July 4, 2003
“I’m going out! I’ll be back later, Mom!” Sixteen year old Lucas called as he jumped off the bottom step of the staircase and headed for the front door. “Is your sister going too?” Rebecca Dawson appeared from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel presumably from washing dishes. “No…” Lucas answered. “Lucas, why don’t you invite your sister? I’m sure she doesn’t have any plans.” His mother said her motherly ‘tone’. “Do I have to—“ He was cut off with his mother’s eyes darting at him. “Fine…LAUREN! Let’s go! We’re going out!” Moments later, his twin sister came barreling down the stairs already dressed like she had been prepared that he would ask her to go. “Have a good time. Stay out of trouble. Be back at midnight.” His mother warned.
—
“So, where are we going?” Lauren piped up as they journeyed down the sidewalk on foot. “To Devon’s.” Lucas answered, closing the flip phone in his hand and shoving it back in his pocket. “Devon Caffey’s? He’s bad news, Luke, why are we hanging out with Devon?” Lauren asked. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to invite you, Lo. I knew you’d have an issue with it. He’s my friend. Has been since elementary school. So, he got in some trouble awhile back…that doesn’t make him a bad person.” Lucas always tended to see the better in people, always gave them the benefit of the doubt. “Right…tell that to the next kid who’s head he pushes in the toilet at school.” Lauren mumbled, but decided to continue on with her brother.
They arrived at Devon’s house not more than ten minutes later. Devon and a few of their other mutual friends were sitting on the front steps of their brownstone with a pile of fireworks. “Dawson! You made it…and you brought your sister.” Devon greeted and he shook hands with his friend before taking a seat behind him on the brownstone. “It’s Lauren. The name is Lauren. Not Lucas’ sister.” She bit back and Lucas stifled a laugh that was threatening to escape his lips.
—
As soon as it got dark, the group of friends began celebrating the Fourth of July properly by shooting off fireworks. The night had also brought consumption of alcohol on Devon’s part and their other friends but Lucas and Lauren narrowly avoided that. Coming from a long line of firefighters, Lucas and Lauren were very aware of the proper way to use them and always firework conscious when it came to shooting them off. Alcohol and shooting off fireworks did not appear to be the brightest idea. “That little punk down the street threw a firecracker at me.” Devon, a natural hothead, even hotter because of the actions of a neighbor down the street. “He better watch himself.” Devon gathered a pile of fireworks and began marching down the street.
“Devon, whoa, no, what are you doing?” Lucas chased after him. His anger fueled by genetics, an argument, and alcohol were certainly dominating his decision to be a good person. “I’m going to get him back. Either you come with me Dawson or you go home.” Devon and the group of friends set up shop behind a couple of cars, masked by darkness. “This is not the way to get him back. You don’t shoot fireworks at people. Be the bigger person Devon.” Lucas pleaded but the pleas went in one ear and out the other. They began shooting fireworks in the direction of the house where the first one had been fired from. Lucas and Lauren stood back and watched.
It wasn’t long before the house became ablaze and Devon and his friends were running for the hill. “Devon! Where are you going?! You can’t just leave.” Lucas yelled after the boys, yelling to their backs, and Lucas shook his head. He handed his phone over to Lauren who looked like a deer caught in head lights. “Call 911 for the fire department.” Lucas ran across the street and he kicked in the front door. “Anyone home?! Hello?!” If he hadn’t been sure before, it was in that moment, he knew he wanted to be a firefighter.
