"Okay, wake up everybody!" Kenji exclaims, shaking Brooklynn and Ben awake.
"Hey, he finally ran out of creative ways to wake us up," Yasmina mumbles, her face on the floor boards.
"Today, we're going to start out answering each other's questions," Kenji grins. "They can be as weird as you want. The weirder, the better."
"I stand corrected," Yasmina yawns.
"Why do we have to get up?" Brooklynn moans. "I don't have the energy to do things today."
"We have to get up because we're on Isla Nublar," Kenji answers. "Next?"
"Why does Sammy look like she's about to yeet Yaz?" Darius chuckles.
The two girls raise their heads. While moving around in her sleep, Sammy had ended up beneath Yasmina in a fetal position so that the athlete was precariously balanced on Sammy's shins. Sammy puts her feet down, dropping Yasmina sleepily on the floor. "Because I move around, that's why," Sammy answers Darius's question.
"Ben, your turn!" Kenji decides.
Ben thinks for a moment. "If buttcheeks were horiziontal instead of vertical, would they clap when we walk?"
The group erupts in hysterical laughter. Kenji holds his stomach as he lets out a goose-like, honking laughter. Sammy snorts as her face turns red, and Yasmina covers her mouth. Brooklynn convulses as Darius falls onto his back. "I lost it at buttcheeks," Darius admits.
"Why are buttcheeks on your mind?" Sammy asks.
"Why shouldn't they be?" Kenji grins.
"That is a very weird image," Yasmina laughs.
"My favorite phrase is Ben's question," Kenji sighs. "That is my all time favorite quote."
"Glad I could make you laugh," Ben chuckles.
"You will, from now on, be known as Buttcheek Ben!" Kenji exclaims, clapping Ben on the back.
"Oh, no," Ben sighs, falling backwards in shame. "Oh, no. oh, no! Why Buttcheek Ben, why?!"
The group laughs at his embarrassment. "You brought this upon yourself, bro," Yasmina laughs.
"I should've known better than to say that," Ben sits up, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Yaz, your turn," Kenji says.
"In a world where everything is possible, would it be possible to make something possible impossible?" Yasmina smirks.
"I don't even know how to answer that," Darius shakes his head.
"I don't even know how to process that," Mr. VIP chuckles sheepishly.
"If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?" Sammy grins.
"If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill themselves, would it be considered a hostage situation?" Yasmina asks.
"If you ate pasta and antipasti, would you be hungry?" Ranchgirl counters.
"Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?" the athlete grins.
"Why isn't palindrome spelled the same way backwards?" Sammy laughs.
"Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?" Yasmina snickers.
"Stop it! You're making my brain hurt!" Kenji exclaims.
"Kenji, you haven't asked your question," Sammy points out.
"Oh, yeah!" Kenji exclaims. "Uhh…"
"Wait, are you telling me you don't have an odd question prepared?" Darius asks in shock. "Guys, this is a monumental occasion!"
The campers laugh.
Kenji, having a burst of courage, gets down on one knee and says: "Will you be the Haw to my Yee?"
The kids stare at him in confusion while Sammy laughs. She dramatically throws her hand to her face and says, "Yes, my darlin'! We shall have a stone cottage in the grassy fields and twenty children, and forty hundred grandchildren!"
"At this point, you guys might as well be speaking Chinese," Yasmina rests her cheek on her fist.
"It's an inside joke," Sammy waves her off. "Okay, it's time for breakfast!"
"Heh, heh, yeah," Kenji gives her finger guns to cover up how disappointed he was. He looks at Brooklynn, who shrugs in confusion.
The group separates to do their morning tasks. Brooklynn and Kenji head to the stream to fill the water jugs. "So, what was that back there?"
Kenji sighs. "Remember two days ago when Sammy and I were talking about potatoes?"
"Yeah?" Brooklynn frowns.
"Well, you know how she does that Yee and then you answer Haw?" Kenji continues.
"Yeah?" Brooklynn frowns at him.
"Well, she told me that if her boyfriend didn't propose to her with 'Will you be the Haw to my Yee?' she wouldn't marry him," Kenji winces.
Brooklynn's eyes widened. "Wait, so you just proposed to Sammy?!"
Kenji claps his hand over her mouth. "Shh! It's not like I expected her to say yes and then get married the next day! I just hoped that maybe she would clue in to how I feel about her."
"Goofing off might not be the best way to go about that," Brooklynn chuckles. "Then she doesn't know if you're serious or joking."
"I guess you're right," the alpha male sighs.
"Are you going to try again?" the pinkette asks.
"I don't know!" Kenji wails. "I'm nervous to tell her! I don't know what happened back there! It's easier to tell her when I'm goofing off because then it doesn't feel as serious, but then she doesn't take me seriously! But I don't know how to be serious because then I'm just freaking out!"
"That's quite the dilemma," Brooklynn smiles sympathetically.
"You're a girl, how do I tell Sammy that I like her?" Kenji begs.
"Just be yourself," Brooklynn shrugs, before heading back to the shelter.
"That is so cliche!" Kenji exclaims, frustrated by her advice. He stormily follows her back.
It was Kenji's turn to feed the Indoraptors. His mind wanders to Sammy and his dilemma. "How do I tell her? She's so different from the other girls I've flirted with. She's not impressed by grandiose acts or sickening sweet comments. She's not in it for the image. She's a real girl."
Rima almost bites his finger trying to get the meat, snapping him out of thoughts. "Guess that shows you how much of an expert I am at dating," he mumbles. "Can only date fake girls. Really useful."
Indigo chitters, almost laughing at his predicament. "Oh, don't you laugh at me," Kenji snorts. "At school, dating is just a way to be cool, for boys and girls. The boys get to brag to their friends that they scored the hot bae, and the girls get to date the 'hot guy.' Or they get emotional support… Honestly, I don't know what is in it for the girls at school. Other than popularity and dibs on the cool guys, there's really nothing in it for them. They're just setting themselves up for heartbreak."
Mocha snorts.
"Honestly, I kinda side with Yaz on this one," Kenji sighs. "Dating just feels like a big show to me. All it is is a way to be cool and supposedly have your life together. There's nothing real about my past girlfriends. They were just expendable tools for popularity and love."
Toothless purrs.
"Of course, I want to have a real girlfriend and later get married and start a family," Kenji sighs. "Which is why my old way of getting girlfriends won't work. That was a shallow approach based solely on looks and short term goals. I don't want her to think I'm shallow and self absorbed. Besides, she deserves so much more than being treated like a trophy."
Rima growls.
"Oh, are you tired of me bemoaning my dating problems to you?" Kenji puts his hands on his hips. Rima bops her head, agreeing with his statement.
"You know your struggles are bad when a dino agrees with you," Ben chuckles, crossing his arms behind Kenji.
Mr. VIP jumps. "Gosh, how long have you been standing there."
"Long enough to know you're struggling with dating," Ben smirks. "Tiana?"
Kenji groans. "Fine, it's Tiana." He puts emphasis on the fake name to stress the fact that they were never to say her real name. "Would you have any advice?"
"How would you get a girlfriend?" Ben asks.
"Usually compliment their appearances," Kenji says. "Call them pet names, flirt heavily, act hawt," he smooths his hair back.
Ben chuckles.
"See what I mean? It's a shallow approach!" Kenji exclaims. "What should I do? How do I act real and sincere?"
"You're asking the kid who's first crush is—" Ben starts. "Never mind," he shakes his head. "I've never dated a girl in my life, so I don't know. But I do know that most girls would tell you to be yourself."
Kenji groans. "How do I do that, huh? How do I be myself?!"
"Just… I don't know," Ben shrugs. "Be Kenji. Don't try to fake anything or be someone you're not."
"That's very helpful," Kenji quirks an eyebrow sarcastically.
"I know, I'm doing a horrible job," Ben sighs.
"No, you're doing a good job!" Kenji exclaims. "I'm the one with the problem."
"I'm doing a bad job," Ben shakes his head.
"You're doing a good job!" Kenji insists. Ben shakes his head with a grin.
Back up in the shelter, Darius approaches Brooklynn. "Hey."
She blinks and looks at him. "Oh, hey. What's up?"
"Just wondering if you would be willing to hide in the jungles for a surprise 'Seek' test," Darius says. "Are you okay?"
"I'm good," Brooklynn nods.
"You've been kinda subdued today," Darius frowns.
"Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Brooklynn shrugs. "Kinda tired."
"Well, I could get Yaz to hide if you want to sleep," Darius offers.
"No, no, it's fine," Brooklynn waves him off, standing up from leaning on the railing. "I can do it."
She backs up as Kenji climbs up the ladder—with Ben slung over his shoulder like a ragdoll. The alpha male sets the younger boy down and firmly puts his hand on Ben's shoulder. "Everybody, tell Ben that he's doing a good job!"
"You're doing a good job?" Brooklynn says hesitantly.
"Good job, Ben," Darius nods encouragingly, not knowing what was going on but still going along.
"Good job, Ben!" Sammy exclaims, sticking her head out from the room.
"Good job, BCB!" Yasmina calls down from the roof.
"BCB?" Ben frowns.
"Buttcheek Ben," Yasmina grins, much to Kenji's amusement.
The ex-panicker shakes his head. "I'm not doing a good job."
"You're doing a good job!" Kenji shouts.
"Good job, Ben!" Yasmina shouts, too.
"No, I'm doing a terrible job," Ben argues.
"You're doing a good JOB!" Kenji shouts, practically jumping up and down. "You MUST agree with me! I will FORCE you to agree!"
"What happened to freedom of speech and opinion?" Ben chuckles.
"We're on Jurassic island, you don't have that right!" Kenji exclaims. "You must agree with me! YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB! ONLY POSITIVE SELF IMAGES ALLOWED!"
"Imma head out then," Brooklynn chuckles jokingly.
"Peace," Yasmina says, rolling away from view.
"Do we need therapy, children?" Sammy asks, concerned.
"I'm not doing a good job," Ben insists, continuing only to see how far Kenji would go.
"YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB!" Kenji shouts, picking up Ben and slinging him over his shoulders. Then he starts jumping up and down. "YOU'RE. DOING. A. GOOD. JOB! AGREE WITH ME!"
"Fine! I'm doing a good job!" Ben cackles.
"Thank you!" Kenji laughs, setting him down.
"I thought we lived in a democracy," Ben shakes his head.
"No, we live in a positive dictatorship where you're forced to be encouraged and believe in yourself," Kenji states.
"Are you Happy Hitler?" Sammy giggles.
"Yes, I am Happy Hitler," Kenji puts his hands on his hips heroically.
"You're doing a good job," Sammy grins at him.
"You're doing a good job, too!" Kenji exclaims. "So are you, Darius, Brooklynn, and Yaz!"
"Y'all are doing a good job!" Sammy calls out.
"Thank you!" Yasmina calls down, giving them a thumbs up.
"Now that that's over," Darius rolls his eyes with a smile, "why don't we do the surprise 'Seek' test?"
"I'll go hide," Brooklynn says as she slides down the slide.
"I'll come with you," Sammy says, nudging Darius with her shoulder. "It's fun to watch them sniff around. I'll bring my rifle just in case we run into Rexy again."
Darius and Sammy head out to follow the Indoraptors as they 'Seek' out Brooklynn. Ben turns around and grins at Kenji. "That's what I mean."
"That's what you mean what?" Kenji frowns in confusion.
"That's what I mean by being yourself," Ben smiles. "I wouldn't be surprised if Sammy already has a crush on you."
Kenji lets out a nervous yelp. "What did I do? Why would she like me already?"
"Because she likes the real you," Ben facepalms. "She never flirted with you once, yet you still like her. Why wouldn't she be the same way?"
"I guess," Kenji shrugs.
"Sammy likes you as a friend because you're so nice and funny and just a good guy in general," Ben states. "Just be yourself."
"So I should be nice and funny?" Kenji frowns, still not fully grasping the concept of "be yourself."
"Well, if you're being nice and funny just to win her over, that defeats the purpose," Ben sighs. "If you're being nice just to win her over, it's shallow and insincere."
"So I should be nice just to be nice, and hope that it will win her over, but not hope that because it makes it insincere?" Kenji frowns, pointing in different directions in an attempt to visually understand what Ben was saying.
"He's saying stop over complicating things and act like you do on a normal day," Yasmina butts in with a smirk. The boys forgot that she was listening on the roof. "If Sammy likes you as a friend, she may not be too far away from liking you as a boyfriend. You're making this more complicated than it needs to be."
"You have a good friendship with Sammy," Ben encourages. "She told you that you could come to her with anything. She already likes you as a friend, so you might not have to do anything else. Just tell her how you feel."
"Easier said than done," Kenji sighs.
"Just go tell her when she comes back," Yasmina rolls her eyes. "Walk up to her and say, 'I love you Sammy and I want to date you.' Or 'Have a family with you.' Or whatever it is you want. Just be prepared to be rejected if she's not ready for it."
"Yaz," Ben protests.
"What? Rejection is possible," the athlete shrugs. "But wouldn't you rather know and have asked than chickened out and possibly miss out?"
Kenji grimaces. "Yeahh… it's just really nerve wracking."
"When I'm nervous about something, it's just better to do it," Yasmina advises. "Just get it over and done with as soon as possible so that you have less time to worry about what could go wrong. When she comes back from helping the Indoraptors, walk up to her, and point blank tell her how you feel!"
Kenji winces nervously.
"Do as the Nikes do and just do it!" Yasmina encourages firmly.
"Just do it!" Kenji exclaims a couple times, trying to pump himself up for his task. He hears the others returning and whines. "Do I have to?"
"Go!" Yasmina orders.
"Fine!" Kenji hisses, shaking himself out and sliding down the slide.
Yasmina climbs down from the roof and joins Ben to lay down on their stomachs and lean over the edge of the shelter. "This is either going to be really funny, or really cringy," Yasmina snickers.
"Or romantic," Ben shrugs.
"Sammy and Kenji? Nah," Yasmina shakes her head.
Kenji approaches Sammy as Tornado gently headbutts her. "Hey, girl," she giggles, rubbing the dino behind her frill. The Triceratops pants happily.
"Hey, Sammy," Kenji says, putting on a smile despite having a whole stampede of butterflies in his stomach.
"Howdy," Sammy smiles. Tornado lets out a puff of air and the Texan scrunches up her face at the smell of the dinos breath.
"Uhh…" Kenji tries to say, 'I love you,' but the words refuse to come out. "Stuff and things."
She tilts her head. "Stuff and things," she nods, a bit confused, but goes along with it. "I've been fixin' to talk with you about stuff and things."
"...Okay, good talk," the alpha male gives her finger guns with a nervous grin before climbing back up the ladder. Sammy's confused stare follows him.
Ben's sympathetic smile greets Kenji when he steps onto the wood, followed by Yasmina's entertained smirk. "You chickened out of there faster than a turkey on Thanksgiving."
"I know," Kenji groans, slumping next to them. "Why is it so hard to say the words, 'I love you'?"
"You didn't even get ten words in," Yasmina snickers.
"Are you trying to help me or not?" Mr. VIP sputters.
"I can go tell Sammy if you are too embarrassed to say it yourself," Yasmina says, starting to get up.
"No, no, no!" Kenji exclaims, flinging himself over Ben in an attempt to reach Yasmina. "Don't you dare tell her!"
The athlete rolls her eyes. "Fine, want me to be your wingwoman, then?"
"I'll be your wingman," Ben tentatively raises his hand.
"You guys are both my wingmen," Kenji smiles gratefully. "Wingpeople, I guess."
Yasmina and Ben give Kenji a fist bump. "Operation, 'Tell Tiana' is a go!" Ben pumps his fist in the air.
"Hey, Zach! Did you know that the Allosaurus has three fingers to help them rip apart meat?" Gray says, flopping down on his stomach on the other side of the couch and army crawling his way to his brother. "It's funny that the T-rex didn't inherit this feature…"
Zach tunes out his twelve year old brother as he texts his girlfriend. Gray's words begin to sound more like "Blah, blah, blah," than English. The sixteen year old occasionally nods his head and says, "Yep," or "Cool," while giving Gray a fleeting glance to make him think he was paying attention.
"Whatcha up to, Bae?" his girlfriend texts, sending a winky face.
"Tuning out Gray's dino nerding," Zach sends back, immediately regretting it. After the Jurassic World incident, his mother had given him a lecture on how the two would be brothers forever and how he needed to start thinking more about his attitude towards Gray. Zach did feel guilty about the way he treated his younger brother; the boy was young and innocent. No wonder he was upset about their parents divorce. Zach was upset, too, but refused to show it. Gray was only twelve; how could the teen expect him to maturely deal with that kind of trauma?
"Gray just wants someone to look up to," his mothers words come back to him. "You should be honored that he looks up to you. He's coming to you with what he's interested in and looking for validation. Someday, he's going to stop and you won't have a relationship with him. Is that what you want?"
Zach is snapped out of his thoughts by the text notification. "Well, shouldn't you spend time with him?" his girlfriend texts. "You say that you want a better relationship with him, then shun him."
"Yeaa…" Zach sends with a bashful emoji. "Ttyl, I'll try to comprehend his blabbering."
"Lol," his girlfriend sends with laughing emojis.
Zach turns off his phone and tries to give Gray his full attention. Gray notices this. "Is Mareli mad at you?"
"Why would she be mad at me?" Zach asks.
"Because you're paying attention to me," Gray teases with a grin.
"No, I wanted to hear more about… Allosaurus's?" Zach quirks an eyebrow.
"Well, I was talking about Kosmoceratops, but we can talk about Allosaurus's," Gray smiles, overjoyed that his brother was finally paying attention.
"Isn't that the main character of Disney's old movie Dinosaurs?" Zach asks.
Gray starts laughing hysterically. "That was an Iguanodon, a herbivore!"
Zach tschs. "Guess that shows you how much I know about dinos. Okay, the predator in that movie was an Allosaurus."
"No, that was a Carnotaurus," Gray laughs. "Speaking of Carnotaurus', Jurassic World had one!"
"That's surprising because?" Zach frowns, thinking Jurassic World had every dino.
"I mean, I knew they had one, but they were never open to the public," Gray starts rambling. "It was considered too aggressive for the public."
"Did they show a video of it, or…" Zach asks.
"No, there were these VIP kids at a tentative summer camp, Camp Cretaceous, and two of them snuck into the Carnotaurus pen…" Gray rambles.
Zach gets lost in thought at the name of the summer camp. "Camp Cretaceous…" He recalls Claire making a passing comment about it. Something about the counselors being unable to take him and Gray…
"I think Aunt Claire wanted to send us to Camp Cretaceous," Zach interrupts Gray as his mother walks through the door. "Probably would've been better for us. Wouldn't have gone through the Indominus attack and would've been around well equipped adults."
Gray chuckles bitterly. "Nah, the kids are still stuck on the island."
"What?" Zach and his mother say at the same time.
"Yeah, they got separated from their camp counselors and didn't make it to the ferries on time," Gray says. "They're still stuck on the island and their families are trying to launch a rescue mission."
Zach sputters and puts his hand to his forehead. "Imagine having to survive for two months on that island."
Karen purses her lips and heads into another room while dialing a number on her phone. Her sister picks up. "Hey, Karen," she says.
"Hey, Claire," Karen says, trying to keep a cool composure. "Guess what Gray just found on the Internet?"
Claire, sitting in traffic, frowns. "Um, new dino facts?"
Karen grits her teeth. "He found a social media influencer who's apparently stuck on Isla Nublar."
Claire grimaces. "Yeah, I, um, heard that rumor."
"Oh, you heard, huh?" her older sister says, pacing around the dining room. "So, what are you doing about it?"
Claire starts to heat up. "Look, I don't know what I can do. They're grief stricken families hoping that their children are alive. Karen, Owen and I barely made it out alive with Gray and Zach. If we almost died, how could six teens possibly survive on that island for two months?"
The redhead's sister pinches the bridge of her nose. "Okay, I guess you don't realize this because you're not a mother, but if there was a chance that Zach and Gray were alive on that island, I would go to the ends of the Earth to find them!"
Claire winces as her sister raises her voice.
"Don't tell me you don't know what you can do, you have influential power in MasraniCorp!" Karen shouts.
Gray and Zach give each other a terrified look.
"You could launch a rescue mission to find out once and for all whether those kids are alive or dead!" she continues. "What's holding you back? Why won't you help these kids?!"
Claire closes her eyes, wanting to end the call and stop listening to these burning words.
Karen sighs. "I don't know why I trusted my boys with you," she says bitterly.
Those words sting Claire's heart.
"It's probably better that you don't have kids," Karen goes on. "This is just one of many reasons."
"You don't need to go off about all my flaws," Claire says defensively. "I'm going to a meeting with one of the mothers in two days."
"And what are you going to tell her?" Karen asks. "That you went rogue during a huge catastrophe to find your nephews but you're just going to give up on her kid?"
"I'm going to see what I can do," Claire says, barely above a whisper.
Karen nods. "You better, if you want even a smidgen of a chance of seeing your nephews again." She ends the call and presses her hand to her mouth. She finds pictures of the campers and her heart breaks for the mothers desperate for their children. Zach and Gray peak around the doorframe to see their mother searching up Brooklynn's Facebook page to send a message. "I will help those kids in any way I can," she thinks determinedly.
"Dude, what's your problem?" Yasmina laughs as Kenji paces in front of her. "Just tell Sammy how you feel. It's very simple."
Kenji just sighs. "You have absolutely no idea what it's like to have a crush on someone, do you?"
"It can't be as complicated as you're making it," the athlete rolls her eyes.
Brooklynn—who was laying down to rest—barks out a laugh. Ben chuckles discreetly. Kenji gestures to the two younger campers with a smirk.
"There's a certain amount of irrationality when dealing with your crush," Ben explains. "Having a crush is different than having a friend. There's feelings and hormones and crazy stuff going on and your brain gets fried around them."
"Which is why I've suggested telling Sammy for you," Yasmina throws her arms out, not getting why this was such a complicated ordeal.
"No!" Kenji exclaims. "I have to tell her!"
"Then tell her!" Yasmina snaps.
"I can't!" Kenji wails.
"Then I can tell her!" Yasmina offers.
"That's embarrassing!" Kenji hisses.
Yasmina throws her head back and groans. "Why did I agree to this? Okay, you've had girlfriends before Sammy, right?"
"Yeah," Kenji nods.
"How did you get them?" the athlete shrugs.
"Not the way I wanna get Sammy!" Kenji growls.
"Pretend that you like me," Yasmina groans. "Approach me."
Kenji begins a relaxed saunter over to her, rests his forearm on the wood above Yasmina's shoulder, and looks her alluringly in the eye. "Hey, lil' Mama."
"Okay, I see your point," Yasmina groans with a laugh, shoving Kenji's face away. "Word of advice? Never call a girl Mama. I don't know what type of girl you're flirting with."
Kenji groans. "Then what do I do? Oh, this is making me lose my appetite."
"Mood," Brooklynn pipes up from her horizontal position.
"Oh, is that why you didn't finish your breakfast this morning?" Yasmina huffs, standing over the younger girl.
"Just back off," Brooklynn mumbles, half-heartedly pushing the athlete's foot away.
"Stop being tired," Yasmina says, grabbing her hands and pulling Brooklynn to a sitting position. The pinkette lets her head flop back as Yasmina pulls her up. "What should Kenji do, cause I'm all out of ideas."
"Just be yourself," Brooklynn says again, laying back down again.
"Why are you so lethargic today?" Ben asks.
Brooklynn sighs and sits up, putting on a smile. "I didn't get much sleep last night. As for the dating advice, just be who you are, Kenji. If she doesn't like the real you, it's not worth your time."
"Okay, well myself right now is a nervous jumble who's walked up to Sammy, said a few random words and practically ran away," Mr. VIP crosses his arms. "It's clearly not working."
"Awww," Brooklynn giggles.
Yasmina gives her a side eye; the "aww" sounded forced.
Brooklynn notices. "What would you suggest, Yaz? You're Miss straight-forward."
"I've suggested just walking up and saying 'I love you' but he can't even do that," Yasmina sputters. "Then I suggest telling her for him, but he shoots that down."
"That's not romantic to have someone else tell her," Brooklynn whines.
"Well, it's not romantic to have him voice-cracking through an odd conversation and then chicken out," the Trackstar counters.
The alpha male groans. "Neither of you are helping! Ben, what do I do?!"
Ben holds his finger to his chin in thought. "Maybe approach her again. At this point, she's gonna notice something's off because you've come to her fifty million times, squeaked out random questions, and then ran off."
Kenji whimpers.
"That might be a good thing," Ben says, putting his hand on Kenji's shoulder in a brotherly way. "If she notices something's up, she might ask you about it."
"And that's a good thing?!" Kenji panics.
"Right, because you can come to her with anything," Ben nods. "You did say you feel more comfortable talking to her about your problems than anyone else, right?"
Mr. VIP nods.
"Then maybe she can coax it out of you," the younger boy says soothingly.
Kenji nods. "Okay, I'll try again." He sighs shakily and slides down the slide. Ben, Brooklynn, and Yasmina follow to monitor his progress and most likely make recommendations after his failure.
Kenji approaches Tornado, searching for Sammy. To his great surprise, she pops up behind him. "You okay, Kenji?"
The boy yelps in surprise, then tries to recover from his ridiculously high-pitched shriek. "Err, uh, yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He makes his voice go deeper and puts his hands on his hips.
"Because you keep comin' to me and runnin' off!" Sammy exclaims. "Is something wrong? Sounds like you wanna talk about somethin'."
Kenji gulps as she leads him to sit next to the snoring Triceratops. "You know you can come to me with anything, right?" Sammy asks, as she gives her dino a belly rub. The herbivore starts to snort in her sleep.
"Yeah," the alpha male nods. He dries his hands on his shirt.
"Seriously, is something wrong?" the Texan asks, concerned. "You're sweatin'. Are you okay?"
"I… kinda have something I want to talk about," Kenji says.
"They're so cute," Ben whispers.
"I ship it like Fedex," Yasmina whispers back. Brooklynn starts wheezing, and Kenji's wingmen have to clap their hands over her mouth to keep her from alerting Sammy to their position.
"Yeah?" Sammy blinks.
"I… ermmm…" Kenji stutters. "I… I like… I have a crush on a girl!" he finally exclaims.
"You do?" she says.
"And I don't know how to tell her," he winces. "And it's making me nervous."
"Aww, don't be nervous," Sammy smiles, giving him a hug. "You're a great guy, she's gonna love you!"
Brooklynn has to hold her mouth shut to keep from laughing. Yasmina sighs. "Oh lawd."
"Give him a break, this is farther than he's ever gotten," Ben protests quietly.
"Yeah?" Kenji sighs.
"Of course!" Sammy exclaims, standing up. "You've become a very caring and sensitive guy, it'll be her loss if she were to say no! When we get back to the US, I'll help you work up the courage to tell her. You'll find your full, seven course meal, soon!"
Sammy's dino groans and clambers to her feet as Kenji blurts out, "I want you to be my full, seven course meal."
"What was that?" the Texan smiles, having not heard him.
Kenji's moment of courage dissipates. "Uhh… I want to find my full, seven course meal."
"You will," Sammy nods encouragingly. "I know it."
"Sammy, you were saying something about deer?" Darius calls out from the jungles.
"Yeah?" she calls back, frowning in confusion.
"You might wanna take a look at this," Darius calls.
"Okay!" Sammy shouts. She gives Kenji a sympathetic pat on the back before heading off to find Darius.
Kenji groans and slumps over to his friends. "How was that?"
"I don't know whether to laugh or to bang my head on this tree," Yasmina grins dryly.
"You told her. You told her!" Brooklynn exclaims, clutching her hair. "And she didn't hear, ugggh!"
"What is holding you back?" Yasmina asks. "You can tell her—you've got those random moments where it just spills out—but there's something holding you back."
"I don't know," Kenji exhales loudly. "I don't know what I'm scared of! She's really nice, why am I so anxious to tell her?!"
Ben frowns. "If it's anxiety you're dealing with, I might be able to help you better than I thought."
"How did you deal with anxiety?" the alpha male asks. "Besides cowering in a corner."
"Hey, you want my help or not?" Ben tilts his head, offended.
"Sorry," Kenji grins sheepishly.
"I never really found a way to fix my anxiety," Ben murmurs. "But my Mom and I found a way to fix my gnawing feeling of dread. We narrowed down what I was afraid of. That way I could better be prepared and deal with my anxiety better."
"So how do I narrow it down?" Kenji asks, sitting criss cross in front of Ben.
"Okay, let's say you walked up to Sammy right now," Ben starts. "You walk up and say, 'I love you, Sammy. I have for a while. You're an amazing girl, and I want to spend my future with you.' What happens next?"
Kenji's mind goes blank. "Uhhh…"
"What does she do?" Ben asks.
"Hopefully she says that she likes me back?" Kenji cringes.
"So, maybe you're afraid of rejection?" Ben shrugs.
"That might be it," Mr. VIP exhales shakily.
"Okay, let's say she rejects you," Ben scootches closer. "What's the worst that can happen?"
"Uhh, she says no," Kenji throws his arms out. "She thinks it's stupid of me to have a crush on her and she will never like me back. It will be humiliating!"
"Would Sammy call you stupid?" Ben asks. "Would she humiliate you?"
"No," the older boy murmurs.
"So what would happen?" Ben asks again.
"I guess… the worst that could happen is that she tells me that she sees me as a friend," Kenji says, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Is that so bad?" Ben asks. "Her friendship is precious to you. And if she likes you as a friend, it's not like there's zero chance that her feelings could change in the future."
Kenji sighs, drumming his fists on his crossed legs. "I guess I am overthinking this. It's not like this would change our friendship and I'd lose her, right?"
"No, I highly doubt that Sammy would say goodbye to your friendship just because you have a crush on her," Yasmina sputters.
"Okay, I'm just overthinking this," Kenji murmurs. "I can tell her."
As the sun goes down, the campers build a small fire. The temperature had dropped more than it usually did on Isla Nublar, and Yasmina shivers. "Why am I cold in the jungles," she chuckles, holding her arms close to her body.
"Put some pants on," Sammy suggests, throwing her a pair of cargo pants.
"Nope," Yasmina pops her lips.
"You just said you were cold," Darius laughs.
"But I hate pants more," the athlete shrugs. "I'll wear shorts in below freezing temperatures."
"Why?!" Kenji sputters, confused as to why someone would torture themselves like that.
"I hate pants," she laughs. "It's a sensory issue. Certain fabrics and materials drive me nuts. I hate pants because it feels like they're squeezing my legs. I can handle sleeves better than pant legs."
"But you wore pants on the first day of camp," Brooklynn points out.
"Workout fabric doesn't bother me as much," Yasmina says, pulling at her sleeve to demonstrate. "Those are my favorite pair of pants because they're the most comfortable. But I'd actually rather walk around in my underwear if I could."
Her friends chuckle at the image. "That's why I prefer my hair up in a ponytail," Yasmina continues. "I don't like the feeling of my hair on my neck. I could never wear your hairstyle, Sammy."
The Texan laughs. "What about hats?"
"Ugh," the athlete rolls her eyes. "I just fidget with them constantly. I don't like things on my head." Under her breath, she mutters, "That's probably the main reason why I hated hijabs."
"What?" Sammy leans closer.
"Just talking to myself," the Arab shrugs.
"Isn't that an Autistic thing?" Kenji asks. "Sensory issues?"
"It can be a sign of Autism, but I'm not Autistic," Yasmina shrugs. "I think at this point, everyone has some sort of brain damage or mental disorder. This world can be harsh."
"Yeah, I'm Dsylexic," Sammy states. "I love school, but sometimes it can be difficult."
"You're Dsylexic?" Darius asks.
Sammy nods.
"Never knew that," Ben chuckles.
"My Dad had me tested for Dyslexia," Kenji states. "Since I was doing terribly in school. Turns out I just don't have the motivation to learn."
"But learning is fun!" Sammy exclaims.
"Not when it's about X!" Kenji spits. "And don't even get me started on Y!"
"Pun intended," Darius snickers.
"So does anyone else have any mental disorders or something like what Yaz and Sammy have?" Brooklynn asks.
"Anxiety," Ben shrugs.
"Nothing that I know of," Darius shrugs.
"Nada," Kenji shakes his head.
"I thought you were Dyslexic," Ben frowns.
"No, I was tested for it," Kenji frowns back.
Brooklynn smirks to herself. "Operation 'Tell Tiana' is a go." Smoothly, she says, "Imagine if Kenji and Sammy had kids. Would they all be Dyslexic?"
Kenji sighs loudly. "I'm not Dyslexic!" he snaps, before his eyes widen to comical proportions when he processes what Brooklynn had said.
"I don't think that's how it works," Sammy frowns, not noticing Kenji turning red as a tomato.
"You guys would have really cute kids," Brooklynn grins, trying to see where this conversation would go.
"I mean, maybe," Sammy shrugs.
"Would you guys want to have kids?" Ben asks, giving the pinkette a wink.
"Me and Kenji?" Sammy asks, pointing to the alpha male, who looked just as shocked as her.
"I mean, I meant in general, but if you wanna have kids with Kenji, go for it," Ben shrugs.
Kenji looks at Sammy out of the corner of his eye. She seemed shocked, until she started snorting with laughter. Kenji makes a swiping motion at his neck, telling Ben and Brooklynn to cut it out.
"Are you going to have, like, twenty kids, Sammy?" Yasmina smirks, trying to help Kenji get his bearings.
"As many children as my husband will let me," Sammy giggles. "Probably adopt, too. I love kids."
"I'm not at all interested in kids," Yasmina sputters. "Or getting married. How about you, Brooklynn?"
The pinkette blinks in confusion, before going along. "Maybe one or two kids. Relatively small family for me."
"I think we generally go for the type of family we grew up in," Ben states. "I'd have one or two, maybe adopted…"
Darius gently places his hand on Ben's shoulder sympathetically. "I'd probably have one or two. What about you, Kenji?"
The alpha male rubs the back of his neck. "I don't know, I've never really hung around kids… I did like playing with Dad's secretary's children while she was busy with work, so maybe I could handle kids… I think if I were to have kids it'd be more than one, but I don't know."
"You could hang around my family if you wanna test it out," Sammy snickers. "We're rowdy enough that if you can handle us, you can handle anything."
"That'd be awesome," he grins. "I'm sure your family is fun, anyway."
Sammy rolls her eyes. "Ehh, sometimes."
Brooklynn, Ben, and Yasmina exchange a look. "Should we change the subject or let them deal on their own?"
Darius was oblivious to the matchmaking. "Hopefully, whoever you're married to is okay with a huge family. He'd better treat you right."
"He'd have to be," Sammy laughs. "My family's always trying to test all the boys I know, even if we're just friends."
Brooklynn jumps on the chance. "If you could marry your crush, and your kids ask, 'How did you meet Mommy/Daddy?' what would you answer?"
"I don't have a crush on anyone right now," Darius shrugs with a smile. "Too young."
Brooklynn's face falls, but goes unnoticed by Darius. "I'd say that I met him while filming my videos," she says vaguely.
"That totally narrows it down," Yasmina snickers. "I'm with Darius on this one, no crush."
Ben and Kenji's eyes dart to meet each other. How would they answer this truthfully, but without fully revealing who they liked? Unbeknownst to the others, Sammy was having the same issue. "What do I say? What do I say?" she panics.
"My crush would probably have to be a close friend, since I'm kinda shy," Ben grins. "Actually, I'm a bit on the extroverted side; just too scared to talk."
The group stares at Kenji and Sammy. Kenji looks between Yasmina and Ben, who silently urge him to say it. He gulps. "I'd say… that we met during the scariest moment of our lives."
The teens eyes widen. Sammy leans over to whisper in his ear, "Brooklynn?"
"No," he hisses.
Sammy grimaces. "Yasmina might not be the best choice given your personalities, just sayin'."
Kenji blushes, as Sammy moves back to her spot. "I don't know what I'd say," she shrugs. "Probably go from friends to lovers." "Maybe? Hopefully? None of my guy friends return my feelings, and my crush likes another girl," she murmurs in her head.
Kenji busies himself with stretching his arms, giving him a perfect excuse to hide his crestfallen face.
The conversation dies down after that. Darius and Sammy head out into the woods to study Stegosaurus plates. The two were geeking out about the dinos behavior. When they leave, Kenji lets out an exaggerated groan. "It's no use. I'm not telling her."
"What?" Yasmina spits. "Why? She didn't say she didn't have a crush."
Kenji shakes his head. "I just… I can't."
"So you're a quitter?" the athlete raises an eyebrow and comes to stand menacingly in front of him. "You're just gonna give up because she's too hard to catch?"
Kenji quickly stands up to his full height. "I'm not a quitter. I'm not quitting because it's too hard," he hisses with venom.
"So you just lost interest?" Yasmina lifts her shoulders and tilts her head.
"No, definitely not," Kenji growls.
"Why do you love Sammy?" the Trackstar asks. "Seems like you'd have no interest in her."
"Why? Because I'm well to do and she's not?" Kenji rants "B-because she's… bigger than your stereotypical model? Because she's… Because she's nice and I'm not? Why? Why do you think I wouldn't like her, Yaz? What reason have you thought of that I haven't?!"
Yasmina steps back.
"I…" Kenji purses his lip to hold back tears. "Okay… I haven't been anxious because I'm afraid of rejection. It's a normal thing to me. I'm not afraid because I think I'll lose her friendship. I… I'm scared because… I'm scared because she might actually like me back!"
"You…" Brooklynn starts.
"Didn't tell you?" Kenji shrugs. "I… I didn't realize until Darius mentioned it. His comment about how Sammy's husband better treat her right. Let's turn your question around; why should Sammy like me? Why-why should she fall in love with me?! There's nothing in it for her! She's seen and dealt with guys like me at her school: lazy, self-entitled, acting like they love her just to take her love for granted. She knows what I could do to her, and she still pursued a friendship with me! She still treats me with love and compassion and like she genuinely cares when she has no reason to!"
Brooklynn slowly puts her hands to her mouth while Yasmina and Ben freeze as still as a statue.
"There's nothing in it for her!" Kenji insists. "What does she get in return for liking me?! Look at the bratty, narcissistic mess I was when I came to the camp! What would she get in return?! Heartache, honestly! Yet, she still took the gamble and gave her all for me. Everyone else who takes care of me or pays attention has a selfish reason to do so. My Dad's employees are getting payed, the kids at school get money or fame or a boyfriend for a time being. My teachers are getting payed to pay attention. The staff are getting payed to pay attention! What does Sammy get?!"
"A new friend," Yasmina says quietly.
"I don't get what she sees in me," Kenji says, shaking. Burning tears of anger and pain slide down his face. "I don't get what Darius saw in me. I don't get what Ben saw in me. I don't get why you two wanted me as your role model. I don't get why Sammy wanted me as a friend. I was a mess focused only on myself, and I can only come up with two conclusions: either you guys are angels who care about me just because you're nice, or you see something in me to be built."
"Combination of both," Ben says softly. "We're nice but… You were a bit of a mess when we came, but you had more potential than you give yourself credit for."
"You and Darius and Sammy see a good, selfless, gentleman in me even if I'm miles away from it," Kenji cries. "I want to be what you guys see. I want to! But…"
The alpha male sits down, holding his face in his hands. "I'm scared that I'll never be that. It makes me feel like crap realizing that people think I'll abuse them. My biggest fear now is that I truly am a narcissist and that I'll hurt you guys. I'm scared that I'll take advantage and abuse and manipulate my only friends and family! I'm scared that I'll never be able to change!"
Tears slide down the faces of his friends as they watch him break down.
"I don't want Sammy to fall for me," Kenji cries. "I don't want her to fall. How could I do that to her? I would rather lose her friendship if it meant better for her. If I'm going to be toxic and abuse her, I'd rather cut her out of my life and lose that precious friendship because I can't bear the thought of hurting her! I can't do that to her! I can't be selfish and take her love for granted!
"I can't do that to her…" Kenji whispers with a sniffle.
He startles as Yasmina envelopes him in a strong hug. "You're worse in your head than you are in reality," she sniffs. "You've come so far. You've changed so much from the brat we met at Camp. I can't see you ever abusing Sammy or any of us."
"You were never a true narcissist," Brooklynn says, wiping away her tears. "You were just desperate for attention. A true narcissist has no regard for other people's feelings and will bully and manipulate their loved ones for selfish gain. You never bullied us. You just had a big ego."
Ben walks over, crouches down in front of him, and holds Kenji's hands in his. "You've come so far from the kid we knew at Camp. That selfless gentleman we saw in you? You've become that. Listen to yourself, you're willing to give up your friendship and your feelings if it meant better for Sammy! That's selfless love, Kenji. Love isn't this selfish, lustful passion that we see in the movies. Love is patient and kind. It's not envying and it's not boastful or proud. Love is not rude or self-seeking, and it doesn't keep a record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always preserves."
Kenji wipes his face with the back of his hand.
"Sammy showed you something close to an unconditional, self-sacrificing love," Ben continues. "And it encouraged you to give back. You're showing that type of love. Sure, you'll make mistakes and be selfish sometimes, but everyone will. We're only human. You've changed so much. I don't think you have anything to worry about. You're so much better than the brat you described."
"You really think so?" he sniffs.
"Of course," Yasmina nods. "Don't give up on Sammy. I think you two would be perfect for each other. Go tell her everything you just said."
"Noo," Kenji says, half laughing, half sobbing. "I'm not a bratty mess anymore, I'm just a sobbing mess."
"Then I'll tell her, because even if this isn't romantic, she should still know how she impacted you," Yasmina grins, immediately turning around to find the Texan.
"Don't you dare!" Kenji exclaims, tackling the athlete. "Don't you dare!"
"I dare!" Yasmina cackles, flipping him over and trying to escape his grasp.
The two wrestle on the ground, before she finally stands up. Not willing to accept defeat, Kenji wraps his arms around her stomach and holds on. "You'll have to drag my hundred and forty pound butt all the way there."
Yasmina gives up and cackles. "You weigh that much, huh?"
Kenji grins.
Unbeknownst to the group, Sammy was watching from afar. She couldn't understand what Kenji was shouting about, but she could see the others comforting him. Kenji tackles Yasmina, and Sammy scolds her heart for stinging. "Stop it," she thinks. "He's not yours. Stop being selfish. You… You'll find the right guy eventually."
"But what if all the good guys are taken by the time you're an adult?" the voice of doubt enters. "What if you never find someone?"
She sighs and slides down the tree to a sitting position.
"You okay?" Darius asks.
"I just…" Sammy sighs. "I want to find a wonderful husband."
"You're fifteen, chill out," Darius chuckles. "You got plenty of time to find someone."
"I know," she giggles. "I'm just scared that all the good guys will be taken by the time I'm old enough to marry."
"Well, God knows the desires of your heart," Darius smiles. "And if you really want a good guy, why wouldn't he have one for you in the future? Just hang on, you'll find the right guy. Just keep waiting on the Lord. He'll bring you the perfect guy who loves you for who you are and treats you wonderfully. Just have faith."
Sammy smiles sadly. "I have faith that God will do that, but… I kinda doubt whether he'd like me. It's stupid, I know. Sometimes I just don't have confidence in myself."
"You?" Darius says in shock. "But you're always so confident in yourself."
"I'm confident in some things," Sammy chuckles. "Not in others. I'm confident that I'm beautifully and wonderfully made by God, but I'm not confident that I'm… living healthily, if you know what I mean? I'm confident that I can make friends and be nice to others, but I'm not confident that others will like me back. It sounds contradictory, but that's how I feel. I'm nice to other people because I truly care, but sometimes I wonder if I'm just making myself a doormat and will never have true friends."
"In that case, I'm a duck, because you'll always have me," Darius smiles. "Don't stop being the caring, wonderful person you are. If people aren't willing to show you love and kindness back, that's on them, not you."
"Thanks, Darius," Sammy smiles, giving him a great big bear hug.
"Don't worry, you'll always be loved," Darius says, hugging her back. "Always."