The Island

Boredom

Lizzie's POV

As I sat in the shade of a large palm tree, the imminent threat of death by boredom grew stronger and stronger. I had sat in the same spot for the past week, waiting for my knee to heal so I could go about my life once again. Simon sat beside me, relishing in the warm breeze, a Chameleon in his hand and his gaze focused on the vast ocean. He enjoyed the remoteness of our sanctuary, but I was tired of it. I was desperate to get back in on the action, especially since we've only been stranded on this island for a week and a half, and I had yet to explore it further than the pond. 

"Can I hold it?" I asked Simon, referring to the Chameleon. He broke his gaze from the ocean and looked at me confused before realizing what I was referring to. He nodded and helped situate the lizard onto my own hand. It hissed for a second before getting comfortable, and then began slowly making its way up my arm. I giggled as its feet brushed against my wrist. It tickled. Simon and I watched as it climbed all the way up my hair before he gently took it back, letting it rest on his shoulder. We were thrust into a comfortable silence as I began tracing meaningless shaped into the sand and he focused back onto the ocean. It was as if he was waiting for something, like a whale to breach, or perhaps a rescue boat to suddenly appear. I sighed as I began losing focus on the ground, zoning out into my own thoughts. 

"Thank you," Simon suddenly piped up. His voice was quiet and shy. I peered at him with furrowed eyebrows. "For spending time with me, I mean. Nobody really likes me much. I guess I'm not really much fun to be around." He mumbled, shrugging. He held an expression of slight hurt after admitting what I knew he had been refusing to admit. I nudged his shoulder lightly to get him to meet my eyes and smiled reassuringly. 

"Nobody dislikes you, Simon. And besides, it should really be the other way around. You're spending time with me, remember?" I reminded him, smiling in a way I hoped would ease his conscience. He shrugged again and cracked a small smile. 

"Yeah but people want to spend time with you, Lizzie. If I couldn't be here with you I guarantee Ralph and Jack would abandon their duties to take my place." He muttered. His face fell again and I sighed in defeat. It was true, Simon was a bit of an outcast, but he was also clever and useful. Ralph counted on him to watch me, and he was confident when it came to helping me with my knee, and climbing trees for fruit. It was the children who didn't really like him. Simon wasn't very playful for his age, he had matured much quicker than everyone else, and it took a toll on his popularity. 

"I much prefer you being here than Ralph or Jack," I said truthfully, "all they do is flirt with me. You're a good friend, Simon. I like having you here." I watched as he visibly relaxed, a smile once again growing on his face. His eyes met mine again and I could tell my assurance had worked. 

I could hear Ralph humming to himself as he padded down the path from the pond that the boys had packed down. I watched as he stepped out onto the sand, a coconut full of water in his hand, his head bobbing to the song that played in his head. He smiled as his eyes met mine and he passed me the coconut as he sat down next to me. I immediately passed it off to Simon, who took it reluctantly. 

"What are you doing?" Ralph asked, his eyebrows furrowing. 

"Simon never gets the chance to go get water so I always give him mine." I shrugged, watching as Simon slowly sipped the cool water. 

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've brought two cups, then!" Ralph groaned, rolling his eyes. "You're dehydrated, Lizzie. You need to drink water or else you're going to get sick." He lectured. Simon quickly handed to coconut back to me and I sighed dramatically before gulping the rest of the water. Ralph nodded affirmatively as I set the empty cup onto the sand. He began tracing shapes in the sand, finally able to relax after what I could only assume was a stressful day of ordering children around. I watched as his shoulders relaxed and he let out a calmed sigh, looking out at the ocean, just as Simon began to do as well.