This story is an entry in the 2014 Literotica Halloween Story Contest. Don't forget to cast your vote and thanks for reading.
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"Who says I can't start a good fire?"
Wayne was standing right in front of the billowing bonfire with his arms spread and a proud smile on his face. Andrea watched him from her spot on the tailgate of the truck, wondering if he was already drunk enough to fall into the flames. He looked as though he'd just given all mankind the gift of warmth and light.
A beer can bounced off the back of his head. The entire group of friends laughed at him. Andrea cracked a smile.
"Get away from the fire, Prometheus!" Erica yelled to him. "I'm not putting you out if you fall in."
Andrea didn't know Erica, but really, she didn't know half of them. She squinted past the fire, trying to catch a good look at the girl. The redhead seemed like the loudest one at the bonfire the whole night. Andrea didn't really care for her. She was just too snarky. Her place on the tailgate was suiting her better and better as the night went on.
"Man, it is dark as hell up here," she heard Ryan say.
"You mean aside from the gigantic fire that Tom Hanks made for us?" Someone asked.
Wayne spilled beer down his goatee before retorting, "You know, I remember a lot of people, not very long ago, whining about... what was it... being cold or something like that?"
Ryan, who Andrea remembered was Tab's brother, ignored the rest of the gaggle and said, "No, seriously. There wasn't a single house or street light or anything out on the road. I went to piss a minute ago and I couldn't even see my dick, man."
"Well, that's not because it's dark," Erica said giggling. The two girls behind her and Ryan also went into fits.
Andrea kept quiet, like she always did. The group of friends were strangers to her. She couldn't keep track of them. She'd sworn to herself that she'd open up to these people, to have some drinks and have fun for a change.
It was why she invited them here.
She chewed her lip, watching the group of drunks. Invited was probably a strong word. Andrea was listening to a story that Wayne was telling about some "lame" Halloween costume contest the year prior, when Tab emerged from the trees beside the truck. Andrea felt her insides glow with relief. Tabitha glanced at the fire before turning a grin toward her.
"Geez, how much stuff is he going to burn?" Tab said with a laugh.
Andrea smiled. She could feel her cheeks getting warm, even though her skin was ice cold. Tab pushed herself up onto the tailgate right beside Andrea. She could feel Tab's eyes on her, but she found it hard to look at the other girl. Instead her eyes were fluttering into the flames. She tried not to think about how close Tab was sitting. No one ever sat that close to her.
"You're not cold sitting back here?" Tab asked, ducking her head and peeking into Andrea's gaze.
Andrea blinked and glanced at her. "I'm... I'm fine."
Tab smiled. "You sure? You look pretty cold."
"I'm alright."
"Okay," Tab said.
She leaned back and reached into the bed of her brother's truck and produced a half empty bottle of alcohol. Andrea eyed the amber colored liquid and her stomach did a little twist.
"You can't drink cold beer tonight," Tab told her. "This stuff will burn when it goes down, but it'll keep you warm, girl. Well... it'll make you feel like you're warm anyway."
Andrea's heart was already beating faster. "No, that's okay-"
"And you don't get to say no," Tab interrupted. "You can't say no to me tonight, remember? It's Halloween, Andrea! Break loose for a change!"
Andrea snickered. She remembered agreeing to Tab's terms. The large bottle was in her lap suddenly. Tab's hand was touching her jeans. Andrea took the bottle from her and cleared her throat nervously.
"I'm... I don't really drink that much," Andrea said.
"If you wind up naked and puking, I'll hold your hair back and keep Wayne away from you," Tab told her.
Andrea laughed. It felt good to laugh. She'd been laughing a lot lately, and it was usually around Tab. Ever since they'd met some weeks ago, Andrea had been doing a lot of things differently. It seemed likeTab just knew how to push her buttons.
Andrea had just put her lips to the bottle when she heard Ryan say her name from across the fire.
"Nah, it's Andrea's old place or something," he said.
"Holy crap," Erica barked. "This is Lovergirl's home?"
As the alcohol burned a trail to her stomach, Andrea had to fight the urge to cough. All eyes had turned toward her. She dared not give them the ammunition to call her a "lightweight". "Uh, yeah," she told the group. "I used to live up here when I was little. M-my family did."
"Well this is just cozy, Lovergirl," Wayne said. He was nodding and looking around sarcastically.
"I think it's badass," Ryan said, pulling Erica close to him. "No cops, no angry neighbors, no anything. We can do whatever the hell we want up here. I should have brought some guns to shoot or something."
"Guns and alcohol," Tab said nodding. "Real smart bro."
Just as Andrea began to think she was slinking out of the spotlight, Erica spoke up again.
"So your tribe used to live up here in the woods?" She asked.
Ryan nudged her. Ignoring the girl's tone, Andrea licked her lips and answered.
"My grandparents had a trailer just up the way," she explained. "It's still there, but it's run down. They had a little farm here back in the day. After they passed it went to my... my other family... m-my aunt, but she hasn't really done much with it."
Erica looked around at the darkness in the trees beyond the fire. "I'll say."
"It's pretty cool," said a voice to their side. His name was Shane, as Andrea remembered. Or Shawn, maybe. "Bunch of the guys that work at the garage say this whole hill was 'haunted' or cursed or something like that. I think they're full of shit, but it is creepy up here. Fitting for Halloween night, you know?"
Wayne's eyes got big. "That's awesome."
