Short Story
Steven Charbonneau
9-3 Macphee


“I looked up to a dome like cover, wondering where I am, why I feel like this. Her lips shined under the moon. There was a cloud of smoke around us, but I could still see the stars. The only thing I remember being normal was the moment before I met Lily Ellen.”

It was a day like any other day, except for the fact that I was starting high school in 2 hours. I realized I wasn’t very nervous as I was brushing through my straight brown hair. I pinned it back with a blue barrette. After changing it to black, then to pink, then back to blue again, I went downstairs. Kind of relived when I saw that my mother had already left, I ran upstairs and thickened my eye makeup a little bit. My mom works a lot, so stuff like this is normal. She tries to set these rules to make it seem like were a normal family, but she tries to hard. After looking in the mirror, for what seemed to be 10 minutes, I grabbed my bag and went outside.

“Nicole!”
I turned when I heard a little voice. It was Emily, a petite girl I’ve known since grade six. She was also walking to the bus stop, to St Benteau High School.
“I can’t believe were in high school now! We should have met up earlier I didn’t know what to wear.”
“You look fine Emily, what about me?”
“Oh my god, you look perfect!”
She awkwardly commented me; she always had a suck up approach when she was talking to me.

I notice my stomach started to turn as I heard the bus coming around the corner. My throat felt like I just dry swallowed a rock, and my head was pounding. All I could do was hope for all kinds of good for my day. Finally it arrived, and I got on.

I sat near the front with Emily. The bus was full with laughing girls, and screaming guys. There was a lot of throwing, paper balls, erasers, and pencils. They were pretty much throwing everything that was on there supplies list. Well I got through the first part of today; I arrived at St. Benteau High School.

Its lunch now, my day is boring. My schedule isn’t to confusing, the school will be easy to get used to, I hoped. I walked in to the wall of sound, which wasn’t too much of my surprise that it was all so tightly organized. There were rich kids, smart kids, and Goth kids. There was one table I really noticed, one girl, Lily Ellen- I guessed. My sister mentioned her before, “she’s nothing but trouble, shell mess you up,” she would say.”

She got up and started toward me. She had on tight pants with a half shirt, which clearly showed off the stars tattooed on her hips. She had long black hair with pink and blonde in it too, she glided each step with high black heels. I finally realized I was standing in one place when I inhaled a wind of vanilla cream and cigarette smell. She walked right passed me.

She stayed so vivid in my mind the whole day, it was about 9 o’clock now and I couldn’t get her out of my head. I wanted to know her; I wanted her to know me. I couldn’t believe how much a complete stranger could intrigue me. I didn’t know what I was going to do to get her to notice me, and then it hit me. Lily was obviously the rebellious type; I was sure she smoked and drank. After thinking about this for a while I quietly glided down the stairs trying not to wake my mother who worked all day. I opened the freezer, grabbed a bottle of my mother’s vodka, and took a handful of cigarettes from her bag.

My stomach was stretching and turning as I put the bottle in my bag and put the cigarettes in a tin that I dumped all the candy out of. Did I just do that? After questioning myself for about 3 hours I realized it was midnight and I had to go to school tomorrow. It was Friday so at least it’s the weekend.

I woke up to the same routine, brushed my hair, pinned it back, and thickened my makeup. Then after staring at myself for a couple seconds, I messed up my hair and sprayed it with hairspray, thickened my make up even more and wore one of my mom’s shirts that she goes to parties in. I looked at myself for a minute, and hope that this would be enough, but it wasn’t so I went to the bus with vodka and cigarettes in my bag.

Emily wasn’t there, I was happy. She would wonder why I looked like this, and I couldn’t say why. It was much easier that she wasn’t there. When I got to school I saw her, over in the ‘it’ as people call it. She was smoking, I was happy because I didn’t take my mothers for nothing. I thought for a minute on what to do. I started walking, I couldn’t believe I was doing this; I almost turned back 5 times until I was there. I took out a cigarette, not knowing what to do. I lit it and asked what everybody was doing tonight. They looked confused at each other.

“Nothing with you”
One girl said.
Laughter started, I walked away.

That incident made my stomach ache all day, until science class.

I walked in realizing who was sitting at the back with a girl who was at the pit this morning. It was Lily Ellen, my head started swirling. I sat down a couple of seats ahead of them.
“So, were going downtown tonight right?” Lily said
“Oh yeah, but we need to find a liquor run” She said
“What about jay?” Lily questioned.
“He’s out of town for work”
“Crap, he was our only hope” Lily said
I knew at that moment I had another chance; I turned around thinking I was crazy, again.
“I can get you guys one”
There faces grew interested.
“Really” the girl said
“Well, not a run but I have something..”
I lifted my bag up on her desk, showing that I had a big bottle of vodka unopened.
“Holy shit, we’ll meet you at the pit after the bell rings” She said
“Okay, sounds good”
I was ready to turn around as Mr. Enders was starting the lesson as I heard a strong musical voice say something towards my way.
“Thanks” Lily said
Her eyes were like bullets, her lips were perfect, and she had a reputation to kill for. She was the most popular bad girl at St. Benteau High, and I was getting drunk with her tonight. I couldn’t believe it, how did I do it? How did I talk to her, it all happened so fast. The only thing that was on my mind the rest of that science class was not elements, but what I was going to wear.


I finally met lily and Courtney, I finally found out her name in soc.
“Hey guys”
“Hey life saver” Courtney laughed
“Hey lily” I smiled
“Hey” She smiled back
I didn’t really know the plan so I said..
“I have to go home and change and stuff, are you guys going to pick me up?”
“Um, I think we should get you ready” Lily ordered.
“Oh, okay” I said
I was so excited when a guy named Corey came and picked us up, we were finally on our way. He dropped us off at Courtney’s house.

“Okay Lily, I think a Smokey eye, with a really slutty shirt” Courtney laughed.
“Okay, sounds good” Lily agreed
“ I have to buy some smokes, ill be back” Lily said
“Wait no, I have some extra” I said
I pulled out the tin of cigarettes I stole from my mom the night before.
“You really are a life saver” Lily meant it.
I couldn’t believe I was here right now, yesterday she didn’t know I existed. Now she’s doing my make up.

I was so caught up in all of this I forgot about the getting drunk part. I never drank before, I was getting really nervous.
“So do you guys drink every weekend” my curiosity outweighed my nervousness in my speech,
“We party every weekend, but not always with alcohol” They both giggled.
I didn’t really know what they meant but I had a feeling I was going to find out tonight.

I got up and looked in the mirror at their creation. I looked amazing. I had smoky gray eyelids and strong pink lips. I had a tight tank top and very skinny pants. I had the perfect amount of curls in my hair with a few pink pieces that Lily clipped in. I was perfect.

I totally forgot to call my mom and tell her I’m not coming home tonight. I had to think of a story, and quick. I figured I would just tell her I’m at Emily’s, which doesn’t happen often, so she would leave me alone.

“Hey mom, its me”
I got the voice mail.
“Im going to stay at Emily’s right after school, her parents are gone away for the night and she’s home alone, no need to call I’ll be home tomorrow.”
That will work, I knew it. I didn’t like lying to her, but I had to. This was Lily Ellen, Lilly Ellen. I just can’t give up this chance, Lily was already everything to me and I haven’t even known her for 24 hours.

This time it was a girl who pulled up in Courtney’s driveway, Ellie. She was very sweet and cute, she wasn’t dressed as revealing as the rest of us, I liked her. It was dark by now and I had already smoke 5 cigarettes with Lily and Courtney. We arrived at a park and Lily told us to stay here while she got out and talked to a guy.

“Got it girls!”
Cheers from them got me curious.
“Here, check it out” Lily said
She handed me 3 small Baggies of tight little buds that looked like they had red hairs in them. I finally realized I was being an idiot by looking so confused so I just cheered along.
As we were driving down a non-crowded road Lily said something that made my heart drop into my stomach.
“I’ll go first, come on Nicole” She said
Did she actually just say my name? They slowed down the car a bit and Lily climbed into the dump of the truck, and then helped me out too.
“Ready?” she invited
“For what?” I hesitated
It seems that the tight little buds are now turned into tightly rolled things that looked like cigarettes.
“Is that another cigarette?” I asked
“Oh no Nikki, its better” She smiled
She just called me Nikki; I haven’t been called that since my dad was still around. I felt like crying but I stopped myself.
As she lit it up a burst of smoke came from her lips, she sucked in really deep and looked up to the stars. As she let the smoke go it blew fastly away in the wind. She put her hands up, like we were on a roller coaster, not Ellie’s truck.
“Your turn, just inhale really deep, you’ll love it” She confirmed.
As I put it up to my mouth my heart started racing. I took a deep breath as I felt a very relaxing feeling go up through my spine. I slowly blew smoke out and realized this wasn’t a cigarette.
“One more time” She said
I took another deep breath in as the feeling went throughout my whole body, I tingling sense. I needed a drink badly. My face felt so soft and my head felt very relaxed. As I handed it back to Lily everything started to seem differently. I knew I was with her, but it finally hit me that I was actually here, with her. She took my hand and we both kept dragging off of it. It was amazing, the feeling. Everything was so amazing, the sky, the moon, but most of all the shimmering of the glitter on her eyes.
“Like it?”
A soft voice said to me.
“Its amazing, I feel like im in a dream” I replied
“First time, Nikki?” She asked
“First time what?” I replied, again
She laughed.
“Being high” She explained.
I finally realized what was going on, and how different that ‘cigarette’ was, I couldn’t believe I was under the stars on a moving truck, high with Lily Ellen.
She must have known it was because she didn’t ask again.
“I really don’t feel like going downtown tonight, actually to tell you the truth, id rather just lay here and look at the stars with someone who doesn’t care how drunk I am or how much weed I smoke that night.”
Then she looked at me.
“Do you want to go somewhere, where I haven’t been in a very long time, where these girls would never want to go?”
I agreed to quickly, just to see her smile. We climbed back in the truck.
“Hey girls, you can let us off here, I just called Corey and hes bringing us some more. He’s going to drive us in later” She looked at me, and smiled.
“Okay, see you two later” Ellie stopped.

After a couple hugs and good byes, Lilly told me to follow her. We walked for 5 minutes then ended up a baseball field with bright lights. She checked the time.
“erfect, just in time” She smiled big.
“Just in time for what” I wondered.
“I used to come here with my best friend, Rachel. She isn’t around much anymore, she started dating this guy and they ran away together. She said shed come back for me but that never happened.” Her eyes drifted from mine.
We walked up to the field and she guided me right to the middle, we laid down and looked up. We couldn’t see the sky.
“I wish we could see the sky” I said
“Not yet, Nikki” She confirmed.
She lit up another joint, and kept checking the time. She quickly handed it to me. I sucked in deeply, just how she taught me and that feeling sharply but smoothly shot up my spine and through my arms. I finally noticed we opened the bottle of vodka and it was almost gone. I felt infinite.
“I feel so weird, but I love it” I giggled really loud
“I know I can’t feel a thing!” She screamed
She smiled really big as she checked the time.
“Lay down, look up” She ordered
I laid down, she lit me a cigarette, and herself one. All of a sudden the strong fluorescent lights on the field shut off and we were introduced to a big beautiful picture of a dark velvet sky with little white specs. I’ve never seen the sky so amazingly vivid. Tears started rolling down her face as she held my hand.

Then I looked up to a huge dome like cover, wondering where I am, and why I feel like this. Her lips shined in the moonlight, so did the stream of water trailing down her cheek. The only thing I can remember being normal was the moment before I met her, Lily Ellen.