A Gallagher Girls & The Listen Series Promptober

Bonfire

Haven't read Gallagher Girls? Please do not continue if you wish to avoid spoilers.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out. Comments, feedback and any interaction are appreciated and loved!

Macey McHenry POV / Timeline: October after last book in Gallagher Girls, "United We Spy"

Oct. 4th | Bonfire:

The lazy haze of summer disappeared quicker than she expected it would. Their last moments before the rest of their lives were fleeting and gone quicker than they arrived it seemed.

Despite the very adult challenges they had faced in the past few years, they were kids, and the past months had reminded them all of that. Beach days, amusement parks, date nights, girls nights, packing for college, apartments, their futures. Enjoying their lives, feeling like the kids they were for the first time in...she didn't know if she had ever felt so young, so carefree, so happy .

Now, the chill in the air left her feeling a little nostalgic, feeling a little like their childhoods were over and it was time to grow up. She looked out the window of the cab as the bleak sky seemed to turn even more gray.

She needed to get away, pretend it was still summer. Pretend they were still kids. When Cammie called her mentioning Joe said something about the last camping trip of the year before winter, she found herself asking if she could come.

"You want to come camping with us?"

She shrugged to herself, drawing a sun on the condensation of the window, "Yeah. Can I?"

She could feel Cammie's hesitation through the phone, "Don't get me wrong Mace, I want you to, but have you been camping before?"

She had not been, but that didn't mean she didn't deserve to go.

She said just as much to Cammie, adding, "Come on. The whole group could go. It could be the last hurrah of summer."

Cammie had laughed, "Mace. It's October."

And now here she was, hiking up a goddamn mountain in cold ass weather, no one to blame but herself. Okay, maybe it wasn't a mountain, but it was steep, it was cold, and Cammie said something about cooking over the bonfire. She prayed Zach or Joe would be in charge of this.

Joe was at the front of the line, Zach next to him, the two talking nonstop, trying to out pace the other.

Liz was directly behind them, Jonas behind her, his eyes directly on her feet, watching to make sure she didn't trip, but this caused him to miss branches hitting his face, leaving Bex behind him to catch both of them.

Cammie and Rachel behind Bex, chatting about Georgetown and Gallagher, passing a water bottle to one another or the package of m&ms.

Leaving Macey and Preston at the back. Preston nudged her side, "You okay? You seem kinda..." He pursed his lips and searched for a word.

Tired? Sore? Mentally and physically exhausted?

He settled for, "Melancholy."

Huh. That works too.

She shrugged, "I just miss summer," her voice dropped, "Wasn't quite ready to grow up yet."

He grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of hers, "Summer being over means we have to grow up?"

She glanced down at the wrist attached to the hand holding hers and tried not to smirk as she looked back up the path, "Well, maybe not you. You are wearing a spiderman watch."