I sat on one of the picnic tables that was hidden more behind the school. I had decided to ditch the rest of school in first period.
It felt pretty nice to just take some time to myself, and just let everything sink in. I had been in Westport a bit longer than a week, and everything was already crazy.
My bag was sprawled out across the top of the table and my hands fiddled with a lighter. I lit another cigarette and placed it in my mouth and took a puff of breath, then blowing out a cloud of smoky air.
"I didn't know you smoke?" Allison said as she came up behind me. Usually I'd be a bit startled when someone snuck upon me like that but my mind was still distracted in a care free haze.
"I don't," I said with a slight sneer. Allison sat down across from me and placed her bag next to mine. She reached over and grab a cigarette of her own. She motioned for me to toss her the lighter, which I did, and she lit it.
She let out puffs of smoke. "I used to come here all the time, ya know? Before you came here," she said. "Used to skip class all the time."
"Why?" I asked, then coughed over the smoke.
"Didn't see any point in going. Didn't really feel like it did me any good being that I just sat in the back of the class alone," she frowned.
She sat for a moment as she thought of what she would say next.
"But then you came, and you changed my perspective of things. That first day you came, it changed something in me. Something clicked. I had finally made a real friend.
"You came and brought out qualities of me that I didn't even know I had. You're always funny and keep a smile on your face. You're a great boy, Austin, and deserve what's great. And if some other boy can't treat you with that greatness, then you don't need him. There are tons of other people that would die to treat you like the princess you are."
I was touched and teary eyed. She reached her hand across the table and held mine. "Now, what do you say we finish these cigarettes we have, throw away the pack, and get some Taco Bell?"
"You sure have a way with words," I laughed and picked up my bag. She picked up hers as well.
While we finished our cigarettes we played music and danced. We'd blow the smoke out our noses and make stupid faces. Our laughing was becoming to much and we fell to the ground holding our stomachs.
A door of the school opened and a teacher walked out. "You two! Come with me! Principals office now!"
•••
Allison and I snickered through the hallways as we were brought to the office. I've never been to the office before! At least not for something as bad as this. I wondered how strict Westport was with their drug policy. No, cigarettes aren't drugs but they work the same way. Hopefully I wasn't going to get expelled.
The teacher that had caught us brought us into the office and sat us down in chairs. "Mr. Portman will see you in just a moment," she said before leaving the office.
"How much trouble do you think we are in?" I asked but the door open before she could answer. Mr. Portman, our principal, walked in.
"Smoking in school campus! What were you thinking?" He seemed to yell but had a soft voice which didn't carry much power. "And Allison, I believe this is not your first time being down here to see me, for this exact reason," he said.
I glanced at Allison, "you've done this before?"
"Where do you think I went when I skipped?" We snickered.