The Island

The Monster

Lizzie's POV

I was awoken from my deep sleep from loud chatter outside Jack's cave. That's where I slept last night. We stayed there after our intense make-out session and talked about anything and everything. I guess I had fallen asleep there last night and Jack didn't move me back to my hut.

"What's this dumb shit I hear about a monster!?" I heard Jack roar. I stood up and walked to the opening of the cave, peering out and seeing everyone huddling around Greg.

"I'm serious!" He cried, rubbing his tear stained face. His makeup had rubbed off, and I had a feeling he would be asking me to put it back on later.

"What kind of monster?" Jack sneered. "Did it have fur and pointy fangs? Or long, slimy tentacles?"

"No. It growled, and came out at me," Greg choked. "and it's mouth, it was wet!"

"Maybe it was a bear." Someone suggested.

"Sound's more like a reptile." Roger added.

"Sounds more like bullshit!" Jack snapped. "I outta send you back to kindergarten!" He exclaimed, making everyone chortle. "Show us this 'monster'" Jack demanded. Greg nodded weakly, looking up and spotting me standing outside the cave. He ran up Castle rock and over to me, hugging me as tight as he could. I hugged him back and wiped his tear stained cheeks.

"There's no monster, Greggy, it's just your imagination." I soothed. "It wont hurt you, I wont let it." I looked back down Castle rock to see almost everyone staring up at me.

"Go about your business!" Jack sneered to everyone, not liking the fact that all their attention was on 'his girl'. I rolled my eyes at his selfishness and continued soothing Greg, who's sobs refused to die down. "What are you doing?" Jack hissed quietly as he approached me.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm fixing your mess!" I spat back at him. He looked taken aback, but his composer stayed the same.

"You can't be doing this! You're practically going against me, and if the guys figure this out they'll all assume they can get with you!" He bickered.

"They shouldn't ever assume they can get with me!" I argued, crossing my arms over my chest. Greg still clung to me for dear life, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Well they're going to! You're the only girl on this island, there isn't much to choose from so they'll go for the first available girl!" He shouted, throwing his arms in the air. By now we had already caught the attention of half of the hunters.

"Excuse me!?" I growled, my anger bubbling. "What the hell did you just say to me?" His face softened considerably, but my anger just grew.

"I didn't mean it like-"

"Then how did you mean it, Jack? Because it sounds like you're trying to tell me that you only like me because I'm the only girl you can choose!" I bellowed. He mentally flinched at my words as I saw it in his eyes, but he refused to let anyone else see him hurt.

"That's not why I chose you! I chose you because I fucking love you, dammit!" He howled, his eyes growing wide after realizing what he just said. My eyes narrowed at his words, my mind whirling with questions. Why would he love me? What the actual fuck is going on? Why does it sound like a fucking romance novel? Why does Roger have a banana stuck up his nose?

"Jack, you never told me that before." I calmed down.

"That's because I was scared to tell you. You've been acting weird lately and I was scared that you'd leave if I told you that I love you." He threw his head down in shame.

"Don't say that, you know I won't leave just because of that." I lifted his face up and kissed his cheek lightly. His eyes were red and watery, and a single tear slid down his cheek. I would have never thought that Jack Merridew could cry, but it's true. I wiped his tear and smiled warmly.

"You missed." He smiled slightly.

"I didn't miss, everyone's just watching." I giggled.

"Then lets give them a show." He winked. I smiled mischievously and pressed my lips to his. He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to his bare chest, and I noticed that Greg had finally let go of me. I ran my fingers through Jack's dirty hair and he moaned just loud enough for me to slightly hear. I smiled between the kiss and Jack pulled me even closer. I heard an eruption of cheers from the other boys, followed by words of 'encouragement' for Jack.  I pulled away first and Jack pecked my lips once more before erupting into cheers, the boys copying him. I laughed and looked around at all the hunters cheering. Greg had joined them and I smiled as he threw his hands in the air and began jumping around, forming a conga line that all the other boys joined. There was one boy that I noticed wasn't in the line. My smile faltered as I peered at the head of curls. His bright blue eyes were open wide and his mouth was parted.

"Oh shit." I groaned as he ran out of the camp. I began running after him, not worrying about Jack following me- he was too caught up in the other boys. I ran through the brush and to his special spot that he liked. Sure enough, there he was, perched on a rock, his head in his hands. I padded over to him slowly, not wanting to cause too much commotion, as he hadn't noticed me yet. "Simon?" I breathed. He looked up after a moment, but refused to look at me.

"What do you want?" He choked, his voice sounding nasally, like he had just cried.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly, placing my hand on his shoulder. He shook my hand off and peered at me through narrowed eyes.

"You're really asking me this?" He confirmed, shaking his head slightly. "Lizzie, you should already know what's wrong." He looked down at his hands, not wanting me to see his tear stained face any longer.

"Is it about what Jack and I were doing?" I asked.

"Obviously! What else would it be about?" He declared.

"Why are you upset about it?" I questioned. The amount of questions I was asking even got me annoyed.

"I thought you liked me! I thought we could have something!" He blurted. "I thought that for once we could set aside age and just be us! I guess you don't want to be with me though, so what's the point in trying anymore?" He said, his voice straining.

"Simon, I didn't think you liked me that way." I said in disbelief. You're so idiotic, Lizzie! How could you not realize that he likes you? "Why didn't you ever talk to me after I joined Jack' group, then?"

"Because I was scared that you wouldn't want to talk to me! I thought you had changed." He explained. "And you did change, but not in the way I thought you would."

"Simon, I-"

"You know I've liked you since I first saw you board the plane?" He began, cutting me off. "You didn't see me, but I saw you. Your hair was nice and clean, and pulled up in a ponytail that you seemed to lose when we crashed. Your eyes were gleaming as you tried to put your carry-on into the overhead compartment. When Ralph started talking to you, you lit up like a Christmas tree. I immediately felt this pang in my chest, like my body was warning me that it wouldn't work out with you. I tried to listen to it, but the more I saw you talking to Ralph the more I wanted to ignore the voice telling me not to like you." He stopped and looked around, like he was expecting someone to jump out of the bushes. I assumed he was done talking, but I was wrong. "Then Jack, who was sitting a seat ahead of me, decided to open his big mouth and start talking about you. I immediately got jealous and knew that I couldn't hold back my feelings from you. I didn't know you and I felt just by looking at you that I knew you for years. Then when we crashed you started talking to me, and when you broke your leg and I was declared in charge of you I was so happy because it meant that I could keep talking to you." He admitted. "I thought we were going to get somewhere, but now I know that we aren't." He huffed slightly, signalling that he was indeed unhappy.

"Simon-"

"Save it. I don't want to talk to you. Go back to your boyfriend." He spat in disgust.