A friend in needs a friend indeed,
A friend with weed is better.
A friend with breasts and all the rest,
A friend who's dressed in leather.
- Placebo's "Pure Morning"
The song quote above spawned this ultimate stoner fantasy back in my college days. Some of you might question if such a topic belongs in the romance section but I didn't think it fit anywhere else. If the girl in the story seems just a little too perfect it's because she became several make believe women I planned to write about rolled into one. The girl who likes to smoke weed also became the girl who likes sports, the friend's little sister/cousin, and the hot Irish redhead. You might as well dream big right? I'd like to apologize up front for any grammatical errors I missed in the story and again urge the readers to practice safe sex because my characters don't get STDs, but you might. One last note on the baseball scenes, some of them were based on real games others I created to fit the story so don't waste time wondering what game I'm talking about. Hope you all enjoy it.
***
As I drove towards my friend Martin's house, I wondered what kind of reception I'd receive. It was a Friday evening in late August of 2000, and I hadn't spoken to him since we had graduated together in the spring. We had both been software engineering majors and had taken the majority of our classes together since we met in sophomore year. He had an incredibly gifted mind and easily mastered what the rest of spent long hours trying to grasp. With his help I graduated near the top of our class and landed a well paying job straight out of college.
There hadn't been any sort of fall out between us, or anything like that. You see in addition to being a good friend, and an amazing tutor, Martin was a drug dealer. Well, let me rephrase that, he sold a little marijuana on the side to his friends so he wasn't a real drug dealer. It started really simple. After my roommate flunked out halfway through sophomore year Martin ended up moving in with me. I knew him from some of my classes and he'd mentioned one day he was looking for a new place to stay. Like most college kids we liked to party more than we studied, in his case he didn't need to study anyway, and we were both certified potheads. He knew the guy who knew the guy and eventually was buying in bulk straight from the source, keeping us well stocked with cheap magnificent weed.
Forced to move out of our low rent campus apartment after graduation we didn't get a place together as we'd planned originally. I told him I was planning to quit smoking it cold turkey and wouldn't be around for a while. We were in the real world now and it was time to grow up I explained, besides I needed to cut down on the partying big time and focus on my work. He wouldn't be there to bail my ass out for the rest of my life and I needed to fend for myself. So we'd gone our separate ways, him to live with his girlfriend Sara and me to live in a bachelor pad near work. We promised to keep in touch but I was upfront in telling him I'd be scarce for a while to avoid the sweet temptation of the chronic.
What a fucking fool I'd been. All summer I'd been craving a nice joint and depriving myself of a simple pleasure. I didn't need it but why should I keep myself away from something I enjoyed and helped me relax? I noticed I'd get irritated more easily and some nights something would trigger a memory of a night we'd spent wasted and I'd think about it for hours. I was having trouble sleeping and though I went out drinking now and then, it just wasn't the same. I know what some of you might be thinking. I wasn't addicted to it any more than you're addicted to your favorite food. I just liked the shit ok?
I pulled into his driveway and was happy to see his car was there. His girl Sara was a real sweetheart and liked to smoke up almost as much as we did. I was hoping they'd be happy to see me again but didn't know what to expect having dropped out of their lives completely for nearly four months. I rang the doorbell my stomach in knots and waited nervously as footsteps approached.
"MIKE! Holy shit come on in man," said Martin with a huge grin. "Finally got out of the office long enough to come see your old friends huh?"
"Look, Martin I... I don't know what to say man. I know its been months but..." I 'd planned a big speech on the way over, but it had all vanished from my mind when he opened the door and now I didn't know what I was trying to say.
"Relax man I know what you were trying to do. Finally realized you needed your old friend Martin and his mystical green plant again didn't you?" I nodded as he continued, "Well then come on in like I said. I'll run up and get you something to smoke. Have a seat in the living room and say hello to my cousin Terry, I'll be back down in a minute. I'll never forget what you did for me, and neither will Sara. She'd skin me alive if I didn't welcome you with open arms. You just missed her, but she should be back in a few hours if you want to hang out for a while."
I kicked off my shoes and headed to the living room feeling much better already. He was referring to a night that took place halfway through senior year. To make a long story short, we had been reported for selling drugs from our room. I managed to get a pound of weed out of our apartment and safely hidden shortly before our place was raided by the police. We managed to avoid expulsion and worse by a manner of minutes and they'd been grateful ever since even though I'd been saving my own ass just as much as his. After that we never kept more than a very small amount around and told anyone who came knocking on our door that we didn't sell any fucking drugs here.
Stepping into the living room I saw a guy in a hooded sweatshirt smoking a joint and watching TV from an easy chair. The hood was pulled up and I could just see a stray strand of long curly red hair sticking out. "Hey man nice to meet you," I said extending my hand as I sat down on the end of the couch nearest his chair.
SHE looked up and pushing back her hood said in a high voice she tried to make a gruff sounding, "Nice to meet you too man," before laughing uncontrollably at my obvious discomfort and reddening face.
"I... uh... I guess it's Terri with an i then? Look I'm so sorry I couldn't see your face and I just assumed you were a guy. Not that you look like a guy now but you did from over there when that's what I was expecting when I walked in so..." thankfully she cut off my rambling before I could make things any worse.
"Relax here smoke this," she said offering me the joint in a pale, slender freckled hand. I stared at her beautiful face absolutely dumbfounded. I always got nervous around attractive women and I'd started stared off horribly with this one. I'd always heard women like their men talk, dark, and handsome. Standing at just over six feet, with short dark brown hair I figured I had at least two out of three covered, but the last was up for debate. I considered myself an average looking guy who'd never stand a chance with a girl that looked like this. I guessed her height and around five seven or five eight but it was difficult to judge her shape in her bulky sweater and loose fitting jeans. Her face was the picture of pure beauty with finely arched eyebrows above green eyes that sparkled like rare treasures and lashes that looked long enough to braid. High, delicate cheekbones gave a remarkable sharpness to her features, as did her dainty nose that rested above the soft pink lips of her narrow mouth. Tiny orange freckles dotted her smooth face as if placed there by the skillful dance of a master's paintbrush on a fresh white canvass. Surrounding it all was a thick mane of lustrous red curls that were pulled back in a tight ponytail, with one unruly strand defying restraint to hang down the left side of her face. Even her voice was beautiful I realized in awe.
