Xiaoyu coughed as she handed the pipe back to Hwoarang. She waved pungent smoke away from her face and wiped a watering eye. "Is it supposed to do that?" she asked, gasping for air.
"Yeah," he replied, "it's like that the first time." He flicked the lighter and tilted it into the bowl, inhaling deeply. His eyes slid closed for a moment, and he slowly let the smoke out of his lungs. "But you get used to it real quick." He passed the pipe to Xiaoyu again and lit it for her. They each took a few more hits in silence before Xiaoyu started giggling. "What?" Hwoarang demanded.
"Your faaaace is doing funny thiiiings," she teased, covering her mouth with her free hand.
"Ooookay," he said, prying the pipe out of her hand. "I think that's enough for you."
"No! I want some more!" she pouted.
"Sorry, girl. You are high as a kite."
"I am so not high," she protested, pouting some more. Hwoarang ignored her, poking the blackened bits of plant matter left in the pipe. "Besides, it's cashed anyway."
"No more?" Xiaoyu peered into the bowl.
"Nope, no more." He emptied the remains of the marijuana into the palm of his hand and blew them into the bushes. He stood up and offered his friend a hand up. "Come on," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Anyone catches us, and we'll probably get disqualified from the tournament."
Xiaoyu took his hand and stood. He placed an arm around her shoulders and helped guide her back inside the hotel. He could tell she was using all her efforts to keep a straight face, but it didn't matter. No one was around, except, no doubt, for King in the bar down the hall. They stepped into the elevator, and Hwoarang pushed the button for the third floor. Xiaoyu quickly pressed the rest of the buttons.
"Hey!" Hwoarang scolded. "What'd you do that for?"
"'Cause," she giggled, "it's fun!" He rolled his eyes and watched the elevator open three times before pulling a reluctant Xiaoyu out into the hallway. "I wanna watch it open on the rest of the... the... uh..."
"Floors," he finished for her, pulling her away from the elevator.
"Yeah! Floors!" He guided her down the hall to her room. She stood staring at the number on the door. She cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. A moment later, she mumbled, "Yeah... this is my room." She fumbled through her pockets for her key, but all of them were empty. "Shit!" she whispered.
"What? Don't tell me your key's in there."
"Yeah." She tried to look through the peephole. "Juuuulia!" she whispered loudly. "Open the door!"
"She's asleep, dummy," Hwoarang said. "Come on, you can crash in my room tonight. Forest is staying in his dad and Paul's room, so I've got both beds free."
"Okay!" Xiaoyu tried to skip down the hall alongside him, but she lost her balance and fell flat on her face. Shaking his head, Hwoarang helped her to her feet. "I'm gonna skip some more," she told him.
"Oh, no, you're not."
"Oh, yes, I am!"
"Oh, no, you're not!" He grabbed her and hoisted her over his shoulder, continuing calmly down the hall. She wiggled a lot, but he kept a tight grip on her. He set her back down when they reached his room, and he opened the door for her. She flopped facedown on the bed closer to the window. She lay still for a moment before clumsily fiddling with her hands behind her back. She whined helplessly.
"What do you need?" Hwoarang asked as he turned on the bathroom light.
"Can't sleep with bra thingy," she whined. "Won't come off." Hwoarang crossed the room, reached under her top and unclasped her bra with one hand, and returned to the bathroom.
He splashed some water on his face and leaned close to the mirror to inspect his eyes. "Cool," he thought. "Not too red this time." He took out his contact lenses and put them in their plastic case on the counter, then slid his glasses onto his face. He turned off the light and closed the bathroom door behind him. Xiaoyu lay on her back on the bed, her little pink bra draped over her face like a mask. "You gonna sleep like that?" he inquired.
"Like what?" She raised a hand to her face and pulled off the bra. "Oh. I thought I just had my eyes closed or something." She rolled her head toward him. "Hey, I never knew you wore glasses."
"Not many people do." He turned the bedcovers down, pulled off his shirt, and crawled into bed. "Put that thing somewhere where you'll remember it in the morning. I don't want Law to come back tomorrow and find an A-cup bra on his bed."
"I'm a B-cup," she corrected. "Why won't the light go away?" Hwoarang reached over and shut off the lamp. "Yay! Thanks." He heard her moving in the next bed for over a minute before she finally lay still. He was almost asleep when he heard her gasp. "I can't sleep in here!" she cried. "What if Jin finds out? What if he sees me tomorrow? He'll hate me forever!"
"I'll explain it if he does."
"Oh, yeah, that'll sound great. You got me high!"
"I didn't get you high, you wanted to get high."
"Yeah, but he won't see it that way! Shit, I'd better go wake up Nina and Anna, they have an adjoining door into our room."
"Don't bother." With a groan, Hwoarang sat up and turned the lamp back on. He pulled the alarm clock across the nightstand and started pressing buttons. "Jin fights tomorrow at eight in the morning, so he'll be out of the building by six. I'll set this alarm for six thirty so you can go back down the hall after he's gone. Julia fights at ten, so she'll definitely be up and moving by then. Okay?"
"Okay!" She smiled and squeezed her eyes shut. "Night night!"
"Night," he replied, turning off the lamp one more time.
"Yeah," he replied, "it's like that the first time." He flicked the lighter and tilted it into the bowl, inhaling deeply. His eyes slid closed for a moment, and he slowly let the smoke out of his lungs. "But you get used to it real quick." He passed the pipe to Xiaoyu again and lit it for her. They each took a few more hits in silence before Xiaoyu started giggling. "What?" Hwoarang demanded.
"Your faaaace is doing funny thiiiings," she teased, covering her mouth with her free hand.
"Ooookay," he said, prying the pipe out of her hand. "I think that's enough for you."
"No! I want some more!" she pouted.
"Sorry, girl. You are high as a kite."
"I am so not high," she protested, pouting some more. Hwoarang ignored her, poking the blackened bits of plant matter left in the pipe. "Besides, it's cashed anyway."
"No more?" Xiaoyu peered into the bowl.
"Nope, no more." He emptied the remains of the marijuana into the palm of his hand and blew them into the bushes. He stood up and offered his friend a hand up. "Come on," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Anyone catches us, and we'll probably get disqualified from the tournament."
Xiaoyu took his hand and stood. He placed an arm around her shoulders and helped guide her back inside the hotel. He could tell she was using all her efforts to keep a straight face, but it didn't matter. No one was around, except, no doubt, for King in the bar down the hall. They stepped into the elevator, and Hwoarang pushed the button for the third floor. Xiaoyu quickly pressed the rest of the buttons.
"Hey!" Hwoarang scolded. "What'd you do that for?"
"'Cause," she giggled, "it's fun!" He rolled his eyes and watched the elevator open three times before pulling a reluctant Xiaoyu out into the hallway. "I wanna watch it open on the rest of the... the... uh..."
"Floors," he finished for her, pulling her away from the elevator.
"Yeah! Floors!" He guided her down the hall to her room. She stood staring at the number on the door. She cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. A moment later, she mumbled, "Yeah... this is my room." She fumbled through her pockets for her key, but all of them were empty. "Shit!" she whispered.
"What? Don't tell me your key's in there."
"Yeah." She tried to look through the peephole. "Juuuulia!" she whispered loudly. "Open the door!"
"She's asleep, dummy," Hwoarang said. "Come on, you can crash in my room tonight. Forest is staying in his dad and Paul's room, so I've got both beds free."
"Okay!" Xiaoyu tried to skip down the hall alongside him, but she lost her balance and fell flat on her face. Shaking his head, Hwoarang helped her to her feet. "I'm gonna skip some more," she told him.
"Oh, no, you're not."
"Oh, yes, I am!"
"Oh, no, you're not!" He grabbed her and hoisted her over his shoulder, continuing calmly down the hall. She wiggled a lot, but he kept a tight grip on her. He set her back down when they reached his room, and he opened the door for her. She flopped facedown on the bed closer to the window. She lay still for a moment before clumsily fiddling with her hands behind her back. She whined helplessly.
"What do you need?" Hwoarang asked as he turned on the bathroom light.
"Can't sleep with bra thingy," she whined. "Won't come off." Hwoarang crossed the room, reached under her top and unclasped her bra with one hand, and returned to the bathroom.
He splashed some water on his face and leaned close to the mirror to inspect his eyes. "Cool," he thought. "Not too red this time." He took out his contact lenses and put them in their plastic case on the counter, then slid his glasses onto his face. He turned off the light and closed the bathroom door behind him. Xiaoyu lay on her back on the bed, her little pink bra draped over her face like a mask. "You gonna sleep like that?" he inquired.
"Like what?" She raised a hand to her face and pulled off the bra. "Oh. I thought I just had my eyes closed or something." She rolled her head toward him. "Hey, I never knew you wore glasses."
"Not many people do." He turned the bedcovers down, pulled off his shirt, and crawled into bed. "Put that thing somewhere where you'll remember it in the morning. I don't want Law to come back tomorrow and find an A-cup bra on his bed."
"I'm a B-cup," she corrected. "Why won't the light go away?" Hwoarang reached over and shut off the lamp. "Yay! Thanks." He heard her moving in the next bed for over a minute before she finally lay still. He was almost asleep when he heard her gasp. "I can't sleep in here!" she cried. "What if Jin finds out? What if he sees me tomorrow? He'll hate me forever!"
"I'll explain it if he does."
"Oh, yeah, that'll sound great. You got me high!"
"I didn't get you high, you wanted to get high."
"Yeah, but he won't see it that way! Shit, I'd better go wake up Nina and Anna, they have an adjoining door into our room."
"Don't bother." With a groan, Hwoarang sat up and turned the lamp back on. He pulled the alarm clock across the nightstand and started pressing buttons. "Jin fights tomorrow at eight in the morning, so he'll be out of the building by six. I'll set this alarm for six thirty so you can go back down the hall after he's gone. Julia fights at ten, so she'll definitely be up and moving by then. Okay?"
"Okay!" She smiled and squeezed her eyes shut. "Night night!"
"Night," he replied, turning off the lamp one more time.