Story time around the fire

After dinner, Zack went outside and started a bonfire. The group staggered their way out to enjoy a nice night. As the flames danced in the fire pit, the teens told stories of growing up in the town of Azure Rocks.

“So the cops arrive and bust up the party. We all scatter into the woods, and they chase us. I hear two cops behind me, so I dive into a creek to get away from them. To them I’m gone, but all I did was drift downstream a few yards and grab onto a log. I look back and I see them standing there looking out across to the other bank. I can just make out Steve Larson hiding in some tall grass right next to them, but they can’t see him at all. As soon as the cops start walking away, his fucking phone rings and they nail him. His dumb ass had to do 500 hours of community service that summer, all because he forgot to turn off his damn phone,” Kurt roared as he recalled his friend’s misfortune.

“Wow. That sounded like a fun party,” Ashley admitted.

“It was. Never did find out who called the cops though,” the college kid reminisced.

“You mean you don’t know? It was those three jack-offs from Fhloston Township that got asked to leave. They called from the front yard,” Zack stated.

“Wow. Wish I had known that then. Thanks dude! Mystery solved.”

“No problem, Kurt. So I’m thirteen years old, getting away with **** because of my dad passing. I get digging in his workshop one day, and come across some old fireworks. Now, there’s no place by my house where I can set these off, so I go to the woods by the school. I find an old beer bottle and start launching some rockets out of it. I shoot off about ten of them before one goes awry, hits a beehive, and sticks into it. BLAM! The thing explodes. I start running right away, but no one can outrun a swarm of pissed off bees. I must of got stung about fifty times before I made it into the school. I had welts all over me for picture day. My mother wanted to kill me,” Zack told his friends.

“I remember that! We called you ‘Grapefruit’ for like two months because your face was so swollen,” Heather giggled.

“That’s almost as funny as your old nick-name, isn’t it, Curling Iron?” Kurt said to his cousin.

“Curling Iron? Gotta hear this one.” Zack stated.

“Kurt if you don’t want to wake up a Eunuch, then I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” Heather warned. Kurt clamped one hand over his mouth and the other over his balls.

“Now I DEFINITELY gotta hear this one!” Zack exclaimed. Heather glared at him until he backed down, which made the girl grin.

“And you’re not going to. Anyone need another beer?” Heather asked as she took a cold one from the cooler.

“Not me. I’m good,” the hockey star answered her.

“Still sticking to your policy of one and done, I see. Good for you, Zack,” Heather applauded her roommate.

“Thanks,” he responded.

The stories went on for another hour or two until the fire started to die down. Everyone just stared into the coals, thinking about what the past had meant to them, and wondering about their future outside of their small town. The silence was pleasant for a while but slowly became awkward as none of the teens could think about how to restart the conversation.

“Okay. Who wants to act like a kid again?” Gavin asked, as he hopped out of his chair and opened the small cooler by his feet.

“What ya got in there, Gavin?” Ashley asked.

The blonde, along with the rest of the group was thrilled to see him pull out marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars.

“S’MORES!” he replied, “Go get some sticks.”

For about another half hour the teens enjoyed the campfire treats as if they were eight years old again. At this point, the fire was more of a bed of coals and it was getting near midnight. Gavin gathered up the remaining snacks as Brandon and Kurt doused the coals with water from the lake. When it was out, everyone went inside to their rooms.