She held the lighter to the tip of the cigarette, and imitating her dream, clicked it to life in one attempt. As it started to burn, she sucked on it like she did before, enjoying the taste of it as it filled her mouth, then inhaled and felt a sense of excited relief wash over her. A weak stream of smoke flowed from her nostrils as she dragged on it again before taking it from her lips, then exhaled. Once she was finished watching it drift away, Mary continued walking down the road, hungrily smoking as she did.
She wasn't entirely sure where she was going, but she just felt like she wanted to be seen. As cars passed by, Mary was getting a kick out of the drivers and passengers looking at her. Mary looked her age, so the cigarette between her fingers was getting a lot of disapproving looks from other females, and a fair amount of men, but some of the men were looking at her differently to what she was used too. After a few minutes, she dropped what was left of her cigarette on the floor and stamped it out, then quickly got the pack out of her bag and confidently lit another.
Enjoying how she was being looked at, Mary started heading in the direction of the town center. She was already fairly close, only another 10 minute walk away, even further in the direction away from her house. As she got closer, she passed more and more pedestrians and was able to see their reactions more. Most old people just looked at her disapprovingly, while other girls her age gave her dirty looks. Meanwhile, she felt like guys a similar age were definitely looking at her more. Mary was unsure if the glances were out of curiosity or genuine attraction, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. She finished her second smoke shortly before reaching the high Street, but held off on another for the moment.
There was something she wanted to try.
As Mary walked down the road, her eyes darted around, looking for someone in particular. It took 5 minutes, but eventually she spotted someone suitable. A couple of guys were hanging out down a secluded path along the side of a fast food restaurant. They weren't the type of guy she would typically see around her school, instead Mary had opted for the type from her dream. The left guy had short shaved hair and was wearing a white tshirt, black trackies and dirty white trainers, while the right guy had hair that was still short but a little more styled, and was decked out in an all black tracksuit, and both of them were smoking.
Mary stood at the end of the path and rummaged around in her bag, pulling out her pack of cigarettes. She took one out, placing it between her lips, then rummaged around her bag again, pretending to look for her lighter. She gave it 10 seconds before 'giving up', then looked around and made eye contact with the guy on the right.
"Hey! Do you have a lighter I could borrow?" Mary shouted as she walked towards the pair.
"Yea one sec" he replied, then shoved a hand into his apparently change-filled pocket. It clicked around for a few seconds before he pulled out a lighter, and held it out to Mary.
"Ere ya go" he said, as she took it from him. Mary quickly lit up, comfortably dragging on it a couple of times as she handed the lighter back, then took it from her lips and exhaled towards him.
"Thank you" Mary said, then started to walk away. Before she could make it more than a few steps away, he spoke again.
"Hey wait girl, come back" he said. Mary turned back, and stepped towards them again.
"Yea?" She asked, taking another drag on her smoke and blowing it at him.
"Just wanted to talk to ya was all. Whas yer name?"
"Mary, why?" She replied bluntly.
"Damn girl no need to snap, just thought you was cute and wanted to chat was all" he smiled cockily. Mary couldn't help but smile back.
"Right, so what's your name then?" She asked.
"I'm Marcus" Mary then looked at the other guy. "And he's Luke, but he was just leaving weren't ya?"
Luke had the fave of someone that obviously wasn't just leaving, but got the point and nodded at Marcus anyway.
"Yea I was, seeya" he snapped, then walked off into town.
"So what's a girl like you doin here then?" Marcus asked.
"What do you mean? Mary replied nervously. Did she really look so out of place? She dragged on her cigarette.
"Well those clothes you're wearin' ain't exactly cheap. Your kind are usually out shoppin with ya mates, not hangin out in an alley on your own doin that" he nodded at the smoke Mary blew in his direction again.
"You also speak too posh for someone from round ere, you go to one of the private schools up north?"
Mary felt slightly panicked. Did she really look like she was just pretending to be someone else? What would the girl do in this situation?
"None of your fuckin' business is it really?" Mary spat playfully. Thankfully, Marcus laughed.
"Got a bit of a gob on ya ain't ya" he chuckled.