"Boys, this is your new tent mate." said Mr. Pendanski, referring to me. "Her name is Bridget, and you will treat her with respect. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes mom." The boys said in unison, all sitting on their cots, all staring at me.

"Well, Bridget, that's Alan, Theodore, Rex, Jose, Ricky, Stanley and Zero. You know why we call him Zero, Bridget? That's because there's nothing going on inside his stupid little head." Now, that made me mad! He wasn't stupid. If anyone was stupid, it was Pendanski.

"Mom, how many times do we have to tell you? It's Squid, Armpit, X-Ray, Magnet, Zigzag and Caveman." Said who I guessed was X-Ray. He seemed to be the leader.

"They all have their little nicknames, but I like to call them by the names society will remember them by."I thought the nicknames were pretty cool. Better than the shitty name Mr. Pendanski. What was he, a shrink or something?

"I'll leave so that you can all get acquainted." Who the hell uses the word acquainted? Except for, well, psychologists! Ha! That was a laugh!

"So, what you do to get in here, since this is a boy camp and all." The boy in front of me, named Squid, asked.

"Hotwired a car, crashed into a pole, totaled it. The judge thought I was too much of a disruptive pyromaniac for a girls correctional camp… so, here I am." I took out my lighter and flipped it in my hand to make a point. "But, that wasn't my only offense. I shoplifted a lot, too."

"Wow, I'm shocked a girl could do all of that, or any of that for that matter. I'm also shocked you could get a lighter in here. " said Caveman, causing my temper to rise. I stood up and grabbed the front of shirt. He looked like he was about to shit himself. I held my lighter out in front of me like a dagger.

"Why don't you say that one more time, Stanley? Then maybe I can make sure that you won't get shocked when you here a girl has done what I have." I pushed him backwards and he fell back onto his cot.

"Welcome to D-Tent." said X-Ray, slapping me a high-five on my way back to my cot. As I walked past Zigzag, he looked at me like I was going to kill him. I wouldn't actually kill anyone. Maybe just put them in a coma. But, I wouldn't raise a hand to anybody without a reason… ok, maybe I would, but it's not a crime, right. Ok, it is. You know what? I'm just going to shut up now.

"So, who made all those holes out there?" I asked the guys, still holding my lighter. It was my most prized possession because it was my sisters. I took it after she died. My mom was already crazy before this happened, so it wasn't that big of a change. For me, though, it was devastating.

"We did. We dig holes to build character." I looked at Armpit to see if he was joking.

"Holy shit, seriously? God, I really should've picked juvi." I flipped onto my cot and started playing with my lighter, turning the flame on and off. Wonderful, beautiful fire!

"No, I think you made the right choice coming here. We need to see a girl!" I couldn't tell who said that, because just as they did, a bell rang. I jumped up immediately out of general reflex, and followed the guys out of the tent. They walked into a mess hall and stood in line. I took my inedible food and sat down.

"What the hell is it?" I asked as the guys just cracked up.

"This is your dinner, Flame." said X-Ray, as he slowly stopped laughing.

"Is it edible? Flame? "

"Yep, that's your new name. And yes, we're almost sure it's edible." He responded, but, the only edible-looking thing on my tray was bread. I picked it up and took a bite.

"Well, so, what's home life like for you, Flame?" Magnet asked.

"I… I… I'd, um, rather not talk about it." I looked down at my tray and played with my food.

"That bad, huh?" Squid asked in his adorable southern drawl. Ok, let's pretend I never said that, ok?

"Well, like I said, I'd rather not talk about it." I got up and threw my food out and went to the tent. Then, I started to sing my sisters song. I wrote it for her after she died…

You used to call me your angel
Said I was sent straight down from heaven
You'd hold me close in your arms

I loved the way you felt so strong
I never wanted you to leave
I wanted you to stay here holding me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear
Every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you, sha la la la la
I miss you

You used to call me your dreamer
And now I'm living out my dream
Oh how I wish you could see
Everything that's happening for me
I'm thinking back on the past
It's true that time is flying by too fast

I know you're in a better place, yeah
But I wish that I could see your face, oh
I know you're where you need to be
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear
Every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you, sha la la la la
I miss you

Just as I finished, I turned around and so Squid. I was on the verge of tears. For some reason, singing that song and thinking of my sister made me sad. Then, I broke down. I regretted it. I really, really, really didn't want the guys thinking I was weak. I closed my eyes and turned the other way, hoping he didn't see me start crying.