CW: This chapter contains recreational marijuana usage.

At some point during physics, everyone stands up slowly with accompanying eye rolls and huffs and puffs. Cannon taps me on the arm. "Fire drill," he mouths.

Ms. Mink is trying to get everybody in a single-file line by the door, and there's always that one girl that thinks it could be a real fire, so she's trying to make everyone go faster, and Ms. Mink is telling her to calm down, but she's got her books and her bag and her purse even though we're supposed to leave our things at our desks during fire drills (unless it happens within the last fifteen minutes of the class period, then it's every man for himself), and me and Cannon slide in at the back of the line. Merinda signs to me that she's going to make a run to her car.

We make it down the hallway and out of the building's double doors in a single-file line until we reach the courtyard and people start seeing their friends from other classes and the line starts to part like the Red Sea. Ms. Mink fusses appropriately, tells them to be in the designated meeting spot by the time the second alarm rings. I know how it goes.

Someone tugs on my sweater and pulls me aside. I smile, thinking it's Serena that's found me, but it's Cannon. He leads me around the building, and I follow out of pure curiosity. There's no classes lining up on this side; there's no one over here at all. He pulls a black pen out of his jacket pocket.

Nope, nope— that's not an ink pen. That's a vape pen. As in not allowed on campus.

"Are you trying to get expelled?" I sign and mouth for his convenience.

"No, that's why I've got a pen, not a bowl this time." Cannon brings it up to his lips and takes a puff. He closes his eyes, holding it in for a moment before blowing it out. He hands me the pen.

"I'm going to assume this isn't water vapor." I look at the pen. It doesn't look threatening. They always say that weed is a gateway drug. A gateway to what? A life of crime, hard drugs, and street fights? I'm a straight A student, I've never snuck out, I'm a virgin, and I've only ever been tipsy, like, once... twice if I count the time Serena and I went to Genni's house after the football game this past fall when her Dad was out of town, which I don't, because I got scared and immediately went to bed. Really, I deserve to break the rules for once.

"If you don't want any, hand it back," Cannon mouths with his hand out, impatiently.

I put the pen to my lips and take my first ever hit.

I cough out water vapor, I guess. Cannon smirks at my amateur reaction. Shut up, I sign. He reaches out for the pen but I take another hit, holding it in longer, this time. And then a third before I hand it back.

He pulls another himself, his technique practiced.

"I don't feel anything."

He... laughs? "Oh, believe me, you will." He takes a few more puffs before starting and looking out at the school behind me. "Shit, there's the second alarm." He pockets the pen and pulls a tiny bottle out of his other pocket. "Look up," he mouths while pointing to the sky.

I do as he says, and he squirts a couple of drops into each of my eyes. It burns, and I blink them away furiously. I wipe under my eyes to make sure no make-up ran. When my vision has cleared, I see that Cannon has put drops in his own eyes. "C'mon, we gotta run." He holds his hand out to me, and I take it in spite of myself and how I normally keep a keen eye on who could be watching any time I do anything. We run around the building and slip into our class's line. A few kids at the back of the line look at us weirdly and I cover my mouth with my hands so they don't see me laugh. Cannon puts a finger to his lips to shush me, but he laughs, as well.

I see Merinda jogging back towards the line, and the way her necklace and hair bounce in unison with each jog is hilarious to me. I loathe laughing out loud because I know people can hear it and I hate not knowing what it sounds like, but I can't help it. Cannon is in front of me in line, and he keeps looking over his shoulder and shushing me, but I can see from the slight shake of his shoulders that he's laughing, too. Ms. Mink takes roll, and then we head back to the room. I tug on the hood of Cannon's jacket in time with the walk of our single-file line, one tug for each step.

I take a seat in my old seat and Cannon's new seat, which I'd had to give back to him when he came back to school, and he laughs and reminds me that I sit at the lab table now. Right. I laugh at myself.

The stool is higher than the desk chairs and I feel like I can see everything.

The flick of Ms. Mink's wrist as she works out last night's homework problems on the smartboard mesmerizes me. Cannon texts me "look mink missed a belt loop in the back" and when she turns and I notice, it takes everything in me to keep from hollering aloud. Merinda looks at me questionably, and I smile at her nicely. Every time Cannon turns to look at me, we giggle silently. I haven't looked once at what Merinda has signed that Ms. Mink has said.

Cannon shushes me one final time on my way out of the classroom after the bell. I shush him back. I get out of there before Merinda can get a closer look at me.

Serena, however, takes two long looks at me — one as I walk to meet her in the lunch line and the second when I reach her — and she knows I've sinned.

Are you...? She looks a third time. Are you high?!

I smile and nod.

What the hell, Daisy?!

I keep smiling. Cannon had a dab pen during the fire drill.

She looks at me like I've got three heads. Okay, I'm officially no longer on team Cannon's redemption.

I shrug, still smiling.

Are you out of your mind?! She chastises me. You could get expelled!

I lift my arms above my head and do a little spin. We are above the law.

I think smoking dope is a little bit worse than texting in class. She's, like, really angry with me.

I did not smoke the marijuana. I only inhaled it, I sign, and then I hold up double peace signs.

Those are two totally different presidents. Serena looks around us. Does Merinda know?

I shrug again. I ran away from her.

A teacher walks by the line and Serena turns me by my shoulders so that my back is facing outwards. Keep your head down in there, okay?

Okay, Mom!

In the lunch line, I grab one of everything. Everything looks amazing. When we sit, I find that it all tastes just as amazing. I don't realize how quickly I'm eating until Serena tells me to slow down and drink some water. But I'm so hungry.

Serena waves a hand in front of my face to gain my attention, and suddenly Merinda's in front of me.

Uh oh.

Hi, Daisy, Merinda signs. Her lips are a hard line.

Hi, Mom.

Serena rolls her eyes. She called me mom, too, she signs to Merinda.

I know that it's easy to forget that I'm your teacher because we've been together for so long and because we're friends, but the next time you ingest nicotine on school grounds, I'm going to have to call your parents.

She thinks it was an e-cig. I lift my hands to tell her of her mistake, but Serena grabs them to stop me.

And don't try to lie to me, because I already confiscated the pen from Mr. Kane.

Oh, God. A white hot sense of dread pricks at my skin from the inside out. I may have just cost him... I can't even think it. If someone else sees it and recognizes... That's permanent expulsion. You didn't turn him in, did you?

Seeing how well he's been doing, I didn't want to jeopardize that. And the only reason I didn't call your parents immediately is because he insisted that he smoked it alone, and school policy states that I can't call them on mere suspicion without evidence. I know that since she has a longstanding relationship with my parents, that she could call after school as a friend and not a teacher. But her features soften, and I know she's forgiven me. This is unlike you, Daisy. I want to see you continue to lift Cannon up, not the other way around. Don't let it happen again.

It won't, Serena promises on my behalf.

I make it to Latin in one piece and on a full stomach. I'm so relaxed that I find it difficult to keep my eyes open. I must fall asleep with my head in my hand while we're doing work from the textbook because I jolt awake when the person in the desk behind me stands and accidentally jolts my desk with theirs.

Wake up, miss charred lungs, Merinda signs. Time for history.

I was dreaming of a bright meadowy hill in the sunshine, I tell her.

I'm sure you were.

Cannon gives me the guiltiest look imaginable when I walk into sixth. Sorry, he signs as I sit. I text him.

         It's my fault
         I got us caught

         But I got you high

         Sorry she took your pen

         She coulda done worse
         Did u have a good time?
        
I look up at him in answer, and I can't help but to grin. He grins back.

Yes but never again.

That's fair

This time, when I look up, Merinda is watching me. Phone's up, she signs. You lost your privileges.

That's fair, I sign to Merinda, and I mime to Cannon to put his phone away.

Guess we are no longer above the law.