"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞..."
"...𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮."
For as long as anyone could remember, Aspen Greenwood and Cara Jasper had been at odds with each other. Whether it was for a spelling bee o...
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I knew I'd be a lightweight the first time I decided to smoke weed, but I didn't realize it would start to hit me only a few minutes after my very first puff. However, as my body starts to sway unintentionally and my eyelids begin to feel heavier than ever, I realize something is certainly out of the ordinary.
Norah and Opal each take a swig of their drinks as an unfamiliar girl slides into our group and smiles at us like we've known each other forever. She's much shorter than I am—not that I'm very tall to begin with—and has pin-straight, dyed red hair down to just below her chest, which is one small slip away from being completely revealed if she's not careful with her bikini top. Her gorgeous facial features seem to be of some Asian descent and her skin is tan and smooth and I suddenly realize I've been staring at her for far too long.
"You guys are smoking over here?" the stranger asks us with a bright grin.
"Yeah, is that okay?" Opal double-checks, although the other girl looks anything but upset with us for it.
"Dude, of course it's okay. Do you mind if I join?"
Norah and Opal share a look that is cut short by Norah's gleaming smile. "Of course you can! Here!" She hands what's left of the joint to the new girl.
"What's your guys' names?" the girl asks as she takes a puff of the joint.
"I'm Norah and this is Opal," Norah answers instantly, naming us all off to her excitedly. "And this—" she links arms with me, "—is Cara!"
The girl smiles at us all but keeps her eyes glued to mine after Norah introduces me. "I'm Sasha," she seems to only introduce herself to me until she turns to the others. "Nice to meet you guys! And thank you."
Opal nods and Norah's smile is wide and appreciative when Sasha hands the joint back to her. Sasha turns to face me again and peers over into my half-empty cup before we meet eyes.
"What're you drinking?" she asks curiously. I clear my throat as a force of habit before I respond to her.
"Uh, Sex on the Beach," I tell her, somehow remembering what Aspen asked for at the bar despite my currently substance-altered brain. I glance down into the cup and then at my hands for a second, realizing I don't even recognize myself right now.
"Ooh, yummy," Sasha comments. "Can I try?"
I feel my head tilt and my facial expression shift to what I'm really thinking—which is should I be suspicious of this girl or is boundless kindness just normal party behavior and I'm simply not used to it? Either way, I'm somehow able to react to Sasha's question without trying to hide my true feelings and I'm finally understanding why people call alcohol a truth serum.
"I don't have any diseases or anything," she reassures me. "I swear."
I snicker at her comment and hand her my drink. "Here."
