Smoking gun

Chapter one: lover boy

I sat in my chair. That awful chair.....soo.....uncomfortable. My long legs stretched far past my desk as I slumped in my seat, watching our teacher write letters and numbers on the board. My other classmates were also uninterested in the equations being taught to us. It was just one of those days, the kind where everyone was too tired to stir up a fuss. But no sleep was allowed us because, of course, we really needed to learn this "valuable " math technique to be "successful " in life. At least that's what our teachers would say. My class was rather small, three boys, four girls. Private school of course. But not the really nice kind. Just the average, run of the mill private school. I m pretty popular in school you could say. But I still never quite felt like I belonged. Kind of like a puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit in the spot you try to put it in. Yes it could fit there I suppose, but barely. The kids in my class were just so unbearably loud and obnoxious.
They could be pretty funny at times though. I raised my hand hoping I wouldn't have to hold it up long. Last time i waited so long to be called on that by the time my teacher finally turned around, I had forgotten what I wanted to ask.
This time, she turned around immediately . I asked to go to the bathroom and she obliged my request.
I didn't really need to go to the bathroom, I just wanted to stretch my legs. I walked down the hall , observing the flickering lights above. Just like hospital lighting. As I was entering the girls room(which happens to be right next to the boys room) I noticed smoke wafting by the door. I instantly recognized the soothing scent of cigarettes. Damn, those boys. Wouldn't I kill for a smoke right now. Then I heard the sound of one the teachers coming towards this hall. It's pretty hard to miss the stomping of miss carter. She doesn't really stomp, but she's just so big, that the sound could be heard from a mile away. Miss carter is one of the most annoying teachers just because she punishes kids for the silliest things. But if she caught the boys smoking, they would get in so much trouble. I just couldn't let that happen. I'm too nice for my own good ,I guess. So I knocked on the door lightly and suddenly the door whooshed open and I was face to face with Kai. I whispered quickly " Carter's coming right now and I can see your smoke on the other side of the door!"
Kai looked me up and down. He smirked.Then Without a second to waste Kai grabbed me by my arm and pulled me inside the boys room and closed the door behind me.

Inside the bathroom were four other boys . Two smoking and the others just laughing at some joke I obviously had missed. On the floor was lying the smoke detector. Apparently they had figured a way to take it down and put it back up without anyone noticing that it wasn't on. Then I remembered that the Carter was probably walking our hall right now. "Guys!" I whispered. " Miss Carter is walking down the hall right now!" The boys noticing my distress, stared at me. One boy, named Andrew said " don't you know? Miss carter has terrible vision, AND she can't smell anything since her surgery." "Oh."was all I could manage. They smiled. I looked around and recognized Ian, and Dean.
All seniors. Kai I know pretty well. He flirts with me every chance he gets. Says he likes when I blush. Kai never was shy.
Ian is my best friend Rose's  older brother. Only older by like a year and a half. But he looks like twenty. Anytime someone needs to get their hands on some alcohol, they call Ian. Then there's Dean. Dean is kind of the ringleader of the circus.
I've always thought he was handsome. Of course so does every other girl in school, they would probably use the word "hot" or "steamy". But I think handsome is classier. Dean , despite the popularity never had a girlfriend. Don't know why. But he always gave me the feeling that he liked me......Kai snapped me out of my thoughts. "Is someone going to offer the lady a smoke?" Ian passes me a half smoked cig. I take it gratefully. We smoke and joke for a good half hour.
I feel so comfortable with these boys. Sitting on the sink in my uniform I blow rings of smoke. A trick I learned watching my dad. I smoked one and a half cigarettes. That's one half more then I ever have before in one sitting. As much as I enjoy smoking I only allow myself one cig each week. Why does everything I love doing have to kill me? Also getting cigs when you're underage can be a hassle. Usually I bum some from Ian. Gazing at me from his blue eyes Dean mutters. "There's no way you're only sixteen." The remark doesn't surprise me. I've lead a rough life. But unlike most kids who claim to have had a tough childhood or unhappy homes, I don't feel damaged. I don't feel like I'm at a disadvantage.
But it seems I've been forced into adulthood before my time. It doesn't bother me. The bell rings , and it's time for our next period. We reluctantly rise to leave, and Kai puts the smoke alarm back up. I peep back into the girls room when no ones looking and wait a couple minutes to make sure the coast is clear before leaving and heading to class. My next class is science. Then lunch.... At lunch I walk outside to the swings. The usual gathering place of the cool kids. My seat is occupied by Kai. There are only like four swings and everyone else gathers around them, hoping to be included in our conversation. Most kids think that the popular kids don't know that they're popular. Now that's crap. Of course we know. We just don't go around saying it. We pretend we don't know. Imagine how obnoxious it would be if we acknowledged it.
Kai painting on his most innocent face pats his lap and taunts" You can sit on my lap sweetheart!" He thinks he's sooo funny of course. But two can play at this game. " But Kai!!! I thought you were a gentlemen?" "Would you attack my honor?" He replies in mock horror. He gives me back my swing, with a twinkle in his eye. I enjoy the view, while eating my lunch. It's a cloudy day, about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. My favorite kind of day. Rain would be even better, but then we would have to sit inside and the teachers would listen in on all of our conversations. Ian turns to me from his swing and asks me I f I'm going on the retreat. I ponder it. Mountains and cold weather, my friends with me. Sounds good, but I've got to see if I can find the cash. I'm not as well off as most of the kids here. I manage though. "Yes" I reply hoping that I'm not fibbing. "Cool." "You?" He asks Dean. "Yea." "Great!We've got the whole crew then! Mary and Kai are going too." I'm pretty excited for the trip. I see Dean staring at me from the corner of my eye. I wonder what would happen if I turned around and stared back at him. Better not. Might be weird. He's tactful about it though. He only glances when he thinks I'm not looking. I don't mind. ...

The school day has finally ended and Ian, Kat, and I walk out of the school building slowly talking about the upcoming trip. Then Dean walks up to us and he and Ian exchange a look. "Catch you later, Kay?" He says before pulling Kat over to Mary and Kai. Dean and I are the only ones left on this side of the building, we're by the back door and in the shade. Everyone else has left already. "So, I thought maybe you would like to ride up with us to the retreat. Ian got permission to drive us up. We can have a group road trip. I didn't want to say anything earlier, in case Kat invited herself along like Christmas."We both giggled at the memory. Kat is from my grade, and thinks that because I was nice to her once, were best friends now. Don't get me wrong , I like her. But she can be irritating at times as we all learned on the Christmas trip. Dean leaned towards me and without thinking I took a step backwards and instantly felt the brick wall behind my back. I looked up at him realizing at that moment how much taller he is than me. I realized how easily he could overpower me if he should choose. But more importantly I realized that I wasn't afraid. "I trust Dean" I thought to myself. I've always been afraid of most guys. Even if I like a guy I'm still always afraid of being taken advantage of. But not with Dean. Dean is so gentle. He leans in a little closer and our lips touch. He kisses me softly. Then more intensely.
At the last moment I kiss him back a little. I feel his lips smile against mine. Then he pulls back beaming at me. "You smell like.....sweet. I like it." I blush. "You smell pretty good yourself" I think to myself. We go our separate ways.I walk home, and the entire time I think about the retreat. And riding up with Dean....... I knew he liked me.......;)