How to Deal: Chapter Seven
Ashley got in the back of the line for the water truck, behind Zero, where Mr. Pendanski was filling their canteens. "I have an announcement!" said Mr. Pendanski. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. Judging by the looks on their faces, Ashley could tell that they rarely get announcements like this. "Some new campers are going to arrive." He said, proudly. "What?" everyone asked, looking at each other. "But I thought Ashley and Stanley were the only ones arriving." X-Ray said. "Yes, well they were. But now, a different camp has shut down and some new people are going to be here at Camp Green Lake." He said. "Only boys?" asked Zig-Zag "No, Ricky. Girls are going to be here too." Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley almost got excited over that, but not too much. It was going to be nice to have another girl around, but she had no idea what she would be like. "And since D-Tent might be getting a little crowded with kids, a new counselor is going to arrive. Actually, a new counselor for each tent is going to arrive." He said. [i]How many times is he going to use the word 'arrive'?[/i] Ashley wondered, smiling to herself. [i]Maybe he's trying to make it sound like an organized camp, and being all formal and stuff.[/i] "So, please grab your graham crackers, apples, cheese, and bologna for your lunch and continue digging." Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley grabbed her lunch and saw Squid sneak a whole handful of graham crackers. Ashley half smiled. "So, how do you feel about more girls coming?" he asked when he kneeled down to offer her another graham cracker. "Thanks." She said, taking the cracker, "I dunno, I'm kinda nervous. I mean, they could be real jerks, you never know." Squid nodded, "Yeah." Once they were done eating, Ashley continued digging her hole and was almost done when Zero started walking back to camp. "You're done already?" Stanley asked. "Dude, don't you know man? He's like the fastest digger in the camp!" Magnet said. "Yeah, Zero's a mole. I think he eats the dirt." Squid said. "Moles don't eat dirt. Worms eat dirt dog." X-Ray said. "Yeah, Zero's a weird dude." Zig-Zag said. 15 minutes later, Ashley was finished with her hole and she started walking back to camp. She had huge blisters on her hands. They stung really badly and they were filled with dirt and blood. Ashley couldn't look at it any longer because it reminded her of the way her father used to beat her. She ran to the showers and rinsed off her hands. Once she was finished taking a shower, she went into the wreck room and saw Zero sitting in the corner. "Hey." Ashley said. Zero didn't say anything. "Mind if I come sit next to you?" Ashley asked him. Zero shook his head. "Alright." Ashley said as she sat down next to him. Ashley didn't really know what to say, so she just sat there. "How old are you?" Ashley asked. Zero just looked at her. "14." He said after a long silence. "14? Cool." She said. Ashley knew that Zero was going to want to know how old she was. "How old are you?" he finally asked her. "I'm 16 years old." She said. Zero nodded. "Hey!" Squid said as he and some of the other campers walked into the tent. "Hi!" said Ashley. "Zero, I'm going to play pool with some of the guys, wanna play?" she asked him. Zero nodded and Ashley saw him smile.
"So, who's all gonna play?" Ashley asked Squid as her and Zero walked over to the pool tables. "Uh, I think it's just me, you, Zero, and Stanley." He said. "Cool." Ashley said. "Where are all the other boys?" Ashley asked. "Still digging I reckon." Said Squid, imitating Mr. Sir's voice. Ashley laughed.
Ashley and Zero were on a team and Stanley and Squid were a team. "So, how are you guys gonna feel when a whole bunch of girls as snotty as me show up at camp?" Ashley asked. Zero smiled. "What makes you think that you're snotty?" Stanley asked. "Nevermind." Ashley said. "She meant it as a joke, man." Squid said. Stanley paused. "I don't get it." He said. Ashley and Squid laughed. Mr. Pendanski walked in the room. "Attention all campers!" he said loudly. Ashley rolled her eyes and turned to look at him. "I have another announcement!" he said. "The campers and counselors that were to arrive tomorrow, are going to arrive tonight!" he said, proudly. Ashley's stomach did cartwheels. Some of the campers cheered, some snickered, and some just looked extremely bored. Squid, Stanley, and Zero just listened to Mr. Pendanski. "Now I want all of you to step outside and welcome the campers to their new home." He said. Everyone groaned.
"Look! There's the bus!" Magnet exclaimed. Ashley smiled, but she didn't really believe that it was a true smile. She was still a little uneasy about the whole thing. She didn't understand why, she just had a strange feeling. After Mr. Sir called off all of the tents, except for D-Tent, he said, "Alright D-Tent campers! Listen up! Mr. Pendanski here is going to call of the names of our new D-Tent campers and counselors!" Ashley's stomach turned again. "Faith Denison?" Mr. Pendanski called. A tall girl stepped off the bus. She looked like she couldn't wait to get off. She had pretty green eyes and short reddish brown hair. Faith walked over to the D-Tent campers and went straight to where Ashley was standing, probably because Ashley was the only girl around. "Carla Enders?" he called. A shorter girl stepped off the bus. It looked like she couldn't wait to get off either. She had beautiful shiny black hair and she looked Mexican. "That's all the campers. Now say hello to our new counselor!" Mr. Pendanski called. The man that started to come off the bus was very tall. He had jeans and boots and a blue striped shirt that he tucked inside his pants. As soon as Ashley saw his face, she ran over to Squid. "Squid! Hide me!" she whispered. Squid instantly stood in front of her. "Why?" he whispered, once she was hidden. "That's my ex-boyfriend...the one that I was telling you about! That's Landon!" Ashley cried. She thought that her life was about to end. She would be tormented for life with him here, especially as a counselor! "Wow, he looks really tough." Squid said. Ashley nodded, "He is!" "Landon Quinn is going to be D-Tent's new counselor. He is going to assist me in teaching you all a lesson." Mr. Pendanski said. "Squid! What am I going to do?" Ashley whispered. Squid shook his head. "Just stay near me and X." he said. "Okay." Ashley whispered. Landon walked into the tent. "Now, I would like all of you to go to your tents and give Mr. Quinn a warm welcome!" Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley gasped. "Now what?" she asked. Squid just grabbed her hand and walked with her into the tent.
Ashley got in the back of the line for the water truck, behind Zero, where Mr. Pendanski was filling their canteens. "I have an announcement!" said Mr. Pendanski. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. Judging by the looks on their faces, Ashley could tell that they rarely get announcements like this. "Some new campers are going to arrive." He said, proudly. "What?" everyone asked, looking at each other. "But I thought Ashley and Stanley were the only ones arriving." X-Ray said. "Yes, well they were. But now, a different camp has shut down and some new people are going to be here at Camp Green Lake." He said. "Only boys?" asked Zig-Zag "No, Ricky. Girls are going to be here too." Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley almost got excited over that, but not too much. It was going to be nice to have another girl around, but she had no idea what she would be like. "And since D-Tent might be getting a little crowded with kids, a new counselor is going to arrive. Actually, a new counselor for each tent is going to arrive." He said. [i]How many times is he going to use the word 'arrive'?[/i] Ashley wondered, smiling to herself. [i]Maybe he's trying to make it sound like an organized camp, and being all formal and stuff.[/i] "So, please grab your graham crackers, apples, cheese, and bologna for your lunch and continue digging." Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley grabbed her lunch and saw Squid sneak a whole handful of graham crackers. Ashley half smiled. "So, how do you feel about more girls coming?" he asked when he kneeled down to offer her another graham cracker. "Thanks." She said, taking the cracker, "I dunno, I'm kinda nervous. I mean, they could be real jerks, you never know." Squid nodded, "Yeah." Once they were done eating, Ashley continued digging her hole and was almost done when Zero started walking back to camp. "You're done already?" Stanley asked. "Dude, don't you know man? He's like the fastest digger in the camp!" Magnet said. "Yeah, Zero's a mole. I think he eats the dirt." Squid said. "Moles don't eat dirt. Worms eat dirt dog." X-Ray said. "Yeah, Zero's a weird dude." Zig-Zag said. 15 minutes later, Ashley was finished with her hole and she started walking back to camp. She had huge blisters on her hands. They stung really badly and they were filled with dirt and blood. Ashley couldn't look at it any longer because it reminded her of the way her father used to beat her. She ran to the showers and rinsed off her hands. Once she was finished taking a shower, she went into the wreck room and saw Zero sitting in the corner. "Hey." Ashley said. Zero didn't say anything. "Mind if I come sit next to you?" Ashley asked him. Zero shook his head. "Alright." Ashley said as she sat down next to him. Ashley didn't really know what to say, so she just sat there. "How old are you?" Ashley asked. Zero just looked at her. "14." He said after a long silence. "14? Cool." She said. Ashley knew that Zero was going to want to know how old she was. "How old are you?" he finally asked her. "I'm 16 years old." She said. Zero nodded. "Hey!" Squid said as he and some of the other campers walked into the tent. "Hi!" said Ashley. "Zero, I'm going to play pool with some of the guys, wanna play?" she asked him. Zero nodded and Ashley saw him smile.
"So, who's all gonna play?" Ashley asked Squid as her and Zero walked over to the pool tables. "Uh, I think it's just me, you, Zero, and Stanley." He said. "Cool." Ashley said. "Where are all the other boys?" Ashley asked. "Still digging I reckon." Said Squid, imitating Mr. Sir's voice. Ashley laughed.
Ashley and Zero were on a team and Stanley and Squid were a team. "So, how are you guys gonna feel when a whole bunch of girls as snotty as me show up at camp?" Ashley asked. Zero smiled. "What makes you think that you're snotty?" Stanley asked. "Nevermind." Ashley said. "She meant it as a joke, man." Squid said. Stanley paused. "I don't get it." He said. Ashley and Squid laughed. Mr. Pendanski walked in the room. "Attention all campers!" he said loudly. Ashley rolled her eyes and turned to look at him. "I have another announcement!" he said. "The campers and counselors that were to arrive tomorrow, are going to arrive tonight!" he said, proudly. Ashley's stomach did cartwheels. Some of the campers cheered, some snickered, and some just looked extremely bored. Squid, Stanley, and Zero just listened to Mr. Pendanski. "Now I want all of you to step outside and welcome the campers to their new home." He said. Everyone groaned.
"Look! There's the bus!" Magnet exclaimed. Ashley smiled, but she didn't really believe that it was a true smile. She was still a little uneasy about the whole thing. She didn't understand why, she just had a strange feeling. After Mr. Sir called off all of the tents, except for D-Tent, he said, "Alright D-Tent campers! Listen up! Mr. Pendanski here is going to call of the names of our new D-Tent campers and counselors!" Ashley's stomach turned again. "Faith Denison?" Mr. Pendanski called. A tall girl stepped off the bus. She looked like she couldn't wait to get off. She had pretty green eyes and short reddish brown hair. Faith walked over to the D-Tent campers and went straight to where Ashley was standing, probably because Ashley was the only girl around. "Carla Enders?" he called. A shorter girl stepped off the bus. It looked like she couldn't wait to get off either. She had beautiful shiny black hair and she looked Mexican. "That's all the campers. Now say hello to our new counselor!" Mr. Pendanski called. The man that started to come off the bus was very tall. He had jeans and boots and a blue striped shirt that he tucked inside his pants. As soon as Ashley saw his face, she ran over to Squid. "Squid! Hide me!" she whispered. Squid instantly stood in front of her. "Why?" he whispered, once she was hidden. "That's my ex-boyfriend...the one that I was telling you about! That's Landon!" Ashley cried. She thought that her life was about to end. She would be tormented for life with him here, especially as a counselor! "Wow, he looks really tough." Squid said. Ashley nodded, "He is!" "Landon Quinn is going to be D-Tent's new counselor. He is going to assist me in teaching you all a lesson." Mr. Pendanski said. "Squid! What am I going to do?" Ashley whispered. Squid shook his head. "Just stay near me and X." he said. "Okay." Ashley whispered. Landon walked into the tent. "Now, I would like all of you to go to your tents and give Mr. Quinn a warm welcome!" Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley gasped. "Now what?" she asked. Squid just grabbed her hand and walked with her into the tent.