Sara's Adventures

Prologue:

Jenn met Sara and Emily at the sports bar they go to every Sunday for football. Jenn had recently gotten out of a bad relationship and had moved to a new city, not too far from where she had lived her whole life but looking for a fresh start none the less. Jenn sat alone at the bar, looking around the room, she noticed there were two girls going out for a smoke after every quarter, herself going out whenever she sensed there would be a long commercial break. After the game, she followed the two girls outside, cigarette in her mouth, she pretended her lighter had stopped working and asked them for a light. Sara happily obliged and the three struck up conversation. Following their smoke break, they returned inside, Sara and Emily inviting Jenn to the seat next to them that had freed up after the first game. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. The three quickly became best of friends, quickly sharing their love of football and smoking cigarettes.

A couple months after meeting, Jenn noticed Sara and Emily had begun smoking less, she inquired as to the reason and they both said they were trying to get healthier, both looking to start hitting the gym as well as running, a practice they had both done regularly before but became nearly non-existent as their drinking and smoking progressed into their late 20s. Eventually, a little over a year ago, Sara and Emily successfully quit, Jenn tried to join them but found her body unable to give up the nicotine. So began their new normal, Jenn ducking outside for cigarettes while Sara and Emily began their quest to get more fit, both rather successful with their endeavor.

Back to the patio table outside the wine bar:

Jenn took a deep drag on her cigarette, the tabacoo down to the filter, she stubbed it out in the ashtray and immediately pulled another cigarette from her pack, Sara and Emily looked at their own cigarettes, barely half smoked.

Jenn exhaled a thick cone of smoke in the air as she continued her story, "I smoked a few cigarettes in high school, was pretty normal for all us cheerleaders to pass around cigarettes, but never really inhaled. Then in college, I met Dan. He was a smoker, but at first he didn't push it on me. Or at least I didn't think he was. We'd be a parties and he'd always offer me a cigarette but never really pushed it. Inevitably by the end of the night though I'd always end up smoking at least a couple cigarettes."

Jenn paused, taking another cheek hollowing drag of her cigarette, removing the cigarette from her lips, opening her mouth and inhaling the smoke deep into her lungs. Her body enjoying the abundance of nicotine it was being treated to. She exhaled a perfect cone of smoke out the side of her mouth, away from Sara and Emily and then spoke again, "What I didn't realize at the time is that in my drunken state, Dan was coaching me, getting me to inhale the smoke and counting the seconds he wanted me to hold it in my lungs. Soon I found myself joining him for cigarettes during the day, and then one day I looked in my purse and saw a pack of Marlboro Gold 100s. I asked Dan about them and he dismissed it as just knowing we'd be together later that I always have my purse on me so he wanted to make sure he had cigarettes for later. I should have questioned this more, he always smoked shorts. I then started to smoke them when we weren't together, and they never seemed to run out. I should have questioned that too, there would be 5 cigarettes in there when I went to bed and then next morning there would be 15."

Jenn paused again, taking another deep drag. Sara and Emily looked at each other, both having finished their own cigarettes a few minutes prior. Sara opened her purse and extracted two with cylinders, bringing them both to her lips and flicking her lighter to life, she dragged on the cigarettes to light their tips cherry red. She then took one out of her mouth as she dangled the other and handed it to Emily. Emily eagerly took the cigarette, bringing it up her own lips for her awaiting lungs.

Jenn stubbed out her now spent cigarette, again immediately pulling out another cigarette and lighting it, the emotion of her story seemingly requiring her body to have a never ending supply of nicotine. As she exhaled her smoke, she continued her story, "So had become a smoker, I don't even know how many a day. During all this time, Dan was also bringing the cigarettes into our sex life. I don't think we ever had sex without at least an unlit cigarette dangling from my lips. I didn't hate it per se, Dan was always so much more intimate when I had a cigarette. After I started smoking, that cigarette would always be lit. And again, I didn't hate it at first, I like being a sub, but I also didn't realize that this was more of Dan getting me more and more addicted. He would make me hold the smoke in my lungs for so long, again and again. After graduating, we moved in together and it just felt like I was his smoking sex subject. Sure he provided for me, he made far more money than I did, but it was at a severe emotional cost."

Jenn paused, taking another deep drag of her cigarette, a few tears now streaming down her face. Sara and Emily also now dragging on their own cigarettes in sync with Jenn, the emotion of the story affecting them all.

As Jenn exhaled her smoke, she again began speaking, her voice becoming hoarser and hoarser as she spoke, "It took me a couple years but eventually I got out from under Dan's thumb. I had my family help me quickly pack my belongings while he was at work one day and moved here. My family was upset I had found an apartment that allowed smoking but I told them I needed to end one vice at a time. I left Dan a note that it was over and haven't spoken to him since. I soon discovered I was smoking nearly 30 cigarettes a day at the time. I cut back pretty quickly to 15-20, sometimes less, sometimes more. I actually felt myself rediscovering cigarettes, they were no longer for Dan, they were for me. Sure, I still wanted to quit, with plenty of push in that direction from my family, but I don't know, I do really enjoy it. I guess I just thought since you both had quit that I could do it too and make my family happy. With you both smoking again, I don't know. I'm conflicted because I honestly love smoking, especially with both of you and I think I'm actually more excited for that than disappointed in knowing I'll be unable to quit."

Jenn again paused and took another deep drag on her cigarette, the warmth of the smoke alerting her to the fact that is was now down to the filter. She stubbed it out, exhaling her smoke as she did so.

Jenn looked over to Sara and Emily, the tears now dry on her face.

Emily responded with a smile and said, "We smoke on our own terms," she then motioned to Sara to pull out more cigarettes.

Sara obliged, extracting 3 cigarettes from her pack and placing them in her lips, she cupped her hand around their tips and flicked her lighter to life, dragging on the three cigarettes to bring them to life before handing one to both Emily and Jenn.

The three said, "on our terms," in unison, motioning their cigarettes in their outstretched hands like cheersing drinks and then brought their cigarettes to their lips, each taking check hollowing drags before inhaling the smoke deep into their lungs. Their conversation turned, Jenn seeming to have a weight lifted off her shoulders as they spoke and smoked their cigarettes.

Sara shared her recent events, still refraining from speaking of the arousal smoking causes her in front of Jenn, instead speaking of how excited she was to be able to smoke a joint indoors. Eventually their night came to an end, packs nearly empty, each girl heading home, now feeling an even tighter bond than they already had.

Awaiting Sara when she got home was a stack of boxes, "fuck," she thought, I need to wake up early and pack.