The World I Knew Isn't The Same Anymore

Chapter 11 Envy, Lust, and Run

The sky is like a black velvet blanket with shimmering pearls of white over Paris. Each light from the buildings illuminates the environment even more, and there's 100s of bodies scouring the streets.

Bree's hazel eyes are huge as she watches Chase's fingers dance with the green sticky stuff on his tray. Before they left the house Ryder convinced her to take two more shots of crown, and now Bree's lips are tingly and her face feels almost numb.

She's never noticed it before, but Chase has an excellent sense of style. He's wearing dark jeans with a low v neck rigged top that shows off his collar bone and chest muscles. He has a black tattoo that she can see peeping out of his shirt on the left side of his chest, and his fingers are home to two silver rings; one is a simple metal band around his thumb and the other is his skull ring - the one she noticed the first night they met - with emerald stones for eyes placed on his right middle finger.

As he continues to press the green nuggets into a brown wrap she plays with her own dainty rings on her skinny and long fingers. He's parked along the street perfectly parallel between two other cars. On her left is a building with people constantly walking in and out of it, and on the very top she can see people dancing to loud music playing.

"It's ready," Chase gives off a wide smile and grabs a lighter from the side of his door. His voice makes Bree turn towards him and instantly the flame hits the end of the blunt as his lips pout on the other side. The end of the blunt lights red as she watches him inhale the smoke making it disappear in his lungs. Then he passes it to her and says "so you've never smoked before?"

Bree giggles as she feels the complete effects of alcohol, her body feels loose but in a good way. "Nope," she pops the P and happily takes the blunt from his hand. "How do I do this?"

Chase laughs aloud. "You breathe in, inhale, hold the smoke a bit then let it out," he stares right at her and digs in his pocket to grab his phone. "I have to record this, I don't think I've smoked with anyone who hasn't smoked before."

She makes a funny face at his phone lens before mimicking Chase actions of putting the blunt to the tips of her lip. Then she opens her lungs to breathe in and for less than a second she feels the smoke in her mouth, and once it hits the back of her throat she removes the blunt and lets out multiple loud coughs. "What the hell is that!"

Chase laughs even louder now before putting his phone  back and grabbing the blunt from her hand. As he takes a couple more puffs the car begins to fill with smoke. "It's the smoke hitting your lungs. Usually the second time is better," and he hands it back to her.

She giggles a bit more before clearing her throat with some more Crown, before they left they poured some in a bottle mixing it with Coke. "How do I not cough?"

He continues to laugh, and she thinks this is the most she's seen him laugh in one sitting. "Just don't let the smoke out hella fast. It's like taking a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out."

Her face plasters a smile she can't seem to get rid of at the moment, and without thinking she repeats the same motions. She focuses on taking a breath in, like she's running, and holding the smoke in for a couple seconds. Then she imagines finishing a lap before slowly breathing out. She watches as the smoke leaves her own mouth this time and blending in with the smoke boxing the car. "Did I do it?"

"Yeah, you did, congrats on your first high," he jokes. The two of them pass it back and forth for another couple minutes.

Bree's eyes begin to water as the car grows more filled with smoke. She feels even more giggly and loose now, and her head feels like it's in outer space. If she focuses hard enough she can hear the own beat of her heart. But something about being in the presence of Chase makes her feel at ease - but also nervous at the same time.