Page 3 of A Real Goode Time

Steelie was our neighbor who lived one house over. He grew and sold some of the best pot in the whole New Haven area. One smell and you knew it was his crop. Sticky, potent, fragrant. And expensive as hell. One nugget of this size from Steelie was worth at least thirty bucks. And when you’re living life on the edge of broke, that’s too much for an extra like pot. We usually got ours from Mario, a dishwasher at the bar where Jillie worked, and it was…well…of far inferior quality, and thusmuchcheaper.

Leighton just shrugged again. “I cleaned his house. That’s it.”

“Promise?” I looked at her sideways.

Leighton had been on her own since she was sixteen and had, in the past, been known to do some shady shit to get by, accounting for her general outlook on life.

She nodded, meeting my eyes—I saw honesty there. “I’m telling the truth. I cleaned his house and let me tell you, he got the deal. I didwaymore than thirty bucks worth of work just on his bathroom. The dude grows good herb, but he’s a fucking slob.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said. “But thank you.”

She handed me the bowl and a lighter. “I got that nugget, and an extra pinch, which is what’s in there.” She grinned at me. “Call it a going away present.”

“I’m coming back,” I said. “It’s not goodbye.”

Leighton shook her head. “No, this is goodbye. I can feel it in my nuggets.”

I laughed—one of our favorite movies to watch stoned wasSurf’s Up, an animated movie about a surfing penguin, and she’d just quoted one of our favorite lines.

“I’m coming back,” I insisted. “Soon as the wedding is over.”

“Light it up, Tor,” Jillie said, and I did, taking a long hit then handing it to Leighton. “I agree with Ley. This feels like goodbye.”

“It’snotgoodbye,” I said, after exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.

“Your whole family is there,” Leighton said, holding the smoke in. She exhaled, speaking around the plume of smoke. “Why would you come back here when everyone you know and love is there?”

“You guys are here,” I said.

Jillie took the pipe from Leighton, hit it, and handed it to me. “That’s sweet, babe, but we’re your roommates. They’re your family.”

“You’re like family, though.”

“Just…” Leighton sighed. “Just remember that we love you and we’ll miss you, but we know you’re staying in Ketchikan, so when you have that argument with yourself, remind yourself that we already know you’re staying, so don’t worry about us.”

I frowned at her. “I think that made sense. Maybe.”

“Shut up, you know what I mean.” She laughed. “Shit, Steelie’s stuff ispotent.”

“That’s why he named it Sledgehammer,” Jillie said. “But I know what Leighton means, Tor. Just keep in mind that you have our blessing to move to Ketchikan to be with your family.”

“I don’twantto move to fucking Alaska,” I said, sighing. “They all left me here, so I’m staying here.”

Leighton and Jillie exchanged glances over me.

“What?” I demanded.

“I just don’t think you’ve ever admitted that in so many words,” Leighton said.

There was enough left for one more hit each, and then Leighton put her pipe away and we all lay on the floor, floating pleasantly.

“Admit what?” I asked, after a comically long delay.

Jillie snorted a laugh. “That you’re bitter about being left here.”

“Oh.” I blinked. “Ohhh. Wow. Yeah, you’re right. I guess maybe that’s why I’m being such a pain in the ass about this trip up there.”

“At least you can admit you’re being a pain in the ass about it,” Leighton said.