Fireworks

6

I can see that there are a bunch of chairs set up around in a circle in front of the Camper, between the opening of the tent and the base of the Camper. There are about a dozen kids my age in the fold-out chairs, plates balanced on their laps as they talk and laugh. I'm relieved to see that most of them are wearing attire similar to mine. The sun is still about an hour away from setting and it's pretty hot, so I settled for a breezy mid-thigh skirt and a blue tee-shirt.

After calming myself enough to walk towards the group, I exit the car and search for Isa.

As soon as I come around the Camper, Isa spots me and jumps up from where she was sitting on some guy's lap. "Hey, you made it!" she calls, a wide grin on her face.

Everyone pauses and looks over at me. I feel my palms start to sweat, but I try my hardest to just smile and walk towards her.

She grabs me and says, "Everyone, this is Hadlee Jason, the absolute goddess that put out the fire the other day. Be nice."

A couple of people laugh, but most everyone just waves good-naturedly.

I feel my smile slip a little when there's no sight of Arlo or Harriet in the group, but I know they can't be too far since I'm pretty sure they live in this Camper. I do recognize a couple of people from school, though. Montserrat Hernandez is going to be a senior with Isa and I this year, and I vaguely recognize Isa's boyfriend Edwardo from school.

Montserrat seems bored, and the smile she throws my way isn't exactly welcoming. Okay, then.

"Here, take a seat. We're all just waiting for Harriet to figure out how to cook rice." Isa says, gesturing to one of the empty fold-out chairs. One is next to Monstseratt, so I opt to leave one empty between us.

Whatever the conversation had been before I showed up seems to take over again, and I find myself relaxing a little bit as the attention is diverted from me.

"Who's setting up Godzilla this year, because it sure as hell isn't going to be me after last year." A boy I think is called Ryan says

The boy sitting next to him says, "Ditto. That thing smells like fried ass."

Everyone laughs and Edwardo says, "We all know Harriet insists the guys do it, so don't bother complaining. We're subjected to the same fate."

From his lap, Isa says, "Honestly if the girls took a stab at it, it'd probably get done ten times faster."

A girl holding hands with the boy next to her says, "How sexist is that. Why don't we all just do it together?"

"Oh shut up Sarah, you know you don't want to get close to that thing." Ryan rolls his eyes and Edwardo snorts. Isa slaps his shoulder.

At that moment, a loud crash from inside the tent makes me turn around. I see Harriet on her knees in front of an electrical panel, fumbling with what looks like a portable rice maker.

"Need help, Har?" Ryan calls

She grunts before saying, "I didn't add water to the rice. Can someone grab me a couple of bottled waters from the cooler?"

Everyone laughs and I wince. Rice made with bottled water? In a portable rice maker on the ground of a fireworks tent, no less.

Isa jumps up and grabs a couple of waters from a nearby cooler and jogs them over to her before helping her plug the rice maker into the panel.

Suddenly the door to the camper busts open and the woman I recognize as Harriet's mother steps out. Everyone grins and calls "Mom!"

I flinch. There's no way they're all related. They all must just call her mom as some sort of nickname or something.