Boot Camp by Todd Strasser Page A

“mother,” who calls them sluts and whores. I can’t believe I’ve been here for almost five months. It’s like something out of Kafka. Instead of waking up as a giant cockroach, I’ve woken up in a penal colony.
    The infirmary reminds me of the nurse’s office at my old school, except that here the odor of stale cigarette smoke hangs in the air. There’s a cot. A desk where the nurse sits. A curtain someone can get undressed behind. Oddly, an old metal safe. Sarah is lying on the cot. I frown at her. She mouths the word “cramps.”
    A toilet flushes somewhere behind the curtain, and a gray-haired guy comes out zipping up a pair of faded jeans. He’s wearing an orange, yellow, and green tiedyed T-shirt with a pack of cigarettes in the pocket, and his gray beard is braided. He has a gold earring, and tattoos on both arms. I assume he’s a workman, so I’m caught by surprise when he sits down at the desk and gestures for me to sit in the chair beside it.
    â€œName?” he asks.
    â€œGarrett Durrell, sir … Uh … forgive me for asking this, sir, but are you really the nurse here?”
    He raises his head and gives me an amused look. “What? You never saw a male nurse before?”
    â€œNot one who looked like an outlaw biker, sir.”
    â€œHa-ha!” He slaps his hand against the desk. “That’s good! If this place wants me to look like a frickin’ nurse, they can pay me a nurse’s wage.” He blinks as if he’s just realized what he’s said and the trouble it could mean for him, then adds, “Only, you didn’t hear that from me, right?”
    â€œI don’t even know what you’re talking about, sir.”
    â€œYou sure?” He narrows one eye suspiciously.
    â€œScout’s honor, sir.”
    â€œYou ever a scout?”
    â€œNo way, sir.”
    He grins—revealing yellowed, nicotine-stained teeth—and offers his hand for a shake. We’ve formed a strange, nearly instant bond, as if our built-in BS detectors work on the same wavelength.
    â€œMy name’s Ted,” he says. “So what can I do for you, Garrett?”
    â€œSir, Mr. Sparks sent me here because I have a headache.”
    Ted opens a drawer, takes out a small electronic thermometer, and sticks it in my ear. “Your temperature’s normal.”
    â€œI told Mr. Sparks it would probably go away, sir.”
    â€œWant some OxyContin?” Ted asks.
    I hesitate uncertainly.
    â€œIt’s the best thing for a headache,” Ted says. “Takecare of it in no time. What do you say?”
    â€œOxyContin is an addictive narcotic, sir. It’s not the sort of thing you’d be handing out here.”
    Ted grins again. “Good for you, Garrett. You passed the test.” He gives me a couple of Tylenol, then turns to Sarah. “How you doing?”
    Sarah rolls her eyes.
    â€œGlad I’m not a female,” Ted mumbles. The phone rings and he picks it up. “Yeah? What? Ah, for God’s sake. No, don’t move her. Yeah, I’ll be right there.”
    He hangs up. “I gotta go check on a kid who fell and hurt her neck. I’m only gonna be gone a minute, and I’m trusting you two not to get into any mischief, right?”
    Sarah and I both nod.
    â€œDon’t bother looking for the good stuff while I’m gone, Garrett. It’s all locked in the safe.” He goes out and closes the door behind him. It’s hard to believe this guy is Lake Harmony’s nurse, except that he must come a lot cheaper than a real RN.
    Suddenly Sarah and I are alone. It appears that she’s lost even more weight. Her elbows and wrists are bony, and her face seems longer, but it’s probably just thinner. Her skin has an odd, translucent quality, but her gaze is steady, and her blue eyes have an intensity I haven’t seen in weeks. “You’re never going to get out of