𝗜 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗦, 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘤

i. the bonfire

𝖢𝖧𝖠𝖯𝖳𝖤𝖱 𝖮𝖭𝖤
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𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚

𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗪'𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗨𝗔𝗟 before school bonfire was the party of the year - not to be confused with Graham Miller's annual back to school party the following Friday.

Parties were never really Maxine Blake's style. She didn't like the music that blasted from the speakers and caused her heart to feel like it was about to jump out of her chest. She didn't like the smell of the intoxicated teens or the view of the couples making out in the dark corners. She didn't like a lot of things when it came to parties, but that never stopped her from going.

The feeling of cold liquid spilling on her forced Maxie out of her daze. "Crap." She mumbled to herself wiping her hand over her shirt. Luckily, for her, it had only been water, as she was the designated driver of the group.

She looked over to see who had bumped into her but they were already lost in the sea of people. Instead, Maxie was quickly dragged away from her position at the snack table, where she had been previously eating chips out of the bowl, and brought to a larger group of teens.

She looked over to the person who had been the one to drag her away. Maia Han was (and forever would be) her best friend since the first grade.

They met when Maia first moved in next door. Maxie had been forced by her mother to put her paints down and join her to welcome the new neighbours.

Of course, Maxie didn't want to but the six-year-old had no say in the matter. Despite this, however, the two girls hit it off rather quickly - especially after Maia offered to play with her Barbie dolls.

Maxie glared at the girl, "Is this necessary?" She asked, motioning to the tight grip the girl had on her arm.

Maia didn't say anything, instead, she kept her eyes forward. Finally, the two made it to their destination.

Carina's backyard was huge, meaning it was easy to let lost in the sea of people. Luckily, Maxie and her friends had come up with a plan: if you get lost, go to the snack table. This plan came in handy, especially considering Maxie had gotten lost within minutes of arriving at the party.

Maia let go of the blonde's arm, "I found her!" She announced to the two people who sat on the white patio sofa, which was surely stained with beer and chip dust.

"Oh, thank god."

"I don't know how you manage to get lost every single time."

The two voices came from none other than, Wyatt Chapman and Kelsi Williams. They made room for the two girls to join them on the sofa.

Maxie had met both Wyatt and Kelsi during her freshman year.

The blonde wasn't exactly 'athletic' meaning she hated anything and everything to do with sports. Unless it was to support Maia and the rest of the girls' soccer team, but even then her knowledge was limited. Luckily, for her Wyatt shared the same disdain for sports.

The two were one of the few people in their PE class that didn't enjoy the mandatory class. So, naturally, they clung to each other. One thing led to another and he slowly became a member of the group.