Kenzie took on a defensive stance, the horror on her face plain to see.
“What are you looking at?” she snapped. “It was a joke!”
“Yeah, okay. I don’t know why you’re getting mad at me.”
“Because you’re standing there staring at me with that idiot expression on your face.”
“That’s my natural resting face,” I argued.
“Yeah, well, then I feel sorry for you,” Kenzie spat, looking exasperated and oh, so miserable.
She was working herself up into a frenzy. Clearly this was a woman scorned. And I was the dummy who hadn’t figured it out until just now. I had nothing to say that would diffuse the situation, so I remained silent.
“Ugh… I was just kidding, so… so… keep your dick away from me,” Kenzie demanded, and then stomped off to her bathroom area. Stunned, I slunk off to mine.
TV Confessional
“I didn’t actually think the claws on those crabs worked.”
—Kyle
22
Kenzie: Charity Case
‘Keepyour dick away from me?’Oh god, oh Kenzie. Why?At that moment, I wanted to cut my leg on a jagged rock and fling myself, bleeding, into a shark-infested ocean. Somehow that demise seemed easier to deal with than having to face Kyle again. The dumbfounded expression on his dazed face said it all. Despite his incessant flirting, he clearly did not see us as anything more than platonic friends, nor did he have any clue as to the extent of my infatuation with him. Until now, of course. What in the world was I thinking? And why would I do it now, when he’d just revealed he was Jake McKallister’s brother? I mean, talk about shitty timing. I had outdone myself today. It was no wonder I was still single. I had to be one of the stupidest females alive.
After squatting over a patch of ground and cursing the droplets that splashed onto my legs, I used a leaf to wipe away the remnants of pee, although nature’s toilet paper was hardly as efficient as the store-bought variety, and I had to spend an extra minute drip-drying. I took that moment to reflect on my complete and utter embarrassment. My face was burning hot, and I actually felt nauseous. As hard as I tried, my mind could not envision any scenario where this humiliation ended favorably. I pulled up my shorts and paced back and forth. When that didn’t ease my suffering, I hunched over, hands gripping my knees, and tried to control my breathing. I felt close to hyperventilating.Think, Kenzie.How could I hide from my man-crush on a frickin’ reality show? Maybe if I stayed here long enough, Kyle would get bored and go. Yeah, that was a good plan. I’d just wander around the smelly poophole wasting time.
Five minutes must have passed before I heard his voice calling out to me, “Are you coming?”
“Just go back without me,” I yelled back. “I’m going to be awhile.”
“Are you sure? I can wait.”
“No, I’m sure. Go back. I’ll be there soon.”
He didn’t respond right away, and then I heard him say, “Okay.”
I let out a huge sigh of relief and stood in place, formulating a plan in my head. Once I got back to camp, I would pull Carl aside and talk some strategy with him. Kyle wouldn’t dare interrupt a session with Carl, seeing as I was the only one who wasn’t afraid of him. And then what? How could I avoid him? Oh, man, this was bad. Really bad! Why hadn’t I kept my big, love-spewing mouth shut? Not only might I lose my friend, but also my most important ally in this game. Now I understood why it was never good to mix business with pleasure.
It was time to take a step back. Kyle was clearly not interested in me beyond a good laugh. And why would he be? He spent his days in the company of a famous rock star. He was Jake McKallister’s frickin’ brother. I mean, please! Had I known, Ineverwould have gone for him. Suddenly our differences seemed glaringly obvious. It wasn’t just a matter of north versus south, of a small town girl versus a big city boy. No, this was a matter of an ordinary life versus an extraordinary one.
Knowing Kyle’s resistance to going anywhere alone, I gave him ample time to clear out before making my way back through the bushes. Scanning the area where we usually met up, I sighed with relief. He wasn’t there. At least I’d have the walk back to clear my head. At the sound of a rock hitting the ground, I swung my head toward the ruckus and found Kyle propped up against a tree, his long legs crossed at the ankles. He was chewing on a skinny twig.
Kyle flashed me his adorable smile as if nothing was amiss and then, using the tree for support, he stood up. “You all set?”
“I told you not to stay.”
“I know, but I didn’t have anything else to do, so I decided to wait.” Kyle headed off back toward camp. I did have to hand it to the boy-he was nothing if not reliable. When I didn’t immediately follow, he called over his shoulder, “You coming? Don’t you have an etiquette class planned for Carl?”
So that was how he was going to play this? Feign ignorance?Nice, Kyle.Then I realized it might not be the worst strategy. If he was okay ignoring my declaration of love, then it was in my best interest to just follow his lead. Giving in, I jogged up to him. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“And how’s that going? Are you seeing vast improvements with the ogre?”
“We’re making progress.”
“Honestly, Kenzie, Carl is a lost cause. He hates everyone.”
