Magnet and Tolkien walked out of the mess hall after dinner. It was downtime now.

"Man," Magnet laughed, "that was so funny with Zigzag and Tinkerbell."

"Yeah, that was hysterical. Those two are so much in love, or at least like. If such things exist."

"Sure they do," Magnet answered.

"Maybe in my stories."

"So THAT"S what you write....uh HUH!"

"Naw, I write about lots of stuff. What I wish the world was like. Happy, where love and peace and free puppies actually existed."

"Don't get all sentimental on me, girl. So, will you show me your stories?"

"Sure. I'll see you in the wreck room. I'll bring my book."

Tolkien went to D-tent and grabbed her notebook, and then took that and a pencil to the Wreck Room to meet Magnet. Why did she agree to show him her writing? She had no idea. She dreamed as she walked and, tripped, dropping her book. It fell open to a random page. 'I remember writing this when I first came,' Tolkien thought. "I still took Pendanski seriously back then.' She read the page she had written about the first time she met magnet. They had been in a pet shop, and were admiring the puppies. They both had thought keeping animals in cages was cruel, so Magnet snuck a puppy in his pocket and Tolkien took a guinea pig. They had been caught the same day, but sent to Greenlake separately. Good times... Tolkien thought. "Sure I was convicted of a felony today, but times have been good. even if I DO have to dig holes" she read out loud. She reached the wreck room. "HEY Armpit!" she called and waved to him.

"Hulloooooo Tolkien!" he called back. He was my chum. I passed Zig in front of his TV. I still found him strange. I'd only been at GL for two weeks now. It was co-ed , unsanitary, and there was no privacy.

"Hey, Ziggy?" I asked. "Why you starin at the broken TV?"

"SHH! It's a good episode, man!"

I went over and kneeled beside him, squinting, as if that would help me see. What was I? Stupid?

"Zig," I finally deliberated, "the antenna's all bent. If you unbend it, you'll get a picture." I unbent it, and a picture showed up on the screen. People gasped like it was some big feat. Magnet didn't, knowing I was good with my hands and at fixing stuff.

"Just don't let Mr. Sir see or he'll take the set," I warned Zig and Tink.

I picked up my notebook and went over to Magnet, who sat on top of a dirty old couch.

"Here, you wanted to read? It's your funeral," I said nonchalantly and stretched out on the couch as he began to read.

Meanwhile, my mind drifted back to thinking about my history at Greenlake.

It had all started that day at the mall a couple months back. I was walking around going to the coffee shop when some dude ran right into me. He dropped his Gameboy. I picked it up, and popped in a piece that had broken off.

"Dude, you're good at fixing stuff," he had said, and introduced himself as Jose. After some talking, we discovered each other's love for animals and we both though it was cruel keeping them in cages. so we went to the Pet Shop and the little incident happened.

Magnet got sent here and I got sent to community service, but I got pulled from it after a month. I had already done the garbage picking schmooze and the judge said I had a "criminal" history. A month before, I had staged a huge protest against a horse race that was supposed to go on, and three moths before THAT I was caught picking someone's pocket. This guy had pick pocketed my friend, so what was I supposed to do? The judge said it was Greenlake or Juvi hall. I picked Lake.

And that is how I came to be lying on the couch while Jose, I mean, Magnet read my poetry.

I remembered my first work day.

The first hole IS the hardest. but after a week, I could really dig it. Get it? DIG?! I wasn't a real fast digger but I could dig faster than Armpit, Zig, and Flash (Leena, girl with the camera).They campers had a system, which they showed to the girls. The faster diggers would do their hole, then help the slow ones finish up when Mr. Sir wasn't watching. I came to be helping Armpit and we bonded. Magnet would help me with my hole and then I would go to Armpit, and when he was done, he would help flash. I couldn't say I liked Green Lake, but the people were my people. And Magnet had gotten HOTT since when I first knew him.

I stumbled out of my daydreaming as Magnet tossed my notebook back to me, saying "It's good, you have a gift for words, Tolkien." That was my nickname, cuz I always could spin a story, and I had imagination.

Tink winked at me. She had told me the first day Magnet had a *cough* thing for me, and had talked about me while I was gone taking my shower. I went back to reminiscing. I'd had a strange childhood. My dad was a weirdo, my mom was dead, and my sister was a total druggie. I was always doing odd jobs out of school, so I could get money to buy myself clothes and what I needed, other than food and a few birthday presents. I went to school most of the time, and some Fridays worked for Old Man Cooper in his auto repair shop. And when I got sent to Greenlake, I packed a few possessions and left, not caring much about the home I left. Anything had to be better than that. I packed my walkman, a few CD's, my newer clothes, my Tolkien books, a pack of pens, and three fat notebooks. I packed my little stuffed doggie, which I didn't trust the pets (I had taken off the street-strays) with. I guess you could say I was a minimalist, but I hate clutter.

And now, I was at Greenlake, and I wasn't going to look back on the past anymore. Besides, I had Magnet.