Page 21 of Dance Practice, Marooned: Part 2

“What sort of sick game are you playing here, Kellen?” Rachel whispers, her voice a low whip. “I’m not a plaything because you’re fucking bored out here. Aggie, are you serious? You honestly have the audacity to mess around with both of us?”

“Last time I checked, I didn’t promise anyone my fuckin’ loyalty. Never once have I told you that this was more than sex.”

“Wow,” Rachel hisses. “Well, I would have appreciated knowing that while you’re sticking your dick in me, you’re also sticking it in her.”

Oh.

My.

God.

“My personal business ain’t yours.”

“Are you fucking serious?” she screams, making me flinch. “We are all stuck on an island, with only each other. I think that maybe, just fucking maybe, the situation is a little different to normal.”

“Keep your voice down,” Kellen growls.

“Or what? Everyone might find out what a dick you really are?”

“I fucked her once. Weeks ago. Can you fuckin’ chill.”

“Oh, well, if that’s all, I am getting upset over nothing,” Rachel throws back sarcastically. “That clears everything up. You’re a dick, Kellen.”

Damn, Rachel is sassy.

A bitch—well, we all knew she could be one of those—but sassy... that’s new.

The shack’s thin walls do little to muffle the fireworks outside. My brain is still nothing but hot mush, but the drama turns my stomach even more than the fever. I squeeze my eyes shut, and I wish I could unplug my ears. I don’t want to hear this, don’t want to know any more than I already do. Let me go back to sweet, delirious blackout.

But my curiosity gets the better of me, and so I keep listening.

Rachel must toss something—there’s a solid thunk and a muffled fuck from Kellen. A second later, he storms away, boots crunching, and then it’s just Rachel, pace-pacing back and forth alone. She mutters to herself, rage and heartbreak wound up together. I almost want to laugh, but I’m still too busy holding my own fractured pieces together.

Less than five minutes later, Rachel appears at the front of the shack, and her eyes widen when she notices me staring. “Thought you were asleep,” she says, voice lower, more careful. She hesitates, steps further in, arms crossed tight. “Let me guess, you heard all that.”

I nod, and then cough as I shift, moving my tired body into a more upright position. “You know this island isn’t big enough for secrets, right?”

Rachel is silent, jaw working a little. “Guess not.” She comes to sit at the foot of my bed, knees drawn up, chin on top. She stares at the floor for a long time, as if memorising every splinter. I do feel bad for her, even though Aggie is my best friend. I can see that it’s hurting her and that is never a nice feeling. Especially when you have feelings for someone.

“I’m sorry,” I say, and genuinely, I mean it. “He’s a dick.”

Her mouth tugs up at the side, a ghost-smile at best. She turns, picks at a fraying strand on my bed, and finally says, “So, what part did you hear?”

“Enough,” I answer quietly. “You and Kellen. And Aggie.” I stop there, because even speaking her name tastes like guilt.

She exhales. “Fuck.” After a moment, she says, “I’m sorry you are caught in the middle now.”

Damn.

That is absolutely not where I want to be.

She keeps her gaze away from mine but keeps talking. “It’s stupid, because I never even liked guys like him. The ones that stomp instead of walk. The ones that make everything a contest. But when we crashed here? I just wanted not to be afraid. He was good at that.” She wipes her cheek—one angry tear, swatted away before it can fall. “And now I find out he’s just been using me to pass the time until something better comes along. Well, he has already found something better, hasn’t he?”

Damn, she really likes him. “Did he say that?”

Rachel laughs. “He didn’t have to. You heard him. He’s never ‘promised’ me anything. Meanwhile, Aggie is out there thinking that he is into her, too, just like I did.” She finally looks at me, and her eyes are sharp—more angry than sad, thank god. “Don’t tell her, Grace. Please. It will only cause drama, and we have been through so much.”

I hesitate.