Page 69 of Adrift

“Fucker,” Dante spits out. He coughs more, and I swim with him to shore.

I’ve never had to pull anyone from the water before, but I’ve seen it. Sometimes they fight the rescuer; Dante doesn’t. He’s clinging to me but not getting in the way of me getting him to shore.

“I’m good. I’m good. Really.” The coughs keep coming while I’m pulling him in. When our feet hit the sand, I don’t let him go. Instead, I help him almost all the way back to the fire. He stops a few steps short of it, his hands resting on his knees. Doubled over, he coughs a few more times before we stumble together to the fire.

“You okay?” I’m next to him, waiting to see if he goes down.

Calvin places Haley down next to us. “Next time...” He sounds more like my dad than a leader.

“Next time we land on a desert island and decide to go for a swim?” Dante gets out between coughs. “I’m fine. I was laughing at the wave taking out Zane. It was the first good moment I’ve had in a few days, and I got a mouthful of seawater. Next thing, I’m sinking. But Goldie here saved me.”

I shake my head. No way I’m answering to Goldie. Swimmer Boy is bad enough.

“Dante, are you sure you’re okay? Sit down over here.” Haley hops over to the closest log and brushes the sand off it.

“I’m good, Sassy.” And he almost sounds okay.

I take a towel hanging from the side of the raft and wipe my face. “Best thing ever.” I’m super grateful for the towel. I toss it to Zane, and he does the same.

“Thanks.” Zane hangs it up.

Calvin’s made his way back over to Haley, like some oversized shadow. He shakes his hair dry like a dog. A damn dog.

Haley giggles. “Stop.”

And now I’m fuming inside. “I’m going to get more wood for the cooking fire,” I growl.

“I’m going to keep Haley from causing any more problems.” Dante laughs, but Zane and Calvin are squinting at him. I feel the same.

Haley stands up with her crutch under her arm. “Well, I’m going to dry out the inside of the raft. Unless you think we should bed down somewhere else?”

“No. It’s better for the bugs and the other things.” Calvin gives her a nod. Who the fuck knows what the other things are?

I’m the first to move. “Let me help you into the raft.”

She sighs and glances behind me. “Okay. But I’m helping.”

“We are all going to have to pull our fair share.” Calvin glares first at me and then at Dante.

Dante points the stick he’s using to tend the fire at Calvin. “What, I’m injured, and he just saved me. So back down, big guy. We’re doing our share.” He puts the stick back into the fire, pushing the embers around.

Calvin grunts, but I ignore it. It’s only a few steps, but having her in my arms is definitely better than any shit Calvin is about to make me do. I lift her over the edge of the raft. Admittedly, I don’t want to let go, even though I know she’s stable on her good leg. “Let me get you a towel to wipe down the raft.”

She shakes her head. “I’m going to use the water collection sponge. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad we didn’t have to drink from the sponge.” She sighs.

“Damn straight,” I agree.

“Ready? We need more wood and fronds.” Calvin is standing over the other side of the fire, glaring at me like a damn Russian-born swim coach.

“Yeah.” I trudge after him. The wind changes when we enter the jungle. I love the beach—the water—but there’s something about the jungle here; it feels safer, even with the murder pigs. There are a ton of palm trees and coconuts along the edge of the woods. But inward, closer to the fresh water, the trees get massive. Smooth bark. Big. They’re nothing like the redwoods of California. Big but not that huge.

“We’re after palm fronds,” Calvin commands. “Not staring at the trees.”

“Sure.” Saying anything else to the brute is pointless.

Calvin has the hatchet from the emergency kit. He chops off the palm fronds, and I gather them up. But I can’t stop staring at the big trees.

He carries twice as many palm fronds as I have when we go back to the beach. It’s getting hotter out in the open.

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