𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗌𝗌𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽𝗌 | 𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖾𝗌 2003

⁴ the first hole's the hardest

A loud trumpet rudely awakened me at 4:30 in the morning. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, only for magnet to sit on my bed and bounce, landing on my legs a few times. "wake up, chicka. you've got a hole to dig."

I sat up, yawning. "Ugh, don't remind me Magnet." I threw my thin covers off once magnet got off of my legs and began to stretch, lifting my arms in the air and then bending to touch my feet. I did this a few times, oblivious to the boy's getting ready around me.

I tried my best to change discreetly, holding blanket around my body putting on a fresh t-shirt and a jumpsuit. once I laced up my boots I pulled my bonnet off and put my hair up, out of my face.

I brushed my teeth and put my things away, following my tent mates and a crowd of other boys to a shed that had a sign above it reading 'Library.' Mr Sir opened the shed door and inside were a butt-load of shovels. what a sick joke. I grimaced at the shed and went to get a 'book'.

"Ladybird." Zigzag tapped my arm, "Here," he handed me a tortilla, that was drenched in I don't even know what. He held one in his other hand for himself. "Aw thank you," i smiled up at him, taking the mess out of his hand. "What's on it?" I asked him.

"Honey. Honestly, it's not as bad as it seems." He replied, beginning to eat his own food. Cautiously, I bit into it, the honey sticking to the roof of my mouth. "By the way," he said, "Don't get the shovel with red tape on it-"

"Man! I was gonna tell her," Magnet interrupted.
"It's my job, I'm her mentor." He complained at Zig. "Wait, why can't I use that one?"

"It's X-rays," Squid said approaching us, his own shovel and tortilla in hand. "It's smaller than the rest. Smaller shovel, smaller hole." He smiled.

We all made our way to where we had to dig, Mr Sir drove ahead, leaving us in the dust. Literally.
We finally caught up with Mr Sir and he gave us each a place to dig. I was next to Squid and Armpit, Magnet nearby.

I wasn't sure how to start digging, the ground was dry and hard and I had to push the shovel with my foot in order to get it into the ground. Somehow, I managed to hit myself in the face and fall on my ass in one fell swoop.

"I'm glad my pain is funny to you," I told the boys, brushing off my legs. "Not funny, hilarious." Squid corrected me.
I tried again and this time I managed to make a dent in the withered ground.

It had to have been around eight o'clock when Mr Pendanski arrived with the water tank. I was only a foot and a half deep, so I didn't struggle getting out of the hole.

"Ladybird, you're at the back of the line." Magnet told me. They were all in order. First was X-ray, then Armpit, Squid, Zigzag and then Magnet, who tried pushing Infront of Squid. I was at the back of the line, cause I was new, I guessed they were in order of how they arrived at camp.

I politely spoke to 'Mom', as he filled canteen up with somewhat cold water and I went back to my hole and sat on the edge. "Aah," I hissed, wincing as I poured water over the red, bloody blisters covering the palms of my hands.

"You okay?" Magnet asked, sitting next to me. "Yeah, my hands really hurt though. What if they get infected?" I worried, showing him my sweaty hands. "They shouldn't, I mean none of ours ever have, just keep pouring water in 'em."
He stood up, "The first hole's the hardest, Girly."

At around one, 'Mom' came back again. I was very nearly finished my hole now, and I was struggling to get out. "Thanks," I smiled at Squid, who offered his hand to help me out. "So, y/n. How's your first day going?" Pendanski beamed

"As good as digging a hole in 30 degree weather can be." I sighed, looking at the blisters on my hands as he filled my canteen again, his ever-present grin still there. "Don't worry about your hands, it'll turn to callous eventually." He passed my canteen back and I said a quiet thank you.

"Yo, Ladybird," Armpit called from his hole. "Yeaahhh?" I drawled. "Who'd you try to kill?" I took me a moment to register that I embellished slightly, why I was here. "Oh uh, just some girl."

"She had to have done something though, to piss you off so much. Cause you seem like you wouldn't hurt a fly." X-ray chimed in. I sighed giving in.

"Her name was um, Tar-Tara. She was a friend of a friend and she framed me for shoplifting.
I didn't actually steal that makeup, I just took the blame.

But when I found out she put it all in my bag, I, I guess I just snapped. She-she started a rumour at school about me as well, so I was already annoyed. So I confronted her, she slapped me and then she ended up in hospital," I shrugged.

"Damn, chicka. Remind me not to get on your bad side." Magnet laughed. I sighed. "What rumor did she start?" Barfbag asked.

Crap. "It's not a big deal." I shook my head. "It must've been if you did that to her."

He's not gonna drop this. "Just that urm, just that I was a slag, basically. She came up with all these names of people I'd gone out and been with and told like the whole school..."

"Was it true?" Zigzag spoke up. "Oh my god! No way! I'm fourteen for Christ's sake." I laughed. It went quiet again for a while till Squid asked, "You gotta boyfriend?"

"Nah." I answered.

For lunch was had an apple, sandwich and cracker each, which was nowhere near enough to fill me up. After Pendanski left, I had just finished my share of food when Squid came and sat next to me.

"I took some extra crackers," he passed me two more. "Here." I smiled warmly at him. "Thanks Squid."

Finally I finished my hole. X-ray, Barfbag and Armpit had already left, spitting in their hole as they went. "Ugh," I groaned. I was stuck in my hole. I threw the shovel onto the flat ground and tried digging my feet into the hole walls, only to fall on my ass for fourth time today.

"Hey, guys?" I called to be answered with a chorus of 'yeahs'. "I urm- I'm kind of stuck..." Thats what he said. I snickered quietly at my joke. Suddenly Squid appeared above me, as I squinted up at him, the sun burning my eyes.

"Hi again," I blushed. "Hey," he answered taking one of my hands, my other on the curve of the hole, to push myself up like he told me to. "Right, 3..2..1..lift." I was pulled up with a small groan.

"Thank you," I blushed again, dusting my trousers off. "Again." He winked, "No problem," he turned back to his hole picking up his shovel, spitting in the ditch as he did so. I copied him, bidding Zig and Magnet goodbye.

Dinner was the same as yesterday and every bone and muscle in my body felt as if it were on fire. I slept surprisingly well that night, despite the sunburn I'd gotten from forgetting sunscreen and the mattress springs digging into my spine.