Up In Smoke

Title: Up In Smoke Main Characters: Jenny Pickford, Mary Jane Slater, Charlotte O'Donnell Also Includes: Madison Slater, Ron Slater Location: The Slater Household Date: March 15, 1994

“I wish the schedule put us at my house instead,” Jenny mumbled, leaning back on Mary Jane’s bed. She fell back completely, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before speaking again. “We’d be able to sneak a whole lot easier, man, than we can here,” she added, feeling her pocket to make sure her bag was still there.

“Yeah, me too, man...but hey, at least we aren’t at Charlotte’s house,” Mary Jane countered, shrugging her shoulders. If they were at the O’Donnells’, their plan would be blown for sure.

She glanced over at her shut bedroom door, wondering when Charlotte was going to get there anyway. It was rare that she was late to anything, and especially a group sleepover. Just as Mary Jane opened her mouth to say something about it, in came Charlotte with a duffle bag hauled over her shoulder.

“Sorry that I’m late, Daddy stopped off to get a sixer for your parents, Mary Jane,” Charlotte said, explaining why she had taken so long to get there.

She tossed her duffle bag of clothes in the corner of the room where it usually went before she sat at Mary Jane’s desk. She glanced back and forth between the two of them, sensing a bit of annoyance. She didn’t know how to confront them about it, or if she even should. Some things were just better left unsaid.

The two girls just nodded, not having much to say on the subject. Though, the fact that Mary Jane’s parents were going to be drinking was a bit of a relief. If they were drinking, they were going to be smoking, and if they were smoking, they were going to leave them alone all night.

“So, what are we going to do tonight?” Charlotte asked, giving the girls a smile as she waited for an answer from either one of them.

“Hold on,” Mary Jane said, holding up a finger before going to stick her head out into the hallway. She took a deep breath, inhaling the rich smell of her parents’ reefer. She shut the door quickly, turning to smirk at Jenny. “We’re safe,” she said, causing her cousin to jump up happily from the bed.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Charlotte asked, moving to stand as well. She was concerned, and slightly confused as to what they were getting at.

Jenny shoved her hand in her pocket, pulling out a small bag of weed to show Charlotte. She glanced over at Mary Jane, seeing that she was digging around in a desk drawer. She chuckled as a bag of weed was pulled out just the same as Jenny.

“Is that marijuana?” Charlotte asked next, her eyes going wide at the thought of her cousin’s smoking it like their parents. They were both younger than her, too! Not by much, but still! Mary Jane was a few months younger, and Jenny was a whole year! They shouldn’t be smoking weed!

“Don’t you know it,” Jenny said, winking at her older cousin. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a few papers for them.

“Can I have one of those papers, I’m all out,” Mary Jane said, holding her hand out before taking one from Jenny. She pulled some grass out of her bag, starting to roll a joint as her cousin did the same.

“You aren’t going to smoke those, are you?” Charlotte questioned, very concerned about this whole idea. They surely couldn’t think it was smart to do that, could they? She was always told to stay away from drugs, weren’t they told the same? Didn’t their parents care?”

“No, of course not, we’re going to snort them like crack,” Jenny retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Charlotte before sealing the joint. She chuckled, fishing around for a lighter.

“You guys can’t do that! I won’t let you!” she exclaimed, shaking her head and leaping to go grab the joint from Mary Jane’s hand. She pulled her hand away, holding it up high so she couldn’t reach.

“It’s in my name, man, my mom named me after it! She smoked while I was in her womb, it’s like a part of me!” Mary Jane said, pointing a finger at Charlotte.

“It’s just a life ruiner! Your mom named you after something that ruined her life, maybe that’s a bit of symbolization or something! She’s implying that you ruined her life!” Charlotte exclaimed, pointing a finger back at Mary Jane, just to bother her.

“My mom named me after something that she really enjoys, so you can shut the fuck up,” Mary Jane said, moving towards her desk to grab a lighter from the same drawer.

“Are you smoking with us or not?” Jenny asked, taking a hit from her joint as Charlotte turned to look at her. She took another hit before holding it out to her cousin.

“No! Are you kidding me! Stop that!” Charlotte said, shaking her head vigorously. She couldn’t believe that they were doing this! And inside, too! They were insane!

Mary Jane looked up, taking a hit on her own joint. “Just try it once,” she said, holding it out just like Jenny was doing it. Neither of them understood why she wouldn’t give in. They were both jumping at the bit to give it a shot. Mary Jane even smoked with her mother a few times.

“Not a chance!” Charlotte refused, shaking her head once again as she tried to get them to quit it. She could tell, though, that it wasn’t working. “Are you just going to let your lives go up in smoke like your parents?”

“Yep,” Mary Jane and Jenny answered simultaneously, both bringing a joint up to their lips. That was the end of that, and Charlotte was completely unable to change their minds.