Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

JOSH

I floated in and out of awareness, my body heavy, my mind sluggish. Voices reached me as if from underwater-muffled, distant. I cracked an eye open, and the sunlight stabbing through the trees made me wince.

Sarah's face swam into view, her brows furrowed, her lips moving as she pressed something cool to my forehead. "Josh?" she said, her voice trembling. "Stay with me, okay? Just hang on."

I tried to answer, but my throat felt like sandpaper, and all I managed was a groan. My leg throbbed, sending sharp, relentless pain shooting up my body.

"Is he okay?" a familiar voice asked-Luke. His voice was rough, worried.

Sarah shook her head. "I think he has sepsis from the leg," she said, her voice cracking. "His body isn't winning the fight. We need to get him off this island. Soon."

Sepsis. That word sliced through my foggy mind, triggering a wave of panic. I wasn't ready to die. Not like this.

Luke went quiet, and for a moment, all I could hear was the sound of my ragged breathing and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Then he said, "Well, let's get the fuck off this island then. I found the boat. We just need to get him there." Boat. That word pulled me further into consciousness. Had I

heard him right? Had Luke actually found a way off this forsaken place?

up like someone had flipped a switch. "You-you found

Luke said. "It's anchored in a cove on the other side of the cliffs. You saved us, man,

she didn't waste time celebrating. She looked down at me, her eyes scanning my face. "We're going to have to carry him," she said, her tone firm. "There's no way he can walk, and slinging him over your shoulder isn't an option. His leg can't handle

her fingers. "The hammock," she said. "We can use it as a stretcher. Tie

his voice quieter now. "Really

to tell her she was brilliant, but my body refused to cooperate. Instead, I let my head

I drifted in and out, catching snippets

said at one

moved, and the uneven ground made every step a challenge. With every jolt, my leg screamed

the sound of birds and insects, but all I could focus on was the pain and the faint voices of Sarah and Luke as they

we finally reached the cliffs, I cracked an eye open. The

Sarah said, her

cliff, the ocean crashing against the

voice broke through

there, man.