In wonderment, Arya stared at the lush wilderness that surrounded her. Winterfell had trees and vegetation, but it didn't compare to the vibrancy of the green forest she walked through. After she had arrived to Wholistic Core, the employees had immediately checked her in and showed her to her room. They said she had an hour to herself before she had to go a mandatory meeting.
As she waited for her luggage, she found a packet on her bed that was addressed to her. It said: Arry Stark of Winterfell. She figured it was a typo, but she wouldn't correct them on it. It was their mistake, not hers. It gave her an idea as well. Arya was tired of being the fuck up and disappointment of the family. Perhaps, just for a little while, she could be someone else. Someone who didn't have all those expectations imposed upon them and she wouldn't be judged harshly. Perhaps, she could be who she really wanted to be without being criticized. Without a second thought, Arya put on the nametag.
After walking for a few more minutes with a small group, rows and rows of chairs came into view. It seemed as if the meeting was being held outside. Arya took a seat in the back as she waited for the rest of the chairs to fill up. In about twenty minutes, every single chair had someone sitting in them and the people around her chattered in lively tones.
It puzzled Arya how some people could just make friends so easily, when she struggled so mightily just to get her family to understand her. She found it even harder to relate to people who didn't share her blood. Here she was, surrounded by people who most likely didn't know each other who were talking as if they were old friends and it was the loneliest she ever felt in her life.
She may have decided to become Arry for a while, but she still had the same problems as Arya.
"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention," an authoritative voice commanded. It was stated as a question, but only out of politeness. Half of the crowd quieted down, but there were still people talking. "Ladies and gentlemen, I asked if I could have you attention," her voice became slightly louder with a hint of menace. The rest of the crowd ceased chatter. "Hello, my name is Leslie Davis," Leslie said in a welcoming tone as she smiled and waved at the crowd. "I am the executive director of Wholistic Core. Nice to meet everyone."
For a brief period of time, she walked back and forth as she examined the crowd. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd and made on the spot assessments of as many people as she could.
"Now," she clasped her hands in front of her and held them close to her chest. "That whole repeating myself twice thing—that," disgust laced her voice as she said that. "Will never happen again. Before we continue, I will like to briefly explain my title. Basically, my job is to oversee the program like the activities, funding, employees, and so forth. I work from inside of the program, so I am here with you all. I see what works and what does not work and I try to improve these things regardless to make your guys' stay here. Now, we won't work one on one or talk much, BUT you will see me around. I always have my eyes open and my ears to the ground."
Arya tried to get a better look at the woman that was speaking. Leslie was a black woman who seemed of average height and her hair was pulled back into a ballerina bun. Her posture was that of one who was in control and she gave off an air of confidence.
"So, what is Wholistic Core," she began. "We aren't like boot camps whose collective purposes is to whip you into shape, so your parents and, society at large, finds your problematic behavior 'manageable'," Leslie grinned as she put air quotes around the last word. "No, our goal is much deeper than that. We want out reach to be further than that—much more profound than 'training' you and 'correcting' your behavior. We want to get to the root of it. We want to get to your core," passion fell from the program director's mouth as she spoke about Wholistic Core. "Can someone tell me the definition of the word core?"
Leslie searched the crowd and looked for volunteers. A few people raised their hands.
"Yes," she called on someone Arya couldn't see. The person gave their answer as Leslie gave her full attention. She called on two other people and attentively listened to them as well. "Does everyone get the gist of what core means? "The core is your very center—the foundation of who you are. It is the most ESSENTIAL part of ANYTHING," she emphasized. "Now, I don't want to my time spent on vocabulary and comprehension, but there are some keywords that I want everyone to understand, so we are all on the same page. Also, our age range here is from thirteen to twenty-two, so everyone's not on the same page as far as education goes," Leslie informed. "So, we will talk about some terms, but only for today."
Again, the woman assessed the crowd.
"To be essential is to be the most important or necessary base of a person, thing, or idea. So, your core is the MOST important thing that makes you who you are. Are you guys following me?" She took a sip of water. "Holism is the idea that everything is connected and cannot exist without one another. Like all those parts that make up cars, TV's, and phones. And if their cores are compromised, they malfunction. Some work and others don't. But, we don't we you all to have malfunctioning parts." Leslie smiled warmly at the crowd. "Another part of holism is the idea that we, the whole, are greater than the sum of our parts, which means we can accomplish more working together and using our strengths together in order to achieve our desired outcome." Pensively, she walked back in forth. In a slow manner, Leslie tapped a finger to her temple before marginally pointing towards the group of people in front of her. "But, the most effective way of accomplishing our goal is to get to the core, so that we can work together in harmony. Wholistic Core does this by striving to help individuals work on betterment by appropriately dealing with these mental and social issues AND learning how to manage them. So, why do we do this? We do we help kids of who labeled as problems kids in society? Because we care and we want to help everyone work on being the best possible person they can be. It may be foolish to some, but that's because they don't have a solid core."
A bearded man with hair just above his shoulders appeared on stage. His hair was brown and he had a stern expression on his face.
"This here is Yoren," she introduced. "I trust all of my employees, but he is my MOST trusted employees. I hired everyone here and made sure that they are specialized in whatever section that they are in. The reason Yoren is my most trust employee is because he deals with the behavior. He's our enforcer of the behavioral code, the dean, the warden—every term you can think of for a person you keeps a group of people in line, he is that." Yoren gave Leslie a knowing look, and then stared at the crowd again. "He's been with the program since the beginning and only three…" she looked at him for reassurance. "Only three out of thousands have been kicked out while Yoren has been here. He gets results. And he's a good guy. If you have any problem whatsoever: talk to him. Don't let your issue escalate. I know that there is a lot of you, but trust me, Yoren can handle it."
Leslie introduced other important members of the camp who would be more involved with the kids' day in and day out. Every worker was highly praised and doted upon. They workers seemed to be nice people even Yoren.
Arya didn't know what to make of the program, but she could tell that they put a lot of thought into it and cared for the kids. She really didn't consider herself a problem child, but then again, she wouldn't be here if people didn't find her problematic. She appreciated that Leslie didn't try and make it seem as if the kids were the issue just that they had some issues to deal with. Arya needed to work on her anger, but she didn't think she was as much trouble as people painted her out to be.
"Any questions," Leslie asked.
Hands flew up and Leslie answered them in a detailed and efficient manner. She smiled and joked with the kids as replied to each inquiry.
Arya wanted to ask a question, but she doubted that Leslie could see her all of the way in the back or that she would even choose her.
"Do you have a question," a counselor asked Arya. She widened her eyes in surprise.
"Umm, yes," she replied.
"What's your name," he smiled at her.
"Arry."
He tapped a mic in his hand. "Hey, Leslie," he called out to get her attention. "A young adult named Arry has a question."
"Sure," Leslie responded. "Shoot away."
"Well," Arya looked nervously around. "I know it's summer, but this program doesn't have an end date and the sheet I reader earlier says it can go through the school year. So, what about real school? Won't this interfere with some of our academics?"
As many difficulties as Arya has with her peers, she enjoyed school a lot. She didn't enjoy the droning on of some teachers, but the ones who cared about what they taught; she loved to be in their classes.
"Great question." Some of the kids looked at Arya. "I take it that you didn't get a chance to read everything in the packet we gave you?" Arya nodded in agreement. "That's completely understandable. Wholistic Core is a very unique program in that academics are incorporated into our program and offered to those who are either in high school or chooses to take the classes. The classes that you will take here whether it is for something equivalent to a semester to a full year are transferred into compatible credits to normal high schools and even colleges. So, if you put as much in your work here like you did in your previous school, you should be just fine. We have teachers who are accredited in the secondary level schooling and even advanced placement/honors classes. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes," Arya handed the mic back and sat down.
Another question asked Leslie how they were able to fund the program and she explained that they were funded from many branches of the government as well as big named corporations. She also noted that seventy percent of the participants had to pay and other, not as financially stable, participants were chosen on a case-by-case basis on a voucher. Leslie said that the lower class participants deserved the same opportunities as the higher-class participants. Someone else asked her why she said young adult so much rather than kids, children, teens and Leslie expounded that she treated the participants like young adults so they could think in a more mature manner. If you call someone a kid, they will act like a kid.
"Yes, sir," Leslie pointed to another person Arya couldn't see.
"I don't mean any offense," the young man began. "But, what makes you qualified to run the program?"
"No offense taken. What's your name," she asked politely.
"Gendry," he stated in an unsure tone.
"Well, Gendry," the older woman began. "I've been working with people my whole life. I was a camp counselor as a youth, but those were with actual kids—the ages between five and eleven," she clarified. "I started working with young adults—ages 13 through twenty-two—when I was a high school teacher. I know eighteen is considered and adult, but I go to twenty-two because some young adults stay home longer than others and some college students are still dependent on their parents. But, back to your question, so I was a high school teacher for a while in both upper and lower class schools, I was a social worker for a very short while, but none of those worked for me and I didn't know why," she shrugged her shoulders. "Then one day I came to see that I didn't want to teach students or simply get them out of bad homes, I wanted to help them better themselves. After a series of ups and down, I came into a work opportunity with Wholistic Core. So, what I believe makes me qualified for my job is that I not only care for you all, but I have experience with working with different behavioral mindsets. Does that answer your question?" It seemed as if the kid was satisfied. "Thank you for your question."
After a few more questions, Leslie began to wrap up the introduction/meeting section.
"It is my humble welcome you all to Wholistic Core and, hopefully, I get to know some of you all better for whatever your duration here will be. And one last note: if you looked at your itinerary, you would have seen that there is an awesome teamwork exercise next."
Arya reported to her group last.
"Arry Stark," the counselor asked.
"Yes," Arya nodded in agreement.
"Well, Arry," the guy began. "My name is Camden, but you can call me Cam. I am your immediate group leader, supervisor, or whatever you want to call me. We're not big on labels here, but we do want you to know who to report to and who the bigger fish are," he said. "As I was explaining to Gendry and Hot Pie," he pointed to a tall, muscular guy with thick jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes and an average height, overweight guy with dark blond hair. "One of your fellow group members had an allergic reaction to something and is being taken to the hospital and the other one is experiencing extreme homesickness."
Hot Pie laughed, "What a pussy."
"Hey, language," Camden admonished. "We do not tolerate foul language here and you will support and respect your fellow peers." Hot Pie rolled his eyes. "And you will respect me." Camden gave Hot Pie a disapproving look. Is there any nickname you go by Arry?"
"No, Arry is fine," she folded her arms and looked around.
"So, that is settled," he looked at his clipboard, and then pointed at each kid as he called off their names. "You are just Arry, just Gendry, and you want to be called Hot Pie. All good?" He gave two thumbs as he held the clipboard between his forefinger and middle finger against his palm. The young adults nodded in agreement. "Well, now that we have that out of the way. Before we go on are there any questions?"
The three teens gave him a blank look.
"Alrighty, then," he mumbled good-naturedly. "Wholistic Core doesn't believe in dipping a toe in—we like to jump in." He grinned widely at his group members. "So, with that being said, you all are going on a treasure hunt in the woods, which also doubles as a getting to know you exercise. So, while you look for your treasure, ask each other questions," he handed sat a backpack in front of them. "Don't skip over the getting to know you part either, it will be important later on."
Camden further explained what they were supposed to do, and then set them on their way.
The group decided to split up the responsibilities. Hot Pie read the map and compass, Gendry carried the backpack, and Arya read the list. As they searched for their first treasure, the young adults sweated profusely. Gendry decided to give everyone their water bottles, so they could stay hydrated.
"I know he said however long it takes, it takes, but this is ridiculous," Gendry complained before taking a big swig of his water. "It is hot as fuck out here."
"Well, he did say that they didn't believe in dipping a toe in," Arya offered. She wiped her forehead in discomfort. Winterfell had summers, but they weren't nearly this hot. The summers were mild and the winters were harsh. She could handle winter.
"I wish I could did a toe into some water," Hot Pie supplied wistfully. "Or better yet: cannonball."
Arya and Gendry daydreamed with him.
"How much longer do we have to go," Gendry moved the bag around on his back.
"Much longer," he chubby kid groaned.
"We should eat," Gendry suggested. "I don't know about you all, but it's been a while since I've had something." His companions agreed as they pulled the prepared food out of the bag. They quiet ate and the momentarily rested from the hike. After they finished, they resumed treasure hunting. Shortly after they began walking, they approached a creek. Excitedly, they splashed themselves in water. Gendry and Hot Pie pulled off their shirts and dipped them completely in the water.
"Thanks Gods," Gendry moaned as he cooled his skin. He let his shirt absorb water, and then wrung it out on his skin "I was practically baking in the heat."
"Do you know how much longer we have left," Arya asked. "This shit is taking too long."
"You complaining about it isn't going to make us get there any faster," Hot Pot admonished as he tried to copy Gendry.
"But, it shouldn't take this long," she practically yelled. "If this is the easy part of the program, I wonder what the hard part looks like." Arya got out of the creek and walked over to Hot Pie, and then snatched the map from him. As she read the map and compared it to the treasure trail directions as well as the compass, her face increasingly got red. Her fury built exponentially as she exploded, "You have to be fucking kidding!" She shoved Hot Pie to the ground and he hit his head on the ground.
"Ow," he cried.
"Hold up, hold up," Gendry said in a placating manner as he ran over to the two of them and stood in front of Arya. "What's the problem?"
"What's the problem," Arya sneered. "This dumbass can't read a fucking map. We've ventured an hour and a half off trail." A strangled noise came from her mouth as Gendry looked gobsmacked.
"That can't be right," Gendry said hesitantly as he took the map from here. "I don't even know why I am reading this, I don't know how to read a map. Are you sure?"
Arya gave him an unbelieving expression. "Am I sure?" She mirthlessly laughed. "I was practically raised in the woods. My father took my brothers and I camping all of the time." The omittance of Sansa was intentional.
Gendry threw his hands in the air, and then exhaled loudly. "Okay, perhaps it's not that bad. We can walk back to the trail, and then finish the treasure hunt from there," he suggested.
"Not that bad, Gendry," Arya glared at him. "We have an hour and a half walk to take back to the trail—the beginning of the trail. Then, who knows how long it will take to complete the teambuilding exercise. It's that bad." She paced back and forth. "God, you are so stupid—both of you."
Gendry glared at her and tightened his jaw. "If we're stupid, you are stupid as well. If you could read a map and compass, then why did you give it to Hot Pie."
"Because he said he could read a fucking map and COMPASS!" She shouted in his face. They both turned to Hot Pie.
"My bad," he said apologetically. "I thought that it would be easy to figure out."
"You thought wrong," Gendry sniped as he went back to the creek and tried to cool off one more time before they left.
Arya went to the bag and sat the map and compass down. She searched the bag for sunscreen and applied it to her skin.
"If we speed walk, do you think we can get back before dark," Gendry asked as he put on his shirt.
The older boy could see her think in over in her mind. "Depends on what you mean by dark," she said vaguely. "If we walk fast enough, we can get back during dusk." Gendry ran a hand through his hair. "But, that's if we skip the treasure hunt. We don't know how long it will take to find each thing."
"Do we have enough food to last us," Hot Pie asked.
"Fuck off," Gendry and Arya shouted simultaneously. Hot Pie grumbled and started to fiddle around next to Arya while she ignored him. They zoned him out and didn't notice when he ran off into the creek.
"I rather just skip the treasure and get back before it's too dark," Gendry agreed. "We can explain to them that we got lost because a certain someone didn't know what he was doing. Why would they send us into the woods not knowing if we could read a map or not?"
Arya sighed at the heat. "Wholistic core doesn't do anything half-assed. I mean, they should have handed me the map, but they probably asked our parents or some shit if we knew how to read maps. They probably assumed that people who didn't know how to read a map or compass wouldn't pretend that they did know and gave the stuff to the people who did know how to read it in the group instead."
"I guess," he mildly agreed. "We should get started since time is of the essence," he mockingly repeated the well-known phrase.
Arya wiped her forehead and turned around to pick up the map and compass.
"Where's the map?" Gendry could see that Arya was panicked as she searched for the map in the bag and around it. "It was right here." She pointed to the ground. "I sat it on the ground with the compass on top of it, so it wouldn't blow away."
Hot Pie turned red.
"What did you do," Arya screamed at him.
As the blond kid answered her, he stammered, "I just wanted to look at the compass again, so I picked it up," he said quietly. "After I was done looking at it, I noticed the map was gone. We I looked around, I saw it floating in the creek and went after it." He pulled a wet piece of paper out of his back pocket. Arya snatched it from him and saw that the paper was completely soaked. The ink was runny and the map was no longer usable.
"Are you fucking serious right now," she balled up the wet paper and threw it at Hot Pie. He flinched. "Are you FUCKING serious? First you lie and say you can read something you clearly can't and steer us an hour and a half away from the path, now you let the map get into the water and get soaked to a point where it can't be read?" Suddenly, she began to hit him. "You're a fucking genius, that's what you are."
Gendry hurried up and pulled her away from the other guy. "Calm down,"
"No," she ripped her body away from Gendry's. "Are you really expecting me to be calm right now?"
"I don't know," he answered. "But, I sure as hell know that anger and beating the shit out of someone doesn't help even if it does make you feel good."
"Well, I don't know what will." She paced back and forth. "We've gone too far from the path, we have no map, we are extremely low on food—something else is bound to go wrong."
The only sounds that were made were those that came from the woods. "Well, didn't you say you was practically raised in the woods—we can hunt or catch some fish," Hot Pie offered.
"Arry can't catch fish with his fucking hands," Gendry said incredulously. "Besides, we don't have any tools to hunt with."
"There is nothing to hunt anyways," Arya started putting the items back in the bag. Hot Pie looked around as if he was trying to scope out a potential predator. "These people aren't going to make us go on treasure hunt around dangerous animals. Deer aren't generally dangerous, but unfortunately as Gendry said, we don't have tools even if they were around."
"So, what are we going to do," Hot Pie was terrified. Arya wanted to scare him, but she wanted to get out of the woods even more and a panicked person was only a hindrance.
Wordlessly, Arya pointed to the creek. Gendry crinkled his eyebrows, and then raised them in realization.
"How does that help us," Hot Pie asked as he moved out the way for Gendry to pick up the backpack.
Gendry turned to the boy and looked at him. "It helps us because it is the only creek around here. This creek runs behind our cabin area. If we follow it, it will lead up back to campgrounds."
"And you guys were worried about us being lost." Hot Pie smiled, and then erased it when both of him comrades shot him death glares.
Arya and Gendry walked at a faster pace than Hot Pie and refused to walk slower so he could walk beside him. They checked on him every few minutes to make sure he was still there and all right.
"So, why are you here," Arya asked as she swatted a mosquito away.
"I don't know," Gendry shrugged as he stared straight ahead.
"You're a liar," she proclaimed.
"No, I'm not," he denied.
"Yes, you are," Arya said.
"You're starting to be a pain in my ass," Gendry remarked.
"And you're being stupid." She sipped her water that she gathered from the creek minutes before as she looked expectantly at Gendry.
"You know you shouldn't insult those who are bigger that you," Gendry looked at Arya briefly before looking to the ground as he walked.
Arya looked offended at his words. "Then I wouldn't get to insult anyone."
Gendry laughed.
"Honestly, I really don't know." He scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "My foster dad just told that I had to come to this program and that there wasn't any negotiation. I know why he wants me here, but I don't know why he signed me up in this specific camp. I was never a problem child."
"Tsk, tsk," Arya said. "You mean, young adult."
"You're right, I was never got into any trouble as a young adult," he humored Arya.
"So, why does your foster dad want you to be here," she inquired.
"He claimed that it was a good opportunity for me." Gendry turned his head to check on Hot Pie. "Some shit about expanding horizons." Arya slightly laughed.
"My dad said the same thing when we moved last year," Arya could relate to being told what would be best for us. "I don't mean to sound intrusive, but why didn't you grow up with your parents?"
"Well, I don't know who my dad is." Gendry and Arya stopped so Hot Pie could catch up. He had fallen somewhat behind. "And my mom died when I was younger. All I remember about her is that she had blond hair and worked at a bar. I was in and out of foster homes before I met my foster father when I was twelve."
"How old are you now?" They began to walk again when Hot Pit was ten feet behind them.
"Nineteen." The sun started setting, which lessen the intensity of the heat. "And you?"
"Fourteen," she answered.
"So, what about you?" He asked nonchalantly.
"What about me?" Arya took a bit of her granola bar as she looked at him.
"Why are you pretending to be a boy," he cut straight to the point.
"I'm not pretending to be a boy," she contradicted. "I am one."
"No you're not," he grinned.
"Yes, I am," she defended.
"Then whip out your cock and take a piss," he demanded. "I'm not stupid not like the others, you know."
"No you're stupider," she insulted.
Gendry laughed and held onto the book bag straps tighter. "Come on, I'm waiting."
Arya glared at him. "Fine, I'm a girl."
The older boy shook his head at his victory. Upon first glance, Gendry thought that Arya was a boy, until they spent the rest of the day together. She certainly had the look. Her hair was styled like his—unkempt and very short. She wore a regular gray t-shirt, cargo shorts, and boots. He couldn't determine if her voice was high because Arry hadn't hit puberty yet or if it was because Arry's genes were really XX. It was certain mannerisms and further inspection of her physical characteristics that tipped him off.
"Why do you want to be a boy?" Arya rolled her eyes at him question.
"I don't want to be a boy," she declared and Gendry looked her up and down before meeting her eyes again to make a point. "Not in that way. I like who I am and what I am, but girls don't get the same freedoms as guys, you know? Everything we do gets judged, criticized, and torn apart and I'm so fucking tired of it."
"If it's any consolation, you're the most kick ass girl I've met so far," Gendry offered. Arya smiled in response. "Do you want this to be our little secret?"
"I don't care—it's not a big deal," she shrugged.
"So, if you're name isn't Arry, then what is it?" Gendry handed Arya the shirt he had took back off earlier to wipe her face. She dipped it in the creek as the spoke and Gendry stopped and waited for her to finish.
As she wrung the shirt out, she spoke, "It's Arya Stark." She got up and looked at Gendry as a huge smile enveloped his face and he laughed.
"You're the girl that beat the shit out of that Joffrey Baratheon kid," his eyes widened as he recognized who she was. "Holy shit. You're my hero—I hate that little shit."
Arya proudly grinned. "How do you know Joffrey?"
"The question is: who doesn't know Joffrey," he was still laughing about Joffrey getting beat up. "Well, at least, anyone who lives in King's Landing. He was always throwing his weight around because of who his father is. He came to my foster dad's shop once expecting to get his car fixed for free, and then throwing money at him to prove how 'superior' he was after he was told he had to pay." Gendry looked to be disgusted by the last part.
"He really is a fuckface and that's being nice," Arya wiped herself with the shirt again, and then handed it back to Gendry.
"Too nice," he agreed. "So, you being Arya Stark and going to school with Joffrey means that your dad is Robert Baratheon's new right hand man Eddard Stark?"
"Yup." Arya believed that they were getting close to their destination.
"If we were to compare this to ancient Westeros, you would be considered a lady," Gendry figured. "Should I be calling you my lady?" Arya could tell he was joking, but she didn't find it funny.
"Shut up," she pushed Gendry as he laughed.
"As my lady commands," he bowed and Arya pushed him so hard that he fell over, but it only made Gendry laugh even harder.
An hour later, Gendry and Arya had slowed down enough for Hot Pie to join them and Arya deduced that they were minutes away from the cabins. Arya's guess proved to be correct as the walked by the cabins to go check in with their group leader. They explained what happened and were exempted from their previous activity and the following one.
Arya ate dinner and went to bed. It may have not been the longest and most stressful day in her life, but she was tired nevertheless.
Weeks had passed and she was getting along with Gendry and Hot Pie just great, but especially Gendry. They developed instant banter with one another and could anticipate the each other's wants and needs. Mycah was her best friend, but this was different. Arya felt like she was truly herself around him. Everything everyone else judged her for, Gendry embraced. He never made her feel ashamed to be who she was or the things she liked.
When there was a break or their activities for the day was done, they would sit and talk to each other for hours on end. Sometimes they would go exploring and talk to each other. Often, Arya would hang out by the creek or in the rec room. They initially tried to hang out in each other's rooms, but were told that it was inappropriate.
"We should go swimming," Arya looked at the lake longing as they carried wood for the bon fire that night.
"I don't know how to swim," Gendry mentioned.
"I'll teach you," his friend offered. "It's easy once you get the basics down."
The following Saturday, Arya took Gendry to the lake and walked him into water that was deep enough to swim around, but shallow enough where he wouldn't drip. She explained to do with his hands, legs, head, and how to breathe.
"I'm going to stop if you keep laughing at me," Gendry warned as he splashed water at her.
"Stop being such a baby," she rolled her eyes and swam backwards as she watched Gendry. "If you didn't look so stupid as you swam, I wouldn't be laughing. Stop giving me material and start following my directions."
Gendry swam out a little further and pulled her under the water.
"Stop it, you big dofus," she struggled in Gendry's strong arms, but he wouldn't let her go.
"Words hurt, you know," Gendry said as he pulled her close. His expression was mischievous. "Say you're sorry."
"I'm not sorry," Arya stuck her tongue out.
"Okay, you asked for it." Gendry was about to pull her back down under the water again when she yielded.
"Okay, okay," she said quickly. "I'm sorry." Arya gave him a hug. "That you are such a bad swimmer."
"You know what, you little twerp," Arya playful screams was muted by the water.
Later on, Hot Pie asked why they didn't ask him to come, which Arya feel a little bad. The three of them had grown really close in a short time and, despite feeling a stronger connection with Gendry, she shouldn't have forgotten to ask him.
On Monday, they had to build a tower out of furniture. It had to be a certain height and it hand to stand longer than a minute.
As Hot Pie read the directions, he stammered. Gendry went over and snatched the paper from him and began to read. He had trouble as well.
"What," Arya said as she walked over. "You two can't read or something?"
After she took the paper and looked down to read it, she noticed Gendry's silence. Arya looked up at him and noticed he was bright red.
"Gendry…"
"I can read," he began. "It's just I have a problem with the big words is all." Gendry refused to look at Arya out of embarrassment. "I lived in the poorest part of King's Landing called Flea Bottom," he said quietly. "You either went to school or you didn't, but going to school meant you couldn't help your family make money, which meant that you didn't eat. I liked going to school, but I liked eating more, so I dropped out in the eighth grade. I had to help my foster dad."
Arya opened her mouth, but Gendry stopped her.
"Don't apologize to me," he said as he stared at his shoes. "I don't want it." Arya knew that he wasn't upset or mad at her, but she felt terrible.
"Gendry," she began again.
"And don't stop calling me stupid or idiot and anything else that insults my intelligence." He finally looked Arya in the eyes. "I know you don't say that to me because you mean it—you call everyone stupid, but me more so than others because you like me the most out of everybody." He thought about what he said for a moment. "Well, you don't like everyone you insult and call stupid, but I'm pretty sure that you like me. I know you consider me a friend."
"Gendry, I'm glad that you finally admitted how stupid you are," Arya gave him a tightlipped smile. She read the directions and told them what to do. After they finished the activity, she, Gendry, and Hot Pie walked to the lake together to swim. Gendry was doing way better than he did on Saturday. "I love books."
"You do," Gendry said slowly. He was curious as to why she made her remark.
"Yeah," she replied. Arya dipped her head in the water, and then brought it back above the surface. "I used to be involved in a lot of online book clubs and now I don't have anyone else to talk to. I don't like the people here besides you and Hot Pie. I have all these books in my room and it would be nice to discuss them with people that I like."
"Sure," Gendry agreed. He was too choked with emotion to say anything more. It was a subtle way to offer to be his reading tutor, but a gesture he appreciated nonetheless.
The summer was long and hot and when the end neared, it passed by too soon for Arya. Her activities got cut short for her class time, which wasn't the usual school setup like going from what class to the other. There were break in between and some were longer than others. She figured it resembled the class schedule of some college kids. The learning was very personalized and one on one since there weren't that many student. Arya enjoyed the teachers and the method in which they taught.
"Ugh," Gendry groaned in frustration as he slammed his book shut. Arya looked up and rolled her eyes.
"What is your problem?" She didn't look at Gendry as she spoke to him.
"That book is too hard," he declared and rested his hands in his hair.
"So, you aren't going to finish it, so we can discuss it later on?" Grey eyes met blue eyes.
"Cut the bullshit, Arya," Gendry said angrily. "I don't fucking understand this shit—it's too hard."
"Yeah, it's hard," Arya irritably agreed. "But, you complaining about it will only make it harder. Reading is not just about learning the words; it's about challenging yourself and expanding your vocabulary. I know you didn't think you were just going to pick up a book and instantly know the words."
"I want to be a mechanic—I don't need to know this shit. I know all of the words I need to know." He folded his arms and looked at the table in front of him.
"You don't have bigger dreams than being just some mechanic?" Arya sat her pencil down. "There's nothing wrong with that, but you can be a mechanic AND own your own business. You can be your own boss."
"You really think I'm smart enough to run my own business?" His expression softened.
"Of course, stupid," she picked up her pencil again.
Arya glared at him, until he opened his book and continued to read.
"Finish the chapter, and then go over your vocabulary list," she instructed. "Hot Pie should be here in ten minutes and we're going to have a spelling test when he gets here."
"Do I get a cookie if I get an A," Gendry smiled.
"Yup, and you get two if you get an A plus." The younger girl wiggled her eyebrows.
"Ooh," he leaned closer to his friend.
"I know, right," she mimicked his actions. "I'm such a nice person." Gendry shook his head in agreement. "Now, get back to work and worry about cookies later."
Gendry read in silence and wrote down words he didn't know or understand as Arya taught him when they first began to work together. Arya completed one of her school assignments just as Hot Pie entered the room.
With the motivation of cookies, Gendry aced his test. Hot Pie missed one, but Arya offered to give him both.
"No," Gendry said as he stared in offense. "You're supposed to be the hardnosed teacher—all or nothing. He is supposed get one hundred percent for both cookies like I did. And it's not like he doesn't have any cookies—he has one."
"He's right, Hot Pie," Arya shrugged. "Better luck next time." Hot Pie glared at Gendry who happily ate both of his cookies.
Gendry and Hot Pie were taking reading lessons from her because they were too embarrassed to ask the people in the program to enroll them in classes. They were already behind most of the other kids in learning since Gendry dropped out before his eighth grade year and Hot Pie dropped out when he was in sixth grade. Also, they were older as well. In addition to Gendry being 19, Hot Pie was 17. Neither one was expecting a full education, but they wanted to be better readers.
"Arya, what is your dream job," Gendry asked as he licked his fingers.
"It's nothing flashy like being a movie star or anything." Arya bit into her own cookie. "I want to be a cop."
"Really," Hot Pie blurted out.
"Yes, really," she replied. "They put their lives on the line to protect people. I've always wanted to be one of them every since I was a little girl."
"Well, I know that I'll be safer with you on the streets," Gendry warmly smiled at her as reached his hand across the table to squeeze her hand. "Officer Arya."
For the first time in Arya's blushed.
"Where are you going to go whenever you leave here," Gendry asked as he walked Arya back to her cabin. "You know, since you've been expelled from your last school in all." The tall boy elbowed her jokingly.
"Braavos," she answered. "The culture is way more relaxed and the education is great from what my parents tell me. It'll give me something different from Winterfell and better than King's Landing."
"Will you miss being away from your parents that long?" For a moment, the walked in silence before Arya responded.
"Yeah, but I have to learn to live on my own eventually." Gendry seemed to give her words some consideration.
Gendry pulled her into a bear hug after they approached her room. "Goodnight, Arya."
"Goodnight, Gendry." She waved as he walked backwards and waved back at her.
"My mistake," he said a little loudly. "I meant, officer Arya."
Arya didn't tear her eyes away from Gendry even as his form became smaller and smaller. When he disappeared, she wrapped her arms around her body and walked into her cabin.