Friday 4:30 PM, Shannon residence
"Now you remember young lady, don't cave into peer pressure. I don't want you to be in the hospital getting your stomach pumped..." Katelyn's mom lectured.
"Mom! Don't worry. I'll be responsible," Katelyn said reassuringly while getting out of her mom's car.
"Hey, you finally got here. Everyone else is inside waiting for ya but now we can get going," Danny gestured towards her.
Katelyn, with suitcase in hand, waved to her mom and stood awkwardly in Danny's driveway. From the corner of Katelyn's eye, she saw four others come out of the house; two girls from Maria's Posse and two guys that Danny knew.
"Let's hit the road kids, we've got a drive ahead of us!" Danny's mom announced. And with that the six teens jumped into the van and they drove off.
"Yo Danny, took time off from the bar?" Malcolm asked.
"Yup. Wanted to completely decompress this weekend," Danny replied.
Katelyn, in the back seat, overheard this and a faint memory popped into her mind. She saw herself dancing with Danny in a bar. Bewildered, she shook it off and continued twiddling her thumbs; staying silent while the other teens gossiped all the way to Pebble Beach.
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When the group arrived, Katelyn couldn't believe what she saw. Danny's mom drove up to a property with a mansion and a guesthouse that rested on the edge of a cliff that had a path to a private strip of beach underneath. Both the main and guest houses had their own patios that overlooked the clear blue water that stretched across the cove.
The kids got out of the van and took to take their luggage inside the guest house. Inside, the guesthouse had enough beds and rooms to house the six kids. The guesthouse had its own kitchen, spacious bathrooms, and a living room with a bay window that brought in the scenic outdoors.
"How often do you come here?" Katelyn asked Danny.
"Uncle S and Aunt P typically host our family parties; at least every Christmas," Danny replied.
"Okay kids, I'll pick everyone up on Sunday at noon. Nobody get in trouble okay? And please stay on Uncle Steve's property, we're in the middle of wildfire season," Danny's Mom pleaded.
The six teens nodded and Danny's move took her leave.
As Danny's mom drove away, one of Maria's friends, Tiffany, asked Malcolm, "Did you bring it?"
"Duh. Can't have a party without some..." Malcolm replied while taking out a black plastic bag from his duffle bag. Malcolm unwrapped the bag and out came two bottles of alcohol. "Some Tequila and Fireball!"
"Sweet!" Danny exclaimed while bringing solo cups to a table on his uncle's patio. "I've also ordered a few pizzas, they'll be here in a few minutes. In the meantime..." Danny tapped on his phone and the built-in patio speakers started playing an album from Imagine Dragons.
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By night fall, the group ate, played some Cards Against Humanity, and now sat around a it fire pit on the patio.
"Okay everyone, truth or dare!" Danny exclaimed to the group, slightly inebriated. Everyone cheered while Katelyn stared into the fire.
Danny placed the now empty bottle of Fireball on the ground and spun it. When it stopped, it pointed to Malcolm.
"Truth or Dare bud?" Danny asked.
"Dare" Malcolm replied.
"Take a shot" Danny directed.
"That's too easy." Malcolm gulped his shot glass down and spun the bottle; it stopped on Danny.
"Ha! Truth or dare?" Malcolm asked.
"Truth" Danny replied.
"What's one secret you haven't told us?" Malcolm asked.
Danny exhaled. "I'm breaking up with Maria next week..."
Everyone in the group gasped while Katelyn turned and looked straight at him.
"After last week, I just don't think I know her anymore..."
He sighed and spun the bottle.; it pointed towards Katelyn. Danny asked, "Truth or Dare?"
"...Truth", she stumbled.
"Who's your favorite superhero?" Danny asked softly.
Katelyn thought for a moment. "Was The Mask a superhero?" she thought to herself. But then decided on a different answer, "Captain Marvel".
The men cheered as the ladies rolled their eyes. "Yeah! Brie Larson is hot". Danny hands Katelyn the bottle and their hands briefly touched. Katelyn blushed and spun the bottle; continuing the game.
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Around 1 AM, the rest of the gang started to head to bed but saw headlights enter the driveway. "Ah, your here!" Danny's uncle exclaimed.
"Hey Uncle Steve! You home late." Danny replied.
"Yeah, the wife is also gonna be home in an hour. Everyone is bunkering down; there's a fire watch tonight."
"Alright, good night Uncle S." The rest of the teens chimed in.
Katelyn started walking back into the guesthouse but Danny quickly caught up to her. "Hey wanna room with me...?" Katelyn stared at him and gave him a shy nod.
The two entered the room and Katelyn started to unpack. She carefully took out her nighties and stowed away her suitcase out of sight. As she walked into the bathroom she saw Danny shirtless brushing his teeth. Katelyn never noticed, until now, how tone his body was. She tip-toed back to the room, meanwhile Danny smirked as he saw Katelyn dart from the corner of his eye.
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As the teens slept, a spark ignited in a nearby forest and started a fire near Pebble Beach.
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Where there's smoke there's usually fire... in more places than one.
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