Hector Zeroni shifted uncomfortably under the intense stares boring into the back of his head. The security guard near the waiting dock had deemed him a troublemaker out of all the people waiting for loved ones and to board planes. He checked his watch again and peeked over his shoulder to glance at the timeboard looming over everyones' heads.
To say he was anxious was and understatement. He had not seen his tentmates in over a year, when they had all gathered at Caveman's new house after Camp Greenlake was closed. A loud beeping came from his pocket and the teen took the device from his pocket. Hector pressed a few buttons and read the text message and smiled softly, returning the phone to the pocket of his pants.
Just then, a crowd of people started emerging from one of the terminals. The boy stood in waiting and was dissapointed when he failed to see the faces of his friends. He turned his gaze to his scuffed shoe after a few more minutes of waiting. The steady flow of people had turned into one or two people exiting every few moments. Hector sighed and turned to leave.
I'll call Stanley later, and see what's up. He decided. They couldn't have stood me up without a reason.
Just as he was about to dissapear into the moving mass of people, a heavy weight hit his back. He crumpled to the ground with a loud 'omph!' A series of hoots and laughs came from behind him and he closed his eyes in humiliation. How could he forget the first rule the Campers of Greenlake lived by: Never turn your back on an unseen opponent.
Hector let out a breath as he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and hauled up easily. He was brought into a very smelly hug, and he deduced that the one who had helped him up was Armpit.
"Hey guys, how've you guys been?" He asked, scanning the small group that consisted of Armpit, X-ray, Squid, and Caveman. A chorus of 'goods' and greetings echoed through the small space. Caveman smiled at his best friend.
"Haven't talked to you in forever, man, how's it going?"
Hector smiled at the geeky looking kid. "It's been going good. Mom's got a steady job, and M.P.A's really working out for me." The other boy smiled as the other boys glanced around in confusion. The moment of tension vanished when X-Ray's cell phone chirped, signaling a new text message.
"Hey, quit sittin' around guys, Magnet, Twitch, and Zig-Zag's waitin' at the bus station. That's not too far from here, right Zero?" The smaller boy winced at the name, but still responded. "Yeah. 'Bout a block from here. Tell them to wait outside, on the bench that's next to the huge potted plant near the exit."
The boy nodded his head in recognition, and the five teens set off to pick up the missing boys and head off to where ever Zero had gotten them a place to stay.
