Rachel heard the blow horn from a distance. She jumped. Her heart pounded for a second, then slowly returned to normal.
She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She was on the rock, her secret hiding place, where Caveman had tried to kiss her weeks ago.
"Ugh." Rachel groaned and coughed. She looked to her left and saw Squid laying there, sleeping.
Then Rachel realized what had happened last night. She had tried to kill herself! It had been all too much…Carla, her father being alive, Mr. Pendanski, Danielle, Mr. Sir, the girls from G-Tent, and Squid. But most of all, the fact that she could kill herself anytime she wanted. All she had to do was find a lizard. It was too easy.
Rachel slowly tried to climb down from the rock when she heard Squid's voice.
"Rachel."
Rachel opened her mouth for a second and took a breath, "Uh…um, we uh, we have to go dig now." And she continued climbing down the rock.
Squid stayed there as Rachel finally got to the bottom. She didn't want to face this day. She worried of all the possibilities that could happen. And now she felt too weird around Squid. She couldn't be mean to him anymore, which was fine, but she felt too uncomfortable in his presence.
She was halfway across camp, feet away from the breakfast table, when Lucki stopped her.
"Hello Rachel!" she said sweetly.
"Oh, hi Lucki." Rachel said, trying to get past her.
"Are you feeling better?" Lucki asked with sympathy.
"Yeah Lucki, I am." Rachel smiled, nodding, "Much better. Just some bruises. But hey, it's not as bad as digging a hole every day."
She nodded. "I have to ask you something important." she said.
Rachel looked at her, "What is it Lucki?"
"Why don't you like the name 'Ace'?"
Rachel fixed her hair up into a tighter ponytail, "It's just really personal, and it hits home every time someone uses that name for me."
"Oh, well if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." Lucki said, "And I'm sure any of the girls would be happy to talk with you too. Especially Shorty and I, and Honey. And Strings. Well, all of us!"
Rachel smiled gratefully, "Thanks Lucki. That means a lot."
Lucki gave her a huge smile and said, "No problem Rachel! Oh, by the way, after we dig today, the D-Tent Boys, and of course us girls…have a surprise for you."
"What?" Rachel asked, with a look of bewilderment.
"You'll see." Lucki said suspiciously.
As the girls were stuffing their breakfasts into their mouths, Rachel only saw a small glimpse of Squid with the other D-Tent guys. He was walking with Zigzag and X-Ray, holding his shovel, laughing and playing around with them.
Rachel heard a gagging noise and then a small scream.
"Gross!" Strings cried, "Can't they at least provide the proper food? What a disgusting mess!" Strings then spit out her greasy cold tortilla.
"Strings," Rachel said shaking her head, forcing back a smile, "You're gonna have to get used to it man. It's all we have for breakfast around here."
Strings spat again, "I don't care. I'd rather starve! The least they can do is microwave it." She shuddered.
Rachel laughed at her humor and pat her on the back once, as everyone in Camp Green Lake walked onto the dry deserted wasteland.
A way away, in the distance, Squid watched Rachel laugh with the girls who all began to dig their hole. He looked at her continuously. It gave him a funny feeling. He knows that Rachel is secretly teaching Squid even though she had no idea. Teaching him what…Squid didn't know, but he knew that it meant something and that she was saving him from a life full of pain. He finally felt needed, which was something Squid had been waiting for all his life.
Song for this chapter!
"Learning to Breathe" by Switchfoot (From Rachel's AND Squid's point of view. For lots of different reasons)
Italic for Rachel's point of view, and bold for Squid's. And normal font, for both.
Hello, good morning, how you do?
What makes your risin' sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new
So this is a way, that I say I need You
This is a way
This is a way
That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
Hello, good morning, how you been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never, never thought that
I would fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad
I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
These abundant skies
Yeah, abundant skies, yeah
This is a way that I say I need You
This is a way that I say I love You
This is a way that I say I'm Yours
This is a way
This is a way
That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
(Leaning to breathe)
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
(Living again, awake and alive)
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
(I'm dyin')
Yes I'm dying to breathe in
(I'm dyin')
These abundant skies
These abundant skies, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm learning to breathe
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
Hello, good morning, how you do?
How you do?
How you do?
Breathe
She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She was on the rock, her secret hiding place, where Caveman had tried to kiss her weeks ago.
"Ugh." Rachel groaned and coughed. She looked to her left and saw Squid laying there, sleeping.
Then Rachel realized what had happened last night. She had tried to kill herself! It had been all too much…Carla, her father being alive, Mr. Pendanski, Danielle, Mr. Sir, the girls from G-Tent, and Squid. But most of all, the fact that she could kill herself anytime she wanted. All she had to do was find a lizard. It was too easy.
Rachel slowly tried to climb down from the rock when she heard Squid's voice.
"Rachel."
Rachel opened her mouth for a second and took a breath, "Uh…um, we uh, we have to go dig now." And she continued climbing down the rock.
Squid stayed there as Rachel finally got to the bottom. She didn't want to face this day. She worried of all the possibilities that could happen. And now she felt too weird around Squid. She couldn't be mean to him anymore, which was fine, but she felt too uncomfortable in his presence.
She was halfway across camp, feet away from the breakfast table, when Lucki stopped her.
"Hello Rachel!" she said sweetly.
"Oh, hi Lucki." Rachel said, trying to get past her.
"Are you feeling better?" Lucki asked with sympathy.
"Yeah Lucki, I am." Rachel smiled, nodding, "Much better. Just some bruises. But hey, it's not as bad as digging a hole every day."
She nodded. "I have to ask you something important." she said.
Rachel looked at her, "What is it Lucki?"
"Why don't you like the name 'Ace'?"
Rachel fixed her hair up into a tighter ponytail, "It's just really personal, and it hits home every time someone uses that name for me."
"Oh, well if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." Lucki said, "And I'm sure any of the girls would be happy to talk with you too. Especially Shorty and I, and Honey. And Strings. Well, all of us!"
Rachel smiled gratefully, "Thanks Lucki. That means a lot."
Lucki gave her a huge smile and said, "No problem Rachel! Oh, by the way, after we dig today, the D-Tent Boys, and of course us girls…have a surprise for you."
"What?" Rachel asked, with a look of bewilderment.
"You'll see." Lucki said suspiciously.
As the girls were stuffing their breakfasts into their mouths, Rachel only saw a small glimpse of Squid with the other D-Tent guys. He was walking with Zigzag and X-Ray, holding his shovel, laughing and playing around with them.
Rachel heard a gagging noise and then a small scream.
"Gross!" Strings cried, "Can't they at least provide the proper food? What a disgusting mess!" Strings then spit out her greasy cold tortilla.
"Strings," Rachel said shaking her head, forcing back a smile, "You're gonna have to get used to it man. It's all we have for breakfast around here."
Strings spat again, "I don't care. I'd rather starve! The least they can do is microwave it." She shuddered.
Rachel laughed at her humor and pat her on the back once, as everyone in Camp Green Lake walked onto the dry deserted wasteland.
A way away, in the distance, Squid watched Rachel laugh with the girls who all began to dig their hole. He looked at her continuously. It gave him a funny feeling. He knows that Rachel is secretly teaching Squid even though she had no idea. Teaching him what…Squid didn't know, but he knew that it meant something and that she was saving him from a life full of pain. He finally felt needed, which was something Squid had been waiting for all his life.
Song for this chapter!
"Learning to Breathe" by Switchfoot (From Rachel's AND Squid's point of view. For lots of different reasons)
Italic for Rachel's point of view, and bold for Squid's. And normal font, for both.
Hello, good morning, how you do?
What makes your risin' sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new
So this is a way, that I say I need You
This is a way
This is a way
That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
Hello, good morning, how you been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never, never thought that
I would fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad
I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
These abundant skies
Yeah, abundant skies, yeah
This is a way that I say I need You
This is a way that I say I love You
This is a way that I say I'm Yours
This is a way
This is a way
That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
(Leaning to breathe)
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
(Living again, awake and alive)
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
(I'm dyin')
Yes I'm dying to breathe in
(I'm dyin')
These abundant skies
These abundant skies, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm learning to breathe
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
Hello, good morning, how you do?
How you do?
How you do?
Breathe