Lose Control

Riley waited in the chilly winter afternoon. It was Mid-January and there was still a long while to go before the school year ended. A girl her age should have been thinking about shopping. A girl her age should have been thinking about her celebrity crushes. A girl her age, however, should NOT be forced to wait on the sidewalk, outside of her high school, in the with the freezing air surrounding her and harsh winds whipping her face. Alright, so I’m exaggerating. But we’ve all been in that situation where it’s so freaken cold that you just want to be at home, sipping cocoa while watching your favorite Friends episode. Or at least, that’s what Riley wished she was doing.

Micha was supposed to have already met up with Riley by this time. Ten minutes after the bell rang and Riley still couldn’t find her new friend. Riley thought it was rather odd that Micha had sort of ‘adopted’ her without even hearing two words from Riley. But a friend was a friend, and beggars can’t be choosers.

“Over here, Doe.” Great. A new nickname. One more to add to list of the many that had already been given to her. Riley wondered why it was easier to remember the multitude of nicknames, but not the name that she was welcomed into this world with. Doe. New kid. New girl. Girl with the green eyes. Girl with the dark blonde hair. That one girl. But never Riley. No, never could they keep the name Riley stored in their memory long enough to befriend her. It didn’t matter though. She had Micha, now. And with Micha’s aggressive nature, Micha appeared determined to make their friendship work, no matter what name Riley was given.

“What’s your name, anyway?” Micha’s blue eyes held a questioning look, as if she was skeptical if Riley had a real name other than ‘that new girl’, at all.

“I’m Riley.” Now having met Micha and figuring out how she was wired, Riley wasn’t that frightened. The one on one time was a lot less scary than having to talk to someone with possibly the whole class listening in.

“Pretty name. So, here’s the plan. We’re going to my house to hang out and have a bit of fun. My mother isn’t home, so it‘ll just be the two of us until then.” Micha had a strong voice, clear with conviction and certainty, something that Riley did not possess.

Micha grabbed her light blonde hair, a strong contrast against Riley’s, and tied it up in a pony tail. They began their walk towards Micha’s house, which was not that far from the school. Along the way, they spoke of how Riley got transferred and how their days went, what they’re doing for the weekend and how they decided that Kill Hannah was their new favorite band. Partially because they enjoyed the songs created by the talented group, immensely, and partially because there’s a bitch in P.E. that goes by the name of Hannah. And before they new it, the girls had not only bonded, but also reached Micha’s simple, two-story house.

“This is it!” Micha stood in front of her door and pulled out her keys. They made ‘clink-clink’ noises when she rattled them together to turn the knob. Stepping in, Riley looked around the house. Seemed normal enough.

“Your house is beautiful..” Much bigger than Riley’s, at least.

“Thank you!” There was a hint of pride in Micha’s voice, clearly pleased that Riley could appreciate the design of her home. Leading Riley upstairs, Micha picked up the pace. She was partially excited by the moments that lay ahead. Her tote bag hit the floor and her folder was thrown on her soft, cushioned bedding.

“You can drop your stuff too, if you’d like.” Riley let go of her own tote, letting it slide out of her hand as oppose to just tossing it across the room like Micha had done. She walked over to Micha, not exactly sure of what they were going to do for the few hours until Micha’s mother returned from work.

Riley looked around Micha’s room. Seemed ordinary enough. Meanwhile, Micha seemed to be busy searching frantically under her bed for something. Riley’s knees bent as she kneeled down beside Micha, her new best friend. She sat on the floor and waited for Micha to show her what she had promised to introduce her to. Perhaps she was going to reward Riley with secrets for being such a good sport that day when they first met. Maybe Micha was going to let Riley in on what her plans were for the month and told her that they should hang out more often.

“What are you looking for, Micha?” Riley looked over Micha’s shoulder as Micha pulled a small box out from under her bed.

“It’s a surprise.”

But before Riley could ask for clues and hints as to what the surprise was, her gut twisted inside out at the realization of what it actually is.

Cigarettes.

Micha pulled one out of the pack and held it gently in her fingers, almost afraid that she would crush it and that that would be the end of their fun.

Riley stared at her new friend in disbelief, attempting to process what’s wrong with the situation.

“Here it is! My friend got a job at the liquor store near by. He gives me the hook-ups.” Micha gave Riley a wink and pulled out another cigarette for her friend.

“Well? Aren’t you going to try one?”

Riley was not sure of what to make of the offer held out before her.

“I’m not sure.. I mean. I can’t go home smelling like cigarettes.. Isn’t it dangerous?”

Micha gave Riley a look of skepticism. She was NOT going to let her new best friend become one of those goody-goody-two-shoes that ask “How high?” when the teachers tell them to jump.

“Are you serious. Riley, I wouldn’t give you something like this if I thought it would put you in danger. It’s just something fun that I wanted you to try out. I promise, it will do you no harm.”

Of course both Micha and Riley knew that she was lying, but Micha was just too convincing to not force gullible Riley to believe.

Riley’s small hand held out and took the cigarette from Micha.

“Well? Now what?” Riley has never smoked, done drugs, or drank before. This was a whole new world to her and she did not expect to be committing sins such as those any time soon, or any time in her life, for that matter.

Riley’s mother had always warned her that doing drugs, drinking, or smoking were dangerous paths to follow. Never in her life did she ever think that she would try smoking, let alone smoking with someone that she had only met earlier that day. Riley wanted to believe Micha, but the acidic butterflies in her stomach were warning her that this was not a situation Riley would wish to be caught in.

The other girl rolled her big, blue eyes, thinking that Riley was probably going to punk out. She wanted to see how far she could push Riley before she cracked and ran home to mommy. Her hands pulled a bright neon, see-through lighter from her pocket, making Riley wonder if she has been carrying it all day. The liquid could be seen splashing against the wall of the lighter as Micha’s thumb rolled the plastic gear that made the flame appear. Within seconds, it was lit and burning, almost like magic.

“Now, you light it. When I say inhale, breath in through your mouth and let intuition take over. You’ll know what to do from there.”

Riley slipped the cigarette through her lips, making sure that the dark brown circle was on the outside of her mouth. Micha held the flame to the cigarette and watched it as the edge lit. Riley did as she was told to and took the cigarette from her mouth. She blew out a puff, but coughed a couple times.

“There! You’re a natural!”

Both girls sat there, Micha’s cigarette had been lit while Riley was paying attention on her breathing, trying to gain control on the cigarette. They both had smiles on their faces and adrenaline pumping through their veins.

Best friends forever.