Chapter Four

Eric lay there on the ground stunned, rubbing at his throbbing jaw. Jackson stood over him, the flickering lightning giving him a suitably threatening appearance. Fortunately for Eric, he seemed to have decided the one punch as enough, for now.

" What was that for?!, " Eric demanded, well, whined actually. As he staggered back to his feet. Jackson didn't bother to try helping him. In fact, he looked like he might have been contemplating knocking him down again after Eric's complaint as aired. He stood up, putting his straw hat back on his head, trading glares with the bigger teen.

Who was completely unimpressed by Eric's mad face. " You know what that was for. I don't like being played by anyone. I should have done it the second you opened your mouth on the beach. Now," his face tightened with barely repressed disgust, " for some reason I can't quite understand, Taylor and Mel seem to care enough about you to want you rescued from death by stupidity in this storm. Consider your ass rescued. Now shut the hell up and follow me back to camp before we get fried, standing under these trees." And with that said, Jackson spun on his heels and strode back in the general direction of the camp, leaving a confused Eric standing in his wake.

Jackson got a half dozen yards ahead of Eric, pushing at the branched and vines that were in his path when he realized Eric was still standing there. Irritation warred with concern in him; briefly, and against his better judgment, concern won. H took a couple of steps back, absently wiping the rain from his face as he called out to the other young man." Are you coming or not Eric? I'm not waiting all night for you to make up your mind, man.."

Nothing. Eric still stood there, motionless. And then a flash of lightning illuminated his face. Jackson couldn't believe what he saw there.

Eric was crying.

Jackson walked silently back over to the smaller boy and stood directly in front of him. " Eric, I don't have the time or patience to sort all this out with you right here, in the middle of this storm. I shouldn't have hit you, but you damn well shouldn't have done what you did either. Let's put it all aside and get back to the others." That as about as far as his concern could stretch, for the storm was steadily worsening and if they didn't get moving, they re going to be pounded flat in a matter of minutes.

Eric held his hands up in a odd gesture. " Why? Why should I go back? I tried to punk you and Lex out and it all went wrong. Now, everyone there knows I'm a liar and a jerk."

A sliver of anger make Jackson say what he did next: " Dude, we all knew you were a liar and a jerk before now. What you tried to pull just confirmed it. But, " he sighed, " we'll get over it. Now, can we please get going?" he waited for a response, as the storm swirled around them.

" I'm scared Jackson, " Eric slumped his shoulders and finally let the truth out, " I've been scared ever since we crashed here. None of the others really like me and I'm man enough to admit it's mainly my fault. If there was a single one of her clique here, Taylor wouldn't even speak to me. Lex and I can't stand each other. And, I'm kinda , well, " unaccountable, he seemed embarrassed, afraid to go on.

" What?" Jackson asked, his curiosity aroused, " Go on, say it." he encouraged him, hoping to speed this up as rain splattered on.

" I'm scared of you, all right. You fucking intimidate me. And I'm jealous. Mel's crazy about you and she barely knows you. Taylor, she thinks you're good looking and even Daley stares at you once in a while. And they wouldn't throw water on me if I was on fire." He had his hands jammed into his blue raincoat pockets as he spoke, nervously pacing.

And that's the reason you messed with me like this?! Jackson though. He started to punch the other guy again, then he suddenly thought back to his days at Chavez. About how he had actually been on the small side compared to most of his friends, like Eric. And how he had been intimidated by many of the people there; he just hadn't let it bother him like Eric seemed to have. And a wry smile crossed his face at the news of how attractive the girls seemed to think her was.

Eric went on: " And I hate it here, not knowing what's gonna happen next. And I need to be home, to try to keep my parents from killing each other without me there to play referee. If I'm here long, they'll tear each other .apart. Believe it or not, I feel bad for you too." he added in a surprising twist from his tale of woe."

" Really?" Jackson said skeptically, " And what are you feeling bad for me for, because the cops are after me, because I managed to hurt Mel, or because I'll never know the joys of being heterosexual?" disbelief in his every word.

Eric stepped back slightly at the tone in Jackson's voice. Then, he tried his best to project his sincerity into his voice as he spoke to the man who he had tried so badly to harm, " Because you need to be with your mom right now too, from what you said. I'm a jerk Jackson. I deserved a lot worse than a punch. I'm alone and scared and jealous and I'm sorry. I had no right to do that to you. But, what or who you like to sleep with really didn't have anything to do with it. I just don't get the whole gay thing, but it qas more I was afraid you some sort of gangster or junkie or something." He didn't expect Jackson's reaction to that.

He fought to keep a straight face, but a bubble of slightly harsh laughter forced it's way out, " You thing I'm a junkie?! You fucking idiot, if I as a junkie, I'd have wigged out on all of you already. And yeah, I ran with a gang for a few months, but I didn't last long in it because I won't hurt people unless I have a really good reason. Like lying on me, " he added pointedly as Eric rubbed his jaw, a bruise plain on it. He couldn't help but grin, " Man, I guess all of this shit boils down to your basic failure to communicate. If I had been honest and you had been honest, this nightmare wouldn't have happened."

Seeing he was safe from immediate annihilation, Eric's sense of humor resurfaced: " Well, maybe I'm not the only jerk on this island after all." He flinched as Jackson put a large fist up to his face.

Which he then opened into a hand, which he extended in friendship, " We both let our on issues make even worse ones. Let's try this again. I'm Jackson, I love Samoan rap, ice hockey and by the way, I'm gay."

Eric took the hand gratefully. " Hi. I'm Eric and I tell jokes and prank people just for the hell of it. And as for the being gay, don't ask me out on a date." he did a double take at Jackson's expression. " What?"

Jackson snorted, " You Hartwell men have a inflated opinion of your looks. Nathan said almost the exact same thing to me earlier."

" Really? Personally , I think you two would look cute together." Eric drawled. Then smiled.

This time, when the fist hit his jaw, it was a relatively easy blow, delivered by someone who just might have become a friend, instead of an enemy.

Seconds later, they took off towards the dubious shelter of the camp.