Disclaimer: I do not own the book Holes. The physical book belongs to
Artemis, the rights to it belong to Disney.
A/N: I'm getting dull... if any of you have any ideas of things that happened at camp or could happen before the week is through, let me know.
Shoutouts!
Shot: You get to be first since ff.net lost your review last time. I'm sorry! ILU!! We have skit nights on the last day of every session. (which is every three to five days) They all have different themes, and they rock. You are so deprived child. I feel so sorry for your skitless camp. *sniffles* I think that Shot gets a cameo as a camper in a Kitch*Nsynk skit just for that. *glomp* You will get to have fun with us after all! MWAHAHAHA!
Pyrotic: YAY FOR NEW READERS!! ^_^ I'm sorry someone took your name. Tell me who it is and I'll give them really bad flames. ^_^ j/p But I really am sorry. I'm the only Gryffin allowed to be on the internet. I get mad when other people have my name too. I'm glad that you like my story, and I love Luthien. She's great. (even greater now that she is drumming up readers from nowhere for me ^_^) Caffeine rocks. Esp. Pepsi. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Artemis: Arty, I updated at like three in the morning. I didn't think it would be appropriate to call you and tell you so. I figured your mother and father might get a little upset about it. *so let's bring on the men...* hehe. I've got to love that song. That has to have been one of your best ideas that you've ever given me, and look how I'm going to butcher it. ^_^ oh man, here goes. (yay for Keenan and Kel)
Brownie: hehehe... you think those skits were nuts, wait until All Camp on Friday... tehehehe ^_^ I am enjoying this way too much for my own good. Now I just need some more interesting things to happen between now and All Camp. Hmmmmm... what could my boys be gossiping about today?
Christine: You know, when we were staying in Outback during Mother/Daughter, a horse ran straight into my tent when I was lying in my bed. Storm's horse also jumped about three feet whenever I moved the tent flap a little. I didn't think it'd bother anyone, but Boo flipped. Pig Pen was scared of Cheetah's sleeping bag that was lying on a table to dry in TE one day. The horse apparently hadn't noticed it sitting there until he was even with it. Silly horses. You should feel special honey, you are. ILU, and I'll see you Friday ^_~
Yank: Thank you for TRYING to keep your friend in line, though most of the time it is more fun to color outside the box. ^_^ Just sayin' hey and hoping that you like the story! Peace!
Chipper: Chipper! Thank you! If you noticed, I'm in the process of doing research for the Very Secret Diaries of the Newsboys of New York. I'm looking through the movie with my notebook and catching all of the little out of place things or the stuffs that happens in the background to develop relationships between the boys. You just earned yourself a gold star for something that I never noticed before. (and believe me, I have noticed a LOT of strange stuff) Do you mind if I use it in my diaries? I would love you forever, and cite you for the reference. Oh, and just wondering... are you becoming a little slash-whore? Tehehe you're acting like it. ^_^ Nothing wrong with slash whores. Yay for the awesome review! luv you guys!
Kristan: Yay for random toilets on your porch. Just hope no drunk guys come and use it, because where I live now, they really would. Hell, they don't even need the toilet, they get so drunk that they just go on the street. *shudder* icky This is your happy chapter now, and you are in the skit, and all will be revealed at All Camp, because it will be much funnier that way. Trust me. ^_~ ILU!
Maddie: I think you were there for the Bob Barker skit, but I don't think that you did KoNY then. Pyper (or Pez, I forget which) did that with a crew from Sunny Banks and they did it on the stage. I couldn't make out many of the words, but that was the first time I heard a Newsies song! Yay Newsies! ^_^ Of course, way back then I didn't know that I was obsessed with them. That was before I saw them or the songs were played enough for me to know the words. You've gotta love Kitch*Nsynk skits. They rock. Yay for us!
Cassie: No, Death Tent was not the tent that you stayed in when you were with us. It was the one on the other side of the unit by the horse trail that leads to Laurel Oaks. Don't worry, you're safe. ^_~ I definitely like the Newsies grace better, and the Chicken Patty grace after that. Yours needs to rhyme hon! Email me and tell me what happened at Arty's festival.
Chapter 22: The Barn out of Control and a Visitor for Kristan
Gryffin walked out of Happy's office, making faces at the pictures that ran through her head. Trash cans that could be cleaner, sinks that were not Purged. Her own tent flashed into her mind as being rather messy itself.
Willow looked up from the couch where she was writing her book.
"Hey you," she said.
"Heya Willow," Gryffin answered, stopping momentarily to look at her friend. "How's it going?"
"Well. I'm writing more about Diego's girlfriend."
"You mean that stupid bitch-girl?" Gryffin asked, taking a seat.
"Antoinette? Yeah, she and Merrick are bonding." Willow grinned. Gryffin glared.
"She's not worthy to speak to Merrick."
"I don't understand why you don't like her. She's being absolutely honest and doesn't hurt anyone. Yet anyhow."
"Maybe that's why I don't like her. Nobody should be that straightforward. And no stupid mortal bitch should have the power to stay alive next to Diego Wolfe once he has his mind set to kill her."
"But she's not mortal."
"But she acts like it and she should be. She's not good enough for Merrick and Diego."
"You know, Gryffin, I'm surprised at you."
"Why?" Gryffin asked.
"Complete change of topic, but I'm surprised that you didn't say your favorite award was the "I bet Gryffin could take Willow" Award today." Gryffin grinned.
"Yeah, I didn't want to embarrass you in front of all the guys," she joked, pushing Willow's arm.
"No, you just forgot," Willow replied, beaming.
"Yeah. But that really was the best award. It is still sitting in the back window of my car. I'll have to tell the boys about it later."
"Tell us what?" Jack asked, as he sauntered into the room. "Dave and I, we was just on our way ta da Amp. ta practice, but we'se got a minute. Please, tell us."
Willow rolled her eyes and sighed. She went back to writing her story, doing her best to ignore the group.
"I was going to tell you about another Kitch*Nsynk skit that was me against Willow. See, there's this song from a musical called Les Mis, ya know? And we did a modern day version of one of the songs with Valjean and Javert. They had me playing Jean Valjean, the main character, and Willow as Javert, the bad guy. The funny part was, I've never seen Les Mis before. Well, this song is sung between the two of them. They are yelling at each other back and forth, fighting and such. It ended with her slapping me across the face, and me pushing her to the ground as I ran away. It was quite amusing. To us at least."
"To you at least," Willow commented stiffly.
"What? You don't think that it's true?"
"No, it is true. It's just not funny."
"Yeah, deny it now. The look on your face when we got it said different."
Jack looked from one girl to the other, his jaw open. He was amazed that they could get these words out of their mouths as fast as they were coming, let alone think about what they were saying before they spoke.
"Now dat you'se told us, I tink me an' Dave'll be goin' back. Come on, Davey." Jack put his arm around Dave's shoulder and led him out the back door of Mary Lodge.
"Love ya, Willow," Gryffin said, getting up. "I'll see ya at dinner, okay?"
"Sure. Sit with me?"
"As long as we get a table with more than two staff."
"Done."
Gryffin was walking the long way to the barn, across the flag field and up the normal path, because the path through the woods was most likely a lake right now. She was musing slightly on the things that Happy said to her in their meeting after lunch about staff performance so far that summer. Trail's End was not bad, but it could be a lot better. If she ever wanted to be the Unit Leader in Orchard, she would have to step up the work. The boys were having a practice for All Camp that night, so she was alone as she walked to the barn to relieve Kristan.
She was going over so many different improvements to her unit in her head, that she did not notice the white cavalier that had pulled into the parking lot where cars were rarely parked. She had not noticed so much, in fact, that she walked right into the front of the hood.
"OW! What did you do that for?" she demanded of the driver of the car. A red-haired, teenage boy stepped out of the driver's seat, laughing.
"It was your own fault. I haven't moved for the past ten minutes."
Gryffin looked at his face and smiled wildly.
"You didn't tell anyone you were coming, did you?" she asked, trying to avoid a fit of giggles.
"No. I wanted it to be a surprise." Gryffin was visibly giddy now.
"Oh my God! She's going to LOVE this. Come on."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gryffin led the boy into the barn area by the wrist and sat him at a picnic table. Kristan must have been inside the barn with the barn staff. Gryffin thanked whatever deities that may be directing her fun at the moment; the door to the hay room was closed.
"Steele," she called, entering the barn from the side entrance, "I'm here, now you can go."
"Okay, thanks Gryff," Kristan said as she walked out past Gryffin. The older girl practically ran to the hay room doors and threw them open.
Gryffin had gotten there just in time.
"NICK!" Kristan screamed, like a true girl and ran to him, completely disregarding camp rules. He stood up, but the force of her hug slammed him flat onto his back on the table.
"I missed you too," he said between gasps for breath and laughter. A group of campers sitting by the ring laughed at the scene as well. Gryffin completely beamed from the doorway.
"You're lucky I didn't sue him, he hit me with his car," Gryff said smiling.
"You're lucky that the car was parked when you ran into it, or else it may have actually hurt," Nick replied as he stood up.
"I love you Gryffin!" Kristan called to her mentor and boss.
"I love you too. Don't worry about anything else on your schedule today. We'll take care of it."
"I love you very mushly!"
"I know, I love you too. Now get out of here before I get jealous."
"What's to be jealous of?"
"Hey!" Nick cried with indignation.
"What? She's got her boy with her all the time," Kristan added in an undertone to Nick as they walked back toward the road. "Don't wait up for me Gryff!"
"Okay. I'll enjoy getting to sleep before nine o'clock for once." Gryffin smiled. Kristan turned to make a very rude gesture to Gryffin, but the campers by the fence were still watching, so she made a face instead.
Gryffin sat down and started reading her book. Holes was incredibly predictable, but as Artemis had told her, it was a good book.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So," Nick said, settling down next to Kristan in the grass at Woodlot. They had packed a lunch of sandwiches, carrots, apples and Cathy's awesome cookies to eat sometime throughout their day. The only places to be alone at camp... truly alone... were actually not in camp. "What's with all the boys all over the place?"
Kristan looked up from the grass she was bending into innumerable positions. "Oh. They're the Newsies. They're here to tell about the Newsboy's strike in New York City."
"So you talk to them much?"
"Not really. I talk to Race and Snipeshooter most. They're just like the rest of the girls at camp, except for they're all dating the girls at camp."
Nick nodded. His freckly ears were a bit pink. He was feeling a bit out of place, a city boy in the woods. Plus the fact that he had just driven an hour and a half to find out that his girlfriend was hanging around with a bunch of other boys. It was a bit awkward.
Kristan leaned in to kiss him. He kissed her back, reluctantly. Although it had been nearly two weeks since she had kissed him last, she could still notice the difference.
"Nick? What's wrong?" she asked tenderly, her hand on his arm.
"Nothin' really."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Everything's perfect. I'm in the woods at a girl scout camp filled with boys in the middle of nowhere to visit my girlfriend. Everything's perfect."
Kristan blushed when she realized what he was talking about.
"Nick?"
"Hmm?"
"Did I mention to you that Snipeshooter is only like twelve and Race is a homosexual?"
"What?"
"Snipe and Race, the guys that I talk to, they have no interest in me as more than a friend. The rest of the boys are claimed by other girls. Nothing is going to happen up here."
"You're sure?"
"Positive. And even if any of them tried anything, I still know that I'm with you." Kristan kissed Nick again. Their red hair matched almost exactly as his forehead rested against hers.
"Good, because I don't want to loose you."
"And I refuse to be lost." Kristan smiled up at him. Her boy. Her boy that she had worked so long to get, not even a Newsie could take her away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Boots, Storm, Luna and Angel all filed into the hay room, swarming around Angel.
"Are you sure about this, Boots?" Angel asked nervously. Luna and Storm chatted excitedly. Rolls of duct tape hung from each of their arms. This could not be good.
"Yeah. Skittery had a one once. We put it on for twenty four hours, and it was gone?"
"What was gone?" Gryffin asked. Barn staff could never be trusted with duct tape. Boots had already learned that. She was afraid of Angel learning the same thing the same way.
"His wart," Boots said, nodding. "See, red duct tape gets rid of warts."
"Angel here has a wart on her elbow. An odd place for a wart, but we're going to fix that for her." Storm grinned, flashing all of her teeth and waving her red duct tape in one hand.
"Here, Angel," Boots said, "Give me your arm."
First, Boots circled her elbow with the duct tape. Then he made a bracelet around both of her wrists. After much reluctance from Angel and insistence from Boots, He made similar circlets around both of her ankles and her waist.
"Are you sure that she doesn't need any more on her?" Luna asked.
"No," Angel replied firmly. "If this doesn't work Boots, this is going to be your head. I am not walking around in duct tape for an entire day for nothing."
"What? You've never spent a day with random bits of duct tape attached to you before?" Storm asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I have, but not with tape around my waist. It is incredibly uncomfortable already."
"You'll get used to it," Boots promised. "It starts to stretch after a few hours."
"Oooh, hey Luna," Storm said excitedly. "I just got an idea of what the barn staff can give to everybody for the banquet. It's easy and it's cheap. Here, I'll tell you in the tack room." Storm and Luna wandered off in what was generally the other direction. Boots smiled at his handiwork as he and Angel headed back to the campers they were tending.
Gryffin lay against the hay and realized how much of a passive observer she had been for the past few days. For some reason, with Blink around she did not always want to be the center of attention at camp, as she usually was. She was content to sit in the background and chill with her small group of friends. Well, she was going to have to do something about that. It just would not do for Gryffin, Super-councilor, to sit back and watch camp go on around her. She needed to be a driving force behind camp, for her own personal reasons.
She immediately got up out of the hay room and walked toward the ring. Some of the girls were still standing there, waiting for their turn to go through the little obstacle course that the barn staff had set up. Time to make a few more campers wish that they could stay here all year...
End Twenty Two
A/N: I'm getting dull... if any of you have any ideas of things that happened at camp or could happen before the week is through, let me know.
Shoutouts!
Shot: You get to be first since ff.net lost your review last time. I'm sorry! ILU!! We have skit nights on the last day of every session. (which is every three to five days) They all have different themes, and they rock. You are so deprived child. I feel so sorry for your skitless camp. *sniffles* I think that Shot gets a cameo as a camper in a Kitch*Nsynk skit just for that. *glomp* You will get to have fun with us after all! MWAHAHAHA!
Pyrotic: YAY FOR NEW READERS!! ^_^ I'm sorry someone took your name. Tell me who it is and I'll give them really bad flames. ^_^ j/p But I really am sorry. I'm the only Gryffin allowed to be on the internet. I get mad when other people have my name too. I'm glad that you like my story, and I love Luthien. She's great. (even greater now that she is drumming up readers from nowhere for me ^_^) Caffeine rocks. Esp. Pepsi. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Artemis: Arty, I updated at like three in the morning. I didn't think it would be appropriate to call you and tell you so. I figured your mother and father might get a little upset about it. *so let's bring on the men...* hehe. I've got to love that song. That has to have been one of your best ideas that you've ever given me, and look how I'm going to butcher it. ^_^ oh man, here goes. (yay for Keenan and Kel)
Brownie: hehehe... you think those skits were nuts, wait until All Camp on Friday... tehehehe ^_^ I am enjoying this way too much for my own good. Now I just need some more interesting things to happen between now and All Camp. Hmmmmm... what could my boys be gossiping about today?
Christine: You know, when we were staying in Outback during Mother/Daughter, a horse ran straight into my tent when I was lying in my bed. Storm's horse also jumped about three feet whenever I moved the tent flap a little. I didn't think it'd bother anyone, but Boo flipped. Pig Pen was scared of Cheetah's sleeping bag that was lying on a table to dry in TE one day. The horse apparently hadn't noticed it sitting there until he was even with it. Silly horses. You should feel special honey, you are. ILU, and I'll see you Friday ^_~
Yank: Thank you for TRYING to keep your friend in line, though most of the time it is more fun to color outside the box. ^_^ Just sayin' hey and hoping that you like the story! Peace!
Chipper: Chipper! Thank you! If you noticed, I'm in the process of doing research for the Very Secret Diaries of the Newsboys of New York. I'm looking through the movie with my notebook and catching all of the little out of place things or the stuffs that happens in the background to develop relationships between the boys. You just earned yourself a gold star for something that I never noticed before. (and believe me, I have noticed a LOT of strange stuff) Do you mind if I use it in my diaries? I would love you forever, and cite you for the reference. Oh, and just wondering... are you becoming a little slash-whore? Tehehe you're acting like it. ^_^ Nothing wrong with slash whores. Yay for the awesome review! luv you guys!
Kristan: Yay for random toilets on your porch. Just hope no drunk guys come and use it, because where I live now, they really would. Hell, they don't even need the toilet, they get so drunk that they just go on the street. *shudder* icky This is your happy chapter now, and you are in the skit, and all will be revealed at All Camp, because it will be much funnier that way. Trust me. ^_~ ILU!
Maddie: I think you were there for the Bob Barker skit, but I don't think that you did KoNY then. Pyper (or Pez, I forget which) did that with a crew from Sunny Banks and they did it on the stage. I couldn't make out many of the words, but that was the first time I heard a Newsies song! Yay Newsies! ^_^ Of course, way back then I didn't know that I was obsessed with them. That was before I saw them or the songs were played enough for me to know the words. You've gotta love Kitch*Nsynk skits. They rock. Yay for us!
Cassie: No, Death Tent was not the tent that you stayed in when you were with us. It was the one on the other side of the unit by the horse trail that leads to Laurel Oaks. Don't worry, you're safe. ^_~ I definitely like the Newsies grace better, and the Chicken Patty grace after that. Yours needs to rhyme hon! Email me and tell me what happened at Arty's festival.
Chapter 22: The Barn out of Control and a Visitor for Kristan
Gryffin walked out of Happy's office, making faces at the pictures that ran through her head. Trash cans that could be cleaner, sinks that were not Purged. Her own tent flashed into her mind as being rather messy itself.
Willow looked up from the couch where she was writing her book.
"Hey you," she said.
"Heya Willow," Gryffin answered, stopping momentarily to look at her friend. "How's it going?"
"Well. I'm writing more about Diego's girlfriend."
"You mean that stupid bitch-girl?" Gryffin asked, taking a seat.
"Antoinette? Yeah, she and Merrick are bonding." Willow grinned. Gryffin glared.
"She's not worthy to speak to Merrick."
"I don't understand why you don't like her. She's being absolutely honest and doesn't hurt anyone. Yet anyhow."
"Maybe that's why I don't like her. Nobody should be that straightforward. And no stupid mortal bitch should have the power to stay alive next to Diego Wolfe once he has his mind set to kill her."
"But she's not mortal."
"But she acts like it and she should be. She's not good enough for Merrick and Diego."
"You know, Gryffin, I'm surprised at you."
"Why?" Gryffin asked.
"Complete change of topic, but I'm surprised that you didn't say your favorite award was the "I bet Gryffin could take Willow" Award today." Gryffin grinned.
"Yeah, I didn't want to embarrass you in front of all the guys," she joked, pushing Willow's arm.
"No, you just forgot," Willow replied, beaming.
"Yeah. But that really was the best award. It is still sitting in the back window of my car. I'll have to tell the boys about it later."
"Tell us what?" Jack asked, as he sauntered into the room. "Dave and I, we was just on our way ta da Amp. ta practice, but we'se got a minute. Please, tell us."
Willow rolled her eyes and sighed. She went back to writing her story, doing her best to ignore the group.
"I was going to tell you about another Kitch*Nsynk skit that was me against Willow. See, there's this song from a musical called Les Mis, ya know? And we did a modern day version of one of the songs with Valjean and Javert. They had me playing Jean Valjean, the main character, and Willow as Javert, the bad guy. The funny part was, I've never seen Les Mis before. Well, this song is sung between the two of them. They are yelling at each other back and forth, fighting and such. It ended with her slapping me across the face, and me pushing her to the ground as I ran away. It was quite amusing. To us at least."
"To you at least," Willow commented stiffly.
"What? You don't think that it's true?"
"No, it is true. It's just not funny."
"Yeah, deny it now. The look on your face when we got it said different."
Jack looked from one girl to the other, his jaw open. He was amazed that they could get these words out of their mouths as fast as they were coming, let alone think about what they were saying before they spoke.
"Now dat you'se told us, I tink me an' Dave'll be goin' back. Come on, Davey." Jack put his arm around Dave's shoulder and led him out the back door of Mary Lodge.
"Love ya, Willow," Gryffin said, getting up. "I'll see ya at dinner, okay?"
"Sure. Sit with me?"
"As long as we get a table with more than two staff."
"Done."
Gryffin was walking the long way to the barn, across the flag field and up the normal path, because the path through the woods was most likely a lake right now. She was musing slightly on the things that Happy said to her in their meeting after lunch about staff performance so far that summer. Trail's End was not bad, but it could be a lot better. If she ever wanted to be the Unit Leader in Orchard, she would have to step up the work. The boys were having a practice for All Camp that night, so she was alone as she walked to the barn to relieve Kristan.
She was going over so many different improvements to her unit in her head, that she did not notice the white cavalier that had pulled into the parking lot where cars were rarely parked. She had not noticed so much, in fact, that she walked right into the front of the hood.
"OW! What did you do that for?" she demanded of the driver of the car. A red-haired, teenage boy stepped out of the driver's seat, laughing.
"It was your own fault. I haven't moved for the past ten minutes."
Gryffin looked at his face and smiled wildly.
"You didn't tell anyone you were coming, did you?" she asked, trying to avoid a fit of giggles.
"No. I wanted it to be a surprise." Gryffin was visibly giddy now.
"Oh my God! She's going to LOVE this. Come on."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gryffin led the boy into the barn area by the wrist and sat him at a picnic table. Kristan must have been inside the barn with the barn staff. Gryffin thanked whatever deities that may be directing her fun at the moment; the door to the hay room was closed.
"Steele," she called, entering the barn from the side entrance, "I'm here, now you can go."
"Okay, thanks Gryff," Kristan said as she walked out past Gryffin. The older girl practically ran to the hay room doors and threw them open.
Gryffin had gotten there just in time.
"NICK!" Kristan screamed, like a true girl and ran to him, completely disregarding camp rules. He stood up, but the force of her hug slammed him flat onto his back on the table.
"I missed you too," he said between gasps for breath and laughter. A group of campers sitting by the ring laughed at the scene as well. Gryffin completely beamed from the doorway.
"You're lucky I didn't sue him, he hit me with his car," Gryff said smiling.
"You're lucky that the car was parked when you ran into it, or else it may have actually hurt," Nick replied as he stood up.
"I love you Gryffin!" Kristan called to her mentor and boss.
"I love you too. Don't worry about anything else on your schedule today. We'll take care of it."
"I love you very mushly!"
"I know, I love you too. Now get out of here before I get jealous."
"What's to be jealous of?"
"Hey!" Nick cried with indignation.
"What? She's got her boy with her all the time," Kristan added in an undertone to Nick as they walked back toward the road. "Don't wait up for me Gryff!"
"Okay. I'll enjoy getting to sleep before nine o'clock for once." Gryffin smiled. Kristan turned to make a very rude gesture to Gryffin, but the campers by the fence were still watching, so she made a face instead.
Gryffin sat down and started reading her book. Holes was incredibly predictable, but as Artemis had told her, it was a good book.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So," Nick said, settling down next to Kristan in the grass at Woodlot. They had packed a lunch of sandwiches, carrots, apples and Cathy's awesome cookies to eat sometime throughout their day. The only places to be alone at camp... truly alone... were actually not in camp. "What's with all the boys all over the place?"
Kristan looked up from the grass she was bending into innumerable positions. "Oh. They're the Newsies. They're here to tell about the Newsboy's strike in New York City."
"So you talk to them much?"
"Not really. I talk to Race and Snipeshooter most. They're just like the rest of the girls at camp, except for they're all dating the girls at camp."
Nick nodded. His freckly ears were a bit pink. He was feeling a bit out of place, a city boy in the woods. Plus the fact that he had just driven an hour and a half to find out that his girlfriend was hanging around with a bunch of other boys. It was a bit awkward.
Kristan leaned in to kiss him. He kissed her back, reluctantly. Although it had been nearly two weeks since she had kissed him last, she could still notice the difference.
"Nick? What's wrong?" she asked tenderly, her hand on his arm.
"Nothin' really."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Everything's perfect. I'm in the woods at a girl scout camp filled with boys in the middle of nowhere to visit my girlfriend. Everything's perfect."
Kristan blushed when she realized what he was talking about.
"Nick?"
"Hmm?"
"Did I mention to you that Snipeshooter is only like twelve and Race is a homosexual?"
"What?"
"Snipe and Race, the guys that I talk to, they have no interest in me as more than a friend. The rest of the boys are claimed by other girls. Nothing is going to happen up here."
"You're sure?"
"Positive. And even if any of them tried anything, I still know that I'm with you." Kristan kissed Nick again. Their red hair matched almost exactly as his forehead rested against hers.
"Good, because I don't want to loose you."
"And I refuse to be lost." Kristan smiled up at him. Her boy. Her boy that she had worked so long to get, not even a Newsie could take her away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Boots, Storm, Luna and Angel all filed into the hay room, swarming around Angel.
"Are you sure about this, Boots?" Angel asked nervously. Luna and Storm chatted excitedly. Rolls of duct tape hung from each of their arms. This could not be good.
"Yeah. Skittery had a one once. We put it on for twenty four hours, and it was gone?"
"What was gone?" Gryffin asked. Barn staff could never be trusted with duct tape. Boots had already learned that. She was afraid of Angel learning the same thing the same way.
"His wart," Boots said, nodding. "See, red duct tape gets rid of warts."
"Angel here has a wart on her elbow. An odd place for a wart, but we're going to fix that for her." Storm grinned, flashing all of her teeth and waving her red duct tape in one hand.
"Here, Angel," Boots said, "Give me your arm."
First, Boots circled her elbow with the duct tape. Then he made a bracelet around both of her wrists. After much reluctance from Angel and insistence from Boots, He made similar circlets around both of her ankles and her waist.
"Are you sure that she doesn't need any more on her?" Luna asked.
"No," Angel replied firmly. "If this doesn't work Boots, this is going to be your head. I am not walking around in duct tape for an entire day for nothing."
"What? You've never spent a day with random bits of duct tape attached to you before?" Storm asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I have, but not with tape around my waist. It is incredibly uncomfortable already."
"You'll get used to it," Boots promised. "It starts to stretch after a few hours."
"Oooh, hey Luna," Storm said excitedly. "I just got an idea of what the barn staff can give to everybody for the banquet. It's easy and it's cheap. Here, I'll tell you in the tack room." Storm and Luna wandered off in what was generally the other direction. Boots smiled at his handiwork as he and Angel headed back to the campers they were tending.
Gryffin lay against the hay and realized how much of a passive observer she had been for the past few days. For some reason, with Blink around she did not always want to be the center of attention at camp, as she usually was. She was content to sit in the background and chill with her small group of friends. Well, she was going to have to do something about that. It just would not do for Gryffin, Super-councilor, to sit back and watch camp go on around her. She needed to be a driving force behind camp, for her own personal reasons.
She immediately got up out of the hay room and walked toward the ring. Some of the girls were still standing there, waiting for their turn to go through the little obstacle course that the barn staff had set up. Time to make a few more campers wish that they could stay here all year...
End Twenty Two