Page 17 of Secondhand Smoke
It reminded her that Barrett and these little bits of herbs in a rolled-up paper were one way out.
So, she reached forward and took it in her hand.
Barrett watched her carefully, like he expected her to freak out and run away, but she stayed strong and pinched it. It was a bit bulkier than the cigarettes in her pocket, but the feeling of positioning it for a light was natural.
With a soft nod she confirmed her acceptance, and Barrett reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pack of matches, before flicking one on the serrated edge and lighting it.
The flame took to the joint immediately, and as it did, she wrapped her lips around it. She inhaled the sweet, pungent smoke and held it before sucking it in the rest of the way.
The first time she’d tried a cigarette, she coughed for five minutes straight and thought she was going to die. Compared to that, her first time with weed was effortless. She leaned back into the couch cushions, Barrett’s eyes trained on her the entire time.
She exhaled, sending a thin stream out. “How long does it take?”
“You’ll start to feel it in about five.”
She hoped he meant minutes because the faster she could lift this rock off her body, the better. She took another deep drag and closed her eyes, willing it to affect her.
“Oh!”
She opened her eyes to see him hopping off into the kitchen.
“I almost forgot.”
“Forgot what?”
“Your snacks.” He rushed into the kitchen, and she watched him open a cabinet and pull out a few bags and boxes. Collecting them all unsteadily in his arms, he came back and spread them along the table next to the drugs. She spotted a few candies, Doritos, and even a fudge bar in there under a bag of Pop Rocks. “I picked out a few different options since I wasn’t sure what you like.”
She stared at them, unsure how to feel about it. If he’d gone out and bought these for her, it felt strange, yet at the same time kind of . . . touching. Though she didn’t understand why.
“Snacks?”
“You’ll get hungry. Trust me.”
She nodded. Now that he mentioned it, she had heard of the munchies. It was a well-known side effect of marijuana. She’d forgotten about it when she was so focused on just clearing her head.
What other side effects were there?
Who cares.
“Thanks.” She adjusted so her thighs sat on her hands, as he nodded and gave her a closed-mouthed smile, then waited in silence for the high to hit her.
But she’d never known Barrett as the quiet type. She wasn’t sure what had led her to believe he would stay quiet.
MTV in the background changed to a new song.
“So . . .” He rocked a bit, still sitting on the ground and looking up at her. “What have you been up to?”
Nell blinked, staring at him.
Was he mocking her? It wouldn’t be the first time someone approached with that question just to turn it on her and bring up painful memories. Every time someone asked her that, she wanted to get up and walk out of the room, but Barrett didn’t look vicious. He leaned leisurely against the couch cushions, with one knee bent up so his hand could rest on it. That hand tapped ringed fingers on his kneecap, and he bit his lip as he waited for an answer.
He wasn’t mocking her. He was just filling the silence.
Amused, she bit the inside of her cheek. “You don’t need to force yourself to make small talk.”
His head fell back against the cushion, and he released a long exhale. “Thank god. I hate doing that shit.” He chuckled, with his head back, and ran a hand through his long, wavy hair.
Nell’s eyes widened in surprise. That was not the response she’d expected. She wasn’t sure if she should be offended or not. “I thought you liked talking to people.”
