Caveship

2 || A Night Out

"Thanks for the ride," Nicholas says, climbing into the new-ish, green, four door sedan. Darius, seated at the steering wheel, offers a nod and waits for his friend to take a seat before putting the vehicle into drive and hitting the accelerator, heading for the exit to Nicholas's cul-de-sac. "No problem. I thought about having Sophia drive, but we couldn't find the books she sits on to see over the dashboard."

"Hey! Jerk!" Sophia yells out, leveling a firm slap at Darius's shoulder. "If this is how it's going to be all night, you might as well take me home."

"You're the one making us go to this thing," Nicholas says, glancing back at her, the smaller female seated in the middle backseat. "I already had plans for tonight."

"Oh pfft," Sophia responds. "Like what? Staying home and playing video games?"

"Exactly. Now I have to go to some party and babysit."

"Babysit?" Sophia frowns, crossing her arms, although not for long. She smiles and her lower lip quivers as she feigns sadness. "Aww," she teases. "Are you worrying about me, Nick?"

"I just don't want you to get drunk and do something stupid."

"Who said I was going to drink? I just want to, y'know..."

"See the sights?" Darius grins, eyes still on the road.

"Or the guys," Nicholas continues, his own grin slowly appearing.

"The guys are the sights. What else is there for a girl to see at midnight out in the woods?" Darius cackles playfully, leaning forward to avoid another slap aimed at his shoulder. "Hey!"

"If homicide were legal you two would be my first targets," Sophia huffs, adjusting her glasses before folding her arms across her chest. "Can you focus on the road so we don't die?"

Her attention shifts to the darkness outside the car window, broken occasionally by the yellow glow of street lamps. The road they're on leads them onto a darkened boulevard, which at this time of night is eerily empty. After some time, the pavement ends and they find themselves on a dirt road toward a gloomy forest.

As the rocks begin to crunch beneath the car's tires, and the road turns to gravel, Darius flips on the brights on his vehicle to stave off the darkness. Had the three not been so jovial in their anticipation of the party, the spookiness of the shadows cast by the trees might have kept them on edge. It's not until they spot the vehicles of the other party-goers, as well as the brilliant lights from fires and flood lights in the forest, that Darius pulls over and slows down to a stop. All three climb out of the car, and Sophia quickly rushes on ahead as the light stretches far enough into the woods to make walking a safe option.

"Sophia!" Nicholas calls out, climbing out of the car and watching her speed away.

"Let her go, Nick," Darius says, patting his friend on the shoulder. "She's not a little girl anymore."

With a chuckle, the two men follow along at a more casual pace; Darius is met with cheers from fellow schoolmates as the two enter the firelight. The campsite had clearly been set up several hours in advance, with several tents pitched. Numerous coolers stand open, with various kinds of drinks settled into the melting ice inside. Beside the fires, a few flood lamps have been set up, hooked to generators. Most of them have been turned outward, into the forest, to ward off any potential predators.

Seats of all kinds have been set up, most fully occupied, ranging from fold out chairs to old logs. A few teenagers choose to stand, but they've all created their own cliques to speak with one another. Each group must speak louder to be heard over the din of the generators and the loud music coming from phones and radios set up in each corner. Because the music from each source is different, it creates a confusing cacophony that makes it difficult to appreciate what's playing on each one. Even so, no-one seems to notice and, if they do, they clearly don't care.