Chapter 4: Crazy Jaxx Plan

“Jaxx, wake up!” said a voice I partially recognized.

“Yo, slug-brain! Ya gonna get up or do we have to poke you?” Something prodded me in the forehead, and I punched the closest thing next to me, which happened to be Zac.

Zac fell on his knees and made a strangled sound. He flopped his head on the ground. “OH, MY GOD, I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” I looked at Demi who was trying hard not to laugh. “Way to go, slug-brain! You took down tough-guy—HAHAHAHAHA!” She doubled over, laughing so hard I thought the cave ceiling would collapse.

“Not funny,” Zac groaned.

Tom’s shoulders were heaving with laughter, but he didn’t make any noise. Not like anybody would actually hear him over Demi. Beth was grinning in one corner, but her eyes were sad. I didn’t know why, but I was laughing too hard anyways. A pigeon landed on Zac.

“AAAAAAAH!” He started screaming like a maniac. “AAAAH, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF—OW IT PECKED MEEEE!” He ran all over the cave, but the pigeon just sat on the ground and stared at him like, Bruh.

Beth snickered and picked the pigeon up, making little cooing noises to it. “It’s okay, don’t listen to the mad man,” she coddled the pigeon and set it down a bit away from the cave. Aaaand Zac was still acting like he just saw a demon.

“Worst. Day. EVER.” He sat down hard on the ground.

“Wait, wait, wait, hold up—you’re afraid of pigeons?” Demi asked, raising an eyebrow at him. I snickered. “Hey! They creep me out, okay?” He pouted.

Demi grinned at him. “Whatever, scaredy—OH MY LORD, look behind you! A PIGEON!” “WHAT? Where? I DON’T SEE IT! COME OUT DEMON BIIIIRD!!” He whirled around again and again.

We laughed so hard I thought our intestines might explode. “Way to go, Zac. A puppy would have been braver,” Tom teased. Zac was a tomato by the time we were done teasing him.

We walked off the cave, and I realized something.

“Hey, guys?” I waved my hand to get their attention. “We can’t live on just fruit! We need real food. Real wheat. Real vegetables.” “VEGETABLES? Aww come ON,” Tom complained, giving me a pouty look. “Real paaaastries!” That got their attention.

“Where are we gonna find pastries on an island?” Beth asked, gesturing her arms at the island.

“A pastry tree?” Demi joked. Tom whacked her with a banana.

“Complete inaccuracy,” I said, bonking them all on the head with a small, light mango. “Okay, miss mango computer,” Demi grumbled, rubbing her head.

“We take the emergency rations from our boats,” I said, ignoring their gaping looks.

“You do know that the boats have most likely drifted off into the ocean, right? And that the Megalodon is still out there?” Zac chimed in.

“Yep.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I know.”

“Alright, plan CJ is a-go.” Demi said unsarcastically.

“CJ?” I asked.

“Plan Crazy Jaxx.”

I grinned at her. “Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do.”