ALL WE DO IS DRIVE

Illuminated in the Light, Bouncing Off the Exit Signs I Missed

The first time Edith Tozier gets high with Stanley Barber, it's in his old ass car, the 1978 Ford Fairmont. 

      Edith's heard a lot about marijuana. About how it can get you high and shit. But that sometimes they can help deal with anxiety.

      And boy was she always anxious.

      The only time where she was truly relaxed in public was when she was with her dads. And now Stanley. He naturally had this calming aura around him.

      Or maybe because he always smelled like weed and she was getting high by contact.

      Either one could've definitely worked in all honesty.

      "I wanna get high." Edith said out of nowhere as she sat down in front of Stanley in the cafeteria, dropping her sandwich on the table.

      The taller boy paused from his chewing on his burrito, looking confused and a bit startled. "And you're telling me this because...?"

      "No seas tonto, I can smell the weed in your car and your shitty attempt to cover it up with cologne." She responded in Spanglish, taking her ham and cheese sandwich from the paper bag.

      He blinked in confusion. "What the fuck was the first part?"

      "'Don't be a dumbass'." She translated simply, staring down at him. "So, you gonna get me high or do I have to find someone else?"

      "No offense Edie, but I am literally the only person you talk to in this school. And I'm pretty sure in general. Besides your dads, of course." He seriously wasn't wrong. He caught on that after only two weeks of friendship, she kept her head down around everyone except him.

      Edith's light green eyes narrowed slowly at her best friend, making him fumble over his next words to make sure she didn't snap at him. "I-I just mean, you know, I've never seen you interested in getting high before. Until now."

      She didn't say anything for a moment, picking away the crust of her sandwich before sighing loudly. "I have to do an oral presentation tomorrow for English and the thought of it makes me think I'm gonna puke in front of the class mid speech. Maybe if I get high, I can be relaxed enough to present without humiliating myself."

      Stanley softened, giving her a reassuring smile before she felt his foot lightly nudge against her leg. "Anxiety does suck. I mean, getting high a few hours before I present usually helps. But some people react differently to smoking weed." He explained. "They get paranoid and shit like that. And I don't think you wanna get even more paranoid while presenting."

      She huffed, slouching forward and pressing her cheek against her open palm. "I just wanna be chill enough to present my project but I don't know how. I've tried that meditation shit but I'm too impatient to actually get fully involved."

      He chuckled, mimicking her action and putting his cheek on his hand as well. "Look, we can get high after school to see how you do. Is that cool with you?"

      She smiled at him, nodding as she tried to contain her excitement. "Sounds good with me, Stanny. Thanks."

      The taller boy nodded as well, the two teenagers eating their lunch until—

      "I can't believe you called me a dumbass in Spanish."

      "Get used to it, tonto."

      And that's how they ended up in his Flintstone's car, leaning her back against the seat as Edith watched him take out a blunt from a tin container he kept in his pocket.