X-Ray wrapped a loose gray thread from his pants around his finger, and tightly held it there until his skin began to purple around his fingernails. He wished the thin piece of string would hurt worse.
Most kids wish that all physical pain would leave there body. X-Ray wasn't "most kids". He was intimidating to everybody, himself included. He found that when he inflicted pain on himself, he would concentrate on that cut or bruise more than his problems. When he wanted to forget all of the agony that his life had brought him he cut himself, or scraped himself, or did whatever he could to hurt himself. Pain on the outside hurt worse than pain on the inside to him.
He didn't have a knife, or even a needle. They usually don't give those sorts of things out at juvenile delinquent facilities. He was hanging by a thread.
He was supposed to be a leader. He wound the thread around his finger. Twitch was passed out and dying on the ground, and all on his watch. His finger purpled. Everyone's going to die.
The thread broke.
---
Stanley arrived back at his house. He wiped his feet on the "Home Sweet Home" doormat, and turned the tarnished silver knob. He kicked off his sweet-smelling shoes, and threw his coat in the closet. For a while, he spoke with his parents about how the boys were - not for too long though, since his parents weren't thrilled that Stanley's best friends were all criminals. On the other hand, Stanley never had many school friends, so the parents were also happy that he had some friends - any friends.
Things were different for Stanley Yelnats. The Yelnats family used to be pretty poor, but now they would tend to Stanley's every desire with a few Benjamins. He had nice shoes, nice clothes, and a nifty cell phone that could record videos, respond to vocal commands, and had the coolest ring tones in town.
He unfolded his cell, and held it about two inches in front of his mouth.
"Hector Zeroni," He stated in a business-like way, and seven multi-tonal sounds followed. He had memorized the sound of those seven numbers - ol' Zero's digits.
"Hello?" Zero said. His voice had changed since they had returned from Camp Green Lake. It hadn't changed like most boy's voices change at his age, it wasn't any deeper or gruffer than it was before. The difference was the nice ring of confidence and happiness that he had. He used to mumble, unsure of his words. Not anymore.
"Hi! How've you been?" Stanley greeted, knowing that it wasn't necessary to identify himself. The boys knew each other's voices like an ornithologist knew the call of a warbler.
"Alright. Yourself?"
"Guess where I just was!" Stanley hadn't told him. He didn't because… well, he didn't know why, but it felt right. He knew that Zero wouldn't want to come along anyway.
"Hm. Where?"
"I went to visit the boys at their little in-between house."
There was a moment of short silence. It wasn't long, but it was meaningful. Stanley knew how the "boys" had mistreated Zero, and also knew of the awkward moment that he had created.
"Hm. How are they?" Zero asked. Stanley knew that he didn't really care, but felt obligated to speak.
"Fine, I guess. Hey, by the way, uhm…" Stanley searched his mind, trying to change the sensitive subject that he had just created.
"Did you get that new… CD? By uhm… The Four?" Zero recognized Stanley's desperate tone and longing to change the subject. Zero didn't mind. Not at all.
"Uh… yeah! It was…. Great!" Zero tried.
The phone in the kitchen rang, so Stanley had figured he should answer it.
"Hey , uhm, phone's ringing. Like, not my cell phone but the other one, so, I have got to go. Uhm, bye."
Stanley jogged over to the ringing phone and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hello. Is this Stanley Yelnats?" A gruff and determined voice barked at him.
"Yes. Uhm, who is this?"
"My name is Dr. Carl Blakely. I run the juvenile behavior rehabilitation program at Camp Bryce. A group from ….err…" Pages flipped in the background, as though he was shuffling through paperwork.
"Camp Green Lake?" Stanley tried to help.
"Yeah. That. Well, a group was supposed to be arriving here…. A few hours ago. We understand that you had visited some of the juveniles, and would like to see if you had information that you could supply us with. Anything you know would be appreciated."
Most kids wish that all physical pain would leave there body. X-Ray wasn't "most kids". He was intimidating to everybody, himself included. He found that when he inflicted pain on himself, he would concentrate on that cut or bruise more than his problems. When he wanted to forget all of the agony that his life had brought him he cut himself, or scraped himself, or did whatever he could to hurt himself. Pain on the outside hurt worse than pain on the inside to him.
He didn't have a knife, or even a needle. They usually don't give those sorts of things out at juvenile delinquent facilities. He was hanging by a thread.
He was supposed to be a leader. He wound the thread around his finger. Twitch was passed out and dying on the ground, and all on his watch. His finger purpled. Everyone's going to die.
The thread broke.
---
Stanley arrived back at his house. He wiped his feet on the "Home Sweet Home" doormat, and turned the tarnished silver knob. He kicked off his sweet-smelling shoes, and threw his coat in the closet. For a while, he spoke with his parents about how the boys were - not for too long though, since his parents weren't thrilled that Stanley's best friends were all criminals. On the other hand, Stanley never had many school friends, so the parents were also happy that he had some friends - any friends.
Things were different for Stanley Yelnats. The Yelnats family used to be pretty poor, but now they would tend to Stanley's every desire with a few Benjamins. He had nice shoes, nice clothes, and a nifty cell phone that could record videos, respond to vocal commands, and had the coolest ring tones in town.
He unfolded his cell, and held it about two inches in front of his mouth.
"Hector Zeroni," He stated in a business-like way, and seven multi-tonal sounds followed. He had memorized the sound of those seven numbers - ol' Zero's digits.
"Hello?" Zero said. His voice had changed since they had returned from Camp Green Lake. It hadn't changed like most boy's voices change at his age, it wasn't any deeper or gruffer than it was before. The difference was the nice ring of confidence and happiness that he had. He used to mumble, unsure of his words. Not anymore.
"Hi! How've you been?" Stanley greeted, knowing that it wasn't necessary to identify himself. The boys knew each other's voices like an ornithologist knew the call of a warbler.
"Alright. Yourself?"
"Guess where I just was!" Stanley hadn't told him. He didn't because… well, he didn't know why, but it felt right. He knew that Zero wouldn't want to come along anyway.
"Hm. Where?"
"I went to visit the boys at their little in-between house."
There was a moment of short silence. It wasn't long, but it was meaningful. Stanley knew how the "boys" had mistreated Zero, and also knew of the awkward moment that he had created.
"Hm. How are they?" Zero asked. Stanley knew that he didn't really care, but felt obligated to speak.
"Fine, I guess. Hey, by the way, uhm…" Stanley searched his mind, trying to change the sensitive subject that he had just created.
"Did you get that new… CD? By uhm… The Four?" Zero recognized Stanley's desperate tone and longing to change the subject. Zero didn't mind. Not at all.
"Uh… yeah! It was…. Great!" Zero tried.
The phone in the kitchen rang, so Stanley had figured he should answer it.
"Hey , uhm, phone's ringing. Like, not my cell phone but the other one, so, I have got to go. Uhm, bye."
Stanley jogged over to the ringing phone and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hello. Is this Stanley Yelnats?" A gruff and determined voice barked at him.
"Yes. Uhm, who is this?"
"My name is Dr. Carl Blakely. I run the juvenile behavior rehabilitation program at Camp Bryce. A group from ….err…" Pages flipped in the background, as though he was shuffling through paperwork.
"Camp Green Lake?" Stanley tried to help.
"Yeah. That. Well, a group was supposed to be arriving here…. A few hours ago. We understand that you had visited some of the juveniles, and would like to see if you had information that you could supply us with. Anything you know would be appreciated."