Stella thought about home a lot whilst digging the next day. The girls in her class used to pick on her and bully her for the little bit of extra weight she had on her arms and stomach, but Stella knew if any of them were in her position, they would have the shit scared out of them. One girl in particular, Stephanie Dunne, the Queen Bee of her little elite clique, was the bitchiest girl Stella had ever met. She was 'pretty' after several inches of makeup were applied and Daddy paid for the nicest clothes, and she drove a new silver Mercedes convertible. She went out with the captain of the Varsity football team, and she always looked fierce. She was the Regina George of Stella's high school. But no matter how she pencilled her eyebrows to look vindictive, one day's worth of hard labour here and threats like Mick's would send her into a mental breakdown.
Stella liked to think the boys in D-tent were her friends. They certainly didn't go out of their way to include her in things but they didn't ignore her like they did Zero, and didn't make her life hard, like some of the other campers did to the boys in their tents. As she began to dig, Stella imagined each of the D-tent boys pummelling Stephanie and her boyfriend, who had been leaders of many taunts against Stella. For a while it amused her, and as she watched Squid break Travis's jaw, she smiled as she dumped the dirt from her shovel onto a pile. Whatever pain she was suffering, Stephanie and Travis were feeling it six-times worse.
Stella was again the last to finish digging, but it was only a few minutes after Magnet spat into his hole. Stella pulled herself up from the pit and pulled her canteen over her shoulder and leaned her shovel on her shoulder as she walked back to the camp compound. It was late afternoon, and the heat was intolerable. The first thing she wanted to do was shower, so she grabbed her towel and token and stood under the freezing jet for four minutes, all the while looking for signs of Mick. She went back to the tent and pulled a fresh t-shirt on. Laundry had been done again. That meant she had been at Camp Green Lake for six days. It seemed like an eternity. Stella went for dinner and Dr. Pendanski announced there would be a group meeting for Group D after dinner was over in the mess hall. After dinner they went outside and snagged the basketball and hoop while the kitchen staff cleaned up.
Squid had been on his school basketball team. He wasn't tall but he had one hell of a jump-shot. The boys took it in turns shooting baskets and when it was X-Ray's turn, the ball bounced off the backboard and smacked Stella in the face. She fell backwards while the boys all laughed, then with guilty smiles, Squid and Zigzag helped her off the floor. Stella blinked away tears and took the ball from Armpit. She shot at the hoop and was surprised that it went in.
Dr. Pendanski called them into the mess hall and Stella followed Squid and Zigzag inside. The mess hall was dark except for a few low-lit lamps, and the kitchen was quite noisy with the kitchen staff doing the washing up of trays and saucepans. If Stella had looked, she would have seen Zane, Handsome Rob and Mick at the sinks, their hands buried in scalding hot, soapy water.
"We're going to discuss what we're going to do after we leave Camp Green Lake," Dr. Pendanski said, as the boys pulled up chairs and benches. "We're not going to be here forever. We need to prepare for the day we leave here and join the rest of society."
"They're finally gonna let you get out of here, huh," Magnet said, and the boys laughed. Stella smiled appreciatively.
"Okay, José," Dr. Pendanski said. "What do you want to do with your life?" It seemed this question had never really been asked with these boys.
"I don't know," Magnet said, stumped.
"You need to think about that," Dr. Pendanski said sagely. "It's important to have goals. Otherwise you're going to end up right back in jail. What do you like to do?"
"I don't know," Magnet shrugged.
"You must like something," Dr. Pendanski frowned.
"I like animals," Magnet shrugged.
"That's what got Magnet here in the first place," X-Ray laughed, and the other boys chuckled.
"Man, it's criminal the way they keep 'em locked up in cages," Magnet said sadly.
"No, José, what you did was criminal," Dr. Pendanski corrected.
"No, no, tell 'em, Magnet," Squid frowned. "They wanted a thousand bucks for just one puppy."
"What?" X-Ray exclaimed.
"Yeah," Magnet sighed. "I woulda made it out, if my pocket didn't start barking." Stella laughed.
"You boys get one life," Dr. Pendanski stated. It didn't occur to Stella to correct him on the 'boys' part. "And so far, you've all done a pretty good job of screwing it up." Everyone sobered a little bit.
"Well, does anyone know of any jobs that involve animals?" Dr. Pendanski asked.
"Veterinarian," Armpit offered.
"That's right," said Dr. Pendanski.
"He could work in a zoo," Zigzag said, but Stella shook her head.
"They're caged animals," she said.
"What do you suggest Stella?" Dr. Pendanski asked. Stella sighed and thought.
"He could be a zoologist or a marine biologist," Stella said. "He could start studying the lake animals." The boys laughed.
"Don't you need a lot of money to be those?" Jose asked, troubled. Stella shrugged.
"If your grades are good, you could apply for scholarships," she suggested, but the look on Magnet's face suggested he was a poor student.
"I'm not saying it's going to be easy," Dr. Pendanski said. "Nothing in life is easy. But that's no reason to give up. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. Even Zero here isn't completely worthless." The small smile that had graced Zero's face at Magnet's story had vanished.
"What about you, Zero? What do you like to do?" Zero glared evenly at Dr. Pendanski. "You just won't talk to me, will you?"
"He only talks to Stella, y' know," Armpit said. Stella winked at Zero.
"I like to dig holes," Zero said mechanically. Dr. Pendanski frowned at him for a long time before turning to Stella.
"What about you Stella? What do you like?"
"Besides us," Squid added, and Stella smiled.
"I don't know," she sighed. "I never really thought about it… I like to write."
"Does anyone know what Stella might to later on?" Doc asked.
"Journalist," Zigzag offered.
"A reporter," Armpit said, and a small argument broke out over them being the same thing.
"An author," Squid said. "Your letters are always long."
"That's cos she knows more words than you do," Armpit teased. The boys all laughed but Squid glared at Armpit.
"Why don't you start writing now?" Doc suggested. "Give the boys something to look forward to." The boys all encouraged her but Stella just smiled embarrassedly.
Dr. Pendanski excused them, and as it was almost dark, they returned to the tent. This was Stella's favourite time of the day. After dinner, the boys all stripped out of their jumpsuits and lounged on their cots, talking about everything and anything. Stella lay on her cot, her head propped up on her arm, and observed. Zero, as usual, had turned to the tent wall.
"You know why we're so hot, don't you? Global warming," X-Ray said.
"Yeah, a hole in the o-zone," Squid said. "It's always right above my head."
"The hole is in your head," Zigzag laughed. Stella was sure that even Zero was smiling quietly at the wall. Zigzag and Squid started a playful tussle on the floor, and laughing at them, Stella was hit by the inspiration needed by any author to write a successful story. She pulled her stationery set from her crate and scrawled the title across the top of a piece of paper; 'Holes'. Until the lights turned off, Stella kept writing, not letting the boys read it until she was satisfied it was worth reading. Even then, she wasn't satisfied they would agree with her portrayals of them. She told the boys about her mother's inventions, and about her grandmother. She left out the part where Grandma had made Ricky cry to save his dignity.
All my life, I seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. My grandmother, Sarah Hargrove, daughter of the first Stella Hargrove in our family, claims it's all because of a hundred-and-fifty year old curse. I don't really believe in curses, but when things go wrong, it helps if you can have someone else to blame. And for me, things go wrong a lot. Grandma says our destiny is sealed. Could a pair of shoes falling from the sky really be part of my destiny? My mother, Sandy Hargrove, is an inventor, and for the last few years, she's been trying to find a cure, for foot-odour.
"It's all because of your no-good-dirty-rotten-money-stealing-great-great-grandmother," Grandma always curses.
"There's no curse on this family," my daddy used to say. If there's no curse on our family, why'd he die in a car accident before my tenth birthday?
"There is on the women in this family," my Momma always contradicted.
"'If only, if only', the woodpecker sighs," my Grandma used to sing, "'the bark on the trees was as soft as the skies.' While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, he cries to the moon, 'If only, if only.'"
"Please don't sing that song," Daddy used to get upset when Momma and Grandma used to sing it at the dinner table. "Please don't sing that song, not at my table."
"Daddy, relax, I don't believe in the family curse anyway," I used to tell him. He smiled, only for a little while before my parents had to pay the bills and send me to a good school.
"We're gonna need a damn-good lawyer," Grandma said, when I got arrested.
"We can't afford a lawyer, Ma," Momma sighed.
"We don't need a lawyer," I said comfortingly. "I'll just tell them the truth."
For some reason, Stella woke up again during the night. She couldn't figure out why; she had grown accustomed to Armpit's snoring and X-Ray's farting! She thought maybe an animal was creeping around underneath the tent; it wasn't unusual. But the sound was something she recognised. She used to hear it emitting from her mother's bedroom after her father died. Somebody in the tent was crying. Stella sat up; Squid sat on his bed, sniffling miserably.
"What's wrong?" Stella asked quietly, so the other boys didn't wake up. Squid jumped visibly but glared at her.
"Nothing, Mom, go back to sleep," he growled, and hid his head under the blanket. Stella frowned but lay back, and soon fell asleep.
"Come on, Stella, get up," Zigzag said, slapping her butt, part of his daily wake-up ritual for her. Stella grumbled and fell off the cot, reaching subconsciously for her jumpsuit.
After she dug her seventh hole, Stella went for her shower and fought sleep as she picked up her book and walked into the rec room. The same boys were still fighting over the foosball table and arguing over the makeshift bowling alley. As she walked past the foosball table one of the boys backed away without looking behind him and sent Stella right into Zane's lap. He jumped, startled from half-sleep, and had she been anyone else, Stella knew he would have picked a fight with her, but he just took her book, glanced at the title and handed it back, helping her back on her feet. Stella nodded and walked over to where Zigzag was watching the broken television set, arguing with Armpit over which channel to watch. In Stella's view the static made anything look the same.
"Hey, hey, I'm watching that," Ricky said angrily, but Armpit broke the dial and set it on the set.
"Not today, you're not," he said, and Ricky punched the television set in frustration.
"Look, you broke it," he growled, and smacked the set again. Stella curled up next to Squid on the under-stuffed sofa and found her page. Some time passed and suddenly a commotion started over by the foosball table. Looking up from her book, Stella saw the table had been pushed aside, as well as some chairs, to make way for Zane and Mick, who were throwing punches with excessive force.
"Oh shit," Squid swore in a low voice, as the other boys all turned to watch, gathering around the two in a circle. Several started shouting. Stella marked her page and unfolded from the couch. She waded through the boys until she was on the inner ring and stepped between the two aggravated teenagers.
"Hey! You sit down," she ordered, shoving Mick into a chair. "You sit down!" she ordered Zane, who had tried to get past her. "You make a scene, the councillors will get involved and the Warden will come down hard on us. Save your energy for digging." She glanced between the two boys, keeping a hand pressed to Zane's chest to keep him from moving past her.
"Keep that punk away from me," Zane spat at Handsome Rob, and he shoved Mick out of the rec room. The boys all resumed their normal activities before one of the other councillors arrived after hearing the noise. Everyone remained cool until he left and afterwards the dinner bell rang.
"Come on Mom," Squid said, slapping her back as he walked past her.
"Mom," Zigzag called from outside, waving her to come outside.
"So I'm Mom?" Stella asked Zero, who remained silent by her elbow. He shrugged. Well it's better than Barfbag, she thought, and Zero followed her to the mess hall.
"Come on Mom," X-Ray said, tugging at her sleeve. Stella followed Zigzag outside and soon they were out on the lake. The days had meshed together. Stella didn't know what day it was but knew she had been at Camp Green Lake for one week. Stella had learned to wait for the water truck before drinking the last of her water. Dr. Pendanski came with the water truck and also brought their lunches. They had bologna and cheese sandwiches, wonderfully fresh apples, and a large chocolate chip cookie each. Stella had been moved up in the water truck line, in front of Zero.
"Stella," someone said, but Stella just kept digging.
"Yo, her name's Mom now," X-Ray said. Stella beamed at him.
"Well, whoever you are," Doc said, "we got a postal delivery for Stella Hargrove. Wherever she is, tell her to go to the supply shed to pick it up." Stella looked up, beaming. She dug as quickly as she could, barely chewing her food, and finished before Magnet. She spat into her hole and Magnet exclaimed in indignation as she followed Zigzag back to camp.
"What are you reading these days?" Ricky asked as they walked. Stella shrugged. "Come on, you know I'm reading vicariously through you." Stella laughed softly.
"Shakespeare," Stella sighed. "Hamlet."
"You'll have to read to us," Ricky decided. Stella rolled her eyes. She draped her arms over her shovel held across her shoulders and sighed. She didn't even care anymore. She went for a shower in her underwear and pulled a white wife-beater of X-Ray's on, without a bra, tying the upper half of her jumpsuit around her hips the way Zigzag had taught her to do to keep the arms out of the way. Shoving her hat back on her braided hair, Stella skipped over to the supply shed as Doc had directed. She pulled the screen door open and stepped inside. Zane glanced over his shoulder, straightening the newly washed extra jumpsuits.
"Dr. Pendanski said something came for me in the mail," Stella said, and Zane nodded. He reached behind the counter and produced an already-opened cardboard box. Stella didn't mind it being searched. Zane pulled several t-shirts and books from the box and returned it behind the desk, producing a letter from his pocket.
"This came separately," he said, and handed it to her. Stella took it and recognized the handwriting. It was from Grandma.
"How's your neck?" Zane asked, without making eye contact, as Stella checked her t-shirts. She shrugged. Zane reached out slowly and gently moved the makeshift bandage Ricky had given her. "It's purple." Stella sighed. "Mick's a punk."
"I figured when you started fighting with him," Stella smiled.
"Just treat him like a lizard; if you don't bother him he won't bother you," Zane advised. Stella nodded. "He's leaving next week." Stella was surprised at the feeling of relief that passed over her.
"Why?"
"He's transferring to the adult prison," Zane said quietly. Stella was surprised at his gentle voice. It was low and husky and soft. Stella nodded and picked up her books.
"Hey, um…" Zane began, and Stella glanced over her shoulder.
"You've got Lord of the Rings in there," he said, nodding to her stack of books, "when you've finished it, could I borrow it?" Stella glanced at him, then at the book and took it from the pile.
"Here," she said, handing it to him. Zane smiled; it was a beautiful smile; bright white teeth, straight and even.
"Thank you," he said politely, mirroring her politeness. Stella smiled and walked off back to the tent.
Dear Stella, your letter makes me feel like one of the other grandmothers sending letters to their grandchildren at summer camps. I'm so proud of you making the best of a bad situation, and I hope you're not getting into any more trouble. Your mother says she's on the brink of a breakthrough. I do hope so Stella, because the landlord is threatening to evict us, because of the odor. Don't worry about us, though. Keep your mind on staying out of trouble. Sooner than you realize, you'll be home with us. I feel really bad for the little old lady who lived in the shoe, because it must have smelled really bad!- Stella laughed- Your mother sends her love, Grandma Sarah.
"What are you laughing at?" someone asked, and Stella glanced up at Zero. She had only heard him speak once, and found he was younger than she thought; his voice was much higher than Squid's or Zigzag's.
"Oh, just something my Grandma wrote," Stella shrugged.
"What did she say?" Zero asked interestedly.
"Um…she says," Stella frowned at the letter, "she says, 'I feel really bad for the little old lady who lives in the shoe, because it must have smelled really bad'." Zero just stared at her with his angry face.
"You know, the nursery rhyme," Stella prompted, but Zero's expression didn't change. "You've never heard it?"
"I've never been to school," Zero said quietly. He glanced at Grandma's pretty cursive. "I don't know how to read." Stella stared openly. Zero seemed uncomfortable about letting her know too much. "Can you teach me?" Stella became uncomfortable. Sure, she was well-educated. She loved English; it was her best subject, and Grandma always said she had a very adult writing style.
"Um…I don't know if I can," she said, putting the letter back in its carefully-opened envelope. "Maybe in a few days…give me time to think about how to teach you." Momentarily, the most beautiful smile spread across Zero's face, like a great Jack o' lantern. He nodded and ran off out of the tent, leaving Stella slightly stunned. She sighed and stuffed her new t-shirts into her crate with her books. She picked up Hamlet and went to the rec room before dinner.
Armpit, flanked by the other boys, exited the rec room, dancing. Stella saw him and laughed as he strutted down the steps to the veranda and over to her.
"Look at this guy," the boys all laughed. Armpit spun and flung his arms up. The boys all fell away.
"Oh, god, Armpit, put 'em down," Zigzag said, wrenching his arm down with his collar pulled up over his nose. Stella helped Squid off the floor and he draped his arm around Stella as they walked over to the mess hall.