Content Warning: This chapter is rated PG-13. And while most of my chapters already are, this one is a little more PG-13 than usual…

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Harper sighed as she returned her phone to her pocket. Rylie’s teasing was definitely getting old… But she appreciated her friend’s willingness to help out with her alibi.

Part of her felt a bit guilty for lying to her parents, but Harper had a feeling her mother and father wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea of her hanging out with uni students — not even Erik, no matter how grateful they were for the recent change in her grades.

But when he’d sent her that text inviting her to hang out with him and his friends for a few hours, there was no way Harper could possibly say no. It would be the first time she and Erik had ever spent time together outside of their tutoring sessions.

She was so nervous, but excited too. And both feelings only intensified when she caught sight of Erik waiting for her on the sidewalk in front of the large apartment building. She felt the slight fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. Guess I found the right place!

“Hey,” Erik smiled warmly at her as she drew closer. “You made it!”

“Yeah, sorry I’m a little later than I said I’d be. It was too cold to walk, so I took the bus downtown. But I got off a stop too soon.” She explained. “So I ended up doing a little more walking than I’d planned on anyway.” Harper smiled, both amused and embarrassed by her mistake.

“Aw shit, I could’ve picked you up or something.” For a moment, Erik’s brow furrowed in concern. “I thought maybe you’d get a ride from your parents or something.”

She shook her head. “They couldn’t do it. My Papa’s at the restaurant tonight, and my mom’s still busy working on that advertising thing I told you about last week.” Harper chose not to tell him that she’d kept their plans a secret from her mother and father… But what she said was true anyway — it was unlikely she would have been able to find a ride.

“Well, I can definitely give you a ride home.” Erik assured her. “And I’m really glad you made it.”

“Me too!” Harper returned his smile as she followed him up the small set of stairs and into the old brick building.

The lobby was small and a bit dingy, with nothing but a few chairs, a small hallway (with a sign indicating it led to the laundry room), and an elevator. Erik led the way toward the worn metal doors, and they headed up to join his friends.

His tiny one-bedroom apartment was all the way on the fifth floor, and when Harper followed Erik inside, she was instantly greeted by the sight of three unfamiliar faces, bathed in the glow of the setting sun as they chatted together in the living room.

They all looked so happy. And so cool too! Harper’s excitement slowly began edging out her nerves as she and Erik approached his friends.

“Miss me?” He asked them, chuckling. She noticed he addressed them in English, and wondered why. “This is Harper, by the way.” Erik gave a small nod in her direction.

“Ah, the famous Harper!”‘ A pretty girl with an undercut and bright blue lipstick gave her a small wave. “Nice to finally meet you… I’m Brooklyn.”

Harper instantly realized why Erik had chosen to speak English to his friends. “You too.” She returned the older girl’s smile. “I love your hair, by the way.”

“Thanks! Yours is pretty sweet too. I’m digging the silver.” She replied happily. “And hey, Erik didn’t mention you were from the US too!”

Harper laughed softly. Brooklyn must have noticed her lack of a German accent. “I’m not.” She explained. “But my mom is. So we’ve always spoken a lot of English at home.”

“Your mom…” A deep voice came from the couch. “Hope Forrester, right?” The young man addressing her was most definitely not a native English speaker. His accent was so heavy, Harper was tempted to reply in German to make things easier. But she didn’t, for Brooklyn’s sake.

“Yup, that’s her!” She’d met many people in her life who had heard of one or both of her parents, but it always managed to catch Harper off-guard.

“My mom was always really interested in fashion.” He continued. Though his English was not broken, his heavy accent still colored each word he spoke. “She had so many old… Zeitschriften?”

Harper smiled. “Magazines.” She offered.

Paul nodded. “Magazines with your mom in them…” The way he smiled suddenly made Harper feel very uncomfortable. “Back before we had a computer… I was twelve, maybe?” He shook his head, laughing. “I had some of them hidden under my bed. And every night, I’d lock my bedroom door, pull out a magazine, and –”

“Ey, halt die Fresse!” Erik cried, cutting him off before he could finish. In his anger, he’d slipped back into his native German. “Was zur Hölle geht mit dir, Paul?”

He shrugged, completely unfazed. “Was?! Das war ‘n Kompliment!” He insisted.

From her seat across from him, Brooklyn furrowed her brow in confusion. “Um… Okay, this sounds pretty intense. But do you mind repeating that so I can pull up Google Translate?” She asked, her voice teasing.

Her joke seemed to diffuse the situation a bit. Erik gave her a small apologetic smile before turning back to address Paul once more, this time in English.”Yeah, right. ‘Compliment’ my ass… How’d you like it if someone talked about your mother like that?”

“Ha! They wouldn’t.” The girl sitting to Paul’s right finally spoke.

She turned her gaze toward Harper for a moment. “I’m Marlene, by the way. And don’t take it personally. Paul’s just jealous because everyone else’s dick shrivels up and dies at the sight of his mom…”

That did it. Even Paul couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s comment.

Despite her amusement, Harper still felt pretty uncomfortable about what Paul had said. But the sound of Erik’s deep laughter sent a wave of warmth rushing through her, counter-acting the unpleasantness a bit.

He’d come to her defense so quickly, just like Rylie and Devin had with Katie. And for that, she was extremely grateful.

“Okay, okay. I probably shouldn’t have said it.” Paul admitted at last as his laughter finally died away. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Harper lied. What else was she supposed to say?

“Just watch your mouth, okay?” Erik narrowed his eyes slightly at his friend. “Otherwise, there’s the door.” He gestured off to his right.

Paul simply shrugged in reply.

“Sorry.” Erik muttered to Harper. “Paul can be…” He seemed to be struggling to find the right word.

“It’s fine.” She assured him, smiling.

“Okay… Clearly we got things started off on the wrong foot over here.” Brooklyn smiled up at Erik and Harper for a moment. “But know what would make everyone feel a hell of a lot better?” Her eyes lit up.

A bright burst of laughter passed Erik’s lips at her words. “I do.” He replied, smiling. “You read my mind!”

He stepped around the back of the TV stand, retrieving a tall glass cylinder Harper hadn’t noticed before. She knew what it was immediately, though she’d never seen one in real life before — just on TV or in movies.

Harper watched as Erik crossed into the kitchen and began filling it with water.

As he opened a nearby drawer and retrieved a small plastic baggie, Harper noticed that Erik’s friends had each taken a seat on the floor.

Her heart racing in her chest, Harper followed suit. Holy shit… Rylie and Devin aren’t gonna believe this! She thought excitedly as Erik returned and took a seat by her side. He pulled a small lighter from his pocket.

Harper watched with a mixture of interest and apprehension as Erik lowered his lips to the mouth of the bong and lit a small section of the marijuana with the lighter.

The water bubbled, and the chamber began to fill with thick, white smoke.

Erik pulled the tiny glass cylinder from the bottom and inhaled deeply, the water bubbling once more as the smoke vanished into his lungs.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then exhaled slowly. For a moment, the air around them was full of that thick, white smoke. Then, it vanished.

Erik turned to her, smiling as he offered her the bong. “Here you go.”

“Oh! Um… It’s my turn?” She asked nervously. “A-are you sure?”

He nodded, his smile widening. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you what to do.” Erik assured her. “I had a feeling it might be your first time using one of these.”

On the other side of the carpet, Paul let out a small laugh. “Of course it is. You’ve never smoked at all before, have you?” He asked Harper.

Embarrassed, she shook her head.

“Aw, you’ll love it.” Brooklyn smiled. “I still remember my first time…” She sighed almost wistfully.

Marlene chuckled softly. “What’s with all this ‘first time’ crap? She’s smoking, not getting laid!” She rolled her eyes. “Although… I guess you could argue that they’re kinda similar. I mean, your first time’s memorable, but probably not all that great either, since you have no idea what the hell you’re doing.”

The others laughed, and Harper nervously followed suit, embarrassed that she had absolutely no experience with either.

“But in both cases, practice makes perfect.” Paul added, the corner of his mouth still curling slightly.

“Well… Time for my first practice round then.” Harper tried her best to smile as she looked down at the long glass cylinder she’d taken from Erik’s hands.

She felt so terrified. Excited too, but right now, the terror seemed to be winning. What if she looked like an idiot? What if Erik thought she was some dumb, inexperienced kid? Or maybe he already thought of her that way?

“Here, I only lit the corner, so you can have a fresh hit.” Erik rose to his knees and bent forward, reaching for the lighter.

“Put your lips on the mouthpiece, and start breathing in.” He explained. “I’m gonna light it, and you’ve gotta just keep breathing while I do, okay?”

Harper nodded, then leaned forward, putting her lips inside the large ring of glass.

She could hear the water bubbling and see the smoke filling the chamber as she did exactly as Erik instructed her to. This isn’t so bad. She told herself. Though she secretly wondered why no smoke was filling her lungs. Wasn’t that how it was supposed to work?

“Alright, I’m pulling out the bowl. This is the fun part.” Erik continued playfully. “Keep breathing in!”

And Harper did.

She had been expecting heat, and burning. Not the pleasant, cool cloud of vapor that entered her lungs. It was so much more pleasant than she’d thought it would be.

But no matter how cool and refreshing it had been, her lungs were still not quite ready to take in so much smoke at once.

“Are you okay?” Erik leaned closer to her as he spoke, his brow furrowed in concern.

Harper tried to answer, but all she could manage was another round of hacking coughs.

Oh my God, I must look like such a fucking loser! She kicked herself mentally as she waited for her coughing to finally subside.

Harper closed her eyes for several moments, and took a couple of slow, deep breaths.

When she finally opened her eyes again, the corners of her lips stretched into a smile. Was it possible to be feeling the effects already? Maybe it was all in her head, but she could swear she already felt different. Lighter.

Erik let out a small sigh of relief. “Better?” He asked softly.

Harper nodded. “Much.”

“See? It’s like we said.” Marlene smiled softly at her. “The first time can be a little rough… But that’s where the practice comes in.”

“Well then, what are you waiting for?” Harper returned the other girl’s smile. “The sooner this thing comes around again, the sooner I get my next practice round!”

The others laughed heartily as Marlene took the bong from Harper’s outstretched hand.

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“Woah… Do you hear that?” Harper asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Hear what?” Erik asked.

“The wind in the trees.” She explained, still amazed. “It’s like a whistling sound… I’ve never really noticed before.”

“Wait, you’re telling me you’ve lived here your whole life and you’ve never heard the wind before?” Erik asked with a laugh.

Harper shook her head. “Not like this. You know it’s hard for me to hear like, anything anyway. So being able to hear this is…” She struggled to find the right word. “I dunno. Special, I guess.” A soft sigh of contentment passed her lips. “I never realized it would be like this… Everything is just… more.” Harper wished she could find the words to accurately describe what she was feeling.

Erik eyed her for a few moments before finally opening his mouth to reply. “God, you’re still stoned out of your fucking mind right now, aren’t you?”

Harper tried as best as she could to suppress her giggles. It was risky enough letting Erik walk her this far from his car. The last thing she needed was for her mother or father to hear her laughter and catch the two of them together.

Part of her felt so paranoid the longer they spent standing there. It felt like they’d been there for hours already. And for all she knew, maybe they had.

“I guess I should probably head inside… But thank you so much for tonight.” She said at last. “That was so awesome. I mean, the way you stuck up for me to Paul, and showed me how to take a hit, and always made sure I was included in all the conversations and stuff, I just…” Harper paused, and her smile widened. She knew she was totally gushing, but she didn’t care. “You’re just such a great guy.”

“My pleasure. Seriously. I really like hanging out with you, Harper.” He replied, his own lips also stretched into a wide smile. “I hope we get to do this again sometime.”

“Me too.”

“So, I guess I’ll see you for tutoring Thursday… But let me know if you need help with your homework or something before then.” He smiled warmly as he spoke.

“I will.” She promised. “Anyway, thanks again. You’re the best, Erik.”

“Aw, now don’t go making me blush.” He teased. “And for the record, you’re pretty awesome yourself. Have a great night, Harper.”

With that, he turned and headed up the street toward where he’d parked his car, and Harper made her way across the street toward her house.

When she crossed into the front hallway, Harper was almost surprised to see her Oma sitting in the study, reading. Jocelyne usually went to bed fairly early… What time was it anyway? Harper had no idea. She hadn’t cared enough to check the time in quite a while.

“Hey, Oma.” She smiled.

Jocelyne closed her book and rested it on the coffee table in front of her. “Hi, honey. Did you have fun tonight?”

Harper nodded eagerly as her grandmother drew closer. “Yeah, it was awesome!” She replied with what may have been a bit too much enthusiasm.

Jocelyne seemed to be studying her face closely for a moment. “Wow… looks like it was a lot of fun.” She chuckled slightly as she spoke. “You, uh, feeling okay, sweetheart?”

“Of course!” Harper assured her, smiling. “I feel great, Oma.”

Jocelyne laughed yet again. “I bet you do.” She shook her head in apparent amusement. “But… mind if I make a suggestion?”

Harper eyed her curiously. A suggestion for what? She wondered. “Um, sure?”

“Eye drops, sweetie.”

“Huh?”

“They were a lifesaver for Luc… Kept him out of trouble plenty of times back when we were kids.” She explained. “Parents aren’t as dumb as you think they are, you know. You have to be careful.”

Oh shit. She knows! There was an unpleasant twisting sensation in Harper’s stomach as a thousand panicked thoughts suddenly seemed to flood her brain. If my parents find out, they’ll never let me leave the house ever again!

“Promise you won’t tell mom and Papa?” She whispered nervously. “Please? They can’t find out… They’ll totally kill me if they do!”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t kill you.” Jocelyne smiled. “But… I won’t say anything. Just as long as you promise you’ll be safe, honey.”

“Of course I will.” Harper assured her. “And… you really won’t tell them, right?” She repeated. “You swear?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Thanks, Oma. You’re the best.”

“I love you, honey.” Jocelyne told her granddaughter as she returned her embrace. “Now, your Papa should be home from work any minute, and your mom just got in the shower a little bit ago… I think now would be a great time for you to sneak upstairs and get to bed.”

Harper nodded. She was already feeling sleepy anyway. “Goodnight, Oma. And thanks again for not saying anything… You really won’t tell them, right?“

“Of course not. Just remember what I said about staying safe. Having fun is a great thing. Part of me wishes I’d done a little more of it when I was your age…” Jocelyne shook her head for a moment. “But you have to be smart about it. Don’t let things get out of hand.”

“Don’t worry about me, Oma.” Harper turned and headed for the stairs. “I’ll be fine.”