The Bonfire

                                    

                                          
Chapter Forty- The Bonfire 
The Bonfire. An Outer banks tradition, and Harley had never been. She didn't see the point. She hated parties, and up until that year, she'd had no friends. But this year was different. This year she had a group of friends, and she had a JJ, whatever JJ was to her. 
The bonfire took place on the same weekend every year, and apart from Harley, everyone went. Literally, everyone. 
The five of them got out the van, and an instant smirk spread across JJs face. John B slung an arm round the blonde, and one round his little sister, as pope and Kie walked ahead. John B grabbed a red cup filled with some form of beer and Harley instantly grabbed it from him and took a swig. 
"If I'm gonna survive this thing, I need to be smashed" she shrugged at the two boys as she took in her surroundings. It was packed full of teens, some she recognised, some she didn't. 
The bonfire was in the middle, and teens surrounded, some drinking, some smoking, some dancing, some kissing. The split of kooks and pogues was obvious, them keeping to their own sides of the fire, and Harley looked over to the pogue side to see who she recognised. She spotted Mia, Katie and Eleonor instantly, and she rolled her eyes as she watched them whisper between themselves, whilst not looking away from Harley once. 
"You good?" JJ asked her, looking between the three girls death staring Harley, and the stare Harley was giving them back. 
"I'm fine" Harley muttered. 
"Do you think Sarah will come?" John B asked JJ and Harley. 
"I doubt it" Harley shook her head. 
"I just can't believe her you know? I mean one minute shes-" John B began ranting. 
"Dude her dad blew up right in front of her. Give her a minute" JJ spoke wisely, like he was now an expert on relationships and all things girls. John B however, was no longer listening, as a pogue in his grade that Harley sort of recognised began eye flirting with him from a few metres away. 
"And we've lost him" JJ sighed, grabbing Harley's hand and pulling her away from her brother to allow him to flirt. 
"JJ!" She scalded him, glancing back at her brother "J, if Sarah does come and she sees that!" She tried to pull on his grip. 
"So what? Her decision" JJ shrugged and Harley rolled her eyes. 
"Boys are so clueless" she muttered, and drank the remainder of what was in the cup John B had given her. 
"You want another?" JJ asked, grinning widely at Harley's obvious determination to get wasted. 
"Hell yeah" she smirked back at him. 
"Coming right up" he leant forward and planted a kiss on her cheek, before wandering off into the crowd to find another drink for Harley. 
She looked around nervously, suddenly feeling the exact feeling she had gotten at every party she had ever been to now JJ wasn't by her side. Overwhelmed and out of place. 
She began looking round quickly, looking for either her brother, JJ, Kie or Pope, but over the crowds of people, the yelling and the music, she couldn't see or hear any of her friends. 
She began pushing through the crowds, in search of at least one of her friends, and she seemed to go unnoticed by the crowds of people as she weaved her way through. As she got further in, and became more wedged between strangers, the music seemed to get louder, and so did the talking, the sounds almost seemed like they were competing with each other. The bonfire seemed like it was getting hotter, as she got bashed back and forth from shoulder to shoulder of random people who barely seemed to notice she was there. The music was getting louder still, people were chanting from somewhere. Someone else pushed into her. The fire was warm. The music was loud. The chanting. The fire. The crowds. Harley felt the sudden urge to scream.