Chapter Seven
"Confounded gun!" Lou yelled at the rifle that was leaning against the old wooden wall of the cabin that was hidden a long way from the old town.
"I can't believe I left the bullets. Of all things the bullets! You think I could've forgotten my clothes or money maybe, nope, I forget the gosh-darn bullets!" Ever since Lou had arrived in the Texas State Penitentiary she had gotten herself in the habit of talking to herself. She was still getting used to the fact that she had no one to yell at. In a weird sort of way she missed Sir and Pendanski. But only in a weird sort of way, mind you.
"Life just couldn't get any worse!" Just as Lou had said those words, as if on cue it started to rain. And when it rained in Green Lake it poured.
Ever since Stanley had discovered the treasure it had miraculously rained. It was like Sam asked God to let it pour and it did, in memory of his love, Miss Katherine Barlow. Now you tell me, whom did God punish?
"I hate this place, I hate my life and I hate Stanley Yelnats IV!" Lou screamed as she painted her nails deep rouge red. "When I get my hands on him, he'll wish he'd never met Lou Walker!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Alright boys, we'll pitch camp here." Mr. Yelnats said excitedly
"Um, Mr. Yelnats?"
"Yes, Ri- I mean Zigzag."
"You do know that we're parked on a Tent, right?"
"What are you talking about, Zig?"
"You drove right through a tent, Mr. Yelnats."
"And I thought I had bad sight," X-Ray butted in.
"Shut Up, X! It's not Mr. Yelnats fault, " Zigzag said in defence.
Mr. Yelnats backed up the RV and parked it away from what used to be C-Tent.
"Well, Um.........there goes C-Tent." Stanley said stating the obvious.
"Hey I wonder how D-Tent looks," Squid said changing the subject.
"It probably looks the same as before, Squid, cots, crates, and a canvas. What's there to see?" X-ray retorted sarcastically.
X hadn't been too happy when he heard they were going back to see what held his past, The only home he knew for over six months. It was hard on him, but he'd never let any of the boys know that, he was their leader, the one they looked up to, or so he thought.
"Hey X, you Okay man?" Zigzag asked as X-ray was staring off into space.
"Yeah, I'm , uh......fine, I'm fine."
"Whatever man."
"Hey Stanley?"
"What, pit?"
"I thought this was gonna be turned into a girl's camp, doesn't look like they're doin' anything with it."
"I dunno, maybe they're waiting a couple of months or somethin'."
"Hey guys come look at this!" Magnet shouted.
The remaining D-Tent boys ran to where Magnet stood looking out into the distance. On the ground they saw the reflection of the blinding sun with some clouds overhead. They were staring at the lake.
"Where's the holes, man," Magnet asked.
"Maybe under water, genius!" Squid retorted
"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it, no more holes. We dug and we dug and it's all come down to this!" Zigzag said still in awe at the beautiful lake that surrounded them.
"C'mon guys, who wants to end the past with me once and for all?" Caveman said taking off his shirt and jumping into the lake. "Woohoo!!! This is great!"
The rest of the boys did the same. The water was cool and refreshing on their skin, which still had scars from blisters. The hot July sun beat down on all of them as the 'Juvenile Delinquents' were boys again. Just normal teenage boys, without a care in the world except for dunking the other D-Tenters.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Man, this is good! I haven't had hot-dogs like these since my mom made them back home." Squid said biting of a chunk of hot-dog off his stick.
"Yeah this is the life. Good friends, food and an adventure ahead of us." X-ray said kicking back against the chair as he warmed his hands against the camp-fire.
"Hey Caveman, let me look at the map."
"Um...sure thing Zig." He said handing it over to the frizzy- headed boy who took it and gazed closely at it.
"Do you think any yellow-spotted-lizards 'll be out here tonight?"
"Not if you eat this," Zero said handing Twitch over and onion.
"So you mean if I eat this the lizards won't eat me?"
"Sure thing, Twitch," Caveman said. "When Hec- I mean, Zero and I were stuck in that hole with the Warden and Sir starin' at us and the lizards on our hands, we had eaten a load of onions which the lizards don't like. That kept them away from us."
"So boys what do you want to do tomorrow?" Mr. Yelnats asked.
"Well um.......that's the thing, Grandpa. We want to go and um.......explore out here awhile, if that's okay with you."
"Oh that's fine with me, Stanley. Just don't wander too far."
"Okay, Grandpa."
"Caveman, What's this thing supposed to be?" Zigzag asked pointing to a strange design on the map.
"I dunno it looks sorta like a boat with a man on it?"
"Maybe it's a clue?"
"Okay 'Detective Squid' tell me what kind of clue it would be."
"It's a........oh shut up X-Ray!"
"Hey look before this argument gets any worse let's break it up, Okay?"
"Sure whatever you say, Caveman," Squid gave in.
X-Ray didn't like the idea that the D-Tent boys were now giving in to whatever Caveman was saying. He was the leader not Caveman, and he'd do anything to win that title back, anything.
"What's up Twitch?" Zero asked "You usually twitch when there's a nice car nearby, and I mean if you think the RV's a nice car, then you're crazy."
"It's not that, I just well I feel kinda jumpy for some odd reason, like something bad's gonna happen. I just can't shake the feeling off me."
X-ray rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah right, Twitch. You probably smell a nice car or something, you ain't smart enough to be havin' a sixth sense."
"You know what, X?" Zigzag butted in, "You just don't know when to stop do you? You like to put people down, you just can't get the picture that you're not the leader anymore. You're jealous."
That was the last straw, X-Ray had just about enough of this. He was the leader since Day One, when they all had come to Green Lake, and he wasn't gonna let Caveman or anyone else take that away from him. He swung his fist right into Zigzag's stomach. He rolled on the floor in agony, but reluctantly got up in spite of his pain and bull-dozed X-ray to the ground. By the time this had happened all of the D- Tent boys came to the rescue, Zero grabbed Zig like he had once before and threw him to Armpit. Squid took a hold of X- ray and threw him onto the ground.
"That's it!" Stanley screamed "I'm not gonna stand it anymore, I came and bailed you out of the facility to help me and you fight!" Stanley's voice grew louder, he released the inner boy he never knew he had, the one that could stand up for himself. "X, I want you to keep away from Zig. And Zig, you go over there and stay. I'm not gonna let an old argument destroy the reason for coming here."
"Nicely said, Caveman," Armpit said.
"Now I want everyone to get some sleep we have a long day ahead of us," Stanley said, he could feel himself growing bigger than he ever had before.
For one in his life, X-ray had been beat. He was not gonna take it anymore, he was the leader and that was final.
A/N: Okay well I got over the writers block! I didn't mean for this chapter to bash X-ray, so don't take it that way. Hope you like it. REVIEW!
"Confounded gun!" Lou yelled at the rifle that was leaning against the old wooden wall of the cabin that was hidden a long way from the old town.
"I can't believe I left the bullets. Of all things the bullets! You think I could've forgotten my clothes or money maybe, nope, I forget the gosh-darn bullets!" Ever since Lou had arrived in the Texas State Penitentiary she had gotten herself in the habit of talking to herself. She was still getting used to the fact that she had no one to yell at. In a weird sort of way she missed Sir and Pendanski. But only in a weird sort of way, mind you.
"Life just couldn't get any worse!" Just as Lou had said those words, as if on cue it started to rain. And when it rained in Green Lake it poured.
Ever since Stanley had discovered the treasure it had miraculously rained. It was like Sam asked God to let it pour and it did, in memory of his love, Miss Katherine Barlow. Now you tell me, whom did God punish?
"I hate this place, I hate my life and I hate Stanley Yelnats IV!" Lou screamed as she painted her nails deep rouge red. "When I get my hands on him, he'll wish he'd never met Lou Walker!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Alright boys, we'll pitch camp here." Mr. Yelnats said excitedly
"Um, Mr. Yelnats?"
"Yes, Ri- I mean Zigzag."
"You do know that we're parked on a Tent, right?"
"What are you talking about, Zig?"
"You drove right through a tent, Mr. Yelnats."
"And I thought I had bad sight," X-Ray butted in.
"Shut Up, X! It's not Mr. Yelnats fault, " Zigzag said in defence.
Mr. Yelnats backed up the RV and parked it away from what used to be C-Tent.
"Well, Um.........there goes C-Tent." Stanley said stating the obvious.
"Hey I wonder how D-Tent looks," Squid said changing the subject.
"It probably looks the same as before, Squid, cots, crates, and a canvas. What's there to see?" X-ray retorted sarcastically.
X hadn't been too happy when he heard they were going back to see what held his past, The only home he knew for over six months. It was hard on him, but he'd never let any of the boys know that, he was their leader, the one they looked up to, or so he thought.
"Hey X, you Okay man?" Zigzag asked as X-ray was staring off into space.
"Yeah, I'm , uh......fine, I'm fine."
"Whatever man."
"Hey Stanley?"
"What, pit?"
"I thought this was gonna be turned into a girl's camp, doesn't look like they're doin' anything with it."
"I dunno, maybe they're waiting a couple of months or somethin'."
"Hey guys come look at this!" Magnet shouted.
The remaining D-Tent boys ran to where Magnet stood looking out into the distance. On the ground they saw the reflection of the blinding sun with some clouds overhead. They were staring at the lake.
"Where's the holes, man," Magnet asked.
"Maybe under water, genius!" Squid retorted
"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it, no more holes. We dug and we dug and it's all come down to this!" Zigzag said still in awe at the beautiful lake that surrounded them.
"C'mon guys, who wants to end the past with me once and for all?" Caveman said taking off his shirt and jumping into the lake. "Woohoo!!! This is great!"
The rest of the boys did the same. The water was cool and refreshing on their skin, which still had scars from blisters. The hot July sun beat down on all of them as the 'Juvenile Delinquents' were boys again. Just normal teenage boys, without a care in the world except for dunking the other D-Tenters.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Man, this is good! I haven't had hot-dogs like these since my mom made them back home." Squid said biting of a chunk of hot-dog off his stick.
"Yeah this is the life. Good friends, food and an adventure ahead of us." X-ray said kicking back against the chair as he warmed his hands against the camp-fire.
"Hey Caveman, let me look at the map."
"Um...sure thing Zig." He said handing it over to the frizzy- headed boy who took it and gazed closely at it.
"Do you think any yellow-spotted-lizards 'll be out here tonight?"
"Not if you eat this," Zero said handing Twitch over and onion.
"So you mean if I eat this the lizards won't eat me?"
"Sure thing, Twitch," Caveman said. "When Hec- I mean, Zero and I were stuck in that hole with the Warden and Sir starin' at us and the lizards on our hands, we had eaten a load of onions which the lizards don't like. That kept them away from us."
"So boys what do you want to do tomorrow?" Mr. Yelnats asked.
"Well um.......that's the thing, Grandpa. We want to go and um.......explore out here awhile, if that's okay with you."
"Oh that's fine with me, Stanley. Just don't wander too far."
"Okay, Grandpa."
"Caveman, What's this thing supposed to be?" Zigzag asked pointing to a strange design on the map.
"I dunno it looks sorta like a boat with a man on it?"
"Maybe it's a clue?"
"Okay 'Detective Squid' tell me what kind of clue it would be."
"It's a........oh shut up X-Ray!"
"Hey look before this argument gets any worse let's break it up, Okay?"
"Sure whatever you say, Caveman," Squid gave in.
X-Ray didn't like the idea that the D-Tent boys were now giving in to whatever Caveman was saying. He was the leader not Caveman, and he'd do anything to win that title back, anything.
"What's up Twitch?" Zero asked "You usually twitch when there's a nice car nearby, and I mean if you think the RV's a nice car, then you're crazy."
"It's not that, I just well I feel kinda jumpy for some odd reason, like something bad's gonna happen. I just can't shake the feeling off me."
X-ray rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah right, Twitch. You probably smell a nice car or something, you ain't smart enough to be havin' a sixth sense."
"You know what, X?" Zigzag butted in, "You just don't know when to stop do you? You like to put people down, you just can't get the picture that you're not the leader anymore. You're jealous."
That was the last straw, X-Ray had just about enough of this. He was the leader since Day One, when they all had come to Green Lake, and he wasn't gonna let Caveman or anyone else take that away from him. He swung his fist right into Zigzag's stomach. He rolled on the floor in agony, but reluctantly got up in spite of his pain and bull-dozed X-ray to the ground. By the time this had happened all of the D- Tent boys came to the rescue, Zero grabbed Zig like he had once before and threw him to Armpit. Squid took a hold of X- ray and threw him onto the ground.
"That's it!" Stanley screamed "I'm not gonna stand it anymore, I came and bailed you out of the facility to help me and you fight!" Stanley's voice grew louder, he released the inner boy he never knew he had, the one that could stand up for himself. "X, I want you to keep away from Zig. And Zig, you go over there and stay. I'm not gonna let an old argument destroy the reason for coming here."
"Nicely said, Caveman," Armpit said.
"Now I want everyone to get some sleep we have a long day ahead of us," Stanley said, he could feel himself growing bigger than he ever had before.
For one in his life, X-ray had been beat. He was not gonna take it anymore, he was the leader and that was final.
A/N: Okay well I got over the writers block! I didn't mean for this chapter to bash X-ray, so don't take it that way. Hope you like it. REVIEW!