Smoke And Mirrors, Part 1

This fictional story contains adult themes and descriptions. If such offends
you, read no further.  All persons and situations depicted are fictional, any
similarities to real persons or events is purely coincidental. All rights
reserved. This story cannot be reproduced without the written prior approval
of the author. You can notify the author at del999@yahoo.com.

Smoke & Mirrors
Part 1: The Freshman

On this autumn day, the sun shone brilliantly. There was the faint smell of
burning leaves in the air. Co-ed's dressed in bulky sweaters, casually walked
across the large grassed area in front of the ageing grey administration
building.

Sitting at a picnic table, outside the cafeteria, sat a young girl. Her dark
brown hair was parted in the middle, straight and shiny, cut just above her
shoulders. Her look was fresh, innocent, and wideyed. Her pale complexion was
complemented with cheeks that had been gently brushed with the color of rose
petals. Her beauty was natural and not complicated by any makeup. With an air
of naiveté, her big blue eyes slowly scanned the horizon carefully. Raising
her eyes from her book, her gaze focused on a group of three girls leaving
the cafeteria entrance. She watched surreptitiously, as the girls stopped
gathering in a ceremonial circle. Simultaneously, they reached into their
purses to retrieve their cigarettes.

Suzanne thought how different this place was from her high school. At high
school she knew almost everyone. Here she knew no one. A sense of isolation
washed over her as she watched the three girls gossiping, laughing, and
smoking.

Her defense mechanisms began to kick in. "Those girls are totally stupid to
be smoking. Didn't they know any better? Didn't their mothers tell them that
smoking was bad for them?

But then she reconsidered. In a way she envied them. They seemed to be having
so much fun, smiling and laughing as they released long plumes of smoke into
the cool quiet autumn air. You could tell they were all friends. They had
something in common. They were a group. Would she ever belong to a group?
Would she ever make friends at this large impersonal college? Her eyes
returned to her book as she tried to read, finding it difficult to
concentrate.

Even though she had been on campus for a week, she had not made any friends
yet. Even Suzanne's new roommate had been unfriendly. She sighed as she
watched the exhaled smoke from the circle of girls hang motionless in the
air, highlighted by the radiant sun. After the smoke paused for a moment, it
slowly billowed and cascaded through the air along the horizon. There was an
atmosphere of pure calm and tranquility. The girls looked to be in total
bliss as they inhaled again and again absorbing their guilty pleasure.

Suzanne Leblanc, the nineteen-year-old freshman, had been a cheerleader at
her high school, but had lacked the confidence of other girls her age.
Despite her good looks, she had always felt that she just didn't fit in.
Suzanne had dated, but had never really had a boyfriend. Between her rigid
Catholic upbringing and the demands placed upon her by her mother, this young
girl had never really matured. Suzanne was embarrassed to admit that she was
still a virgin.

As she sat there pretending to read, a thought came to her. Her mother was no
longer around to control her every move. She was now free to do whatever she
chose. As she saw the girls take their last deep inhales, she made a
commitment to herself. She was going to spread her wings for the very first
time in her life.

At that very moment, Saint Nicotine was looking from above and smiling.

Suzanne could not know that the over the next few months events would occur
that would effect Suzanne for the rest of her life.

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