Chip raised his hands in the air. “Team eight wins a point!”
I released Jerry, coughing. Saul helped me to my feet and gave me an awkward pat on the back. “Sorry about that, honey. I wasn’t trying to grab you. You’re the same age as my daughter.”
“It’s okay,” I wheezed, and gave him a smile. “It’s all good.”
Spitting water, I high-fived Kip - at least he was good for something - and put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. My shoulders and back burned where I’d been grabbed by the others, but I was feeling strong. One point down.
Kissy and Rusty were up next, against Sunnie and Jendan. I thought that Jendan and Sunnie would blow them out of the water, but it turned out that Sunnie wasn’t much of a competitor. She pranced into the water and when Jendan was tackled. Kissy grabbed Sunnie and pulled her under the water. She sprang up, coughing, and then flailed while Jendan tried to get out from Rusty’s clinging hands. The two rednecks won, and athletic Jendan looked annoyed while his partner tried to finger comb her hair into neatness.
Alys and Chris were the last team to go, and the rotation started again. They were paired up against the firefighters, and then one by one, each team was called up for a second round.
When it was time for Kip and I to go, I was pleased to see that we were paired against Sunnie and Jendan. “We’ve gotta keep the big guy distracted,” I murmured to Kip. “She’s not a threat.”
“Ok,” Kip said. “I’ll go for her, you go for him.”
“Wait, me? Why me?” How on earth was I supposed to keep a guy like that busy?
“Ready,” Chip called before Kip could answer. “And…go!”
We took off, heading for the water. We made it in advance of Sunnie and Jendan, who seemed to be holding back. That struck me as odd, but I dove for the buoy…
Only to be tackled and sent underwater. The big guy had found me. His big hands hauled me backward and one rubbed hard down my back. It dragged against my sunburn, and my screech of protest was muffled by the water. I pushed myself to the surface, grabbing at one of his legs and trying to dump him backward. I’d swam with rough cousins as a kid and knew how to pick a fight in a pool, at least. This wasn’t much different.
But Jendan’s size gave him the advantage. He grabbed me by the torso and pushed me down into the water again. Again, his hand went down my back, rubbing.
When I came up for air again, sputtering, his big arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pinned me in the water and then sank down, pulling both of us in to our chins.
“Your back,” he murmured in my ear. “I’m trying to clean it off.”
“What?” Disoriented, I looked around. Sunnie was flailing near the buoy and Kip’s feet disappeared into the water, my partner diving down to get the ring.
“He wrote something on your back,” Jendan said in my ear, and rubbed my back again under the water. “I’m trying to get rid of it.”
“My name?” Everyone had their names written on them every day.
“Not your name.”
“What?” I stopped struggling, wincing when Jendan’s hand pressed against my sensitive skin. “What did he write?” I whispered, forgetting about the challenge.
“You don’t want to know—“
“Yes, I do,” I insisted. “Just tell me.”
“Lousy lay. He wrote that instead of your name. At least, I assume he’s the one that wrote on your back.” His cool eyes met mine, sympathetic. “I was trying to help.”
Even now, Kip was sprinting out of the water, ignoring Sunnie’s feeble cries. I was too stunned to do anything, and when Jendan’s hand swiped across my back once more, I let him.
Lousy lay?
And here I thought Kip and I were doing better today. What a fucking prick. No wonder everyone was laughing when I turned around. I felt my face go hot with anger. That little son of a bitch—
“Team eight wins again,” Chip said, throwing his hands in the air as Kip trotted to the finish line with the ring again. Pleased with himself, Kip did a little ‘Rocky’ bounce and then threw his hands in the air.
Jendan gave my back a final rub and then released me.
“You two okay in the water?” Chip asked, his attention turning toward Jendan and me.
“Just twisted my ankle a little,” I said, hauling out of the water and faking a limp. I was boiling mad as I went back to the line-up, unable to look over at my partner. My back stung, but my pride hurt worse. Of all the awful things to do…
I could teach Kip a lesson. Deliberately throw the challenge and see if I could get Kip ousted. It’d be risky, but did I want to play next to a guy that wrote Lousy Lay on my back just to try and humiliate me in public? All because I wouldn’t fuck him this time around?
“Jendan, looks like you didn’t even try very hard that time,” Chip commented, breaking into my stream of thoughts. “Are you and Sunnie struggling with the challenge?”
“Just lost my bearings,” Jendan said easily, and I glanced down the line at him. He shot me a secretive look, and I realized that he had no intention on telling anyone that he’d deliberately tackled me just to wipe my back off. They might notice that the words were no longer there, but maybe not that he did it on purpose to help me.
He’d thrown that round just to save me a little humiliation? I owed the guy. I felt a rush of gratitude that doused my fury. At least I had someone looking out for me on the beach.
The urge to throw the challenge fizzled. Jendan had deliberately lost so he could help me out. The least I could do was give it my all and try to return the favor somehow.
The afternoon wore on, and round after round of the challenge continued. The first team to get to three points was, not surprisingly, Summer and Polly. We lost to them in the next round. Once they had their three, they sat down on a nearby bench, out of the challenge and secure for another three days. Jendan and Sunnie won their next round and then lost another. We won our round against Leslie and Emilio, and finally got to sit down on the bench next to the girls. After that, Kissy and Rusty were safe, then Jerry and Saul.
The two teams in last place were Alys and Chris, and Jendan and Sunnie, who only won the one round. Alys and Chris had narrowly been beaten by the two firefighters, who weren’t that good at swimming, it seemed. Chip wore a somber look as he strode forward. “Jendan and Sunnie.” He turned to the other team. “Alys and Chris. You have all been nominated for Judgment. It’s time for us to go to the Judgment Hall.”
~~ *** ~~
An hour later, we were assembled in the so-called Judgment Hall. It was another boat-ride away, and on another island. The set that had been built was a magnificent one, designed to resemble a Fijian bungalow with no sides. There was a thick, layered, thatched roof, and rows of benches off to the side. An ornate wooden podium stood in the center (Chip’s place of honor) and there was a bench on each side of him. We were instructed to file in quietly and take a seat on one of the benches across from the podium.
Alys and Chris sat to the left of Chip, Jendan and Sunnie to the right. Both teams looked incredibly displeased to be there.
Chip gave us all a somber look. “Welcome to Judgment. Here, the remaining players will vote who will stay, and who will leave. Your votes will determine which team will remain. The team that loses Judgment will then proceed to a challenge round, where they will compete against each other. The person that loses will exit the game. The person that wins the challenge will play on as a team of one. Should you lose Judgment again, that single person will be automatically eliminated. Does everyone understand?”
I released Jerry, coughing. Saul helped me to my feet and gave me an awkward pat on the back. “Sorry about that, honey. I wasn’t trying to grab you. You’re the same age as my daughter.”
“It’s okay,” I wheezed, and gave him a smile. “It’s all good.”
Spitting water, I high-fived Kip - at least he was good for something - and put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. My shoulders and back burned where I’d been grabbed by the others, but I was feeling strong. One point down.
Kissy and Rusty were up next, against Sunnie and Jendan. I thought that Jendan and Sunnie would blow them out of the water, but it turned out that Sunnie wasn’t much of a competitor. She pranced into the water and when Jendan was tackled. Kissy grabbed Sunnie and pulled her under the water. She sprang up, coughing, and then flailed while Jendan tried to get out from Rusty’s clinging hands. The two rednecks won, and athletic Jendan looked annoyed while his partner tried to finger comb her hair into neatness.
Alys and Chris were the last team to go, and the rotation started again. They were paired up against the firefighters, and then one by one, each team was called up for a second round.
When it was time for Kip and I to go, I was pleased to see that we were paired against Sunnie and Jendan. “We’ve gotta keep the big guy distracted,” I murmured to Kip. “She’s not a threat.”
“Ok,” Kip said. “I’ll go for her, you go for him.”
“Wait, me? Why me?” How on earth was I supposed to keep a guy like that busy?
“Ready,” Chip called before Kip could answer. “And…go!”
We took off, heading for the water. We made it in advance of Sunnie and Jendan, who seemed to be holding back. That struck me as odd, but I dove for the buoy…
Only to be tackled and sent underwater. The big guy had found me. His big hands hauled me backward and one rubbed hard down my back. It dragged against my sunburn, and my screech of protest was muffled by the water. I pushed myself to the surface, grabbing at one of his legs and trying to dump him backward. I’d swam with rough cousins as a kid and knew how to pick a fight in a pool, at least. This wasn’t much different.
But Jendan’s size gave him the advantage. He grabbed me by the torso and pushed me down into the water again. Again, his hand went down my back, rubbing.
When I came up for air again, sputtering, his big arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pinned me in the water and then sank down, pulling both of us in to our chins.
“Your back,” he murmured in my ear. “I’m trying to clean it off.”
“What?” Disoriented, I looked around. Sunnie was flailing near the buoy and Kip’s feet disappeared into the water, my partner diving down to get the ring.
“He wrote something on your back,” Jendan said in my ear, and rubbed my back again under the water. “I’m trying to get rid of it.”
“My name?” Everyone had their names written on them every day.
“Not your name.”
“What?” I stopped struggling, wincing when Jendan’s hand pressed against my sensitive skin. “What did he write?” I whispered, forgetting about the challenge.
“You don’t want to know—“
“Yes, I do,” I insisted. “Just tell me.”
“Lousy lay. He wrote that instead of your name. At least, I assume he’s the one that wrote on your back.” His cool eyes met mine, sympathetic. “I was trying to help.”
Even now, Kip was sprinting out of the water, ignoring Sunnie’s feeble cries. I was too stunned to do anything, and when Jendan’s hand swiped across my back once more, I let him.
Lousy lay?
And here I thought Kip and I were doing better today. What a fucking prick. No wonder everyone was laughing when I turned around. I felt my face go hot with anger. That little son of a bitch—
“Team eight wins again,” Chip said, throwing his hands in the air as Kip trotted to the finish line with the ring again. Pleased with himself, Kip did a little ‘Rocky’ bounce and then threw his hands in the air.
Jendan gave my back a final rub and then released me.
“You two okay in the water?” Chip asked, his attention turning toward Jendan and me.
“Just twisted my ankle a little,” I said, hauling out of the water and faking a limp. I was boiling mad as I went back to the line-up, unable to look over at my partner. My back stung, but my pride hurt worse. Of all the awful things to do…
I could teach Kip a lesson. Deliberately throw the challenge and see if I could get Kip ousted. It’d be risky, but did I want to play next to a guy that wrote Lousy Lay on my back just to try and humiliate me in public? All because I wouldn’t fuck him this time around?
“Jendan, looks like you didn’t even try very hard that time,” Chip commented, breaking into my stream of thoughts. “Are you and Sunnie struggling with the challenge?”
“Just lost my bearings,” Jendan said easily, and I glanced down the line at him. He shot me a secretive look, and I realized that he had no intention on telling anyone that he’d deliberately tackled me just to wipe my back off. They might notice that the words were no longer there, but maybe not that he did it on purpose to help me.
He’d thrown that round just to save me a little humiliation? I owed the guy. I felt a rush of gratitude that doused my fury. At least I had someone looking out for me on the beach.
The urge to throw the challenge fizzled. Jendan had deliberately lost so he could help me out. The least I could do was give it my all and try to return the favor somehow.
The afternoon wore on, and round after round of the challenge continued. The first team to get to three points was, not surprisingly, Summer and Polly. We lost to them in the next round. Once they had their three, they sat down on a nearby bench, out of the challenge and secure for another three days. Jendan and Sunnie won their next round and then lost another. We won our round against Leslie and Emilio, and finally got to sit down on the bench next to the girls. After that, Kissy and Rusty were safe, then Jerry and Saul.
The two teams in last place were Alys and Chris, and Jendan and Sunnie, who only won the one round. Alys and Chris had narrowly been beaten by the two firefighters, who weren’t that good at swimming, it seemed. Chip wore a somber look as he strode forward. “Jendan and Sunnie.” He turned to the other team. “Alys and Chris. You have all been nominated for Judgment. It’s time for us to go to the Judgment Hall.”
~~ *** ~~
An hour later, we were assembled in the so-called Judgment Hall. It was another boat-ride away, and on another island. The set that had been built was a magnificent one, designed to resemble a Fijian bungalow with no sides. There was a thick, layered, thatched roof, and rows of benches off to the side. An ornate wooden podium stood in the center (Chip’s place of honor) and there was a bench on each side of him. We were instructed to file in quietly and take a seat on one of the benches across from the podium.
Alys and Chris sat to the left of Chip, Jendan and Sunnie to the right. Both teams looked incredibly displeased to be there.
Chip gave us all a somber look. “Welcome to Judgment. Here, the remaining players will vote who will stay, and who will leave. Your votes will determine which team will remain. The team that loses Judgment will then proceed to a challenge round, where they will compete against each other. The person that loses will exit the game. The person that wins the challenge will play on as a team of one. Should you lose Judgment again, that single person will be automatically eliminated. Does everyone understand?”
