Daisy's Pov:
Just one more week of school. I can do this. The days were getting hotter, living in Georgia. One of my best friends, Allie, sat next to me as we waited for chemistry class to start. "What are we gonna do when school gets out?" I asked her.
"I dont know... I feel like theres not much to do anymore."
I sighed, knowing exactly how she felt. When we were kids, she and I and our two other best friends, Ben and Joe, would play outside and ride our bikes everywhere. We'd have sleepovers, and climb trees and rip our jeans and get dirty. Now that we've grown up, we go on drives to fast food places or pull all-nighters. Don't get me wrong, I love doing thise things. But it just feels like our childhood hobbies are so far in the past. and by this time next year, we'll be adults and graduated out of highschool. I wish time didn't go so fast.
*time skip*
I walked outside to get the mail, the sun starting to set. Our retired neighbor Mr. Banks had his garage open, and the sound of wood working came from inside. A lot of times he's taught me about wood working and let me make a few projects of my own. After my Grandpa died four years ago, Mr. Banks has been the closest substitute. He looked up and waved when he saw me. I waves back with a smile.
"You kids got any plans for the summer?" he asked.
"Not yet," I laughed. Why do older people always seem to ask questions to things you don't have an answer for that actually bothers you?
"You know, theres that old forest by Lucas Farm. nobody owns it, it could make a cool summer camping location for you and your friends."
I thought about that. Actually, that wasnt a bad idea. "Oh really?" I replied. "That could be fun. Thanks for the idea!"
"Glad to help!" said Mr. Banks.
I walked back inside with the mail in my hand. Just some bills and junk mail. My dad was a real estate agent, working with conputers and stuff. My mom died when I was little, and I don't have any siblings, so it was just the two of us for as long as I could remember. I keep asking him if we can get a dog, but he says a cat is enough.
I went up to my room to get started on my homework. Three more days of homework. Then what?
*time skip*
Ben sat down next to me in history class, setting his backpack down on the ground. His black hair was parted in the middle and flipped when he turned his head. his stocky build would be perfect for football, but he swears he'll never do sports.
"I am so done with school," my friend said, leaning over his desk.
Idecided to shoot my shot. "Speaking of summer," I said, "what would you think about going camping in the woods?"
"Yea, I think you'd better make your plans with Joe; not my cup of tea."
"Did somebody say my name?" Joe said, sitting down behind me.
I turned around and looked at him seriously. "The forest by Lucas Farm." He nodded. "Nobody uses it, it just has trees and deer and squirrels."
"What about it?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.
"What if we went camping out there," I said, wiggling my eyebrows.
His mouth opened and his eyes widened. "Yes! Dude that's such a good idea!"
I knew I had him hooked.
"We could make a treehouse!"
Now he had me gaping. "Yes!" I gasped.
"Oh no," Ben said. "I don't have a choice do I?"
Joe and I looked at each other and smiled. "Not really."
*time skip*
Ben's Pov:
"Ben?" I heard my name called. I rolled myself out from under my charcoal-colored BMW. My dad has an autobody shop, so I've grown up working on cars. School has never been an easy thing for me, so instead of college I'd much rather work for my dad full-time. The feel of car grease and a wrench in my hand to me is one if the best things ever.
I wiped my hands on a towel, seeing my friends in front of me. I was excited that school got out yesterday, but now these three got me exploring woods. Oh joy.
"Where is it?" I asked, sighing. "I'll drive."
"You can't drive to the woods..." Daisy laughed. "We'll be walking."
Could it get any worse?
Daisy's Pov:
We were walking through the woods when an idea suddely came to me. I looked at Joe with a mischievious glint in my eyes, which he quickly returned. I counted down on my fingers. A smile crept over his face. Three... two... one...
I started running, Joe behind me, leaving Allie and Ben behind us. We darted behind the trees, hearing our names being called. I put my hand over my mouth to muffle my infectious laughter. Joe, I noticed, did the same. We heard the calls and footsteps growing closer as we waited for our unsuspecting prey to approach. When they finally got close enough, we jumped out from behind the trees, scaring them. Allie screamed like we were serial killers. Ben jumped, but shook his head, pretending not to be scared.
Joe and I collapsed to the ground, laughing. I couldn't breathe. My laughter only increased seeing the disapproving looks on their faces.
We found a spot to make camp, and we split up to go back to get some supplies. I dusted off my old bike from the garage and filled my backpack with snacks. I brought the tents we would use and my sleepingbag in the metal wagon trailing behind my rear wheel.
I slowed down when I came to the entrance of the forest. there was a grown-over path, but it was uneasy. I found the spot we scouted after a few minutes later. Joe was there, getting a fire started.
"You got the tents?"
"Yep," I said. "You got hotdogs?"
"Who likes hotdogs?"
My smile disappeared as I looked at him, not happy. "Joe," I said. "you didn't bring hotdogs?"
"Nah, but I brought smores."
"Joe! We need a dinner!"
My friend gestured at the bag of marshmallows. "Dinner."
"That's not dinner Joe."
"'Course not. That's why I brought the hotdogs." He smiled sheepishly. I punched him lightly.
Allie came in pulling a wagon like my own. "Got a bunch of extra blankets."
"Where's Ben?" Joe asked.
"Coming, I guess. He was about a block behind me, so he should be here soon."
I started to take the tents out of their pouches to set them up. We went camping a few times every summer so I had a pretty good handle on setting them up.
Not too long after, Allie and I had both tents set up. The fire was steady, and the sun was starting to set.
As we sat around the campfire, roasting our hotdogs, I realized how special this was. sure, it wasn't exactly like old times, but we only get older and I dont want to forget this moment, or worse, take it for granted. The fire flickered and cast shadows on our faces. My friends' faces had smiles, and my heart was cheerily filled.
As it became darker, tiny lights started trickling in around us. Lightning bugs.
I see Joe looking up at them, a smile spreading over his fire-lit face. "Fireflies," he says.
Seriously? Fireflies? What part of the country is he from? Nobody says fireflies in this neck of the woods (no pun intended).
"They're called lightning bugs," I said, knowing the debate I was about to start. But I knew Joe, and he could handle my arguments. We banter all the time, but neither of us mind.
"No they're not!" he said defiantly.
"My great-grandparents called them peenie wallies," said Allie.
We all look at her, mortified. Who in this small planet would call those peenie wallies?!
"Obejection, irrelevance!" said Joe.
We discussed the differences with hardly convincing points until the fire had almost died down. Ben hit each of us lightly with a waterbottle. "Go to bed! This conversation is going nowhere." I smiled, knowing he was right.
I'd had more s'mores than I cared to count and felt like if I didn't lay down soon it would not end well. Allie and I laid back the covers of our sleepingbags and snuggled inside.
"This isnt too bad i guess," she said. She's like Ben in that she'd rather be at home in comfort than on an unknown adventure.
"See?" I replied. "I keep tryina tell you guys it's not all that bad." I zipped my bag up and laid my head on my pillow, sighing.
An owl softly cooed goodnight in the distance as allie's eyes widened.
"I take it back. I knew it was too good to be true."
I rolled my eyes and turned out the lantern.