As soon as I had my supplies I headed to a quiet area that I knew no one frequented. it was an area that used to be garages however it had since been left in disrepair and was never used. occasionally you might find one or 2 homeless people using the opened garages as somewhere to sleep. I found one that was sheltered from the wind and looked at the tobacco and papers I had along with the small amount of weed that was for my personal use. I set everything out in front of me as I tried to think how I would learn to roll. First off I would need to make a roach for the joint. I fumbled around as I slowly rolled a small piece of card and then laid this on one end of the long rolling paper that I had in front of me. i slowly placed the tobacco into it and then a small layer of weed and then a final layer of tobacco i knew my first attempt wasn't going to be amazing however i didn't expect the frankenstein of a roll i made spilling most of it out of the paper and having half of it twisted in some weird form. I took it apart and tried again. I must have done this about 15 times before it started to resemble anything that could be smoked. Once I had finally managed to get this to a decent enough state I took out a lighter and started to smoke. instantly coughing i knew i had added too much weed but it smoked and that was the main thing. After I had finished my smoke I headed to the small park hoping to burn some time before heading home and also hoping the smell would diffuse slightly. It was early evening and the estate was eerily quiet. It was almost like a ghost town. I sat in the park contemplating this new life I had chosen and wondering where it would take me. I didn't stay for long as i knew i had school the next day and it was our last day of school before the summer holidays. As I walked home I bumped into an abbey who was just walking around. As i approached i could see she was air drumming clearly with headphones in she hadn't even noticed me. When she did notice me she didn't look too impressed but removed her headphones
“ Hey Chris, what's going on with you ? i thought you liked me but then you seem really cold at the moment”
I felt a wave of guilt as i looked at her and just mumbled
“I'm sorry i have just had a few things on my mind and i do like you but i wouldnt think i have a shot with you”
As i finished she looked into my eyes and again i felt my heart leap and the familiar weightlessness her stare caused she laughed as she took my hand
“ i like you as well maybe we could be a couple and see how things go”
I nodded stunned by her suggestion we were not officially a couple. I wasn't sure what to do so we walked towards my house in silence hand in hand.
As we got closer to my home I noticed it was about half 9 and knew my mum wouldn't be best pleased that I had stayed out so late on a school night even if it was the last day of school. As i got into the door my sister was making her way from the sitting room to the stairs she pointed to the front room and stated
“ mum wants to speak to you”
I entered the front room unsure of what to expect. Half dreading this interaction my mum motioned to the sofa for me to sit down. I was so scared I couldn't even look her in the eyes. Instead I kept my head down like a dog being told off for making a mess.
“ I know you're getting older and you want to be your own person but we still have rules in place. These rules are there for a reason. They will help you become a responsible adult and help you learn that not everything in life is easy. That being said, I think we need to change some of the rules as you get older. You will still have to be home by 9 on a school night and 10pm at the latest on a non school night. If you're staying with a friend I will need to be told either in person or by text. If you choose to break these rules there will be consequences.”
I was stunned this was not what i was expecting at all in fact it was the opposite, i smiled to myself as i agreed to my mom's new rules. She stood up and spoke softly
“ i'm going to make myself a cup of tea and head to bed as i have an early start tomorrow one of the girls at work is sick so they need me to cover i think you should head to bed as well”
I slowly picked myself up off the sofa and headed to my room. I knew that i wouldn't be able to sleep without a smoke of some form if I wanted to avoid the nightmare that plagued me most nights.