Nova Scotia

Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

                I'd been to bonfires before, back home in California. From what I’d gathered, they mainly consisted of bikinis, dunking girls with big boobs underwater, and booze. Lots and lots of booze. The bonfire would make the air taste like smoke, which was the perfect cover for people who wanted to smoke weed. I didn’t think Cara, Phoebe, or Dallas was into that stuff, but I knew I could be wrong. I never thought Evan was into it, either.

                “Why’re you so quiet, California?” Dallas demanded, glancing in the rearview mirror at me. “What’s on your mind?”

                I jumped and looked away from the window I had been staring out of. Dallas’ eyebrows were raised, but Cara and Phoebe weren’t paying attention to us. Phoebe looked like she was falling asleep and Cara was texting someone (probably her boyfriend) with an expression of glee. It was just me and Dallas.

                “I’m wondering how much slower you can possibly drive without stopping the car,” I lied, grinning at him. “Are you even going above sixty right now?”

                “I’ll have you know,” Dallas defended himself, “that I got my license on the first try. The limit’s seventy, and I’m going at sixty-five. That’s reasonable.”

                “Can I drive on the way back?”

                “No,” he said instantly. “I'd never trust an American with my car.”

                “Why not?”

                “You'll probably go run some poor black person over.”

                I stared at him. Phoebe opened her eyes and frowned. “That’s racist.”

                “Oh, shit, really?” He seemed genuinely surprised, and then glanced back at me. “Sorry, California. No filter.”

                “It’s fine,” I said, shaking my head. “America gives off bad vibes, apparently.”

                “Dallas spends too much time hating America when he could be loving Canada,” Cara agreed, looking up from her phone. “Can you hurry the hell up? Ricky’s already there.”

                “No one asked you to come with us,” Dallas retorted. Despite his words, the car sped up considerably and the needle on the speedometer started to creep towards eighty.

                Cara snorted. “Oh, please. We've been going to the bonfire together almost our whole lives, Dallas. When have any of us let anyone ruin that?”

                Dallas turned onto a gravel road that was full of SUVs, Hondas, and pick-up trucks. Even from where the car stood, I could hear people screaming and laughing. We were surrounded by trees, but I could make out a large and distinctive trail through the woods. I assumed it led to the beach where the bonfire party was.

                “I've got the beer,” Dallas said, getting out of the car. “You guys make sure California gets to the beach.”

                “Aye aye, Captain.” Phoebe rolled her eyes at me and held out her arm. “Ready, Candice?”

                I glanced into the woods, and then at Dallas, who I was sure would be the only person I could feel safe around tonight. I took a deep breath.