Chapter Nine

All day I had been avoiding the guys, the only ones who I noticed noticing my behavior were Zigzag and Squid. Since I was the newest person, I was still the slowest digger. This fact caused the two suspicious idiots stayed behind to question me.

"So Emma, why have you been acting like well, weird?" Zigzag asked me.

"I have not been acting 'weird'," I retorted.

"Could have fooled us. If you haven't been acting weird then have you taken a sudden fear of seeing us change in the morning?" Squid prodded.

"I am not afraid of seeing you change. I told you, I wanted to get a fresh start," I said starting to get nervous.

"Yeah, because you're defiantly aren't the last person digging from our tent," Squid questioned my reasoning.

"I'll give you a reason, if you help me out," I said.

They both hopped into my hole, and as though I didn't tell them my height on my first day, they found that my hole and I were the exact same height hilarious.

"I told you I was short."

"Squid hand me her shovel."

Zigzag held the shovel next to me to find that his assumptions were correct, the shovel and I were both vertically challenged.

"Help me out, this isn't that funny," I huffed now that Squid and Zigzag were practically crying from laughing so hard.

"Hold on," Squid jested. He motioned for Zigzag to grab me by the ankles and he held me around my shoulders. They made me horizontal and measure my hole with me, what do you know? I was a perfect fit. They finally decided to give me a boost out of my hole.

"So, I would now love to hear this reason you proposed," Zigzag called after me.

"My reason for acting weird is…absolutely none of your business, thank you," I said walking very fast away from them.

"Awww, come on Emma. You know we were just messing around with that height stuff," Squid told me.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"You think that I'm acting like this because you made fun of my height? If you really think that get a reality check, because that is so not the reason," I said to him before going to the showers.

When I got to the showers I was finally going to be away from the man haunting my dreams. Not. As soon as I put my tokens into the slot, Squid jumps into the stall next to mine.

"Hey Emma."

"Hello."

"Lovely day isn't it?"

"Not really."

"I suppose not, it's hot. But aside from that rather nice?"

"If you say so."

"So, why are you acting weird?"

"Wanna hear a knock, knock joke?"

"Sure."

"Knock Knock."

"Who's there?"

"Nun."

"Nun who?'

"Nun of your business."

"Awww Emma, why are you going to be like that?"

"Because I can."

I was thankful that my four minute shower was coming to an end, but unfortunately so was his. As soon as mine ended I didn't even bother drying off, I went straight back into the tent. I started ushering everyone out, so I can change. They said they were going to the Wreck room.

I finally had some peace. I was still in the process of putting my shirt on when something happened, Squid had accidentally walked into the tent, time seemed liked it had stopped. There he was still wet from his shower, and me, who was in the middle of pulling up my shorts.

"Oh my gosh Emma, I didn't mean to, I didn't know."

"Squid, it's okay. You didn't see anything, did you?"

"No."

"Okay, then. We're even. Come on everyone's in the Wreck Room, and I'm bringing my mixes."

"Aren't you putting your jumpsuit on over that?"

"No, like you said. It's hot out."

We walked to the Wreck Room together. When we actually got there all the guys looked at me, they hadn't actually really seen me out of the jumpsuit, well aside from the showers. I didn't really care though. I walked over the stereo, popped in my mix, and hit play. I awaited the approval of the Ying Yang Twins song Boom! It's On. There weren't any complaints.

I walked over the pool table, the notorious D-Tent hang out spot. They all started at me.

"What? Do I have something on me? Do you not like the music, because I can always take it out?" I asked them.

"Don't you dare change the music, but I didn't expect you liking this kind of music," X-Ray said surprised.

"Really? I love this kind of music. I used to dance to it a lot."

"As for if you have anything on you, what do you have on? It hardly covers you!" Magnet said as though it was some kind of crime.

"This? They're called jazz shorts and a t-shirt."

"Those 'jazz shorts' look like underwear and that t-shirt shows your stomach," Armpit added.

"Last time I checked, none of you are my dad. And as long as that fact remains I will wear what I want to. Besides, I wasn't planning on staying here, I was dropping off my mix and coming over to tell you that I was going to be in the tent to stretch my muscles out."

"Emma, just stretch here, no one is going to care," Zigzag told me.

"Okay."

I started my stretching routine. First I did the stretching they taught us in middle school, touch my toes and butterflies and stuff. Squid and the guys were starting to stare when I started the more physical stuff. I did both my side and center splits, which caused many "That looks painful" comments. Then I did my scorpion, backbend, and finished with yoga positions. When I did finish I found that every guy in the room was looking at me.

"Yeah, Zig. No one's going to care," I said sarcastically.

"How in the HELL did you that?" they all screamed at me.

"I'm just flexible."

"That an understatement," Squid mumbled.