Don’t ask me how I learned this or who told me. I grabbed a bag of Lays no ruffle potato chips and soaked them in a bucket of gasoline. Next you scoop out just the potato chips and throw them in separate spots in the brush pile. One single match and the gas soaked chips crackle like popcorn igniting the fire.
Connor: “Well I can say I’ve never heard of that way before.”
Courtney: “I’ve always wanted to soak a fire in gasoline and light an arrow to shoot at it.”
Liz: “Just like Luke Brian did?”
Courtney: “Yeah exactly.”
Me: “Maybe next time.”
Evan: “I have a bow and some arrows.”
Me: “Are you a good shot?”
Blake: “I think at that point it doesn’t matter.”
He explained the fire science portion of what he meant. When you let gasoline sit on brush it creates a cloud of fumes. As long as the flaming arrow makes it inside the invisible cloud of gas fumes the fire will light.
We all nodded our heads in agreement.
Blake: “That’s why you don’t spread gas over a whole fire at one time because when you go to light it you’ll be standing inside the cloud of fumes and be caught on fire.”
Me: “Exactly why the soaked potato chips works.”
Blake: “And it’s much safer.”
I walked off to go up front and feed my horses dinner. On my way back to the bonfire I grabbed s’mores stuff.
Olivia: “That’s the way to go!”
We all laughed at her and found random twigs to use as skewers.
I could live for nights like this. Sitting in my backyard by a bonfire with all the people I care about. All of Blake’s friends adopted me and made me part of their redneck family. I looked around at each one of them. There’s James and Danielle, Connor and Olivia, Courtney and Tyler, Evan and Liz, and then Blake and I, then lonely Turner.
Me: (To Blake): “Turner’s all by himself.”
Blake: (To me): “He’s an 11th wheel.”
We both laughed to ourselves.
Turner: “I heard that…”
Blake: “Man we need to find you a hot redneck lady.”
Turner: “Yeah sure dude. No one wants to be with the junkie ex-football player.”
Blake: “Sure they do, that’s why you look for a girl at a different school.”
Turner: “How do you expect that to happen?”
They both shared a knowing glance between each other.
Blake: “We go crash a party.”
Me: “No.”
Connor: “Leah come on it’ll be fun.”
I didn’t say anything.
The brush pile was pretty much burnt down. Blake ran inside and grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out what was left.
Blake: “Too bad I’m stronger than you.”
He picked me up like a baby and I was thrashing and kicking around.
Me: “No we don’t have to ruin someone else’s fun.”
James: “It’s 10 against 1 Leah.”
I sat in the bed of Turner’s truck pouting. Liz laughed at me.
Liz: “Leah it’ll be fun. Just to see how other schools party.”
Me: “I don’t see why we have to wreck their party though.”
Olivia: “To make a statement. Besides we aren’t breaking anything it’s the fact that kids from a different school are showing up at their get together.”
Me: “Oh no one specified that!”
Courtney brought a hand to her forehead and rolled her eyes.
Me: “What I lived in the city down south.”
Liz: “What city gal?!?”
Me: “That’s all we could afford, I still worked with horses all my life, trust me I ain’t a fake country girl.”
Liz: “Good.”
Liz hates girls that put on boots and flannel shirts to just make a good first impression, especially when they can’t stand getting dirty.
--
Soon enough we pulled up to a school wide bonfire. When I say school wide I mean only about a select 50 people. There were a few girlie looking jacked up trucks parked with the other ones, jackpot to Turner. I gestured to them and everyone became excited that we aren’t the only redneck high schoolers around here.
The 11 of us all stood off to the side until we were approached by a group of West High rednecks, girls included. One of them stepped up introducing himself.
Jonathan: “What are y’all doing out of your neck of the woods?”
Turner: “Just looking for some people like us to have a good time with.”
Turner winked at a girl in torn blue jeans and cowgirl boots, who we later learned is named Andrea.
--Turner’s POV—
Me: “So what is Andrea like?”
Jonathan: “What are you crushing on the hardest girl to get?”
Me: “Hardest girl to get?”
Jonathan: “Andrea’s last relationship was abusive and she is afraid of being in another one.”
Me: “What if I could prove to her that I wouldn’t hurt her.”
Jonathan: “It would take some time, but if you really like her it’s worth it.”
Me: “So I just walk over there and start a conversation?”
Jonathan: “You didn’t drive all the way over here to not at least know if you have a chance right.”
Me: “Very true.”
I walked away from my new West high friend and headed over to Andrea and her group of friends.
Me: “Hello I just wanted to introduce myself as Turner, Turner Evans.”
Andrea: “Why it’s mighty nice to meet you.” She said in the most fake southern accent I’ve ever heard. Her friends walked away laughing and then she apologized. “Sorry they dared me to do it.”
Me: “Oh that’s alright.”
Andrea: “It was either that or act drunk for the rest of the night, we were playing would you rather.”
Me: “I see.”
Andrea: “Sorry lemme just start over?”
Me: “Yeah go for it.”
Andrea: “Nice to meet you, Turner, I’m Andrea.”
We talked for the rest of the night and it seemed pretty promising since I walked away with her number and her Snapchat username.
----
YOU ARE READING
My Country Love Story
RandomLeah is now 16 years old, she can drive and she's starting at a new high school in a couple of weeks. Her parents decided to move to a different town as a change of scenery, and it couldn't come at a better time. Leah's grade school life was falling...
