The Step Brother

2. Timing is a funny thing.

Willow

The house shakes from the music blasting inside. There's cheering and the buzzing of intoxicated conversations happening all throughout. It's a shock that the police haven't been called yet, especially in a neighborhood as fancy as this one. She's relieved that Jace asked her outside, where it's less overwhelming. If she listens closely, she can hear crickets chirping in the grass.

"So... just suck in?" She asks.

He smiles crookedly at the question. It makes him think of a virgin, which is basically what she is. At least in the world of smoking pot. He tries not to entertain the thought of anything else she may be a virgin at.

Balancing the joint in one hand, he uses the other to pull her patio chair closer to his, as close as it possibly can. This action forces his legs to splay open to allow her in closer, and she makes the move to pick up her legs and criss cross them under herself. He reaches for the lighter. "I'll get it started for you. You'll inhale. The key is to hold the smoke in as long as you can. Then you'll just exhale out your mouth. Makes sense?"

In an ironic turn of events, Jace is the one teaching her something.

She nods, watching his lips as he hits the joint. After a moment or two, he passes it to her, making sure her small fingers have a grip on the thing before he lets go. It's still burning so there's no need to relight it yet. She brings the paper to her pink lips, inhaling it just like he said. It takes a few seconds for her to actually feel the burn in the back of her throat, to taste that skunk smell of it. She pulls it away when she's inhaled as much as she can. Her brown eyes are wide, her cheeks flushed, and her lips puckered as she counts the seconds of holding her breath. Finally, she exhales, letting the smoke out. Or she tries to. Instead, it's more like she breaks into a coughing fit.

"Trust me, it gets easier." He chuckles after she's caught her breath, offering her the water cup.

She reaches for it with both hands like a little kid and drowns the remaining liquid, trying to soothe her throat.

"You good?" He asks, his blue eyes concerned.

"Holy shit, I just smoked pot for the first time." She blurts this out, not even regretting the words as they come out. Her head feels lighter already. She can't already be high, can she? "Holy shit, I just got high with Jace Quinn."

The sound of his first and last name out of her mouth makes him laugh. She says it like he's some God, which he's the furthest thing from. "Is it everything you dreamed it would be?"

"That's not usually what my dreams of you consist of." She says matter of factly, leaning back in her chair. She catches sight of the hanging orange Halloween lights hanging above them. The color makes her feel happy. She must be a light weight because she's not even thinking about the implications to what she's admitted aloud right now.

It's enough of a comment to make his eyebrows lift curiously. He's not sure if it's her truth or the weed talking. He decides not to question it, but it's definitely something he'll think about later for sure. "How do you feel?"

"I think I judged Snoop Dog a bit too harshly." She smiles, tilting her head back to look at him again. "You're right. Not anything like the movies."

He nods, keeping his eyes on her. He'll remain alert, looking for any signs of distress, discomfort, or any weird side effects in her. "So, let me ask, why'd you decide tonight was the night to finally come out to one of these things?"