Up In Flames Read Online Free Page A

more than happy to tell on the good girl going bad one night.”
    “Two things. One, everyone in this town loves you. Even the raging partiers up there. No one’s going to say anything about you being here tonight. Besides, even if they didn’t like you, there’s a party code of conduct rule that you don’t blab to anyone about who was and wasn’t at a party,” she said, continuing to tug me ahead. “And two, everyone’s going to be so drunk no one will even remember you were here.”
    “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I asked, zipping up my jacket before sliding on my gloves. The days might have been unseasonably warm, but the nights still required bundling up.
    “Okay, since you’re so worried about people recognizing you and actually caring you’re living one night like an eighteen year old should,”—Dani weaved in front of me and stopped me in my tracks—“I’ve got an easy solution to this. Take your hair out of that damn ponytail,” she said, tugging on my hair tie. Sheets of hair fell down my back as she wove her fingers through it, teasing and tousling until she was satisfied. “Put on a little makeup . . .” Pulling out a few tubes from her coat pocket, Dani went to work on my face. She was finished before I knew what hit me. “And voila, you’re my cousin from out-of-town who’s here to spend a couple weeks partying it up in central Washington with me.” Dani gave my hair a few last tweaks before grabbing a hold of my arm and steering me towards the party. “Oh, and your name’s Savannah and you’re from South Carolina.”
    “Shouldn’t I have an accent if I’m from South Carolina?” This bad idea had just gone from marginally to entirely.
    “Yep.” She patted my arm as we stepped into the clearing. “Good luck with that.”
    Dani had been right; the bonfire was ginormous. It was easily as tall and wide as my Jeep and I could feel the heat rolling off of it from twenty feet back. Dozens of people milled around, red cup in hand, mainly congregating close to one of the six kegs stationed around the clearing. As expected, almost the entire high school student body was present and accounted for, although there was a group of young men whose faces weren’t familiar.
    I didn’t need two guesses to know who they were. If the flock of girls batting their lashes around them didn’t give it away, that wildness in their eyes did. All smokejumpers I’d come across had it. That wild, adventurous twinkle that never seemed to dim. They came every summer. Some were the same as the year before, but a handful were new faces. I suppose that was part of the appeal of the lifestyle: getting to roam from place to and see some of the most beautiful parts of the country from fifteen hundred feet.
    As if parachuting out of low flying aircraft wasn’t extreme enough, the smokejumpers did it close to raging forest fires. If there was an award for most dangerous, deadly, and adrenaline pumping career, smokejumping would have won by a landslide.
    “That can’t be Elle Montgomery,” a voice said from off to the side. “At a party? A party with alcohol on private property?”
    I elbowed Dani as Derrick Davenport ambled our way. Derrick had played football in high school and was heading to U of W in the fall. Derrick was friends with Logan, not best friends, but close enough to make me sweat.
    “And here I thought I was Savannah from South Carolina,” I said, totally hacking up a southern accent. “So much for everyone being too drunk to notice me.” I shot Dani a glare as Derrick stopped in front of us.
    “Where’s the Mr.?” Derrick asked, peering over my shoulders.
    “He’s out of town for baseball,” I said as another one of the guys who’d been on the football team showed up with two empty red cups in hand.
    “Hey, Elle,” he said, looking as surprised as Derrick had to see me here. “Hey, Dani. Pour yourselves a beer and drink up.” He handed us the cups and pointed at