Nicole's Smoking Story Part 7

Nikki loved smoking and didn’t waiver on her plan to never smoke less than a pack a day, but getting through an entire day of school was becoming a problem for her. She had begun to take some precautions, but it was always a temporary fix.

She still had a her customary cigarette when she woke up and the one before she got into the car before school. Once her father dropped Nikki off, she would have about 30 minutes before school began, so she would sneak back out and walk down the sidewalk for two more before going back in at the 8 a.m. bell. However, the problem was that by 10, she was desperately in need of a smoke. With classes being so small, there was no chance to sneak out and she had to sit through school until 2:30.

The next problem came once school was over. Nikki still did not have her own car, and with her father coaching track at her school and her mother working after school, she had to take the bus home or wait until five. The bus ride wasn’t long, but the 17-year-old was dying for her fix and had to get on the bus right after gathering her belongings.

By early April, Nikki would have a cigarette and her lighter out before the bus even reached her street. Before the bus could even stop, she would be out of her seat and making her way down the aisle, nearly tripping over her high heels going down the steps. She was barely off the steps before popping the cigarette in her mouth and lighting it, seemingly oblivious to the bus driver’s disapproving scowl and all of the boys on the bus staring as smoke funnelled out of the perfect, straight-A, prissy Catholic school princess in a black leather coat as she briskly walked up the driveway.

This was her routine every day after school, followed by two more Marlboros before she even entered the house. Nikki would have two more before her parents returned home. After dinner she would have two more before her homework, another about an hour in, and then she would head outside to unwind with what seemed to be an endless stream of cigarettes before watching some TV before her bedtime smoke. Her parents were well aware that their precious daughter had increased her smoking in an astonishing amount, but what could they do? Her grades were still perfect and she never gave them grief in any other fashion. There was obviously a rebellious side to Nikki and they didn’t want to push anymore of it out.

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Summer came and Nikki once again was at the top of the class. Much of the final summer before her senior year would be spent in the sun, but with her smoking habit ever-increasing and desperately in need of money. As a result, her mother arranged for her to become a teacher’s assistant for summer school in her district. It was only half a day, so her mother didn’t think there would be a risk of her sneaking off to smoke on a break.

She thought wrong.

On her first day, Nikki had her good-morning-cigarette while her coffee brewed -- she was the only coffee drinker in the house with her brothers gone -- and once she was done with her smoke, she sipped her coffee while getting dressed.

Never wanting to leave a stray of hair out place, Nikki pondered what to wear on her first day. Not quite knowing what to expect, she decided to pass on her usual high heels, at least until she knew how much she would be on her feet. So, Nikki selected a tight, dressy white blouse, tucked it into a pair of jeans that fit snugly around her tight and perfect posterior and tied the two together with her usual thick black leather belt. Then she grabbed a pair of black cowboy boots from her closet and slid her pant leg over the top of them before putting on her watch, bracelets and necklace.

Nikki checked her long brown hair, which was kept curly today, and had one last cigarette before driving off -- she was allowed to use the family’s third car for everything but driving to school, something she didn’t understand, but didn’t argue about -- and her parents thought she was off to work. She indeed was, but not without a detour. For someone that got fidgety going an hour without a smoke and downright antsy after two, a six-hour day would still be tough on her. So, as soon as she got to Lockport, she pulled into the Walmart parking lot before sucking down two more before dousing herself in perfume and gum before going to the elementary school.

It didn’t take long for Nikki to begin to fit right in at the school. She enjoyed and was good at working with the fourth graders and got along with the teacher in the classroom well. The teacher was almost shocked at how Nikki always seemed to know what she needed to do. The young boys in class always seem to stare as she walked away with her butt and hips swaying in her tight jeans as she walked away. She was well aware of the stares. “I thought fourth graders didn’t like girls?” Nikki laughed to herself.

Since her last cigarette at 7:15, Nikki had been so consumed with her job that she hardly noticed, but by 9:30 her craving hit and by 10:15 she wanted a smoke so bad she could taste it.

Ever observant, Nikki had noticed that Mrs. Penepento was working at the school. She had never met her as she didn’t work at either of her parent’s schools, but she had seen her. The elementary school was directly across from her high school and during a morning class, Nikki noticed the dark red-haired 50-year-old teacher’s aide -- she looked good for her age -- walking down the sidewalk, often in a leather coat with a belt tied around her waist, before lighting an all-white cigarette before disappearing out of sight of any potential students.

At 10:30 she would get a break for about a half hour as the students had an assembly. Nikki watched Mrs. Penepento intently to see if she would try to sneak away. Sure enough, as soon as it began and the students were settled, she saw the aide exit the gym.

Nikki brought her purse to the assembly just in case and snatched up the black leather handbag and quietly followed her out. Once in the hallway, she looked for Mrs. Penepento but couldn’t see her. “She must have just gone to the bathroom,” Nikki thought disappointedly.

Just as Nikki was about to give up and sulk back into the gym, she could hear heels clacking and Mrs. Penepento came around the corner, walking briskly, her own purse on her shoulder and the two nearly collided.

“Nicole, I’m so sorry!” Mrs. Penepento exclaimed embarrassingly. “I need to pay attention better!”

“Oh don’t worry about it, Mrs. P!” Nikki laughed, then glanced at her purse and asked, “Where are you off to?”

Having been through the process many times before during her career, the adult calmly said, “I’m just running out for a second.”

Knowing this was her chance, Nikki asked, “Oh, do you mind if I tag along? I could use a break from the kids for a few minutes.”

Clearly not wanting the teenager’s company because of what she was about to do, Mrs. Penepento said, “Oh no dear, it’s OK. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

Undeterred and in desperate need of a smoke, Nikki stepped up her game. “I don’t think you understand,” Nikki told her with her eyebrows raised to make a point. “I know where you’re going and I really need to come with you.”

The adult woman finally caught on and raised her own eyebrows in shock. “Well, I...I...I guess you can come.”

Nikki smiled and the two ladies walked out the side door and down the sidewalk, knowing time was limited if they wanted to get back into the school undetected. As soon as they were out of sight from the school, Mrs. Penepento took out one of her all-white Salem’s and lit up. She was silent up until that point, knowing what was about to happen, but still not quite sure. After all, this was the daughter of two teachers in the district and she had a spotless reputation.

Sure enough, Nikki followed suit, extracting a Marlboro Red Label 100 from her purse, placing it between her soft lips and lighting it perfectly without breaking stride before triple pumping as if she had been deprived of nicotine for years. It was hard for Mrs. Penepento not to gawk has a trail of smoke permeated from the 17-year-old’s mouth and nose like a chimney. An experienced two-pack-a-day smoker herself, Mrs. Penepento knew the teenager was no novice herself.

“I have to ask dear, do your parents know you smoke?” Mrs. Penepento asked.

Nikki smiled and said through an exhale, “Of course. For almost two years. They struggled with it a lot at first, and probably still do, but they don’t say anything.”

“How much are smoking?” Mrs. Penepento asked quizzically.

“I usually don’t smoke less than a pack a day,” Nikki said as she lit another fresh cigarette with the tip of the spent one. “I started smoking more in the spring. It was hard to get through the school day, but I just enjoy it.”

“Just be glad you don’t smoke two packs a day,” Mrs. Penepento laughed as she jokingly nudged Nikki.

Nikki was certainly on track to smoke two packs a day at some point down the road, but for now she crushed her cigarette underneath the heel of her cowboy boot, applied copious amounts of perfume and gum and the two ladies headed back into the assembly.

When the kids went home at 12:30, Nikki still had to stay another hour to clean up and prepare for the next day. Shortly after the students went home, Mrs. Penepento asked Nikki to come with her so the teacher would not notice.

“I thought you might need another smoke break,” Mrs. Penepento whispered once in the hall.

“You have no idea,” Nikki said with a sigh of relief.

Any time there was a break in the school day, Nikki would sneak off with Mrs. P. Then after the kids went home, the two would go out again before returning to finish her work. It was becoming increasingly obvious to the middle-aged teacher as to where her teenage teacher’s aide was sneaking off to everyday. Two weeks in, she had finally gotten annoyed with the routine charade after school.

“Nicole, I know where you’re going after school everyday,” the woman told her. “It’s obvious that you smoke. I can smell your perfume before you come in the room and the gum doesn’t always mask the smell on your breathe. I’m not going to take two people down because of it, but there’s no need to be deceiving.”

“OK, thank you,” Nikki replied.

It didn’t take long for every adult in the school to know that she smoked when the saw her walk outside every afternoon with a notorious smoker like Mrs. Penepento. Word would assuredly get back to her parents, but Nikki simply didn’t care anymore. She was sick of hiding this secret...from the few people that didn’t know anyway.