Anna 120 (continuation of Spring Break Confessions), Part 2

Anna 120 - Part 2/2
*part IV of Spring Break Confessions (an4@anon.lelnet.com)  

    Sybil was watching the game out of the corner of her eye, but most of her 
attention was on Robyn. On her third beer, she was starting to loosen up and 
feel good. Robyn was laughing at a story that Kristin was telling about 
Vassar boys and how clueless they were.
    She really was cute- no question there. She was also her friend's sister.
    The story came to an end and they all shared a good chuckle at the punch 
line, which involved someone drunkenly walking into a tree.
    'This is fun,' Sybil said. 'I wish your sister would invite me out more 
often.'
    'Well,' Robyn said, enticingly, 'you've got my standing invite. You 
know why she doesn't ask you to come her alone with her, right ?'
    'Yeah, because she doesn't like hanging out with me in bars because I 
smoke and she doesn't. But she figured tonight you guys would be smoking 
anyway.'
    'Actually, I figured that,' Robyn said, batting her eyelashes.
    'Well, what you need to figure out is a way to get her to smoke.'
    'I've tried everything short of tying her up and forcing her to smoke.'
    'I don't think she'd enjoy that,' Sybil said, 'but I would.'
    'Should we leave you two alone ?' Kristin teased.
    'I don't know about Robyn, but I like an audience.'
    'Who's the guy ?' Tricia asked, seeing that Anna and Zack were talking 
as much as playing darts.
    'I think he's a student at Central. I've seen him on campus. He's kind 
of cute.'
    'It won't go anywhere,' Robyn said.
    'Why not ?' Tricia asked.
    Robyn waved her cigarette then drew on it for emphasis.
    'Oh. Hey, maybe that's what she needs.'
    'I did leave my cigarettes over there. But she would never light up just 
to turn a guy's head, would she ?'
    Robyn snorted. 'Well, I've told her enough times that guys love to watch 
women smoke, but she just says 'What do you know ?' like lesbians can't 
understand how guys think.'
    'I'm sure she doesn't mean it that way,' Kristin said.
    'No, but she'll latch on to any excuse to dismiss smoking as nothing 
more than a bad habit.'
    'Not everyone is smoker material,' Tricia said. 'We have a few friends 
who don't smoke.'
    'Well,' Kristin said, 'Carrie doesn't smoke during field hockey, but 
that's just because her coach gives her an hard time.'
    'And Jill.'
    'Jill- well, Jill is Jill. And Tina has been trying to quit, or so she 
says.'
    'She's just too cheap to buy her own.'
    'They do look like they are hitting it off,' Robyn said, looking over to 
where her friend was talking to Zack.
    

    They were hitting it off. The game was going slowly because they were 
spending more time talking than playing, but no one else was waiting for the 
board so that was fine.
    'You sure you don't want a cigarette ?' Zack asked, lighting one of his 
own.
    'You seem anxious to have me smoke,' Anna said, hiding her 
disappointment.
    'Well, I want to ask you out, but I have strict policy- I only date 
smokers.'
    'Really ?' Anna said, amased to find herself toying with the pack of 
Sybil's Vs 120s.
    'Yeah. Dating non-smokers is just too much of an hassle, you know.'
    'I can go either way,' Anna said.
    'I don't mean to be forward, but I really would like to ask you out.'
    Anna wanted that. Zack was witty and clever, and his looks had grown on 
her in the short time they'd been playing darts. But he was asking a lot. She 
thought about her friends and her sister and wished they would just go away. 
This would be easier if they weren't there to see what she was about to do. 
They were never going to let her live this down.
    She popped the top on the cigarettes and drew one out.
    Across the bar, Sybil watched, a smile on her face. She said nothing to 
the others- she wanted to let her friend have this moment in peace, because 
there would be plenty of time to tease her later.
    She brought the cigarette to her lips and Zack was there with a light. 
She forced herself not to tremble. Not to think about how the smoke might 
choke her. She determined to do this and not have anything like that happen. 
The flame caught the cigarette and she drew the smoke into her mouth and then 
into her lungs, which were more used to smoke than she realised.
    She exhaled, a pretty cloud of smoke that escaped her mouth and she 
realised that all this time, she had been missing the whole point of smoking. 
She had been breathing in everyone else's smoke- her parents, her sister, her 
friends, but not getting the enjoyment of it.
    That was what it was- enjoyable. She drew again, wanting to be sure that 
she understood the difference of the sensation and yes, there it was. Smoking 
was like being around smokers but with the added benefit of- enjoyment. Her 
mind seemed to clear, her vision seemed to sharpen. Her pulse raced and she 
felt something almost sexual in the enjoyment of it all. This time she tried 
a nose exhale and found that she could do that easily.
    'That's better. Look, I have to head out after we finish our game. Give 
me your phone number and I'll call you in the morning. I know this great 
place I'd like to take you for dinner.'
    Anna stopped a waitress that was walking by, grabbed her pen and scrawled 
her number on a napkin. The waitress winked at her as she handed the pen back 
and Zack folded the napkin carefully and placed it in his wallet.
    Anna drew on the cigarette, took the darts, and walked back to the board, 
trailing smoke behind her as she walked. Zack watched her going out of her 
way to shake her pert, perfect ass and thought that tomorrow night's date was 
going to be something to treasure. She threw two bull's eyes, closing them 
out, and then went to work on sixteens, missing wide.
    He was waiting for her at the line when she came back with the darts. 
    She brought the cigarette to her lips, drawing on it sharply. She pulled 
the smoke deep into her lungs and held it before exhaling, pushing the smoke 
out through her nose.
    'I am so glad you lit that cigarette.'
    'Well, I have a little rule of my own,' Anna said. 'I don't date anyone 
I haven't kissed at least once.'
    'That's an odd rule. You usually wait until the first date until you 
kiss someone.'
    'You might- I don't.' She drew on the cigarette, held the smoke, and 
planted her lips over his and they shared a very smoky kiss.
    'I like your rule.' Zack said.

    They all saw the kiss, saw the cigarette resting in her right hand.
    'Oh my god,' Robyn said. 'She's smoking.'
    Sybil knew right away what needed to be done. If she didn't step up and 
help out her friend, it would all be over. Robyn would rush over there and 
ruin everything, driving her sister back into her non-smoking shell.
    'Yes, it looks like she is. Now listen very carefully. I- and I only- am 
going to get up and go over there. Anyone comes with me and it will ruin 
everything. Robyn- I know how excited you are, but you have to leave it be. 
She'll tell us, she'll explain, on her own. Do it any other way and you'll 
just embarrass her. I'm going to go and get my cigarettes and next game and 
that's it. Understand ?'
    'Yes. It's no fun that way, but I understand. I know you'll handle it 
just right.

    They needn't have worried. 
    Anna closed out sixteens, as sorry the game was over as she was glad 
she'd won.
    Zack extended his hand and she shook it firmly.
    'Good game, Zack.'
    'I'll call you in the morning. Will you be free around six ?'
    'Sure.'
    They shared another brief kiss and then he was gone. Anna walked back 
over to the table to get another cigarette and saw to her horror that the 
pack was gone.
    Sybil stepped out from behind a pillar that separated the darts area from 
the dance floor.
    'Looking for these ?'
    'I guess you all saw me smoking, huh ?' she asked.
    'I guess we did. So tell me about that kiss.'
    'Well, I have a date tomorrow.'
    'Must have been a pretty good kiss,' Anna said.
    'It was. But he had already asked me out. I have a date.'
    'You mentioned that. That is so cool. Are you a bar virgin ?'
    'Bar virgin ?' Anna asked.
    'Yeah- is this the first time you've picked up a guy in a bar ?'
    'I guess so. Look, can I have another cigarette ?'
    Sybil smiled. 'Girlfriend, you can have all the cigarettes that you 
want.' She pulled two from her pack, glad to see it was still half-full, and 
lit them. She handed on to Anna. 'So now tell me about this. What made you 
decide that you were going to start smoking cigarettes ?'
    'He suggested that I light up while he took some practice throws and I 
told him they were your cigarettes. He asked me if I smoked and I said 'not 
really.''
    'Not really ? I guess you must have been attracted to him right away to 
say that.'
    'Yeah. Considering that he smoked, I was worried that if I said no, he 
would be turned off.'
    'Weren't you turned off by the fact that he was smoking ?'
    Anna drew deeply on the cigarette and exhaled, smoke tapering out from 
her nose.
    'You know, I wasn't. He kind of pushed the point that I should have a 
cigarette and when I asked why, he told me that he only dates smokers.'
    'A sensible policy.' Sybil took a deep pull on her cigarette and exhaled.
    'So I lit one and jesus fucking Christ. The difference between standing 
around breathing in other people's smoke and breathing in your own is 
unbelievable. I love it.'
    'Just like that ? You have one cigarette and you're hooked ?'
    'Amazing, huh ? I took that first inhale and it was like everything I 
never understood was just explained to me, you know ?'
    'I don't remember my first cigarette being that enjoyable, but I wasn't 
twenty-one, either. You know the peanut gallery is going to want to hear 
everything- they're probably going to give you a rough ride about it, too.'
    'That's fine. I deserve it. I think about all the times I gave Robyn 
shit about smoking. My parents are going to-'
    'Oh come on, they won't mind.'
    Anna exhaled, drew again, held the smoke and then blew a thick stream 
directly at Sybil, who basked in it.
    'Just the opposite. They'll give me an hard time about taking so long to 
come around to the rest of the family's way of thinking about smoking. But I 
don't mind any of it as long as I get to keep smoking.'
    'Well have to get you some of your own- not that I mind sharing, but you 
should have your own- especially if you have a date tomorrow.'
    'I have a date tomorrow,' Anna said, liking the sound of it.

    Zack pulled up in his parent's driveway and got out of the car. He had 
promised to take his sister to campus to work on a research paper. She'd 
found out that the library was open usual hours despite the undergraduate 
break- the hazard of having a graduate school, he supposed- and had all but 
demanded that he take her there.
    He understood well enough. The school library wasn't real the place to 
get things done. And his sister liked any excuse that put her on a college 
campus.
    As he walked in the door her heard Gina's voice.
    'Mom, may I have a pack of cigarettes, please ?'
    'I thought you were going to the library to study,' Mom said, but 
patiently.
    'It's a twenty minute drive each way, and you can't expect me to do 
three hours of research without a smoke break-'
    'Or two. All right, but these have to last you until day after tomorrow 
at least. And no giving your brother an hard time. It's straight away home 
when he says it's time.'
    'Oh mother, you know Zack. He wouldn't put up with me giving him 
trouble. He is the good son, after all.'
    Zack walked into the kitchen as Gina tossed the cellophane wrapper from 
the cigarettes into the rubbish pail. She pulled one of the Marlboro Lights 
100s from the pack and lit it, then looked up at him and smiled.
    'How'd the bar trolling go ?'
    'Rather well, actually,' he said, pushing aside his annoyance at the 
term she used. She had a way of making it making it sound so tawdry. 'I've a 
date for tomorrow, actually.'
    'That's my Zack,' Mom said. 'Never a loss at the weekend.'
    'Really, mum,' Gina replied. 'He's been at a loss every weekend the 
last month.'
    'Can we not explore this any further at the present ?' 
    'Like you're not required to tell all on the way to the library ! Later, 
Mum.'
    The siblings walked out of the house, Gina smoking happily.
    'Now tell me all about her,' Gina said, with the enthusiasm of a 
teenager for her brother's love life.
    'Her name is Anna. She seems sweet enough.'
    'And she smokes, I take it.'
    They settled into the car and Zack backed up the driveway.
    'That's the funny thing. I don't really think so, but she- well-' He 
told her what had happened, how Anna had seemed hesitant to smoke but had 
finally lit up when he told her he only dated smokers.
    'So you think that she decided to smoke for you ? Now that is cool.'
    'Well, we'll see, but I think so.'
    'Maybe there is hope for you-'
    'Well, I think there might be a little more to her than that she smokes, 
pet.'   
    'Of course,' Gina said, exhaling smoke out the open car window. 'But 
that is a prerequisite, isn't it ?'
    'Yes, it is. You do approve, do you ?'
    Gina trimmed ash out the window and drew deeply on her cigarette. 'Of 
course I approve. Can't have you bringing home a non-smoker, after all. What 
with our being British, we'd have to be polite and not smoke. Can't have 
that.'
    'How are things going with Mark ?'
    'Let's just say that if any college boys hit on me I'll listen.'
    'I'll b e restricting you to freshmen, pet.'
    'Can I ask you a serious question, Zack ?'
    They pulled up to a stoplight and he looked at his sister. The cast of 
her face was so deadly serious that he considered not making light of her, 
but that very seriousness made it impossible not to do so. He smiled and said 
'I don't suppose this is about your research paper, is it ?'
    'It's more serious than that. If you weren't my brother, would you think 
that I was pretty ?' She asked the question and then took a deep draw on her 
cigarette. She had such a natural way of smoking that was so appealing. But 
that wasn't the question, after all. Nevertheless, it was part of the answer. 
She had a pleasant face- small nose, teeth that defied the notion of what it 
meant to be British, sparkling blue eyes and enticing curly blonde hair. When 
she smiled, and she often did, that face took on the quality of a fine 
renaissance painting. When she placed a cigarette between her lips and drew 
on it, something that in other circumstances might have been magical happened.
    'Why can't I give an honest answer as your brother ?'
    'One word- yuck ! Either you'll bust on me or you'll say something 
sickly appropriate but completely dishonest. I want your answer as guy. And 
you finish your answer by calling me pet I will hate you for it.'
    'Yes, you're pretty, and you hardly need me to tell you that. Why would 
you feel the need to ask ?'
    'Because Mark always seems to be looking at other women.'
    Zack shifted to fourth and sighed. 'Let me tell you a few secrets about 
Mark, p- Gina. First, Mark is seventeen. You could be- pardon this- you could 
be lying naked on top of him and he'd still look at other women if there were 
other women about. That's how seventeen year old boys are. Second, Mark is 
great big ass. Dad only likes him because he's a footballer. Mum thinks he's 
community college material at best- not that there is anything wrong with 
that. But he's made a fool of himself more than once in front of all of us. 
And he can't hold his beer.'
    'Well, none of these boys can. They haven't been taught to drink 
properly.'
    'It's okay. It's not as though I love him. I know he's rather flawed.'
    'You ought not date him just because he's convenient.'
    'Why not ? I just want to go to the prom like all the American girls, and 
he did ask me.'
    'I know, but if he's not treating a pretty, intelligent girl like you 
right, you should do better.'
    'I appreciate that. Now let's get off this sappy seriousness and get 
back to your love life. I want to hear everything-'

Previous part | Next part