How to Deal
Chapter Three
Stanley and Ashley look at where the man was pointing. There was only one chair. Stanley held out his hands, gesturing that Ashley could have the chair. "Thanks." Ashley said, sitting down. Stanley stood behind her chair and put his hands on the back of it. "Ashley Pearl." The man said. Ashley nodded. "Stanley Yelnats..The Fourth?" "Yeah, everyone in my family names their son Stanley 'cause it's Yelnats backwards." the man let his clipboard slip from his hands and land on the desk, making it obvious that he didn't care what Stanley was saying. "..It's sort of this..uh..t-tradition." Stanley finished. Ashley actually felt a little sorry for Stanley. "My name is Mr. Sir. When you speak to me you will call me by my name, is that clear?" Ashley tried really hard not to laugh. "You think that's funny?" he asked. "No, Mr. Sir." Ashley said. "This isn't a Girl Scout Camp." He said, rather loudly. "Undress." He said. Stanley started taking off his shirt. "What? Who do you think I am? Stupid?" Ashley yelled. Mr. Sir didn't say anything. "Uh, yeah, uh, just go in there." He said, pointing to a door. Ashley narrowed her eyes. Mr. Sir tossed her an orange jumpsuit identical to the ones that the boys had. She opened the door to find a small closet that stuck of stinky feet. "Ew!" she whispered. She changed as quickly as she could. She left her shirt on and took off her black zipper pants. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and put it in her orange jumpsuit pocket. She took all of the other accessories that were hidden in her pants, like gum, hair rubber bands, keys, money, and credit cards, and put them in her backpack. She put a rubber band around her wrist and didn't take off any of her bracelets or necklaces. She considered them as her trade-mark, she'd never take them off, like the friendship bracelet that Alena had given her. Alena made a bracelet for Ashley and Ashley for Alena. They wouldn't take them off until they saw each other again. She popped a piece of gum in her mouth and put one piece in her pocket, to offer to Stanley. She opened the closet door and Stanley was waiting by the door of the cabin for her. "Come on." He said. "Oh, Stanley, wanna piece of gum?" Ashley asked. "Sure." He said. Ashley gave him the piece and they walked out of Mr. Sir's cabin, following a really short guy with a straw sunhat. "I'm Dr. Pendanski. I'm your counselor here at Camp Green Lake. You'll be in D-Tent. D Stands for Diligence. That's the Wreck Room, over there's the Mess Hall, and that's the Warden's cabin. That's the main rule at Camp Green Lake, do not upset the Warden." "Yeah, he seemed kind of..." Stanley started to say. "Oh Mr. Sir? He's not the Warden." Mr. Pendanski said. "Oh." Stanley said. "Hey mom!" Three boys started walking up to them. "Who are the Neanderthals?" a boy asked. "Oh, boys, meet Ashley and Stanley. They're in D-Tent." Mr. Pendanski said. "This is Rex, Alan, and Theodore." "Yo, my name's X-Ray." Said Rex. "This is Squid and that's Armpit." He said, gesturing to each one of the boys. "Him? He's Mom." Said the boy named Squid. "They all have their little nicknames." Said Mr. Pendanski, "But I prefer to call them the names that their parents gave them, the names that society will recognize them by." X-Ray just smirked. "Well, it's just about time for dinner at the Mess Hall." Said Mr. Pendanski, looking at his watch. "Well boys, you know what to do. Please help Ashley and Stanley adjust to everything at Camp Green Lake at tell them what they need to do each day." He said. X-Ray nodded. "Come on dogs." X-Ray said. Ashley and Stanley followed Squid, Armpit, and X-Ray to the Mess Hall. "D-Tent sits here." Said Squid. Three other boys were already at the table with their dinner. Ashley and Stanley sat down next to each other at the table. Ashley sat with her elbows on the table and tried hard to not get sick just looking at the food. "So, what're your names?" asked a boy that had really frizzy blonde hair. "Stanley." Stanley said. "Uh, I'm Ashley." She mumbled. She didn't feel like socializing with people right now. "What'd they get ya for?" asked Squid. "I stole some shoes." Stanley said. Everyone laughed. "From a store? Or were they on someone's feet?" Squid asked. "No, you killed the dude first, you just left out that little detail right?" asked the blonde-haired kid. "They were Clyde Livingston's shoes." Stanley said. "Man you didn't steal no Clyde Livingston's "Sweet-Feet" shoes!" X-Ray exclaimed. "They were his World Series Cleats." Stanley said. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on a sec. How'd you get 'em? I mean, he's like the fastest guy in the majors right?" asked a boy that looked Hispanic. "He donated them to this homeless shelter." Stanley said. "Did they have red X's on 'em?" asked Zero. Everyone in D-Tent gasped. "Man! You got Zero to talk!" Squid said. "Man what else can you do Zero?" asked Armpit. Ashley thought that was kind of a rude thing to say to Zero. "What about you Ashley?" asked X-Ray. Ashley didn't answer. She felt embarrassed to tell everyone that her 'too- old' ex-boyfriend set her up with is good-for-nothing college girlfriend at the back of an old factory. "Well?" asked the blonde-haired boy. Ashley just starred down at her food. X-Ray shook his head. "Dude, maybe she doesn't like people knowing what she did!" said Squid. "Yeah." Said Stanley. Zero nodded. Ashley looked up and wanted to smile at Squid, Stanley, and Zero but she looked back down. "Whatever man." Said X-Ray. Finally, everyone was done eating and they went to the Wreck Room to go hang out. Ashley still didn't feel like socializing, but she went anyway because she has nothing better to do. As she sat there on the couch, she thought about Landon and Jennifer, and how [i]they[/i] should be the ones sitting here, not her.
Stanley and Ashley look at where the man was pointing. There was only one chair. Stanley held out his hands, gesturing that Ashley could have the chair. "Thanks." Ashley said, sitting down. Stanley stood behind her chair and put his hands on the back of it. "Ashley Pearl." The man said. Ashley nodded. "Stanley Yelnats..The Fourth?" "Yeah, everyone in my family names their son Stanley 'cause it's Yelnats backwards." the man let his clipboard slip from his hands and land on the desk, making it obvious that he didn't care what Stanley was saying. "..It's sort of this..uh..t-tradition." Stanley finished. Ashley actually felt a little sorry for Stanley. "My name is Mr. Sir. When you speak to me you will call me by my name, is that clear?" Ashley tried really hard not to laugh. "You think that's funny?" he asked. "No, Mr. Sir." Ashley said. "This isn't a Girl Scout Camp." He said, rather loudly. "Undress." He said. Stanley started taking off his shirt. "What? Who do you think I am? Stupid?" Ashley yelled. Mr. Sir didn't say anything. "Uh, yeah, uh, just go in there." He said, pointing to a door. Ashley narrowed her eyes. Mr. Sir tossed her an orange jumpsuit identical to the ones that the boys had. She opened the door to find a small closet that stuck of stinky feet. "Ew!" she whispered. She changed as quickly as she could. She left her shirt on and took off her black zipper pants. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and put it in her orange jumpsuit pocket. She took all of the other accessories that were hidden in her pants, like gum, hair rubber bands, keys, money, and credit cards, and put them in her backpack. She put a rubber band around her wrist and didn't take off any of her bracelets or necklaces. She considered them as her trade-mark, she'd never take them off, like the friendship bracelet that Alena had given her. Alena made a bracelet for Ashley and Ashley for Alena. They wouldn't take them off until they saw each other again. She popped a piece of gum in her mouth and put one piece in her pocket, to offer to Stanley. She opened the closet door and Stanley was waiting by the door of the cabin for her. "Come on." He said. "Oh, Stanley, wanna piece of gum?" Ashley asked. "Sure." He said. Ashley gave him the piece and they walked out of Mr. Sir's cabin, following a really short guy with a straw sunhat. "I'm Dr. Pendanski. I'm your counselor here at Camp Green Lake. You'll be in D-Tent. D Stands for Diligence. That's the Wreck Room, over there's the Mess Hall, and that's the Warden's cabin. That's the main rule at Camp Green Lake, do not upset the Warden." "Yeah, he seemed kind of..." Stanley started to say. "Oh Mr. Sir? He's not the Warden." Mr. Pendanski said. "Oh." Stanley said. "Hey mom!" Three boys started walking up to them. "Who are the Neanderthals?" a boy asked. "Oh, boys, meet Ashley and Stanley. They're in D-Tent." Mr. Pendanski said. "This is Rex, Alan, and Theodore." "Yo, my name's X-Ray." Said Rex. "This is Squid and that's Armpit." He said, gesturing to each one of the boys. "Him? He's Mom." Said the boy named Squid. "They all have their little nicknames." Said Mr. Pendanski, "But I prefer to call them the names that their parents gave them, the names that society will recognize them by." X-Ray just smirked. "Well, it's just about time for dinner at the Mess Hall." Said Mr. Pendanski, looking at his watch. "Well boys, you know what to do. Please help Ashley and Stanley adjust to everything at Camp Green Lake at tell them what they need to do each day." He said. X-Ray nodded. "Come on dogs." X-Ray said. Ashley and Stanley followed Squid, Armpit, and X-Ray to the Mess Hall. "D-Tent sits here." Said Squid. Three other boys were already at the table with their dinner. Ashley and Stanley sat down next to each other at the table. Ashley sat with her elbows on the table and tried hard to not get sick just looking at the food. "So, what're your names?" asked a boy that had really frizzy blonde hair. "Stanley." Stanley said. "Uh, I'm Ashley." She mumbled. She didn't feel like socializing with people right now. "What'd they get ya for?" asked Squid. "I stole some shoes." Stanley said. Everyone laughed. "From a store? Or were they on someone's feet?" Squid asked. "No, you killed the dude first, you just left out that little detail right?" asked the blonde-haired kid. "They were Clyde Livingston's shoes." Stanley said. "Man you didn't steal no Clyde Livingston's "Sweet-Feet" shoes!" X-Ray exclaimed. "They were his World Series Cleats." Stanley said. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on a sec. How'd you get 'em? I mean, he's like the fastest guy in the majors right?" asked a boy that looked Hispanic. "He donated them to this homeless shelter." Stanley said. "Did they have red X's on 'em?" asked Zero. Everyone in D-Tent gasped. "Man! You got Zero to talk!" Squid said. "Man what else can you do Zero?" asked Armpit. Ashley thought that was kind of a rude thing to say to Zero. "What about you Ashley?" asked X-Ray. Ashley didn't answer. She felt embarrassed to tell everyone that her 'too- old' ex-boyfriend set her up with is good-for-nothing college girlfriend at the back of an old factory. "Well?" asked the blonde-haired boy. Ashley just starred down at her food. X-Ray shook his head. "Dude, maybe she doesn't like people knowing what she did!" said Squid. "Yeah." Said Stanley. Zero nodded. Ashley looked up and wanted to smile at Squid, Stanley, and Zero but she looked back down. "Whatever man." Said X-Ray. Finally, everyone was done eating and they went to the Wreck Room to go hang out. Ashley still didn't feel like socializing, but she went anyway because she has nothing better to do. As she sat there on the couch, she thought about Landon and Jennifer, and how [i]they[/i] should be the ones sitting here, not her.