Chapter Text
At first Stanley had thought there would be a lake. When he stepped off the bus onto the packed desert dirt, he discovered that the lake at Camp Green Lake had dried up decades ago. Within an hour he wanted a nice cold drink. And he’s been desperate for that cold drink for weeks now. The only cold-water Stanley had got were six minutes in the shower. After a long day of digging Stanley returned to D-Tent to collect a towel and his relaxation clothes. Stanley remembered coming home after getting his weekly swirly from Derrick Dunne to wash off the toilet water. Never would Stanley have thought that he would miss those aggressive showers. Before Derrick gave him swirlies Stanley had never bothered to wash his face. No matter how clean he got there was no way to wash out the smell of bleach from his nose.
After finishing his shower, Stanley dressed and made his way to the rec. room. Unlike him, Armpit didn’t like taking showers and had extra tokens saved up. The boys of D-tent were trading those extra tokens in the corner of the rec. room. Squid and X-ray thought up the brilliant idea of throwing dice for other boys’ spare tokens.
At a table alone Stanley wrote another letter back home to his mother. Making up stories about playing cards with new friends from other cabins. Often Stanley found himself off on his own. Finishing his seven holes so late meant all the other boys were already in a groove by the time Stanley arrived. Even Zero, his first friend at camp, would have been deep in a game of pool. Sometimes Stanley wondered if his scrappy friend would still find Stanley worth speaking to if he knew who Stanley was before Green Lake. That Stanley, even with his size, couldn’t fight worth a damn. That Stanley was a fat dork who rushed to the local library to watch black and white movies and read books on astronomy or Greek tragedies. That Stanley wasn’t the mastermind Clyde Livingston superfan that lifted Sweetfeet’s cleats the 1st day they were dropped off on a charity auction. It was easy to let the other boys in d-tent tell tall tales about him. It made their crew look a little rougher. Easier for all of them to escape the animosity of the older boys. But knots filled his stomach at the thought of Zero seeing him for who he was. When the counselors or other boys would try speaking to Zero he’d look to Stanley for a response. Stanley was unsure if Zero was seeking acknowledgement, permission, or direction. Zero’s eyes weighed heavily on Stanley. Stanley felt them even when Zero thought nobody was looking. Other campers found Zero’s prolonged eye contact unsettling. Sometimes Stanley questioned the line between Zero’s curiosity and anger. As uncomfortable as the other boy’s gaze may feel, Stanley would rather be a bit unsure if Zero would make a face at a dumb question or talk his ear off than have Zero ignore him all together.
***
While Stanley scribbled out a letter back home, Hector would spare a glance at him. Most days Stanley would shuffle into the wreck room near the tail end of the day to drop off a letter for his family back home. Usually, Hector would be busy with a pool game whenever Stanley would make his way in from digging for the day. As the slowest digger in the camp, Stanley would get back later than the other boys. Sure the two talked from time to time, but Stanley hung around the other boys of D-tent more. The two had not spoken much beyond that first day. The other boys had guided Stanley away from talking to Zero. Gassing Stanley up after learning of his charges. Building rumors about him having stickier fingers than Magnet. Ignoring the way Stanley flinched and hesitated. Even though more words were exchanged between Stanley and the other boys, Zero knew what the other boys didn’t. Stanley Yelnats was no thief. He didn’t belong at camp Green Lake. Instead of digging holes, Stanley Yelnats should be playing Uno like the happy families in TV commercials. It wouldn’t be long before Stanley would find himself in trouble here. Hector understood the bravado they shoved on him. He’d seen it work before on other boys like Barf-bag. But words could only protect you for so long if they aren’t backed up by action.
Hector saw Squid picking on Stanley. Zero walked off from his pool game incase Squid got rough with him. The older boy crumpled the letter up. Tossing the paper in the trash. Stanley plucked it from the trash to rub out the creases. Planting a kiss on it. For a second Zero wondered if Stanley was just writing his family or if he was writing a girlfriend back home. Some of the guys at camp had them. Or at least bragged that they did. Stanley was so easygoing, tall, friendly, and even though Zero hadn’t experienced it yet Zero just knew he’d give the best bear hugs. He could see a girl liking him easily. Before Zero was taken in he’d clean tables in the busy season for a free lunch or tips. Sometimes if he hung out at a local Tony’s Pizzeria around when school got out a girl might buy him a mini pizza to share. He’d try his best to hint that he preferred talkative girls to avoid sitting in silence. He never knew what best to say to them. He had a feeling that some of them wanted to practice on someone who they knew would say yes. At least one girl said as much. At Tony’s they had a couples’ special on their ice cream sundays to share. None of the girls ever bought Zero a sunday. Somehow Stanley always seemed to have something to say. Bet a girl would buy him a whole pizza to take home and an ice cream sunday.
***
Within his first month at camp, Stanley found himself holding back tears outside the rec. room after winning a game of dice. Stanley usually wouldn’t consider testing his luck on such a game. Stanley had a days’ worth of shower tokens before Mr. Sir would issue them new ones and was invited to play a round. He hadn’t expected to win. But when Stanley asked to cash out his earnings, the older boys just took his tokens from him. He had been so excited when he actually won. Imagining finally taking a long shower, again.
Stanley should have known better. He was cursed.
Hearing footsteps approach Stanley rushed to whip his face of any stray tears. Expecting one of the D-tent boys to seek him out. Instead, he sees Zero from the corner of his eye.
“Hey?” said Stanley.
Zero held out a closed fist to Stanley. Stanley returned with a confused fist bump that earned him an annoying look from Zero. His fist still held out. So whatever Stanley did was definitely stupid. When Stanley didn’t react, Zero grabbed Stanley’s wrist with his other hand. Shoving shower tokens into Stanley’s open palm.
“Where did you get these?”
Zero tilted his head at Stanley with squinted eyes.
“Dumb question, huh?” asked Stanley. “Why do this for me?”
Zero shrugged. “You won the game”