Bubblegum and Cigarettes

4

We were shopping on a nice Thursday afternoon. Skipping class as usual. Clarissa had sent me a text in psychology telling me to skip next lesson and Sarah never really took a shine to me anyway so it was easier to agree to. Us girls had giggled our way into the shops. Afia picked up a pair of massive purple knickers and held them out at full elasticity which was like twelve times bigger than her head. I doubled over in hysterics.

I tried on as much of the jewellery as possible. I quite liked the tacky look. The fake gold plastic rings and oversized pearl shaped earrings. I didn't try earrings on. That would have been disgusting. I shoved as many necklaces around my neck as possible and they got tangled! I briefly panicked, the panic turning into hysterical laughter.

Clarissa waltzed along, whispering in my ear to steal something so I did. I stole three rings and the fake pearl earrings. In the next shop we basically picked up all the clothes and took them to the changing rooms, the assistants stood around nervously. We pouted in front of the mirrors taking 'selfies' on our phones, laughing and posing.

"I need a fag so badly." I moaned after half an hour in the shop.

"You're a chain smoker, I swear." Clarissa had given me a pointed look over her shoulder which I ignored. I was a chain smoker and she was a crack head. Afia bought a really flattering top, it was such a lovely pink. I was envious that she found it first. While we were roaming round town I smoked, Stacy smoked as well but we were the only two in the group. I smoked straights and she rolled her own.

We went to a café and I had a chocolate and banana mixed milkshake while the others had whatever. "Mmm," I thought. It was so thick and tasty.

When I got home mum had her hands on her hips and anger on her lips. "Where have you been?"

"Chillin'. Killin'." I replied with a soft, fluttering laugh.

"That's it; I've had enough of this attitude Jessica. It sucks." I laughed as she yelled at me, releasing about two months of pent up frustration on her daughter. Afterward she made me sit downstairs with her and we wrote up my CV. I was to get a job. A job would straighten me out. I found it all so funny! Blowing out bubblegum I crossed one leg over the other and thought how a tumbler of whiskey would straighten me out better.

After sixth form I was out giving all the shops in town my CV. Even the one I stole from. I went to the shops, café's, restaurants, pubs, even the swimming pool although I didn't know what use that would do. With fate safely out of my hands I sat on a bench alone, a bottle of Schnapps in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Dylan sat down beside me. I took a large glug then offered him the bottle which he declined. "Stalker," I muttered darkly.

"Why do you wear shades at night?"

"Why do you follow me everywhere?" I asked, giving him a funny look over the top of my sunglasses. To my surprise he was smoking, I didn't know he smoked. Not as rigorously as yours truly but enough for it to look normal on him. "Dylan," I huffed. "I feel really attracted to you. You don't even look right!" I gestured exasperatedly at him in his jeans and over sized t-shirt. He glanced down at himself a little startled. "Yet I can't help it...and I'm drunk. On a Thursday."

"Wednesday," he corrected.

"Ugh," I huffed, "That's worse." Then I narrowed my eyes at him although he couldn't see that. "And you sell coke! Like what is even with that? Cocaine is such a seventies drug..."

"I thought it was big in the nineties," he frowned, "All the telly people were on it weren't they?"

"I don't know. I was a baby." I rolled my eyes. I had forgotten a while back what point I was trying to make.