"Thanks for hanging with me tonight," Coco said to Guyler before puffing a fume of marijuana smoke from her lips.
Now in their junior year at Aberdale High School, Guyler and Coco had become unexpectedly close. Sure, they knew another since grade school, but it was years before they really conversed due to Guyler's nearly mute persona and Coco's general noninvolvement with kids aside from a few classmates and her brother Reed.
It wasn't until Coco began to have bipolar bouts of depression thanks to the joys of hormones and mental stress that they connected. About a year ago, Aberdale had legalized marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. After hearing about weed being a natural relaxer, Coco decided to try it herself since it would be cheaper for her to get than the anti-depression medication her doctor kept pushing her to take. Her pursuit led her path to cross Guyler's, who happened to purchase his supply at the same licensed weed shop as she did. Smoking the substance himself since sophomore year, Guyler wasn't bothered with helping Coco learn about the weed world. From inner city bong shops to the best smoke spots within the town, Guyler became Coco's advisor of sorts. Eventually, their friendship led to them having Friday nights like tonight, just sitting on a picnic blanket in the rarely explored section of the park sharing a bong together.
Coco puffed some more smoke from her mouth, this time attempting to make a trail of rings. Unfortunately, she was only able to make a swirl of smoke that looked a bit like a heart at the end. She glared at Guyler, who chuckled softly behind his turtleneck collar.
"You think you can do better? Go on then," Coco challenged.
Taking the bong from her hand and flicking back strand of his now dreadlocked hair, Guyler pulled his turtleneck off his lips and inhaled the substance. Closing his eyes and tilting his chin up slightly, he managed to puff out five rings into the evening air. He opened his eyes and smiled at his progress and secretly at how he got Coco to look surprised for a moment.
"Whatever," Coco muttered with roll of her eyes, knowing her defeat. She adjusted the crown of articifical flowers she decorated her head with and flicked a piece of lint from her jeans.
"I could teach you how to do that, you know," Guyler offered, not wanting Coco to get mopey.
Coco took a moment to consider it, but soon nodded in agreement.
Guyler kept his collar rolled down and brought the bong to his lips. "When you exhale, you have to move your lips like you're kissing."
"Kissing?"
"Yeah," Guyler assured. "Well, not like making out with someone. More like you're giving someone a quick kiss on the lips or like on the back of your hand."
"Why would I be kissing the back of my hand?"
"You never did that for kissing practice?" Guyler lowered the bong to his chest.
Coco giggled at him. "Oh my god, wait. That's a thing?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, at least it was for me. My cousin taught me that hint when I was younger, and it kinda gave me confidence."
Coco laughed through her lips. "You're such a loser, Guyler," she teased playfully.
"Hey, all I know is who I've kissed haven't complained yet so the practice was worth it."
"You've kissed someone?" Coco was genuinely surprised. Guyler wasn't exactly the lady's man type. After all, she usually heard talk of Sumo getting cozy with girls at parties or even Belson getting some action, however it was mostly from the more gold-digging girls in the school looking to take advantage of the wealthy boy. From all the crush and hook-up gossip she heard in the school hallways and girls' bathrooms, not once has Guyler's name come up.
Guyler gave Coco a smug side-glance. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." After getting a teasing shove from Coco, he chuckled again and continued, "I will tell you, though, that I haven't done more than making out. I have yet to even go on a formal date or anything yet."
"Yeah, me neither. All the guys are after girls like Kimby and her friends. I'm not exactly beautiful or anything like they are." She laughed it off, but she couldn't stop her mind from recollecting memories of being called "Duck Face" in middle school thanks to her extremely plump lips.
Guyler shrugged. "I don't know; I think you're pretty."
Coco shot a look of confusion and shock at him. "R-really?"
Guyler slightly nodded, a genuine smile on his face. "You have nice lips and a cute laugh. You're definitely not ugly or anything."
She played with the glasses on her face, and felt her cheeks burn from blushing. Never had she expected him to compliment her looks, or any guy for that matter. "Well, uh, thanks."
Guyler raised the bong to his lips again, puffing out another perfect ring of smoke. "See? Just take it in and exhale like you're giving someone a kiss."
"Oh, right-right! Forgot you were…yeah, ok." Coco awkwardly took the bong from him, still barely able to make eye contact with him, and took in more smoke. She made a puckering motion with her lips before releasing the vapor from her lips. Though more defined than last time, it was still more of a gust of smoke than an actually shape.
Coco sighed, putting the bong down on the blanket. "Maybe I'm just not the best at kissing or something."
Guyler leaned towards Coco, putting his hand under her chin. "Don't freak out, okay?"
"W-What are you—" Coco managed to stutter before Guyler's lips connected to hers. The soft and gentle contact made her heart flutter as well as her body tense up in defense. She stared at his closed eyes and felt paralyzed from shock as his lips continued to slowly pucker around her lower and top lips. She began to debate on responding back or not when he pulled away, leaving his hand on her chin and leaning in only a few inches away from her face.
"The problem is you have to part your lips more."
"W-what—"
"You have to actually part your lips a bit more as you kiss. If you were parting your lips more, the smoke rings would've worked."
"Can…Can I try again?"
Guyler smiled before leaning in and kissing her again. Coco was prepared this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he moved his hand from her chin to just above her hip. A moan escaped her lips as he began to kiss her more passionately, leaning her back onto the blanket as he leaned on top of her. She melted into his warmth as she sucked upon his lower lip. Sure she had been kissed before, but never like this. As she parted her lips more allowing his tongue to brush against hers, Coco never wanted to let go. She loved everything about this moment: his smell of smoke and fabric softener, the coarseness of his dreadlocks between her fingers, the raw taste of his mouth, and how wanted and beautiful she felt in his embrace.
Maybe it was the growing hormones or the weed that influenced them, but as they pulled away for air, neither could help but stare into another's eyes with longing and joy, secretly hoping to have serenaded the other with that kiss and the loving sounds of their heartbeats.
