The first time I got high.

Back in 11th grade I'd made a new friend who was a first-class pot smoker. One sunny September afternoon we made a plan to skip part of algebra class, meet a small group of his friends and get high. We drove to a house near school where a small group of kids were smoking a fat one by the swimming pool. I took a seat, made awkward small talk as I waited for the joint to come around. I smoked it like I was a pro, but coughed like I wasn't, which made them all laugh at me a little. I acted like their weed was harsh, but the truth was - I was new at this, it was my first time. They could see that and did not pass the joint my way again - because for about 5 minutes I coughed like a pack-a-day menthol smoker.

After a minute they ignored me so I sat alone gazing into the water of the shimmering pool. I thought to myself, "Well this isn't working. I'm not high at all." Just as that thought crossed my mind so did this one, "What's up with all the dancing light sticks in this empty pool?" Yea, I was that high. I thought the swimming pool was empty of water and in it instead were a collection of bright, white light sticks just dancing and flickering in the pool. About then I snapped out of it and asked my friend if he planned on going back to algebra class. He turned his head slowly and looked at me, smiled and after what seemed like 20 minutes he managed to utter one important word: "Yup." That's all he said. Just like that: Yup. In that deep southern vernacular I grew up with and knew well, but for some reason (probably because I was incredi-high) that one word sounded so damn funny that I repeated it, saying "yup" twice in the same way he said it. Then I started laughing at the ridiculous sound of that word. Yup. I laughed from my belly, the kind of uncontrollable laugh that only happens when you are trying not to laugh.

Before long I was crying laughing with tears streaming down my cheeks, and so was everyone else. We all had a good laugh except I was the only one who knew why. The others asked me several times what was so funny and why we were all laughing so hard, but I couldn't catch my breath long enough to explain it. So we laughed until the moment passed, then we smoked some more and the subject changed. Needless to say, we never made it back to algebra class.