You're Not Lost

A couple short hours later and the girls were once again talking a walk down the road. It was nearly pitch black outside and the temperature had gone down some. Janie had put a grey hooded sweatshirt on over her tank top, while Elizabeth opted for a black knit sweater she had brought.

"Ready?" Janie asked as they stood outside of Zack's house. Elizabeth replied with a quiet 'ok', and they headed around the house and into the back yard.

"Hi everyone! This is Elle!"

Janie waved to the small group as butterflies filled Elizabeth's stomach.

There was a small fire pit with a good sized fire already going in it. Through the light of the fire she could only make out a few features of everyone one. They all looked fairly the same to her, and they all seemed to be around her age as well.

The first boy she noticed had blonde, shaggy hair and a big smile on his face. He set down a can that was in his hand and stood up from his spot by the fire to envelope her in a warm hug.

"Good to meet you finally! I'm Zack."

"Nice to meet you..." She awkwardly half-hugged the tall boy back. After a second Zack stepped away and went off to get more chairs. Elizabeth scanned the scene once more.

A boy with very short dark hair smiled at her, and so she smiled back. He was next to a girl with short red hair who was focused on the screen of her small cell phone. On the other side of her sat two boys who hadn't seemed to take their eyes off her since she and Janie had arrived. Judging by their looks it was obvious that Janie had definitely not told everyone all about her.

"Hi." The first boy said, after she had made awkward eye contact. He was fairly skinny and had strange hair, and there wasn't much welcome in his voice.

"Hi." Elizabeth said back. It was not going well. Janie intervened.

"Guys you remember I told you about my cousin! She's staying with me for a few weeks."

"Yeah but...I thought you said she was a country girl..." The second boy next to the one with the hair spoke up.

"She is!" Janie exclaimed.

"Well I think your definition of a country girl and our definition of a country girl are two very different things." The first boy giggled, taking a long drink from a similar can like the one that Zack had set down.

"Oh shut up, sorry I didn't bring you some ditzy Daisy Duke country girl then." Janie laughed and rolled her eyes, while Elizabeth was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Zack returned with two more chairs and everyone sat down. There was a brief awkward silence until Janie broke it. She began to point around the fire.

"That's Zack, as you know. That's Rian, and his girlfriend Roxy. The rude one is Jack..."

The boy with the strange hair held up his middle finger to Janie, as she gave him a playful smirk. She continued to point.

"That's Alex. Watch out for those two, they're trouble. And that over there is Jill."

A few feet away a girl with long light brown hair was playing around with something Elizabeth couldn't make out in the dark, it looked like a big black square.

"Stop messing with that crappy CD player and get over here!" Alex yelled.

"No! I really want to hear this one song...but this thing...is a piece... of junk!" The girl struggled with the machine for a bit more before she gave up and joined the group.

"Hi, Elle! It's nice to meet you!" Jill smiled, before grabbing a can from a plastic box on the ground.

"Do you want a beer?" She asked, holding the can out to the utterly confused girl.

"Um...no thanks..."

"I'll take one." Janie said, while Elizabeth's eyes went wide.
"Don't tell mom." She added with a wink.

Elizabeth was baffled.
She never imagined her sweet innocent cousin drinking alcohol, surrounded by a group of people like this. Janie was so kind, and these people seemed so...odd.

"Why are you wearing that hat?" Jack blurted out.

He was leaning forward in his seat and staring at the strange girl with wide eyes.

"It's a bonnet..." Elizabeth almost whispered, feeling uneasy.

"I like it." Jack responded, settling back in his seat again. "Can I try it on?"

"No..."

More silence.

"This is so awkward I'm just gonna come out and say it! Janie didn't tell us you were Amish. That is, if you really are Amish. You look Amish, I mean...so I'm assuming you are."

"Wow Alex, thanks for making it even more awkward." Jack laughed, taking another sip of his drink.

"I knew she was Amish." Zack spoke up.

"Yeah me too." Both Jill and Rian spoke at the same time.

"I didn't know. But I didn't go and make her feel weird about it, like you two drunken idiots." Roxy smirked at Jack and Alex.

"I'm not drunk!" Jack exclaimed. Elizabeth had never been around a drunk person before, so she had no idea if he was telling the truth.

"Well I'm sorry I didn't tell everyone, but I didn't think it would matter! I told you guys she was a nice, fun girl-which she is! I'm sorry, is this akward for you, Elle?"

Elizabeth shrugged in response to her cousin. She didn't want to be rude, but it was making her feel awkward. She really wanted to leave this bon fire.

"Are you allowed to be hanging out with us...since we're not Amish?"

"Oh my God, Alex, shut up." Zack held back a laugh as he scolded his friend.

"It's not a bad question! I'm misinformed about the Amish, I want to learn!"

"It's ok...I mean...my mom knows I'm staying with Janie...so I think it's ok that I'm here..."

Elizabeth was still feeling very shy, but she wasn't feeling that offended. She had just as many questions for them as they did for her.

"How did you get here? Did you bring a horse?"

"Now we know Jack's drunk." Jill laughed. Janie laughed along with her.

"Yep, it's parked right outside my house, guys!" The two best friends continued giggle as they sipped their drinks.

"No...I rode in a taxi cab. It was my first time in a car." Elizabeth answered.

"No way?! Like...ever?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"How old are you?"

"19."

"Do you have a job?"

"No... I clean and cook and take care of the house, with my mother."

The questions continued to pour out, and soon enough they weren't just coming from Jack and Alex. Some were obscure, and some were typical, but Elizabeth was happy to answer them all.

"What's your favorite movie?" Jill eventually asked. Elizabeth laughed.

"I don't know...I've never seen a movie."

"WHAT?!"

Elizabeth laughed again at Jacks outburst.

"I've never seen a movie." She said again.

"I didn't realize that! Although I suppose I should have..."
Janie pondered out loud, while Jack seemed to be losing his mind on the other side of the fire pit.

"I can't even imagine this...you've gotta watch every movie like...right now!"

Rian laughed.

"Right now, dude? It's like...1 in the morning."

Elizabeth gasped. She didn't know the last time she had stayed up so late. And she wasn't even feeling tired!

"We'll have a movie night, soon," Janie yawned, "but right now I'm think I'm ready for bed."

"Laaaaaame!" Zack called out. Janie rolled her eyes.

"I'm tired! Elle and I walked all over town today. And this beer just made me sleepier. We'll see you guys later."

A chorus of 'bye' and 'see ya later' was shouted at Janie and Elizabeth as they headed out to the front sidewalk.

"I'm sorry they can be obnoxious, but they mean no harm. It doesn't help that they were drinking. Did you have fun?" Janie yawned again.

A small smile crept onto Elizabeth's face.

"I did."