Author's Note:
So, I know that the story is kind of moving along slowly but I'm trying to not rush anything and actually create character and friendships between JC and everyone before the main drama happens. Hopefully in the next chapter or two, everything will get more interesting! (-:
X-Ray was right. The second hole was the hardest.
Even with the gloves covering my blistered hands, the pain was unbearable and the heat was more humid than the day before.
"You know why it's been gettin' so hot?" Theodore asked aloud in one heavy breath. All the others paused and glanced at him, wanting him to go on with the answer. "Global warming."
"Yo! Shut up, man!" Rex replied, shaking his head while Squid and Magnet laughed.
"It's true! The temperature of the earth's atmosphere is increasin' cause of the greenhouse effect," Theodore continued but everyone still laughed and teased him.
"You don't even know what the greenhouse effect is, man," Squid spoke, his voice slightly muffled from the piece of wood in his mouth.
I found it amusing how Alan always had something in his mouth. Maybe it was a bad habit - or maybe it was an antidote for another bad habit; like smoking or chewing tobacco.
I leaned against the side of my hole, realizing that I still had about three more feet to go. I was trying to take it slow this time. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't rush like the day before.
"Man, Torero is out," Theodore teased, noticing my tired and sore state, "He'll be out here 'till sun down."
I wiped the sweat off from my forehead and took my cap off. My hair was stuck up in every single direction, probably resembling something like Ricky's hair.
"Where's the bathroom?" I asked lazily, stepping out of my hole.
"Any hole you choose," Magnet replied with a smug smile. I only rolled my eyes and sighed. I didn't want to risk peeing in front of them, so I made sure to choose a hole pretty far off from all the other diggers.
"Make sure you check 'em first! Don't want no lizards biting you!" Magnet called out as I walked farther and farther away.
"Yo! Afraid we'll look?" Armpit teased.
"Gotta' tiny dick or something?" X-Ray laughed.
I shrugged off their jokes considering I didn't really mind. All I cared about in that moment was releasing my bladder. I also cared about the fact that there was no toilet paper.
As I finished up peeing and was in the process of tugging up my jumpsuit, I'd seen a shadow lurking over the hole I was in. Quickly, I pulled my suit on all the way and turned around with furrowed eyebrows.
"What the hell?" I exclaimed. Did they like watching others piss? My blue eyes glanced up to see who it was, and when I realized it was Ricky, I was even more confused. "Why are you watching me pee?" I asked, trying to pull myself out of the hole without stepping in the freshly urinated area.
"Why'd you piss in a hole so far away from everyone else?" he shot back, his eyes wide, scanning me up and down - the hole as well.
"I like my privacy," I said in a confused tone. I walked past him, buttoning up my jumpsuit and pulling my gloves back onto my hands.
Shit. Maybe he had figured out that I was a girl. Maybe he saw me in the showers or found the tampons behind my bed. Wow, good going Jennifer. You can't even be undercover for two days without someone finding out.
"Ya' sure you ain't just plantin' cameras down? Or radioactive lizards?" he asked, following behind me which casted a nice, tall shadow for me to walk in.
"What?" I asked in an even more confused tone than earlier, "Radioactive lizards?"
"Ignore Ziggy. He's into all that 'the government is evil' type shit," Theodore called out, obviously listening in on our conversation.
My tense shoulders immediately slumped. So, he didn't think I was a girl, but a federal government agent who was planting cameras and radioactive lizards in their holes. Nice.
"JC! Glad you're here. Sit down," Dr. Pendanski smiled as I returned from the shower. I was taken back from the counselor being in our tent and how everyone was sitting in a circle. There was an open seat between Zero and Ricky, so I slowly made my way over and sat down easily.
My body was still sore - insanely sore, if you will.
"We were just talking about why we were sent to Camp Green Lake, and how we could manage to make our lives better once let out," Dr. Pendanski said. It was strange not seeing him in a giant sun hat with sunscreen on his nose, to be honest. I nodded in acknowledgment and leaned back into my chair.
I learned from that night's 'counseling session' why each individual was sent to camp.
Theodore was sent for beating up two older boys at a movie theater over a bucket of popcorn. Everyone laughed, including me and even Zero when he told the story. It was definitely like Armpit to punch someone over some food.
José was sent for stealing a dog from a pet store. He said that they wanted a thousand dollars for one puppy, and that he would have gotten away with it if his pocket didn't start barking.
Alan was sent for skipping school and breaking into homes, only to steal loose change and soda. I didn't know why he would steal only loose change and pop. He could've stolen much more valuable things like a television or jewelry. I guess he wasn't as much of a criminal as most people thought he was.
Rex was sent for selling bags of dry herbs to people who thought they were buying marijuana. He said, "I shouldn't have gotten in trouble for other people's stupid ass minds." Then was quickly scolded by Dr. Pendanski for using foul language.
Ricky was sent for setting a piece of styrofoam on fire in his school yard. The flames got out of control and ended up burning down one of the portables. When he was talking, he leaned forward and shifted his eyes around quickly. From the two days I knew him, and from what Theodore told me earlier that day, he had some sort of paranoia issue.
When it was Zero's turn, he said nothing. He only sat with his arms crossed and stared at the ground. I wondered if he was mute, but then remembered him helping me out of my hole the day before. He probably just had social anxiety and didn't like talking in front of others.
"You just won't talk to me, will you?" Dr. Pendanski said, a small smirk playing on his face, "You think you're better than all this?"
Zero finally looked up, but only glared. And if looks could kill, the counselor would have been dead right then and there. It was silent. Dr. Pendanski wasn't saying anything, neither was Zero. They were just having their own personal stare off. Ricky was smirking lightly, looking back and forth between the two. And with his wild hair and wide eyes, he looked like a mad scientist. I grew uncomfortable with the situation quickly, and instead of letting it grow more awkward, I piped up.
"I was sent here for joyriding," I spoke. Instantly, all eyes were on me as if they weren't expecting someone to say anything. I glanced at Zero, but all he did was shift his gaze from me back to the ground. "You know, it was a nice car. Couldn't keep my hands to myself." I tried speaking in a cocky and tough tone, but I guaranteed they all knew I was just trying to ease the tension and give Zero some room to breathe.
"Dumbass ended up driving the car into a lake," Rex commented with a witty smile.
"Dumbass ended up driving a Bugatti Veyron into a lake," Alan corrected.
"I still can't get over that," Theodore sighed. Mostly everyone was laughing now and the situation was free from all previous tension.
"I don't know 'bout you guys, but I'm tired," I yawned. I wasn't tired, I just wanted Dr. Pendanski out of our tent. In seconds, the counselor was hurried out. I let out a relaxed sigh and turned around.
"I'm not really tired," I nodded with a small smile, watching as the rest of the boys started chuckling softly.
"He doesn't know when to shut up," Squid teased.
I was honestly glad that everyone had warmed up to me nicely. Of course they would still shove me around and tease me for being the 'new kid' - but I got used to it. At least they laughed at my jokes and didn't ignore me when I tried talking to them.
I glanced over at Zero. He was laying in his cot, back to everyone like the first day I'd met him. I didn't try talking to him. I didn't want to bother or annoy him with questions or conversation he didn't want to be apart of.
I plopped down onto my cot and ran a quick hand through my messy, blonde hair. I still hadn't gotten used to how short it was. I laid on my back and stared up at the ceiling, listening to everyone converse about things that didn't exactly matter. Like who lost their virginity first. And how Alan tried smuggling in a pile of junk food, only to have it confiscated by Mr. Sir a day later. I was actually beginning to grow tired until I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Quickly, I turned my head. A scorpion was on my pillow.
With a loud shriek, I jumped out of bed and hurdled toward the back of the tent. With my luck, I ended up tripping over Alan's cot and landing on Ricky.
"What the hell?" Rex exclaimed, standing to his feet. I probably scared everyone with my sudden scream.
"There's a scorpion on my bed!" I shouted back. I thought someone would go over to try and capture it, but once the word scorpion escaped my lips, everyone stood up quickly and stared at my bed in fear. The scorpion was still resting on my pillow, not moving - which I was glad. I didn't want it nesting in my blankets and laying eggs (or however scorpions reproduced). I still laid on Ricky, me practically sitting on his lap while his large blue eyes scanned over my bed. I was happy that he didn't shove me off. It seemed like he didn't care, or even notice, that I was on top of him.
Luckily, one of the guards heard the commotion and came inside. We all continued standing in the corner of the room, not even risking the sting of a scorpion. Eventually, they caught the animal in a small box and exited soon after.
I slowly stood up from Ricky, tired and slightly scared that there might have been another dangerous animal hidden in my bed.
"Yo, Torero screams like a girl," Magnet stated, laughing afterwards. I only shrugged with red cheeks, not really knowing a valid, realistic excuse.
"He jumped in Ziggy's lap like fuckin' Scooby Doo and Shaggy," Rex chuckled, his comment making the rest of the boys join in as well.
"Should've heard him yesterday. Laughs like a girl too," Ricky teased with the same small smirk that was usually planted on his face. The whole tent was filled with laughter and jokes specifically aimed at me 'acting' like a girl. I would be lying if I'd said I wasn't embarrassed, because I was.
I shrugged my shoulders and laughed weakly, acting as if it was just my normal, everyday behavior. I trudged over to my bed and fell back onto the hard mattress. My body still ached, not as bad as the day before, but still enough to make me wince every time I moved around. The boys soon dropped the jokes and all went to bed. Theodore was out quickly, meaning his loud snoring from the next cot kept me up the whole night.
