Every year on the Saturday night before school started the Seniors of Phoenix High hosted a beach party. Known simply as the
The Bonfire for years no one was quite sure how the tradition had started. At the end of every school year the Juniors who would be graduating the following
year just knew it was their turn to plan the summer's final hurrah. All Phoenix students were invited, though inevitably a few from the other high schools
would show up too, not every friend or date was from Phoenix High. Strangely enough the police rarely interfered with the bash though it was known that many
years the get together had been broken up when there were injuries. Traditionally the senior class' representatives would build the bonfire itself early in
the day but it wouldn't get lit until dark. Many students, especially the upper classmen, brought out tents and camp chairs early in the evening to camp
the whole night on the beach. It was a final night of teenaged abandon and there was always some kind of trouble, but it was tradition and this year was no
different...
Next week it would start. Adrinoa Green would officially become a senior at Phoenix High School. It was both really exciting and stomach-in-knots scary. A year from now she didn't know for sure where she would be and that was weighing heavy on her mind. She was pretty sure she had figured out where she would be but this school year could make or break her plans for the future. Her portfolio was already in with AIS for review and had been for six months but she wasn't so confident as to assume she would be getting in. Then there was the matter of the money. Her mother had pretty much made it clear that Adrinoa was on her own which meant she was looking at over ninety-thousand dollars worth of expenses in the next few years. Not that her father was going to be much help either really, at least she could move in with him for the four years.
For tonight she was going to forget all that and just have some fun. She really wasn't keen on hanging out with the main group of seniors who had set up the whole thing. That whole in-crowd thing just didn't set with her. Noa wasn't well liked by a lot of the girls because she had insulted one of the cheerleaders at last years prom. Oops. She still didn't regret it, she didn't like bitchy girls, especially the kind who would get mad over her date dancing with another girl for one song. No doubt the whole flock of them would be there and she'd spend most of her time on the water side of the beach. She'd gone so far as to call up Kai and make sure she was coming and then tracked down a number for Kaiden to give the Italian the run-down on how to find the party and what it was for.
The party was always held in the same place, about a mile and a half north of town in a secluded little cove. There was no way to get down to it in a car, you had to hike down a rough path which thankfully someone had marked with plastic milk jugs filled halfway with sand to weight them and then lit with colorful glow sticks dropped into the holes. Noa had come down earlier with her brother so he could help her set up a tent. When she finally made it down to the beach she had stubbed her toe on a piece of drift wood and was thirsty. The sun was peaking halfway above the western horizon, making its lazy way into the night. Little stars dotted the sky already but no one had lit the bonfire yet. Just as well, she thought to herself as she dropped her backpack from her shoulder and unzipped her tent. Shane was inside playing cards with a kid she didn't recognize. "Okay you can go now," she growled at him. It wasn't very nice of her considering he had babysat her tent all afternoon.
After muttering a choice curse at his older sister, Shane and his anonymous friend skedaddled leaving Adrinoa do change in peace. Zipping the tent flap behind them she grumbled about not being able to stand fully in the little tent. She had settled for the two-man tent instead of her mother's old one-man backpacking tent in case Kaiden needed a place to crash for the night. She could hear other PHS students outside the tent, some setting theirs up, others just chatting and walking around. Someone had managed to get enough equipment down to set up turn-tables and was playing some weird mix of what sounded like The Doors' "Light My Fire" mashed-up with a Bollywood style beat fit for a bellydancer. Digging into her bag she pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and tugged off her faded ones. This was pretty much the social event of the summer so she wanted to look good despite all arguments she didn't dress to impress anyone. She topped her outfit with a black ribbed tank top and a white tuxedo shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Dressy but in a slacker sort of way. Shoving her favorite pair of black Chucks into her bag she drew out a pair of simple black flip-flops. She didn't bother with any jewelry, just tied a black bandana around her left wrist and left her tent to go see if anyone had brought drinks.
Sure enough a long row of coolers full of ice and soda extended from one corner of the turn-tables to another. Spotting Donnie, a fellow senior known for his dreadlocks and fabulous music collection, at the helm she waved and he nodded to her. As she bent over a blue cooler digging through the ice for a rootbeer she wasn't at all shocked to find there was real beer in it too. Some of the parents donated soda and snacks for this event every year and rumor had it some even brought beer, guess that rumor was true this year. Her own mother didn't care if Adrinoa drank as long as she didn't drive or do anything stupid. Passing the beer over for now she got her rootbeer. As she stood to crack the can open she heard whooping and hollering excited voices coming from the path that lead down. Having come to this party the past two years she knew what this meant. She didn't now how the torch bearer was chosen but a guy came trotting along through the sand holding a big torch which he used to light the wood of the bonfire with some hint at ceremony. Grinning to herself she opened her soda and took a long sip as if to toast the opening event at the big party. The sun had finally sunk below the sea, the stage was set and the players were now starting the scene.
Next week it would start. Adrinoa Green would officially become a senior at Phoenix High School. It was both really exciting and stomach-in-knots scary. A year from now she didn't know for sure where she would be and that was weighing heavy on her mind. She was pretty sure she had figured out where she would be but this school year could make or break her plans for the future. Her portfolio was already in with AIS for review and had been for six months but she wasn't so confident as to assume she would be getting in. Then there was the matter of the money. Her mother had pretty much made it clear that Adrinoa was on her own which meant she was looking at over ninety-thousand dollars worth of expenses in the next few years. Not that her father was going to be much help either really, at least she could move in with him for the four years.
For tonight she was going to forget all that and just have some fun. She really wasn't keen on hanging out with the main group of seniors who had set up the whole thing. That whole in-crowd thing just didn't set with her. Noa wasn't well liked by a lot of the girls because she had insulted one of the cheerleaders at last years prom. Oops. She still didn't regret it, she didn't like bitchy girls, especially the kind who would get mad over her date dancing with another girl for one song. No doubt the whole flock of them would be there and she'd spend most of her time on the water side of the beach. She'd gone so far as to call up Kai and make sure she was coming and then tracked down a number for Kaiden to give the Italian the run-down on how to find the party and what it was for.
The party was always held in the same place, about a mile and a half north of town in a secluded little cove. There was no way to get down to it in a car, you had to hike down a rough path which thankfully someone had marked with plastic milk jugs filled halfway with sand to weight them and then lit with colorful glow sticks dropped into the holes. Noa had come down earlier with her brother so he could help her set up a tent. When she finally made it down to the beach she had stubbed her toe on a piece of drift wood and was thirsty. The sun was peaking halfway above the western horizon, making its lazy way into the night. Little stars dotted the sky already but no one had lit the bonfire yet. Just as well, she thought to herself as she dropped her backpack from her shoulder and unzipped her tent. Shane was inside playing cards with a kid she didn't recognize. "Okay you can go now," she growled at him. It wasn't very nice of her considering he had babysat her tent all afternoon.
After muttering a choice curse at his older sister, Shane and his anonymous friend skedaddled leaving Adrinoa do change in peace. Zipping the tent flap behind them she grumbled about not being able to stand fully in the little tent. She had settled for the two-man tent instead of her mother's old one-man backpacking tent in case Kaiden needed a place to crash for the night. She could hear other PHS students outside the tent, some setting theirs up, others just chatting and walking around. Someone had managed to get enough equipment down to set up turn-tables and was playing some weird mix of what sounded like The Doors' "Light My Fire" mashed-up with a Bollywood style beat fit for a bellydancer. Digging into her bag she pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and tugged off her faded ones. This was pretty much the social event of the summer so she wanted to look good despite all arguments she didn't dress to impress anyone. She topped her outfit with a black ribbed tank top and a white tuxedo shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Dressy but in a slacker sort of way. Shoving her favorite pair of black Chucks into her bag she drew out a pair of simple black flip-flops. She didn't bother with any jewelry, just tied a black bandana around her left wrist and left her tent to go see if anyone had brought drinks.
Sure enough a long row of coolers full of ice and soda extended from one corner of the turn-tables to another. Spotting Donnie, a fellow senior known for his dreadlocks and fabulous music collection, at the helm she waved and he nodded to her. As she bent over a blue cooler digging through the ice for a rootbeer she wasn't at all shocked to find there was real beer in it too. Some of the parents donated soda and snacks for this event every year and rumor had it some even brought beer, guess that rumor was true this year. Her own mother didn't care if Adrinoa drank as long as she didn't drive or do anything stupid. Passing the beer over for now she got her rootbeer. As she stood to crack the can open she heard whooping and hollering excited voices coming from the path that lead down. Having come to this party the past two years she knew what this meant. She didn't now how the torch bearer was chosen but a guy came trotting along through the sand holding a big torch which he used to light the wood of the bonfire with some hint at ceremony. Grinning to herself she opened her soda and took a long sip as if to toast the opening event at the big party. The sun had finally sunk below the sea, the stage was set and the players were now starting the scene.
