CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

MAX

Breakfast was over too soon, which meant only one thing. Date number one. I waited on the pier for the first date to show up and was momentarily bummed and a bit jealous as I watched Jason, Colt, and Milo laughing on the beach. Becca soon joined them, with what looked like a mimosa in her hand.

I’d never imagined what it would look like. Being a part of a relationship or the other half of a couple. In my mind it had always been Milo and me as friends, and maybe at some point something more.

But now? I only had eyes for Becca.

And she fit.

She fit so perfectly with my friends that it almost freaked me out. I mean, after next week, what would happen? I’d never been the insecure guy. But I was suddenly panicked over my future, and not because I was so concerned for myself but because I finally saw someone sharing it with me.

“All ready?” Rex sniffled and snapped his fingers at the cameraman. “Max, why don’t you tell us what you’re feeling right now?”

“Er, excited,” I answered in a totally lame voice as my attention was again captured by Becca’s laughter on the beach.

“Right.” Rex laughed. “You seem unable to control your excitement.”

“That’s me,” I said dryly.

“Oh, look, your date’s walking towards us. You kids have fun and remember, we’re not really here.”

Ha, like I could forget Rex, the camera guy, the sound guy, one of the producers, and a makeup artist. Sure, but they weren’t there. I turned and pasted a smile on my face as Nicki came running up the beach. At least Minion had dropped the overalls and replaced them with jean shorts and a cute tank top that said, “Baller.”

Ten bucks she has no idea what it even means.

“Max!” she yelped, and then launched herself into my arms. I had no choice but to either catch her or let her flail into the ocean. I chose to catch her, you know, being a gentleman and all. “I’m so excited for our date!”

I placed her on her feet and continued to give her a fake smile as she jumped up and down right in front of me. And not in a cute “Aw, bless her heart, she’s excited” way, but in an obnoxious “Holy shit, what pill did you take before coming?” way.

“Er . . .” I placed my hands on her shoulders, willing her to keep her feet planted on the ground. “You ready to go?”

Her eyes widened. “We’re leaving the Island?”

“Sort of.” I sighed wistfully. “It seems they’ve found life on another one of the islands. The zombies haven’t made it that far and we’re the first explorers to go out and scan the area for food!”

She blinked.

“Nothing?” I squinted. “Nothing at all?”

A tear ran down her cheek before she wiped it away. “I, um, I’m really scared of zombies.”

“Because . . .” I sighed. “They’re real?”

She nodded.

“Do you also happen to have one of those doomsday shelters and enough food and water to last for ten years?”

“How’d you know?” she gasped. “Daddy says not to tell anyone on account that the government may want to shut us down.”

“I highly doubt they’d shut you down, I mean it’s your property, right?” Okay, fine, I could engage with crazy.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “But I’m pretty sure the guns are illegal.”

“Guns?” I choked, then looked into the camera.

Yeah, ten bucks said Daddy was gonna be shut down a lot sooner than she realized.

“But shhh,” she whispered. “Don’t tell. It will be like our first secret.”

“Ha-ha.” I smiled. “On national television.”

“Exactly!” She smacked me across the chest. “Max, you’re funny.”

“I’m not,” I disagreed, “at all.”

She giggled anyway.

Never in my life have I ever—HA! Hey, that’s a game! Sorry, refocus: never have I ever tried to sound boring. I mean, for shit’s sake, being boring is so . . . boring. I’m not boring. I don’t like boring people. I hate libraries because they’re too quiet. I thought it was stupid to have silent time in preschool and I’m pretty sure that I was the reason for recess being reestablished in high school, feel me? But in that moment I tried, I desperately tried to sound like Jason. Oh, don’t roll your eyes. You know what I mean . . . cop who eats doughnuts and drinks his coffee black and only likes sex in like two positions.

Okay, fine, so maybe I was judging him.

But still.

I tried channeling Jason.

But apparently I was too damn interesting.

Swear, had I told Nicki/Minion that I collected potatoes for a living she would have gasped and thrown her arms around my neck screaming, “I love them mashed!” She wasn’t a challenge, she was passive and agreeable, and nothing about her inspired me.

And maybe that was the problem.

Becca not only made me want to be a better man, she made me think that it was possible to want better for myself, to take time and actually think about what I wanted for my future. And she’d done all of that in two weeks.

An hour into the date I contemplated jumping off the boat or faking my own death. Then again, I had Becca’s date to look forward to.

I still had to choose three out of the five girls.

And sadly, Minion was not a front-runner.

I realized this not at first, which I know sounds shocking. I mean for shit’s sake she believed in zombies! I mean, I do too, but I don’t take it far enough to stock my house with illegal firearms and weaponry.