She's A Hurricane

Chapter Eighteen

It felt incredibly liberating to have my freedom back. Just to be outside in the real world, without anyone asking if I was okay and telling me what I could and couldn't do. When I was with the Thompsons, I felt trapped. I didn't belong in their neat family unit. It just wasn't for me. I was a lone wolf and could take of myself perfectly well. That's sort of the way it had always been.

I strolled around the pathways of the zoo for quite a while until I finally came across a secluded picnic area. It was fairly empty because it was at the edge of the park and there weren't many exhibits in this part. I was extremely thankful for this.

It meant I could smoke and not have anyone give me disapproving looks. I wouldn't want to smoke around children either. That's one thing I would never do. It's one thing to destroy my own body, but to damage the body of someone so small and fragile. It would just have been nasty.

I slumped my body down on one of the grubby picnic benches and pulled out the pack of cigarettes and lighter that I kept in my pocket at all times. It was strange really because recently I hadn't been smoking as much. I guess I was merely distracted by drastic change in lifestyle, but right now there was nothing to stop me.

I popped the end of the cigarette into my mouth and flicked the lighter to light it up. It took a few attempts because the cool breeze but once I had finally lit it a sense of nostalgia returned. I was at home again. I felt the relaxing toxins surge with my lungs and veins and although I knew it was disgusting, it felt so fucking good.

The smoke billowed out around my face as I exhaled the smoke. I leant my elbows on the wooden picnic table and scanned around. There were an older couple sat on a bench a good few metres away, but they hadn't seemed to notice me. Apart from that there was nobody about. This pleased me.

I sucked in more of my addiction and slowly closed my eyes because of the relief it was giving to me. I guess it was kind of bad that I relied on something that could kill me so much, but I didn't care much.

However, as I was about to finish the cigarette, a loud yelling interrupted the peace and tranquillity.

"Oi you!"

I swivelled around to see a man dressed in a dark green polo shirt marching towards me. On closer inspection I realised that this was the zoo staff uniform, meaning he worked here.

"Oi! You can't smoke here!" He shouted, as he came to stand angrily in front of the bench I was sat on. I gazed up him a bored manner, shielding my eyes from the blazing sun. Wow, he really wanted to exert his tiniest bit of power, didn't he? Maybe he was compensating for something.

"Um... we're outside?"

"So? You still can't smoke here, there are children about!"

I made an obvious look around the area to emphasise to him that there was literally no kids here, but he didn't seem to see the funny side of this. In fact, it only angered him more.

"This is a public area, so you cannot bloody smoke here!" He continued to bark. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. He was being so overly dramatic and it was getting pathetic.

"Alright, I'm done" I shrugged. I then dropped my cigarette on the ground and stomped on it with my foot, "Happy?"

His face turned a deep shade of crimson. This guy really was getting angry over nothing. There was no one around for god's sake. But that obviously wasn't going to stop him.

"Pick that up!"

"Make me" I challenged, allowing a sneer to grow on my face. I loved winding people up, it was one of my favourite past times.