Young man and pot-smoking hippie girl hit it off at a party.
Author's Note: don't let Nancy Reagan read this. All sexual interactions depicted are 18 years or older. Use alcohol and other substances responsibly.
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The air in the room was growing hazier by the second. Somebody had forgotten to open a window. One of my friends stood up and rushed over to slide it open. The cloud of smoke soon dissipated and it was back to the fun.
I was at a house party, surrounded by friends and acquaintances. A blunt or something (I don't know my weed terminology) was getting passed around. Partaking in such an activity was a bit outside of my comfort zone. I had only smoked twice before.
When it came to be my turn, one of my buddies coached me on it. I guess I did just fine since there was cheering from around the circle. I passed it off and sat back, waiting for the loop to begin again. It was hard for me to believe I was here.
My parents were good people but they kept me sheltered. They were very much against any drugs or alcohol. No matter how mild. This disdain toward these substances of course rubbed off on me. It was only in the past month, after significant peer pressure, that I finally gave in.
Peer pressure is bad... but this stuff wasn't. I really enjoyed my first time getting high and then the second a week later. Beer was nice too. Finally giving in made these large hangouts more enjoyable. Especially if there were strangers.
I have a bit of social anxiety. It really only comes out if there's a crowd or if (of course) I'm talking to a girl. It was nice that booze and weed took the edge off. I'm not advocating anyone reading this become an addict, drink and smoke responsibly of course. It's just a new and enjoyable thing for me.
I knew
most
of the dozen or so people in here. Three were my close friends. Most of the rest were friends of friends. It was something of a High School reunion. After what, two years? Well that's the excuse we used anyway.
There was this one girl sitting cross-legged on the far side that I
knew
I'd seen before. I just couldn't place her. Long hazel hair, thin, light brown eyes, no makeup whatsoever. She wore a yellow tank top and a long green-ish paisley skirt. She really looked like a hippie.
Did those even exist anymore?
She resembled the hippie women I'd seen in movies. Barefoot, all natural, dreamy look about her. The only thing she seemed to be missing was a flower crown. Being a very traditional kind of guy, she was not my type of girl. Probably wasn't, anyway.
Then I remembered who she was.
Summer Evans,
my mind concluded. She was in my class in High School but I never really had any interactions with her. She became increasingly flower-power-y and spent her free time in the art rooms. She was never on my radar at all. In fact, it had to be pointed out to me when she left.
Apparently she had gotten pregnant over the summer (hahaha) and decided to withdraw from classes. One of my friends joked that she burned her bra and ran off to a commune. That very well might have been the case. Regardless, Summer hadn't crossed my mind since the week I found out she was gone.
Well, a few years later and here she was.
The joint or whatever reached her and she inhaled a lungful of it. She passed it on to her friend with not so much as a single cough. Then she went back to chatting with her friends. The weed made a few more rounds until everyone was stoned.
I was in a great mood. We were still sitting roughly in a circle but I was chatting away with just about everybody. The room soon reached a general consensus that we were very hungry (surprise). One person suggested walking down the street toward the shops to find some food.
Afraid of getting caught by police, I refused to go with them. A friend agreed to bring me something and I'd pay him back. I watched the giggling red-eyed procession funnel out of the room and down the stairs. I expected to be the only one left.
A bleary-eyed glance over my shoulder told me that was not the case. Summer was still there. She stretched her arms out wide and then above her head, yawning. The girl stretched her back and her small chest was thrust forward. She opened her eyes and smiled when she realized someone else had stayed behind.
"You didn't go with them?" I turned in place to ask.
"Nah, they're probably going down for fast food or something. I'm a vegetarian, so that's a big nope," she explained.
"Ah, makes sense," I replied.
"How come you didn't go?" she asked.
"Didn't want to get caught by police," I admitted.
Summer cracked a grin and chuckled at that answer. She had cute little lips, they were a light shade of pink. Their natural color. Her teeth were very obviously shiny and healthy. Suddenly I was thinking about how nice it might be to make out with her right now.
"That's a fair enough answer," Summer finally admitted. I knew I was being paranoid but I couldn't help it. Even as high as I was.
"It's just one of my first few times smoking weed," I shrugged. Summer took on a more understanding face and tone.
"Oh, that's all cool. By the way, do I know you from somewhere?"
She apparently remembered me.
"Yeah, we went to High School together."
Summer's lips curled into the most subtle of frowns. Bad memories, I guess.
"Oh yeah, you're... oh come on let me think. I'm really good with names... you're... Scott?" she finally remembered.
"Holy shit, you
are
good with names," I laughed. We had such a large class and never spent any time near each other. I was a bit surprised. Then again, I did know
her
name.
"Summer, right?" I asked.
"Yeah!" she answered with her own surprise.
"How have you been? I haven't seen you in
years.
"
"Pretty good actually. It was rough... dropping out of school like that. I'm sure you heard why. Everyone did. But it wasn't a mistake since I got to raise my kiddo and that's been the best experience of my life," she replied. There was a lot for me to think about.
"How about you?" she countered.
"Oh, the rest of High School was nothing special for me. I'm in my second year of college, studying physics for now."
"Physics? You must be really smart."
Not really. I was just good at doing math. I didn't have much of a brilliance for anything else. I'll still take compliments where I can get them.