Over the next few days, I helped Stanley with his blisters by giving him the fabric from my shirt that I used for my blisters my first few days. Of course the boys made fun of Stanley during dinner.
I saw him writing a letter to his mom and I felt bad for him.
***
I was playing pool with Zero, Zigzag, and X-ray. It was my turn and I leaned down to measure the shot. Pandenski was walking around the pool table at the time, of course, and he brushed himself against my butt as I pushed my stick to make my shot. I immediately stood up straight and ruined the shot.
"Bummer. You'll get it next time." Pandenski said from beside me with a smile before he walked off. I looked over at the boys. Zero looked at me confused, X-ray glared at Pandenski, and Zigzag stared down at the table holding his pool stick so tight his knuckles were turning white.
"Your turn." I told X-ray.
***
The next day, after we got our water from Pandenski we saw Stanley showing him a fossil.
We all went up to see what it was.
"Stanley, the Warden isn't interested in fossils." Pandenski scoffed as he gave Stanley the fossil before leaving.
"Let me see that." Squid said as he roughly grabbed the fossil out of his hands. I went on my tiptoes to see over Armpit's shoulders. Armpit looked back at me for a second after I set my hands on his shoulder to see over him.
"What is it?" Magnet asked.
"Man, see, look. Look at the little fishies!" Armpit said with a sing-song voice. I smiled while everyone looked at Armpit. Armpit cleared his throat. "I mean, you know, it look like those cave pictures, man." Armpit said before everyone left to go dig there holes. I stayed next to Stanley as I looked at the fossil.
"It's a cool find Stanley." I said with a kind smile as I placed my hand on his shoulder. He gave me a small smile back as I patted his shoulder before going to my hole.
***
Zigzag, X-ray, and I were playing pool again. They keep on insisting to play with me so they can win. They never do. Zero just wanted to watch this time instead of playing.
"What'd you say to me?" A boy yelled as he kicked Stanley.
Zero and I looked at each other as we looked over to see the commotion, everyone becoming quiet.
"Sorry, man. I didn't mean...I didn't mean to hit you." Stanley said before plunging at him. They began to fight and me, Zigzag, and Squid quickly went over and pulled Stanley away from him. The guy pushed me roughly and I glared at him as I pulled on Stanely's arm.
"Hey, just chil, okay, man, all right? Look, we start a fight now, the Warden will come down hard on all of us." X-ray told the guy sternly.
"Just keep that punk away from me. And her too." The guy's stern face turned into a sick smile. "Unless she wants to come to my tent sometime. Been a while since I've had a good time."
I scoffed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Armpit grab onto Zigzag's arm and whispered something in his ear.
"Go to hell." I glared as I pulled Stanley further away and towards the pool table as everyone dispersed and went back to what they were doing.
"Don't look at him. He's crazy. You understand me?" Squid told Stanley as he wrapped his arm around him and I went over to Zero. I saw the pool ball in his hand. I grabbed his shoulders lightly.
"It's okay. Put it down." I mumbled to him. He let go of the ball and it rolled back to its place. Everyone from our tent gathered around the pool table.
"Hey, nobody messes with the Caveman. Nobody." Magnet said. I rolled my eyes. Stanley's got a nickname, Caveman.
"Did you see the Caveman back there?" X-ray asked. I looked up and saw Zigzag glaring over at the guy.
"No, I don't want to mess with anybody." Stanley said quickly right before the whistle sounded. Indicating it was time to eat.
"Let's go eat."
"Hey, you coming, Caveman?"
"Come on, Caveman."
I went around Stanley and patted his shoulders.
"You're Caveman now, Yelnats, don't wear it out." I told him before going over to Zero.
"So I'm Caveman." Stanley said as he caught up to me and Zero.
"Better than Barf Bag." Zero told him.
***
The next day we made it to our area and Mr. Sir was already there with the water truck.
"Line up fishies. Get your lake water. You get it? Lake water. It's a joke."
Everyone got into their spot in line and Stanley was pushed up behind me while Zero was pushed to the end of the line. I rolled my eyes as I moved away from my spot in line. I never understood these stupid line rules. I went behind Zero and he looked back at me confused. I nudged him forward as the line shortened.
***
That night we had our weekly counselor meeting. I hated it.
"What about you, Jose? What do you like?" Pandenski asked Magnet.
"I like animals." Magnet said happily.
"That's what got Magnet here in the first place." X explained to Stanley and everyone laughed.
"Man, it's criminal the way they keep them locked up in cages." Magnet explained.
"No, Jose. What you did was criminal." Pandenski corrected.
"No, no, tell 'em Magnet. They wanted 1,000 bucks for just one puppy." Squid said as he nudged Magnet.
"What?"
"Yeah. I would've made it out if my pocket didn't start barking." Magnet said and everyone chuckled.
"You boys..." Pandenski started before I cleared my throat. "And girl get one life, and so far, you've done a pretty good job of screwing it up." Pandenski said firmly as we quieted down. "So, you're Caveman now, big shot. Got a nickname. Well, let me tell you something, Caveman, you are here on account of one person. You know who that person is?"
"Yeah." Stanley answered and we all looked at him. "My no-good, dirty-rotten, pig-stealing great-great-grandfather. That's who it is."
Everyone laughed while I looked at him confused.
"No, you screwed you life up, Stanley Yelnats, and it's up to you to fix it. It's gonna be easy, but you'd be surprised what you can accomplish once you set your mind to it. Even Zero here isn't completely worthless. What about you, Zero? What do you like to do?" Pandenski asked as I lightly sighed. Zero stayed silent. "You just won't talk with me, will you?"
"Man, he only talks to Girly and Caveman, you know?" Armpit smiled.
"You think you're better than all this?" Pandesnki asked. Zero looked over at me and I gestured my head for him to say something.
"I like diggin' holes." He replied.
"Then you're in the right place for it, buddy boy." Pandenski sneered. I scoffed lightly, I was so tired of Pandeski picking on Zero.
"What about you Y/n? How about we do your exercise? Where you repeat after me, all right? Let's try this again shall we?" Pandeski said with a weird smile. I knew where this was going. I sat up straighter from next to Zigzag.
"My name is Y/n L/n." Pandeski started.
"My name is Y/n L/n." I repeated as I rolled my eyes.
"I beat up a grown adult."
"I beat up a grown adult." I said through my teeth.
"I know that what I did was wrong."
I glared at Pandenski. Every meeting he would try to get me to admit that what I did to get me here was wrong and I should never do it again.
I leaned forward in my seat as I glared at Pandenski.
"I know that I was protecting someone that I cared about from harm. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat." I said sharply as Pandenski and I glared daggers at each other.
"Clearly, we need to keep practicing."
"Really? Cause I think I'm doing fantastic." I smirked as I sat back in my seat.
***
The next day after digging Zero came up to me.
"Hey, Y/n, could you teach me how to read. I know you've been helping me with everything else, but can you?" Zero asked.
"Um, I can try, but with Pandeski having me doing more "exercises", and everything, I don't know if I'll have a lot of time. I'll try though."
"Is it okay if Stanley helps me?" He asked, hesitantly.
"Yeah. If it means you'll learn more, then of course. Why you asking me? You can do whatever you want." I tell him with a smile. He looked up at me before wrapping his arms around me. "Oh."
"Thank you." Zero mumbled.
"Uh, you're welcome?" I question as I gently hug him back.
He pulled away and smiled up at me before running back to the tent.
"Okay, that was weird." I mumbled to myself as I continued to walk to the mess hall.
***
The next day we were digging our holes. It was hot as hell outside.
I sighed and wiped my face with my tank top.
"It is hotter than a billy goat with a blow torch out here." I panted as I rested my back against the back of my hole.
"I don't know what that means but I agree." Magnet sighed as he continued to dig.
"Hey, look, a cloud." Squid announced. Everyone looked up tiredly as we squinted our eyes. "Right there."
"Maybe it'll move in front of the sun." Zigzag as he rested in his hole.
"Come on, little cloud. You can do it." Magnet panted.
"Please, that's all I'm asking for is just a little shade." Armpit pleaded.
"Warden owns the shade, man." Stanley said as he hauled a big rock onto a pile of dirt.
"Maybe we'll get lucky. Maybe we'll get some clouds. It will rain for forty days and forty nights." Zigzag said as he looked over at me.
"Yeah, and we'll have to build an ark and get two of each animal." I joked.
"Yeah, two scorpions, two rattlesnakes, two yellow spider lizards. All of that." X-ray added.
"Hey. What do you got there, Caveman?" Magnet asked as he got out of his hole. Zigzag and I looked at each other before looking at Stanley.
"Hey, X, I think I might have found something." Stanley called.
I got out of my hole and followed everyone over to Stanley's hole. I came up next to Squid as they were talking about if it was a shotgun shell or not.
"Let me see that." I say as I grab the item from X.
I looked at it closely and saw a small heart with the initials KB.
"Look at this." I said as I crouched down. "You see that little heart? You see that? With the letters in it right there? K.B., see?"
"Yeah."
"Let me see?" Zigzag asked as he held out his hand and I handed it to him.
"K.B.?"
"Yeah. Yeah."
"That's Keith Berenger." Zigzag told us.
"Man, who is that?" Armpit asked.
"He was in my math class." Zigzag answered and we laughed while Armpit grabbed the item.
"Good thinking, Zigzag. Yeah, it must belong to him, huh?"
"Well, I'm gonna go show it to Mom. Maybe I'll get the rest of the day off."
"Rest of the day off? No, no. Your hole's already dug. I'm not even close. I'm gonna be out here all day." Stanley said as he quickly got out of his hole.
"Oh boy." I whispered to myself as I hung my head.
"Yeah? So?" X asked as he glared at him. I rubbed my temple.
"So, uh, why don't you uh...Why don't you just turn it in tomorrow? You know, give it to Mom in the morning? Then you get the whole day off."
"That's good thinking Caveman. I like it." X chuckled. I sighed and went back over to my hole.
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