That night at the Mess Hall, Squid and Rachel didn't speak, or make eye
contact. And Rachel didn't even bother to talk to X-Ray, what good
would it do anyway? It'll only make things worse.
The campers got in line for their dinner of smashed up green beans and old tomato soup. Rachel was 2 people away from dishing up hers, when she leaned back to find Squid. There he was, dishing up his food.
Rachel narrowed her eyes and went back to grab her plate. How could he just act like nothing happened? She thought.
"Hey Rache!" It was Caitlyn.
"Oh, hey Cate. How ya doin'?"
"I'm fine, it's you that should be answering that question!" she said with a smile. "How are you?"
"I'm okay actually. I don't know what came over me last night. I don't know, it felt like my brother died all over again." she said.
Cate nodded sympathetically, "You know…Squid didn't dig his hole today, for you."
"Yeah I know." Rachel said, this time not with bitterness.
Caitlyn and Rachel already dished up their meal and made their way to the D-Table.
"Uh, I don't wanna sit by either of them." Rachel said, meaning X-Ray and Squid.
"Oh, okay…let's go to the end of the table then." Cate answered.
"Aww lookie what we have here," it was X-Ray, "little Rachel coming back to play."
"Aww!" Armpit cooed.
Rachel didn't say anything.
"Shut up X-Ray." Squid said.
"Yeah, what'd she ever do to you?" Zero said, with Caveman nodding.
Rachel still didn't say anything else as she sat down with Cate at the end of the table.
Squid's elbow was up on the table, holding his spoon, when he turned his head to look at Rachel and Caitlyn.
"Yeah guys, she's my friend too!" Courtney piped up.
"Just ignore them Rachel, their words are meaningless." Cate whispered, leaning over to Rachel.
"I already am." she said, which was a lie. She couldn't ignore them, not when she felt so strongly about what they said. Sure, yeah…she said some bad things too and was rude, but that doesn't give them the right to treat her like that.
Rachel didn't look up as she kept eating. Naturally, she was the first to finish. She got up, put her paper plate in the garbage, and walked out of the Mess Hall.
Many campers, not only in D-Tent, watched her as she walked into her tent. They all remembered the incident last night.
Rachel walked in D-Tent and took off her orange jumpsuit, and her clothes. She grabbed a fresh pair of clothes that she carried in her backpack, some cargo shorts that were tan, and a green Tee that had a white "R" on the front of it. She bent down, picked up her backpack, and set it on her lap as she sat on her cot.
She pulled out the picture of her and Joshua. A tear streamed down her face. She quickly wiped it away and put the picture under her pillow as she heard someone walking.
It was Mr. Pendanski, of all people. For some reason, when he walked in, she felt a sinking feeling. She didn't know why, she just expected somebody else to walk in instead.
"Rachel." he said, putting one hand over the other, resting them in front of him.
Rachel tilted her head, "Mr. Pendanski." she said back.
He paused, for no particular reason. "I just wanted to tell you that your behavior is extremely inappropriate."
Rachel sighed a short sigh and rolled her eyes. She knew he was going to say that. She shook her head.
"See that is what I'm taking about." he said.
"My 'behavior' is not inappropriate Mr. Pendanski. I was only defending myself against someone who had been behaving inappropriately." Rachel said as a matter of factly.
"W-well I just d.." he stammered, before Rachel interrupted, "Yeah yeah yeah, you don't see the inappropriate behavior in X-Ray's attitude, but you see very clearly the behavior in mine. Very well done Mr. Pendanski."
Rachel then grabbed her purple bandana, put it on her head over her two French braids, and put her backpack over her shoulder.
"I'm very proud of you for recognizing the unnoticeable." she said, and walked out of the tent.
"Well!" Mr. Pendanski exclaimed.
Rachel started walking faster and faster to get in her secret spot behind all of the tents. From there, up high on a rock, she was guarded by the tents so no one could see her up there, but she could see everything.
She turned behind C-Tent and ran into Caveman.
"Whoo!" Rachel cried, as she fell to the ground.
"Oh, Rachel, I'm sorry." Caveman said, holding out his hand to help her up. "I didn't see you."
Rachel coughed. "Thanks," she said, as she took Caveman's hand, then wiped the dirt off the front of her shirt.
"What're you doing back here?" Caveman asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing, I'm just…..here, follow me." she said, and took Caveman's hand and led him to where her secret hiding place was.
"Wow." Caveman said, looking around at everything, "I can even see The Warden's place."
Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I found this place about 3 or 4 days after I got here. I've been going here a lot. You know, to get away…." she paused, "from things."
"Yeah."
After a long silence, Caveman said, "So…." Rachel felt tension from him, it was awkward.
Rachel turned her head to look at him, and saw that he was blushing. Rachel's face softened, "Caveman!" she said with a smile.
He flinched and turned to look at her, "What?"
"You have a sunburn!" she said joking.
He blushed even more and looked down, "Sorry." he said.
Rachel shook her head, "No, uh, it's ok."
They looked at each other for a while, and Rachel saw that Caveman looked sympathetic. He leaned over to kiss her, but Rachel turned her head. He hesitated, but kissed her on the cheek.
"Uh…well, I guess I better go." she said, getting up. I want to get to sleep early so I can get up earlier."
"Oh, okay. I think I'll stay up here for a while." he said.
"Okay." Rachel said, and she had a feeling it was because Caveman wanted to watch her. She felt uncomfortable. Caveman had made feel insignificant, whereas Squid made her feel strong and like she could stand up for herself and state her opinion. There was just something about Caveman…they didn't connect at all. Too much awkwardness.
So as Rachel started making her way into the tent, she felt like somebody was watching her every move. And she didn't like it.
I mean, Caveman's a good guy and all but…see, that is something that Squid would never do. She found herself thinking. "What am I thinking?" she said aloud. "I just thought something that made Squid look good!" she exclaimed, bewildered.
She hurried into the tent and walked to her cot, where she instantly fell fast asleep.
The campers got in line for their dinner of smashed up green beans and old tomato soup. Rachel was 2 people away from dishing up hers, when she leaned back to find Squid. There he was, dishing up his food.
Rachel narrowed her eyes and went back to grab her plate. How could he just act like nothing happened? She thought.
"Hey Rache!" It was Caitlyn.
"Oh, hey Cate. How ya doin'?"
"I'm fine, it's you that should be answering that question!" she said with a smile. "How are you?"
"I'm okay actually. I don't know what came over me last night. I don't know, it felt like my brother died all over again." she said.
Cate nodded sympathetically, "You know…Squid didn't dig his hole today, for you."
"Yeah I know." Rachel said, this time not with bitterness.
Caitlyn and Rachel already dished up their meal and made their way to the D-Table.
"Uh, I don't wanna sit by either of them." Rachel said, meaning X-Ray and Squid.
"Oh, okay…let's go to the end of the table then." Cate answered.
"Aww lookie what we have here," it was X-Ray, "little Rachel coming back to play."
"Aww!" Armpit cooed.
Rachel didn't say anything.
"Shut up X-Ray." Squid said.
"Yeah, what'd she ever do to you?" Zero said, with Caveman nodding.
Rachel still didn't say anything else as she sat down with Cate at the end of the table.
Squid's elbow was up on the table, holding his spoon, when he turned his head to look at Rachel and Caitlyn.
"Yeah guys, she's my friend too!" Courtney piped up.
"Just ignore them Rachel, their words are meaningless." Cate whispered, leaning over to Rachel.
"I already am." she said, which was a lie. She couldn't ignore them, not when she felt so strongly about what they said. Sure, yeah…she said some bad things too and was rude, but that doesn't give them the right to treat her like that.
Rachel didn't look up as she kept eating. Naturally, she was the first to finish. She got up, put her paper plate in the garbage, and walked out of the Mess Hall.
Many campers, not only in D-Tent, watched her as she walked into her tent. They all remembered the incident last night.
Rachel walked in D-Tent and took off her orange jumpsuit, and her clothes. She grabbed a fresh pair of clothes that she carried in her backpack, some cargo shorts that were tan, and a green Tee that had a white "R" on the front of it. She bent down, picked up her backpack, and set it on her lap as she sat on her cot.
She pulled out the picture of her and Joshua. A tear streamed down her face. She quickly wiped it away and put the picture under her pillow as she heard someone walking.
It was Mr. Pendanski, of all people. For some reason, when he walked in, she felt a sinking feeling. She didn't know why, she just expected somebody else to walk in instead.
"Rachel." he said, putting one hand over the other, resting them in front of him.
Rachel tilted her head, "Mr. Pendanski." she said back.
He paused, for no particular reason. "I just wanted to tell you that your behavior is extremely inappropriate."
Rachel sighed a short sigh and rolled her eyes. She knew he was going to say that. She shook her head.
"See that is what I'm taking about." he said.
"My 'behavior' is not inappropriate Mr. Pendanski. I was only defending myself against someone who had been behaving inappropriately." Rachel said as a matter of factly.
"W-well I just d.." he stammered, before Rachel interrupted, "Yeah yeah yeah, you don't see the inappropriate behavior in X-Ray's attitude, but you see very clearly the behavior in mine. Very well done Mr. Pendanski."
Rachel then grabbed her purple bandana, put it on her head over her two French braids, and put her backpack over her shoulder.
"I'm very proud of you for recognizing the unnoticeable." she said, and walked out of the tent.
"Well!" Mr. Pendanski exclaimed.
Rachel started walking faster and faster to get in her secret spot behind all of the tents. From there, up high on a rock, she was guarded by the tents so no one could see her up there, but she could see everything.
She turned behind C-Tent and ran into Caveman.
"Whoo!" Rachel cried, as she fell to the ground.
"Oh, Rachel, I'm sorry." Caveman said, holding out his hand to help her up. "I didn't see you."
Rachel coughed. "Thanks," she said, as she took Caveman's hand, then wiped the dirt off the front of her shirt.
"What're you doing back here?" Caveman asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing, I'm just…..here, follow me." she said, and took Caveman's hand and led him to where her secret hiding place was.
"Wow." Caveman said, looking around at everything, "I can even see The Warden's place."
Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I found this place about 3 or 4 days after I got here. I've been going here a lot. You know, to get away…." she paused, "from things."
"Yeah."
After a long silence, Caveman said, "So…." Rachel felt tension from him, it was awkward.
Rachel turned her head to look at him, and saw that he was blushing. Rachel's face softened, "Caveman!" she said with a smile.
He flinched and turned to look at her, "What?"
"You have a sunburn!" she said joking.
He blushed even more and looked down, "Sorry." he said.
Rachel shook her head, "No, uh, it's ok."
They looked at each other for a while, and Rachel saw that Caveman looked sympathetic. He leaned over to kiss her, but Rachel turned her head. He hesitated, but kissed her on the cheek.
"Uh…well, I guess I better go." she said, getting up. I want to get to sleep early so I can get up earlier."
"Oh, okay. I think I'll stay up here for a while." he said.
"Okay." Rachel said, and she had a feeling it was because Caveman wanted to watch her. She felt uncomfortable. Caveman had made feel insignificant, whereas Squid made her feel strong and like she could stand up for herself and state her opinion. There was just something about Caveman…they didn't connect at all. Too much awkwardness.
So as Rachel started making her way into the tent, she felt like somebody was watching her every move. And she didn't like it.
I mean, Caveman's a good guy and all but…see, that is something that Squid would never do. She found herself thinking. "What am I thinking?" she said aloud. "I just thought something that made Squid look good!" she exclaimed, bewildered.
She hurried into the tent and walked to her cot, where she instantly fell fast asleep.