Author's Note: Hello again! Here's Chapter 11 for you. It picks up where i left off last chapter basically. Angsty at the beginning.
ArwenEvenstar83 You were first again! You never cease to amaze me. Lol.
loudgirlkatie Lol. Nice! Condom fight. Lol. I never knew those actually happened. Lmao.
CandyGurl113 Glad you enjoyed it!
crzypoetryriter Thank you very much! You are very encouraging :D
Chapter 11
That night when the lights turned off and all the boys were in their beds, fast sleep, Drew tossed and turned, willing sleep to overtake her. It finally did, the blackness enfolding her, but it wasn't peaceful. Drew dreamt.
Drew watched her thirteen year old self from the vantage point of someone else. She watched the blood drip down her foot, a small, crimson puddle forming beneath it from the broken heart carved into her right ankle. She hadn't felt it. Her emotions had flown out of her with the blood pooling on the bathroom's white tile floor. A similar pool spread beneath her left foot, only the Chinese symbol for death was carved into that ankle. Blood streamed down her left forearm, as well, from small incisions made in her skin.
She'd inhaled the sweet smell of her own blood, a symbol of her hate, her future retribution, her pain. She'd stared at the bathroom door wide-eyed, emotionless, as if in a trance, slowly humming an eerie tune, her eyes a blue like shattered ice. They hadn't been that colour since that day.
Someone was pounding on the other side of the door, yelling. And then finally the door jam gave way and he burst in the door. Jay stood in the door frame, breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face Drew had stared at him, not really seeing him.
"Don't, Drew, please," He'd sobbed, encircling her in his arms, His tears had wet her shoulder and her blood had wet his t-shirt. "Don't do this. He's not worth it. We love you, Drew. Me, dad, Riley, Sora, Connor, Sierra, even the dog loves you, Drew! None of us want you gone. Please, Drew, please." Drew watched him squeeze her former self tightly and then everything began to fade as she saw her thirteen year old self hug Jay back and begin sobbing into his shoulder.
Drew shot up in bed, knocking heads with Zig Zag who had been hunched over her. She didn't notice the instant headache or the tears streaming unbidden down her cheeks. She forcefully shoved Zig Zag away as she clawed at the blanket around her feet. She felt her ankles burning as if they'd been freshly cut. She got her feet free and ripped her socks off her feet, hiking her pant legs up and staring down at the faint scars etched into her ankles: a broken heart and the Chinese symbol for death. She glanced at her arm, the skin unblemished. Those scars had long since faded.
"Drew, what's wrong?" Zig Zag asked, using her real name for the first time in weeks. She glanced up at him choking back a fresh wave of tears and, ignoring him, bolted from the tent. She didn't know where she was going until she found herself in the rec room sitting on the couch she usually shared with Zig Zag. She drew her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees, her tears quickly soaking the knees of her pajama pants. She felt Zig Zag sink down beside her.
This is happening too much, Drew thought. The dreams... I'd forgotten about the cutting until that dream. She could hear Zig Zag whispering her name rover and over beside her but she didn't answer.
"Oh God," Drew said to herself, running her hands through her hair. "Oh God, Jay! I'm going crazy!" She moved suddenly, bringing her feet up onto the couch with her and stared at the broken heart. "Oh God," she repeated, wiping her hands over her face, wishing it would all disappear, wishing it had never happened.
"Drew," Zig Zag said again. Drew glanced at him and then buried her head in his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his middle. She felt his arms around her back and felt them close around her. She sighed; she'd needed a hug. Her tears had stopped when she'd begun talking to herself. She was just content to hug Zig Zag, who had now been there for her twice.
Maybe he's here for more than just the moment she found herself thinking.
"I'm sorry for waking you up again," Drew said apologetically into his t-shirt.
"Its okay, what's wrong?" Zig Zag soothed. He stroked her hair and Drew relaxed; she liked having her hair played with. "And why do you keep looking at your ankles?" As hard as he tried to cover it up, Drew heard the smile in his voice. Drew choked out a watery laugh.
"I'm not going to lie to you this time," she told him honestly. She raised her head from his shoulder and looked into his blue eyes. He was worried, confused. She pulled away from him and moved her ankle into the moonlight.
"Do you see it?" she asked pointing at the broken heart. "Right there."
"The heart?" Zig Zag asked, touching the scar. "Its broken," He added as an additional observation. Drew nodded and turned so that her right ankle was in the moonlight.
"And this one?" Drew asked, pointing at the small silver scar.
"A Chinese symbol," Zig Zag mused. "I don't know what it means, though. Love?"
"Death," Drew corrected darkly.
Zig Zag glanced up at her. His eye were dark blue, concern and curiosity buried within. "How'd they get there?"
"I carved them there," Drew answered softly.
"You're a cutter," Zig Zag stated flatly.
"No," Drew said. "I only did it once, two years ago." She hung her head.
"Why?" Zig Zag asked. He sounded like he was afraid to ask.
"Kris Kempton," Drew replied heavily. "He was my boyfriend when I was thirteen and he... cheated on me, spread rumors about what I did with him, and tried to rape my friend but she never told anyone except me and she made me promise not to tell anyone. I wanted him dead but I cut myself first. Looking back it wasn't worth it."
"Bastard," Zig Zag muttered under his breath.
Drew shrugged and gave Zig Zag a sad smile. "Doesn't matter," she said indifferently.
"Of course it does," he said and wrapped his arms around her again. Drew let him; she found she felt safe. "No one deserves to be treated like that," Zig Zag whispered in her ear. Drew felt an involuntary shudder course through her body and she closed her eyes, relaxing in his grip. They sat in the deserted rec room for long minutes before Drew tilted her head back and looked up at Zig Zag. He was already looking down at her.
"Thanks, Zig Zag," Drew said appreciatively.
Zig Zag continued to look down at her for a moment longer and then said, "Its alright. I'm always here if you need me." He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment longer than then needed to, and squeezed her tightly. Drew didn't flinch. She felt comfortably with Zig Zag and felt she could trust him, even if she had only known him for a month.
"We better be getting back to the tent, Baby Girl." he said after a comfortable silent minute. Drew smiled at the sound of her nickname.
"I guess," she said. She began to rise but then paused and glanced down at Zig Zag. "You won't tell the other guys about me flipping out and breaking down...twice, right?"
Zig Zag smiled reassuringly at her. "'Course not."
"Thanks," Drew said and smiled. Zig Zag nodded and took her arm, led her out of the rec room, and back to the tent. Drew resettled herself in her bed and fell asleep promptly after her head hit her new fluffy pillow. Time passed quickly after that night. She slept dreamlessly and deeply, only waking up when Squid shook her awake in the mornings or on the rare occasion that the recorded trumpet awoke her. She wrote to Sora complaining about the condoms which Sora replied to with a second box of condoms. Carp, Magnet, and Squid, following Zig Zag's lead, had taken to hugging her or kissing her forehead. Zig Zag had even gone as far as to kiss her quickly on the mouth one day when she'd been talking to Carp. He'd quickly leaned over the back of the couch and kissed her. She'd squealed, surprised, and thrown a boot at him. Carp and the other boys in the rec room had been thrown into hysterics and several of them laughed until they felt they would throw up. Hammer, Saw, and Kancell had given up their daily attempts at antagonizing Drew after the first two months and after Drew had nearly castrated Hammer, broken Saw's nose, and knocked out one of Kancell's teeth, not to mention what the rest of D Tent had done to them. Drew got faster at digging and was usually finished at around the same time as Carp, who normally finished a half hour after Magnet, Zig Zag, and Squid.
Almost three months after her last dream Pendanski marched into the rec room followed by the guard off the bus and one of the camp staff who were carrying a slightly larger, newer TV than the broken one only Zig Zag could watch.
Amongst the excited murmurs rising from the boys she heard X Ray ask, "What's going on, Mom?"
"Well, Rex, we got some funding from the government and we have purchase you all a newer TV, with a music station, and the Warden has arranged to have two more cots put in all the tents today and have three new tents erected tomorrow! And the bathrooms with finally be finished." Pendanski announced excitedly and beamed at the boys.
"Damn," she heard Squid mutter under his breath.
"What's up?" Drew asked curiously.
"The tents are already crowded enough with eight people to a tent, never mind ten," he pointed out. "And the mess hall is crowded, too, and the tables. Why couldn't see just spend the money on better food?"
"Would you still be whining if we were going co-ed?" Drew asked lightly.
"We are?" Squid asked incredulously.
"Yeah, didn't you hear Mom?" Drew questioned.
"Really?" Squid asked, becoming more excited by the second.
"No, I just wanted to see what you'd do," Drew laughed.
"Oh! You're gonna get it!" Squid promised her and Drew began backing up slowly. She watched Squid slide his pool cue onto the pool table and Drew hastily did the same before taking off across the rec room to hide behind Magnet.
"Chica, what're you doing?" he asked looking over his shoulder worriedly before his nose was narrowly avoided as Squid's arm shot over his shoulder at Drew.
"Whoa!" Magnet said as Squid's arms shot past his right arm in a second attempt to grab Drew. Drew laughed and ducked out of his reach, sprinting in the direction of another corner of the rec room. An arm shot out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her to it's owner's chest.
"Now why might or pretty little Baby Girl be runnin' 'round the rec room like a raccoon on Ritalin?" Zig Zag's voice drawled in her ear. He held her seemingly effortlessly despite her escape attempts.
"Squid's gonna get me," Drew explain, hastily scrambling for a way out of his grasp.
"Really?" Zig Zag acknowledged dully. "Too late now, I guess." Drew looked up a moment before Squid had tackled her from Zig Zag's grasp and squished her into the sunken couch, her legs landing in Carp's lap. His look of surprise quickly turned into a wicked grin and before she could pull her legs off of him he had them pinned against his own legs. He held them tightly as Squid began tickling her.
"No! Stop! Stop!" Drew gasped between bursts of laughter, trying to push his hands away. She caught sight of Zig Zag watching them with mild interest. "Help, Zig!" she laughed uncontrollably. He smirked and trudged over to the couch, coming to stand at the end her head rested.
"Ready?" he asked her eagerly, smiling all the while.
"Yes! Just do something, please!" Drew screamed as tears of laughter slipped out the corners of her eyes and her stomach began to hurt from laughing so much.
"Okay," Zig Zag said. Drew felt his hands around her wrists and then he pulled her hands away from Squid.
"No, Zig Zag!" she shouted. He grinned evilly down at her as he held her hands above her head and Squid continued tickling her mercilessly. After another two minutes of being poked and prodded the three boys finally let her up.
"Ugh," Drew groaned, clutching her stomach. "I'm going to have bruises from you pretty much raping me!"
Squid laughed gruffly. "Trust me, Baby Girl, if I'd raped you, you'd be hurtin' somewhere else." The boys around them laughed with him until Drew kicked Squid in the shin and his laughter turned to whines and the other boys' laughter doubled.
"Now, now, Squid," Zig Zag mock-scolded. "Play nice with my girl." He hugged her.
"Your girl, eh?" Drew laughed, glancing up at him. He smiled a goofy smile to rival Pendanski's and nodded.
"Oooh"s were voiced by the boys who'd heard the statement.
"No way, dawg," Armpit cut in from the pool table. "She's D Tent's girl."
"More like D Tent's bicycle," Saw joked scathingly. "Everyone gets a ride!" Drew smiled sarcastically and a well aimed boot to the side of the head silenced him.
"If you were asking for my personal opinion," Drew began threateningly while smiling sweetly. "You're lucky that wasn't a knife." Saw stared at her dumbly, saw the fire in her eyes. Zig Zag saw it, too; and something inside of him told him it was true.
Author's Note: Okay so there's Chapter 11 for you! I know it was short but review, please! Asta!