"You still like him, don't you?"

Mel stopped walking and forced a neutral expression onto her face before turning around, "Like who?"

Eric rolled his eyes at her, "Don't play dumb, I'm talking about Jackson. And don't say no, I know you do."

Crossing her arms, Mel let out an annoyed huff, "Well then why'd you ask!?"

Unfazed by Mel's sudden change in mood, Eric shrugged his shoulders, "Just wondering if you'd tell me the truth or not."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Mel bit her lip nervously.

"Depends on what you give me for my silence."

"Eric!"

"Kidding, kidding, jeez. Our newfound friendship has inspired me to try something new."

"Like what?" Mel asked warily.

"Like keeping secrets instead of blaring them over a loudspeaker."

Mel gave a wry smile at his reference to his last prank on her, "Yeah, that would be a novelty, wouldn't it. Not much I can do about you knowing now, so I guess I'll just have to trust you."

"Believe me, I can keep a secret. I personally don't understand why you like him, but whatever."

"You don't need to know why, just keep your mouth shut," Mel grinned and gestured along the path they'd taken. "Let's go a little further, maybe we'll find more food."

"Sounds good to me. I'm not eating anything the boy-genius finds on the beach again."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jackson knew had to get his temper under control, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the image of Mel grabbing Eric's hand and pulling him after her as they went on a walk. After reaching the mass of boulders on the shoreline, Jackson had found a dry spot to sit and try to clear his head but nothing worked. He'd resorted to picking up rock after rock and throwing them as hard as he could into the water. He drew back his arm to throw another one when a voice stopped him.

"What's wrong with you?" Taylor stood a couple of feet away from the boulder he sat on.

"What do you want, Taylor?"

"You don't have to be so grouchy," Taylor climbed over the smaller rocks until she was able to find a clean spot to sit across from Jackson. "Why are you throwing rocks?"

"Because I felt like it," Jackson said as he heaved the stone in his hand.

"Really, because it looks like you're picturing hitting someone's head when you throw them."

Wishful thinking, Jackson said to himself. "Taylor, why did you come over here?"

"Just curious. You've been acting way more grumpy lately. So?" Taylor looked at him expectantly.

"I don't really want to talk about it." Jackson thought that Taylor would take the hint and leave but instead she said something that made him raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"You're gonna have to tell Mel eventually, you know."

"Tell her what?"

"That you're in love with her," Taylor said simply.

Jackson was starting to feel slightly nervous, "Who said I was in love with Mel." Who was he kidding? Just saying Mel's name made his heart beat faster.

"I may not be a brainiac like Lex but I'm not stupid, either. You know, for being so mysterious you're not hiding how you feel about her very well," Taylor smirked at him.

"Are you going to blackmail me or something?"

"I'm not always trying to get something for myself, I do have a heart," Taylor stood to leave.

"Hey, Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. And I don't think you're heartless," Jackson gave a fleeting smile as Taylor grinned and walked back to the beach.

Jackson had to keep his emotions under better control, there was no telling who else knew how he felt. After throwing a few more rocks, Jackson made his way back to camp but the tension crawled back across his shoulders when Eric and Mel walked through the trees.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Hey, look what we found!" Mel called to the rest of the group. She and Eric put the food they were carrying into a pile as the others came running over.

Lex dropped to his knees next to the mound, "Wow! Where did you find all this?"

"It was a struggle. Had to fight off wild animals, jump from cliff to cliff—"

"Oh, shut up Eric," Mel shoved his shoulder. "We went exploring and found a new alcove full of food. It's not too far away, either."

Eric threw an arm lazily around Mel's shoulders, "You're welcome, everyone." He took a small bow and tipped his hat.

"Great job, guys. Let's eat!" Daley plopped down and grabbed a banana. The others quickly followed her lead and Taylor made sure to grab the oysters they had collected earlier in the day. She passed them around to the rest of the group, Eric making sure to stay far away. No one had noticed the stormy look on Jackson's face, which had appeared there when Eric wrapped his arm around Mel. He knew breaking Eric's arm wasn't an option so he'd settled for sitting back and eating while glaring into the fire. The part of the island that was safe for them to be on was small and Jackson knew it was only a matter of time before his temper and frustration got the best of him.