Zigzag had this weird way of always knowing what day it was. Nobody was really sure how he knew because they'd never seen a calendar or any way of keeping track of the date. But nevertheless, they didn't doubt him when he said it was December 24th, or Christmas Eve.
"We need to get each other presents." Zigzag announced as they waited in line for the water truck and all the boys laughed, not really taking him seriously. "We can make it a real Christmas. We can have a feast and everything."
Zoom, who was standing at the front laughed and shook his head. "What would we even be able to get out here? Wrap a yellow-spotted lizard up ? You're crazy Zig."
"Naw, man." Squid took the toothpick out of his mouth as he spoke, "A rattlesnake. It's like a one way ticket out of this hell hole."
Barfbag glanced up when Squid said that but didn't say anything.
"We would think of something." Zigzag argued. He really wanted this Christmas to happen. "We don't need money to get good stuff. We just really need to think."
"I'm with Ziggy." X-Ray, second in command, put in. "We could sneak into Mr. Sir's office, get some drinks and then see if there is anything in the Mess Hall that's edible. It'd be cool."
Zoom paused. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair before smiling slightly. "You know what? Let's do it. Christmas at CGL."
The boys cheered, suddenly becoming a little more excited now that their leader had agreed. "What do you want for Christmas guys?"Armpit asked. "I'm going to be up all night getting gifts for all of you."
Everyones faces fell, realizing that it would be impossible getting different and special presents for six other people. They all started thinking of ways to get around that, or easy ways to get everything in one night.
No one talked about their Christmas plans to Dr. Pendanski as he filled up their canteens. It was like an unspoken rule that this would stay between them. Once Dr. Pendanski finished with D-tent and left, they went back to planning.
"I got it!" Magnet announced. "We can do Secret Santa! You know like where we draw names from a hat and only buy a present for that person! Then everyone gets something and we don't have to get so much stuff."
Everyone grinned at the idea. "Good thinkin' Magnet." Zoom praised. "Then it's settled. After we're done diggin' we meet back up at D-tent and draw names."
"So what do y'all want for Christmas?" Squid asked.
X-Ray was the first to speak, "I want a smaller hole." The boys laughed, knowing that they couldn't exactly get him that.
"My two front teeth." Magnet joked.
"Going home would be pretty great too." Zoom added. They continued to joke, not really being serious about what they wanted as they dug. Eventually the conversation died down after Mr. Sir came and screamed at them for 'chatting more than they were digging.'
Nobody really talked much after that as they dug faster to finish their holes on time. Their minds were going a mile a minute. Who would they get? What would they get them? What would they get?
Soon enough, they had all finished and were standing in the tent. Zoom was holding a cap, full of names of every member of the tent."Now, remember. You can't tell anyone who you picked."
The other campers all nodded before Zoom reached in and pulled out a name and shoved it in his pocket without even reading it. X-Ray went next, then Armpit, Squid, Barfbag, Zigzag and finally Magnet.
The group scattered, going off to read their names in private. A few stayed in the tent, on the separate corners of the room, others went to the Wreck Room and the rest found private spots around camp.
Squid had pulled X-Ray's name. He frowned at that. Even though X was one of his best friends here at camp, he didn't really know what they guy would want for Christmas. A smaller hole but he couldn't exactly go up to the Warden and ask if X-Ray could dig four feet by four feet instead of the usual five by five.
X-Ray on the other hand had pulled Zooms name. For the most part, Zoom was a closed book. All he knew about him was that he was a major baseball player, he was a crazy fast runner and that he was a bit of a grease freak. He got arrested for working in a chop shop with his uncle.
Zoom had got Zigzag. Now that would be a hard guy to get something for. The weirdest thing could be amazing to him but a well thought out gift could also make the guy flip out. This would be challenging.
Zigzag wasn't sure what to get for Barfbag. Maybe a doctor so the guy would stop puking? Or maybe a new mattress that didn't include vomit stains on it. There were countless things Zigzag could get for him but it was really a matter of choosing the best thing.
Barfbag had chosen Magnet. Magnet was the newest member of D-tent and the person he knew the least about. All he knew was that the guy got in for stealing a puppy and had he was pretty sneaky when it came to petty theft.
Magnet on the other hand got Armpit, the easiest possible person to choose. He knew exactly what he was going to get and exactly how he was going to do it. This was going to be the easiest Christmas yet.
Armpit however, was stumped. Squid was a very...complex person and getting the perfect gift would be hard. He could get him some more toothpicks but what kind of friend gave toothpicks for Christmas? He knew Squid never really celebrated Christmas when he was a kid and he wanted to make this special.
After the guys read over the names, they went to work. Magnet knew exactly what he had to do while people like Armpit, Squid and X-Ray were completely stumped. It had to be sentimental, because they knew that they would probably never celebrate Christmas with these guys again.
Eventually though, the guys started to get their ideas and went to work. By the time the night had fallen and Dr. Pendanski had come to tell the boys goodnight, almost everyone had their gifts ready and hidden under their cots.
A few minutes after Dr. P had left and everyone was settled into bed, Zoom silently slipped out of bed and out of the tent. Nobody questioned him and nobody followed him. They just fell asleep, excited for the morning.
Zigzag woke everyone up about twenty minutes before the bell usually would have gone off. It was enough time so they could give each other their presents.
Magnet went first. "Well, I got Armpit." Armpit looked up, his tired eyes immediately brightening and a smile appearing on his face. "Yesterday, while everyone was in the Wreck Room, I snuck into A-tent and stole every single bar of soap and shower token."
Magnet pulled out a burlap sack and dumped its contents on the ground. There had to be at least a dozen bars of soap and three times as much shower tokens. "Now no matter how many times you get your shower tokens taken away, you can still smell good."
Armpit playfully slugged his friend in the arm, "Aw, thanks man. Now we'll see who's laughing when A-tent smells like donkey butt." He really hated A-tent. It was mainly the fact that Magnet had taken from them that made Armpit appreciate the gift.
"Okay, well I guess I'll go next then." Zigzag stepped forward, his hands shoved in his pocket. "I picked my man, Barfbag!" A smile appeared on Barfbag's face as his friend pulled out a large jar. Nobody could see what was inside it if they looked from the outside because the glass was stained black.
Zigzag pulled the top out and reached inside, pulling out a small bottle of Gravol. "In case you feel like you're about to projectile vomit, I got your back, man." He handed the jar over to Barfbag so he could look in; there was more than just Gravol. There was Aspirin, Advil. You name it, it was in there.
"Where did you get it?" Barfbag gasped. There weren't supposed to be any drugs at Camp Green Lake.
"The Warden left her window open."Zigzag shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"You're crazy, man. Thanks so much." Barfbag grinned and pulled his friend in for a bro hug. He then turned to Magnet. "Well, I got Magnet and this was honestly so hard to think of. I don't know you that well so I did the best that I could."
"But I notice that you always look exhausted in the morning so I gambled that kid in B, Jolt, for some energy drinks." Barfbag revealed at least ten Monster Energy Drinks. "I couldn't get any more but at least now you won't be dead in the morning."
Magnet smiled and pat his friend on the back. "You have no idea how much I actually need this. Thanks bud."
Squid stepped up, holding a shovel. " X-Ray, this is for you." he handed the shovel with a bit of red tape at the top, to his very confused friend.
"A shovel." X-Ray stated, starting to look a little angry. All the other guys had gotten their Secret Santa's something that they risked their butts to get. "You got me a shovel."
"It's not just a shovel." Squid smirked. "I cut off the top of it so it isn't as long. Your hole is only as big as your shovel and now your shovel is smaller."
"Smaller shovel, smaller hole." A smile appeared on X-Rays face as he pat Squid on the back. Even if the hole was only that much smaller, it still meant he didn't have to dig those extra inches.
"Zoom, why don't you go next?" X-Ray offered and the leader shrugged.
"Follow me, guys." Zoom led D-tent out of the tent and into the Wreck Room and to the T.V. Where there used to be a giant hole where someone had kicked the side in, it was now completely repaired. "Ziggy, I know how much you like your down time watching T.V. so I stayed up all night fixing it for you."
Zoom flicked on the T.V and a fuzzy image of cowboys appeared. It was hard to see and most of it was white noise, but to Zigzag, it was like he was in an Imax. "I love this movie…" he didn't thank Zoom, but Zoom never expected him to.
"Who's left?" Magnet asked and Armpit stepped forward. He was the last person to give his gift.
"Me." He pulled a small, wrapped gift from behind his back and handed it to Squid. "I don't want to get all mushy on you but Squid, I know you don't...well you didn't exactly grow up with the best family…"
Squids face hardened. Family was a sore subject for him. Armpit continued as if he didn't see his mood drastically change. "Your dad left and your mom was a drinker-"
"Get to the point, Pit." Squid snapped. He angrily ripped at the wrapping paper, which was just a bunch of soup labels taped together. As the 'wrapping paper' fell to the ground, Squid found himself in shock.
It was a picture, well more of a group of picture all combined into one. It was all of their mug shots, taped on top of what looked like an old family photo. Judging by the amounts of red hair that wasn't covered up by the pictures glued over top, it was probably one of the Wardens photos. Along with the frame that came with it.
"But I just wanted to show you that we're your family now. You're our brother and...we care about you, dawg." Armpit shifted on his feet, slightly embarrassed that he just said he cared about another dude in front of his friends. But they all knew what he meant.
"Yeah, you're our family!" Zoom playfully punched Squid in the arm. Squid was still staring at the picture. When he finally looked up, it looked like he was trying to hold back tears. But for once in his life, they were tears of joy.
"Th-thanks man…" Squid started, "I really can't tell you-" he choked up and couldn't finish his sentence. But Armpit knew. He knew what his friend, no his brother, wanted to say.
Squid pulled Armpit in for a hug. Not a bro hug, but a real hug. Magnet, who was really feeling the love, yelled out "GROUP HUG!" and soon enough, all of D-tent was hugging each other as one of them silently cried.
When they pulled away, Squid looked at them all seriously as he wiped away the tears. "We never speak of this again." They all laughed but agreed.
The bell rang, signalling that the other tents would be waking up and they had to go start their holes. As they walked out, Zoom stopped short. "Hold up, what about my gift?"
A flash of realization crossed over X-Ray's face as he pulled out a piece of paper. "I found this on Mr. Sir's desk." he handed Zoom a piece of paper.
Zoom's eyes scanned the paper, taking in every word and reading a few out loud. "Dear Lou Walker…. Darren Nicholas… good behaviour...released from Camp Green Lake… earlier than…"
Zoom looked up, not really understanding what the letter was saying. "X, what is this?"
It was as if the words hit him like a freight train at that moment and he froze up. His face paled as he slowly looked back down at the paper and read the words over again. "I'm going home…"
"Two months early to be exact."X-Ray added smugly as Zoom started jumping up and down in excitement. The kid had never shown so much emotion in his life.
"I'M GOING HOME!" Zoom screamed out, hugging X-Ray and jumping out of the Wreck Room, screaming the words at the top of his lungs. He didn't care who heard, he was just ecstatic that he would finally be going home.
But Mr. Sir didn't find it too amusing because even from the Wreck Room, the guys could hear Mr. Sirs screams.
"SHUT UP AND GET DIGGING!"
I hope you all liked that! I didn't want to put in Caveman and Zero because they wouldn't exactly fit the timeline and I know that even without them, it might be a bit off but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Tell me what you thought about my OC, Zoom.
Merry Christmas guys!