Digging Holes All Day Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
by tangerines
Chapter One
Stanley Yelnats decided that if there was an unluckiest guy in the whole world, it would be him, or at least in America. How this all happened, he didn't know. One moment, a pair of sneakers with a foul odor falls on him, the next, he's being guilty as charged in court. He could have chose to go to jail, but he didn't; who would? So, that led to why he was sitting on a seat of a hot bus, in the middle of no where, with his hands handcuffed.
Instead of choosing to go to jail, Stanley chose to spend eighteen months at Camp Green Lake. He didn't know what people did at this camp, or how it was like, but if he did, he would have rather gone to jail.
The bus suddenly stopped at a camp site. There were tents and boys dressed in orange scattered all over the place. Stanley wished he didn't have to wear the orange uniform. The brightness of it made his eyes hurt.
Stanley felt dazed as the guard unlocked his handcuffs and led him off the bus. The land, Stanley noted, was barren and desolate. It didn't look like any lake was located here, or ten miles off this location.
The guard led him to a small office. Stanley's heart was beating faster than usual. He didn't want to be here. He missed his family.
Stanley saw a man with weird sideburns sitting with his feet up on a desk. He didn't move when Stanley or the guard entered. Even though he was inside, he wore a cowboy hat.
"That's a lot of sunflower seeds," the guard observed. Stanley noticed a burlap sack filled with sunflower seeds on the floor next to his desk.
"I quit smoking," said the man with the sideburns. "I used to smoke a pack a day. Now I eat a sack of these every week."
The guard nodded in understanding. The man with the sideburns got out a bottle of soda. For a second, Stanley hoped that it might be for him, but the second he reached out to drink it, the man gave it to the guard.
The guard nodded his thanks. The man with the sideburns opened Stanley's file and skimmed through all of it.
"Stanley Yelnats... the fourth?" The man said, amused by the name. Stanley nodded, deciding not to tell him that it was his last name spelled backwards. He was afraid of this man.
"My name is Mr. Sir," he said. "Whenever you speak to me you must call me by my name, and that name only, is that clear?"
Stanley hesitated before answering, "Uh, yes, Mr. Sir." He was trying real hard not to laugh. He succeeded in doing so, but Mr. Sir might have noticed. Stanley wasn't too sure.
"You're not in the Girl Scouts anymore," Mr. Sir said before leading him into another room. He gave Stanley two sets of orange jumpsuits and a towel. He was also given white sneakers, an orange cap, and a canteen made of heavy plastic that read, BARFBAG.
Stanley had to remove his clothes in front of Mr. Sir, and this one other camper, who made sure Stanley wasn't hiding anything.
Mr. Sir told him he would wear one set to work in and one set for relaxation. Laundry was done every three days. On that day, Stanley's clothes would be washed.
"You are to dig one hole each day, including Saturdays and Sundays. Each holes must be five feet deep, five feet in diameter. Your shovel is your measuring stick. Breakfast is served at 4:30."
There were six large gray tents, and each one had a letter on it: A, B, C, D, E, or F. The counselors slept in F.
Stanley was assigned to D tent. Mr. Pendanski was his counselor..
"I want you to know, Stanley, I respect you," Mr. Pendanski said. "I understand you've made some bad mistakes in your life. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. But everyone makes mistakes. You may have done some bad things, but that doesn't mean you're a bad kid."
Stanley nodded as he watched two boys, and a girl, each carrying a shovel, were coming across th compound. Mr Pendanski called to them. "Rex! Alan! Caramlie! I want you to come say hello to Stanley. He's the newest member of our team. Now, Stanley, don't be confused. This is strictly an all-boys camp, but some judge mistook her for a boy, or that's what she tells us. Don't worry. She's treated same as all the other campers, uh, sort of."
The boys, and the girl glanced wearily at Stanley. They were dripping with sweat, and their faces were covered with dirt, at least for Alan and Rex. Even though Carmalie was sweating, her face wasn't covered up with dirt.
"What happened to Barf Bag?" asked the dark-skinned kid.
"Lewis is still in the hospital," said Mr. Pendanski. "He won't be returning." He told the boys, and girl, to come shake Stanley's hand and introduce themselves.
"Hi," the white kid grunted.
"That's Alan," said Mr. Pendanski.
"My name's not Alan," the boy said. "It's Squid. And that's X-Ray, and the girl's Pixie."
"Hey," said Pixie. She smiled and shook Stanley's hand. Stanley's hand was sweating. He wasn't used to being around girls,especially ones that actually talked to him.
Mr. Pendanski told X-Ray to go to the Rec Hall and bring the other boys to meet Stanley. Then Pixie and Squid led him inside the tent. There were eight cots, each one less than two feet from the one next to it.
"Which was Lewis's cot?" Mr. Pendanski asked.
"Barf Bag slept here," said Squid kicking at one of the beds.
"All right, Stanley, that'll be yours," said Mr. Pendanski. Stanley looked at the cot and nodded. He wasn't happy about sleeping in the same cot that had been used by somebody name Barf Bag.
X-Ray returned with four other boys. The first three were introduced by Mr. Pendanski as Jose, Theodore, and Ricky. They called themselves Magnet, Armpit, and Zigzag.
"They all have nicknames," explained Mr. Pendanski.
"It ain't just a nickname," X-Ray told Mr. Pendanski. He tapped the rim of his glasses. "I can see inside of you, Mom. You've got a big fat heart."
The last boy didn't have a real name or else he didn't have a nickname. Everyone called him Zero.
"You were all new here once," Mr. Pendanski said, "and you all know what if feels like. I'm counting on every one of you to help Stanley."
Stanley looked at the ground. Mr. Pendanski left the tent, and soon the other boys, and girl, began to file out as well, taking their towels and change of clothes with them. Stanley was relieved to be left alone, but he was so thirsty he felt as if he would die if he didn't get something to drink soon.
"Hey, uh, Theodore," he said, going after them. "Do you know where I can fill my canteen?"
Theodore whirled and grabbed Stanley by his collar. "My name's not Theodore," he said. "It's Armpit." He threw Stanley to the ground. Stanley stared up at him, terrified.
"Why you have to be so mean, Armpit?" Squid asked.
"There's a water spigot on the wall of the shower stall," Pixie told him.
"Thanks...Pixie," said Stanley. With one last look at her, he walked towards the shower stalls. He couldn't figure out any reason for why Armpit would treat him like that.
TBC
A/N: Ha ha, I know I posted this story a long time ago in another pen name, but I decided to edit and repost it, so the plots going to be different from how the original version was going to be. And I know how this may sound like it's going to be centered on romance, butit's not. I'm not so sure. It might change, and for right now, Stanley's the one who's crushing on Pixie. Lol, give me lots of reviews please.