Episode One - Part Two
Addison decided quickly that Camp Green Lake would be a pretty awesome place if everything there didn't suck major balls. On the upside, she saw a tarantula eating a scorpion. It was, by far, the most metal thing she'd ever seen. She didn't even know if tarantulas ate scorpions. But by the way the other girls just shrugged it off, and kept walking towards the kitchens, maybe it was a common occurrence.
On the downside of things, all the food came from cans. She learnt that when they were making breakfast. As Lawless opened the cupboard to grab the milk, Addison made a face at the towers upon towers of beans, peas and assorted vegetable cans. They sat next to the long-life milk cartons, and considering the smell, everything was probably close to their expiry date. Tucked on the top shelf were the cereal boxes, which were all family sized. However, even those had damaged and crinkled packaging – whatever was inside definitely wasn't fresh.
"Damn," she said, when Lawless went to hand her a milk carton. "These are the people math warned us about."
Lawless stopped and looked at Addison, her nose wrinkling.
"You know," said Addison, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Like, Jerry has 50 watermelons. How many does he have left… if…" It wasn't worth finishing the sentence off.
"Do you have an off button?" Lawless asked.
"I have birth mark on my elbow," Addison said. "That count?"
Lawless opened her mouth to say something, but angry-man-in-cowboy-hat who called himself Mr Sir yelled for whoever was in charge of cereal. Lawless gave an annoyed sigh, which was more directed at Addison than anything. "Just get the cereal."
Addison did so with a nod. She happily took the milk from Lawless, and let her guide their way back to the serving counter. As they moved through the kitchen, dodging around girls who held trays of tortillas and six packs of orange juices, Addison noticed how no one spoke. No one leant over to whisper to their tentmates as Pendanski circled around, as if he and his knee-high socks were on patrol. Lawless seemed to be the only one who spoke. Or, more likely, the only one who wanted to speak with Addison. Addison had tried, but any attempts to joke around had been met with blank stares.
Out of nowhere, an elbow shot itself into Addison's back. She shrieked, and a carton of milk slipped through her arms.
Addison whirled around. "Hey, what the-" A girl with frizzy orange hair towered over her.
"What?" asked the frizzy-haired girl, hands on her hips. She didn't look all that muscly, but the scars and bruises littering her arms suggested she'd seen her fair share of fights.
Addison wracked her brain. What the… What about that… weather? No. What the… What… the…
Lawless stepped in, scooping up the milk carton. "Chillax, Frizz. I got this."
Frizz wrinkled her nose, but turned away. Lawless placed the milk back on top of Addison's pile.
"Thanks," said Addison.
"No sweat," said Lawless, waving it off.
When Lawless had sat next to Addison at dinner, and chatted her up, Addison was honestly just happy to talk to someone. Lawless did not make the face some of the others had when Addison admitted to stealing makeup and clothes. She also really liked how Addison dealt with Squid.
"You know he owes you, right?" Lawless had asked around a mouthful of food. "It'll be hilarious. He wouldn't be able to say no to anything."
"What? Like…" Addison had glanced around the mess hall at the other girls, who sat in clusters at different tables. Even Jax ignored Addison and Lawless, and sat with the others. When Addison's eyes fell on Jax, a girl beside her – Frizz, Addison now just realised – stared Addison down, like she was challenging her.
"Like…" Addison continued, "Like Squid could be a bodyguard?"
Lawless blew a raspberry. "He's out digging half the day. Can't do much to protect you there."
"Oh."
"I was thinking more… slave," said Lawless.
"Wouldn't we get in trouble?"
"Shoulda thought about that before stealing 50 lipsticks."
Addison didn't say anything back, because, well, Lawless wasn't wrong.
"I dunno," Addison said, poking at what she thought was meat. Or maybe it was a messed-up potato. "I was just doing what the poor guy needed."
"Extra days off aren't a thing, Addison. You get bitten, and get one day. That's it. Squid owes you."
"Well-"
"You would have so much power," Lawless added. "So much."
Addison's stomach weakened in that moment – and it wasn't from the food. It flipped and bubbled exactly the same way it did when Addison's friends sent her to the makeup counters on their many expeditions. This was wrong. Way wrong. That nervous, bubbly feeling followed her around. It continued well into the night as she tossed and turned in her bed. And it continued now. Even as Addison set the cereal and milk up for Lawless, earning herself a smile, she wasn't exactly sure if following the popular, pretty girl was the right thing. Last time she did that, she ended up in handcuffs.
. . .
Another upside to Camp Green Lake: she was still Squid's doctor. Because, upside, the boys at Green Lake were fine. When lunchtime rolled around, she grabbed her sacked lunch and headed straight for D-Tent.
She flung the tent door open. "Good news!"
Squid sat on his bunk in the back-right corner. He must've felt better, 'cuz he sat with his legs over the side, shuffling and then re-shuffling a deck of cards. "What good news?" he asked.
Addison stopped in the middle of the tent, clutching her lunch a little harder. She hadn't really thought that far. She just wanted to walk in and hopefully put him into a good mood. But as he looked at her, raising an eyebrow for her to go on, that spark of optimism sank.
"So," she started, a little slow, "hear me out. Pendanski and Mr Sir said that because you're not digging today, you don't need lunch."
"How-"
"Hear me out."
An annoyed burst of air came out Squid's nose. But he kept his mouth shut.
Addison pulled a sandwich out of her sack. "I don't eat much anyways. So, you can have my sandwich, and I'll take the apple and cookie."
Squid went back to his cards. "Don't want it."
Addison swapped the sandwich for the cookie, which really was just a dry graham cracker. "Did you want the-"
"No."
"Not hungry?"
A low growl came back in answer. At first it sounded kinda like a fart, but when it went up in pitch and bubbled, Addison smirked at Squid. He cursed under his breath.
She held out the graham cracker, walking closer. "C'mon. It's free."
"But it ain't, ain't it?"
Addison glanced at the graham cracker. Squid stared up at her, and she tried so hard to not look dumb. Which was really, really hard. She wanted to say something witty or sassy, but all her braincells – all two of them – could do was bounce around her head like a DVD icon on a blank TV screen.
Squid stopped shuffling. "Lawless sent you here."
"Uh… no."
"She did," he said. "I saw you two last night. Actin' like best friends and all. What'd you want, then? My bread? My juice?"
Addison offered the graham cracker. "Just eat this."
He snorted. "You want me to owe you more? Fucking dig all my holes and I'll give you all my food. What about that?"
"Ohhh. Right. That."
Squid rolled his eyes. "Tell you what, you good at actin' stupid."
Addison would've been insulted if it wasn't slightly a compliment – for a lack of a better term. Acting stupid. She wasn't going to correct him and explain she was stupid.
"What do you want?" Squid demanded, bringing Addison back to earth. "Juice or bread?"
She shook her head. "No-"
"What then?"
An entire speech about how she was doing it all from the good of her heart, was at the tip of her tongue. That she was not expecting anything in return, and that he should pay it forward to someone else in need. Real good people kinda shit.
But… Lawless's face floated through Addison's mind. Her perfect, dark brown skin. How her box braids rested over her shoulders. How her mouth ticked up in the corners, like she knew exactly what Addison was thinking. It brought a sense of warmth to Addison's chest. With her, Addison wasn't alone. With her, girls like Frizz didn't bother shoving her face into the toilets. And the toilets at Camp Green Lake were one big, gross downside. If she let Squid go, would Lawless go too?
"What you got?" Addison asked, throat tightening.
Squid turned back to his bunk. Addison watched as he pulled his covers up in a lame attempt to make it. The crate beside hit bed was unkempt, with loose socks and a sweat rag dangling out. Addison didn't need for him to go through it to know there was nothing in there.
He combed a hand through his hair. "Dunno."
The silence grew between them. Addison kicked at the floor. Slave. She had a feeling if she mentioned that, Squid's fist would end up in her face. But if she didn't, that fist would be Lawless's. Or any other camper, for that matter.
"Hey!" shouted a voice. Seconds later, a counsellor's head popped into the tent. He had a shotgun at his side, like he was ready to point it at them if need be. "Y'all know the rules! Out. Now."
Squid grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. Addison fumbled to put all the contents of her lunch back into her sack as she followed him out.
The counsellor stood by the door and glared the two down as they walked down the steps. "Don't think you got special privileges, just 'cuz Pendanski's shit at first aid. I'm watching you." And he proceeded to "watch" them, by bounding down the stairs, turning on his heel and walking away. The two campers watched him disappear behind the water towers.
"That's his way of making sure no one bones?" Addison was surprised when Squid nodded, without the added eye-roll.
"It works," said Squid.
If that worked, then her school's ice pack might as well be considered heart surgery.
Squid's stomach rumbled again. His expression hardened, then quickly faltered when Addison giggled.
"C'mon," she said, waving her lunch back and forth. "If you have my sandwich, you can pay me back by giving me a piggy-back ride to the mess hall."
Squid snorted. "The counsellors prob'ly think piggy-back rides are equal to boning here."
"Who said anything about that? I meant as friends."
"Boning as friends?" As if realising what he just said, Squid ripped his eyes away from her, feigning interest in the sky, and a lone, wispy cloud.
"Piggyback rides," Addison corrected, smiling. Hey, give him a good shower and some nice cologne, and he could get it.
Squid shook his head, moving away. "I'm not giving you a piggyback ride."
A minute later when they came to the mess hall porch, Lawless grinned at the two of them. "Why you giving new girl a piggyback ride?"
Squid grumbled, bending his knees so Addison could readjust her grip. "Long story."
"Fun story," Addison added, curling her arms around his neck. She pretended his hair didn't smell like sweat, and rested her chin on his head. "We're practically best friends."
"We're not," said Squid.
"We could be."
"No."
Lawless snorted, and apparently, she wasn't the only one amused. Laughter travelled through the group of girls sitting on the porch. They weren't exactly school girls sitting in circles, giggling. No – the orange overalls completely shattered that image for Addison. But they smiled into their fists as they watched Squid struggle to pull her off. When Addison finally slipped off his back, and he stepped away from her, one or two girls let out laughs.
"Isn't that sweet?" Lawless said, eyeing Squid. "Best friends."
Squid's nostrils flared. He dusted himself off. "We're not friends."
Addison pulled out the last half of the sandwich, and held it out for him. Without glancing at Addison, he snatched it away.
Lawless laughed. "I don't think that's up to you, Squidward."
"Don't fucking-"
"That's a great idea!" Addison said, blinking. "Oh my god, we could have, like, matching nicknames. I could be Tartare Sauce or Fries or something."
"No," said Squid, and he glared at Lawless. "No."
Lawless just bit into her sandwich.
Addison clapped her hands together as she thought up new ideas. "-and our own secret handshake. And our own language. And we need a friendship soundtrack. I vote, like, a classic rock theme-"
"Something else," Squid cut in. "There's gotta be something else you want – something that's not gonna give me headaches for the next year." He glanced around, as if looking for inspiration. "Like, like…"
"A slave?" Lawless offered.
"No."
"You could carry her around everywhere," said Lawless.
"No!"
"Then what?" Lawless spread her arms. "You gotta give her something. C'mon – look at that face."
Right on cue as Squid turned to look at her, Addison summoned her best puppy-dog eyes. It was something she mainly reserved for her parents when she did something like run over the neighbours mail box, or if they found a boy in her room. She batted her eyelashes up at Squid, her eyes slowly starting to water. Her lips quivered. Squid went to argue but his mouth clamped shut. He didn't stand a chance.
He looked from Addison, to Lawless, and to the other Green Lake girls. The rest of the camp compound was quiet, save for the counsellors inside the offices, completely absorbed in a quarrel over who was on night duty. Addison watched as his face changed through several emotions – denial, confusion, anger, worry. Moments later, his shoulders slumped. "This ain't gonna go away, ain't it?"
Addison threw her arm over his shoulders, having to jump up on her tiptoes. "Nope!"
Squid's frown evened out – acceptance. Grudging acceptance, but acceptance nonetheless.
Addison moved to hug one of his arms. "What should we do first, Best Friend?"
"Don't say it like that."
"What do you mean, Best Friend?"
"Stop."
"But you're my Best Friend."
Squid groaned. It was enough to send the group of girls – finally – into a fit of giggles. The noise reverberated around the empty camp, bouncing off the wooden buildings. Addison wouldn't be surprised if the guys out digging could hear them. For a moment, the camp wasn't the suckiest place on earth.
END OF EPISODE ONE
Boom! First ever update! And the first episode done! Which is good, because now I can start on all the really dumb episodes! (Like the next one). I hope you guys like it as much as I liked writing this. It's so much fun!
Now for the replies to the reviews - I honestly didn't think I'd get to do this because I didn't think anyone would review :) Thanks so much everyone!
Midnight-observer - Thank you for being my first review :)
Guest (Lawless) - Thank you! A 'Lmao' tells me I'm doing my job correctly. Also - did you name yourself Lawless because you liked her character, or is it a coincidence? Either way is cool :)
CeruleanMusings - I'm so glad I changed the plot and set-up - it gives much more interesting chapters. And with Addison not knowing about nicknames and such - she is still on her first day. This is the first time she and Squid have met, so she still doesn't understand how things work. But don't worry - it just goes to show I haven't made it clear enough, and that I should rethink it whenever I get time to edit (or learn how to edit already posted chapters). Thanks for everything, CM!