It was in my first year of high school. I was about 14 years old when I had my first taste of a cigarette. A friend of mine named Alexis came over to my house during lunch one day. As I answered the door, she had a GIANT grin on her face. She told me to put my shoes on and follow her because she had a special treat for me. Little did I know what she was about to get me into! We walked to the end of my street where there was a church. She pulled a pack of duMaurier King size from her purse. I asked her, "Where did you get those from?" since she was only 14. She told me that she had stolen from her older sister who smoked so much that Alexis though she wouldn't notice.

She took a single cigarette out of the pack and put it between her lip glossed lips. She looked naughty; it intrigued me. Before I had a chance to say anything she pulled a black lighter out of her purse and lit the cigarette that dangled from her lips. I stood in awe, unable to believe that my best friend really smoked. She took a cheek-hollowing drag and blew a thick cloud of smoke right at my face. Looking me straight in the eye, she said, "Now it's your turn".

I was a hesitant to try, I kept thinking about the health risks and I was afraid of becoming addicted, but she made the smoke look so delicious that I was powerless to refuse. She handed the pack to me. I slid out a single cigarette with a brown filter and put it gently between my awaiting lips. As she brought the lighter's flame closer to the tip I could feel my heart pounding with anticipation. I felt the warm flame close to my face and she whispered to me, "Now breathe in Jess". I took a small amount of smoke into my mouth and blew it out quickly. The second drag was a little tougher. After I took the smoke in my mouth, I accidentally breathed some in. The smoke made my lungs burn and caught in the back of my throat as I tried to breathe. I tried not to cough so Alexis wouldn't laugh at me. It burned my throat so much but I managed to exhale the smoke out of my slightly parted lips. I loved how Alexis stood there so proud. It made me feel closer to her than I ever had before.

Alexis was almost done her cigarette by this time. I was amazed at how she could smoke so fast. She asked me how I liked it. I said, "It must be an acquired taste". We both laughed. I took another haul and this time it wasn't so bad. I actually inhaled some of the smoke and I could feel it tingling all the way to my toes. I felt exhilarated that I had done it, I felt like a bad girl. I knew in that moment that smoking was something I could learn to enjoy.

We talked about our plans for the weekend, the boys we thought were cute, and of course smoking. As I took the last drag off my cigarette, we headed off to school. I asked Alexis if she wanted to come over for lunch again tomorrow. She said sure with a sparkle in her eye, "Should I bring my cigarettes?" I replied, "Yes, definitely".