Survival Of The Fittest

((Rosa continued from Fell Tidings))

Rosa Fiametta's eyes slowly opened. There was momentary disorientation as she looked around at her surroundings with sleep-hazed eyes... then everything clicked into place. Right, she remembered where she was now. Jeez. How fucking out of it had she been when she got here? Unlike Rosa's usual state after a ... 'night out', this had been nothing to do with inebriation (and god, Rosa wished she could get completely off her face right now). No... Rosa had stumbled into the gazebo moments after the fourth announcement had signalled to her that she'd had yet another reprieve. Ilario and Frankie were alive... for now.

Oh, and Ilario had killed somebody else. Couldn't forget that one. Yup. Exhausted after spending an entire day and night searching unsuccessfully, emotionally battered by the revelation that Ily had killed not once but twice, and frankly just fucking sick of it all, Rosa had just given up. Fuck searching. Fuck her sister. Fuck her brother and his new psychotic streak. Fuck this island. Fuck Danya. Fuck Junior as a necessary top up to that long standing series of hatred. Rosa needed a fucking rest.

And she'd more or less just collapsed on the ground inside the gazebo.

It was... some hours later now. Rosa wasn't exactly sure how long - she didn't wear a watch and her phone was missing ('confiscated' no doubt). Couldn't be too much later, since she was sure the announcement would have woken her up, and it didn't yet to appear to be approaching evening. Seemed like noon, so maybe she'd grabbed six or so hours. That was pretty astonishing, all things considered. Rosa was probably lucky somebody hadn't come along and shot her in the head whilst asleep.

Rosa huffed a sigh and pulled herself into a sitting position. This was another bad delay, and she could only ride her luck for so long. Sooner or later, one or the other of Frankie and Ily were going to run into real trouble. Hell, Ilario already had, and no doubt the chances of him getting killed were even higher now that he'd decided to go off and be a fucktard and start trying to (succeeding) kill people. But what the fuck could Rosa DO about it? She wasn't superhuman. She needed to rest now and then, and it wasn't as if she'd been kicking back and chilling out every five seconds.

The only face Rosa needed to think of when she was questioning her resolve was Jeremy Franco's.

She put her face in her hands for a second, then knuckled her eyes. The nap had done her good, but she was still damn worn out. What Rosa needed was an honest to goodness bed and eight hours. But hell, that most definitely wasn't on the menu. Still, Rosa could at least have the comfort that she'd explored those damn WOODS comprehensively... wouldn't stop either Frankie or Ily moving straight into the area she'd just left, of course, but the Fiametta was more likely to find her triplets if she started to extend her search.

'Course, the instant problem with that was that the next most obvious destination had just turned a danger zone. Maybe it would be better to head inland than do some kind of circle around the central mountain... Ily and Frankie didn't exactly strike Rosa as hikers. But Ily never struck Rosa as a fucking murderer either, so those preconceptions could just about go out of the window, couldn't they?

"Fucks sake," Rosa said aloud. She was too damn tense, too damn jumpy. Not that it wasn't justified, but she needed to let off some fucking steam. Hitting Jeremy had been her gasket for day three, but the frustrations had steadily been building up all over again, not least because of the news about Ilario. That, frankly, figured. Still, Rosa had only three real ways of working off stress and those... weren't viable. Mostly because one required alcohol that she didn't have, and the other two required another person, either to vent on or... well, yeah, but whatever, she didn't have another person either. Even if Rosa had been travelling with somebody else, yelling at them just because she was tired and bottling up wouldn't have been a good idea.

Nor, in honesty, would have jumping their damn bones.

That said. Rosa was on her own. She bit her lip and looked around.

Always could... Oh Rosa! Don't be fucking moronic! There are cameras freaking everywhere! They'll... well... depends on how I... urgh. I can't seriously be considering this, right? ...Though I guess so far as clearing my head goes... and it's not like I haven't showed off already...

"Christ," said Rosa. She rolled over, so that her body was facing towards the wall of the gazebo, tucked close against in. Then her hand slid under the waistband of her mini skirt.

...Keep it quick and discrete.

((Jimmy Brennan continued from The Spark))

Jimmy Brennan trudged through the foliage, feeling a hundred times worse then he'd ever thought possible. Jimmy had been in pain before. It had hurt and more often then not it'd made him cry. While he'd fixed the last bit, Jimmy could still feel pain. Much to his displeasure. How did action heroes do it? Jimmy couldn't imagine what it would feel like if someone shot him. Would it feel worse then now?

He'd never had this type of pain. Constant agony, pounding into him with every move, knowing fully well that he couldn't stop even if he wanted to... Jimmy didn't want to die. But his body felt as if it were shutting down, bit by bit. It was a little unnerving to say the least. A part of him was terrified that if he stopped, gave his body one inch of relaxation, that would be it. Jimmy Brennan would shut down, never to wake up again. He couldn't allow that. And so, running on empty, his stomach growling and gnawing at his gut, Jimmy Brennan stepped into the Gazebo clearing.

Jimmy smirked as he entered the area. It was empty... he was fairly certain. There were no voices, no signs of movement. He relaxed a little, letting his shotgun fall to his side. He'd only stopped for one moment on his trek, to read the instructions on how to operate the beastly weapon. He'd been fairly certain he'd loaded it right. With the weapon in hand, Jimmy felt lighter then air, despite the added weight. Nothing could hurt him. Nothing human, certainly not one of his old schoolmates.

The Gazebo was plain and bared a passing resemblance to the one back on the Bayview grounds. Home. Jimmy's face knotted up. He didn't want to think about home, not after what had happened. Too many bad memories. Too many bastards, making his life a living hell.

S'not like they're not getting their just fucking deserts though, eh?

With a smile, Jimmy entered the Gazebo, confident, his weapon lowered. There was nothing to worry about, nothing wr-

An awkwardly sprawled form lay in a corner of the Gazebo, previously obscured from vision. Within a single second, Jimmy felt his heart rate increase tenfold. He'd walked into a trap, right off the bat! Jimmy raised the weapon and let out a shout, stumbling towards the opposite side of the Gazebo.

What the fucking hell...?!

"Who in- what'reyouDOINGHERE!?" he shouted, looking at the downed form. Something wasn't right. Was the girl dead? Who was she?

And then, the answer dawned on him. Rosa Fiametta. Rosa "Fucking" Fiametta. Emphasize on the fucking. Social pariah that he was, even Jimmy knew about Rosa and her reputation around school. What made Rosa Fiametta special though, was just how little he knew of her. A smoking hot Italian, that much was obvious... but in terms of interaction, Jimmy had never met Rosa. He was all but certain she'd heard of him. The OLD him...

But what was going on? Why was she down there? Was she injured? Was she hiding? What was sh-

A switch within Jimmy's brain clicked into the "ON" position. His mouth dropped open as he leaned back against the Gazebo railing, his shotgun aimed at the floor.

HOLY.


FUCKING.


SHIT.

"Ahh..."

It took a little while for Rosa to get into it, given she couldn't really shake the feeling of having an audience at first. After a bit though, she kind've settled into the mindset that if (since) she was being watched, anybody who wanted to look had already seen, which allowed her to steer her thoughts towards fantasies. After that, it wasn't long before Rosa's breathing was getting heavier and the odd quiet moan was escaping her.

In the absolute shocker of the century, lying on the ground with a hand in her panties thinking about Felicia going down on her was NOT the situation in which Rosa wanted to meet ...well, anyone. Particularly not somebody that opened the meeting by yelling at her. For one thing, it completely killed the mood. For another holyfuckingshit she'd been caught playing with herself. All her possible options raced through her head at that moment, up to and including flipping the intruder the bird and keeping going, but in a split second, Rosa settled on the one she deemed least likely to get her killed.

"Oh fuck!"

Rosa rolled over, away from the wall, scrambling back from the direction the voice had come, more attention going into extricating her hand that who the hell it was that had interrupted. Shitshitshit. Her hand got snarled in her panties and fuck he was looking straight at her and she couldn't get her hand out and fuckfuck she was still feeling really horny and-

"Fuck!"

That about summarised it. Rosa finally got her hand out and had a chance to stare at her... guest.

A ginger kid. A short ginger kid. A short ginger kid with a bloody nose and a fucking shotgun. A half-remembered name and an announcement clicked together. Jimmy Brennan. Oh mother of fucking shit. Whatever Rosa had heard of Jimmy at school (and none of it had been good, the guy sounded like a freaking weasel) took a backseat to the island. He'd killed somebody. Not only that, but he'd got a fucking prize for it.

Cue shotgun.

With no idea what in the fuck to do, Rosa just stared up at Jimmy from the ground, propped up on her elbows with wild eyes. She couldn't run, not from here. He'd blow her away the second she tried to scramble up. She couldn't attack him because frankly, she had NO FUCKING WEAPON. So... all there was left to do was wait and see how Jimmy would react. She had a slender hope. A really, damn slender one. He hadn't shot her the second he'd walked in. Maybe, just maybe, that meant that immediate murder wasn't on his mind.

Two thoughts arrived more or less simultaneously. Number one was that her hand was still... slick. Not a lot that she could do. Number two was that ... Rosa practically slammed her legs together. Probably too late. He would've been able to see up her skirt the entire time. Given the disarray everything had been in, Jimmy, if he'd cared to look, would probably have seen a hell of a lot more than bright pink panties.

Rosa stared up at Jimmy and hoped, prayed that the reputed jackass was in a good mood.

...You. Fucking. Moron.

Jimmy's mouth hung open and wouldn't close. He couldn't believe what had happened. He couldn't believe his LUCK. He felt his brain snapping, trying to register what he'd seen.

Jimmy Brennan was hardcore, but he couldn't deny cold hard facts. He was... a virgin. It didn't feel right to say it but it was true. The word had an ugly ring to it, and it made him angry just to here it. He was a virgin. He'd been kissed... maybe once. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that the entire population of Bayview seemed to know he was a virgin, and were intent on destroying his every chance at escaping that dreaded status. At one point he'd tried to assure himself it was nothing, paranoia and nothing more. But it was real. Every chance he had, shut down. Made fun of. Sometimes the girl he'd been after in the first place had joined in. They had no proof he was still a virgin. But really, he was Jimmy Brennan. He was condemned and hated, for no reason, for no purpose. Why would they desire anything like proof to back them up?

Jimmy Brennan's sex life consisted of his right hand, and occasionally his left hand when he felt like spicing things up. He wasn't a pervert. He'd gladly ditch Trojan filled websites for a handful of Trojans in an instant. It was just he couldn't... get it. Anything. A girlfriend. A fucking crush even. It didn't make any sense.

But now? Now...

That was the old Jimmy. That was the pussy Jimmy, who talked tough but couldn't back it up. He was dead, somewhere on a beach. Jimmy Fucking Brennan? He had the shotgun. He could do whatever he wanted. He WOULD do whatever he wanted. His life was made of adrenaline, filled with blood. It only made sense for God to throw him some pussy too.

"GAH."

Jimmy'd seen what Rosa had tried so desperately to hide. He'd seen pussy before of course... in porn. In movies. But that didn't count. This on the other hand? This was real. He'd seen it, up close and it was as fucking amazing as he'd always imagined it would be. Some would say he was overreacting. Jimmy Brennan wasn't one to listen. He'd run the gauntlet, and his reward was seeing Rosa Fucking Fiametta masturbating, and getting a flash of her muff. It was worth it, a thousand times over. Everything was right with the world. His wounds even hurt less.

Baring one.

...ohmyholyfuckwhatdoIsay

"H-holy..."

JesusChristshewasjustsittingherefucking-fu-fucking FUCKING herself!

Jimmy knew full well his face was probably bright red, and Rosa could probably see a growing erection in his pants. But that didn't matter. He had a shotgun. Shotguns made everything okay. Jimmy tried to start talking again, but he couldn't trust himself. Rosa had been just as startled as he'd been, but she'd recovered quicker. He couldn't get the mental image out of his head however... not that he wanted too. But it was fucking distracting.

Fucking. Heheheheh....ohgod, FUCKING...

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He couldn't blow it. He'd seen virtually no one since leaving the beach, since leaving the old him behind. Jimmy Fucking Brennan needed to decide what to do.

A part of him wanted to shoot her. Point the shotgun at her face, blow her away. BLOW... But... He couldn't do that. He'd heard about the girl and her reputation...FOCUS But she'd never picked on him. He couldn't recall a time where they'd talked. He'd admired her from afar at times. He was no pervert, but he was pretty certain he'd beaten off to her at least once. FOCUS FOCUS! But he couldn't kill her. She deserved it. All of Bayview did. Then what was stopping him...?

I'm not LIKE them.

It was as simple as that. The realization hit him full on.

They kill, they fucking torture me. But I'm not THEM. I'm BETTER then them. That's why I deserve to win, that's why I WILL win this game. Because I deserve it. But I can't deserve it if I waste'em. They're monsters. They can do it for me... No. No no, I'm the fucking hero. I'm a hero, and I'm the- the main character. I can't do bad things, I can't kill'em if they don't deserve it. And Rosa. Fuck no, she deserves MANY things, but- but-

His mind was wandering again. His hormones were bumping around like crazy. The Italian girl had slammed her legs shut - like it mattered- and looked up at him, seemingly confused. He tried to avoid staring at her... lower area, anymore then he could.

Fucking shit. Fucking shit. I'm a charitable fucker aren't I? I'm- I'm a fucking GOOD guy. They'll see that back home and... and ohgod, I should FUCK this chick. I could. If- if I wanted to. I could tell her, whats' she gonna do? What'd she do...? It wouldn't hurt. I deserve it, don't I? Yeah. I do. I deserve it, after all...

Jimmy struggled to remain looking at Rosa's face. He kept his gun pointing towards the floor. It made for a strange standoff.

"...J-Jimmy. My name. I'm Jimmy Brennan." He finally managed to say. "Jimmy Fucking Brennan. You might've... heard of me.."

If there was any slight consolation within all of this, it was that probably-Jimmy was apparently even more taken aback and shocked than Rosa herself. He stood there and gaped at her for a good long while, making her feel horribly exposed, before almost wrestling his gaze up to her face and locking eyes with her. Much as Rosa didn't want to be ogled, that was infinitely preferable to maybe-Jimmy actually bringing that shotgun of his to bear.

Were Rosa not both scared out of her mind and still somewhat hot under the collar, she would probably have smirked at the effect she had on Jimmy. Poor guy most definitely hadn't expected something like this. Hell, judging by his reaction, Rosa guessed that he hadn't had too much experience of this sort of thing. Seeing a girl exposed, that was, not walking in on somebody whilst wielding a shotgun. Either way, it took Jimmy a while to compose to himself, in which time Rosa alternated between cursing her libido, hoping against hope she wasn't about to die, and vaguely wondering if Junior was having a heart attack right about now.

She'd just decided that Junior had probably dropped dead the second she'd taken her shirt off earlier when Jimmy actually spoke to her, this time with something more coherent than complete babble. Rosa's slender hope solidified a little. You didn't introduce yourself to somebody that you were about to kill, right? Well… not unless you knew you'd been announced as a killer and were sadistic enough to want to scare your next victim.

Crap. Now she'd scared herself again. Her heart was hammering to an impossible beat as she zoned in completely on Jimmy. The shotgun was still down, it was still down. Christ, was he peaceful or just over confident? The guy was a mess, Rosa realised. He'd definitely had the shit kicked out of him, maybe more than once. The nose was the most obvious, of course, but everything about the guy just screamed that he'd been on the wrong end of a beating. Dirty clothes, bloodstained in some places. Yeah. Even if he was toying with her, Jimmy had been through hell already.

…Why was she even thinking about this? Beaten down or not, Jimmy had a shotgun, and just because he'd been injured didn't mean she had to be sympathetic. He could shoot her in the face, if the fancy took him.

For a good few seconds past Jimmy's introduction, Rosa remained silent, attempting to calm her mind to the point where she could actually formulate a reply. One that would encourage him not to shoot her, hopefully. Further silence, then… inspiration struck. Perhaps she'd heard of him. Perhaps Rosa had heard about Jimmy. Yes she had, nothing except the butt of jokes, nothing except about how incredibly annoying and mouthy he could be. But the question hadn't been asked angrily or defiantly, slightly stumbling, maybe, but also…

A little proud?

He wanted her to know. He wanted to remind Rosa that he'd been on the announcements. That he'd killed… Phil Ward. Holy shit, the burly hockey player with a big time mean streak. Jimmy was pleased with himself, pleased that he'd managed to beat somebody like that. Which meant…

Pray you're right, Rosalia, or you're fucked.

"Of course I've heard about you," Rosa had no earthly idea how her voice was so level. "Back home, you were practically the talk of the school. Seemed like everyone always had something or other to say about Jimmy Brennan," Rosa hesitated, weighed up her options, then decided that if she was going to bullshit, it was probably best to lie as little as possible.

"Bad stuff, mostly," before hastily adding. "But I never really believed it. See Jimmy… you've probably heard about me too, right? Rosa Fiametta? Of course you have. People talk about me all the time. And Jimmy… I think you and me are kind've the same. I mean… look at you, had the shit knocked out of you, but you're still going, right? If everyone else was telling the truth, you'd be crying in a corner somewhere, but you're not, because they're full of shit, right?"

Rosa shifted around on the floor until she was kneeling rather than sprawled out. It made her feel a little less vulnerable. "And it's the same for me, Jimmy. It's just a fat chunk of nothing but fucking jealousy. They don't like either of us because of what we have. Fuck, Jimmy, if you were some kind of pussy, would you have killed somebody like Phil Ward? No, you have to be a total badass to do that. And I can tell that you are just by looking at you."

"So… yeah, Jimmy, I have heard of you. But it was all bullshit."

Rosa started talking, and it was all in all, a complete fucking relief. Jimmy was a lot of things, but social wasn't one of them. He had no idea what to say, no idea what to do. Was there a proper code of social conduct to adhere to, when you catch a girl masturbating? He was pretty sure there wasn't, but it didn't stop him from wondering.

His entire high school life, all the knowledge that was supposed to help him, stick with him throughout his life, it was all amount to shit. All that mattered on the Island was how good you looked, and how well you fought. The world was a strange place now, with a gun in hand. People paid a little more attention with a gun in their face. Guns tended to command the conversations. He liked it, the feeling of control, of setting the pace. He was in charge, like it should be. But Jimmy hadn't a fucking clue what came next.

He was just glad Rosa hadn't screamed, hadn't tried to run, or go for the gun. He'd have shot her in an instant he told himself. But the idea of killing a girl, a fucking sexy girl like Rosa? It didn't sit well with him.

If she were ugly, now, that'd be different. I've got the gun, right? Why do I have to stand for fat chicks? Hah! No, if she were ugly, she'd be dead or gone. I'd have told her to scram, or whatever. But-

Jimmy shut his eyes, trying to mentally remove the image of Rosa from his mind. She was too much of a distraction, and his mind was filled to the brim with nasty ideas.

I wouldn't be the first guy to get some on Survival of the Fittest. 'ain't that right..? It's not a bad thing. People have sex all the time, fuck, Rosa probably lost hers like... like.. Shit. Fucking shit, what have I got to lose? She can't say no. I've got a gun, she can't say no. And I mean, what was she just doing? Heh. She'd probably appreciate the assistance. And- and I mean, I deserve it don't I? I killed Phillip, that was a good thing. I'm fucking proud of that yeah. And, I'm a good guy. If... If she were any other girl, I'd let her go. She knows that, she's gotta' know that. Right? Has to. Heheheh. And- I- I'm all worked up already, I mean- what the hell, you only live once right? I could, right here. No need to even drop my gun, I'd be in complete control... And if she told me to stop, I would. Right? Yeah, probably.

Jimmy grinned. The sound of Rosa's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He hefted the gun up slightly, assuring himself that he still had it. He was scatterbrained, and Rosa was to blame. Focus was paramount. He couldn't keep thinking with his dick, he need to figure out what he was going to do...

"Of course I've heard about you,"

Jimmy's ears pricked up. He began to listen. She'd heard of him? Good. He should have expected that. He was all over the announcements, big time star. The girl hesitated, continuing.

"But I never really believed it. See Jimmy… you've probably heard about me too, right? Rosa Fiametta? Of course you have."

Jimmy could feel himself blushing at that. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't seem to stop. Rosa continued, not even noticing- or choosing to ignore it.

"People talk about me all the time. And Jimmy… I think you and me are kind've the same. I mean… look at you, had the shit knocked out of you, but you're still going, right? If everyone else was telling the truth, you'd be crying in a corner somewhere, but you're not, because they're full of shit, right?"

Jimmy's eyes widened. She was right, absolutely right. He nodded his head, vigorously. He felt himself growing bolder. Jimmy stepped forward, smiling ever so slightly, despite the pain in his face. He was injured, but he was still kicking.

Damn, she's got it exactly. She knows! She knows it's all bullshit! But... how? Does it even matter?

The day just kept getting better. He'd killed Phil, in cold blood. The useless piece of shit was dead, and this was his first confirmation that finally, FINALLY, people had sat up, taken notice of him. The old Jimmy was dead and the rumors were spreading quickly. Rosa knew, how many more? Soon everyone would know him... fear him, worship him...

"And it's the same for me, Jimmy. It's just a fat chunk of nothing but fucking jealousy. They don't like either of us because of what we have. Fuck, Jimmy, if you were some kind of pussy, would you have killed somebody like Phil Ward? No, you have to be a total badass to do that. And I can tell that you are just by looking at you."

Jimmy felt like his neck was about to snap, he was nodding it so fast. What luck, what an absolutely pitch perfect piece of karma? God was on Jimmy's side, if he did exist. Jimmy stepped towards Rosa, lowering his guard. The hefty shotgun now at his side, Jimmy ran his free hand through his dirty hair. He looked like hell, but it was a good kind of hell. So… yeah, Jimmy, I have heard of you. But it was all bullshit."

Like a marine, like- like a fuckin' warrior. That's what I am.

"You've got it. You've got it fucking exactly!" Jimmy tried and failed at hiding the excitement in his voice. This girl was something different... something special. It was as if she'd been placed there, deliberately for him to stumble across. Jimmy puffed out his chest ever so slightly. He could feel his confidence growing. He tried his best at giving a smile, his former intentions nearly completely forgotten.

"I..., uh, sorry for. That. Before. Sorry. I didn't see mu- uh." He paused, scratching his head.

Well now what? What the fuck you gonna' do Jimmy? Can't kill her. 'snot how I win this. THEY win it for me. The rest of them... Rosa, fucking Christ, where were you all of high school? No... No, no no, she gets me. She doesn't deserve it, she- she gets to be an exception. For m- for HER own good... Yes. She... she gets to come with me.

Jimmy smiled a devilish smile and crouched down. He winced in pain, his ribs still hurt like a bitch from Phil's assault but he put on a brave face. No way was he going to cry in front of Rosa. Instinctively his free hand went to his ribs. He awkwardly massaged his side, trying to grin.

" 's not a injury. It's.. battle scar. Haha. I.. uh. What've you been doing here? I mean- I MEAN before.. that." Jimmy coughed awkwardly. He didn't want to frighten Rosa, but damn was he ever excited. She was hot, and had a reputation for being horny, nearly 24/7. He couldn't think of a better sidekick, a better accomplice to cut a swath of destruction across the island.

It was disturbing to even think it, but Survival of the Fittest was quickly turning out to be the best thing that'd ever happened to him.

And when I win, what'll I tell'em? "If I had a choice, I'd do it all again." Fucking right. Absolutely fucking right...

Rosa's heart was pounding as she awaited Jimmy's verdict on her little crock of bullshit. That he hadn't cut her off with a faceful of buckshot was one plus, the fact he was nodding like a spastic bobblehead was another. As each lie spilled out in turn, what became clearer and clearer was that... Jimmy was buying it. Holy fucking shit, the guy was actually buying it. Rosa tried not to let her relief show, maintaining her mask of earnestness, of the camraderie she alledgedly had with Jimmy. Just because he'd swallowed the bait didn't mean Rosa had landed the lie. She had to be careful, very careful. If she let anything slip then it was more likely he'd kill her now than ever.

So she kept eye contact and hoped and hoped and... Jimmy apologised. He apologised for walking in on her. Fuck. Yes. Okay, alright, that was good, that was step one. Now that he wasn't going to immediately blow her to shit, Rosa had to keep things going, maintain the relations. And that meant resisting snorting when he said he hadn't seen much. Yeah fucking right, so she should take it that Jimmy had another gun in his pocket. Still, at that moment, Rosa couldn't really have cared less what Jimmy had and hadn't seen. At that moment, she'd have stripped her skirt off without a murmur if it meant not dying.

Sad? Maybe. A little disgusting? Definitely. Survival was the priority LONG before dignity.

Deciding that telling Jimmy that she was thinking of him would be stretching the lie a little far, Rosa opted to shrug. "Somebody like you, I don't mind seeing anything," ... Wow. Really?

Then, Jimmy asked her what she'd been up to. Great, time for another lie, because 'looking for her siblings' was just going to have awkward implications and also raise the question why she was such a kindred spirit with Jimmy. After all, she was playing the angle that she was an outcast too, that had to include by family otherwise what was the point? Ilario was on the student council, he was... well, as far as Rosa could see actually fairly well connected as astonishing as that was. A plan formed. Rosa had learned the hard way how to think on the fly. She'd always had a natural talent for bullshitting, but years of lying around her siblings and father had got her to refine it into an art.

"Honestly, Jimmy, I was looking for somebody halfway competent to watch my ass. Tell you the truth it hasn't really been going so well, because nobody wants to touch my rep. ...Same boat as you, I guess," Rosa paused... figured that if she was going to sway him one way or the other, now was her chance. "Jimmy I..." she scrambled towards him on her hands and knees, wrapped her hands around his waist and pressed her cheek up against him. "...Let me come with you? Please?"

...

...

...

Was something poking her in the face?

Jimmy Brennan was in the middle of the best day of his life.

He was free, without worries or cares. Despite his pain and aching joints, Jimmy Brennan stood tall because he knew full well his death lay elsewhere, years away on some continent even further off. In a mansion, surrounded by women, five motherfucking Ferrari's outside, and not a single Bayview boy or girl left standing. Except him of course. He'd given little thought to what he'd do after the game was over. He wasn't there yet, and he didn't know. It was so far off, his goal, his destiny, but barely worth thinking about so soon. But now he could see it, somehow, through Rosa's words.

People knew. People knew on the Island, which meant they knew off the Island. He was an icon, a badass symbol of what Survival of the Fittest was. And he'd not only proven it to himself, no, his message had spread to the entire world. He could picture himself on the final day, the collar popping off his neck, clattering to the ground... Freedom earned he'd saunter up to Danya, and he'd clap that motherfucker on the back. Danya wasn't a terrorist. He was a motivator. He'd helped him more then anyone else alive. And the good karma just kept paying off.

Rosa was on the ground before him, looking like a fucking supermodel. And she was saying everything he needed to hear, backing up everything he was about. For a split second he felt like he was back in Bayview. He could picture the kids taunting, mocking them both. If only they'd known just how badly the tables had turned. Fantasies flashed through his head and all of Jimmy's previous malice and bad intent vanished into thin air. He couldn't harm Rosa. They were exactly the same.

Exactly the fucking same. Shit, look how hot she is... If I'd known before, if I'd met her before... She'd have been my girlfriend. No question.

... It's not like it's too late for that...

Rosa shrugged and for a split second Jimmy was absolutely positive he saw a smile on her face.

"Somebody like you, I don't mind seeing anything,"

That did it. Jimmy Brennan was hard. He didn't give a flying fuck who knew. He could feel his face turning red, but not from embarrassment. Why would he have to be embarrassed, ever again? Rosa was into him, 100%.

Rosa fucking WANTED him.

And just like that, she was flying towards him, her hands wrapping around his waist. With a sudden cry Jimmy went back, banging his back against the gazebo railing. Rosa was there, pressing up against him. It was unreal, the best dream he'd ever hand. For a second he was sure he was going to wake up, find himself back in St. Paul. But no. He could smell her, hear her heart pounding. He knew her breasts were pressing up against him, and he knew her face was dangerously close to his cock. He was getting excited, very excited. Jimmy began to sweat and it seemed near impossible to hear the beautiful italian clutching at him... She was talking, begging him. Begging....

"...Let me come with you? Please?"

Jimmy slid down the Gazebo side, sitting on his ass. He opened his mouth struggling to speak. She was even closer to him now. She was everywhere, and it was becoming hard to think. All he could see was her, her face pressed close to the lump in his pants. She smelt sweaty, absolutely fantastic. He couldn't remember a time in his life he'd ever been more turned on.

Say something!

"Ah..."

He couldn't get the words out. He could picture Leila, giving him a kiss, pretty much his first ever kiss. It hadn't meant anything to her. She'd considered it a joke, him a joke. He'd pushed her aside, trying to find the upside of it. But the reality was impossible to avoid. He was a failure with girls. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He wasn't supposed to get Rosa, pressed up against him in the gazebo, nary a soul around for miles... she didn't even mind his very obvious erection. What kind of girl was she? One he'd never met before. She'd been sitting all alone, hand down her skirt...

"Ah..."

He'd seen her too, all of it. He'd wanted to bend her over right then and there. But something had stopped him. Was he being rewarded for that now? It must be his reward. He'd been the good guy, not taking advantage of the girl. Instead, she'd come to him. Begging him, looking to do anything to ensure he'd take her with him. Anything... Anything at all. She was probably still wet...

"Ahg!"

Jimmy's eyes widened as he looked down in surprise. His pants felt... wet.

NONONONONONONONONONONO....

He couldn't believe it. Jimmy turned shades of red he didn't even know he could turn. He felt like he was in a sauna, or naked in front of the entire school. He'd blown it- quite literally. Was this the new him?

Nononono, comeon, whatthefuckisthisJimmy....

Jimmy looked at Rosa, nearly voicing his inner thoughts out of sheer panic. The best he could make out was a startled grunt of confusion. He wanted to shoot himself in the face. His gaze flickered over to his shotgun, dropped beside the pair, laying harmlessly on the floor of the gazebo. It was a stupid idea. But he'd really fucked up.

How can I even look her in the eyes no-

FUCKWAD.

Jimmy paused.

Jimmy Brennan. Jimmy FUCKING Brennan. That's who I am, right? Not a fuckwad. Not a failure. I'm Jimmy Brennan for a reason. Everyone I've met on this Island, their luck has run out. They thought they had everything back at Bayview, but look at them now, running scared from the kids who they always used to bully... Everything that's happened to me? Nothing but good things coming my way. And I deserve it. I fucking deserve it. I was Jimmy Brennan, and I was a loser, an underdog. But ever since I've woken up here, I've been the real me. I killed Phillip Ward with my own two hands. I got rewarded for it too, I got a fancy ass shotgun. The people back home, they're watching me right now, watching me, just waiting for me to fail. Waiting for me to crack up. They expect to see the old Jimmy. But that motherfucker is dead. Fucking deader then dead. It doesn't matter what the fuck I do. I'm the hero, I'm the one everyone is betting on. The motherfucking king of the deathmatch. I'm the best, I deserve it, and everyone else can just shove it, because THEY'RE FUCKING DEAD. SO WHY SHOULD I CARE. WHY SHOULD I GIVE TWO FUCKING FUCKS WHAT SOME DICKBAG BACK HOME THINKS OF ME. I'M HERE. ROSA'S HERE. I'M IN CHARGE AND I'M NOT PANICKING ANYMORE. NO I'M NOT. I'M GOING TO WIN THIS GAME. DID THEY THINK SOMETHING AS FUCKING SMALL AS THIS COULD BEAT ME? THEY THOUGHT THIS COULD BEAT ME!? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH. I CAN DO ANYTHING. I COULD FUCK ANYTHING, LEILA, ROSA, DANYA. I'M FUCKING INVULNERABLE.

Jimmy jolted forward, planting a kiss on Rosa's lips. Before the girl could even react he'd pulled his head back, so fast he'd succeeded in banging it against the back of the gazebo. Awkwardly pushing himself up, Jimmy tried his best at a devilish smile, failing miserably. He didn't care. All consideration for tact was gone. He was Jimmy Fucking Brennan, and he wasn't a pussy, stuttering over his words. He wasn't susceptible to things like fear or embarrassment any longer. He felt like a real man, strong, without anything standing in his way. He didn't care what Rosa thought, if he was crazy or sexy, or anything. It didn't matter. He was a hero. Heroes always got what they wanted.

Jimmy gave an awkward laugh, looking down at the stain on his jeans. By the looks of it, he was nearly ready for round two.

"I think we can arrange something Rosa."

((Jimmy Brennan continued elsewhere...))

((Just a short one to wrap things up))

"..."

Rosa, from Jimmy's reaction, had a pretty damn good idea of what had just happened. That, at least, confirmed one thing. This guy was going to be absolute putty to her. Rosa was no stranger to manipulation and certainly wasn't above using her body to get what she wanted (see Franco, Jeremy). She didn't like acting this way, not anymore, at least... but like they said, old habits died hard. It was easy, distressingly easy to slip back into the old routine, the flirtation and the body language, subtle or with as much finesse as a bulldozer. Practice made perfect, there was little rust to shake off.

And Rosa had enjoyed a lot of practice.

Much as she knew that Jimmy could decide at any moment to turn nasty, Rosa's immediate reaction to his... predicament, was to have to force herself to hold back gales of laughter. Oh my god, seriously? Had she seriously just caused somebody to come in their pants by touching them through their jeans? Holy shit, holy fucking shit. This was utterly priceless. It was all the Fiametta could do not to dissolve into a fit of helpless giggles and ruin this entire thing. Rosa watched Jimmy's face run through about a dozen shades of bright crimson and had to bite her tongue to stop the laughter from escaping. Luckily, he seemed to godfucked embarrassed to notice those couple of giggles she failed to stifle.

Then he abruptly jerked forward and kissed her, which startled Rosa considerably. If Jimmy hadn't pulled back directly afterwards, Rosa would have instinctively broken it herself. His movements were awkward, overexcited. If the pants incident hadn't cued her off, this would have been another screaming red 'virgin' marker.

Jimmy spoke, and Rosa smiled. It was a sad smile, not that Jimmy was likely to notice. Wistful, wry. She'd danced this dance all too many times before.

But then, what was one more set of steps to the beat?

Rosa put a finger to Jimmy's lips.

"Then let's make a deal."

((Continued elsewhere... i.e. 'tomorrow'))