AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“May I add something?” Jack asked.
Gabriel nodded, and Jack raised his beer can in the air. “It’s good seeing the old Gabe slowly resurfacing, man. I just hope that when we do get back at our table at O’Conner, this old Gabe will still be around.”
Gabriel got this weird look in his eyes before he cleared his throat. “Eh, yeah. About that… I never got the chance to tell you guys that I called off the wedding…”
Rodrigo jumped up from his seat, jostling everyone in the already unstable raft.
“What? When? Why didn’t you fuckin’ tell me?”
Gabriel helped his twin sit down next to him. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you,” he glanced around the raft and added, “All of you.”
Rodrigo balled his fists, his tattooed knuckles turning white.
“So, we’re stuck on this damn raft for a pointless fuckin’ bachelor party since you cancelled your stupid-ass wedding with the wicked witch?” Rodrigo’s booming voice travelled over the flat water surrounding them.
As the brothers sat next to each other, the differences between the identical twins stood out even more. Rodrigo’s rage and darkness simmered just below the surface on a good day, but after the news of his clean-cut twin calling off the wedding, Rodrigo seemed seconds away from ripping Gabriel a new one.
Gabriel kept his shoulders straight and his voice calm as he said, “I wanted to tell you guys, but then I overheard you planning this trip with Jack, and I figured this trip was the only way to get us all six together for the entire weekend.”
Dominic slammed his fist on the inflatable tube next to him. “Fuckin’ hell!”
Jack understood how Dominic figured he could have been home right now instead of being stuck on the Pacific Ocean, but he also felt sorry for his friend, who must have had a reason to call off his wedding.
“What happened, Gabe?”
Gabriel sighed. “I caught her cheating on me with a girl from the golf club where our firm has this monthly thing. You all may hate Mary’s guts, but I loved her. I can’t believe she did this to me. I couldn’t stand to look at her and called off the wedding and quit working for her father that same day.”
“Fuck. Weren’t you up for a promotion soon?” Reed asked.
Gabriel nodded. “Yeah. I did everything expected of me to make partner while I slowly turned into an uptight fucker and unhappy as shit.”
“Well, at least something positive has come out of this trip; my brother finally found his balls back,” Rodrigo said as he pulled the tab of his beer can and clinked it against Reed and Zane’s beers.
Jack, Gabriel, and lastly Dominic followed suit. The lukewarm beer slipped into Jack’s throat as he closed his eyes and savored the malty taste.
Floating in a life raft without knowing where the fuck they were and if they would make it out alive would have been a lot shittier without his five best friends sitting next to him.
Even in their thirties, after everything they’d been through since that first day in middle school; parents getting divorced, losing family members, deployment overseas, pro-athlete careers, and even surviving a shipwreck; their bond proved unbreakable.
They celebrated they were still alive, even though they were far from safe.
CHAPTER THREE
Dressedin a yellow sundress and matching fisherman’s hat, Camilla had taken the lead on their trek across the island. Adela followed closely, even though she had trouble keeping up in the jungle.
Camilla held her step, clutching a thick branch beside her head. “Maybe you should lead. I feel like we’re just going in circles on my watch.”
Adela took in their surroundings and saw something that crushed all hope. “I’ve marked that tree three hours ago. You’re right: we’re going in circles.”
“Shit!” Camilla shouted, while stomping her feet on the ground.
They both shrieked when an animal of some kind squealed back to them from somewhere deep in the jungle.
Camilla’s grip on Adela’s arm turned painful as she said, “What are we going to do now? We’re never making it out of here alive!”
Adela rubbed her friend’s back. “It’s going to be okay, Cami. We survived a shipwreck in the middle of the freakin’ ocean! We’re going to get out of this jungle, and we’re going to see our friends who are probably shitfaced by now from all those Mai Tai drinks.”
Camilla puffed out her cheeks. “I’m never having a Mai Tai ever again!”
