Mr. Sir's Daughter: The Only Girl At Camp Green Lake (Holes fanfic)

Chapter 4

    Miss Ashley leaned against the washing machine with her arms folded in the cabin that was lined with shelves of spare clothes and sheets, waiting for the tumble dryer to be done with the laundry. She had delivered the boys' jumpsuits back to their tents earlier in the day, when they were still out digging and while she was there, decided to strip the beds down, too. The blankets and pillowcases hadn't been cleaned in nearly three months and she didn't think it was fair to let the boys' continue to sleep in such filth.

She kicked the dryer, getting impatient. She had been standing in the cabin for the past half an hour. There was nothing else to do while she waited. It had been a long, boring day. Usually, she had a very positive attitude, despite the scorching hot weather, but today was one of those days when Miss Ashley wished she could just go back to bed. Her father hadn't had anything interesting to talk about and it was against the rules for her to stay out with the campers all day, even if they did always manage to satisfy her boredom. On days like these, she wished she had been made to dig holes in the desert, just so she could have more interaction with some people her own age.

The tumble dryer beeped and Miss Ashley let out a sigh of relief. At least now she had a job to keep her occupied. She unloaded the sheets into the laundry basket and carried it outside. First, she went to A-tent. She made the beds, making them look as neat as possible. The tent smelled a lot better now that the cots had clean sheets. Next, she went to B-tent, then C-tent. After that, she made her way to D-tent. She walked in and dropped the basket on the floor, at first failing to notice that somebody was already inside.

"Oh, hi, Miss Ashley," said Squid's voice.

She jumped, then turned to see him sat on the floor beside his crate. "Oh, Squid. I didn't see you there."

Squid chuckled, seeing how he had startled her. "So that's where the bedding went," he confirmed.

Miss Ashley spoke as she shook one of the pillowcases, then picked up the pillow from the cot closest to her. "Yup, it's all fresh. Maybe now ya'll will smell a little nicer, sleeping in clean sheets for once." She patted down the first newly made bed, then moved onto his. "Did your mother ever teach you how to make your bed?"

Squid looked down at his hands, the smile in his voice disappearing when he answered, "Uh, no. My ma was an alcoholic. She never really taught me anything."

Miss Ashley's heart sank.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said, feeling guilty all of a sudden. Squid shook his head, letting her know he was okay. She held up a fresh white sheet for his mattress. "Well, somebody's gotta teach you for when you get outta this place."

She threw the blanket at him and he caught it. He smiled at her, unable to say no to her charm. He watched carefully as she showed him what to do, listening to her every word. He loved the strong Texan twang that came out in her voice.

She taught him how to fold his clothes properly as well as make his bed, and when he had finished with his own, he helped her to make the others. When they were done, Miss Ashley stood with her hands on her hips, scanning the rest of the tent to make sure it was tidy. She smiled. It was in fact the most organized tent of them all. She turned back to Squid, who had already sat down on his now freshly scented cot.

"Thanks for helping me out, darlin'," she said.

Squid nodded. "Anytime. Thanks for teaching me."

"No problem. I just thought you should know how. Have a nice day."

She was about to head out to E-tent, but Squid stopped her.

"Miss Ashley...I'm sorry."

She looked at him with a confused expression, so he explained, "When Mr. Sir hit you the other day, it was kinda my fault. I'm sorry."