Page 86 of Forever is the Sweetest Con
She squints up at the sky. The clouds have cleared a little bit, but a haze is still blocking the sun. “I don’t know. A long time. That current really screwed us.”
“Like four hours?”
“At least. Maybe five.”
“How far do you think we drifted?”
“No idea.”
I shift, bending my knees gingerly so I can lean forward and stretch my lower back. I look around, but all there is to see are trees, rocks, and water, which would be fine if they were the trees and rocks and water I recognized from the first day, but they aren’t.
“How long do you think the walk is going to take?” I ask, and Sue-Ellen shoots me a murderous glare. “I’m just worried we’re going to get stuck in the woods in the dark.”
“We have so much time. It’s not much later than noon, right?” She slowly pushes herself up. “Look, we have plenty of time, and we need to recover from that swim. Plus,” she says, looking at Kei, “he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Should I wake him? Make him eat something?”
“I don’t know. Should he take some insulin or something?”
“I don’t know.” I bite my lip, watching his chest rise and fall. I squeeze his shoulder. “Kei?”
He doesn’t respond, so I shake his arm a little, and say his name louder. His eyes flutter open. “Kei, can you sit up a little? Time to eat something.”
He nods at me but makes no attempt to move. “Here,” I say, moving behind him, and hoisting his chest up so it rests in my lap.
“Have some food,” Sue-Ellen says, retrieving his granola bar from the plastic bag tied to his ankle. She breaks off a piece of the bar and brings it to Kei’s mouth. “Can you eat that?”
He takes the bar, and nods when she asks if he wants more. She feeds him, bite by bite, until the bar is gone. And then he falls back to sleep.
We sit there watching him, neither of us speaking our greatest fearinto existence. I take the chance to ask something else that’s been on my mind.
“Why are you doing this? Why did you volunteer to help me?”
She pulls a face. “I don’t want to die on that island, either, you know.”
“I know. But—I thought you hated me.”
Sue-Ellen sighs. “I don’t hate you. I mean, you’re annoying, but I don’t hate you. I guess—” She looks up, speaking to the sky. “I guess I was jealous.”
“What? Why?”
“Uggghhh,” she moans. “I just was, okay? Don’t make me talk about my feelings.”
“Why did you come on a reality dating show if you don’t want to talk about your feelings?”
She sighs. “Okay. I guess I was jealous because you just showed up, so much like me in some ways—we’re both actresses, both blondes—”
“Mine’s out of a box.”
“Yeah, no shit. It looks like hay, no offence. Anyway, you were like me, but you were also everything I’m not—sweet, skinny, you have this great relationship with your mom, and the only guy that liked me also liked you. It’s like he knew you were the better version of me.”
“Are you for real?” I scoff. “For one thing, you’re like, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I’m the lesser version of you, one hundred percent. For another thing, I’m skinny because I can’t afford groceries because my boyfriend stole all my money. And as for my mom, she’ll be on the street if I don’t win—”
It hits me again that there’s nothing left to win.
Sue-Ellen’s eyes flash wide. “That’s heavy.”
“Yeah.” I feel heavy. “I mean, I love my mom so much, I really do, it’s just—”
