Thank you Natalie for writing in this beautiful story (whenever you
happened to have written, I really don't know.). You're obviously a better
writer than me, so cheers to you, Nat. Oh, and check out Natalie's story,
the heart of a snake, its awesome. sorry if this chapter gets a wee bit
too dramatic, but that's just how my mind works, so deal with it. Savvy?
Chapter Five
"Fuck!" Reagan hollered as she fell back into her hole on the first day of digging. Armpit peered over the edge of the hole and laughed. She'd been trying to get out for the past ten minutes with no success.
"Help me up you moron!" Reagan said sarcastically, laughing with him. Armpit just sat back and laughed while Squid helped Reagan up and out of the hole. She had bet them that she would be able to climb out of the hole by herself. Being only five feet tall, exactly as tall as the hole, this was easier said than done. It was entertaining for the boys of D-tent to watch though. If one was to look level with the ground at her hole, they wouldn't be able to tell that she was in it.
"I told you that you couldn't do it, man." Zigzag said, watching the look of defeat pass through her dark eyes. "But you had to go try it anyway. Next time just let one of us get you out of there."
"Next time I'll win, and I'll get out all by myself." She said defiantly, glaring at him in a joking manner. "It's not my fault I was born a midget. I should be tall, but something got mixed up. "
"Keep telling yourself that." Magnet said, biting into a leftover cracker from lunch and chewing it loudly in Reagan's ear. She swatted at his head but missed.
"You know, you're a real big idiot." Said Barfbag, glaring at Reagan in disgust. Ever since she had first walked into the wreck room with Magnet he had hated her. None of them knew why, he just seemed to not like her. "If I wanted to hang out with a ditz I would go. you know what? Just forget it, leave me alone."
"If I ever want to hang out with the worlds biggest assbag I'll come and find you man." She said under her breath, just loud enough for Squid and Zigzag to hear her. When Barfbag turned around at the sound of their laughter she just smiled sweetly at him. "Bye now!"
"I wouldn't get under his skin too much kid, he'd eventually go crazy. Barfbag's not really a fighter. He'd much rather yell at you than hurt you." Squid warned her. Reagan grabbed her shovel off of the ground and started walking. Zigzag saw this as his opportunity to talk to her, so her grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, holding his unruly hair off of his face. She glanced at him, then answered
"Sure, what's up?" she looked confused, partly because he'd never really seemed to want to talk to her in the past, and there was really nothing to talk about that she couldn't talk about in front of everyone else. Never one to hold much back, Reagan didn't get that maybe he just wanted to have a one on one conversation with her.
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk, you know?" he said lamely, smiling at her. "So, who's apartment building did you supposedly burn down?"
"My dad's" Reagan said, her cheerful face turning into something else. Sadness, maybe, or possibly regret.
"Did he go with it?"
"Yeah, him and like, sixty other people." To Zigzag's surprise as well as Reagan's, she began to cry. "I didn't mean to! I really didn't, all I wanted to do was get even with my dad. I didn't even think of all the other people that had to suffer because of me. I shouldn't have gotten so mad. I, I wasn't thinking!" she said hysterically, tears flowing down her cheeks in a steady stream that didn't seem to be slowing down. Zigzag deliberated for a minute, then put his arms around her and hugged her. She sobbed against his chest, letting loose all the bottled up emotions that she had felt since her mom had died. Zigzag didn't really know what to tell her, so he just let her cry until she was done.
"Sorry about that, I don't mean to dump all of my problems on you. That was unfair." She said, looking up at him appreciatively.
"It's no big deal, man. I don't mind." He replied casually. They neared the wreck room in silence, until Reagan finally found something to say.
"I probably look like shit, huh? Crying and all, damn me and my emotions." She wiped her eyes once more and tried to make her hair stay in one spot. Zigzag laughed; she was really cute even when she'd been crying and her eyes were puffy and red. "Shut up!" she smiled, hitting him on the shoulder with one small fist. "You don't look a hell of a lot better."
"Owtch." Zigzag pretended to be offended.
"Oh, be a man Zig," Reagan hit him again. He laughed quietly. "Let's go walk around instead of going to the wreck room; I really don't feel like hanging out with the guys right now."
"Yet you want to hang out with me?" Zigzag flirted, not so subtly.
"Yes." She smiled up at him. He was at least a foot taller than she was. She had to admit he did intimidate her somewhat, with his quiet nature and casual nonchalance. "How long have you been here?"
"Not very long; about a month. It's not very easy to keep track of time around here." Zigzag shrugged. He didn't wear a watch; none of the boys did, so they never knew exactly the time unless it was four thirty in the morning when the alarm went off. Reagan fiddled with a loose string on her jumpsuit as they walked. They talked about nothing in particular, stuff that pissed them off and such. Only when they had reached one of the last holes of the road did they decide to stop for a break.
"This place is really pretty at night." Reagan looked up at the sky and pointed to the stars. "There are so many more of them here than in the city."
"I guess so." Said Zigzag, not at all interested in the stars or the sky.
"Zigzag, look at me for a sec." Reagan said, turning his head to face her. She kissed him softly on the lips, surprising him, yet giving him what he wanted. Zigzag kissed her back, only hesitating a little. He put his arm around her neck, drawing them closer. After a minute she broke the kiss and drew back away from him. "Wait. I'm sorry, I can't do this. I wasn't thinking." She said, turning her head so she wouldn't have to look at him. She felt bad about having kissed him. She liked him all right, but she wasn't sure if she really wanted to pursue any sort of relationship with him. Leading him on would be a horrible thing to do. "Golly, would you look at my hands!" she changed the subject, hoping to divert his attention to something besides the kiss they had just shared. He took her left hand and held it up to the moonlight. There were blisters covering the inside of her hand and a long gash running from her pinky knuckle to the base of her palm.
"It'll heal in a day or two." He shrugged, kissing her neck gently. She jumped up and quickly spoke.
"You know what, I'm getting a little bit tired, so I'm going to go back to the tent and sleep." She pointed in the direction of the tents and started running full speed, not looking back at the confused face of Zigzag.
When she got out of his eyesight, she hid behind one of the tents and started to scold herself in her head * Reagan, you bleeding idiot! What happened to the tough, untouchable girl you were before you came here. Huh? Shape up or lose out kid. * she often spoke to herself in this manner. Yelling at herself made it easier to tolerate when other people yelled at her. * God damnit, why can't you be normal? *
Chapter Five
"Fuck!" Reagan hollered as she fell back into her hole on the first day of digging. Armpit peered over the edge of the hole and laughed. She'd been trying to get out for the past ten minutes with no success.
"Help me up you moron!" Reagan said sarcastically, laughing with him. Armpit just sat back and laughed while Squid helped Reagan up and out of the hole. She had bet them that she would be able to climb out of the hole by herself. Being only five feet tall, exactly as tall as the hole, this was easier said than done. It was entertaining for the boys of D-tent to watch though. If one was to look level with the ground at her hole, they wouldn't be able to tell that she was in it.
"I told you that you couldn't do it, man." Zigzag said, watching the look of defeat pass through her dark eyes. "But you had to go try it anyway. Next time just let one of us get you out of there."
"Next time I'll win, and I'll get out all by myself." She said defiantly, glaring at him in a joking manner. "It's not my fault I was born a midget. I should be tall, but something got mixed up. "
"Keep telling yourself that." Magnet said, biting into a leftover cracker from lunch and chewing it loudly in Reagan's ear. She swatted at his head but missed.
"You know, you're a real big idiot." Said Barfbag, glaring at Reagan in disgust. Ever since she had first walked into the wreck room with Magnet he had hated her. None of them knew why, he just seemed to not like her. "If I wanted to hang out with a ditz I would go. you know what? Just forget it, leave me alone."
"If I ever want to hang out with the worlds biggest assbag I'll come and find you man." She said under her breath, just loud enough for Squid and Zigzag to hear her. When Barfbag turned around at the sound of their laughter she just smiled sweetly at him. "Bye now!"
"I wouldn't get under his skin too much kid, he'd eventually go crazy. Barfbag's not really a fighter. He'd much rather yell at you than hurt you." Squid warned her. Reagan grabbed her shovel off of the ground and started walking. Zigzag saw this as his opportunity to talk to her, so her grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, holding his unruly hair off of his face. She glanced at him, then answered
"Sure, what's up?" she looked confused, partly because he'd never really seemed to want to talk to her in the past, and there was really nothing to talk about that she couldn't talk about in front of everyone else. Never one to hold much back, Reagan didn't get that maybe he just wanted to have a one on one conversation with her.
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk, you know?" he said lamely, smiling at her. "So, who's apartment building did you supposedly burn down?"
"My dad's" Reagan said, her cheerful face turning into something else. Sadness, maybe, or possibly regret.
"Did he go with it?"
"Yeah, him and like, sixty other people." To Zigzag's surprise as well as Reagan's, she began to cry. "I didn't mean to! I really didn't, all I wanted to do was get even with my dad. I didn't even think of all the other people that had to suffer because of me. I shouldn't have gotten so mad. I, I wasn't thinking!" she said hysterically, tears flowing down her cheeks in a steady stream that didn't seem to be slowing down. Zigzag deliberated for a minute, then put his arms around her and hugged her. She sobbed against his chest, letting loose all the bottled up emotions that she had felt since her mom had died. Zigzag didn't really know what to tell her, so he just let her cry until she was done.
"Sorry about that, I don't mean to dump all of my problems on you. That was unfair." She said, looking up at him appreciatively.
"It's no big deal, man. I don't mind." He replied casually. They neared the wreck room in silence, until Reagan finally found something to say.
"I probably look like shit, huh? Crying and all, damn me and my emotions." She wiped her eyes once more and tried to make her hair stay in one spot. Zigzag laughed; she was really cute even when she'd been crying and her eyes were puffy and red. "Shut up!" she smiled, hitting him on the shoulder with one small fist. "You don't look a hell of a lot better."
"Owtch." Zigzag pretended to be offended.
"Oh, be a man Zig," Reagan hit him again. He laughed quietly. "Let's go walk around instead of going to the wreck room; I really don't feel like hanging out with the guys right now."
"Yet you want to hang out with me?" Zigzag flirted, not so subtly.
"Yes." She smiled up at him. He was at least a foot taller than she was. She had to admit he did intimidate her somewhat, with his quiet nature and casual nonchalance. "How long have you been here?"
"Not very long; about a month. It's not very easy to keep track of time around here." Zigzag shrugged. He didn't wear a watch; none of the boys did, so they never knew exactly the time unless it was four thirty in the morning when the alarm went off. Reagan fiddled with a loose string on her jumpsuit as they walked. They talked about nothing in particular, stuff that pissed them off and such. Only when they had reached one of the last holes of the road did they decide to stop for a break.
"This place is really pretty at night." Reagan looked up at the sky and pointed to the stars. "There are so many more of them here than in the city."
"I guess so." Said Zigzag, not at all interested in the stars or the sky.
"Zigzag, look at me for a sec." Reagan said, turning his head to face her. She kissed him softly on the lips, surprising him, yet giving him what he wanted. Zigzag kissed her back, only hesitating a little. He put his arm around her neck, drawing them closer. After a minute she broke the kiss and drew back away from him. "Wait. I'm sorry, I can't do this. I wasn't thinking." She said, turning her head so she wouldn't have to look at him. She felt bad about having kissed him. She liked him all right, but she wasn't sure if she really wanted to pursue any sort of relationship with him. Leading him on would be a horrible thing to do. "Golly, would you look at my hands!" she changed the subject, hoping to divert his attention to something besides the kiss they had just shared. He took her left hand and held it up to the moonlight. There were blisters covering the inside of her hand and a long gash running from her pinky knuckle to the base of her palm.
"It'll heal in a day or two." He shrugged, kissing her neck gently. She jumped up and quickly spoke.
"You know what, I'm getting a little bit tired, so I'm going to go back to the tent and sleep." She pointed in the direction of the tents and started running full speed, not looking back at the confused face of Zigzag.
When she got out of his eyesight, she hid behind one of the tents and started to scold herself in her head * Reagan, you bleeding idiot! What happened to the tough, untouchable girl you were before you came here. Huh? Shape up or lose out kid. * she often spoke to herself in this manner. Yelling at herself made it easier to tolerate when other people yelled at her. * God damnit, why can't you be normal? *