Charlene POV
Maybeck and I were both sitting alone in the sand. Finn and Amanda were both gone somewhere, probably talking. Or kissing. Or both. Willa was still trying to break down the door, and Jess was trying to convince her it was useless. So it was just Maybeck and I now. I didn't want to talk to him, so I just played with the sand a little, thinking. Remembering Maybeck throwing his crutches, accidentally opening the emergency doors on the plane. Remember Jess and I trying to close them. My eyes squeezed shut when I remembered falling through the air, landing into the ocean. I didn't want to remember that. I squeezed the sand in my hand tightly into a clump and then let it fall, opening my eyes.
"Hey, are you alright?" Maybeck asked, and I groaned inwardly. He noticed.
"I am fine," I mumble, keeping my back towards him and the plane wreck, looking out at the ocean. I dug up a pebble from the little hole I was absent mindedly making in the sand and tossed it into the water with a satisfying PLOP!
"You sure?"
"YES! I'm just thinking!" I was slowly growing more irritated with this boy. I had in fact been thinking. Thinking about different ways this could have ended. Jess and I could have drowned. I could never have gotten up, Jess would have fallen out, and I may or may not have survived the plane crash. And then, I finally came to a realization at my last made-up scenario.
The button was never pushed because Maybeck never threw his crutch. We got back to Florida safely, got the Fob, figured out how we could see each other if we were crossed over all the way in Antarctica, and returned home. Safe.
My realization?
This all could have been avoided quite simply. If Maybeck just hadn't thrown his crutch.
"Thinkin' about what?" Maybeck's voice cut through my thoughts.
"Nothing,"" I mumbled. If only he never threw it.
My head swiveled when Willa's sobs got louder. She was on her knees, clawing at the door, weak from all her other efforts.
If only he never threw it!
"Poor Willa. She's really freaking out," Maybeck whispered. I clenched my fists and dug my knuckles into the sand. Poor Willa. Poor Philby.
If only he never threw it.
That pesky thought kept on popping up. I pushed it to the corner of my mind.
"I hate seeing her so upset," Maybeck continued. He was as upset as her, but refused to show it. Poor Willa. Poor Maybeck. Both worried to death.
If only he never threw it.
"I wish none of this never happened," Maybeck said. I stayed silent.
If only he never threw it.
"I want to help her in some way."
I continued to ignore his useless rambling.
If only he never threw it.
"Of only Philby never went in there."
IF ONLY HE NEVER THREW IT!
My fists started shaking. Control yourself, Charlene. He was rambling out of worry, though he would never admit it.
If only he never threw it!
"I'm sure he'll be okay."
If only he NEVER THREW IT!
"I mean, he's smart, right?"
IF ONLY HE NEVER THREW IT!
I know Philby will be okay. If only Willa would stop worrying."
IF ONLY!
"I feel ba-"
YOU SHOULD!" I interrupted, standing abruptly. Maybeck looked up at me in surprise.
"Are you alright?"
IIIIIIIIIIIF OOOOOONLY!
"IF ONLY YOU NEVER THREW IT!" the thought burst out of my mouth before I could stop it.
"Threw what?!"
"YOUR CRUTCH, STUPID! THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU COULD HAVE JUST ACCEPTED YOUR WEAKNESS! BUT NOOOOO! YOU HAD TO BE MR. MACHO! NOOOO! 'I'M STRONG' YOU SAID! 'I CAN HANDLE IT' YOU SAID! JUST HAD TO GO AND THROW THE STUPID CRUTCH! YOU OPENED THE DOORS, YOU MADE JESS AND I NEARLY DROWN, YOU MADE THE PLANE CRASH, AND YOU ARE THE REASON WE ARE STUCK ON THIS GODFORSAKEN ISLAND AND NEVER SEE CIVILIZATION EVER AGAIN! THIS IS ALL! YOUR! FAULT!"
Jess had heard everything. She spun around to us, eyes wide. "Charlene!" she started to run over.
Maybeck raised one hand, silencing Jess and causing her stop in her tracks, staring at me wide-eyed. Maybeck slowly and calmly grabbed his crutch, the very crutch that broke the plane, and hoisted himself off the ground, leaning against the crutch for support. His head was bowed so the shadow covered his eyes. "I see. Is that all?" he asked with no emotion whatsoever.
I glared at him so hard m eyes hurt, breathing heavily. "Yeah."
Maybeck nodded. "Kay." With that, he raised one hand in a farewell gesture to Jess and I, turning to the forest and waddling away. Jess, who had stopped in her tracks, whispered, "Charlene..."
"Yeah?" I turned to her. My eyes widened as Jess charged at me.
"YOUUUUUUU IDIOTTTTTTT!" she slapped me across the face with so much force I fell to the ground.
"OW! What the heck, Jess?!" I clutched the side of my face, that started reddening and stinging and probably swelling.
Jess panted, kneeling next to me, ready to cry. "You don't understand...Maybeck...he's scared. Terrified."
"I know he's upset about Philby."
"That's not just it..."
It was the night of the plane crash. Last night, actually. Philby, Jess, and Maybeck were sitting around an unconscious Charlene while Finn, Amanda, and Willa slept. Jess was letting Philby check out any wounds, and Maybeck couldn't fall asleep so he just sat with them. "Charlene..." he whispered, gently touching the unconscious girl's arm.
"She'll be fine," Jess told him as Philby put a band-aid on the cut on her forehead.
Philby grabbed an icepack that he took from the plane and started shaking it, then placed it on the back of Jess's head. "Maybeck, you're next. I managed to dig up one of your crutches from the wreck. I will have to fix your cracked cast though. I...I'm sorry."
"Why are you sor-" Maybeck cut himself off by screaming as Philby quickly yanked off the cast. Jess walked back to them after telling the others to go back to sleep after Maybeck's screaming. Maybeck writhed on the ground in pain.
"Mayeck! I'm sorry, I really m. Please, Maybeck, please calm down!" Philby was doing everything he could to quiet Maybeck while trying to keep the ice pack on his purple, swollen leg. The screams turned to moans, the moans turned to whimpers, the whimpers turned to pants, and then eventually Maybeck was breathing normally again, still keeping his Hercules-strong grip on Philby's arm.
"Philby...?"
Jess, for once, felt bad for the poor guy. He was worried sick about Charlene, and his condition was not helping.
"What is it, buddy?" Philby whispered, causing Jess to smile. She really did adore the way these two best friends cared for each other, it was the cutest thing.
"I...I..." Maybeck closed his eyes, unable to bring himself to admit the truth.
"What's wrong?" Jess asked. "You can tell us."
Maybeck started shaking. His leg, Charlene, and admitting to this was taking his toll on him. "I'm scared..."
Philby's eyes widened. His best friend, the utterly fearless and kind of crazy Maybeck just admitted to being scared. Philby wouldn't dare tease him about it, though. "Of what?"
"It's...it's all my fault. The plane crash. Charlene and Jess," he had to stop for a second, holding back tears. "They hate me, don't they?"
"Don't be crazy!" Jess exclaimed. "I don't hate you, and I certainly don't blame you for anything." She reached out and laid her hand supportively on his arm. "And Charlene feels the same way."
The poor, pathetic sniffle that came from Maybeck broke both Jess's and Philby's hearts. "How do you know?"
"Because it would be ridiculous to blame you. Just ask her yourself."
That part got to him, proven by his wince. He closed his eyes, trying to hold the tears back. "I don't want to! I'm too scared! Charlie...I'm scared...I'm sorry..." and with that, Maybeck fell asleep.
"But I guess he didn't have to ask to get his answer," Jess growled quietly after explaining everything. I had my head bowed in shame. I opened my eyes and looked sadly ahead into the forest.
"Oh, Maybeck...I'm so sorry..."
"DON'T APOLOGIZE TO THE TREES!" Jess sent another smack flying across my face. "GO TO HIM!"
With one hand still on my sore cheek, I stood up and sprinted into the forest without ever looking back at Jess.
Philby POV
Willa's screeching had receded into quiet sobbing. She probably wouldn't be this worried if I just hadn't told her that I couldn't get the door open. The door to the cockpit had automatically locked from both sides, and I couldn't figure out how to unlock it with everything turned to pretty much rubble. How could I have done this? I should have known they lock! I'm so stupid. I'm just glad I managed to make sure Willa wasn't in here.
"Philby..." she whimpered after her tears have subsided enough for conceivable words to come out "I will go find something strong enough to break down this door."
"Don't you dare," I said sternly but gently. I was sitting in front of the door, cross-legged, one hand resting on it's cool metal. "You know as well as I do that if a force as strong as that hits these wires, it can cause an explosion," I winced as another spark popped from one of the broken wires.
Willa's voice came back from the other side of the door after a fairly long pause "How long do you think you will be stuck in there?"
I sighed and let my hand on the door fall into my lap. "I don't know. Maybe forever."
"SHUT UP!" Willa screamed, making me jump. "DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!" Great, she was crying again. I should have kept my stupid mouth shut.
"Wil-"
"NO! I will get you out of this plane, Dell Philby, if it's the last thing I do!"
"Willa, please," my voice cracked a little. I couldn't hold back these tears for long.
"We'll get back to Florida! We're going home TOGETHER!"
"Willa, stop," my voice was three octaves higher, as tears started streaming down my face. She was making me cry! "Just stop!" I stood up, and from the shuffling I heard from outside, Willa had heard me and stood up as well.
"What are you doing?" she called. I stared at the door, almost glad I couldn't see that crying face. I viciously wiped the tears from my eyes.
"I'm going to see if I can fix the SOS signal."
"PHILB-"
"WILLA!" I screamed, cutting her off. "THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN SAY THAT WILL CHANGE MY MIND! I'M DYING EITHER WAY!"
"YOU'RE NOT!" She started slamming her body against the door again, the sound echoing through the cockpit. "WE WILL GET YOU OUT!"
"It's pointless, Wills," I whispered. She stopped trying to knock the door down. "I still might be able to fix it. I'd rather die trying to fix this than die doing nothing."
"PHILBY!"
I turned around so my back was facing the door. "Step away from the plane, Willa. If there's an explosion I don't want you dying too." My fists clenched as I walked over to the sparking wires.
"PHILBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"