𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃 {𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀}

chapter twenty five ❁

Update 1/26/23: holy shit you guys really do love this story, huh?! Hey guys, long time no see! First off, i want to apologize for not updating this book in over a year. Writers block really got to me and life has been so crazy. But, i want to thank each and everyone of you that supported me and still checked in on me asking for updates. I never thought this book would blow up like the way it did. Clearly, you guys seem to enjoy it and I'm thrilled! I started this book when i was sixteen and a junior in high school. Now Im a twenty year old adult finding her pathway through adulthood. But, regardless, thank you guys for absolutely everything, your amazing comments and support give me inspiration to keep writing and create amazing and unique stories for people who are just like me. I really hope you guys enjoy this long overdue chapter. Now enough babbling and onto the story!!

chapter twenty five: reach for the sky

Thick clouds of smoke pour from my lips like a waterfall. Craving a bottle of water and some chap-stick, my lips guide their way back to my joint once more.

"So Clifford,"

"Yes, Princess Lelia?"

"Tell me bout' that Dave guy again."

Cliff rolls his eyes, taking another drag, "Why do you want to know about Mustaine so bad?"

"Becauseeeee." A weak and raspy chuckle flows out of my mouth, "I just want you to tell me more."

We were already one joint in at this point, one for the each of us. Cliff was able to finish his faster than mine, taking rip after rip without stopping and not even mustering out one little cough. As for me, I couldn't handle one hit without coughing my lungs out. Once we both finished our first joints and I thought we were done smoking. Cliff surprises me by pulling out two more joints for us. Everything started to feel blurry at this point. My eyes felt heavy and I reluctantly accepted the next joint.

"Come here." He says sternly, I jump hearing the harshness in his voice. "Open your mouth, Lelia."

"For what?" I lean back, unsure of what Cliff is about to do to me.

"I'm lighting your joint, get over here."

Realizing that Cliff was only trying to light my joint for me and do nothing else, I slide closer to him. "Open up." He says, prying the joint between my closed lips. Cliff brings the lighter to the end of the joint and a flame sparks.

"Why can't I do it?" I say, my voice sounding a tad muffled.

"The person who rolls the joint has to be the one to light it. It's bad luck if someone else lights it." Smoke begins to rise from my mouth and a small orange light begins to glow in the dark. Telling me that I can finally inhale. "You're all set." Cliff says as he begins to light his joint.

I take a deep inhale, my lungs beginning to feel hot. A cloud of smoke is blown in my face and I blow my cloud back in Cliff's face.

Peering down at Cliff's joint, it is nothing more than nub. With the flick of the wrist, it flies out of his hand and into the lake. I suddenly imagine the last teeny bit of that joint slowly floating to the bottom of the lake. I have the urge to toss mine too. Unable to have control over my senses, I toss my joint into the lake. It didn't take me long to process that I had just tossed a perfectly lit joint into the water.

"No! My baby!" I sprung up from the folded lawn chair and take a leap for the lake. But Cliff grabs me in his arms and pulls me back to my seat.

"It's actually best that you did that. I think you have smoked enough for the night ."

Cliff shimmies his hips in his seat, his head falling back looking at the trees above our heads. "Besides, let's not talk about Mustaine right now. Different story for a different day."