If Only, If Only

K.B.

"Hey, look! A cloud!" Squid called out the next day. We were all exhausted, but of course, we were out on the lake, digging and digging and digging. Squid pointed up at a tiny cloud in the sky. "Right there!"

"Maybe it'll move in front of the sun, "Zig Zag daydreamed out loud.

Magnet chimed in, "Come on, Little Cloud, you can do it,"

"Please, that's all I'm asking for is just a little shade," Armpit whined.

Caveman lifted an unusually large rock out of his hole, saying, "The Warden owns the shade, man."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and have some clouds," Zig Zag hoped, "It will rain for 40 days and 40 nights."

"Yeah, and we'll have to build ark and get two of each animal." Armpit muttered.

"Yeah, two scorpions, two rattlesnakes, two spotted lizards, all of that," X-Ray joked.

"Hey, what you got there, Caveman?" Magnet said running over to Caveman's hole.

"W-what?" Caveman asked, sounding aloof as always.

"Whatcha got there?" Magnet repeated, squatting down by Caveman.

"I don't know," whispered Caveman.

"Hey X, I think I might have found something," Caveman called out, beckoning X-Ray over.

Everyone's attention was now on Caveman, and Zero, as always, looked concerned for him.

X-Ray snatched the object from Caveman and held it up to the light, squinting as if he was somehow using magical x-ray powers.

"Looks like an old shotgun" X-Ray observed.

I took the object out of X-Ray's hand and frowned. "This is a lipstick tube," I informed them.

Caveman took the tube out of my hands and looked it over. "Look at this. You see that little heart? You see that?"

X-Ray squinted through his ridiculously dirty glasses, struggling to see. With a sigh I took off his glasses, poured a drop of my precious water on them, and wiped them with the cleanest area of clothing I had.

"Here, doofus," I muttered as I handed back his now clean glasses.

"Thank you," X-Ray smiled.

"See the letters in it?" Caveman continued.

"Oh yeah..." X-Ray murmured, intrigued.

"K.B. That's what it is," Caveman said proudly.

"Let me see!" Zig Zag said eagerly as he reached for the tube.

"K.B.?" Magnet questioned.

"Yeah...yeah that's Keith Barenger" Zig Zag told us with confidence.

"Man, who is that?" This came from Armpit, who seemed fed up with Zig Zag at the moment.

"He was in my math class,"

We all laughed as Armpit snatched the tube from Zig Zag.

"Stupid. Good thinking, Zig Zag. Yeah, it must belong to him, huh?" Magnet chided, his voice thick with his mexican accent.

The tube was now back in X-Ray's hand. "Well, I'm going to go show it to Mom. Maybe I'll get the rest of the day off." X-Ray turned to go to the water truck when Caveman stood up.

"Rest of the day off? No! No, your holes already dug! I-I'm not even close. I'm gonna be out here all day." Caveman quickly said.

"Yeah, so?" X-Ray said, taking a menacing step closer. The air was tense as I watched my two friends face off.

I decided to step in before things got ugly. "Well, X-Ray, Caveman was the one who actually found the-"

"Quiet. Just stay out of this, Scraps," X-Ray snapped without so much as even a glance in my direction.

Well ok then.

"So...uh...why don't you, uh, why don't you just turn it in tomorrow? You know, give it to Mom in the morning? Then you get the whole day off."

X-Ray finally backed away. "That's good thinking, Caveman." X-Ray chuckled, "I like it."

"Pretty smart, Caveman. Pretty smart." My brother tapped Caveman on the head before walking off with Armpit and X-Ray.

As everyone returned to their holes, I remained seated at the edge of Caveman's hole.

"I'm sorry about that, Caveman. I could swipe it back if you want?"

"It's fine," Caveman muttered without looking at me.

When I walked back to my hole, I looked at Zero for guidance, but he just shrugged.

Gosh, men are so dramatic and confusing.

"Hey Scraps!"

At the sound of my name, I looked up and saw X-Ray beckoning me over to his hole.

"Hey do you want the lip stick bottle? You can turn it in tomorrow if you want," he said cheerfully as I crouched down beside him. Maybe I was being dramatic, but I was kind of annoyed he was acting like everything was fine and that he hadn't just taken something from Caveman in a rude way and then snapped at me for trying to help.

With a grimace, I shook my head. "X-Ray, Caveman found that, you can't just take it."

"Yes. Yes I can. I've been here much much much longer than little Caveman. I deserve it."

"Fine. Whatever." I muttered. I was starting to realize X-Ray acted differently around me. Though I knew him as kind, thoughtful, and funny, he could still be cold, selfish, and forceful to others.

Just last night he was laughing with the group as we played Texas Hold 'Em, but now he was stooping to low levels just to miss one day of digging. I can't expect anyone to be perfect though, right? I'm probably just reading to deep into it, as usual.

"Don't act like I'm heartless - you steal too. Hell, that's what you're here for." X-Ray continued.

"Yeah but I don't- I don't steal from my friends." I defended myself. "I've only ever stolen food because I needed to... well, and I've stolen- never mind I'm not going to finish that sentence. The point is I don't steal from my friends."

"Listen, that's real cute, but this isn't a Girl Scout camp. It's every man for himself. People here aren't actually friends."

So what? We weren't friends? Was I just some stupid ass acquaintance to X-Ray?!

Also, Why was he quoting Mr. Sir? And every man for himself? Really?!

I sighed and looked around, done with this bullshit. I took a deep breath and put on my best fake smile. "It's okay. You can keep it, it's not a big deal."

"See! Alrighty now, that's more like it!" X-Ray quickly bought my fake attitude, and that was the end of the conversation.

I walked back to my hole with a frown. Caveman and X-Ray were both my friends, but they were acting like wolves trying to assert power. It felt like I had to pick sides.

It was moments like these that made me wish I was at Girl Scouts Camp.