Smoking Project, Part 2

Smoking Project
Part 2 of 4
an4@anon.lelnet.com

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Lee said.
    "Sit back and relax and I'll make this as easy as possible." Tiffany took 
the cigarette and handed it to Lee, who cupped it in her left hand.
    "Not like that. Between your fingers, silly."
    Lee did as she was told.
    "Now put it up to your nose and smell it."
    Lee ran the cigarette along her nose, inhaling.
    "That's a nice smell, isn't it ?"
    "Yeah, actually it is."
    "Look at it. Those clean white lines. You know what that is ?"
    "It's a cigarette, doofus."
    "No. It's more than that. It's power. Power of enjoyment, and sexual 
power. You learn how to hold it and smoke it and it will attract boys. That's 
one of things about smoking you don't understand yet. Why do you think I'm 
so popular ?'
    "Arrogant much ?" Lee asked, trying for defiant.
    "No, I'm serious here."
    "Well, you're fucking gorgeous. That perfect little nose, those fucking 
breasts. And your legs. Shit. I would kill for your legs."
    Tiffany took her friend's free hand and dragged her into the downstairs
bathroom.
    "Look in the mirror."
    Lee did, and she saw two girls, one beautiful, with straight long blonde 
hair, a perfect face. And a second girl with wild red hair, fat lips, goofy 
blue eyes that didn't match the hair and studious black wire-framed glasses. 
Her own breasts were passable, but she hid them under a baggy black mock 
turtleneck.
    "I see two gorgeous girls. If I was a lesbian, I'd be all over you in a 
second. Your lips are so- kissable."
    "But you get all the boys."
    "Because of this-" Tiffany said, taking Lee's left hand. "Put it up to 
your mouth."
    Lee did a passable job of looking like she was smoking the cigarette.
    "Here." Tiffany took the cigarette between the first two fingers of her 
right hand, drew it up to her mouth, faked an inhale, and removed the 
cigarette from her mouth. She lifted it, holding it with the two fingers 
angled away from the rest of her hand up by her ear. Then she handed it back.
    "Now you try it."
    Lee took the cigarette, inserted it between her lips, inhaled, tasting 
the sweet tang of unlit tobacco, and then mimicked the hold. She pursed her 
lips and pretended an exhale.
    "See."
    And it was an epiphany. Lee did see, did understand. She did it again.
    "Power."
    "Power to burn, girlfriend. Now, back to living room."
    Tiffany guided Lee to the chair, sat her down. Lee brought the cigarette 
back to her lips and Tiffany lit it for her.
    "Now go easy. I don't want to be washing puke out of the fucking carpet."
    She stood behind her friend, rubbing her shoulders the same way she did 
when Mom came home tense after a day of work. 
    "Relax."
    Lee drew the smoke into her mouth and exhaled it through her nose without 
taking any of the smoke into her lungs. She repeated this three times and 
then tapped the ash away into an ashtray.
    "I want to see myself."
    This time she grabbed Tiffany's hand and pulled her back into the 
bathroom. She brought the cigarette to her lips, drew, and nose exhaled again.
    "Now you-"
    Tiffany took the cigarette, pulled deeply on it, and coated them in 
smoke. Lee watched her friend's breasts heave, watched the look of joy on her 
face as she exhaled. She trimmed the ash into the toilet and then handed it 
back.
    "Inhale and hold. Exhale. Concentrate on the way you hold the cigarette 
in your hand."
    Lee did, looking at herself in the mirror.
    Tiffany stepped behind her friend and hugged her around the waist, 
peaking her face over her other shoulder, half concealed in that red hair. It 
was nice hair. It might not be blonde, but it was nice. She held the 
cigarette exactly as Tiffany had. She put her other hand on Tiffany's and 
squeezed.   
    She brought the cigarette back to her lips, inhaled, let some of the 
smoke slip into her lungs, fought the urge to cough, exhaled.
    Tiffany guided her hand towards the toilet.
    "Just a tap. Always keep the ash trimmed. A long ash is nasty."
    Lee tapped on the cigarette with her index finger. Once, twice, and the 
ash fell away, leaving a rounded tip.
    "Perfect. Again."
    Inhale. Smoke held, cigarette moved, exhale.
    Trim.
    Again.
    "Wow, this is cool."
    "I told you."
    "And smoking is like, well, it's performance art."
    "In a way, yes. It's enjoyable in itself, but it needs to be done right."
    "I could get used to this."
    "You'd better."
    "I'm just doing this for the paper, smoker."
    "Whatever, smoker-in-training."
    
    The day had gone by quickly. It was already three-thirty. They'd knocked 
off the Soho article around noon and done two more after that.
    But Bree had only been able to get Beth to smoke three cigarettes that 
whole time, and she found herself disappointed and invigorated all at once. 
She liked Beth- liked her a lot.
    She liked her even more when she was smoking. The truth was that it was a 
little exciting watching her smoke.
    Bree lit her tenth cigarette and found it every bit as enjoyable as the 
first.
    "Sure you don't want another ?'
    "I shouldn't. I'm enjoying it a little too much," she said, slightly 
sullen.
    "What's wrong ?" Bree asked, deciding that she did indeed want to push 
this envelope.
    "Well, oh, it's nothing. Trust me."
    It wasn't nothing, of course. In fact, it was pretty important- the 
problem was that Bethany thought it was only important to her, which was 
wrong. Of course, part of that problem was the way Bree had been acting 
herself, straddling the fence to see what would happen rather than giving 
more positive signs to work with, because she wanted Beth to do the actual 
work.
    "Try me. I'm a pretty good listener and I have an open mind."
    "You really don't want to know."
    "That sounds like you're thinking for me. What do you always say ? Don't 
think for the readers, let then think for themselves. Right ?"
    "Yeah."
    "Okay, let me think for myself."
    "Well, you have to promise me that you won't let what I'm going to say 
have an effect on our relationship."
    "You mean a negative effect," Bree said, blowing smoke.
    "Yeah."
    "Deal."
    "I- I have a little bit of a crush on you, Brianna."
    "I know," Bree said, and she was instantly sorry. It wasn't what she had 
meant to say, after all.
    "You knew ?" Beth said, incredulous.
    "Let me give you some well-meaning advice. If you want to keep a secret 
in an office this size, don't tell it to anyone."
    "Who told you ?"
    "No one. I overheard something one day."
    Beth was blushing crimson. "I'm so sorry- I'm so fucking embarrassed."
    "Why ?" Bree asked, punctuating the question with a nose exhale.
    "Well come on. You're forty, you have a teenaged daughter. You're 
straight. "
    Bree stood up, walked behind Bree, put an hand on her shoulder and let 
her exhale drift onto Beth.
    "Don't take this the wrong way, but I would expect an open lesbian to be 
a little more open-minded."
    "What ?"
    "The year right before I started dating Gary, I was in a relationship 
with the most beautiful woman- the most beautiful person I've ever known."
    "Is that why- why you got divorced ?"
    Bree laughed, thought about the question, smoked, laughed some more. Beth 
looked at her with a little bit of wonder in her sweet green eyes.
    "No. Gary had two faults. He wasn't faithful and he wasn't discreet. The 
first time, he told me it would never happen again and I believed him. The 
second time he said it would never happen again and I knew he was lying- he 
just didn't. The third time, I asked for a divorce. By then, Tiff was twelve 
and I thought she could handle it."
    "So you're bisexual ?"
    "No- I'm open minded. I don't think of it as being bisexual. When the 
right person comes along, I act on it."
    "Does Tiffany know ?"
    "it's never really come up- although she wonders why I'd rather watch 
Buffy than Angel. I have no problem telling her, though, if that's what 
you're worried about."
    "What ?"
    "Well, do you still have- I don't know- a crush on me ?"
    "Yes," Beth said, sound like her teeth were being pulled.
    "I'm flattered. You're very attractive and you're a great person. 
You're also twelve years younger than I am and I have a teenage daughter. Can 
you handle that ?"
    "I- jesus, I was never expecting this, you know."
    "Well, it's time to stop fantasising and start acting. Why don't you 
come over for dinner and really get to know Tiffany a little. We are a 
package deal, after all."
    "I-"
    Bree exhaled, bent down, and kissed Beth. Kissed her hard, her mouth 
still smoky. Beth kissed back.
    "Sure. Dinner. Let me just go collect myself a little."

    The phone rang.
    Lee handed the phone to Tiffany.
    "Hello ?"
    "Tiffany ? What are you doing ?"
    "Lee and I are working on our psychology paper, Mom."
    Giggling, Lee lit her fourth cigarette of the day. Although she had 
initially been enthralled by the concept of smoking, how it looked and felt, 
she had settled herself into a way of thinking about it- that this was just 
experimentation, that she would smoke for the next few days until they 
finished the paper on Thursday and handed it in on Friday.
    "I think you're probably just sitting around- you're smoking and trying 
to get Lee to join you."
    "Mom !" Tiffany said, aggravated.
    "Listen, Tiff. I didn't call to rag on you about your smoking. I have a 
limited amount of time here, so I want to tell you a few thing. First, I'm 
bringing someone home for dinner."
    "A date ?"
    "Yes, a date."
    "Is it someone I know ?"
    "Yes, it is. Bethany Applegate."
    "Bethany ?"
    "Are you shocked ?"
    "No- that is so cool."
    "You think it's cool ?"
    "Mom, that is so progressive."
    "Well, I'm glad you're all right with it. Now look, I have one other 
request. Or rather, I'm lifting the prohibition on your smoking. I want you 
to smoke while Bethany is at our house."
    "Why ?"
    "Let's just say that Beth is a lapsed smoker and I want to ensure that 
lapse is temporary."
    "Fine- on two conditions. First, if you are going to make some great 
dinner- and I know you will- Leah gets to stay for dinner."
    "Sure. Second ?"
    "Well, there's not going to be any temporary lifting of the prohibition 
of my smoking. If you want a smoker, you've got one. Permanently. And oh, by 
the way, if you want us to smoke, we'll need more cigarettes."
    "Us ?"
    "I'll explain later. Can you stop and-"
    "Oh, just take a pack from the carton over the stove. It won't be the 
first time !"
    "Mom, I would never-"
    "You don't think I can count to ten ?"
    "All right. I'll admit that I've borrowed a pack or two. Do we have a
deal ?  Not just one night-"
    "Hopefully, she'll still be around in the morning-
    "Mom ! More information than I need. Deal ?"
    "Deal."

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