WHICH ONE?

CHAPTER 16 - Reading you.

-Time skip of three days-

I tiredly walked back to camp after digging my eleventh hole. To be honest, today was one of the worst holes I've ever had to dig. The cuts and splinters from digging my first hole decided it was a great hot day to open and go all bloody! Gosh, it aches. All that meant was that I was the last to finish today. Everyone would probably be in the rec room but I didn't feel like going. There's barely anything to do there actually. The only thing I gain is more foolish smirks and new pickup lines, cringey ones. One day, a boy really said to me, "Wanna make a mess in the Mess Hall?". I've never gagged so badly. It was disgusting. I laughed to myself at the sudden memory as I closed up onto D-Tent. All the D-tenters were definitely messing about somewhere in the rec room playing pool or cards per usual, which means I got the tent all to myself!

'Time to patch up these wounds!' I fakely enthusiastically thought as I walked into the tent...which was surprisingly not empty? Zero and Caveman tensed up and quickly shuffled whatever they were doing away, attempting to act 'usual'.

I stood inside the tent scratching my head, a little confused.
"You guys...Are you guys alright?" I asked the both of them, Zero nodding rapidly like a bobby head toy, Caveman sputtering out, attempting to find an answer, "N- yeah, were- Yeah Im- we. We are fine."
My brow shot up before I tried to get an answer out of these two little rascals, "Guys. You know...you can tell me anything. Anything..."
I stared into Caveman's brown eyes, hoping he would crack.
Successfully he gave up with a light huff looking at Zero, "Zero can I tell her? You know I can't keep a secret from her!"

Zero widened his round eyes slightly before giving up too, he addressed it all himself, "Caveman's teachin' me how to read." He hung his head a little low in embarrassment.

I walked over to the two and sat to the left of Zero and pulled him into a side hug, "That's great!" Silence grew as Caveman smiled at me, like a thanks for not judging, Zero just sat there, by my side, hugging comfortably.
I broke it all, hesitating slightly, "I can...I can help?"

Zero shot his head up with confusion, "You really want to help?"
I nodded, "Of Course. Whaddya say Stanley?" I always preferred to use Stanley because it sounded more... I don't know? I like it more than Caveman I guess.

After twenty minutes-

As I put my hands over Zeros, helping him to write out the word love, a drop of my blood squeezed onto the paper, making the both of them look up at me, a bit concerned from the looks of it. I quickly withdrew my hand back in slight embarrassment, "Sorry..." I muttered.

"Woah. Those are bad. Let me help you out." Stanley offered, taking a roll of bandages from underneath his cot.

To my utmost surprise, the boys walked in as my hands lay still in caveman's palms, his delicate finger wrapping bandages around my blistered hands.
All of their chatter stopped the moment their eyes landed on my hands. I glanced at Zigzag who had his arms crossed and a rude look smuggled on him.

"Oooo Caveman and Fire? That's new." Magnet teased me, giggling like a four year old.

"What? No!" I blurted out in the defence of both me and Stanley.
To my knowledge, Stanley didn't bother to stop wrapping my hands with bandages and instead continued to wrap them, almost finished. My face grew red as the teasing got to my head.

"Wait! She likes Caveman! She's going mad red man." Armpit exclaimed, making them all laugh harder, well almost all of them. Zigzag gave me a weird look, a rude one for sure.

Then I felt my hands being placed down on my lap, causing my eyes to turn to Stanley, who finished with the bandages, "Done!" He exclaimed, happy with his work.