Every time my shovel hits a rock, my heart jumps a little, hoping it's something interesting. I feel like crying when I see another stone. What I would give to have just one day off, just one little break. Prisoners don't even have to do shit like this, they actually have it better than us. Maybe we should all strike. I remember learning about how workers went on strikes because they worked basically all day for nothing. I want to protest to get weekends off.
I glance over at Zig, hoping the sight of him will keeping me going. The last week for me has been blissful, at night anyways. Sometimes we talk and hold hands, other times we make-out, or a combination of both. I almost had forgotten what a normal kiss felt like, a soft one. Not one where the guy is so horny that he basically bites my tongue off like all my exes used to do.
Zigzag never comments on our more physical relationship. I think he doesn't know what to say. If he has feelings, he can't admit them. If he's using me, he isn't telling me. The two me's are constantly battling it out. Every time he flashes me a cute smile, Alania wins. Every time he bites his lip and stares at my mouth, Alan wins. Alania argues that he could like me both ways, but Alan is too nervous to ask.
Instead of noticing me, he's staring in another direction. I follow his gaze to see Caveman dumping his water on something. Why is he wasting his water like that?
"What you got there, Caveman?" Zig yells out. The other boys pop out of their holes and look over to Caveman. He closes his hands, shielding the small object from sight.
"Nothin', just, uh..." We all jump out of our holes and walk over. "I think I might have found something."
"Another fossil?" He asks as we approach.
"No, I'm not sure what it is." Caveman responds nervously. It was obviously something, he just didn't want to hand it over. He was probably hoping no one would notice his discovery and he could try to sneak his way into showing it to Pendanski or Mr. Sir. He failed to realize that if you're dumping precious water out, someone's outta notice.
"Let me see." Zigzag asked, but the tube went to X-Ray instead. The little golden tube was passed around.
"It looks like an old shotgun shell." I say right before I notice a little heart engraved. Squinting, I see a 'K.B'. Who could that be? Before I have to time to double check, the item is out of my hands and Magnet is looking at.
Once again, Caveman tries to hide the valubility of his find. "Yeah, that's probably what it is."
"No, it's too long and thin to be a shotgun shell." He says. I notice the small trace of his Spanish accent on the way he pronounces 'thin', putting more emphasis on the 'I' then the rest of us would.
He tries again. "It's prob'ly just a piece of junk."
"Well," X-Ray says. "I'll show it to Mom. See what he thinks. Who knows? Maybe I'll get the day off."
Caveman looks outraged. "Your hole's almost finished."
"Yeah so?" X-Ray snaps, staring him in the eye.
He swallows and shrugs, his anger melting into fear. "So, why don't you wait until tomorrow to show it to Mom? You can pretend you found it first thing in the morning. Then you can get the whole day off, instead of just an hour or so this afternoon." X-Ray nods and agrees.
That night was a kissing night for me and Zigzag. I liked how we were never too serious about it like we were after our first kiss. We often would pull away and laugh and he'd make jokes when I'd kiss his neck. Tonight, he was kissing my neck for the first time and it felt wonderful. He strategically switched between my pulses where I felt the most pressure.
"Geez, Zig, don't leave a mark. We don't need everyone thinking I'm gay." I laugh as he starts to give me a hickey. He laughs and pulls away, hovering over me.
"Is-is this okay? Me being on top of you like this?" He asks carefully.
"Yes." I respond truthfully. "You aren't holding me down or anything, I mean, I could slip under you if I wanted. But I trust you a lot more than I did the last time you were sort of controlling me. And I trust you won't hurt me, so no, I'm not scared. This is fine, I like it, actually." We kiss for a short while before I turn my head and break the kiss. "My turn to ask a question."
"If you must." Zig jokingly sighs and rolls off me, catching his breath as he lies next to me.
"Have you ever had a girlfriend? Or just any girl who liked you?"
"Kinda." He mutters. "In the tenth grade, this girl, Chetney or Courtney or something-"
"What?" I laugh. "You can't even remember her name?"
"I got a concussion right after it so I don't remember the finer details." I shut up and feel horrible for joking. This obviously wasn't a very simple story. "Anyways, she liked me, I guess, or so she said. She didn't tell anyone, though, at all. She was so embarrassed of me. I really don't think she liked me, actually, I was just the easiest guy to get. She wanted to make her ex-boyfriend jealous, and the hell she did. We were on a walk and she purposely kissed me right in front of his house. I had no idea he even existsted until he came outside and gave me a concussion."
"How come every time I ask you a simple question it turns into this long, horribly depressing story?" I laugh, trying to make him smile. I succeed and the sides of his perfect lips curl up into a smile. He holds my hand gently.
"I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't have come here. Ineededyou, so bad."
My heart flutters a little and I can't help but blush. Zig notices and teases me, but I only giggle and try to roll away when he attempts to attack my cheeks with kisses. We roll around on the ground until I'm laying on top of him, burying my face into the crook of his neck and closing my eyes, trying to enjoy the simple bliss of the moment.
"You know that thing Caveman found?" I say, breaking the silence. "It had initials on it. K.B."
He ponders for a moment. "Keith Baron."
"Who the hell is that?"
"He was in my math class." I laugh louder and longer than I should. I curl up into him and enjoy the soft feel oh his skin and toned muscles that cover every inch of him. His natural scent is intoxicating, he smells like new books. Although I've never read one, I have to admit I loved that smell more than I should. Our laughter dies out and I find myself getting drowsy.
"You remind me of my street name. Ashbury. It sounds like Ash berries, and you smell like raspberries." I feel his hand stroking my hair.
"Where does the 'Ash' come in?" I yawn.
"Your hair. An ashy red." I don't respond, I'm falling asleep. "Get up, Nudge, you need to go to sleep." As soon as he says that, I'm out and in dream land. A gunshot wakes me up in the middle of the night, probably Mr. Sir Lizard hunting. Zig must have carried me back to the tent, because I'm in my bed and he's fast asleep in his. I remember back to when I was seven or so and I made a list of the perfect qualities my boyfriend would have. One of them would be him carrying me when I couldn't walk for myself. At that age, I meant it literally. Now, I meant it in a more metaphorical sense. Zigzag had done both.