El Dorado's Campfire Night
1021 Words
It was another beautiful morning at El Dorado's high school. Mr.Stephen is taking the class on History. A tall, body-built young man in his forties. Talks to the class about the history of El Dorado.
"The battle of Willow Creek took place at the end of the war in our very own El Dorado. How many casualties in this battle?" He moved to the front of the table. "Miss Dane?" He asked.
"Um…a lot? I'm not sure,but like a whole lot. Diana , who was writing on her notepad, answered unprepared. The class chuckles.
" Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Miss Dane. Mr Lance, would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock Stereotype?" Stephen asked Eric.
" It's okay Mr. Stephen. I'm cool with it." Eric responded.
( All chuckles).
"Anastasia, surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's significant historical events." He threw the question next to Ana.
" I'm sorry, I do not know." Anastasia was obviously lacking behind in class, prior to her parents' demise.
"I was really lenient last year for obvious reasons, Anastasia. But the personal excuses ended for summer break." Mr. Stephen said rather calmly.
"There were 346 casualties, unless you're counting the local civilians." Sanchez answers from the back, catching everyone's attention.
"That's correct. Mr?" Mr. Stephen enquired.
"Rodriguez," Sanchez completed. Anastasia let out a soft smile.
"Rodriguez. Any relation to the original settlers here in El Dorado?"
" Distant.".
"Well, very good." Mr. Stephen walked to the board again. "Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." Mr. Stephen turned to write on the board when Sanchez cut in again.
" Actually, there were 27, Sir. Confederate soldiers fired on the church believing it to be housing weapons." Mr. Stephen turned to look at him gobsmacked. Diana was impressed. "And they were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founders' archives are stored in the civil office if you'd love to brush up on your facts… Mr. Stephen." Sanchez said, making the class chuckle, and Mr. Stephen looked stupid. Mr. Stephen held onto his notepad and stood still like a shy child.
However, Sanchez had agreed to go to the campfire night with the girls if Anastasia was going to be there. Of course, she obliged. Diana made sure she said yes! Sanchez walks into the campfire, loud music is played in the background and people chatter in different groups, some dancing and others smashing each other to the wall and kissing themselves.
"Who are you waiting for? Who's your date?" Girl 1 said. Sanchez could hear everyone's distant conversations.
" What do you mean? We never hooked up." Boy 1 responded.
" Searched?" Boy 2 asked. Another group of people were kissing hard and touching each other's privates.
" People look into me, so I have to set good examples." Girl 2 responded to boy 2. Stefan stood at one spot listening to everyone's conversation.
"Just admit it, Anatasia," Diana said while it echoed in Sanchez's ears.
" Oh, okay, so he's a little pretty." Anastasia said to Diana, as though to satisfy her.
"He has that romance-novel stare." Diana complimented. "Sanchez, looked deep into her eyes, piercing her very soul." ( Diana and Anastasia laugh), Diana teased. Sanchez, on hearing this, smiles. Just then Alicia boomed into him.
"Hey, you did it." She said excitedly.
" Yeah, I did."
"Well, let's get you a drink."
"Well, I'm…" Sanchez tries to resist.
" Oh, come on." She drags him along with her. Sanchez leaves with Alicia.
Meanwhile, Anastasia and Diana waited at a spot waiting for his arrival.
" So where is he?" Diana asked Ana.
" I don't know. You tell me, you're the psychic one."
" Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a second. Grams says I have to concentrate." Diana closed her eyes as though to meditate.
" Wait. You need a crystal ball. Um..Ta-da." Ana took something on the floor and quickly brought a beer bottle. Diana held it for a few seconds, smiling. Then almost immediately she opened her eyes weirdly and scared letting go of the bottle, she looked at Anastasia for a few more seconds. Ana, too, was equally confused.
" What?" Ana asked.
"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow."
"What?" Ana seemed scared and confused.
" A crow. There was fog, a man." Ana was more calculative then confused now. " I'm drunk. It's drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Okay. I'm gonna get a refill." Diana got the bottle from Ana's hands and left, leaving her gobsmacked.
"Okay. Diana?" Ana tried to call her back. She turned around to see Sanchez standing right in front of her.
" Hi." He said. Surprising Ana, as she wasn't expecting to see him almost immediately.
(Chuckles)"Hi." She said, dragging her words
" I did it again, didn't I?"
" Yeah." She finally got a hold of herself.
" I'm sorry." Ana kept her smiles partly fading. And didn't say anything for a while.
"You're upset about something?"
" Oh, uh…. No, it's just Diana, she's…" She tries to recollect what Diana said but let it be." You know what? Never mind. You're.. you're here." Anastasia couldn't have been happier.
" I'm here." He reassures me. They shared their beautiful stares for minutes.
Emilia Lance and Chavez James walked into the party holding hands and loving up, making Harris more heartbroken. Hours into the party, Anastasia was seen walking towards the bridge away from the party noise hand in hand with Sanchez.
"You know, you're kind of the talk of the town," Ana said.
"Am I?"
"Mm-um. Mysterious new guy, oh, yeah."
"Well, you have the mysterious thing going too. Twinged in sadness."
" What makes you think that I'm sad?" She asked, holding back her emotion.
"Well, we did meet at a graveyard."
"Right. No, technically. We met in the men's room." She reminded him. Sanchez simply nodded. "You don't wanna know, it's not exactly party chitchat."
" Well, I've never really been very good at chitchat."
- Writer
