We're dressed and ready to go by six o'clock that evening. Of course, Skylar looks the best out of all three of us. Dressed in tight black high-waisted denims that showcase her perfect hourglass curves. A blood-red sweater halter top that keeps her large breasts secure. She looks good in all black, but red looks amazing on her. Especially with the hairstyle she opted for. Two braided pigtail knots on the top of her head, with her bangs slicked to the side.

Sam, chose to go the opposite with a pair of light bell-bottomed denims. She probably could have gone up a few sizes bigger. She spent five minutes rolling around on Sky's bed, attempting to suck in enough to button them. She decided to wear an oversized white sweatshirt. It was entirely too big, hanging down to her knees. In my opinion, it makes her resemble a giant onion. Her blonde hair, thin and scraggly, is styled into a tight, gelled-back ponytail. It's tied so tightly that it causes her beady eyes to pop out more, resembling a tree frog.

I chose to go simple. Wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a teal long-sleeved sweatshirt. I had attempted to style my hair, but my curls won. Resulting in them hanging down, loose and free, surrounding my face.

I'm relieved that the temperature is dropping. I doubt that my legs could have survived another night in a skirt. They almost froze to death the last time we went out. I know my feet are thankful to be in boots rather than heels.

There's already a massive swarm of people when we arrive. Way more people have come out tonight versus the last bonfire. More than just the school must be here. I try to ignore the swarming butterflies in my stomach. Vast crowds have never been my strong suit. The fewer people, the better it is for me and my nerves. We must be early. They haven't even lit the fire yet. An enormous pile of wood is sitting there waiting to get turned to ash. I've learned this is the Saturday night thing to do here in the fall. My old school never did anything like this. Well, at least I don't think we did. If they did, I was too high to know about it. Besides, I wouldn't have wanted to take part, anyway.

I scan the faces of the crowd, spotting a couple of familiar ones from class. I know their names, but that's about it. I don't make an effort to meet new people. I mainly stay to myself. It's how I've always been. The quiet one who never speaks unless spoken to.

They choose a spot farther down, closer to the tree line. Sam helps Sky lay out the giant fuzzy black blanket we had brought to sit on. I sit in the seat that's the farthest distance from Sam. After about ten minutes of listening to her talk about the guys that throw themselves at her, I'm ready to scream. Thankfully, Hope and a short brown-haired boy join us stopping the conversation.

The boy is cute in a little nerdy way. He has a round baby face with several patches of light-colored peach fuzz here and there. His brown eyes are hidden behind thick grey square box-style glasses. They stand out in contrast to his whitish-blonde wavy hair. I can tell by looking at him that he's shy.

"Hi, I'm Bex, Skylar's roommate," I introduce myself, holding my hand out to him. He takes a moment to look at me, sizing me up, before extending his hand and shaking mine.

"Hey, I'm Ben. Hope's cousin, it's nice to meet you," he smiles, letting go of my hand.

As the sun sets, more people begin to appear. Pretty soon, there are barely any spots available. Surprisingly, it doesn't take them long to get the giant fire going. Last time I missed out on the show completely. My mind wanders off to my trip into the woods with Hayden. Thinking about it makes me smile. The warmth from the fire washes over me, making me content. I've always had a slight fascination with fires. The way they consume everything in their path. Given the right circumstances, they can destroy everything they touch. Nothing is off-limits. I love watching the flames dance and move when the wind blows. The bright orange and red colors swirl, blazing brightly. Sometimes it even has a blueish-green tint to it at the right angle. Fire truly is gorgeous. The sound of the soft crackles from the flames devouring the wood was mesmerizing. I'm so absorbed in its beauty that I don't even notice when Hayden sits between me and Ben.

"Hey Hayden, I haven't seen you around in a while" Sam's annoying voice snaps me out of my daze.

"Oh, hey Sara," he answers, not even bothering to look in her direction. I can't help but let out a small giggle. Sam glares at me. If looks could kill, she'd be a murderer.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could help me with the homework from our first period," Hayden asks nervously. His eyes dart around, trying to see if anyone is paying attention. It takes a minute to register that he is talking to me.

"Yeah, sure, no problem I guess," I mumble. Still mesmerized by the fire engulfing everything it touches. Skylar glances in our direction, giving us a weird look. But I chose to ignore her.

We sit there long after the fire has burned out. The smoke from the ash is drifting through the air, making it heavy.

Hope had spent the whole evening making us laugh. She was performing horrible imitations from different movies. We had to attempt to guess what movie it was from. We failed. Sam is still trying desperately to get Hayden's attention. It's been quite comical, in my opinion.

I can't help but smile. Is this what it's like to go through life normally? To have friends and have fun. Not chasing your next high, or trying to avoid the police.

"I'm getting tired, so we're heading back to Hope's. Do you want to walk with us?" Sky asks, standing up, and stretching her arms above her head. Then bringing them down before reaching out to help Hope to her feet.

"No, it's cool I'm going to walk her back" Hayden answers, before I can get a word out. Skylar looks at him and then at me. She appears to be contemplating whether to say something.

"Okay then, I guess we will see you guys tomorrow," Hope says, grabbing Sky's hand. Lucky for me, she leads her away before she can say anything. She looks back at us again, before allowing Hope to drag her down the embankment towards the housing units.

"I'm going to walk with you guys," Sam informs us rather than asking. Trying to get his attention, she stands up, bending over to gather the blanket. She makes sure her ass rubs against his thighs in the process. He rolls his eyes before reaching down to help me up.

"Thanks" I mutter, grabbing his hand and hoisting myself up. My legs are asleep from sitting so long. Without warning, I stumble forward. Luckily Hayden was there to catch me or I would've face-dived into the sand.

"You good? We don't need you falling. It's a long walk back to campus for me to carry you," he jokes, still holding his hand out to steady me.

"Or we could leave your annoying ass here" Sam mutters loudly enough so that I hear her.

"Yeah, I'm good thanks though," I snap. My cheeks are blazing from embarrassment. Sam's slide comments are starting to irritate me. It's a long, horrible walk back to campus. Sam wouldn't shut up. I'm assuming she was trying to be sexy. But honestly, she looks desperate. But hey who am I to judge, right? I  did the same thing, throwing myself at him last night. She's hanging on his every word, giving him one of her fake smiles while batting her overly large eyelashes. I want to barf by the time, we make it back to the dorms.

"Alright, then Sara I guess this is where we go separate ways. I'm glad we got hung out, but I'm heading upstairs. I have to get some things from my sister's dorm before I head home," he tells her. His hand rubbing the back of his neck. He smiles at her as he holds the main door open for me.

"Or we can go to my dorm room. You know we could have some real fun before you leave," she coos. Her tongue ring slides between her teeth and lips as she flutters her large fake eyelashes.

"Umm sorry not tonight I'm pretty tired," he tells her, running his fingers through his hair.

"Good thing I know you don't like her type, or I might be jealous. Stuck-up prudes don't seem to be your style," Sam attempts to whisper seductively in his ear. Of course, it was loud enough for me to hear once again. Rolling my eyes, I walk past them both, climbing the stairs and heading to my room. That girl gets under my skin so bad. I don't know what it is about her, but she irks me. One of these days, she's going to pop off with one of her slick comments, and I'm going to snap and snatch her ass up. I take a deep breath, she isn't worth it. I don't want to be like I used to. I quickly change into my pajamas before Hayden comes barging through the door. I'm already settled in bed, reading my book, when he finally stumbles in.

"Fuck, she's like a damn leech. I couldn't shake her ass," he laughs, allowing the door to shut behind him before locking it. "Don't worry, Sky has a key. I just don't want that crazy bitch coming in and raping me while I'm asleep," he says, answering my question before I even ask.

"Let me guess, your roommate has a girl over again?" I ask. Already knowing what his answer is going to be. "Well, I hope it's his girlfriend or he might want to go get his little man tested. Just saying," I laugh, rolling my eyes at him. I watch him as he removes his shirt and shoes.

"Or maybe I didn't feel like sleeping in my bed tonight alone. Now scoot over," he demands jokingly.

"Excuse you, but this is only a twin-size bed. And there is plenty of space over there," I tease, playfully pointing towards Sky's bed. It's still perfectly made, besides the wrinkles from Sam's ass earlier.

"Yeah, but it doesn't have you in it," he mumbles, cuddling beside me. I smile to myself as he wraps his arm around my waist. "Now close your book and turn out the light. I'm tired," he begs, reaching up to close the book in my lap.

"You're quite persistent tonight, aren't you?" I smile, tugging the book free from his grip."You better be lucky I'm ready to go to bed, asshole," I teased, reaching over and lying the book on the dresser and switching off the light. I snuggle under the blankets, scooting as close to the wall. With his arm wrapped around me, he scoots my body toward him. He catches me off guard, bringing his lips down to mine.

"Goodnight Bex, sweet dreams," he whispers as his lips leave mine. Within a few moments, his soft snores take over.

I lay in the dark as millions of thoughts swirl around. He makes me so confused. One minute I feel like he wants me. The next he rejects me. Not to mention the fact I always see him with different girls. Ugh, why can't life ever be easy?

I drift off to sleep that night with no dreams of Johnny. No nightmares. Only thoughts of Hayden.