*****
"No, you're not playing it right."
My view of the cloudless blue sky was momentarily blocked by a skinny, tanned arm that reached over and plucked the joint from my mouth. Arms folded beneath my head, I turned to face a 16 year old Keri.
"Well, what if I don't want either of the options?" Her steely blue eyes met mine, and I watched her take a long inhale of smoke and hold it for a second before answering me. My eyes followed the smooth line of her cheekbones and down her jaw, and I felt my skin getting hot as she slowly released the smoke from her soft lips. I forced my gaze back to hers.
"That's the point silly. You're not supposed to want to do either." Her hand bridged the gap between us once more, and she held the joint to my lips, I inhaled deeply.
A sly smile lit up the corner of her eyes.
"Okay, another one then. Would you rather…kiss Aiden" she hesitated a moment, as if to second guess herself.
"...or kiss me?"
The question hung in the air for a moment and she rushed to take a final drag before flicking the butt of our smoke behind her. I realised I was holding my breath. I released it, and the fuzzy warmth from being stoned gave me a feeling of confidence I hadn't thought I possessed.
"I thought I wasn't supposed to want to do either."
I freed one arm from between my head and the soft warm grass beneath me and rolled gently towards her, my fingers tracing the soft jawline I'd longed to touch for years. Keri's lips parted softly, and she tilted her face towards mine, saying my name in barely more than a whisper
"Ali…"
I inched towards her.
"Wake up!"
For a moment I was confused.
"WAKE UP!"
*****