How to Deal
Chapter Four
While everyone was playing pool or cards or whatever, Ashley pulled out a pen and paper and started to right Alena a letter.
[i]Alena, Sup girl? I miss being home. Man this place sucks here! This kid called Stanley Yelnats rode on the bus with me, he was nice, but still..I miss being home. Man I despise Landon! There are a couple of weird kids around, nothing I can't handle. A couple of them are cute, but they never say anything to me and if they did I'd probably push them away or something. There's all sorts of people here. Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, Talls, Shorts, Fats, Slims, and lots more. My counselor is...well, ok. He's really short. I haven't met the Warden yet, but I'm not looking forward to it. Please write back, I'm desperate! Things are miserable here without you. The food makes me want to throw up! And there's nowhere to ride my skateboard. Well, I better go. I miss ya Lena,
Ashley[/i]
"Who are you writing to?" Ashley heard the boy's voice come from behind her. She screamed a small scream. "Jesus! You scared the hell outta me!" she yelled. She turned around and saw one of the cutest boys she'd ever seen. "Sorry." He said. Ashley lightly shook her head, "Uh, I'm writing to my best friend." She said. He nodded. He went around the side of the couch and sat down next to her. "What do ya think of Camp Green Lake?" he asked. Ashley shook her head. "I hate it!" she said firmly. "Oh, well, you'll get used to it." He said. "Yeah, sure." She said, sarcastically. "Oh, by the way, I'm Squid." He said, holding out his hand. Ashley raised her eyebrows, "That's your real name?" "No." he said. "My real name is Alan, but we all have nicknames." "Mmm." She said, clearly not interested. Squid put his hand down. "Well, I'm gonna play a game of pool, wanna play?" he asked. She looked him up and down, "Who do you think I am? I don't play..[i]pool[/i]." she said. "Why?" he asked. "Because! It's a game for geeks." She said. "Oh, well, I guess I'm the head of the geek club then." He said. "I'm the pool champion." He said. "Wow, impressive." She said. Ashley truly didn't know why she was being so short and rude. She just wanted some time to herself without stupid boys like Squid bothering her all the time. Squid walked off and joined X-Ray and the Hispanic boy in a game of pool. "Hey Stanley!" yelled the Hispanic boy. "What?" "Come play pool with us!" the boy yelled. "Alright." Stanley said as he got up from the floor where he was writing a letter and walked over to the guys. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Hey babe." A strong long voice said. She turned and looked around. "Are you lonely?" he asked, slowly. He sat down on the couch next to her, strangely close. "For your information, I'm not lonely, I just fell like being alone right now." She said. He leaned over to her and smelled her neck. "Ooo, you smell good." He said. She pushed him in the chest. "Get off of me!" she yelled. Pretty soon, all of the campers in the wreck room started gathering around. "Come on, princess, come into our tent." He said, gesturing to five other tough guys. "No, I'd rather stay here!" she said, sounding less sure of herself. The guy leaned forward to kiss her when suddenly he was pulled off of her really fast. She looked at what made him leave and saw D-Tent fighting with the tough guys. Ashley didn't know what to do, when finally everyone stopped fighting and the tough boys walked out. "I'll be back for you!" shouted the boy that tried to kiss her. Ashley looked up at the D-Tent boys. Squid and Stanley had bloody lips, Magnet got a black eye, X-Ray was holding his arm where a large bruise was underneath his hand, and Armpit didn't have a scratch on him. Probably because he's so big that he doesn't get hurt. Zig-Zag was rubbing his head and Zero had the 8Ball in his hand. Ashley let out a breath of relief and walked over to D-Tent. A tear rolled down her cheek. "You know, you guys could've been the guys that just ignored me and let me deal with it myself." She said. "No man. We never let anyone push girls around like that." Said X-Ray. Armpit and Zig-Zag nodded in agreement. "But I was so rude to all of you and, well, weren't you mad at me?" she asked. "No. I mean, it's hard to adjust to everything here." Said X-Ray. Ashley looked at Squid and Stanley. They were rubbing their arms and holding their sleeves to their faces. "Thank you." Ashley said. "I don't know what would've happened if you weren't there." They nodded. "We'll protect you. You won't be harmed as long as we're in the room." Said Squid. "Yeah! D-Tent sticks together!" said X-Ray. Everyone in D-Tent cheered and they walked back to their tents.
Mr. Pendanski had set up a separate room for Ashley to change in, but not to sleep in. She had to sleep between Squid and Stanley. "So, what do I have to do here for punishment?" Ashley asked. "Mr. Pendanski or Mr. Sir did tell you?" asked Zig-Zag. "No." Ashley said. "Well, we have to dig five by five holes everyday." Said Squid. "What? Wait a minute. Dig a hole everyday? How hard can it be? That's nothing." Ashley said with a quizzical look. "You'd be surprised." Said Armpit. Ashley shook her head, and for once, she smiled. "It's hard, believe me Ashley." Said Squid. "Oh well that's nice encouragement." She said, but this time, not in a sarcastic way. "Did you tell them about the lizards?" asked Zig-Zag. "Yeah, you have to watch out for scorpions, tarantulas, and yellow-spotted lizards. They will kill you with one bite!" said Magnet. Ashley shuddered. "Oh. So, maybe it's not going to be as easy as I thought." She said. "Don't worry, we'll protect you." Said X-Ray. "Thanks guys." She said. "Hey, no problem." They all said, smiling. "Well, I'm going to sleep now." She said. "Good-night Ash." Said Stanley. "Yeah, good-night." The rest of D-Tent said. "Night." Ashley said, and she smiled again and laid down on her cot. As Ashley drifted off into an uneasy sleep, she thought to herself, "Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all."
While everyone was playing pool or cards or whatever, Ashley pulled out a pen and paper and started to right Alena a letter.
[i]Alena, Sup girl? I miss being home. Man this place sucks here! This kid called Stanley Yelnats rode on the bus with me, he was nice, but still..I miss being home. Man I despise Landon! There are a couple of weird kids around, nothing I can't handle. A couple of them are cute, but they never say anything to me and if they did I'd probably push them away or something. There's all sorts of people here. Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, Talls, Shorts, Fats, Slims, and lots more. My counselor is...well, ok. He's really short. I haven't met the Warden yet, but I'm not looking forward to it. Please write back, I'm desperate! Things are miserable here without you. The food makes me want to throw up! And there's nowhere to ride my skateboard. Well, I better go. I miss ya Lena,
Ashley[/i]
"Who are you writing to?" Ashley heard the boy's voice come from behind her. She screamed a small scream. "Jesus! You scared the hell outta me!" she yelled. She turned around and saw one of the cutest boys she'd ever seen. "Sorry." He said. Ashley lightly shook her head, "Uh, I'm writing to my best friend." She said. He nodded. He went around the side of the couch and sat down next to her. "What do ya think of Camp Green Lake?" he asked. Ashley shook her head. "I hate it!" she said firmly. "Oh, well, you'll get used to it." He said. "Yeah, sure." She said, sarcastically. "Oh, by the way, I'm Squid." He said, holding out his hand. Ashley raised her eyebrows, "That's your real name?" "No." he said. "My real name is Alan, but we all have nicknames." "Mmm." She said, clearly not interested. Squid put his hand down. "Well, I'm gonna play a game of pool, wanna play?" he asked. She looked him up and down, "Who do you think I am? I don't play..[i]pool[/i]." she said. "Why?" he asked. "Because! It's a game for geeks." She said. "Oh, well, I guess I'm the head of the geek club then." He said. "I'm the pool champion." He said. "Wow, impressive." She said. Ashley truly didn't know why she was being so short and rude. She just wanted some time to herself without stupid boys like Squid bothering her all the time. Squid walked off and joined X-Ray and the Hispanic boy in a game of pool. "Hey Stanley!" yelled the Hispanic boy. "What?" "Come play pool with us!" the boy yelled. "Alright." Stanley said as he got up from the floor where he was writing a letter and walked over to the guys. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Hey babe." A strong long voice said. She turned and looked around. "Are you lonely?" he asked, slowly. He sat down on the couch next to her, strangely close. "For your information, I'm not lonely, I just fell like being alone right now." She said. He leaned over to her and smelled her neck. "Ooo, you smell good." He said. She pushed him in the chest. "Get off of me!" she yelled. Pretty soon, all of the campers in the wreck room started gathering around. "Come on, princess, come into our tent." He said, gesturing to five other tough guys. "No, I'd rather stay here!" she said, sounding less sure of herself. The guy leaned forward to kiss her when suddenly he was pulled off of her really fast. She looked at what made him leave and saw D-Tent fighting with the tough guys. Ashley didn't know what to do, when finally everyone stopped fighting and the tough boys walked out. "I'll be back for you!" shouted the boy that tried to kiss her. Ashley looked up at the D-Tent boys. Squid and Stanley had bloody lips, Magnet got a black eye, X-Ray was holding his arm where a large bruise was underneath his hand, and Armpit didn't have a scratch on him. Probably because he's so big that he doesn't get hurt. Zig-Zag was rubbing his head and Zero had the 8Ball in his hand. Ashley let out a breath of relief and walked over to D-Tent. A tear rolled down her cheek. "You know, you guys could've been the guys that just ignored me and let me deal with it myself." She said. "No man. We never let anyone push girls around like that." Said X-Ray. Armpit and Zig-Zag nodded in agreement. "But I was so rude to all of you and, well, weren't you mad at me?" she asked. "No. I mean, it's hard to adjust to everything here." Said X-Ray. Ashley looked at Squid and Stanley. They were rubbing their arms and holding their sleeves to their faces. "Thank you." Ashley said. "I don't know what would've happened if you weren't there." They nodded. "We'll protect you. You won't be harmed as long as we're in the room." Said Squid. "Yeah! D-Tent sticks together!" said X-Ray. Everyone in D-Tent cheered and they walked back to their tents.
Mr. Pendanski had set up a separate room for Ashley to change in, but not to sleep in. She had to sleep between Squid and Stanley. "So, what do I have to do here for punishment?" Ashley asked. "Mr. Pendanski or Mr. Sir did tell you?" asked Zig-Zag. "No." Ashley said. "Well, we have to dig five by five holes everyday." Said Squid. "What? Wait a minute. Dig a hole everyday? How hard can it be? That's nothing." Ashley said with a quizzical look. "You'd be surprised." Said Armpit. Ashley shook her head, and for once, she smiled. "It's hard, believe me Ashley." Said Squid. "Oh well that's nice encouragement." She said, but this time, not in a sarcastic way. "Did you tell them about the lizards?" asked Zig-Zag. "Yeah, you have to watch out for scorpions, tarantulas, and yellow-spotted lizards. They will kill you with one bite!" said Magnet. Ashley shuddered. "Oh. So, maybe it's not going to be as easy as I thought." She said. "Don't worry, we'll protect you." Said X-Ray. "Thanks guys." She said. "Hey, no problem." They all said, smiling. "Well, I'm going to sleep now." She said. "Good-night Ash." Said Stanley. "Yeah, good-night." The rest of D-Tent said. "Night." Ashley said, and she smiled again and laid down on her cot. As Ashley drifted off into an uneasy sleep, she thought to herself, "Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all."