Lastly, there was Therese. She had flaming red hair and always chewed bubblegum—except when she was sucking on a breath mint. She was wearing striped leggings and an oversized band shirt that looked like a dress when it hugged her tiny frame. There was a rumor going around school that she was secretly anorexic and that she used gum to suppress her appetite.
But I didn’t care about any of them—all I cared about was Emmett. I turned my face towards him and smiled, shyly scraping my ballerina shoe against the floor. The group’s footsteps echoed against the bare walls until they stopped in front of me, and Emmett finally smiled back.
“Hey.” He said casually, giving a faint nod.
“Hi.” I said back.
The rest of the group eyed me suspiciously, and it didn’t seem like they wanted me there at all—at least not until they knew that I was cool. Which I totally am, I’ll prove it to them. I thought.
“Why’d you invite Bookworm–Brandy?” Jimmy asked with a furrowed brow.
“She doesn’t even smoke,” Samuel scoffed, nudging Therese gently with his elbow. “She’s too good for that shit.”
“She’s just a teacher’s pet.” Therese said under her breath.
I wasn’t used to being stared at like this, and I hated being in the spotlight. It was like 2nd grade book report all over again. My knees were shaking and my palms sweating, and all those pairs of eyes just staring at me while I can’t say a word. Therese’s glare was particularly foul. She looked at me like I’d just stabbed her in the arm with a lead pencil. I felt like my knees were going to give in beneath my any minute, but luckily Emmett came to my recue.
“Nah, Brandy is aight,” He winked at me. “We talked earlier, and it turns out she’s pretty cool. Hey, tell that story about Ms. Kravett again.”
Suddenly, the group was looking at me expectantly, rather than suspiciously. It was as if Emmett’s approval was all they needed to warm up to me—although Therese didn’t look completely convinced. A moment later, I finally realized why when she looked up at Emmett with affection in her eyes. She likes him too. I realized.
“Oh, well it’s not really a story,” I mumbled nervously, but Emmett nodded at me to continue anyway. “Okay so, one night, when I was at home doing hom—when I was home watching TV, someone suddenly started ringing the doorbell really loudly…”
I told the entire story; how Ms. Kravett had shown up on our door step, crying and hugging my stepfather. I told them how ridiculous she looked with her mascara running down her face, and all the details about their marriage that I managed to pick up on from the other room. When I was finally finished talking, the group was staring at me in awe.
“Wow,” Samuel let out. “He totally cheated on her.”
“Right?!” Therese agreed. She smirked at me. It was a faint smirk, hardly visible, but I saw it nonetheless. “I guess Emmett was right. You’re pretty cool after all.”
“Let’s go,” Jimmy said and put his hand on my shoulder. “The bell is going to ring soon, and I need a cig before that or I’m going to die.”
“You better have one for me too,” Emmett said and pushed his way in front of him, turning his head back and looking at us with a grin.
“Do I look like a fucking cigarette dispenser?” Jimmy answered. His tone sounded offended, but there was a sly grin on his face. “Just kidding, bro. I got you.”
* * *
“Drag deeper!”
“Come on, don’t be such a pussy. Just do it!”
It was Thursday—my second day hanging out with Emmett—and we were all gathered in the smoke spot for the second time. We stood huddled together in a half–circle, each with a cigarette in our hand. Mine was the only one that wasn’t finished yet. If I’d known that cigarette smoke tasted this horrible, I would have never agreed to come with Emmett to begin with. Okay, actually, I might have. I thought to myself. But it’s too late now anyway.
“You’re wasting cig,” Jimmy complained.
“Sorry, sorry,” I said and quickly raised the cig to my mouth. “I’ll finish it now.”
I inhaled—much deeper than I wanted to—until I could feel the smoke fill my lungs. It tasted like ash and chemicals, and it made my throat feel like it was on fire. I closed my eyes and held my breath “to let the nicotine absorb,” as Samuel put it. After a moment, I could feel that familiar energetic rush shoot through me. But it wasn’t worth it.
When I opened my eyes again to exhale, the other members of the group were smiling widely at me.
“See, that wasn’t so hard.” Therese said.
I blew the smoke out of my nose, practically feeling my nose hairs shrivel up and die. All of the sudden I was feeling nauseated, like my body was trying to make me throw up to get rid of the poison that I was inhaling. I looked down at the flaming cigarette in my hand. Ugh, one third left.
“You just need some practice, is all.” Emmett said. “Give it a week or two and you’ll be a pro like me.” He added and exhaled the smoke from his lungs, forming small circles in the air.
“Yeah,” I giggled quietly. “I—cough cough—hope so.”
The loud, ear–piercing shrill of the school bell sounded through the air, causing us all to look up. For a moment, I felt a little bit sad. It was the break between 3rd and 4th period, and I quit after 4th, which meant that I wouldn’t get to hang out with Emmett anymore today. For some reason, the only time we met was when we smoked cigarettes behind the old shed. So for now, our friendship was only smoke–related, but I was fine with that. As long as I get to hang out with Emmett, I don’t care what the reason is.
“We should probably go,” Jimmy said and nodded towards Therese and Samuel. The three of them had math class now, whereas Emmett had sports practice, and I had biology. Well, advanced biology—it technically wasn’t a real class, but the teacher had to make something up after I finished all the coursework in the first semester. ‘Advanced biology’ consisted of me sitting alone in the library, watching nature documentaries on the big screen.
“Remember last time we were late to math class?” Jimmy continued. “Yikes. I thought the old hag was going to have a heart attack right then and there, from how red her face was from all that screaming.” The latter part of his sentence was referring to our math teacher Mrs. Bagley, who was overweight and sometimes ill–tempered—but only when you didn’t respect her.
While the rest of the group was busy listening to Jimmy go on about Mrs. Bagley, I sucked the last smoke of my cigarette into my mouth. I didn’t inhale it—my throat was hurting too much, and I thought I’d throw up if I did. I only took the smoke in my mouth and then blew it out, but nobody seemed to notice the difference.
“You guys go ahead, I’ll stay behind for a bit.” Emmett said and nodded towards me. Does he want to talk to me or something? I thought confusedly. Oh my god, he’s finally going to ask me out!
After the rest of our group left, Emmett turned towards me and opened his mouth. His breath smelled like cigarettes—but then again, so did mine. I quickly blew the smoke out into the air between us and dropped the cigarette stump on the ground, squishing it with my foot. I didn’t like littering like that, but there was no trash can nearby. Maybe if I bring a zip–lock bag tomorrow, I can put the stumps in there and throw it away in school…
“Brandy.” Emmett said, waking me from my racing thoughts.
“Yeah?” I asked. The butterflies in my stomach were back, and they were fluttering their wings faster than ever. “Is… is there something you want to ask me?” I asked hopefully.
“There is, actually,” He said and took my hand. “Look, you’re a part of the crew now, right…”
“Yeah?” I asked again. The butterflies were going crazy now, and I had to bite my tongue in order not to pounce at Emmett and scream ‘yes, yes, yes!’ at the top of my lungs.
“Well, the whole crew has to provide something for the others, you know what I’m saying?” He said, raising his eyebrow. “You know, like how Jimmy always brin
gs cigarettes.”
“Oh, uhm… okay,” I answered uncertainly. “What exactly do you mean?”
“The guys and I were talking, and we think it’d be super cool of you to let us copy—I mean, if you helped us with our homework. You know, since you’re so smart and all that.”
I didn’t like the way he said ‘so smart’, like it was a bad thing. I stood quiet for a moment, until suddenly the truth hit me like a sack of bricks. Emmett didn’t like me. He didn’t even want to spend time with me. He was only using me to get me to do his homework! I could feel the tears well up behind my eyelids, and I blinked them away quickly.
“I’ll think about it.” I said quietly.
“Good,” Emmett winked and reached into his pocket. “Gum?” He asked, holding out a rectangular, green package.
“No thanks,” I mumbled and turned around, walking away quickly. My white blouse fluttered in the wind, sending a waft of cigarette smoke through the air. “I should go, I don’t want to be late for class.”
Emmett sounded something that sounded like ‘see ya tomorrow’, but I didn’t answer him. The tears were already flowing down my face and wetting my cheeks. I wiped it away with the back of my hand, sniffling loudly. How could you be so stupid?! I thought to myself, and suddenly I was angry. I was angry at myself, at Emmett, and at his friends for going along with it. Emmett doesn’t like you, you stupid idiot. He would never go to prom with you!
As soon as I was out of eye–sight, I started running as fast as I could. I wanted to get away from the smoke spot before I got caught and, more importantly, I needed to get away from Emmett. How could you let him fool you like that? I thought and shook my head in disappointment, when suddenly I heard a branch crack in front of me. I turned my head up, and stared right into the eyes of my math teacher.
“Mrs. Bagley!” I blurted out. I was surprised to see her, to say the least, but happy nonetheless. I wonder why she’s walking around this far away from school, I thought and smiled softly at her. But for some reason, she didn’t smile back.
“Brandy…” She said, but it sounded more like a sigh. “I expected better from you.”
She knows, I realized. She knows I’ve been smoking. Her brown eyes looked so sad that I instantly felt bad. I’ve disappointed Ms. Bagley and everyone else, and for what? God, for someone who is supposed to be smart, you’re really stupid sometimes, Brandy.
* * *
I sat on a rickety chair in the waiting room outside the teacher’s office, waiting for the principal to come out and scold me. My stomach felt like a bottomless pit, and I was fighting hard to hold back the tears. I’d never done anything bad before, and definitely not something this bad. My mom is going to kill me, I thought anxiously and wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans.
Finally, after what felt like an hour, the principal’s door swung open and she walked outside. Her high heels clicked loudly against the linoleum floor, and the look she gave me was stern and disappointed.
“Brandy?” She asked in a monotone voice.
Being sent to the principal’s office may be new and scary to me, but she dealt with similar situations on a daily basis. I guess you just stop caring after a while, I thought and nodded quickly. That’s when I realized I didn’t even know her name, but it seemed strange to ask.
“T–that’s me.” I mumbled and bit my lip anxiously. What will happen to me now? “What happens now?”
I had to ask it. I couldn’t handle not knowing anymore.
“Getting caught smoking is a serious breach of the school rules, Brandy. Not to mention how bad it is for your health!” The principal continued. “Your parents have been called and they’re on their way to pick you up now. As soon as they arrive, I’m going to have a talk with them about your upcoming expulsion.”
“Expulsion?” I blurted out and shot up from my chair. “But I’m a straight A student! You can’t expel me just for one slip–up. Please, miss!”
Tears were streaming down my face at this point. Today had been the worst day of my life, and it was only going to get worse. As soon as my mother showed up, she was going to give me that dead–faced look she always gave me when I didn’t live up to her expectations. I couldn’t even imagine how she would react to this… She’s going to disown me for sure, I thought and felt my stomach knot itself inside of me. For a moment, I felt like I was going to throw up.
“We can’t have smokers on the school ground, it’s not good for our repu—for our students.” The principal quickly corrected herself and crossed her arms over her chest. “The school board has ruled that any student caught smoking during school hours is to be expelled for up to 3 days, depending on the severity of the situation. But in your case…”
The principal stood silent for a moment, looking down at the folder in her hands—presumably my student file.
“I’m not smoking anymore,” I said meekly. “I already quit. I didn’t even like it.”
“Judging from your history in this school, I’m sure what you’re saying is true,” The principal sighed and looked up from her folder. “But I have to follow the school board’s directions. After I talk to your parents, I’ll see if we can come up with a solution that works for both of us. Just sit down and wait for now. Okay?”
“Okay…” I said, feeling defeated.
I sat back down on the chair and stared at my feet. The principal walked back into her office, leaving me in the brightly–lit waiting room, all alone with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. All the teachers were either inside the teacher’s break room, or in their respective classrooms. The hallways were empty too.
Nobody would notice if I just left, I thought and glanced at the unguarded doorway. It was only a stone’s throw from the main exit, and I could have easily just stood up and walked away. At least then I wouldn’t have to face mom’s wrath… But in the end, I didn’t do it. I would have had to come home eventually anyway, and then she and Steven would only be more upset. I think I already caused enough trouble for today.
Fifteen minutes later—during which time I’d paced around the room four times and silently cursed Emmett more times than I could count on my fingers—I could hear the front door swing open behind me. Heavy footsteps walked across the open hallway and I listened to them carefully. Why is there only one set of footsteps? I wondered.
A moment later, my stepfather Steven walked into the waiting room—alone. He looked around the room and locked eyes with me, shaking his head in disappointment. A faint hint of fresh cologne washed through the air when he moved. I bet he smells a lot better than I do right now.
“Brandy,” He sighed deeply. “Smoking, really?”
But where’s mom? I wanted to ask. Was she so angry at me that she had to send Steven in her place? Before I had time to open my mouth and ask him, I was interrupted by a door being swung open.
The principal, having heard the commotion outside her door, walked into the waiting room and quickly reached out to shake my stepfather’s hand.
“Principal Anderson,” She introduced herself politely. Her attitude seemed different all of the sudden. It was less authoritative—like she respected him more than she respected me. Maybe then he’ll be able to convince her not to expel me, I hoped and bit my lip again.
“Are you Brandy’s father?”
Anxious wrinkles lay embedded deep around my stepfather’s pale eyes. He sort of looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and thrown his clothes on before rushing over here, worried sick about me. His copper brown hair was messy and uncombed, and he ran his fingers through it quickly to smooth it out before extending his hand towards Principal Anderson.
“Step–father,” Steven said and shook her hand firmly. “I hope that’s okay. Her mother is at work, I couldn’t reach her.”
“That’s not a problem. My office is right here, and I’d like it if you could come in and discuss your step–daughter’s behavior with me.”
“I trust that you’ll transfer this information to Brandy
’s biological parents once you have the chance.”
“Of course.” Steven said dryly. He didn’t like my biological father—for good reason—and I seriously doubted that he would talk to him for something so small.
“Follow me.”
Steven nodded without a word, shooting me a quick glance before following Principal Anderson into her office. They shut the door behind them, but I could still hear the muffled sounds of them discussing me on the other side of that wall. I realized that I’d been lucky so far, because if anyone could get me out of this mess, it was definitely Steven. I just hope he doesn’t tell mom.
* * *
Steven was staring straight out the front window of the car, clenching the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white. The look on his face was absent and strained, and he hadn’t said a word to me since we’d left school. It was my first time leaving school early for reasons other than being sick, and I felt really strange doing it. The good news was that Steven had been able to convince Mrs. Anderson to lift the expulsion, and she told me I was welcome back in school tomorrow morning.
“Are you mad?” I mumbled in a quiet voice.
In my peripheral vision I could see Steven turn his head and glance at me, but I was too ashamed to meet his eyes. A few seconds later, he let out a deep sigh.
“No,” He said and shook his head. “I’m not mad.”
“You seem really mad.” I pointed out, twisting my fingers nervously in my lap.
“I’m just disappointed.” Steven said curtly. “I just don’t get it, Brandy! Your mother and I have never had any reason to be anything but proud of you, what changed? Why did you smoke? Are you rebelling against us?”
“No!” I said, and this time it was my turn to sigh. Stupid parents, they don’t understand anything. “It had nothing to do with rebelling.”
“What then?!” My stepfather asked helplessly. The tone of his voice was getting louder and louder, and he was becoming visibly more agitated. “You have to help me understand, Brandy, because this just doesn’t make any sense.”
TABOO MEGA BUNDLE: Wet & Ready (40 Hot Short Stories, First Time, Menage and More!) Page 59