Circumstantial, Part 2

Circumstantial
by an4@anon.lelnet.com
Part 2/2

Her IM chimed fifteen minutes later.
    So, are you smoking now ?
    No.
    You're not going to flake on me, are you :-(
    No. But that doesn't mean I'm going to smoke, either. You'll help me, 
won't you ?
    No.
    No ?
    I can't lie to your mom :-)
    Teresa just stared at the IM.
    If it comes down to it I'll go to FF alone.
    Fuck.
    Hey- TOS !
    No. u're saying TS to me. :-(
    Yeah, I am. I want to see u smoke as much as anyone.
    Y
    u're my best friend & I want u to share it with me. Besides, have u 
forgotten how u blabbed to M&D that I smoked.
    that was an accident. I thought u had told them already.
    I hadn't. 
    Like that put u in a bind !
    Light up. U don't really have to smoke that much- just a few puffs a 
cigarette. U already had one.
    Not really.
    Come on. Tell me about it :-)
    I lit one up and took two drags. That's it.
    Yeah, right. Did u like it ?
    Teresa closed the IM and then ignored it for the rest of the night.
    
    Arial walked into her room around ten. There's been a brief discussion of 
Teresa's smoking problem at dinner, after which she'd sulked her way back up 
to her room to study while the rest of the household watched television and 
smoked and laughed. Teresa had been looking forward to watching Friends, but 
it was no big loss.
    Her sister waited until she was well inside the room to release the 
volume of smoke she'd been holding her lungs. It filled the room with a 
drifting white cloud.
    "Want to go to lunch with me tomorrow ?"
    "What ?"
    "Mom says that you have an half day- parent-teacher conferences in the 
afternoon. So I was thinking that maybe you wanted to go to lunch with me- 
you can sit there and let probably four cigarettes burn down and that gets 
you at least a quarter of the way towards your allotment."
    "I don't suppose you'd smoke them for me ?" Teresa asked.
    "Of course not. That would be cheating. Look, why don't you light one of 
your cigarettes now. I'm going to stand here smoking anyway, so go ahead and 
you can tell me about your first cigarette."
    Rather than argue, Teresa did as she was told. She lit the cigarette and 
her sister grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the mirror.
    "Look at us." Arial put her cigarette to her mouth and drew deeply on it 
and Teresa mimicked her, but with a shallower inhale. They exhaled together.
    "Tell me we don't look hot."
    Arial hugged her sister tightly and Teresa simply refused to answer the 
question. She sat down on the corner of her desk and her sister sat in her 
chair.
    "My first cigarette ? Well, after Mom decided on my punishment, I came 
back up here and went back to work on my paper. When it was does, I decided 
to get it out of the way- the one cigarette that I thought I was going to 
have to smoke. It was the logical choice."
    Arial watched the way her's sister's hand unconciously drifted towards 
her mouth, holding the cigarette just right. She trimmed the ash without 
thinking, just a single gentle tap with the index finger.
    "And you didn't enjoy it at all ?"
    Teresa shook her head.
    "You'd better take another drag- you wouldn't want me telling Mom that 
you weren't smoking, would you ?"
    "I thought you were going to help me."
    "I am," Arial said. She took a sensuous pull on her VS 120, trimmed, 
exhaled, all nose.
    "Tell me about your first cigarette," Teresa countered.
    "I've never told you that story ?"
    "No."
    "Take a puff."
    Teresa did as she was told, taking a deeper draw. The smoke flowed into 
her lungs and she felt-
    She felt good.
    She said nothing. Instead, she went down the road a different way, 
retreating into the act of smoking, concentrating on trimming the cigarette, 
on holding it properly. Arial knew exactly what her sister was doing and she 
kept her approval silent.
    "It was my fifteenth birthday. Second week of classes sophomore year. Mom 
came by school and signed out me, Angela, and Joella. By then, they had been 
smoking all summer- and puttting pressure on me to start. I was resisting- so 
I think I know what you are going through. Anyway, Mom talked the waitress 
into a bottle of wine and four glasses and everyone broke out the presents."
    Arial paused to smoke, and signalled to her sister to do the same. This 
time Teresa pulled the smoke into her mouth, let it trickle into her lungs, 
and expelled it through her nose.
    "Anyway, Mom gave me the keys to the Altima. Then Angela gave me my 
lighter." She took it from her pocket and looked at it. A silver Zippo with 
an A engraved on the front. "Finally, Joella gave me a carton of VS 120s. I 
couldn't believe it. I looked at Mom, and all she said was 'Well, go ahead.' 
So I did light up and-"
    "You loved it, right ?"
    "No, actually, I hated it. At first, I couldn't get a decent draw on the 
cigarette. So I have three people, including my own mother, coaching me. I 
finally get a good pull into my lungs and it's too much. I start choking and 
think I'm going to puke. Finally, I finish the cigarette and lunch comes."
    "Afterwards, we all light up again- and that second cigarette was the 
first one I enjoyed- that one and everyone since."
    "And you're saying that it could be the same way with me ?"
    "Yes."
    "All right, I'll go to lunch with you tomorrow. But only because it will 
make things easier for me."
    With that, Arial left her sister left her alone.
    She trimmed the ash from her cigarette and took a conservative little 
pull, wondering-

    Mary grabbed her friend by the hand. "Study hall. Let's go and work on 
that pack of cigarettes. You really only smoked two yesterday ?"
    "You can see for yourself when we get outside. But don't worry. Arial's 
taking me to lunch later and I be able to dispose of at least four more."
    "Why do you have to think about it that way ?"
    "Because I do want to go to the Fall Fling. I don't want to smoke."
    Mary squeezed her friend's hand. "You don't understand yet, but you will."
    "I don't know that I want to understand."
    But she went outside with her friend. They walked away from the school 
and up one of the hills behind the school. This was where you went when you 
really didn't want to be caught smoking and Mary was concious of the fact 
that her friend had just turned in that slip this morning. When they were out 
of sight of the school, Mary took out her cigarettesw, removed one from the 
pack, and waited for her friend to do the same. Teresa knew better than to 
argue. She did it because she really did want to go to the Fall Fling.
    Mary lit them both up, noticing that Teresa took a small but satisfactory 
pull on the cigarette.
    "I'm going to tell you about a little secret that should drastically 
increase your smoking pleasure."
    "I'm telling you that I don't want to increase my smoking pleasure."
    "Yes you do."
    Teresa trimmed, drew timidly on the cigarette again. She felt the smoke 
go into her lungs, felt the rush it gave her and she understood that she was, 
in a sense, already lying.
    Mary's draw was deeper and more fulfilling. They exhaled together.
    "Tonight, after everyone has gone to bed, I want you try something. Strip 
down, light a cigarette, and then play with yourself while you smoke."
    "What ?"
    "I do it every night before I go to bed."
    "Shut up !"
    Mary trimmed, took a solid pump on her cigarette and smiled happily and 
she nose exhaled.
    Teresa knew she could just trim the ash from her cigarette and wait until 
it burned down a little more, but she had noticed that they burned faster 
when she smoked. She took another draw and exhaled quickly, this time not 
letting the smoke into her lungs. This allowed her to taste the smoke and 
unfortunately she enjoyed the taste.
    "I'm totally serious. It just takes the edge off the day and gets me nice 
and sleepy for the night."
    "Every night ?"
"Every night !"
    "Jesus."
    "He's not who I think about but it's an interesting suggestion. I'll try 
it tonight."
    Teresa shook her head and drew on her cigarette again. Mary noticed that 
the draw was deeper and she saw the half-smile that crossed her friend's face.
    This was going quiet well.
    Mary reached out, put her hand on her friend's breast, and started 
stroking the nipple, which was already taunt from the chill in the air.
    She expected Teresa to object, but she didn't.
    "Would you like me to stop ?"
    "No."
    Instead, Teresa reached out and repaided the favour.
    It was easily the most enjoyable cigarette Teresa had smoked.

    They sat down in the smoking section. The restaurant was packed with the 
lunchtime crowd. The smoking section was nearly full and as Teresa looked 
around she was surprised to that the majority of people in the section were 
women in their twenties and thirties, smoking every conceivable brand of 
cigarette. Teresa's knowledge of cigarettes was fairly expansive, living in a 
family of smokers, having friends who smoked. She identified every type of 
Marlboro, quite a few Virginia Slims smokers, Benson and Hedges, and one 
woman who was smoking Saratoga 120s, the only 120s Teresa knew of with a cork 
filter. 
    The woman were generally attractive, more so than Teresa had expected. A 
lot of blondes, some red-heads, many of the with big breasts and cheery 
smiles.
    They liked it, just like Arial, who pulled a Virginia Slims 120 from its 
pack slowly. "Come on, Sis. Time to light up and relax. Enjoy yourself. I've 
got a surprise for you."
    Teresa did as she was asked. As she lit the cigarette, she felt a phantom 
hand on her nipple. She'd smoked two cigarettes with Mary and her friend had 
made them quite enjoyable.
    This was just her fifth- Arial had not, thankfully, pressured her to 
smoke in the car. But it was happening, Teresa knew. She was starting to 
enjoy smoking, just as everyone had hoped, and she felt stupid for giving in 
so easily.
    Then she thought about that and got a little angry. She wanted to enjoy- 
or not enjoy- smoking- on her own terms, and as she lit her cigarette she 
felt some annoyance that this was going to make everyone happy. Twenty-four 
hours ago, she'd be mortified that she was caught with a lit cigarette twice 
in a day and now-
    She pulled the smoke into her lungs and enjoyed it and she knew that a 
life of smoking was opening up in front of her, a new dimension, a parellel 
earth where Teresa Brown smoked and enjoyed it in a way that she had never, 
until a few hours ago perhaps, wanted. She was about to ask her sister a 
question when Arial noticed her friend from the newspaper wander into the 
smoking section, camera in hand.
    "You are about to score major brownie points with Mom. Regardless of what 
you decide about smoking, I predict the Fall Fling is firmly in your grasp."
    "What ?"
    The woman walked straight over to them and now Teresa recognised her as 
Diana Regis, who'd graduated last year at the top of the class and gone onto 
to Central as a journalism major.
    "Hi guys. I'd like to take a few pictures of you for the newspaper."
    Teresa was mortified.
    "What paper ? The campus-"
    "No. The Times-Union. We're doing a front page article on the defeat of 
the smoking ban by the RTM and I need pictures of satisfied restaurant 
smokers. Arial told me you'd be here and I thought you'd be very photogenic 
volunteers." She put a paper down on the table. Just say yes and the waitress 
will bring a complimentary bottle of wine- they're very excited about having 
their name in the paper and Arial said you wouldn't mind being identified as 
smokers."
    "I can't seem to shake the tag," Teresa said. "But-"
    Arial reached across the table and patted her sister on the hand. "Think 
Fall Fling."
    Teresa took the pen that Diana had placed on the paper, wrote her name 
and signed it. Her sister put her cigarette in the ashtray and did the same.
    "Now just act natural. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Don't look at the 
camera. Profile shots work best. And relax."
    It was over in two minutes. Diana took twenty four shots and then 
holstered the camera.
    "That's it. You've been a wonderful audience."
    "Want to sit down and have a glass of wine ?"
    Diana didn't have to be asked twice. She sat next to Arial, opened her 
purse, and pulled out a pack of Salem Lights 100s. She lit the cigarette and 
double-pumped, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
    "I'm so glad that they voted the smoking ban down. 8-1. Arial tells me 
you just started smoking, Teresa. I'm surprised."
    "Why ?" Teresa asked, trimming and then taking the deepest inhale she'd 
yet attempted. It felt all too good.
    The waitress brought the wine and poured a small amout of Reisling into 
Teresa's glass. She taste it, nodded, and soon all three women were drinking 
and smoking.
    "Well, your sister started when she was fifteen," Diana said, picking up 
the conversation, "and I figured you wouldn't be far behind. Let me say that 
you make a darling little smoker. If you were a year or two older, I'd be 
asking for your phone number."
    "Wow," Arial said, patting her sister's hand while simultanouesly 
lighting another cigarette. "Diana never asked me for my phone number."
    "Only out of respect for your misguided straightness. Any time you'd like 
to try an at bat from the other side of the plate, I'm ready. Look, I'd love 
to stay and get to know Teresa better, but I have to get these pix developed. 
You'll be in the paper tomorrow- front page. You both looked wonderful."
    With that she was gone. The waitress came back and took their orders. As 
soon as she left, Teresa looked at the pack of cigarettes by her hand.
    "Go on."
    Teresa lit up, her pump on the cigarette stronger and more determined.
    "Tell me something, Arial. Do you ever- at night, after you close your 
door-"
    "Of course."
    "Really ?"
    "Every night, before I turn in."
    "No."
    "Yes. I love it. After I close- and lock- my door. It's the perfect way 
to end the day. You should try it."
    "But-"
    "Don't tell me that you don't, girl."
    "Well, let me give you something to finger yourself by," Teresa said, 
exhaling. "Mr. Billings was watching you smoke last Saturday and he really 
enjoyed it."
    "I hope he did- and I thought I saw him grabbing a look."
    "I offered him our phone number-"
    "Didn't you know he teaches night courses at Central ? He's my Modern 
American Lit professor, so I don't think he'll be calling. But I appreciate 
the heads up."
    "Were you ever disappointed in yourself that you gave in so easily ?" 
Teresa asked.
    Arial smiled, tapped ash from her cigarette, looked at it wistfully, and 
then smoked.
    "God no," she said, speaking through her exhale. "I know just what you 
are going through. I didn't think I wanted to smoke either and then I tried 
it and that was it."
    "And you really-"   
    "Every night. If you want some help tonight-"
    "That won't be necessary."

    Teresa locked her door for the first time since she was eight and her 
father had spanked her for the first and last time- for sticking tweezers in 
the electic outlet.
    It was past midnight and no one else was up. She took the ashtray off the 
desk and placed it on her nightstand. She stripped down, lay in her bed, and 
slowly, passionately stroked her nipples. Once they were strongly pointed she 
lit a cigarette and allowed her free hand to drift south. She began gently 
fingering herself and drawing on the cigarette, deeply and satisfied. She 
continued to smoke, thinking not about herself in the mirror or Mary smoking 
her nipples but rather of Kenneth Billing, telling her that smokers could be 
very attractive after all.
    The orgasm came in sync with the last draw on the cigarette. Satisfied, 
she lit another.

    Her mother and father were admiring her picture in the paper when she 
came down for traditional Saturday breakfast- eggs and pancakes, enough 
calories to last the whole weekend.
    "Honey, I just want to say-" her mother began as she appeared in the 
entryway to the kitchen, "that-"
    "Can I ask you a question first ?"
    "Honey, this picture- the smoke coming out of your mouth. You were really 
smoking. If you want to go to Fall Frolic, go ahead. I'm not going to hold 
you to your punishment." 
Arial got up from her seat and patted her sister on the head with the hand 
she was holding her cigarette in.
"I told you things would work out."
    Teresa hugged Arial. "Thanks. But I wasn't going to ask to be let out of 
my punishment."
    "What were you going to ask ?" Wanda said, taking a deep pull on her own 
cigarette. Donald looked up from the paper, tapped the ash from his cigar, 
and puffed away.
    "If I asked you to buy me a carton of VS 120s, would you ?"
    "I think our little girl is finally growing up," Donald said. "And it's 
about damn time." But he smiled at her as she lit her first cigarette of the 
day.
    "Does that mean I get a car ?"
    "One thing at a time, young lady."
    "We'll go right after breakfast and get you those cigarettes. And then 
maybe we'll do a little used car shopping."
    Donald laughed. "I suppose that's a good idea."
    Teresa hugged her dad, realising for the first time that she enjoyed the 
smell of cigar that clung to him.

    Next: Part Two, where Teresa goes to college and starts a smoking club.

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