The Island

Part 7 - 3

Three:

"I can't even believe you." Carmen hissed to JT. She grilled him in the lounge room alone; everyone else either had gone to the Billiards room to celebrate or to their rooms to soak in what had just happened. "I did all of that for you because I love you! And you betray me like-" "We aren't even together. Hell, I didn't even talk to you before we all came here! And I didn't ask for anything, either. You wanted to, so we had sex! I wasn't going to stop you-" JT defended himself. "You freaking loved it. And I freaking bet you did that because Michael pressured you into it-" "Michael didn't say shit to me!" JT yelled. "You're a boy. Not a man. Grow a pair of balls, you dumbass-" "Well, I have some. And you saw them, so... Yeah." JT's comeback was snappy. Carmen rolled her eyes and turned away. She was starting to tear up. "I'm done with you. Never freaking speak to me again, or so help me God I'll-" "Just leave." JT interrupted. Carmen stopped and looked back at him one last time. She stormed off out the bedroom hall entrance with tears rolling down her cheeks. She went down the hall toward Michael's room. Except she wasn't heading for any of the bedrooms in that hall; on Carmen's right-hand side of the hall, there was a bare wall, interrupted in two places by a bathroom and a small closet where spinning laundry shook. Carmen obviously was heading for the washroom to be alone; every girl needs some space after a heart break. She ripped open the door and found the toilet. She flipped the seat down and sat on the lid of the toilet seat. She put her hands to her face and began to sob uncontrollably. She thought about how she actually believed Jeanette had a decent chance in this election; and a mere two votes to her? Really, two votes? The thought made her sad for her friend. She couldn't even imagine how crushed Jeanette is. She wished she could fly back to the mainland and forget this all happened. All that she's caught up in; why her? Why did it have to come crashing down now? Carmen thought about Adin; even she didn't know him very well, his death effected her in a special way. She knew, besides Jeanette, she was one of the last to see him alive. That night, she had made finger sandwiches for everyone. She remembered right before Adin slipped out he took one of her sandwiches. That thought started ripping her apart. He's dead. And she saw him literally minutes before he was murdered. She knew someone else had seen him seconds before his death; and that was the murderer on this island. Carmen had her secret suspicions, but she kept them to herself. She kept a lot to herself. One of those things was her true insecurity. Even though she acts collected and motherly to her friends, inside, she's a mess. Before she had gotten to the island, Carmen faced heartbreak before, and only some guys. She got caught up in some bad influences, which Carmen knew were bad, and... it just happened. She was stupid not to turn down that first cigarette. One thing led to another, and she was hooked. If she didn't smoke once a day, she felt anxious and empty. She needed those Camel cigarettes. So, when she got the invite from Jeanette and Adin, she spent all her week's salary on packs and packs of cigarettes. She hid all of them from everyone through the flight and arrival, but when Wyatt saw her with the pack in her hand, her secret was out. Wyatt asked "What are doing? Are those-" "Yes." She had replied. "I need to be somewhere-" "Um, no you don't. Explain yourself." Carmen recalled Wyatt's stern fatherly expression on his face. "I don't know. Please, do not say anything. Adin'll through me out-" "I won't, but you're not off the hook with me." Carmen remembers the panicked feeling she had that late afternoon. "Tonight, let's talk." Wyatt had suggested. And then, the night of the welcoming party, Wyatt told her off on the back deck. Carmen had shut him up with a cigarette of his own. God knows what changed in him, but he took it. Carmen lit it for him, and left both of them addicts. That smoke Taylor had detected behind the cabin during her walk was coming from Carmen's and Wyatt's cigarettes. The whole flashback had stopped Carmen's tears. She stood up and wiped her eyes. She turned to the mirror in front of the sink and saw her makeup had run badly. With no makeup on her, she was left with nothing to correct any of it with. Carmen panicked momentarily, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Carmen? Is that you?" Carmen recognized the voice. She turned around and cracked the door open just enough so she could extend her head out to see the girl at the door. "Oh, Carmen. You look terrible." Jeanette stood there. She grabbed Carmen's face and looked her in the eyes. Jeanette had been crying too; her eyes were red and the blush she had applied was ruined. Carmen opened the door more, revealing her whole body and outfit. They both were still in their outfits from presentations. "Do you need a hug?" Jeanette asked her. "So much." Carmen nodded. More tears spilled out of both of their eyes. They embraced tightly, crying on each other's shoulders. "We did the best we could." Carmen whispered. That made Jeanette sob. "Yeah..." Jeanette whispered. They continued to embrace, letting each other's shoulders become comfort pillows for their heavy feelings.