Deaf Daisy | #1 in #americansignlanguage

9 Law-Abiding Citizen Daisy

CW: This chapter contains recreational marijuana usage.

At some point during physics, everyone stands up slowly with accompanying eye rolls and huffs and puffs. Cannon taps me on the arm. "Fire drill," he mouths.

Ms. Mink is trying to get everybody in a single-file line by the door, and there's always that one girl that thinks it could be a real fire, so she's trying to make everyone go faster, and Ms. Mink is telling her to calm down, but she's got her books and her bag and her purse even though we're supposed to leave our things at our desks during fire drills (unless it happens within the last fifteen minutes of the class period, then it's every man for himself), and me and Cannon slide in at the back of the line. Merinda signs to me that she's going to make a run to her car.

We make it down the hallway and out of the building's double doors in a single-file line until we reach the courtyard and people start seeing their friends from other classes and the line starts to part like the Red Sea. Ms. Mink fusses appropriately, tells them to be in the designated meeting spot by the time the second alarm rings. I know how it goes.

Someone tugs on my sweater and pulls me aside. I smile, thinking it's Serena that's found me, but it's Cannon. He leads me around the building, and I follow out of pure curiosity. There's no classes lining up on this side; there's no one over here at all. He pulls a black pen out of his jacket pocket.

Nope, nope— that's not an ink pen. That's a vape pen. As in not allowed on campus.

"Are you trying to get expelled?" I sign and mouth for his convenience.

"No, that's why I've got a pen, not a bowl this time." Cannon brings it up to his lips and takes a puff. He closes his eyes, holding it in for a moment before blowing it out. He hands me the pen.

"I'm going to assume this isn't water vapor." I look at the pen. It doesn't look threatening. They always say that weed is a gateway drug. A gateway to what? A life of crime, hard drugs, and street fights? I'm a straight A student, I've never snuck out, I'm a virgin, and I've only ever been tipsy, like, once... twice if I count the time Serena and I went to Genni's house after the football game this past fall when her Dad was out of town, which I don't, because I got scared and immediately went to bed. Really, I deserve to break the rules for once.

"If you don't want any, hand it back," Cannon mouths with his hand out, impatiently.

I put the pen to my lips and take my first ever hit.

I cough out water vapor, I guess. Cannon smirks at my amateur reaction. Shut up, I sign. He reaches out for the pen but I take another hit, holding it in longer, this time. And then a third before I hand it back.

He pulls another himself, his technique practiced.

"I don't feel anything."

He... laughs? "Oh, believe me, you will." He takes a few more puffs before starting and looking out at the school behind me. "Shit, there's the second alarm." He pockets the pen and pulls a tiny bottle out of his other pocket. "Look up," he mouths while pointing to the sky.

I do as he says, and he squirts a couple of drops into each of my eyes. It burns, and I blink them away furiously. I wipe under my eyes to make sure no make-up ran. When my vision has cleared, I see that Cannon has put drops in his own eyes. "C'mon, we gotta run." He holds his hand out to me, and I take it in spite of myself and how I normally keep a keen eye on who could be watching any time I do anything. We run around the building and slip into our class's line. A few kids at the back of the line look at us weirdly and I cover my mouth with my hands so they don't see me laugh. Cannon puts a finger to his lips to shush me, but he laughs, as well.