Campfire Talk with The Boys

Beneath through a bustling canopy, a band of high school graduates sang around a burning fire; its heat radiated over their faces, warming and drying their skin. Flames wrapped themselves around a large pot until its lid was rattling and foaming, but the kids were too busy singing to notice. Fading sunlight leaked through the leaves, which illuminated smiling faces that glimmered with the liveliness of youth.

If you were a stranger passing by, who would catch your eye first?

Would it be the toned guitarist, who seemed like the kind of person to wear basketball shorts in the winter snow?

Or the tall, dark-skinned male model that flawlessly flaunted his platinum-dyed hair?

Maybe it would be the girl in the overalls, singing louder and more animatedly than the others as the bun bounced on top of her head?

Or the slim boy singing with his eyes open, observing his friends who burned brighter than the fire in front of him?

No matter who caught your attention first, I’m sure anyone like you would’ve asked:

“Who’re these casually dressed city folks, performing a popular country song from the bottom of their hearts this beautiful Saturday evening?”

Well, no need to ask—it was me and the boys.

As Prius aggressively strummed the final chord, Ravi lifted the lid off the boiling pot. We passed around paper bowls and started dumping in our sauces.

Suddenly, I noticed a grave problem.

“Is there any sesame oil?”

“I didn’t bring any because Prius is allergic.” Ravi replied.

“How about peanut butter?”

“…Are you planning to murder him?”

“He doesn’t have to eat it,” I complained.

“Then we’d have to bring extra utensils in case of cross-contamination.”

“Were you that sensitive to your allergies?” I asked Prius.

“For some reason they got worse in high school,” he replied.

Ravi tapped his temple with raised eyebrows and an annoying smirk.

“I was sure to ask first, since I prepared all the food.”

I inhaled deeply but held back my sigh. There was no right for me to complain—my favourite brand of food was “free”, and my second favourite was “cooked by someone else”.

“Sauce me the beef.” “Your arms are longer, get it yourself.” “Eat more spinach.” “Pour some water in the pot.”

Occasional chatter would rise in the air as we ate. While we threw raw ingredients into the pot with flawless sportsmanship, it was a free for all battle royale when we came to the cooked meat. We might’ve stopped growing vertically, but that shouldn’t lessen our love for protein.

We quickly began regretting our abundance of leafy greens. Despite our protests, Coco kept piling soggy vegetables on our plates.

“You’re such a mom,” Prius complained.

“Maybe she’s trying to get us full so she can hog the meat for herself,” Ravi suggested.

“Pass the lamb please. I’m a growing girl,” Coco declared shamelessly.

“Have you even grown since junior high?” Prius asked.

“She meant horizontally,” I said.

My witty remark earned me a whipping me in the shoulder by a damp pair of chopsticks.

We continued to laugh and chew until Coco’s alarm rang. Her smile faded. Was it eight already? I raised my eyes to a blanket of dark blue hanging over our heads.

“Well, I gotta go now. See y-“

“Wait!” Ravi exclaimed. “Let’s take a group picture by the lake first!”

“Oh yeah! Let’s go!”

The four of us set our food to the side and ran through a trail in the trees. As the water became visible, I noticed that it had no surrounding sand—only large chunks of gravel. But the beauty lay elsewhere. What do you think greeted us at this rocky beach?

Fluorescent peach-stewed skies were enclosed against the horizon by a royal indigo blue. Its reflection against the water created an egg that incubated two converging suns, one half rippling with the waves. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lady of the Lake emerged at that very moment to bestow upon me Excalibur.

Now who do you think were the four silhouettes standing in awestruck before such a majestic evening scenery?

I hate to use this line twice in the same chapter, but you’re right—it was me and the boys.

You couldn’t see our faces in the photo, because of the sun’s glare peeking between us. But for us, the people in the picture, each figure was uniquely distinct and recognizable. I suppose that’s all that matters.

“I suppose I should get going then,” Coco said with a sad smile. “If I listen to my parents, I’ll get to play with you guys more often.”

“See ya.”

“Bye.”

“Get home safe.”

As we made eye contact, I intuitively held out my hand. She smiled and wound up her arm for the dap.

o

“Ravi.”

“What?”

“Turn eighteen faster. I want to upgrade from soft drinks,” Prius whined.

“…”

“Hey. A cold one is a cold one,” I asserted. “No complaining.”

Carbonated drinks fizzled in our hands in harmony with the crackling firewood. Our earlier rowdiness had long since subsided along with the bright colours of the sunset. With the moon hanging overhead, I couldn’t help but feel a subtle loneliness—like something was missing. I already knew why. There was one less body lounging around the fire now. My mind replayed the conversation with Coco during our car ride.

“It sucks that she had to leave so early,” I sighed.

“Well, we can’t do much about her parents,” Ravi said. “It’s better to respect their wishes.”

“How about your parents? Do they think you’re hanging out too much?”

“I mean, they’re strict. But they always thought of you guys as good influences. I wanted to try out new things like kickboxing and basketball because of you three.”

“They don’t think that way about your new friends?”

“Well, hanging out in high school is just different. We party and eat out all the time, which is fine, but it seems less productive to my parents than going out and doing stuff. I think that’s why they’ve been okay with letting me come on these trips.”

“Ah, so they’re a different type of strict than Coco’s parents.”

“Kind of.”

“Oh well,” Prius said. “I think it’s fine with just us three.”

“What do you mean?”

He shifted in his seat and took another swig of pineapple soda. A faint flicker from the fire reflected in the bottom of his eyes.

“Some things just aren’t as easy to talk about when girls are around,” Prius said. “It’s hard to make crude jokes or say certain things without coming off as offensive. And if I do say something wrong, they’d gossip about it with their friends before they ever talk to me about it. Communication is difficult because I can never tell what they’re thinking. Even my girlfriend sometimes says ‘I’m fine’ when she really isn’t, and expects me to just… understand? I don’t have to worry about those things when I’m with you guys, which is what makes me iffy about having Coco with us sometimes.”

“I think… on average, there are differences between general populations of men and women…” Ravi said slowly. He picked his words carefully, as if anything he said was recorded and could be used against him on the internet.

“…Which is why a group of boys like us might have difficulties being close friends with a girl,” he continued. “But I’ve also met guys before who sucked at being honest too, and it’s not like girls are the only ones who trash talk. It really depends on the individual person. In that aspect, I think Coco meshes with us pretty well. What do you think, Via?”

I nodded. When I talked with her earlier, I actually found it easier to share some of my feelings. Maybe it’s because she was so vulnerable about hers. While I could slightly understand where Prius was coming from, it felt uneasy to think about Coco the same way.

“Even if we must draw the line somewhere, Coco’s still a part of our group. I don’t think she’s replaceable, especially considering our history together; she’s always been here. ‘Me and the boys’ feels like an empty term if it doesn’t include her—whether or not she’s a boy.”

“If she gets along with us then there’s nothing wrong,” Ravi said.

Prius furrowed his eyebrows.

“Maybe it’s because we haven’t hung out with Coco in a long time, but I don’t feel as comfortable with her as before,” he said. “When I look at her now, it’s hard for me to identify that she’s one of us, you know? There’s a different kind of connection when I talk with you two.”

“Is it the hair?” Ravi asked.

“…Maybe. I mean, it’s not only because of her physical appearance…”

“She does look more fashionable,” Ravi laughed. “Compared to before, at least. Remember when she used to dress like Prius? Her current style is the same as most of the other girls I know.”

“Hey. I wear better clothes in the winter,” Prius said. “Summer is t-shirt and shorts season.”

“Are you just worried about how Coco looks more feminine now?” I asked Prius.

“It’s not that. I just feel like she’s different now,” Prius answered.

“Really? I think she’s incredibly similar to you,” Ravi said. “You guys both take pride in your strength and competence. It’s like watching two alpha wolves facing each other.”

“What does the alpha do?”

“They protect and feed the pack.”

“That sounds like you too,” I said. “You’ve been looking after us on these trips.”

“I guess we have three alphas then. You need to step it up, Via.”

“Oi.”

Our fire was dying down, yet it shone brighter than before to contrast the moonlit night. I shook my near-empty can of peach soda.

“You know,” I said. “I was surprised when I saw Coco with long hair too. Remember how Prius and I mistook her for a stranger? She looked so serious and felt so distant. But after hanging out and talking with her on the ride here, I can see that it’s really still Coco at heart…”

Glancing at Prius and Ravi, I thought about our awkward beginnings this summer. I had trouble recognizing them at first too.

“…It’s the same way you guys are still yourselves at heart. Our group is still here and having fun together like we weren’t separated for three years.”

“Yeah…” Ravi said. “You guys are still as childish as ever.”

“You too,” Prius responded. “You’ve been making jabs at us this whole day. Is that what a grownup does?”

Ravi laughed.

“I think we can all agree that going on trips like this brings out the child in us,” he said.

“Yup…”

“Yeah…”

Embers emitted a weak pulse in the place of our once flaring campfire. Looking up, I saw how the advancing darkness made room for the stars to sing a little louder.

“That one’s Deneb, that one’s Altair, and that one’s Vega,” Ravi pointed out. “The three of them make up the summer triangle.”

“Is that a constellation?” I asked. “The names sound familiar.”

“No. They’re each the brightest star in their own constellation.”

“Ah…”

One of my memories sparked at the sight of the asterism. I recognized the names of the stars from one of my favourite pop songs.

“Do you guys know the story behind Vega and Altair?” I asked.

“What is it?” Ravi asked.

“Ooh, I’m in the mood for camping stories,” Prius said.

“It’s an East Asian legend,” I started. “In the Chinese version that I know, Altair was a human cowherd and Vega was a heavenly princess. There’s also a famous Japanese version of this story, where they use different names.

“One day, Altair played his flute in a field, and attracted the attention of Vega. She came down to talk to him, and Altair ended up serenading Vega every day. They fell in love, but it was taboo since Vega wasn’t supposed to interact with mortals. Vega’s mother, who was the Sky Lady, became suspicious and eventually found out about their meetings. She got mad and took Vega away, so Altair rode his magical talking bull to chase after her.”

“Since when did his bull get powers?” Ravi chuckled.

“Vega probably used her magic before she got dragged away.”

“Isn’t Altair kind of simping?” Prius asked.

“Wouldn’t you ride a bull after your girlfriend? That’s the least he could’ve here…”

“I guess so. Keep telling the story.”

“The Sky Lady saw Altair coming on his flying bull, so she made a magical river to stop him from reaching Vega. See, that river’s the Milky Way you see right there.”

“What a helicopter mom,” Prius commented.

“Shut up Prius,” Ravi retorted. His eyes were fixated on the heavenly river I had just pointed out.

“Anyways,” I continued. “They were really sad that they couldn’t be with each other. But once a year, a bridge of birds would appear over the river and they’d get to be with each other.”

“Why do they go back to their own sides of the river afterwards?” Ravi questioned.

“…I dunno bro. Let’s start getting ready for bed.”

“What do you mean bed?” Prius asked as we got up. “Let’s talk about our love lives.”

He cheerfully trapped Ravi and I under his brawny arms.

“You just want to brag about yours!” I complained.

“No waaay,” Prius laughed. “Come on, I’m tired. Spill your secrets before I pass out.”

The three of us stumbled towards the bathroom in the dark, with Prius dragged over our shoulders. It was hard to tell underneath the moonlight, but I don’t think Ravi was laughing with us.

o

Pain permeated through the core of my eyeballs after I made the grave mistake of opening them. Once I saw the bright blue light seeping through the fabric of our tent, there was no turning back to sleep’s sweet embrace—my brain recognized that it was no longer night. I furiously blinked the grit out of my eyes, feeling like the sandman held a grudge against me.

Prius was breathing deeply next to me. He was out like a rock. I loosened the sleeping bag that was wrapped tightly around my face, doing my best to avoid making noise. It had gotten chilly during the night, despite the season.

Cold shocked my fingertips as I grabbed my phone.

5:02AM

Ahh… I’m going back to sleep…

Looking past the bundle of Prius, I saw that Ravi’s sleeping bag was empty. What a trooper. Being wide awake already, I decided to follow suit.

Ziiiiiiiiiiip.

My ears cringed at the slow and painful sound as I opened the entrance. Fresh morning air wafted sharply into my nostrils. I stole a glance to confirm that Prius was still sleeping, before slipping my shoes on and closing the door.

Where did Ravi go?

Scanning the area, I saw his figure leaning on a tree by the trail towards the parking lot. He waved me over. As I approached, I began to understand what he was doing.

Hints of an alluring orange sun peered above the grassy skyline, teasing us with its leisurely rise. Warmth slowly crept onto my frozen face, as the two of us spent each passing minute admiring the dawn.

“The morning after a campfire is breathtaking,” Ravi said. “Even if the sunset was more colourful, the feeling you get from the sunrise is incomparable. It feels like she’s congratulating you for cooking your own food, starting your own fire, arranging your own shelter, and finding your own way in the woods. It doesn’t matter if you’re front-country camping—the sunrise after a long night is a beautiful reward for being independent from the city’s luxuries. That’s why I love the outdoors.”

I nodded, unable to formulate any words. My mind was occupied with processing the sun’s wondrous sight, and his own moving monologue.

Rustling came from behind us. We turned to see Prius emerge from the tent and stumble his way towards us.

“Via…” he mumbled.

“What?”

“You snore too damn loud.”

“…”

Ravi struggled to hold back a snicker.

“I’m… haha… glad I didn’t sleep in the middle.”

“…What’s for breakfast?” I asked.

“Instant noodles,” Ravi replied, still smiling. “Go chop wood with Prius. I’ll start the fire. We need to be out by eleven, so pack up while the water’s boiling.”

o

“It’s really summer now, huh. You guys got any plans?” I questioned.

We were taking down our large blue tent, as the noodles cooked. Nearby campers were also packing up their things, and the scent of an intercontinental breakfast filled the air—it was a shame we could only eat our own food.

“You guys want to go shooting or hunting?” Prius asked. “I got my license.”

“I’m… against hunting,” Ravi replied. “We could buy tickets for the Summer Stampede, though. I haven’t been on rides in a while.”

“Would you guys be down for a grad trip?” I asked.

“Mmm depends. I’m going on one with my basketball team at the end of summer,” Prius replied. “Why don’t you guys find girlfriends? We could go on a group date.”

“Haha…”

I noticed Ravi’s unusual fake laugh. Was the topic sensitive for him?

“Well, that looks like it’s everything,” Prius declared. “Let’s head home!”

o

My front door creaked open as I poked my head through.

“I’m home!” I announced.

The sound of clanging and running tap water came from the kitchen. My mother probably didn’t hear me.

As I dropped my bags on the floor, an unexplainable void grew inside of me. The house felt warm but lonely, even more so than at the end of our usual journeys.

This was the only week where we didn’t end up planning an activity for next Saturday. I wondered where our next journey would be?

Blip.

It was my phone. I tapped on the screen.

Coco: Send the singing video!

Ravi: singing.mp4

Coco: Prius you sound like he’s crying at the beginning

Ravi: LOL yeah

Ravi: he’s driving right now, text him later.

Our video played on my cell phone’s speaker as I stood in our house’s entrance. It was the four of us sitting by the campfire, singing the country song.

“Where’s the music coming from?” my mom asked, poking her head into the hallway. She froze when she saw my face.

“…Why are your eyes red?”