One Big Mistake

Ch-4 The First Symptoms

People come and go. Some are cigarette breaks, others are forest fires.
~Unknown

"Hey!" I yelled at Hannah who is dry and not soaking wet like me! She just pushed me into the swimming hole. I still have my flip flops and cover on. My flip flops resurfaced and I tossed them up on the dirt before climbing out of the water. I removed my cover and caught Hannah off guard, swiftly reaching around her and throwing her phone on the towel she laid out. I wrestled her into the water.

"If I go in you're going in with me!" She yelled as we both fell in. She splashed me in the face when she popped back up from under the water. "I didn't want to get in yet!" She complained. "But since were already wet," she exited the water and walked over to an old oak tree that housed the rope swing.

Years ago, teenagers made this the hangout. By years ago, I mean my parents generation. My dad said him and my uncle put the original rope swing up, but of course it had to be changed a couple of times throughout the years.

"Jump!" I yelled at her as I climbed the embankment. As I yelled her petite body hit the water and disappeared beneath the surface. I made it up to the rope and Hannah had already resurfaced.

Before I had time to swing off the rope into the water, my nose picked up a dissatisfying smell that caused me to cover my nose. "What?" Hannah questioned with curiosity as she wrapped her towel around herself.

"You don't smell that?!" I exclaimed completelyy surprised. I can smell it as if it's being waved under my nose. It smells like... cigarettes. I hate that smell, but right now it's literally making me gag.

As Hannah shook her head 'no' we heard a crunching of branches and our heads immediately turned towards the noise, which was on the trail. More teenagers. One in particular holding a cigarette, inhaling the toxins from the cancer stick.

"Ahh!" A girl screamed playfully as her boyfriend swept her off her feet and charged for the water. She knew he was bluffing when he stopped right before they jumped in. She laughed uncontrollably and punched him in the arm. "Jerk!"

Behind them walked the beholder of the cigarette. He inhaled it once more and released his cigarette breath out from between his lips. The smell is unbearable now. All of a sudden I had an urge to puke. I ran behind the old oak the rope swing hangs from and threw up on the spring grass and flowers.

"Jessalynn?" Hannah's questioning voice appeared around the tree. She backed away when she saw. "Ew gross! Are you okay?" She extended her arm and rubbed my back. I used the back of my hand to wipe my mouth and stood up cautiously.

"Yeah I'm fine, that smell just made me sick." I explained as I held on to the tree for stability as I made my way around it.

"Of the cigarette?" She asked confused.

"Yeah." I shook my head confirming her accusation.

"Hey you think you could put that thing out? It stinks and it doesn't make you look cool-" Hannah started lecturing and stormed towards the boy with the cancer stick. Before she started trouble I put my hand over her mouth, she tried to fight me, but I slapped her hand. When I removed mine from it's prior position of covering her mouth, she rolled her eyes and shut up.

The kid took one last 'drag' and stomped it into the ground. He totally ignored Hannah's words, that's the way I prefer it though. "Really?" She started again. "That's littering!" She raised her voice and pointed at the cigarette. She's always been really serious about littering, but this isn't the time for that. I tried to stop her again, but this time I couldn't.

The couple stared at her and the boy with the cigarette threw his hands up in surrender. He slowly kneeled down and picked it up, the whole time, holding Hannah's gaze. He stood up and stuffed it in his pocket. Hannah looked satisfied, "Thank you." She turned around and walked to her beach bag, picking it up. "Let's go Jess." She told me as I gathered my things, mentally laughing to myself. She cracks me up.