How to Deal
Chapter Five
Ashley was running through the dessert, a large figure chasing her. She looked back and yelled Squid and Stanley's name. No voice came out of her mouth. She screamed again, she waved her arms, but Squid and Stanley didn't see and didn't even try to save her. [i]They promised me that they would protect me![/i] Ashley thought to herself. She was angry, the large figure was a boy, and he was gaining on her. She tripped into a hole. Pain seared through her ankle. She fell and fell in the hole and it seemed to go on forever. Like an endless pit. Right when she was about to land on the ground below her and die, she awoke with a start. She screamed. She had been dreaming. Ashley had sweat rolling down her face. She wiped it off. It wasn't sweat, it was tears. Ashley was breathing heavily. She sat up and rested her head on her heads, looking down. She started crying. Squid got up out of his cot and started walking towards Ashley. He was the only one that woke up from her screaming. He kneeled down next to her cot. As soon as Ashley knew he was there, she stopped making the sobbing noises. "Are you okay?" he whispered. She nodded. "Yeah." She whispered. "You sure?" "Uh-huh." Ashley lifted her head up and leaned back onto the wall behind her cot. She sniffed, from crying, and then wiped her eyes. "Why were you crying?" he asked. Ashley shook her head. "I-I don't remember. I only remember that I was dreaming." She said. "Can you remember what it was?" Squid asked. Ashley strained her memory. "I-I remember.um, you were in it." She said. "I was?" Ashley nodded, "Yeah, you were, so was Stanley.and.and.a large, dark figure. He was chasing me...and..." Ashley trailed off and started crying again. She started thinking to herself that she's crying about nothing and in the morning she'll feel embarrassed that she ever cried in front of Squid for just a stupid dream, but it just seemed so real. Squid had a look of sympathy on his face. "It's okay. Don't worry." He said. "Yeah, but you didn't protect me!" she said. "What do you mean?" Squid asked. "In the dream.you let the figure chase me into a hole." She said. "That's not real Ashley, I would never do that in real life." He said. She nodded. "It was just so real. I actually felt my ankle hurting when I tripped." She said. "It was like I was taken into a parallel universe." "Wait, hold on now. Stop it. You're starting to sound like the paranoid Zig- Zag." Squid said, smiling. Ashley smiled. Squid looked at his watch, 4:00. "We have to get up and dig in a half hour." He said. Ashley looked down. "I'm afraid to go back to sleep." She said, sounding corny. "You probably think I'm stupid to say that, don't you. Like a little kid who's chickened out." "No, that's impossible." He said. "Come on, let's just hang out in the wreck room. I'll stay up too. You probably shouldn't be alone out there, you know, with that guy and everything." He said. "Thanks." Ashley said. Squid stood up and went to his cot where his shirt was sitting on the floor. He put it on and then slipped on his shoes. Ashley wiped her face and then put on her own shoes. "Ready?" he asked. "Yep, let's go." She said. "You don't put make-up on or anything?" he asked. Ashley gave him a quizzical look. "You think that I [i]need[/i] make-up?" Squid shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant." He said, smiling. "It's just, all the girls that were at my school or in my neighborhood always had to put make-up on before they do [i]anything[/i]." he said. "Quite annoying really." Ashley laughed. "No, I don't wear make-up, well, sometimes. But why would I put make-up on when I'm going out in the hot sun and getting dirt anyway?" "My point exactly." Said Squid. Ashley smiled and shook her head. [i]What a character.[/i] She thought. [i]I haven't laughed like this in a long, long time.[/i]
Squid and Ashley walked into the wreck room and the guy that tried to kiss her was sitting on the couch. "Just ignore him." Squid whispered so only Ashley could hear. "What are you up to little lady?" he asked. Ashley made a face, but the guy didn't see. Squid put his arm around Ashley. Ashley cringed and Squid instantly pulled his hand away. "Sorry." He whispered. "It's okay. I just do that automatically." She whispered. "Why?" he asked. "Because..I used to be abused by my father, I'll tell her about all of it later. But you can put your arm around me." She said. Squid nodded. "Hey! I think I asked you a question!" the guy said, getting up off the couch. Squid put his arm on Ashley's shoulder. "Listen, just leave her alone alright?" "What did you say?" the guy asked. Ashley was scared. She didn't want Squid to fight him. She hated fights. "I said, leave her alone. She doesn't want anything to do with you and we want to play some pool in peace." Squid said, not rudely, but firm. "Alright, alright, alright. Just chill." The guy said. "So, you got your own little bodyguard huh? Can't take care of yourself?" he asked Ashley. "I can too!" she yelled. Squid led her out of the wreck room. "Just don't forget..I'll get you, tough guy! And then I'll get her!" he yelled. He said 'get her' in a total different way than 'get you' to Squid. He meant that he'll hurt Squid and then get Ashley for a girlfriend. "Don't worry about it. Once X-Ray gets up, I'll tell him about that guy and he'll watch out for you, okay?" Squid asked. "Listen." Ashley said, pulling away from Squid's arm. "I don't like people thinking that I have a bodyguard." She said. "But I'm not." He said. "I know, but it looks like it," she said, "to other people." Squid nodded. "I'll try not to make it look like that." "Thanks," she said, "I'm sorry I'm so strict." "You're not." Squid said. "I am too and you know it!" she said, smiling and giving him a little push. Squid shook his head. "It's just, I've had a hard life and I'm not used to such nice people," She said, "because, well, I've known nice people, but then they turn around and dump or hurt me." Squid nodded. "They just act like I have no feelings." She said. "Everybody has feelings." Squid said. "Exactly." She said. Ashley tripped and fell flat on her face, a picture falling out of her pocket. "Ow!" she yelled, half laughing. "Dang! I'm so stupid! I'm always tripping over my own feet!" Squid laughed. "That's okay." He said, helping her to her feet. "What's that?" he asked, picking up the picture. It was a picture of Landon. "Oh, my boyfriend." She said. "You have a boyfriend?" he asked. "Kinda. He sort of has..two.girlfriends." Ashley said. "And you're one of them?" "Yeah," she said, "I don't want to be though. He's the reason I got sent to Camp Green Lake in the first place. The other one is Jennifer. She's the kind of girl who would be screaming right now because she'd get all dirty and everything like that, if she was here." Squid laughed. "You mean the kind of girl who would yell 'Oh I broke a nail!' type thing?" "Yeah." Ashley said, laughing. "It's nice to imagine her here, all miserable and stuff." Squid nodded. "Why doesn't he have you instead of Jennifer?" he asked. Ashley shrugged. "Dunno, maybe because he thinks I'm just a little kid and he'd rather have someone that's older, like her." "How old is Landon?" Squid asked. "He's almost 24." Ashley said. "That's pretty old to have a girl like you. How old are you again?" he asked. "16." She said. "So, you're broken up?" "Yeah. I don't love him anymore. He ruined my life and didn't lose a bit of sleep by it." She said. "He doesn't deserve a girl like you anyway." Squid said. Ashley felt something inside her that she never felt before. She felt loved. But did Squid love her? Or was she just feeling like this because he was treating her good? "Did you love him before?" Squid asked. Ashley thought about that question. She never really [i]did[/i] love him to begin with. She just thought it was cool to have a 24 year old boyfriend. She thought that Landon would've protected her, not get her into trouble.on purpose. Ashley shook her head. "I, uh, never really did. I just thought it was cool to have an older boyfriend that would protect me from harm. But I was very wrong." She said. And then Squid's words popped into Ashley's head. 'Don't worry, I'll protect you' the words said. Ashley's stomach turned. Did she finally find someone that would really care for her? Or was he just full of bull just like Landon was?
Ashley was running through the dessert, a large figure chasing her. She looked back and yelled Squid and Stanley's name. No voice came out of her mouth. She screamed again, she waved her arms, but Squid and Stanley didn't see and didn't even try to save her. [i]They promised me that they would protect me![/i] Ashley thought to herself. She was angry, the large figure was a boy, and he was gaining on her. She tripped into a hole. Pain seared through her ankle. She fell and fell in the hole and it seemed to go on forever. Like an endless pit. Right when she was about to land on the ground below her and die, she awoke with a start. She screamed. She had been dreaming. Ashley had sweat rolling down her face. She wiped it off. It wasn't sweat, it was tears. Ashley was breathing heavily. She sat up and rested her head on her heads, looking down. She started crying. Squid got up out of his cot and started walking towards Ashley. He was the only one that woke up from her screaming. He kneeled down next to her cot. As soon as Ashley knew he was there, she stopped making the sobbing noises. "Are you okay?" he whispered. She nodded. "Yeah." She whispered. "You sure?" "Uh-huh." Ashley lifted her head up and leaned back onto the wall behind her cot. She sniffed, from crying, and then wiped her eyes. "Why were you crying?" he asked. Ashley shook her head. "I-I don't remember. I only remember that I was dreaming." She said. "Can you remember what it was?" Squid asked. Ashley strained her memory. "I-I remember.um, you were in it." She said. "I was?" Ashley nodded, "Yeah, you were, so was Stanley.and.and.a large, dark figure. He was chasing me...and..." Ashley trailed off and started crying again. She started thinking to herself that she's crying about nothing and in the morning she'll feel embarrassed that she ever cried in front of Squid for just a stupid dream, but it just seemed so real. Squid had a look of sympathy on his face. "It's okay. Don't worry." He said. "Yeah, but you didn't protect me!" she said. "What do you mean?" Squid asked. "In the dream.you let the figure chase me into a hole." She said. "That's not real Ashley, I would never do that in real life." He said. She nodded. "It was just so real. I actually felt my ankle hurting when I tripped." She said. "It was like I was taken into a parallel universe." "Wait, hold on now. Stop it. You're starting to sound like the paranoid Zig- Zag." Squid said, smiling. Ashley smiled. Squid looked at his watch, 4:00. "We have to get up and dig in a half hour." He said. Ashley looked down. "I'm afraid to go back to sleep." She said, sounding corny. "You probably think I'm stupid to say that, don't you. Like a little kid who's chickened out." "No, that's impossible." He said. "Come on, let's just hang out in the wreck room. I'll stay up too. You probably shouldn't be alone out there, you know, with that guy and everything." He said. "Thanks." Ashley said. Squid stood up and went to his cot where his shirt was sitting on the floor. He put it on and then slipped on his shoes. Ashley wiped her face and then put on her own shoes. "Ready?" he asked. "Yep, let's go." She said. "You don't put make-up on or anything?" he asked. Ashley gave him a quizzical look. "You think that I [i]need[/i] make-up?" Squid shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant." He said, smiling. "It's just, all the girls that were at my school or in my neighborhood always had to put make-up on before they do [i]anything[/i]." he said. "Quite annoying really." Ashley laughed. "No, I don't wear make-up, well, sometimes. But why would I put make-up on when I'm going out in the hot sun and getting dirt anyway?" "My point exactly." Said Squid. Ashley smiled and shook her head. [i]What a character.[/i] She thought. [i]I haven't laughed like this in a long, long time.[/i]
Squid and Ashley walked into the wreck room and the guy that tried to kiss her was sitting on the couch. "Just ignore him." Squid whispered so only Ashley could hear. "What are you up to little lady?" he asked. Ashley made a face, but the guy didn't see. Squid put his arm around Ashley. Ashley cringed and Squid instantly pulled his hand away. "Sorry." He whispered. "It's okay. I just do that automatically." She whispered. "Why?" he asked. "Because..I used to be abused by my father, I'll tell her about all of it later. But you can put your arm around me." She said. Squid nodded. "Hey! I think I asked you a question!" the guy said, getting up off the couch. Squid put his arm on Ashley's shoulder. "Listen, just leave her alone alright?" "What did you say?" the guy asked. Ashley was scared. She didn't want Squid to fight him. She hated fights. "I said, leave her alone. She doesn't want anything to do with you and we want to play some pool in peace." Squid said, not rudely, but firm. "Alright, alright, alright. Just chill." The guy said. "So, you got your own little bodyguard huh? Can't take care of yourself?" he asked Ashley. "I can too!" she yelled. Squid led her out of the wreck room. "Just don't forget..I'll get you, tough guy! And then I'll get her!" he yelled. He said 'get her' in a total different way than 'get you' to Squid. He meant that he'll hurt Squid and then get Ashley for a girlfriend. "Don't worry about it. Once X-Ray gets up, I'll tell him about that guy and he'll watch out for you, okay?" Squid asked. "Listen." Ashley said, pulling away from Squid's arm. "I don't like people thinking that I have a bodyguard." She said. "But I'm not." He said. "I know, but it looks like it," she said, "to other people." Squid nodded. "I'll try not to make it look like that." "Thanks," she said, "I'm sorry I'm so strict." "You're not." Squid said. "I am too and you know it!" she said, smiling and giving him a little push. Squid shook his head. "It's just, I've had a hard life and I'm not used to such nice people," She said, "because, well, I've known nice people, but then they turn around and dump or hurt me." Squid nodded. "They just act like I have no feelings." She said. "Everybody has feelings." Squid said. "Exactly." She said. Ashley tripped and fell flat on her face, a picture falling out of her pocket. "Ow!" she yelled, half laughing. "Dang! I'm so stupid! I'm always tripping over my own feet!" Squid laughed. "That's okay." He said, helping her to her feet. "What's that?" he asked, picking up the picture. It was a picture of Landon. "Oh, my boyfriend." She said. "You have a boyfriend?" he asked. "Kinda. He sort of has..two.girlfriends." Ashley said. "And you're one of them?" "Yeah," she said, "I don't want to be though. He's the reason I got sent to Camp Green Lake in the first place. The other one is Jennifer. She's the kind of girl who would be screaming right now because she'd get all dirty and everything like that, if she was here." Squid laughed. "You mean the kind of girl who would yell 'Oh I broke a nail!' type thing?" "Yeah." Ashley said, laughing. "It's nice to imagine her here, all miserable and stuff." Squid nodded. "Why doesn't he have you instead of Jennifer?" he asked. Ashley shrugged. "Dunno, maybe because he thinks I'm just a little kid and he'd rather have someone that's older, like her." "How old is Landon?" Squid asked. "He's almost 24." Ashley said. "That's pretty old to have a girl like you. How old are you again?" he asked. "16." She said. "So, you're broken up?" "Yeah. I don't love him anymore. He ruined my life and didn't lose a bit of sleep by it." She said. "He doesn't deserve a girl like you anyway." Squid said. Ashley felt something inside her that she never felt before. She felt loved. But did Squid love her? Or was she just feeling like this because he was treating her good? "Did you love him before?" Squid asked. Ashley thought about that question. She never really [i]did[/i] love him to begin with. She just thought it was cool to have a 24 year old boyfriend. She thought that Landon would've protected her, not get her into trouble.on purpose. Ashley shook her head. "I, uh, never really did. I just thought it was cool to have an older boyfriend that would protect me from harm. But I was very wrong." She said. And then Squid's words popped into Ashley's head. 'Don't worry, I'll protect you' the words said. Ashley's stomach turned. Did she finally find someone that would really care for her? Or was he just full of bull just like Landon was?