House Of Them, Part 2

House of Them
by Wall Yams

Part 2

   Alicia didn't come home until around ten that night. Her mom was asleep,
needing to be at work by seven the next morning. Alicia usually went to bed
around the same time, but now it was summer vacation. How nice.

   She had been with Bud Orrington, an average student with an embracing
smile. He played baseball and had perfect teeth and, as it turns out, a
well-off cock. She and him had enjoyed a little couch time at his place that
afternoon. She was glad her mom was asleep; she was a little undone and
smelled like she had been working herself a little.  She went upstairs to her
bathroom, showered, and went to brush her teeth. She stopped at the sight of
the cigarettes. She figured her mom had just left them there carelessly but
noted the spent butt in the ashtray. She passed it off as being something
simple, like her mom needed to do her hair for something that afternoon and
had run out of hairspray. No big deal. Really no deal at all.

  Alicia woke up at nine. The house smelled normal; a bit smoky but fairly
clear. She did her morning pee and went to spruce herself up in case some boy
might call on her when she noticed the pack. Her mom must not have needed
them. Well, that made sense, really - Georgina had open packs everywhere.

  Never really having seen cigarettes not being consumed by her mother
before, Alicia found herself looking at the smokes more and more as she
straightened her hair and brushed her beautiful teeth. She shook her head as
the thought of examining them further crossed her mind, telling herself she
really didn't care.

  She went downstairs to the kitchen to fix herself some oatmeal. She hadn't
had oatmeal in a while and was tiring of cold cereal. As she went to eat it,
she noted she was a bit bored. Always one to read over the paper to see how
stupid the world had been the previous day, she noted it wasn't on the table.
Of course; her mom took it for breaks.  Oh well, no Beetle Bailey until
tonight. But she was looking for something to do other than stare blankly at
the empty chair across from her. She noted another pack sitting on the table.
She shrugged her shoulders a little, picked it up, and examined it.

   She didn't recall ever having a pack of smokes in her hands before.  She
liked the fact that it was surprisingly light. She read the warning on it and
sighed, wishing her mother would take heart in it, and learned not much of
anything more about it. Curious by nature, she seemed dissatisfied to just
lay the pack back down. But she knew her overly gossipy and ever spying
neighbor woman would probably see her in no time, so she slid the pack onto
the floor inconspicuously, took care of her bowl and spoon, and made like she
was picking something up off the floor. Of course she was, only now she
hugged the cigarettes in an attempt to conceal them. She took them up to her
room, located in the middle at the back, the only window facing a vacant lot
with a dieing tree in it. She sat on her bed and opened the top of the pack.
She noted the foil had been disturbed and that five cigarettes wee gone. She
smiled unintentionally. Her mom would probably never know if she were to - what
the hell was she thinking? Cigarettes could take away from her boy time. But
still, her mom would never be the wiser...

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