There's Only Five Of Us On This Camping Trip. We Keep Counting Six

There were bright flashes of red in the sky. It's as if someone was waving around a flare light from space - faint but noticeable. We all made UFO jokes and laughed as we nailed our tents into the ground. I knew for sure that there were five of us. We have all been friends since early middle school and were celebrating our high school graduation with this getaway camping trip. The flashes of red must've stopped randomly as we made conversation while fixing up our tents.

Peter managed to put his tent together the fastest and told us he was going to find some branches for the fire. I remember how he had worked with me at the local gas station last year. We used to do the night shift together and it had made working at a desolate gas station much more fun than it was supposed to be. There was also John in the corner still reading his tent manual, fidgeting with his signature round glasses. I wasn't as close with John as I was with the others but I still remember sitting with him in math class and copying his homework one time. Julie was also there talking with Katy, my cousin. Both had decided to team up and work on one tent at a time. I also have clear memories of them - hanging around at school in our usual places. In fact, I even knew Ava's younger brother as he used to beg to go with us wherever we went.

I bring all this up because I'm sure that there were five of us including me and that I knew everyone in the group.