"Ok, who stinks like fish?" Vivienne said as soon as she climbed into the cave that she, Katia, and Ashley shared.
"No. Nope." Vivienne glared at Kellen as we all looked at him, pointing him out of the cave. "Get out of here. Take a bath or something. I can't. Just, no."
"Yeah, where exactly? It's March if you didn't notice."
"Not my problem!" She singsonged, waving him off. "Go see Braylon. I wasn't the one rolling around in raw fish now, was I?"
As Kellen descended the ladder while scowling at me snickering, Katia eyed me and asked, "Why is it so funny?"
"Nic slapped him with a raw fish." Hadley shuddered as she clarified for Leon, Katia and Ashley's amusement.
After having helped prepare it, we had left before dinner at our camp, and now sat in the Dell among the other leaders. Robert, Brian and Katy had been left in charge of the Nest for the night, being fully prepared to deal with any kind of situation that might arise. Our scouts had been alerted and if anything happened, we would know within 10 minutes.
When our dinners of lake fish and re-hydrated mashed potatoes arrived, so did Kellen, clean and in someone else's clothes. "So, if your nose can take my smell now, Vivi, can we get started?"
As we ate, we discussed how to manage everyone else, while we waited for either Jess's group or Eddie to get us help.
Five days had passed since we'd escaped, and we had no idea how long we'd need to wait for aid. It could be tomorrow, and all our worrying would be for nothing. Or, it could be days. Maybe Eddie couldn't find a way to Tannen's connection and we would have to wait till Jess and Emma made it through the forest to town. They hadn't been gone a day yet, and we had no idea how long Emma's proposed route would take. With supplies slowly depleting, that was the scarier of the two.
By Vivienne's calculations we'd be out of most edible things by the middle of next week; including the rabbits we'd brought with us. Unless we cut portion sizes down. Even then, could we wait till Spring Break rolled around and our families wondered where we were?
Cabin fever and clipped tempers were setting in for those at the Nest as it was much more in the open, and we had to remain quiet and out of sight. Vivienne suggested sending those whose job did not allow them to leave camp, to the Dell on alternating days and nights to allow them to burn some frustration. Ashley asked us to mix up all room assignments, so they weren't stuck with the same people. I wondered how I hadn't thought of it myself, and then remembered it had come up and been brushed aside.
"We should switch us for a day." I suggested. I set down my empty plate and faced all the questioning looks. "People have gotten used to their leaders. We should switch it up. Let Katia or Vivi tell the Toga crew to cool it on the night time arguments and activities, right Kels?"
Kellen laughed when I nudged him. "Sure! I'm done breaking up those arguments."
"The Toga crew?" Leon questioned.
"Oh!" Vivienne's eyes widened as she gasped. "The Hellhounds that ran around in togas when Nicole stole all their clothes."
"What was today's argument, Kellen? Snoring? Sheet hogging? Butt touching? Did Michelle look at you too long again, Kels? Are you trying to low-key steal her away from Sam again?"
"Who knows?" He snapped at me. "I stopped listening and walked out. Why the glitter would I want to steal that airhead from him? I'd much sooner steal him, at least he can carry on a conversation without looking like some vapid drooling zombie person."
I mimicked the look on her face whenever Kellen talked to her and he shoved me off my seat on my backpack as he cackled. "Quit it! That's too weirdly accurate."
As I got up, I caught sight of Katia's gaze flitting between Kellen and I, and I rolled my eyes at her sour expression. "That's fine," she said. "We'll deal with the Toga crew, and you guys can handle the Lisas. We still need to figure out something, in case Jess and her squad don't come through in time."
We scraped our brains for every possible solution, and then tore apart every suggestion with worst case scenarios. Sending a crew of boys back to the old Waterbridge mansion to steal the groundskeeper's truck and make a break for town; not enough fuel & wardens with guns. Using the boats that were hidden in the Dell to travel by river; water traveled the opposite direction with incredible force. Sending someone back towards the academy to follow the highway to town. Too visible to the warden with guns. Sneaking back on campus and using one of the fast sports cars to blast out of there. Again, guns.
After two hours of getting nowhere we decided Jess had four days before we'd attempt any of our dangerous plans.
"Alright. After all that, we need to lighten things up. So, let's play a game." I clapped my hands.. "Most ridiculous answer wins. What do you want to be when you grow up? Think pipedream job."
Everyone was quiet and thoughtful for a minute and I yelled, "Go!"
"Circus clown." "Zoo keeper." "Queen of England." "Victoria's Secret Model." "Race car driver." "You can't even drive, Leon. David Beckham's second wife." "Oh my God! The image of you fighting Victoria for him, Jacks!" "Stunt double." "Doesn't count, Cole, you can technically do that. Um... Stunt Driver." "So original, Kels. And fine, I'll change my answer to spy." "Technically possible too!" "Argh fine, Ashley! A Prince impersonator!"
We dissolved into laughs, all of us shouting answers over each other.
"Okay, Beckham's second wife wins!" Katia wiped a tear from her eye.
"Yes!" Jackson thought for a second. "Most absurd names for your future kids. Go!"
"Pepperoni!" "Babinga!" "Cruella!" "Really, Vivi? Freely!" "Freely Freemont?! Ha!" "February!" "Pooka Shell!" "Pookie & Mookie!" "Cindy-" "There's nothing absurd about that name." "I wasn't finished! Cindy, Mindy, Lindy and Bindy!" "Wow." "Bonaparte." "Ha! Leon! That's good!" "Feather!" "Paprika Triangle!"
"Okay that one wins!" Jackson laughed.
"What?!" We all protested.
"Well, no one else thought of giving their kid two absurd names!"
To be honest, there was something hideously amusing about Kellen's future daughter being named Paprika Triangle. I could picture a tiny tyrant, proper and preppy, her face as serious as Robot-Kellen's was, telling people to call her Julie when her parents weren't around. The thought made me laugh even harder.
Kellen shrugged as he said, "Personally, I think it should have gone to the Indy quadruplets."
"Why thank you." Katia took the imaginary crown from Kellen, and placed it on her head. "Crazy nicknames or endearments for your significant others."
"All of them!" I groaned.
"Baconbit." "What? Weird." "Exactly." "Candy." "Juicy." "This is getting too weird for me..." "Teddybear." "That's so tame, Hads." "Bean!" "Wifey." "Cuddlebug." "Kitten." "That's not so bad!" "Babygirl."
"Seriously, Kellen, you think that's crazy?" I poked his side.
"Well, not if it's a dad calling his daughter that. Lover."
"Did you just call me Lover?" I feigned shock.
"No!" He turned pink, and fumbled to elaborate, "I mean it's a crazy endearment."
"Not really. I mean people call their S.O's that all the time."
"Yeah, but not in this context. If you replace my name every time you say it with Lover, it would sound nuts!"
"Now you want me to call you Lover?!" I was enjoying how easy it was to egg him on.
He gaped for a split second before growling at me, "Not particularly, no."
"Then why would you say that?"
"To prove a poi―I'm not arguing about this!"
"Oh my God! I've got the best one! Fishlips!"
As everyone laughed their agreement that it was the best crazy endearment, Kellen growled at me again. "Dammit, Cole! That's the kind of name that sticks."
I blinked at Kellen with Toga-Micelle's vapid expression, but jumped back when he clapped a hand over my face. "You didn't just do that, Kels!" I was surprised he'd done it in front of everyone else. Score one for Nicole and her plan to kill Robot-Kellen.
"Keep doing that, and I'll do it again!" He challenged and I rose to it, making the face yet again. This time, I found myself pulled into a headlock, Kellen's body weighing on mine as he curled me into his side and squished my face.
"Tweezy!" I said through my forcibly puckered lips.
"What?!"
I shoved my shoulder into his stomach, throwing his balance off, so he splayed over my back and then flipped him over. "Too easy!" I cackled, victorious as he blinked up at me from the floor in front of Jackson. Incredulous laughter burst out of our friends as Kellen slowly sat.
"You win." he muttered, rubbing his jaw absently.
"What was that?" Vivienne asked Hadley in a whisper.
"It happens a lot." Hadley answered, her tone grave despite her grin. A quick look around the circle told me that everyone was staring at Kellen with equal confusion.
He gave me an awkward look, one that read see what you've done?
I had seen what I'd done; make him one of us. We were all having fun & laughing, and sure they were laughing at him, but they felt comfortable enough to. That probably hadn't happened since he was a freshman, if it had happened at all.