“Of course I know that. But for your information, I’m actually talking to King. He’s in my dreams all the time. I’m telling him to kiss me, all tongue,” Tristan smarts back. Except her voice is weird because she’s talking without breathing. Her eyes are full of glittering sass, which seems to get more and more evident the more Raney gets pissed off.
“Shut up. Give Sim a kiss.” She laughs under her breath.
And Tristan does what Raney said to do. Well, she doesn’t kiss-kiss, but her lips fall on mine and before I can ask what the hell she is doing, she blows all the smoke into my lungs.
The burn is instant, and my throat starts to constrict. I feel like I’m about to start coughing and never stop.
“Hold it in!” Heidi schools. But when I look at her, she’s lying backwards, looking up at the sky, not even watching me.
I look at Tris for an explanation. She shrugs while a lazy smile lights up her stunning face. “You gotta cough to get off.”
“You clearly did not grow up around the same crowd I did. Good smoke is smooth like silk, and it infuses slowly.”
The way Raney talks all floaty, even swaying as she speaks, makes me start laughing.
And once I start—coughing so hard that tears stream down my face—I can’t seem to stop. Or at least that’s how it feels.
The next real memory I have is of all of us lying in a weird formation—each of us with someone’s head resting on our stomach, all looking up at the sky. I wish I knew how we ended up here, but I don’t spend too much time trying to figure it out. Instead, I focus on trying to make sense of what Heidi is saying to Raney about the stars.
“I’m inconsequential, aren’t I?” I add.
As if part of a synchronized dance routine, their heads pop up at the same time, all of them staring at me like I’ve said the strangest thing. Raney smiles first. “Explain to us, please. What do you mean.”
Heidi lights another spliff, and it gets passed around. I don’t need Tristan to baby bird it to me any longer, but I also don’t take any more. I’m not sure I like the feeling of not being completely in control of my own thoughts, but I definitely love how I feel like the girls and I are getting closer with each passing minute.
“Sim! You’re so fucking high, you forgot what you were saying.” Heidi laughs.
And I love her laugh. It’s not weird that I do. I think I admire everything about her, honestly.
“Wait, what?” I ask, realising everyone is looking at me.
“Oh my god, we need to get this girl to bed.” Raney smiles as she sits up.
I guess being stoned helps with her knee because it doesn’t seem to hold her back. She moves like flowing water, rising from sitting to standing in one seamless motion. Then she’s in front of me, with Tris beside her, both holding out their hands for me.
They pull me up, and I seriously think I’ve got this newfound ability to fly. My feet even lift off. And I bounce straight into Heidi.
“Grab all our stuff, you two,” Heidi directs as she spins around. “And you, Sim, I’m giving you a piggyback so we don’t lose you on the way down.”
“What? How? I’m right here.”
No one argues, no one gives me shit. I get a kiss on the forehead from Raney along with a whisper in my ear about never changing, while Tristan collects all our rubbish and bags.
I get this sudden sense of gratitude that wells up inside my chest, making me light as a feather. I honestly never thought I would feel this way with anyone, and it’s such a dreamy feeling.
I exhale softly and lean my head against Heidi’s as we all start walking off together.
“Promise me it’s always going to be us. Like, slots before knots.”
And then it feels like I’m free falling, right up until my ass hits the ground. Admittedly, when I realise I’ve fallen off Heidi’s back, I also notice the girls down with me—rolling around in hysterics, mind you.
Someone must have said something funny, but the light, happy mood we’re sharing is infectious. I lie back and soak in the good vibe, looking up at the sky, listening to them say how much they love me, and how we’re trademarking ‘slots before knots’.
I shut my eyes, enjoying the warmer breeze on my face.
“Sim.” Heidi’s voice is soft, kind of faraway, but she doesn’t try to wake me any more than a slight awareness. “Sim, you’re in your bed. I’m going to leave some water next to you and if you want you can come sleep in my bed if you don’t like being alone.”
“’S good. Night, Ho. I ’ad so much fun,” I mumble back without opening my eyes or moving my lips. Rolling to my side, my hands seem to move of their own accord, and I pull out my blanket, rubbing my face over it until I fall asleep properly.
