Free Wet: Part 1 by S. Jackson Rivera Page A

the most gorgeous man in the world, he got away with it. Girls practically waited in line for their turn.
    In Tracy’s never-kept-a-secret-opinion, Paul had been with every pretty girl on the island. Only a handful of girls held the honor of being his repeats, or regulars, and at the moment, Shelli held the position as the winner with the most notches in her belt. Tracy also seemed to think Shelli felt elevated above the others for that reason.
    “She acts like the Queen Bee,” Tracy said.
    Shelli was very beautiful. Rhees wondered what it would be like to be so perfect—perfect face, skin, hair, and body—perfect like Paul, the perfect couple.However, Tracy’s gossip on the matter confused Rhees.
    “Why would Shelli be jealous of me?” 
    Krista, Dorene, and Brita were pretty, and also on Paul’s list of regulars. It puzzled Rhees how they could all be such tight friends. It was like belonging to some private club— Paul’s Coitus Club . Rhees smirked at her newly coined name for the girls. She concluded that as long as Krista, Dorene, and Brita didn’t forget that Shelli was the president of the club, it all worked out somehow.
    There were other girls on the island who belonged to the club too, but it seemed easier for those girls. They didn’t have Shelli around all day, reminding them who held the position as his favorite.
    Paul couldn’t walk down the street without girls approaching him—everywhere he went, they flocked to him. It was no wonder he was so sexually active. How could any guy resist such easy offerings?
    “Blech!” Rhees cringed. She wondered why any woman would debase herself with a guy like him. She found the idea disgusting. Yes, he might be the perfect physical specimen of a man, but Rhees believed there were better, more important qualities that made a man attractive.
    Shelli explained ambient pressure, again—something Rhees continued to struggle with. Paul came around the corner with a girl from one of the other dive shops. They laughed and horsed around, making it impossible for anyone not to notice them. They worked their way to the end of the dock, where Paul took the girl in his arms and gave her a long, passionate kiss.
    He looked back at Rhees just before he pushed the girl into the water and he jumped in after her. He dragged the girl, who continued to giggle all the way, to Frock. Shelli watched as well, obviously not happy about it. She gave Rhees a dirty look and stormed off.
    “Frock.” Tracy leaned toward Rhees and spoke discreetly.
    “I get it,” Rhees said dryly.
    “See, no one can really see anything.” Tracy acted as if it was perfectly normal, almost admirable.
    Rhees turned, refusing to watch. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t really see. Just knowing made her nauseated. She stormed off too.
    oOo
    “It’s official!” Rhees complained when she came back from lunch, her tone loud and resigned. “There isn’t one ounce of peanut butter on this whole freakin’ island!”
    “Peanut butter?” several people said at once.
    “That stuff is disgusting. Why do you want peanut butter?” Tracy asked.
    “Are you kidding? It’s a main staple for me. I might have to go home early just because I’m going to die here without it.”
    Dobbs walked up. His large, tall body cast a shadow over Rhees. “They have Vegemite. Have you tried that?” He pushed the wire-framed glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.
    “Is that like peanut butter?”
    Paul walked up at that moment. “No. Vegemite is a disgusting paste that tastes salty, malty, and bitter.” He took a stab at Dobbs, his Australian friend, and didn’t actually intend to engage Rhees in conversation. She didn’t want to talk to him either, so she walked off, leaving Paul and Dobbs to discuss whether peanut butter or Vegemite held the honor as the most disgusting food on the planet. 
    She wandered into the office and decided to work on the Dailies.
    “Bloody hell!” Claire threw her pencil at the