AN: Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've just been preoccupied with other things, but anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 27 - King of the Jungle

"I don't actually want to go home now." Jack said.

It was lunchtime, and me and Jack were sitting around the fire eating our last lunch in the jungle ever.

"Why not?" I asked as I finished my mouthful of my rice. "I can't see why you'd want to stay, but still, why don't you want to leave?"

Jack proceeded to put on a solemn face and he set his metal food bowl aside, as if he were about to talk about a very deep subject, so I listened intently to what he had to say. "I've been wanting to talk to you about something for a while. Something similar to what you've been going through."

I remained silent for a minute and waited in an uncomfortable silence for him to begin. "Do you remember the night I cried because Alex almost drowned me, and the next morning, I told you I was used to being treated that way?"

I nodded, vividly remembering Jack's burdened, sad face. "Yeah?"

"Well, I'll tell you what that's like for me in greater detail." Jack bit his lip before beginning. "For most of my school life, I've…been bullied a lot because of my actions and my behaviour."

"How did you behave in school?" I asked.

"Very weirdly. At least, now that I look back on it, I mean, I was seven or eight years old when my behaviour and actions started going downhill, and by that, I mean getting distracted in class, causing discomfort for my classmates and just…spending break times playing by myself with noone who truly wanted to play with me. All because…the differing faults in my brain controlled me."

At that moment, my heart softened. No friends… "Oh, I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have had to go through that. Did you notice the way you were behaving and did you tell your parents about it?"

Jack nodded before I had even finished my sentence. "Yeah, I did. It was like I was possessed by some…some demon that wanted me to be miserable by making me look uncool and abnormal in front of my classmates at school, but for some reason, when I got home every day, I seemed to turn back into a normal child and act normally. After some thinking for a few weeks, I decided to tell my parents what was going on. I told them about how I talked to myself all the time, played by myself and distracted my classmates from learning, and I was expecting them to help me, but they just said stuff like, "Oh, don't worry, it's just a phase children go through at your age," but in my mind, I was thinking, If that's the case, then every child in my class should be acting like me."

"Oh, wow." I replied, my brow furrowing a bit. "I'm actually a little disappointed with that response. I mean, they're your parents. They should've at least done some research about your symptoms and tried to figure out whether it was something really serious."

At that moment, I wished I had just shut up and not said anything at all because Jack's face faltered and he gazed down at the floor. That was when I could just imagine a slow sigh being let out inside his head and that I had maybe said something I shouldn't have.

"Hey, Jack, are you okay?" I asked, moving closer to him. "Did…Did I say something?" After a couple of seconds of awkward silence between us both, Jack looked up at me and immediately, my heart started fragmenting because his burnt orange eyes were full of tears and I had no idea what to do. "Jack…"

He wiped his eyes before spluttering, "I… It actually did end up turning into something serious, well…serious to me."

I wrapped an arm around him, trying to provide as much physical comfort as I could. "It's alright, tell me what happened."

Jack took a moment to breathe and gather his thoughts before beginning. "So, um…after about a year after my behaviour started going downhill and throughout the times I wasn't…possessed, I kept on going into deep thought, and eventually, I began to think that…I was autistic."

I looked back at him and nodded, prompting Jack to proceed with his explanation, and he did.

"I kept on telling my parents this, but again, they told me that I was overreacting and that I was trying to find ways to look different in front of other kids, and…yeah, I basically ended up spending the next few years thinking that I was autistic but I wasn't, but that was where I was wrong. I should've trusted my instincts."

"Why?" I asked, but then the answer came to me and I put a hand over my mouth. "Oh. Oh no. Did you-"

"Yeah." Jack said before I could finish and his eyes started tearing up again. "I was diagnosed with autism about six months ago. That had to be the worst day of my life because all I remember is getting home from the doctor's surgery and screaming at my parents about why I wasn't diagnosed soon after I discovered problems about myself."

"I can imagine you did that." I said in agreement. "I mean, I would react that way if something was hidden from me for years." I chuckled a little, trying to lighten the mood, but when I saw Jack blinking out a few tears, I instantly felt awful, so I pulled him into a hug, allowing him to cry it out because this story and situation was still raw to him and difficult to talk about.

"B-But…it's not just that that hurts me." Jack sniffled once he was a little calmer. "Whenever I notice I'm playing up, upsetting others or getting angry, after that, I decide to help people and make them feel better, but…whenever I do that, kids like Alex tell me that I'm not good enough."

"Hey." I said, looking him straight in the eyes. "Don't tell me you actually believed anything that prick said because he was just jealous that he couldn't find it in his cold heart to be as nice as you are."

The moment I said this, Jack's face softened and he shook his head in disbelief, his eyes still a tad watery. "Really? You don't think I'm weird or negative or moody or anything?"

"Of course not!" I replied, making sure my voice was full of sincerity. "It's hard for me to imagine a negative side of you when I've seen the positive side, and besides, I think it's really sweet that you try and make up for the bad things you've done, even if it's involuntary."

"Which reminds me…" Jack said, looking down at the floor meekly. "You…You know the night before when you and Gracie left me and Lily behind, I snuck back and spied on you both, as creepy as that sounds, but trust me on this, it gets better. Do you remember…music playing in the distance when you were both swaying and dancing by the lake?"

I nodded slowly as Jack asked this question. "Yeah…I've been wondering where that music was coming from since last night and it's really been bugging me." At that moment, the answer to my own question came into my mind. "Wait a sec. Was it you who-"

"Yeah." Jack replied before I could finish. "I snuck back to the karaoke machine and picked a very romantic song for you guys to dance to. I saw you both standing there by the lake looking really loving and I thought that the one thing that was best to do in that moment was find a song for you to dance to and help you deepen your relationship further, even if it meant you would depart within the next day."

My eyes widened and my heart softened at Jack's utter kindness. Nobody had ever done that to me before and tried to help me in that sort of way. "Wow…you did that all for me? That was so sweet of you!"

Jack shuffled uncomfortably on the log and looked down at the floor. "Umm…I hope you didn't find that weird or anything, I was just trying to help you."

A broad smile flickered onto my face and my heart filled with such joy and gratitude that I couldn't help but wrap Jack up in a warm hug. "Oh, thank you so much." I sighed blithely. "I loved that time me and Gracie had together, and having that romantic music playing in the background made it even better!" I drew back to look at him. "I hope you know that I'm so grateful. That is now going to be my most cherished memory of mine and Gracie's relationship."

For a minute, Jack seemed a little stunned by my joyous reaction, but after a few seconds, he relaxed in my arms and he wrapped himself around me too, as if…he was scared of letting go of me.

"I've needed this moment…" he sighed. "I've needed to meet somebody like you for ages, and looking around Camp now for possibly the last half an hour before the show ends…it feels like I haven't had enough time to fully experience life away from people who make fun of me." Jack heaved another shaky sigh and departed from the hug, his bottom lip quivering as if he was going to cry again. "So, all along, the reason why I don't want to go home is because I've had nobody like you in my school. If I'm being perfectly honest, I'd rather just live here on my own, but I know I have a family who want me back so badly."

Ouch. That sentence actually cut quite deep. I didn't really have a proper family waiting for me and to shower me with love and pride, and that really hurt, especially if it was being rubbed right in my eyes, whether it was on purpose or not. But, at least I would have Larry and Iggy waiting for me at the hotel, and that lifted my spirits a little because at least people I trusted and were comfortable around were going to be there, so when I thought about it, there wasn't really anything to feel sad about apart from leaving Jack behind and a whole lot of joyful memories in the jungle.

"I see what you mean." I said. "This place is beautiful in its own way and if I was given the chance, I would definitely come here again, and I'll agree more if I get to spend that time with you or Gracie."

There was a moment where both of us were silent and it made me envision the ticking of a clock, signifying every passing second of this last half hour me and Jack were going to spend together. Wow, I had only just realised how scary and emotional this moment was…

"You know, Lud," Jack said, breaking the silence. "I have to say that…you're the bestest friend I've ever had. I've really enjoyed spending time with you throughout these three weeks, and in that time, I've discovered that you're not the type of person to make fun of people's feelings or conditions. You just respect them and accept them." He shifted a little and looked up at me. "I bet your mum was an amazing teacher, to tell you how to treat others with respect and understanding before she passed, and I'd say that if she was looking down on us now, she would be so proud that you've grown into the resilient, strong kid you are today."

I instantly felt a lump form in my throat and I put a hand to my chest. "Wow, Jack… I think I've only ever heard those words once or twice, and I'm so glad to hear them from you. I've enjoyed working with you too, and…I'm actually going to miss you a lot."

I took a moment to gaze around Camp, and with every viewpoint of the place I saw, a vivid memory played out in my head. Sure, not all of them were happy, but nonetheless, I would remember them for the rest of my days. There was that memorable spot by the fire where I fainted when I was sick about two weeks ago, there was that toilet cubicle poking through the trees where I had my first proper chat with Gracie about the death of her brother and despite the fact that that was something not nice for Gracie to talk about, I felt quite jazzed that I was talking to the girl I was crazily in love with, and who would've thought? Within the next two weeks, we would be a couple.

This just had to be the experience of my life… Just then, I heard the sound of squeaking and clicking. Me and Jack turned around and saw that the same bucket that had provided us with all the news we needed to hear was being lowered to the ground, which gave me an educated guess of what type of news or mail it held. I rose up from the log, picked up the piece of paper inside it and looked at it.

It said: Congratulations, Ludwig and Jack! Great news! You are the last two remaining contestants on the show! Bad news, it is time to now say goodbye to Camp, as this is the end of your experience as I'm A Koopa contestants. Pack up all your resources and arrive at the reviewing headquarters within the next five minutes so we can discuss your experiences and who is going to be crowned this year's 'King of the Jungle'! See you both soon,

Mark.

"Well, this is it." I said, turning round to face Jack. "Now we've got to say goodbye to Camp. I mean, we'll still see it in its same condition in the next series, but still."

Jack stood up and joined me by the bucket and for about a minute, we stood in silence, scanning our main headquarters to absorb every single sight of this beautiful clearing before soon, too soon, it was time to go.

…

Me and Jack both sat in our seats in the reviewing headquarters with Mark, which was an action that was most likely designed to make me feel relaxed, but the fact that this footage of us talking about our experiences was filmed live, the thought of making a slip of the tongue or saying something but meaning something else without realising seemed like the worst thing to ever happen. However, all I had to do was keep calm, breathe, count to ten and wait for the results.

As Mark opened up an envelope, which I guessed held who the winner was of this year's show, I sat back and listened to the build up of this gargantuan announcement. "And now, I can announce that the King of the Jungle in this year's series of I'm A Koopa…Get Me Out Of Here! is…" There was at least a ten second period of deafening silence as my heart pounded and pounded, anticipating the response. It was either me, or Jack. "Ludwig!"

At that moment, there came the sound of crowds of people cheering and whistling, and brightly coloured confetti showered from the ceiling of the dome of the headquarters. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands, and for a moment, I thought I would cry. This all felt like a blur, like this was some sort of extremely vivid dream. I expected to be woken up from this dream only to be met with darkness and frigidity due to lying in bed in the middle of the night where the cold air would hang around just like the remnants of the dream. Well, that's if this was actually a dream at all.

I took a moment to rub my eyes and pinch my skin to try and figure out if this was all unreal, but before I could decipher that fact fully, Mark walked over to where I was sitting, took hold of my grubby hand and led me over to what looked like a throne which he told me to sit. I did as I was told and soon after that, a ranger walked over to me and placed the famous crown of twigs and flowers onto my head and placed a staff made of sticks in my left hand and an orb of flowers in my right. I had no clue how I managed to do so, but I smiled all the way through the loudness of the cheering and the clapping.

At last, the noise ended and Mark stood in front of me. "Wow, Ludwig, how does it feel to be this year's 'King of the Jungle'?" he asked.

I opened my mouth to say something, but then it ended up turning straight to a joyful laugh. "It…It feels amazing." I replied. "I've wanted a moment like this for absolutely ages, to feel like I've actually done something brilliant and brave with my life."

Mark smiled warmly. "And who do you know for sure is watching you right now?"

"Oh, definitely my friends who are back at the hotel. They've been waiting for me since I first came into the jungle and I think they'll be so happy to see me again."

"Well, Ludwig, I'll bet a million pounds that you want to go back to the hotel and feel the exact same way, am I right?"

I rapidly nodded, which made Mark let out a guffaw. "Ah! Well then, say your last goodbye to Jack and as of now, we can say, "You're a koopa, get yourself out of here!"

I turned towards Jack and held out my hand. He took my hand in his and shook it, but as our touches both departed, he slipped what felt like a piece of paper into my hand, and as I walked out of the headquarters and waved goodbye to Jack before traversing the wobbly bridge, I took a look at the piece of paper he had given me. It was an address which read the following:

Address of Jack Arthur Marigold:

31 Pelwick Alley

Hillcliffe

Southampton

SO19 1BH

"Southampton, eh?" I said to myself. "That's about an hour and a half away…"

For a brief moment, I had felt sad about leaving Jack behind all by himself to go back home, but now I felt the complete opposite because now I had his address, which meant that we could still meet up if we wanted to! Sure, I had no other choice but to show up to his house unannounced and that would be a little bit creepy if his parents were to answer the door and find this random kid on their doorstep, but it could be great in many other ways.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief because yes, I was going to miss the environment of the jungle, but at the same time, I couldn't live there forever. I had some friends to be reunited with, so I quickened my pace across the bridge, my heart racing in my chest. Oh, I couldn't wait to see them again…