Chapter 7: The lump
"I'll catch up with you guys in the rec. room after my shower." Ash called waving to them; she had become quite good friends with the boys of d-tent. She headed off once again for the showers, making sure to stop by the tent to grab her T-shirt.
Once again the relieving cold water hit her body, making her shiver from the sudden temperature change. Still not used to this damn water, she thought her shivering stopped as she got more accustomed to the water.
She wrung out the bottom of the T-shirt, smoothed it out, and dried herself off. Ash put on her orange suit and flipped her long blond hair over so it hung down her back; pieces still clung to her face. The cabins had no curtains or shutters on the windows, and the flaps of the tents were clear, and she didn't trust any of the boys to keep their eyes to themselves. This tiny shower stall might not be the most private enclosures, but it was the best she had at Camp Green Lake.
She folded the T-shirt and towel and decided to head straight for the rec. room. On her way she was intercepted by a boy she had seen once or twice but had never met. "Hey there sweet thing. So what's a pretty little girl like you doing in a place like this? You couldn't have done anything bad enough to wind up here." He stood about a foot taller than her, had dark, sun-tanned skin, and unmistakable muscles underneath that orange suit. He looked about 18.
Not in the mood to engage in conversation at the moment, she pushed on by him. "Move it buddy I have somewhere to be right now." Ash continued to walk on. "I asked you a question," he said rudely, stepping right in front of her and making her stop.
"And I'm ignoring you. Get out of my way." She brushed right past him, wishing for a slight breeze to cool off the endless dry wasteland; she would normally go at a much faster pace if it weren't for the heat. Ash was almost at the rec room. The boy grabbed her arm, and forced her back. Sharp pain shot up her arm at the sudden contact. Her arms already felt as if they were about to drop right out of their sockets, her hands were throbbing and forming blisters, and sunburn stung at her forearms and face, and his grabbing didn't help any for the pain.
"Look sweetie, all I want is a simple answer." He smiled unkindly at her. If this is his idea of flirting, he needs a new technique, she thought. "Oh am I giving you too complex of an answer for your little brain to comprehend? Look buddy I have somewhere to be right now, and its not here wasting my life talking to you." She pulled her arm away and sauntered off, her pleasant mood wasted on an ignorant jackass.
The boy glared, and went to run after her but Caveman came out of nowhere stopping him. "Hey, Leave her alone alright? Last thing she needs is an ass like you harassing her." He said, recognizing the boy from when he almost got in a fight. "You again? What is she your girlfriend or something? What you do to wind up here? Knock her up and the parents found out?" Snickering, the boy pushed Caveman, mocking his very being. "No, but she is my friend. And I'm not letting you push her or any of my friends around." Caveman raised his fist, punching the boy hard in the face. The boy stumbled back, but regained balance soon enough. Raising his fist in the air, about to swing, something hit the back of his head, hard. He fell forward, knocked out. There stood Zigzag holding a large rock. "Let's get out of here." He said, dropping the rock and running for the rec room.