The Drug Years

Lacey's Point of View
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I woke up at six-thirty. In my opinion that was way too early for anyone to wake up, but school was mandatory, so I had no choice.

I walked into the bathroom and changed into a t-shirt and jeans. I was too tired to really care what I looked like, so I skipped the usual primping. I walked into the kitchen and poured cereal into a bowl. I decided to skip the milk only because I was running a little late. I ate my cereal within minutes, said goodbye to my parents, and left for school.

I parked in my usual spot next to Ashleigh's car and walked inside the brick school building. I went straight for my locker, like normal. Ashleigh and Rachel were waiting there patiently for me.

"How was your weekend?" Rachel asked as I approached.

"I'm grounded for a week, but other than that it was good," I replied while turning the lock on my locker to 34-19-02.

"What?" They both said in unison.

"My parents came home early and Quinton was over, so they grounded me for having a boy at home without supervision. I swear sometimes they still think I'm a child." I opened my locker and grabbed the necessary books then shut it.

"You see, he is nothing but bad news," Ashleigh stated. "Why can't you see that? You've jumped head first into deep water and you don't realize that you can't swim. You're so crazy in love, but is it real? Does he really feel the same way? And are you rushing into this too fast?"

"Maybe you should slow things down," Rachel suggested. "Sure he's your first boyfriend, but you don't have to do everything right now. Wait a while and things will lead to where they are supposed to."

"Yeah, if you go too fast, it'll lead to a bigger crash."

"I know you both care about me, but I know what I'm doing," I replied.

"No you don't. You don't understand. You act as if you'd jump off a bridge if Quinton asked nicely enough," Ashleigh said angry that I wasn't getting her point.

I sighed. Maybe I was rushing into things too fast. Maybe I needed to slow down. "I'm fine with what I'm doing," I lied.

Ashleigh just shrugged and walked off, Rachel following behind her.

I walked into chemistry as the late bell rang and made my way back to my seat.

"For a second I thought you weren't going to show up," Quinton said as I lowered myself into my seat. He was wearing a black, band t-shirt and slightly baggy jeans.

"I think we should spend time getting to know each other better because to be honest I know nothing about you besides the bad stuff and your favorite color. I think this week we should focus more on being friends instead of making out all the time."

"I have no problem with being your friend, but am I not aloud to kiss you? That's my favorite part," he smiled.

"Well that's the problem, isn't it?"

"You have a point. I've got an idea. Let's see who can last the longest," he suggested.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"Let's see which one of us can stand being non-physical with the other the longest," he smirked.

"This isn't a competition," I stated.

"You don't want to do it because you know I'll win," he bragged

"Oh no. I would win."

"So far in this relationship, you've been the one to convince me to do things." He smirked at me.

"Yeah, but you're a guy. You'll say yes to anything," I replied.

"You really think so? What about last night? Hmm? I said 'No' then."

"But you didn't mean it. You wanted to say yes."

"It doesn't matter about what I wanted. The only thing that matters is what I did."

"Lacey and Quinton!" Mrs. Johnston yelled. "Please stop your flirting and listen to the lesson I am trying to teach."

"Yes, Mrs. Johnston," we replied in unison.

"So are you in?" Quinton whispered.

"Of course," I replied. "But you better practice losing because you're going down."

He chuckled softly.

I listened to the lesson Mrs, Johnston was teaching for once. She was telling us about moles, not the animal, but the unit of measure. It seemed easy enough. She passed out some worksheets and told us we could work in groups to complete them.

"Do you need help?" Quinton asked putting his pencil down.

"Are you done already?" I asked amazed.

"Just with the first two problems," he stated.

"Oh," I replied turning back to my work.

I had just finished the fifth problem when Quinton said, "Now I'm done."

"I don't understand how your so smart," I stated.

"To be honest, I don't either," he responded.

"Please turn in all work before you leave," Mrs. Johnston called over the chatting teenagers.

I continued working up until the last minute, finally finishing all the problems the second the bell rang.

I grabbed all my stuff and walked to Mrs. Johnston's desk, handing her my work. I turned to the door to leave, and Quinton was standing there.

"You didn't have to wait for me," I stated walking up to him.

He just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'll walk you to your next class."