Defending Alyssa's Smoking & Bad Habits

19. All Will Be Good!

The tabloids wasted no time in attacking her character. In October-November 2010, several tabloids attempt to reveal drama about her life. It wasn't just about her smoking habit, but also some tabloids decided to spread rumors that Alyssa was for much older men. Alyssa simply denied it, as she wished to keep her wholesome image (though giving herself the possibility of dating slightly older men).

Worse, the school decided to hold a hearing before Christmas on whether she should be suspended, expelled, or let off with a warning. Considering the looming possibility she may be suspended or expelled, she chose to apply to more high schools early. It was going to be tough to explain this - she thought for hours at a time with her dad, in an attempt to think of how to defend herself.

They had a discussion, exploring the range of possibilities. Fighting on was one, hoping to save her reputation. But the most extreme one was leaving early and homeschooling. Lucas Jones chimed in - he thought he could use Alyssa's special education needs and her situation as an excuse for homeschooling. But he needed to draft a supporting statement to fight for her. 

By the time the discussion ended, Lucas Jones had already thought of a framework for the supporting statement. One of the key arguments is Alyssa's very high IQ, which was too high for her to be challenged in the previous middle school. This would mean homeschooling, allowing Alyssa to work at her own pace and accelerate. Another argument is the ADHD tendencies—being at home would mean more supervision and thus more ways to manage these tendencies better. In short, this was her special educational needs.

Lucas Jones also thought of incorporating a statement from Alyssa stating she wanted homeschooling and also her situation with the papparazi and school. In terms of the school and papparazi situation, he thought he could say the mental stress to Alyssa from that justifies his homeschooling. To summarize, these are the two main points.

On the other hand, leaving before the hearing may be taken as "escaping" what people may think as the "inevitable" outcome—suspension/expulsion. Besides, who knows that high school may be any better?

It seemed as though by the end of the day, both Alyssa and Lucas could not decide on what to do, even though the hearing was in a week. Just when it was the right time to go to sleep, Alyssa had a bright spark from her head - she would explain the situation to the high school, talk about how she was OK even though she enjoyed her vices, then homeschool. That was settled, finally!

The months went by - the school didn't do the hearing, as Alyssa had dropped out. It was a blur as Alyssa tried to forget the small-t trauma done to her. The only consistent thing was her cigarette smoking -up to a pack a day but never more. To distract her mind from these socially embarassing events, she studied harder - sometimes while dangling a strong cigarette in her mouth, to the point Lucas Jones joked about that being Alyssa's signature look. But to Alyssa, the pungent taste and smell of tobacco was her comfort, to the point she didn't seem to care about the walls becoming yellowed...

But hey, at least all the major traumas have gone away. No hearings, no fights, no drama. Just Alyssa, her cigarettes and lighter, and Dad. Knowing that all were gone... Alyssa celebrated with a gap semester and broadened her horizons. Dad congratulated her, even as he attempted to fight intrusive thoughts of "Alyssa self-poisoning herself." After a brief struggle, he drove these intrusive thoughts into her unconscious, and bought her different brands to try (as she requested). Winston Blues were a bit less tobacco-y tasting, Chesterfield cigarillos were when she needed a strong smoke right away, and black and milds cigars were for taste. She still smoked almost a pack a day, but grew better at keeping her vices together.

In conclusion, maybe letting Alyssa smoke, even though she was so young, wasn't as terrible of an idea as one may think! Besides, the high school accepted her... she finally managed to skip 2 grades, all while enjoying her vices and having a gap semester! This is what we call a dream life!