The bonfire sounds fun

It's still pretty early today, so you mull over your choices while going about your routine for the day. You meet a few of your neighbors, Emily tries to teach you a little bit about makeup, then gets miffed that you figured out shaving without her. Mostly, you just relax knowing that this will be one of the last times you will be able to before school starts. Finally, you see the sun getting low in the sky, and you make your decision on tonight's activities.

"I want to go to the bonfire." You tell your roommate.

"Hmmm..." Emily thinks. "Are you sure? There will probably be a lot of older kids there drinking and smoking."

You are adamant in your decision. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Well... all right. Let me make a few calls." Emily hops into her bed and starts working on her phone. Meanwhile, you dig your laptop out of stuff and casually surf the web. A few minutes later and Emily gives you the good news: "We're in. Believe it or not, two smoking hot teens can pretty easily get into anywhere if they're single. But, " she pauses, "I think a wardrobe change is in order." You are hit with a flying piece of fabric that takes your attention. You pick it up and realize it's the shirt that Emily was wearing. You look over at her and see that she's now topless, save for her bra, and peeling her shorts off. "You should probably change too, unless you want to be covered in mosquito bites for the next week."

You follow her advice, and in a few minutes, you're both dressed in jeans and sneakers and carrying hoodies that you can put on when you need to. Emily is checking out her butt in her jeans, making sure it looks good. You try to do the same. It doesn't look as good as hers, but still, you don't think anyone will be complaining tonight. Before you leave your dorm, Emily tosses you a flashlight. Together, the two of you head out towards the edge of the campus, spot a break in the treeline, and follow the path.

The sun is almost completely below the horizon by now and you use its dying light to follow the narrow path. The trail isn't very hazardous, but you reckon you could easily stumble and twist your ankle with a poorly placed step. Within just a few minutes, you hear a loud slap come from next to you, and then Emily shouting, "Damn!" She pulls on her hoodie and motions for you to do the same.

"Look, Lauren." Emily starts chatting while the two of you walk. "I don't know if you've done any drinking before, but you are probably a lot smaller now than you were then. You probably shouldn't have more than 3, maybe 4 drinks if you space them out. Don't smoke anything if you don't have any experience with it before either. Also, definitely don't drink anything that you didn't open yourself. College boys can be brutal and you need to stay first. If you need to head back, come find me. I'll get us home, no questions asked. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am." You respond. You didn't think being a girl might be so dangerous, but you take your mentor's overly maternal advice to heart. As it gets darker by the minute, you finally arrive. There's a plump boy standing in the middle of the path, the gatekeeper, if you will.

"Well well well," he starts, "look who's come running back. And she's brought interest too."

"Let us in, Jeremy." Emily demands.

"And why would I want to do that for someone who wouldn't even give me the time of day a year ago?"

Emily sighs. "Because we both know that if your boss found out you kept two of the very few girls willing to put up with your group out of your party, you'd be out in the cold faster than leftovers on Thanksgiving night. Consider the fact that you're playing guard duty while your so called friends are having fun and trying to get laid. Now, let us in, and don't even think about talking to us again."

Defeated, Jeremy stands aside and lets you and Emily pass by. Up ahead, you hear hooting and hollering and the faint crackle of a fire going on. It feels more like a campsite as there are a few hammocks and tents set up throughout the area. There are also more than a few campfires lit, but the main event is the full size bonfire, where there are a few guys tossing logs into the raging inferno every few minutes.

"Hey, ladies." You hear someone call out from behind you. You both turn around. There is a sweaty guy with a gruff beard with a pair of beer cans in his hands. He hands them over to you. "Emily?" He continues, "I didn't think you'd be stopping by tonight. Do me a favor and go easy on my boys this time, I'd very much like it if they could all still walk tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Mike." Emily responds. "I'm more so here as a chaperone tonight." She cracks open her beer and takes a sip. "Besides," she continues, "they all have my info, they'd let me know if they wanted something."

"Ha! You little minx!" Mike turns his attention to you. "You better watch yourself, she can be one hell of a pain in the ass." You look away and blush hard once you realize what he is saying. He notices. "Wow! Preying on the freshmen already huh? You don't waste time." He turns back to you. "So, just who is your little friend tonight?"

"L-Lauren." You tell him. You move the beer over to your left hand and extend your right. He delicately takes your hand and kisses it.

"I think we'll have some fun later. I have a little something special planned, once a few more people show up tonight. Until then, enjoy. Ladies drink free of course, but if you get bored early, my tent is always open."

Does he only speak in flirts? You wonder. No matter, Mike retreats, leaving you and Emily to enjoy the darkness and the warmth of the bonfire and the cold drinks. You don't talk too much, but most of the guys awkwardly greet Emily like old friends and she tries to introduce you to them. Does she really know everyone here already?