The Brandywine Prophet

9.4 Lilapricot'93

“It’s natural.”

“So is arsenic.”

“You drink and smoke! Those are so much worse.”

“They’re legal!”

“Weed is legal in some states!”

“That’s not entirely--”

“You told me you wanted to get high.”

(He thought of Will and that mischievous glimmer in his eye at the mention of his past.) “That was before I knew you better.”

“Said you wanted to escape your life!”

“And I’m here with you!” Hyde was emphatic but kept quiet so the kids in the loft couldn’t hear the argument.

Baylee’s eyes turned from disappointed anger to understanding. “I know how you feel about it and I’m sorry for pressuring you. I don’t want to be that kind of girlfriend. If you tell me to stop bugging you, I’ll stop. But you haven’t actually told me to stop yet, so part of me thinks that part of you doesn’t want me to stop.”

“You already sound high.” He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror of some scuzzy college kid’s studio apartment. He felt gross, but the dust bunnies in the sink made him reconsider washing his hands. He kissed Baylee’s forehead. “I’m not a prude. I want to smoke, but I want to be a good example for you because I don’t like when you smoke.”

“So you’re allowed to do it but I’m not?”

“I don’t know.”

“Figure it out, dork! We need to go back out there. This looks weird.”

“Bah! I wrote a winning speech in my sixth-grade D.A.R.E. class and I vowed never to--”

“Vow, vow, vow.” Baylee unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down. She lowered the toilet seat and sat.

“Oh,” Hyde said. “Sorry.” He turned and grabbed the door.

“You’ve never seen a girl pee before? I thought you were married.”

“We do that separate.”

“Turn around and talk to me.”

Hyde obeyed.

“If you want to get outta here, we can go back to the hotel. I’d love to spend every second I can with--”

“I’ll do it.”

“Do it?” She wiped and stood.

“I’ll smoke with you.”

“You will? Are you sure?”

“It’s my decision and I say fuck it.”

Baylee squealed and pecked his cheek. “I promise you’ve been making a big deal out of nothing.”

Hyde searched the echoing caverns of his personality for his long-lost ego. Before the theater--before William--he was the alpha-dog in his circle of friends. But when he left them for Brandywine’s crazy neighbor-prophet, he quickly fell into the role of sidekick.

The kids sat in a circle of Goodwill couches and sheetless beds. As further proof of his waning social skills, he had already forgotten their names.

Hyde watched a girl accept a passing blunt as the host (Jeremy?) used an extension cord to plug in a toaster-shaped vaporizer. Hyde recognized the device from the small-appliance aisle of his store.

“Somebody got a cold?” a boy asked, stealing Hyde’s joke.

“Gives a cleaner high,” Baylee replied and took the blunt from Cougs. She brought the cigar to her lips as she explained the benefits of smoking cannabis with a vaporizer.