Feline

The Ouchies

    Chapter ii

The smoke  got in my eyes. I wasn't used to the smell either, but I felt good. I'd hardly coughed on my first hit. I was leaning on Ethan, and he didn't mind, which was nice, because it was very crowded. "Kelley's" did not mean her house as I had assumed, but the back of her truck, parked on an empty beach a few miles out of town. She'd put down a mat and  blankets so it was fairly comfortable, but there were a lot of us in there- Me, Evan, Leon, Cameron, Ethan, Kelley, and Kelley's friend Gumbel, who evidently was supplying the weed. We passed around a blunt. I was already very high, and I remember thinking how cool it was that no one was asking what the fuck I was doing there. That was short lived.

"So." Gumbel began, gesturing towards my slumping form. "Is it show and tell today, Ethan?" The boys and Kelley laughed.

"Shut up Gumbel." Ethan said without hesitation.

"Have some sympathy, y'all. Baby had a tough day." Leon said, sympathy equally matching sarcasm.

"What kind of bad day?" Kelley asked. Everyone looked at me. I was too high to know what to say. They wanted to know about my day.

"Bandar-log," I started. I leaned into Ethan. "Tricky bandar-log."  I never remember talking being this difficult. "You lot want the secret of mans red flower don't you?" They were confused and laughing at me.

"What is she on about?" Gumbel added.

"Bandar-log," said Evan. "I think she's making a reference to the jungle book." I pointed at him triumphantly.

"Relax man cub," Evan started at me, almost friendly sounding. "Someone needs to cut her off." I took a long drag of the blunt before passing it on.

"I do what I want." I stated defiantly.

Meanwhile, Leon was impatient. He didn't have any time for my of games. He was armed and ready to humiliate. "Rita found out I was sleeping with Logan."  Kelley and Gumbel winced.

"How'd she find out?" Kelley asked.

"We told her." Ethan said. 

"You told her," Leon corrected. "What could we do but sit idly by." He laughed. "I would have been fine letting her go on making a fool of herself."

Ethan ignored Leon and continued, "I thought a blunt might help her ease into it."

"Ease into what?" I asked groggily.

"Your deposition." Evan said. I liked Evan. He always had facts. No judgements, no opinions. Just the facts.

"You know we're equal opportunity, totally all for sharing, but it just seems wrong to be smoking with...Rita." Gumbel looked at me disdainfully.  "Won't you get kicked off drill team for this?" She looked back to Ethan. "You don't think she'll snitch? Bring all her preppy friends to our spot?" Gumbel said.

"I'm not that bad." I bursted out of the blue. I was there, being talked about, but no one was talking to me. They stared at me.  "I'm not." I insisted. It was silent for a moment. They were waiting for me to finish. I was still unbelievably high but I had managed to get my bearings enough to stick up for myself. "Hello yes I can talk." I sat up a bit straighter, and made eye contact with Gumbel. "I won't snitch. I'm here getting high too. Drill team will be fine. They won't replace an officer this far into the season. At the worst, I might get some demerits. And as for my friends, well, I don't think they're going to want much to do with me after I break up with Logan. Social suicide you know, it's sort of frowned upon."

"That must make us ghosts..." Cameron finally piped up. He was a very quiet guy. Everyone laughed a bit. I felt safe here, despite the drugs and all.