I haven't had internet for a week but I'm back now. Here is the fourth installment. I will have the next one up on either Friday or Saturday. Enjoy.

Chapter 4

Brittany's POV

Fishing down on the river is suppose to be relaxing and fun. Today it's not. I have only caught two fish in the last three hours. And that's more frustrating than fun. It doesn't seem to be going so well today and my tummy just rumbled. Which means two things- I'm quitting fishing and going to the restaurant for something to eat.

It's early for lunch, but it's a Friday, so that's good. Friday's are the busiest at the restaurant with their traditional Fish Fry Friday's. But, I'm hoping that I'm early enough that there won't be any sort of crowd yet. I'm also hoping for something else.

I drive the ten minutes it takes to get there and pull in the parking lot. I only spot about a dozen cars, not too busy, yet.

Taking a seat at the counter I look around. A guy I know from the hardware store, Pete, nods his head when we make eye contact. I smile and nod back.

"Hey, Brittany. How's it going?" Janet's voice gets my attention. I turn to her with a smile.

"Pretty good. I can't complain. I have yet another Friday off, so that's a plus."

"Lucky girl. I wish I had a Friday off. The last one I had off was when I had to bring my husband for a colonoscopy. Not a fun Friday." She grimaces. That doesn't sound like a fun way to spend any day let alone a Friday. I grimace with her. "What can I getcha?" She pulls a little notepad and pen out of her apron pocket.

"I'll have water and the Perch plate, please." I smile my best smile.

"Alrighty. Anything else?" Janet looks up from writing and I make eye contact with her but then look away quickly. There is something else, but do I dare to ask?

I search the room. "There is one thing." Janet nods and sets her hands on her hips. The notepad still in her palm. "Is Santana working today?"

"She is." Janet confirms with what I can only describe as a sneaky smile.

I look around the room again. "Well, I don't see her. Where is she?"

"Oh, Britt." She chuckles.

"What?" I ask and Janet laughs harder. I don't get it. What's so funny to her?

"Do you have a crush?" She asks once she finally stops laughing.

Oh. I duck my head. "Maybe." It's a half-truth.

"Maybe?" She parrots.

"Fine. Yes. You caught me." I throw my hands in the hair in defeat.

"I knew it." Janet says like she was the only one to get the final Jeopardy question correct.

"Can you blame me? I mean, have you seen her."

"I have." She nods. Janet leans over the counter and whispers. "She's a very pretty girl."

"No. Janet, you don't understand." I put my hands flat on the countertop. "She's not pretty. She is all kinds of beautiful and gorgeous." I say probably I little too aggressively.

"Woah, tiger. Put your claws away, I agree with you. Okay?" She takes a step back away from the counter.

"Okay." I take a deep breathe and stare down at the counter. "It's weird. Don't tell Santana this- but I can't stop thinking about her and I've only been around her three times. I just can't help myself."

"Wow."

"What?" I look up.

"You got it bad." Janet says with a giggle and walks off towards the kitchen. I roll my eyes. "She works two ta eight." Janet yells over her shoulder as she steps into the kitchen.

I cant sit here and wait until two. First, that's creepy. Second, the restaurant with be busy for lunch and can probably use every available seat.

So, I make a plan. After lunch I will go get groceries and then go home and do chores. But, there is something in the back of my head that is telling me that I need to return to the restaurant before eight pm.

I'm on my way to a party that my friends are having when an idea pops into my head. I pull the truck into the parking lot and hop out. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.

"Hey, Brittany." Santana says as I walk through the door.

"Hey." I say and take a seat at the counter. "How's your day been? Better than the last time I saw you in here, I hope."

"Yeah. It's okay. I hardly make any mistakes anymore. You were right." She smiles happily.

I smile. I knew she would be fine after her first couple of shifts. Santana seems like an intelligent girl. A girl who might need to do things a few times to get the hang off them but she isn't incapable in any way.

"You want something to eat tonight? We close in a few minutes and if you want something I need to get it into the kitchen right now." She explains but I knew that already. After all, I come here all the time. I know how this place works and I know when it closes.

"No thanks. I'm here for another reason, actually."

"Oh, really?" She says and scrunches her face up in confusion. "What's that?"

"I wanted to ask you something." I shrug. This seemed like a better idea in my head. Maybe she doesn't want to. Maybe I'm being too forward. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

"O-kay." She draws out.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to a party tonight. Well, it's more of a bonfire than a party." I give her my best grin to try and convince her to come with me.

"Hmm." Santana hums. "Well, I don't know. Are you gonna run off in a hurry like you did the last time I saw you and leave me stranded at a party with a bunch of strangers that I don't know."

"Oh." I forgot about that. It's just such a common part of my life that I don't think twice about it.

"What was that about anyway?" She folds her arms over her chest. "Why did you leave here in such a hurry last week?"

"I can explain." And she deserves an explanation.

"Okay." She raises an eyebrow waiting for my explanation.

"Well, I remember you asking about my pager-" I start and Santana nods in acknowledgement. "Okay, so that's my fire pager. I'm a volunteer firefighter."

Her jaw drops open and her arms slip from her chest, falling to her sides. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. There was a house fire about five minutes from here last Saturday evening. When we get paged we are suppose to response to every page that we can. Obviously, every volunteer can't get to every emergency, but I try to get to as many as possible when I'm not working."

Santana just stares at me so I keep talking.

"That's why I left in such a hurry. I just want to help out as much as I can. It's my way of giving back to the community."

"You're a firefighter." Santana asks. I smile and nod. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not really. I am well trained and we don't run into burning buildings if there isn't a reason to." I tell her truthfully. Maybe it is a little dangerous, but there is danger in everything. There is danger in driving your car down the highway and people don't think twice about driving.

"Wow." She sounds impressed or awed or something along those lines.

"It's no big deal." I shrug. "So, do you want to come with me to that bonfire?"

"How can I say no after that? You are quite impressive, Brittany."

"Uh- thanks." I say uncertainly. Was that a compliment? "When are you done?" I ask even though I know the answer to that question but she doesn't know that.

Santana looks over to the wall where the clock is. "Fifteen minutes."

"Okay, I'll just wait here." I fold my hand on top of the counter and give her a tiny smile.

She tilts her head to the side and squints at me. "Where else would you wait?"

I just chuckle. She's too cute sometimes.

"We can take my truck. And then, after, I can bring you back here to pick up your car. That way you don't have to do any extra driving around." I suggest. I don't want her to have to be driving around puttting extra miles on her car just to go to a bonfire with me. Plus, I asked anyway, I should be the one driving.

"Okay. Thanks."

Santana follows me over to my truck and we get in. "Holy crap." Santana huffs as she pulls herself up into the truck.

"What?"

"It's a big step up. I'm not used to trucks." Santana says once she situated in her seat. "What kind is this?"

"Chevy." I watch her as Santana buckles her seatbelt. I don't even have the truck started yet. Safety first. I like that.

"I knew that but-" She looks up from buckling up and catches my eyes.

"Silverado." I duck my head and say.

I start up the truck and the radio blares. I quickly reach to turn it down. "Sorry." I mumble.

"It's okay. I know how it is. You're jamming' out and shut the car off and forget to turn the music down."

"Yeah." I mumble awkwardly. I still feel really dumb about it though.

"So, what is it that you are listening to?" Santana asks.

"You don't know it?" I look back to Santana. She shakes her head. "It's Meatloaf."

I look out the front window and shallow the nerves lump in my throat. I push the back button to start the song over and start singing along with the lyrics.

I was nothing but a lonely boy
Looking out for something new
And you were nothing but a lonely girl
But you were something
Something like a dream come true.

I was a varsity tackle and a hell of a block
When I played my guitar
I made the canyons rock, but
Every Saturday Night
I felt the fever grow
Do ya know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go
Do ya know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go

I stop after the first two verses and look to see Santana's reaction. Her mouth is slightly parted and she isn't blinking. Was I that bad?

I panic a little. "You are gonna have to start listening to Meatloaf if we are going to be hanging out together in the future. I mean, it's must know. Meatloaf is classic." I try to cover. I honestly didn't think my singing was that bad.

She blinks for the first time in what must be thirty seconds. "I don't know about that. How much of a classic can it be if I don't know it?"

"Maybe you just don't know what good music is." I poke fun.

"Hey!" She squawks and slaps her hands on her knees. "I listen to good music." She tries to defend herself.

"Well, okay. Let's not argue about it. But, I still think you need to get acquainted with some Meatloaf." I shake my head. "I still can't believe you don't know any Meatloaf."

She shrugs.

"Ya know what. I'll let you borrow my Meatloaf cd." I offer. I really can't believe that she doesn't know any Meatloaf not even Paradise or I'd Do Anything. Has she been living under a rock her whole life?

"Okay." She whispers. I don't know if it's out of her actually wanting to borrow my cd to familiarize herself with the music or because she feels like she has to. I hope the former.

I put the truck into reverse and back out of the parking space.

"Ready?" I ask as a park the truck in the makeshift parking lot on the side of the road next to the woods.

"Yep."

"Okay, then. Let's go." I get out and wait for Santana at the front of the truck. In the distance a can already hear the sounds of voices in the woods.

"Are we going in the woods?" Santana asks when she comes up next to me.

"Yep." It takes about two minutes of walking down a trail through the woods before the fire is within sight. Santana and I walk in silence. Me with my head held high and Santana looking around at her surroundings. "Hey." I greet a guy at the edge of the party that stands by the beer and soda coolers.

"Hey, Brittany. How's it goin'?" He asks.

I look him up and down. Just to see what he chose to wear tonight- a grey t-shirt, tight straight legged blue jeans and his cowboys boots. Typical.

"I'm good. How are you? How's the wife?" I smirk and elbow him in the side.

"She's good. She had to work this evening and was tired so she decided not to come." He says looking over to the people sitting and standing around the fire. He takes a drink of his beer.

"Too bad. I was gonna give her crap about marrying your sorry ass." I joke.

"Hey." He turns his full attention to me. "She happily married me and she is happy to be with me."

"If you say so." I chuckle. He rolls his eyes. "I want to introduce you to Santana." I hike my thumb over my shoulder to where Santana stands to my right and slightly behind me. "She is in the area for the summer and doesn't know where all the fun is at, so I'm showing her."

"I can have fun." She defends lamely.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "By yourself?"

"Well-" She draws out.

"Exactly. You're gonna need me to show you a good time." I joke but no one is laughing.

I look between the two of them. "We are gonna go over there. You man the beer cooler." I point to him and then the beer. "You want something to drink?" I address Santana next but she shakes her head.

"Later, buddy." I tell him and walk away. I hear a 'later' from him as we walk towards the fire.

"Who was that?" Santana whispers at me side.

I smile. "Windpants Todd." I laugh.

"What?" She asks like she didn't hear me correctly.

"You heard me. Windpants Todd." I grin at her.

"I don't get it." Santana grumbles.

"When we were kids he wore wind pants everyday. So, I started calling him Windpants Todd. Obviously, he grew out of that trend but it's still funny."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I can't believe I dated him in the fifth grade." I laugh.

"What?" She shrieks.

"I know, right?" I point to two unoccupied seats by the fire.

We sit by the fire for a while. A few of my friends talk with us, but eventually I get bored with just sitting and staring at the fire.

I make a bold move and grab Santana by the wrist. "I want to show you something." I whisper in her ear.

She nods giving me consent. I tug her up from her wood stump seat and away from the fire.

We walk through the woods in the direction of a clearing. I have an idea and I think it will be just right for tonight. Once we get to the clearing I hear Santana gasp beside me.

There's a clearing where there aren't any trees in an area of about fifty feet. It's like the woods just ends and then starts up again fifty feet later. There's a trampoline that has been placed in the clearing. Don't ask me how it got there cuz I have no idea.

"Wow." Santana mumbles.

I walk over and climb up onto the trampoline. "Come on." I coax Santana to join me.

I look up at the stars above head as I lay down. The clearing is the perfect place to view the stars. The trees don't get in the way and you can see a good potion of the sky. Santana climbs on the trampoline and lays down next to me. She doesn't say anything and neither do I. We just lay side by side and look up at the night sky.

Eventually, I break the comfortable silence. My curiosity finally getting the best of me. "Do you go to school in Ohio?"

"No."

"But, you're from Ohio, right? My boss said that your family lives in Ohio." I roll my head to the right, to get a view of Santana's face.

"I am. We do. But, I don't go to college in the state." She grins a little, like she has a secret, still looking up at the sky.

"Where then?" I have this intense need to know. I don't where it's coming from but I need to know.

Santana rolls her head to the left and really smiles at me. "Northwestern."

My eyes light up. "Oh, Chicago."

"Yep, Chicago."

"What do you want to do this summer?" Is my next question. I want to know as much about this girl as possible.

"What do you mean?" She furrows her eyebrows at me.

"What do you want to do this summer for, like, fun? I know, I told Todd that I was gonna show you all the fun things to do, and I was serious about that."

"Oh, well, I would like to go to the tip of Door County. I've been there before with my family and loved it. Maybe go for the day or for a whole weekend." She turns her gaze away from me back to the sky. "I know it's a tourist thing to do but I want to visit all the little touristy towns in on way to the tip."

"You should go to a state park or two, too. They are beautiful- kinda like you." I whisper that last part but I know she heard what I said because she blushes under the moonlight and looks very shy all of a sudden.

"Maybe." She mumbles.

"You should go camping, too. You can do that at the state parks. I've done that." I roll over onto my side. I want to be closer to her but not too close. Does that make sense?

"I don't do camping." She informs me.

Who doesn't go camping?

"But, it's fun." I whine.

"The two times that I went camping were terrible. The one time it rained all weekend. We were there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My brother slipped and broke his ankle at breakfast on Sunday morning so we got to leave early. That was the only good thing about it."

"That your brother broke his ankle?" That's not a good thing.

"No! Well- yeah. I got to go home and get out of the rain. So, it was good for me."

"That's terrible, Santana." I groan.

"I know. He was such a shit, though, he deserved it." She shrugs like it doesn't matter.

I roll up on my elbow so that I can see all of her face. "No one deserves a broken ankle." I throw in my two cents. "But, back to camping. You've never been camping with me. I will take you camping and show you how it's really done and that it is fun."

"I don't think so. I don't camp. It's not my thing." Santana insists.

"Oh, come on. I said I would show you fun stuff. And camping is fun. How about this? I know a spot where we can camp that's close to the restaurant you work at. It's close, so if you absolutely hate it, we can go home. It's down by the river and we can camp for just one night. And if you have fun then you can go camping in the northern part of Door County in one of the state parks.

"I don't know." Santana still sounds unsure.

"Please." I beg. "Pretty please. With sugar on top." I scoot closer to her body until there are only a couple of inches that prevent us from touching. I fold my hands as if in prayer. "Pleeeease."

Santana chuckles then rolls her eyes. "Okay. Okay. Fine."

"Yes." I cheer.

We fall into silence. Santana looks up at the stars and I look at her face.

"This is nice." She whispers. "It's so pretty. And tranquil."

"I agree." Never taking my eyes off her. She is so pretty and tranquil. "I don't really like drinking and partying but I went to school with most of those fools. They are my friends. Not great friends but friends non-the-less."

"They sound like they are having fun back at the fire." Santana comments and we both listen to the sounds of voices and laughter.

"I usually come out here, to the trampoline, after a little while and lay by myself and just watch the stars." I tell her my little secret.

Santana's gaze shifts and she looks at me. "Are we friends?" She asks timidly.

I search her face for something. I search my mind for something else. I lick my lips and slowly lower my face closer to hers. The closer I get the bigger her eyes get but she doesn't stop me. I lean in to close the gap.

But I startle. Or- something startles me. I snap back away from her. An ear piercing scream echoes through the woods. I look around but don't see anything or anyone.

I scramble to my hands and knees and crawl off the trampoline. As soon as my feet hit the ground I am running in the direction of the screams.

When I get to the fire, people are running around frantically. "What happened?" I yell, hoping someone will answer me.

"Tommy was drunk, and goofing around, and fell into the fire. They are putting him on the four-wheeler." A girl, who I don't know, points across the fire pit to where three guys are loading another guy, Tommy, onto a four-wheeler.

I run over to them and take a look at the guy for myself. As a firefighter, I need to know that this guy will be alright. I need to know if we should call an ambulance. I need to know the situation.

Tommy doesn't make eye contact as I approach him. He has his head down and is clutching onto his elbow with his good hand. His left hand and forearm are what seem to have the most injury. It looks like a pretty bad burn but I can tell that he will survive. The shirt he was wearing has been burnt away or is melted to his arm. That's really gonna hurt when they clean the burn at the hospital.

"He'll be fine." I say to the guy's that stand around me. "Get him to the hospital ASAP. We don't need to call paramedics. Who hasn't been drinking?" I point out an accusing finger at the guys surrounding me.

One of them timidly raises his hand. I march over to the guy. "What your name?"

"George."

"Okay, George, how much have you had to drink? Honestly?"

He takes a half-step backwards which makes me take a half-step closer to him. "J-just one beer when I got here. Which was like two hours ago."

"Good. You're driving." I point my finger in his face. "Straight to the hospital, got it? No, stopping for anything. Unless he has to puke but other than that- straight to the hospital."

George just nods.

"Now go. I will take care of this." I wave my hand in the air to indicate that I will take care of the rest of the party.

The four-wheeler drives off down the path back to the makeshift parking lot. The crowd disperses quickly after that deciding that the party is over for tonight.

Everyone has gone and it's quiet. I slump down on one of the logs next to the still burning fire. "Fuckin' idiots." I mumble with my face in my hands. I can't believe they could be so stupid. I don't even know who that Tommy guy was. I've never seen him before but that's what you get with a party like this. Word travels quickly in a small town.

I hear a stick break and take my face out of my hands hoping it's squirrel and not something more dangerous in the woods with me.

"Oh." I guess I'm not completely alone.

"That was kinda crazy." Santana says.

I nod. "They're idiots. I huff a frustrated breathe. I've had enough for one night. I stand up and look around for the bucket of water that I made sure was here if there was gonna be a fire in the woods. I don't need any idiots starting a forest fire. I throw the bucket of water on the fire, dosing it. "Let's go. I'll drive you back to your car."

I get an okay from Santana and we walk down the path back to my truck in silence. We also spend the drive back to her car in silence. The more time that passes the more mad I get that my 'friends' let somebody fall into a fire. I'm positively fuming and I need to get to bed so I don't do anything stupid. You don't mess with fire. I'm gonna have to remind them of that.

I pull my truck up right next to Santana's car. Santana opens her door and gets out. "Wait." I stop her before she can shut the truck door. I hit eject. "Don't forget this." I take the cd from the cd player and hold it out for Santana to take. "And I'm sorry the bonfire was a shitfest. Have a good night, Santana."

She nods. "Thanks, you too." She says politely and shuts the door with a slam.

I wait until Santana is safely in her car and she starts it up before I drive away. It's the lest I could do.

He song from the middle of the chapter is Meatloaf's All Revved Up