Hey, Summer

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

“Mom, I’m going to a bonfire tonight with a new friend I made at Tom’s party. It’s in High Ridge, no drinking. No smoking. Just some kids around a fire. It’s supposed to be huge!” I sat at the bar in the kitchen, eating my pizza, trying not to drop any on my clothes. My mom was a single mother of 4, but I was the only one who lived with her now, my dad having the other 3 sisters. She only had a dog, Brutus, a 2 year old pit-bull, and I came along so she spoils me. Sure, she went out and dated, but she hasn’t met somebody whose okay with 4 extra kids, no matter how many he has…

“I want to meet this boy, Rebecca,” she said firmly.

“Yes ma’am. He’s coming at 7. So, oh my gosh! I have got to do my hair. He’s gonna be here in like 20 minutes!” I rushed the last bite down my throat, grabbed the curling iron, and refreshed my makeup. No, I was not trying to impress him. Just the possible cuties that were his friends who were going to be there tonight.

He texted me as he pulled up in front of the house in his white Ford Ranger. Country boy he was; he tried telling me this at the party, but I called bull shit. Guess I was wrong. I went outside, followed by my mother, and she leaned in, shaking his hand.

“Where is this fire at?” she asked Will in a very eager voice.

“High Ridge, ma’am. It’s just a small group of friends. Start off to summer kind of thing,” he said kind of nervously, and I tried to hold in a small giggle.

“There’s no drinking at this bonfire, right? Since she isn’t driving, I don’t want any drunks driving my kid home. Do you swear no drinking?” she looked at Will, and tried to get him to break.

“No drinking. I promise. It’s Easter Sunday tomorrow. We’re all Christians. No drinking,” he swallowed hard, as she nodded, kissed my head and said be safe.

I got in his truck, laughing hard. His facial expression was priceless. “Why are you so worried? She’s harmless. Just looking out for me. I’d drive up there, but it’s an hour away and I don’t know how to get there. I’d get lost,” I smile as we make our way.

We talk about nonsense, for half the trip. And when we are 10 minutes out, I start asking about whose going to be there, and names.

“Rian’s still at school. He’s gonna be at the next fire, next weekend. There’s Matt, Matty boy, he’s cool. He’s a professional lifeguard, certified and shit. The life of the party, besides me, is Joe. He’s a fat kid like me,” he jokes as I hit his arm.

“Be nice, you’re not fat. Just continue,” I laugh.

“Okay, there’s Miranda. She’s the only other girl who should be there. Her dad owns the First Class Doorsman shop. I work there, Matt works there, and Joe works there, so she’s like the little sister of the group. Oh, one more guy you should know about. Alec. He’s cool as hell, and your run-in-with-the-cops-about-weed story, he’d love to hear it,” Will pulls into a driveway where you can see a huge fire about a mile away. Alec… he seemed like an interesting person. I couldn’t wait to meet him. Them.

“WILLY BOY!” I hear. “Will’s here, now it’s a party!” I hear from another person. I see Miranda, or I believe it’s her. The only other girl around, she was about an inch shorter than me, had braces and glasses, but a very nice body to make up for it. She also had a feather in her hair. I look at the tall, muscular guy in a cut off Ford t-shirt, and immediately ask Will if that’s Matt. “Good call! How’d you know?” “Just a guess.”

I see Joe, the only other bigger guy, and he’s throwing some wood in the fire. I see a shadow of a guy standing beside a Jeep. That must be Alec. And, boy was he tall. He has good body structure, too. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, but I couldn’t even see his face.