"Far out man that is some good shit," Matt says, his voice strained from trying to keep the hit of marijuana smoke in.
"Hey dude you have said that every time you've taken a hit. And you've taken a bunch."
"OK smart ass, how many?" He asks handing his friend Pete the joint.
The radio tuned to the newest underground FM channel is on low as to not alert the neighbors of the kids cutting class. The DJ announces the next song, but no one is listening, "From the movie that is defining the times we are living in, Easy Rider the Brotherhood of Man plays "Don't Bogart that Joint."
Pete takes a long deep drag, "Hun?"
Matt starts to chuckle then, having failed to choke back the hit breaks into laughter falling over rolling on the floor laughing in spasms completely losting it. Pete tries not to lose his hit, but he can't. Watching his friend he has a fit of his own letting loose with a belly laugh spraying mucus and saliva as he joins his friend rolling on the floor. A minute or two later the laughter subsides and a third voice buts in.
"Can't you dudes control your selves? You gonna bogart the joint or pass it over to me?" Pete, still chuckling hands it too her, after all Suzie is his girlfriend. She takes a hit and passes it to Matt.
"No, that's enough for me."
"Whoa man, you sure?" Pete grabs it, "I'll take it, I lost mine back there."
"Hey speaking of losing it," Matt says.
Suzie blushes, Pete glares at his friend. When he can't hold his breath and the hit anymore says, "Be cool will ya."
"Its cool dude just –"
"Just nothin'. It don't concerned you."
"What concerns me," she looks at each in turn, "is getting to the Rock Festival at Altamont it is supposed to be bigger than Woodstock. I'm not going to miss it because you two dudes are to lame to get rides."
"That's what I'm talking about." Matt says vindicated, "My older brother might take us, but he's just hooked up with the local Jesus Freaks out of Hope Chapel and if he thinks you guys are fucking he won't take us. He don't care if you are 18, it is that premarital shit, you know go to hell if you ain't married."
"But the pot, and mushrooms and shit is OK?"
"Yea, he says that is how first found God."
"Sound fucking weird to me, but yeah I'll do my best to keep my hands off of Suzie." As he talks to Matt, Pete slowly moves his hand toward Suzie's tit. She gently slaps his hand before he gets to close. "See it won't be a problem." They all laugh.
Matt stands up, "I gotta split, if I ain't home when my Mom's gets there with dinner all cooked she gets really bent outta shape, and you know how hitchhiking across town is such a bummer." At the door he looks back across room at his two friends. The long rays of the setting autumn sun shimmer thought the smoke filled room giving everything a golden hue. His friends arms around each other laying on the floor look up at him, they have a reddish tinge reminiscence of the ripples of heat coming off newly laid asphalt wet and ready for impregnation of rocks and gravel to hold it together. He waves, sighs, and shuts it behind him.
Before the door was closed they were sitting up, knee to knee shot gunning the joint. A few months ago they realized that with a roach clip on the joint they could French kiss with it in their mouths blowing smoke from one to the other. With the hotbox in Pete's mouth Suzie takes a hit blowing the smoke into his mouth. Every few seconds she would suck air in from the side and continue. She coughs trying to take a third hit breaking the lip lock but it was only paper by then anyway.