Oscar twists and turns in his bed. He had woken up a few hours ago, back when the sky was still dark. He didn't bother to get up, figuring that he'd be back to sleep in no time at all. Well, a few hours, and the occasional shift in position later, he was still up.
Currently, he was staring at the ceiling, arms folded behind his head and mind cast off to some far-off, more tolerable, reality. Last night was such a slog for him. Besides being in such a scary place at a less-than-reasonable time, his friends hadn't been the best to him.
He didn't think they owed him their attention, no one ever did, but they said they'd be there for him. When the going got thought, they were nowhere to be found either metaphorically or literarily. Hedgehog he could understand. That night was a full moon, and his friend couldn't afford to be caught by Susie. She had already been hiding enough from the witch. Even if she took Oliver over him.
Max however was acting strange that night. Oscar still couldn't for the life of him comprehend why. One minute the boy was fine, comforting Oscar and talking with him, and the next he was acting shy, even behaving like a kid with a crush. Until he had fallen asleep.
So Max was passed out and Hedgehog had taken off into the woods somewhere, leaving Oscar on his lonesome. He shouldn't have felt mad at them, there was no real excuse for him to be, yet when he thinks back to the night prior, the boy feels like he reserved the right to feel a bit frustrated.
When they came around that morning looking for him one after the other, Oscar did the only thing that made sense at the time. He simply blew them off and subtly rejected their wish to hang out. In hindsight, he doesn't know why he would do that. The boy could only assume it was a part of that frustration he was feeling, lying in bed for hours with no one else on his mind but Max and Hedgehog. Though Max comes up more than the other.
"Oh, Max." Oscar murmurs, turning to his said for the third time that morning. Max was the first to come around and the first thing he did was apologize for falling asleep on him last night. Oscar's response was less than kind. Not the worst thing in the world, but it was colder than anybody, including himself, was used to. He simply gave a "Whatever" and a shrug to the other boy. Of course, Max didn't understand why that might have been and when he asked if he could come in Oscar would say that he was tired and wanted to "Catch up on that." He wasn't exactly at his kindest then and he was targeting his bitterness at someone who didn't deserve it. "Why would you just let me say that?" He whispers to himself. "Why didn't you come back?"
He shakes his head and sighs at the fresh memory. Max said he understood and turned to walk away with slumped shoulders. He looked crushed and it broke Oscar's heart. He didn't just shirk and turn down just any old friend. He turned down Max and it hurt more than any kind of pain he's ever felt. Oscar hasn't experienced much but he could tell that whatever it was, was the worst kind of agony.
Next up to bat was Hedgehog. She never brought up last night, Oliver, or the full moon. The girl just turned up as if nothing had ever happened in her usual friendly fashion. Friendly to him anyway. She would also be surprised by how cold Oscar was acting. She also couldn't understand but he couldn't care to explain.
He'd turn down her proposal as well and would even make a sly comment about her and Oliver spending a little too much time together. That was something he shouldn't have said the more he thinks about it. He had no right to bring up their new relationship in that way, though Hedgehog would take it in stride from what he could tell. Maybe she did understand, in some way.
She wasn't even angry with him. She kept a smile on her face the whole time and waved him off, telling the boy that she'd see him later.
"Oh, man." He mutters. Oscar felt like the worst then. He was alone, lying in his bed with nothing but his conduct toward the two weighing on his young, fragile mind. He didn't like it. Oscar wasn't complex, he never had some deep philosophical personality he could draw from. He didn't like to think all the time.
Even after some hours had passed that's really the only thing he could think to do. Think, about Hedgehog... Max. He probably would have continued like that for a few more hours too if there hadn't been a knock at his door.
"Hm?" Oscar leans up on the bed. There was somebody at the door. He wasn't expecting anyone, though his mind would shift to the bat that had riddled it for so long. "Max." He jumps out of bed. Max had come back after all and now was Oscars' chance to make it up to him.
When Oscar opens the door, however, the bat is not the person he sees. It wasn't even Hedgehog. "Lucy? Alexa?" The two girls stood in front of him, rather visibly displeased with their arms crossed and cheeks pouted as they stare away from one another. At least he wasn't the focal point of their frustration. He hops anyway.
"Oscar, remember that favor you said you owed me?" Lucy piped up, still peering away from the other girl.
"Yeah..." She was referring to last night. Oscar honestly wasn't expecting Lucy to call it in so soon. She was the kind of girl to hold something like that over someone's head for as long as it gave her pleasure. "What is it?" He looks at Lucy and then at Alexa.
"It's a really important matter." Alexa comes closer to Oscar. "One we can't discuss out here."
Oscars felt a bit of shock creep up his backbone. If it was that serious and they needed help with it, he should hear them out. "Oh, right. Come in." He steps out of the way and waves his arm into the cabin, allowing the two girls in.
They march in without giving Oscar much time to properly welcome them and immediately walk over to his bed. Both girls plop down roughly on his mattress and proceed to stare away from each other. It was about time he got to the bottom of their pouting.
"So..." Oscar begins. "What's the problem guys?"
"Oh Oscar, it's awful." Alexa begins. "Must important thing I probably ever had to discuss with a person." She inhales a small breath and slowly explains their major, nearly unsolvable issue. "I wanted to go freshwater fishing because it's an indisputable fact that, it's the best form of fishing. But Lucy says otherwise. She says it's saltwater fishing."
"That's because it is." Lucy butts in, leading the two calm girls thus far into an argument.
Oscar tilts his head. He wasn't sure if he was hearing them correctly. "Wait... what?" The words came slowly and unsurely. They were arguing about the difference between river fishing, and ocean fishing. "Really?" He spoke.
"Yes, really!" The girls turn to him simultaneously. He didn't realize there was a difference. A fish is a fish, isn't it?
"Does it really matter where you fish?"
"Yes, it does!" They both blurt. "And it's that kind of rhetoric that's going to be the downfall of fishing culture." Lucy sneers.
"I mean..." Oscar hadn't considered the question he was about to ask. It was harmless for the most part after all. To anyone who wasn't as passionate on the subject of fishing as the girls were. "But is there really a difference?" He restates, opening up floodgates that had previously kept an ocean of discourse out of his cabin.
"Oscar! Are you for real!?" Alexa jumps up from the bed. It seemed like her goal was to scream his ears off, but she quickly clams herself, waving away the incoherent thoughts in her head. "Of course, there's a difference, man. Freshwater fishing is generally better, by comparison, the fish are smaller so there's not much of a challenge, it soothes the soul, it's fun, easy, and-"
"Not to mention lame." Lucy cuts in. "What's the point of fishing if there's no challenge? Oscar, with salt water, the fish are much bigger, taste better, their more diverse. I can catch a great white shark if I wanted."
"Why would you want to catch a shark?" Alexa groans.
"Because I can." The girls fly into another full-blown argument. All of this over what type of fishing was better. Oscar wasn't entirely sure what to think. He didn't even know there was a difference up until now, and here he was with two girls looking for his opinion. What should he do?
"Guys..." Oscar spoke softly but when he doesn't receive Lucy and Alexa's attention, he raises his voice a little. "Guys!" They look at him, startled. "Why don't we just compare the two directly? Take me to your favorite fishing spots and I let you know which is better."
The girls look at him, then back to each other. "Good idea." They say unanimously and Oscar moves to get dressed. He'll just make the comparison himself, now that he knew there were distinctions in the sport. Deciding which was better shouldn't be a problem if he could spot said differences.
If he had to preemptively choose though, he'd most likely choose river fishing. He was always a fan of relaxation over frustration. He would admit that ocean fishing does sound more compelling, especially if a person was hungry. All a fisherman needed was the skills to pay the bills and they'd be set for a lifetime.
What was truly more important in that case? Fun or perseverance? Challenge or tranquility? Amongst his options thus far, Oscar wasn't so sure anymore. There was only one way to find out.
He and the girl's first stop were the riverbanks. Alexa always liked fishing there every chance she got so it would make for a perfect testing ground. The expression on Lucy's face told Oscar that she was already done with this river fishing business. He snickers, they hadn't even started yet.
"Alright," Alexa said, standing at the edge of the river and preparing her fishing rod. "Gonna show Lucy how it's really done." Oscar had stood next to her with his own rod. The test wouldn't be so conclusive if he wasn't involved.
Out of the three only Lucy seemed to be standing out willingly. "Let's get this started." Oscar jeers. He was excited. It had been some time since he's last gone fishing, and his first time doing so without Hedgehog. Despite his friend not being present and their activity being mostly for comparison, Oscar would approach it with the same amount of enthusiasm as he would with anything else.
Alexa wipes her rod back and flings it forward, being the first to cast her line and Oscar would follow suit. The time spent was every bit as peaceful as Alexa had mentioned. The river was calm, the fish plentiful but orderly and docile. They didn't have to rush anything or even pay much attention to what they were doing.
It was all about relaxation then and Oscar could get behind that. Lucy however could care less. She had been sitting on the ground behind them with her rod planted into the ground, standing upright, and her eyes glazed over in boredom.
"Come on Lucy get over here." Alexa looks back at the girl. She hardly listens though, somewhere between falling asleep and willingly ignoring the giraffe. "Lucy!" Alexa yells.
"Hmm, what?" Lucy's head swings back up. "God, are we still here?" She stretches her legs out, bringing one over the other before getting up and walking to the edge of the riverbank. "Did you guys even catch anything yet?"
"Nothing yet," Oscar said. "But I don't think we're really here to catch anything." He turns his attention to her, still holding on to his rod. Just because it was peaceful doesn't mean he could afford to let his guard down. "I feel like it's more about enjoying yourself and nature. There's no competition, no wily fish. Just you, your thoughts, and your friends." He smiles at Lucy.
She brings a hand up and runs it through her meticulously groomed hair. "River fishing is so boring dude." She leans on her rod, not doing much beyond observing Oscar and Alexas, fishing etiquette.
"Lucy shut up and get involved," Alexa demanded with a playful tone. The other girl was reluctant, but she wouldn't argue much.
"Fine." She took up her rod, bringing it back and tossing the line out into the river. "I'm not going to pretend to like it though." For the next hour, the group stood near the river, watching the fish scurry along and chatting with each other for the most part.
Lucy was surprisingly the most talkative out of the bunch. Mostly about the fundamentals of fishing and how good she was at catching water dwellers, But besides that. She mostly talks about her home life and her family.
"Yeah, my mom is pretty awesome. Kind of distant sometimes..." Lucy stops. "Most of the time. But it's not her fault. Her job hasn't really left her room to do much with me and Dad's the same..." She spoke, catching fish effortlessly and then tossing them back into the river.
"Wow, Lucy." Oscar gasped. "That kinda sounds rough." Oscar always thought a parent and their child should have a good relationship and strong bonds. From the way Lucy had been speaking, it sound like her parents didn't want much to do with her at all. They didn't even escort her to the Island, someone else came with her. Oscar hadn't noticed that. He doubts anyone had.
"Yeah, Lucy." Alexa agreed. "That's awful." She yanks her rod back bringing the little fish out of the water a tad rougher than she meant to. The creature flip-flops in her hands before she was able to get a grip on it and toss it back into the river.
"Don't sweat it guys." Lucy bobs her head. "But... thanks anyway." Her lips curl up into a slight smirk that warms Oscar's heart. Lucy never liked showing so much emotion at once. The sight makes him happy.
"So, did you want to try saltwater fishing now?" Alexa said, looking toward Lucy a little longer than she probably needed to. "Uh- for the comparison, I mean."
"Oh right." Lucy jolts in realization. "Come on Oscar. I'm telling you it's so much better." She picks up her rod, leading the way in front of the other two. She could scarcely contain her excitement.
Oscar had to say he couldn't either. Even though he was never one to take on a challenge, he'd sooner leave the heavy lifting up to Hedgehog if she could handle it. He was thrilled to discover what saltwater fishing had to offer and how it differed from freshwater.
"Yeah. This is gonna be amazing." Lucy said, arriving at the shoreline of the Island with her small group in tow. This was one of her favorite spots and Oscar could spot some of the dissimilarities immediately.
With Alexa's spot, it was more serene. Quiet and solitary in the middle of the woods with not another soul in sight. Lucy's preferred location however was more open, on a beach not too far from the camp buildings and cabins. It was louder, the waves washing over the shore, washing back and forth over the sand to remind them that the world was still going. Earth was still moving, and life never stopped.
In the woods, near the riverbank, it was easy to forget that they weren't the only ones left on the island amongst the serenity of it all. The beach was a constant reminder of society. There had been more than a few other kids present with them, scattered along the shore. They were either playing on the beach, lounging on towels, or fishing like they were.
"Sure, let's get this over with." Alexa huffs, getting her fishing rod ready. She pulls it back but before she could cast the line out into the ocean, Lucy stops her.
"Alexa, what are you doing?" She asks. Her shoes were off, and she was already halfway to rolling up her stockings.
Alexa chuckles. "What am I doing?" There was an explanation she needed right just then. "What are you doing, Lucy?"
"Everyone knows that the best way to saltwater fish is to do it on the water." She said, shifting her skirt further up her chest. "Cement your feet in the wet sand so you have a better grip on your rod. Duh." Lucy finished and step into the receding water.
"Well, I don't know how true that is..." Alexa scoffs. "But I'm not getting wet just so I can try to catch a fish. Right, Oscar." She looks at the boy who had already begun to roll up his own pant legs. "Oscar?"
"What? If Lucy says that's the best way, it's gotta be right?" He shrugs and steps into the water along with Lucy.
Alexa was floored, bewildered. "Sament yourself in the sand?" She whispers, kicking off her shoes and rolling up her jeans. "Cement yourself in the sand, whatever." She walks into the water and stands on the other side of Lucy.
Oscar would be the first to admit it, the contrast between saltwater fishing and freshwater fishing was becoming more and more clear. The second half of their day so far was more intense, visceral. Oscar could smell the sea on the wind, cluttering up his nostrils as he inhales the salty air.
With the river, there was less of a focus on the act of fishing itself. They could see and even hear the fish coming from a mile away and their small size made catching them a piece of cake. That lack of active fish allowed their minds to drift off without a care in the world.
On the beach, there was more focus that needed to be devoted to the skill. Their wits had to be sharp, the senses focused, and the rest of the world tuned out until further notice. Those were all the things Lucy appeared to hold a certain knack for.
Oscar already found her skill in fishing impressive back down by the river. She would only exceed his expectations as she brought in fish after fish, one after the other before tossing them back into the sea.
Compared to Oscar and Alexa then, Lucy was a seasoned pro.
"Ugh," Alexa whines as her line gives way once again. "Cement yourself in the water, sure." She mocks as she recast the line. "Feels like the waters making things worst. What about you Oscar? Any of this working for you?" She looks over to the boy who doesn't come off as irritated as she was.
"No nothing yet." He smiles. Oscar didn't care if he caught something or not. The boy was just happy to be out and about with friends. When he woke up that morning, he thought he'd be spending the rest of his day in bed, thinking about the people behind his unreasonable frustration. Yet there he was, learning the distinction between catching a fish in an ocean and catching one in a river or lake. All by himself for the most part. "Woah," Oscar mutters. There was a slight tug on his line. "Woah." It tugs a second time and then a third. "Guys, I think I got something?"
"Really?" Alexa looks at him.
"Yeah." He tightens his grip around his rod. "What should I do?"
"Bring it in," Lucy yells still reeling in a fish of her own.
"Right, right. How do I do that again." Oscar was too nervous to think, and his heart starts pumping faster than he was used to. He hadn't felt this way back at the river.
"Oscar." Alexa plants her rod in the wet sand, letting out a sigh and moving past Lucy to his side. She grabs onto his fishing rod and holds it steady. "Remember back at the river? It's just like that. I'm gonna help because the fish here are a little tougher." She said, motioning for him to start spinning the reel.
"Okay!" He blurts nervously and begins reeling in the catch as fast as he could.
"Oscar, God." Lucy reels in her fish quickly, tossing back into the water before also rushing to the boy's aid. "Don't reel it in so fast." She grabs onto his rod for extra support and starts telling him what he should be doing. "If you do that the lines gonna snap. Ease up a bit, let it tire itself out, pull in the opposite direction it's heading then start reeling again when it slows down." Oscar nods to her. "And don't forget to breathe."
"Right." He drew in a sharp breath and then begins to put Lucy's remarks into action, tugging against the fish as it tried to escape and reeling it in once it begins to slow down. He was grateful for both girls' assistance. The thing felt too strong for him alone, there was no way he'd be able to bring it in on his own.
After a while of pulling, tugging, and reeling, the fish finally comes close enough for them to end the fight. With one final tug, the fish was cast into the air. It was gray, massive, and flying toward the three kids quickly.
"Woah!" They each let out a collective wale of shock when the fish lands right on top of them, sending them all down into the retracting tide. It was then, lying there in the residing tide did something finally click. Oscar understood now.
'What is it?" Alexa said from one side of the boy. The fish, if he could even call it that, was big and had easily spread the length of the three kids combined.
Lucy wriggled out from under the weight of the massive thing to get a better look at its face. "It's a tuna." She gasped, lifting one end of the tuna off of Oscar and Alexa does the same thing for the other end. "Biggest one I've seen so far." She chuckles and carries the fish onto the beach with Alexa assisting her.
Oscar stood up from where he had been knocked down. He was soaking wet, though he thinks it was worth it just to gain the experience of catching an ocean fish. A big one at that. "Woah. That thing is crazy big." Oscar steps over to Lucy and Alexa. "What should we do with it?"
Lucy put a hand to her chin. "Well... tuna don't live long above the surface, so it would be pointless to toss it back." She looks toward camp. "Let's donate it to the mess hall." She said and Alexa snaps and nods, agreeing with the other girl.
"Yeah, let's go now." They both stand up carefully, each holding one end of the massive tuna. Oscar begins to follow but for some odd reason, his eyes were drawn back to the beach. A little further down he could see someone, not just someone actually. Rather he sees a familiar bat with a backward cap and his heart nearly stops.
"You go ahead, guys. I'll catch up." He said, eyes still detected to the beach.
"Oh, okay," Alexa said. She and Lucy begin to walk before she turns back to Oscar again. "Wait before you go. which one was it?" She asked getting him to rise a brew. "You know, which did you like more? Freshwater or saltwater."
"Ohh..." Oscar had almost forgotten about the debate. He believes he has a clear answer to the question, nevertheless. "Honestly, I don't think it matters."
"What?" The girls say.
"Yeah, guys. Sure, there are defenses, but I wouldn't say they're different in a bad way." Oscar said. "With river fishing, there's more of a peaceful nature to it. It's not so much about the fishing but about being there, to begin with. With ocean fishing it's more hectic, it gets your adrenalin up and your blood pumping. It could be hard but once you caught that perfect catch, you feel really good." He smiles to himself and at the tuna they had all reeled in together. "The point I'm getting at is that it's all fun. Whether you like the calm and peaceful loop of freshwater fishing or the intense challenge and feeling of accomplishment saltwater fishing."
The girls nod along with his words. He thinks it reaches them on a more profound level than he meant. "I never thought of it like that Oscar," Lucy admits. "We'll see you at the mess hall. Just don't forget." She said and she and Alexa turn to walk off. He wouldn't forget. He never forgets his friends.
Oscar stands behind Max. The other boy had been unmoving, still in the calm of that lonesome part of the beach. Oscar did his best to not make as much noise as he could when walking over to Max. Each step he took was a cautious one, practically tiptoeing as if he were caught in the middle of a mind field.
Part of that had to do with how nervous he felt. He didn't know what to say to Max. Should he apologize for earlier or should he just take a seat next to the boy and pick up the conversation like earlier was never a thing that happened? He wasn't sure. Oscar was never good at making things up with others necessarily.
"Who's that?" Max said, still looking over the vast ocean. His voice was somber and dry almost like he had just gotten through from crying. Oscar didn't want to think he had made the other cry.
"Uhh." He stammers, unsure, though soon steeling his nerves and forcing the words out. "It's me... Oscar." His greeting sounds a bit cheeky. He didn't mean for it to come off so pathetic and soft-pedaled.
Max jolts and spins around to the boy. His face was covered in shock, his cheeks started to glow red, and his eyes were as equally surprised. "O-oh, hey, Oscar." His shocked eyes peer away at the little grains of sand that lined the beach. "I wasn't expecting to see you today."
"Yeah." Oscar pauses. Before he wasn't sure what he should do but now he knows he owed Max an apology. The other boy doesn't deserve the cold shoulder. "Max... I'm sorry." He says and Max's head tilts to the side as his expression falls deeper into a pit of perplexity. "I shouldn't have brushed you off this morning. I was just so mad after last night when you got awkward around me. But you should feel awkward around me because I'm weird and I didn't me to be that night, and I should have toned it down but-"
"Oscar no." Max stops him. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I shouldn't have been so distant from you all of a sudden. I wasn't acting like that because you're wired, I like it when you get weird." He stops and runs a hand over his eyes. "I was acting like that, because... of another reason." His eyes still gaze away from Oscar's. Whatever was going through his mind then was tearing him apart. "I didn't mean for you to feel like that, and I got why you wanted to be alone this morning... you know."
Oscar places a curled finger on his bottom lip before speaking. "You really like it when I get weird?" He asked and Max slowly nods. Oscar couldn't help but shine a tender smile. He looks up at the other boy and begins to approach. Max's eyes start to jitter and bounce around as Oscar steps closer until he's as close as he can get.
He reaches a hand up and removes the camp from Max's head, putting on his own and placing both hands on the other boy's chest. He stares into his eyes, pouts his cheeks, sticks his tongue out of his mouth and blows a sudden raspberry at Max.
"What?" Max flares up into confused giggling when Oscar steps back.
"Hmm, nothing," Oscar smirks at him and looks away with a blush of his own. "Hey, you wanna go see this crazy big tuna I caught?"
Max put a hand over his mouth to conceal his smile. "Sure dude." He said watching the other closely. He'd be lying if he said Oscar didn't look good in that cap. "Wait." Max looks him over. "Are you wet?"
Oscar looks down at his clothes. He had forgotten he was soaked from before. "Just a little."