, and swam back to the mainland to fetch a boat big enough for all of them to leave the island on.

When they finally arrived back at the castle, Amelia had never seen Bam so out of sorts. He was outraged that April, Phil and Vito had managed to outsmart him, and rather than admit it, he seemed hell bent on revenge. The fact that he had split up with Jenn and had developed a nasty cold was not helping his cause. In fact, all of the guys had developed colds, and were making a big deal of feeling sorry for themselves. Raab in particular was the worst affected. He had been left with sore swollen eyes from Dunn’s fire extinguisher attack, and was nursing a nasty hangover.

April was of course, revelling in her new found glory, and would not let it drop. Amelia was pleased for her, but knew the celebrations would not last long. Neither she nor Bam’s parents would get away with their betrayal, and she was sure last night Bam had been luring her into a false sense of security.

That afternoon, Amelia decided to go for a drive. She had overheard Bam talking to someone from a news channel, and she knew April’s punishment was going to be bad. Rather than stick around to find out, she fetched her car out of its retirement in Bam’s garage and headed to the park.

It was abandoned on such a cold afternoon, so she sat down on a swing and lit up a cigarette. She hadn’t smoked in three years, but living with Bam and his friends was doing nothing for her nerves, and she felt herself relax for the first time since she had moved to America. Things were easier now that she and Bam were friends, she still found herself wrestling with her feelings for him. She had enjoyed being so close to him last night, but she knew it couldn’t last. He had probably just wanted some company after breaking up with Jenn. He had barely spoken to her again this morning.

By the time Amelia had arrived home from the shop, April had received her punishment. Bam had fooled her into thinking her house had been blown up, thanks to the help of a few special effects and a willing local new station. April was still fuming that night, as everyone hung around the pirate bar drinking and pratting around.

When everyone was preoccupied laughing at Dico dressed as a pirate, Bam gestured for Amelia to follow him out of the bar. They made their way outside and sat down on the wall in front of the swimming pool. It was a clear night, and the back yard was bathed in moonlight. Amelia regretted not bringing her coat as she shivered a little. Her woollen jumper and jeans were doing no good against the cold night air. She folded her arms around herself, wondering what Bam was going to say.

“Ape was so pissed, we got her so bad!” laughed Bam, taking a swig of beer.

“You’re such a bad son!” she joked, punching him on the arm.

“She shouldn’t have left me on that island!” he replied. “You shouldn’t have either,” he continued, grabbing Amelia round the waist.

Amelia knew what was coming. Bam picked her up and dropped her into the pool. Amelia let out a scream. The water was freezing and as it washed over her body, she felt like her skin was being pierced by tiny knives. Amelia choked as her head went under and the water rushed down her throat.

“You dick!” she yelled, resurfacing and gasping for air.

“Revenge is sweet.” Bam replied, looking down at her and grinning. Shivering, she pulled herself to the side of the pool and spotted her chance. Bam’s foot was dangerously close to the edge, so she grabbed the hem of his jeans and tugged. The element of surprise caused his leg to give way and he stumbled forwards, flying into the pool beside her.

“Bitch!” he screamed, feeling the full force of the freezing water hit him as he fell in to the water with a huge splash.

Amelia laughed, splashing him even more as he bobbed to the surface. “Oh my god it’s cold!”

They scrambled to climb out of the pool in their sopping wet clothes, falling about laughing. Amelia kicked off her shoes and pulled off her jumper, revealing a very wet and now see-through white t-shirt. Bam also relieved himself of his wet clothes so that his chest was bare. Amelia found herself staring at his toned body and impressive collection of tattoos. Bam returned her gaze, and his eyes fell upon her black bra and the dragonfly tattoo on her hip that was showing through the gap between her top and jeans.

“That is so hot.” He grinned, with a glint in his eyes.

“I’m freezing.” Her teeth chattered, changing the subject.

Bam pulled her into a wet hug, and as they clung on to one another shivering, Amelia remembered the last time they were out by the pool together. It seemed Bam did also. Despite how well they had been getting on, the awkwardness returned, and they stood facing each other as the laughter faded. Amelia held her breath for what came next.

Bam pressed his lips against hers, willing her to return the kiss. This time she summoned all of her strength to resist, and put a hand to his chest to stop him. It pained her to see him so hurt by her rejection, but she knew there was no way she could get involved with Bam. They were from completely different planets. It could never work.

“Bam.” She started, taking a step back from him.

“Please Amelia.”

“This is wrong.”

“This is not a rebound, I promise. I’ll prove it to you.” He grabbed her arms, which she had folded across her chest. “I’ll prove it.” He repeated, and kissed her hard on the lips before walking off in the direction of the castle.