Dirt and Dummies || A ZigZag fanfic

01

"I'm allowing you to chose, Ms. Jane. Either 18 months in jail, or 18 months in Camp Green Lake." Man, I can't handle jail, all I did was accidentally pop some guys tire, I tried to apologize, really! "Uhm, Camp Green Lake please, your honor." He nodded, "I hearby sentence you to 18 months Camp Green Lake." He banged his gable and every started to leave.

~

"I cannot believe you Katherine! Popping a tire?" "I didn't mean to-" "How do you think I feel huh? The neighbors already think poorly of us! What will they think once they figure out where you've gone off to! Have you heard? Lana from down the streets daughter got sent to a camp for felon kids! I heard she popped a guys tire! What a atrocious little girl!" Mom ranted about her disappointment as she packed a bag.

"Go to bed, tomorrow you're getting sent off, and when you come back, there won't be a place for you to come back too!" I had no idea what she meant, but I knew it wasn't good. Mom always talked about up and leaving alone, having no place to go or stay, and I fear now she isn't threatening, she's promising. She left my room with a slam of the door and I sat on my bed, crying myself to sleep.

~

I was alone on the bus, all except one kid about my age, curly brown hair and a basecap who sat closer up front. Staring out the window, I only see dirt, the same thing I've seen for the past 20 miles. We approached a old camp, dulled from the dust, making it look like a town from a western movie. We stopped in from of a cabin and followed the officer out.

The boy steps out before me, standing and looking around. I gently nudge him as I pass him, silently motioning for him to come on. "So uh, where's the lake?" He asks. Stupid question. The guard snaps at him and leads us inside. Inside there a middle aged man with sideburn, chewing sunflower seeds whole, ew.

He motions for us to sit down in front of his desk and we do. The officer and man talk, before he pulls out 2 files. "Katherine Jane," he looks at me and I nod, keeping my mouth shut, "Stanley Yelnats...the fourth?" He stares at Stanley as he starts to speak. "Yeah, everyone in my family names their son Stanley because it's, yelnats backwards. It's like this little..." He trails off awkwardly and I stifle a laugh.

"My name is Mr.Sir," I've heard worse names, "whenever you speak to me you will call me by my name, is that clear." "Yes Mr.Sir." Stanley is barely audible but I speak loudly, I don't need to seem like a frightened little girl in a camp seemingly full of boys. Stanley laughed while saying it, bad move.

Mr.Sir stands up, "You think that's funny? Huh? This isn't a Girl Scout camp. Understand?" He yanks open a fridge, grabbing a bottle of coke, "Here." Stanley reaches out naively, I know it's not for us. "Boys you're a bag of tricks." Mr.Sir snickers and hands it to the officer. "You thirsty Stanley? Katherine." I cringe at the use of my full name and shake my head, yet Stanley answers with eagerness.

"We'll you better get used to it. Katherine here's got the right mindset. Cause you gon be thirsty boy for the next 18 months." He leads us outside with a frown. He speaks directly to Stanley disregarding me so I zone out, taking everything in. He leads us into a shack grabbing some boots and prison looking jumpsuits. "Get changed." He instructs, I hesitate and look at him with a raised brow.

"You heard me, ain't nothing we wanna see anyway." I beg to differ with th way half the boys here have been eye fucking me since I stepped out of the bus, but I sigh and quickly undress and dress again. "You get 2 sets of clothes, one for work, one for relaxation. After three days your work clothes will be washed, your second set will become you work clothes."

"You are to dig one hole each day. Five foot deep, five foot diameter, your shovel is your measuring stick. However long it takes you to dig, however long you'll be in the hot sun." I zone out until I hear lizards. "...and rattlesnakes." Stanley pauses. "Rattle snakes?" "Don't bother them and they won't bother you...usually. Being bit by a rattler ain't the worst that can happen to ya, you won't die usually. But you don't wanna get bit by a yellow spotted lizard."

"That is the worst thing that can happen to ya. You will die, a slow and painful death. Always." He trailed off, and a guy too perky to be here entered. "Stanley Yelnats. Katherine Jane. I just want you to know, that you may have done some bad things, but that does not make you a bad kid. I respect you, both of ya. Welcome to Camp Green Lake. I'm Dr.Pendanski, your counselor."

Mr.Sir says something then leaves, paying attention back to Dr.Pendanski again. "You'll both be in D tent, D stands for Diligence. That's the mess hall, there's the rec room, and theirs the showers. There's only one knob because there's only one temperature, cold." "Uh- Mr.Pendanski?" I but in and he looks at me. "Not to sound above anyone but is there any other place I can shower."

"Well Ms.Jane-" "Kj, please." "Well Kj, I'm sure if we talked to the Warden we can figure something out." I nodded and he went back to talking. "Hey mom! Who the Neanderthals?" A kid with glasses asks, two other boys with him. "This is Stanley and Katherine-," "Kj." "Kj, my apologies."

"So what's happening with barf bag?" "Oh Lewis won't be returning. He's still in the hospital. Stanley, Kj, meet Rex, Alan, and Theodore." "You sure that's their names?" I look at them, "They don't seem much like that to me." Rex smirked at me. "Yo, my name is X-Ray, and that's Squid, and Armpit." "Seems more like it." I mumble.

"Him, he's mom." Squid says, motioning to Dr.Pendanski. "They all have their little nicknames." "Their little nicknames seem better than Theodore. No offense Armpit." "None taken." "Theodore, X-Ray, why don't we show these two to their cot." "Go head pit." X-Ray nods at Armpit. They walk ahead and X-Rat stays behind with me.

"So, what's with the Kj shit." "Do I look like a Katherine to you?" X-Ray laughs and shakes his head as he follow into the tent. "There's an extra cot set up for you, drop your stuff there." I do so as 3 other boys walk in. "Hey, I'm Magnet, that's ZigZag." Magnet introduces.

My eyes travel across them, staying on ZigZag. I nod at them as I make eye contact with ZigZag before he walks off. I sit down, cracking my neck. Mom talks about some kid named Zero, making fun of him. "Hey cut it, why you talkin bout your kids like that man?" I question. Everyone stares at me and I try not to shrink into myself. "You tell 'em about the lizards."

"Ricky let's not scare Stanley and Katherine." "Their names ain't Ricky, or Katherine. It's Zigzag and Kj, alright?" I nod at X-Ray in thanks. "If you guys have any questions, Stanley ask Theodore, Katherine, ask Rex." "Armpit, Kj and X-Ray." I groan in annoyance. I've been here not an hour and already got names down better than mom.

"So, why they let a girl in?" X-Ray asks. "I dunno man, he'll I didn't know this was all boys, I woulda chose jail over this." I shrug. "Let's head outside." I follow X-Ray, just outside in time to see Armpit put Stanley in a headlock. "My name is not Theodore," he shoves him on the ground, getting in his face, "Its Armpit." I glare at ZigZag as he pushes me over to get over there.

"Watch it, jerk." I Snap. They all turn to look at me when Stanley leaves. "Who you think you are girl?" "I Kj, that's who I am, jerk." I stand up straighter, looking Zigzag in the eyes. He smirks and crouches to my level, "Fiesty ain't ya?" I glare at him, "I'll show you fiesty when I knock your ass out into the first hole I dig." I push past him, following X-Ray into mess hall.

A/n: Damn that was long, dude I love zigzags accent so much- im literally writing the next chapter rn