Found My Disrespect

Box of Whiskey

Hoogie's pov:

Guy concerns me deeply. He's fun to mess with, but I hate that look of masked pain he has sometimes. It's like he knows something terrible, but he can't remember it. I shake my head, trying to scatter the thoughts away. Then, something that doesn't belong in the ocean caught my eye. "Do you see that?" I ask him.

He looks up from his search of his shirt. I point out the object for him. "Yes, I do."

"Let's go get it." I slid down the limb, but Guy doesn't move. He looks up at me frighteningly. "Are you scared of heights?" I chuckle.

"No." He pouted and looked away from my gaze.

"I'll help you." I popped my shoulder. I stretch a little trying to get ready to hold him while I climb down the tree.

"How are you going to do that?"

I only smile in response.

"Go toward the trunk." I command him. He looks back at me once and starts to scoot down the lengthy tree limb. I chuckle because of his uncertainty. I follow easily behind him.

As we get to the trunk of the tree, he asks me, "How did you see my tattoo and scars?" He says this quietly like he was expecting me to confess something that is down right wrong.

"While I was carrying you," is all I say. He doesn't ask or say anything else as we reach the trunk. I take off my shirt.

"What are you doing?" Disbelief pours over his tone. His eyes were glued to my exposed torso. I hand him my shirt.

"Put it on." I command him again. He looks at me hesitantly. I nod to encourage him. He slips my shirt on, and then I explain, "I didn't want the tree to scratch your back." He gives me a weird look, but doesn't say anything. I cough, "Put your arms and legs around me."

"What! Are you crazy!" He gave me an incredible look. I raise my eyebrows at him.

"I won't do it." He growls and looks away from me, staring at the distant vegetation below.

"This is the only way." I say. He glances into my gaze before looking away and complying to my command. I gently push him against the trunk. His arms are hooked under my biceps and his legs are firmly wrapped around my waist. He gazes at me with a trusting look and then places his head in the crook of my neck. I hesitate for a second and then I secure my left arm's grip to the tree limb we where originally on. I swing steadily down while Guy clings to me. I let out a yelp of surprise as I almost lose my grip on one of the branches. I slam us hard against the trunk of the tree. Both of our breath is knocked out of us due to the impacts. I whisper shakily, "Are you alright?"  He does not speak out and only nods and his hold on me tightens. I stay there for a minute. Feeling the ocean breeze caress my back, feeling Guy cling to me, hearing our shallow breaths, feeling his chest rise and fall from beneath my shirt he wears, seeing the grayish color of the tree trunk, and also the feeling of his hands on my bare shoulders makes me sigh. Then, I continue moving down and my thoughts drift to how I carried him up here.

Yesterday:

After I grabbed his wrists, he became limp in my hold, so I quickly caught him. I sank to the ground with him and start to exam him. Due to his dry lips and over heated cheeks, I guessed he must have been dehydrated. Knowing I had water in my tree camp, I decided quickly to help him. Carrying him like a sack of potatoes, I pondered on how I would get him up there. I guessed I could carry him up like this, but there was a chance his dead weight would shift and he would fall head first to the ground. To avoid that, I changed my plan. I could tie him to my chest and we could slowly but safely climb the tree. I began looking for strong vines and only put him down once or twice to reach ones up high in trees. Amazingly, I didn't meet any deadly animals that day. After I used my knife to cut all the vines I needed, I started to tie him to me. I had no idea how I would do it with him being knocked out and all. I decided I should get on my knees and let him lay before me. I began by tying his thighs to my hips. Before I did that, I pulled him by the legs up and toward me to wear he was partly laying on my lap. That exposed his tattoo and scars. I stopped and looked at them. Then, I traced my finger over the train. I looked closer and I think I could make out names on the red rims of the carts connecting to the train. Then I traced over his scars wondering how he got them. He didn't seem like the type to be in a fight or anything. "Maybe it was an accident," I thought. Wondering if there were anymore scars or  tattoos, I started to unbutton his shirt. Then, he started to twist and turn.

He called out, "Sister!" A single tear rolled down his face and then he stopped thrashing around. I buttoned his shirt realizing that was none of my business. I finished the right thigh and moved to tying the left thigh. After that, I picked him up and I sat against the tree that had my tree camp for balance as I tied his torso to my torso. Then I tried to determine if I should tie his hands under my arms or over my arms. I guessed under, so I could freely move my arms to climb. Tying his hands together behind my back was a hard feat to complete. I did it anyway though, somehow. Now I had to make another decision.

I have this pet peeve that involves pressure on the neck. I can't stand people touching my neck or see someone touching other people's necks. I also can't stand it when I see someone knocked out and the person carries them princess style and that person does not support the neck. I really did not want to climb with his neck flopping everywhere, so I tied his neck to mine. The vine was like razors cutting into the back of my neck. I started climbing up to my tree camp slowly. He looked light, but...gosh...he was heavy. Almost to the top my left hand slipped and our lips mashed harshly together.

"Ouch." I grumbled. When we get to the limb we sleep on, I rubbed my lips finding blood. There was no way he hit me that hard unless I bit down on my own lips. Then, I reach around the tree trunk into a hollow and pull out some water that is in a canteen. I tucked the canteen between our bodies and realized that I had him pressed against the tree trunk. I untied the vine around our necks and a sigh of relief comes from my lips. I held his head in my hand. I caressed his short black hair, grabbed the canteen, and poured water into his mouth. After I refill him with water, I put the canteen back into the hollow. I glanced around noticing that the sky was becoming an arrange of colors. With him knocked out, I was afraid he would fall, so I didn't untie any of the knots that kept us together. Thinking about his hands, I decided to sleep on top of him. Later that night, I realized I couldn't sleep, so I untied the knots and flipped him on his stomach for better balance for when he wakes up. Then, I just sat by him all night making sure he wouldn't fall.

Today:

I chuckle remembering the memory of yesterday as we reach the bottom. I place my hands against the tree trunk with my feet firmly planted on the ground. "You can get off now." Guy shakily unwraps himself from me. He looks up at me while I have him pinned against the tree. I lean in and whisper into his ear, "You're heavy." Then I walk away from him and I hear unsteady footsteps behind me.

He coughs and then says, "Thanks." I don't reply. We just walk in silence till we reach the beach. "There it is!" He points at a box tumbling down the shore. I venture into the ocean after it. I look back and see that Guy has followed me, but left his sandals on the beach.

"I could have gotten' this by myself." I tell him.

He ignores me and says, "Is that a southern drawl I hear?" I glare at him and he looks away. "It's the least I could do." He says as we push the box toward the shore. The waves were calm and the water was beautifully clear. The sun was hot, but the wind was fresh.

"There's a storm coming." I say. Guy looks around.

"Really?" He asks. I give a sharp nod. We pull the box away from the lapping waves and up the beach. Guy goes to put on his sandals as I try to find a weak spot on the box. He comes back over as I finally break it open.

As we peer into the box, we both exclaim, "Whiskey!"