When I woke up the next morning, I felt someone watching me closely. I opened my right eye and saw X-ray's eyes (or rather, his glasses) staring back at me.

"What the heck?" I whispered, rubbing my eyes. "What's up?"

"Zig told me to make sure you weren't dead because you weren't talking in your sleep like normal," he whispered back, sitting down. I rolled my eyes. "I know. Strange. But anyway... you heard me and Squid?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you did. I wouldn't have had the guts to do anything about it."

I snorted. "Yeah right."

"No, seriously. I'm a geek back home."

"You?"
"Me." He looked down, then back at me. "Where do you live?"

"Vega. In the panhandle."

His eyes got wide behind his glasses. "I live right outside Vega."

I smiled. "Sweet."

He reached up and touched my face with gentle hands. So gentle, you wouldn't know that he'd ever dug a hole, or worked a day in his life. Callused, sure, but not aggressive. I took off his glasses while he caught his hands in my hair and pulled me to him, kissing me softly, just as the bell rang.

"Oh baby, Oh baby!" Squid laughed at us. "Look guys! It's the lovebirds!"

We were still kissing when Ricky separated us. "Get off my sister!" he yelled. "You don't touch her!" He shoved X-ray away from me.

I shot up, facing him. "Richard Louis Brown! I can decide who I like on my own! Just because you don't-"

"Damn straight I don't approve! You're 15! He's 16!"

I rolled my eyes. "Listen, Richard, when you started dating, you dated girls younger than you! Get a grip!" I yelled, pulling myself up to my full height. "Believe it or not, I can take care of myself!" I turned away and changed, then pulled my hair up as I stomped out of the tent, muttering in Spanish.

"What's eatin' you?" Mr. Sir asked.

I spun around. "Sibling rivalry, Mr. Sir."

"Sibling?"

"Ricky. Zigzag."

"Work it out or you'll change tents."

"Yes Mr. Sir."

"I'm warning you!" He yelled at one of the boys, running after him.

I grabbed my tortilla and a shovel, then began following Pendanski and the rest out to the lakebed. I didn't talk that day. I used my anger as strength and dug through the soreness in my shoulders and the tears in my eyes. Ricky and I never fought. We were always close. "Astrid!" Pendanski yelled. "Water!"

I climbed out of my hole and finished off my water, then brought it to him to fill. "The name is Cola." He shoved it in my chest and left. I jumped back in my hole.

"Chica! Your hands are bleeding bad!" Magnet yelled, jogging over to me.

I looked at my hands, covered in blood. "So?"

"So? Cola!" He jumped into my hole and took my shovel, then poured a little water from each of our canteens onto my hands. I winced. "I know it hurts. X! Get over here!" X-ray walked over and jumped in my hole. "Got a bandanna?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old gray cloth. "Close enough. What'd you do?" He asked me while he ripped it into two strips.

"I don't know. I didn't even notice until Magnet started freaking out." I gasped in pain when he tied it.

"Sorry, but it's gotta stay on, Cola." I shrugged and he tied the other one. "Can you move your fingers okay?"

I wiggled my fingers. "Yeah, I'm good," I lied. It hurt so bad to move at all, I knew I wouldn't be able to dig right. They went back to digging. After about ten minutes, so did I. Holding the shovel made my hands burn, but I kept going.

"Are you okay?" Zero asked me when he finished. I shook my head and showed him my hands. "I'm not even gonna ask. Do you want some help?"

"No, I'm fine," I lied again.

"Really, Astrid, you can't lie for crap." He started digging with me and we finished the hole. I got out and pulled him up. "Thanks." We started walking back. "So you and X-ray..."

I smiled. "Yeah."

He shook his head. "I never thought I'd see Zigzag yell at you. The way he talked about you, you hung the moon, you know? He called you 'Angel girl'. He never really talked to me, but you know me. I don't sleep. I hear it all. And it's all true, too." He looked down.

"That's sweet of you."

"Hey, I'm just letting you know. He worries about you."

I threw my shovel down. "Well, that's peachy, really it is. But in case you haven't noticed, I can take care of myself. Turn around while I change, okay?" He did and I put on my bathing suit and grabbed my clothes. "Okay. Anyhow, I have to shower." I slipped on my sandals and walked to the showers, glad the camp was deserted. I slid the two tokens in and washed myself under the icy cold water. It felt good to clean up. I barely rinsed my hair out when it shut off. I dried off and changed quickly as Squid walked by.

"Cola!" he called. I tied my sleeves and walked over to him, brushing my hair. "I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to start anything between you and Zig."

"No problem. Take a shower and I'll beat you in pool."

He laughed. "Sure. But I'll be beating you."

"In your dreams!" I yelled after him. I tossed my stuff on my cot and headed to the rec. room. I hadn't really been in there too much. I zoned out, thinking about mom, wondering if she was okay. Knowing her, she'd move, not tell us, and we'd be homeless. But what did I care? She was the one who married that jerk after dad died.

"Cola? Are you okay?" Squid asked. I turned to him with tears running down my face. "I'll take that as a no." He pulled me to him. "What's wrong? Come on, you can tell me."

"Astrid?" Ricky asked. I looked up. He was still soaked from his shower. "Come on. We need to talk," he said, gently pulling me away. I followed him out behind the mess hall. We sat down and he pulled me into a hug that I'd missed since he left. The hug I got when Dave beat my back with a board. The hug I got when kids teased me at school. "I'm sorry I..."

"I know. Me too."

"But really, I need to control that. I just still think of you as a little kid. I mean, you grew up when I left."

"Shut up."

"Anyway," he said, rolling his eyes, "You do what you want. But if he hurts you, I promise I'll kill him."

"I know you will. He won't try anything. He's seen me beat up a guy for flirting... He knows I won't let anyone get in my pants."

"So does everyone else in the tent," he laughed. "Come on. Weren't you supposed to beat Squid in pool?"

"Yep." I got up and jogged to the rec. room. There still weren't too many guys in there, and Squid was still waiting for me. "Come on Squid, your break," I said, standing over the pool table, my long hair forming a cave around me.

He shrugged. "Your funeral." He broke and nothing went in. "I meant to do that."

"Sure, whatever you say," I said. I smiled. The eight ball was in direct line of the left corner pocket. "Eight ball in the corner- OW!" I yelled as some jerk from A-tent smacked my butt. I whipped out my switchblade and shoved him against the wall, holding it to his neck. "You touch me again and I'll slit your throat while you're sleeping," I warned, my voice going soft and dangerous. Everything stopped and he turned pale as a ghost. He nodded and I let him go. "Okay, show's over!" I yelled, going back to the game.

"What the...." Squid started to ask as the eight ball went in. "Crap!!"

I smiled. "What was that all about? All I saw was you holding a guy to the wall with your blade to him," X-ray asked, touching my shoulder.

"Some jerk smacked my butt and I warned him what would happen if he touched me again."

"Oh." He ran his fingers through my hair and rested his hand on my waist. "You look nice with your hair down like that."

I ran my hand over it self-consciously. "Thanks." I blushed, surprising myself. I hadn't blushed like that since I was 12, young and innocent enough to be shy. Even then, my hair was long. Only now, it went to my waist and then some. My friends at home always loved playing with my hair, braiding it, curling it, whatever. We kept on getting closer and closer until our noses were almost touching. (in case you're wondering, she's just barely shorter than him).

"Guys? Go get a room," Ricky ordered. "I don't want to see my sister kissing you, X-ray." We laughed nervously and backed away a little, acting as though this was the first time we'd liked someone.

He took my hand tentatively, his eyes shy behind his glasses, and we walked to the tent. It was deserted. We sat down on my cot. "Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?" he asked. I shook my head. "Well, it's about time someone did." I reached up and touched his face, taking off his glasses. "Hey now. Now I can't see you."

"Who says you need to?" I asked. He smiled and put one hand behind my neck, the other on my back, and kissed my lips so sweetly he literally took my breath away. I kissed back, my hands shaking when I touched his face.

"Ahem." We broke off and saw Caveman and Zero standing there smirking at us. X-ray immediately grabbed his glasses and left, obviously embarrassed. "Sorry Cola, but-"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." I smiled widely and flopped back on my cot, grinning at the prospect of having a boyfriend, even in a place like this.

"Well, someone sure is happy," Caveman laughed. I just smiled.

"Yeah. Geez, Cola, you'd think you'd won the lottery."

I laughed. "Okay, enough guys."

"But it's so much fun."

I smacked Zero with my pillow. He retaliated with his pillow. I swung for him again and hit Caveman when he ducked. He grabbed his own pillow and we went on hitting each other, forgetting where we were and how terrible it was, if only for five minutes. By the time we were done, we were laughing so hard we could barely walk to dinner. We got strange looks from everyone, which just made us laugh harder. I finally gave up on eating and went back to the tent. Caveman and Zero followed soon afterward. I was watching a few gnats fly in front of me and swatting at them constantly like I was trying to karate-chop them or something else just as ridiculous.

"I'm going to kung-fu you, BUGGY!" Zero yelled, imitating me. I rolled on the ground in helpless laughter, tears streaming down my face in rivers.

"Y'all are crazy," X-ray laughed when the rest of them came back. When we went to bed that night, I saw him smiling in his sleep.