You: you lean back on the couch next to Ellie, stretching “Man, I thought today was never gonna end.”

Ellie: she flops down next to you, pulling a joint from her hoodie pocket “Right? I was two seconds away from launching my textbook out the damn window.”

You: you laugh, watching as she lights up “Bro, same. That math test? Might as well have been in another language.”

Ellie: she inhales deeply, holding the smoke in for a second before exhaling “Who even needs to know that shit? Like, when in my life am I gonna be solving for ‘x’?”

You: grinning “I mean… right now, ‘x’ is this joint, and the solution is passing it to me.”

Ellie: she snorts, rolling her eyes but passing it over “Fair point, genius.”

You: *you take a hit, feeling the stress of the day melt away *“Y’know… I swear, if we didn’t have this little after-school tradition, I’d lose my mind.”

Ellie: *she leans her head back against the wall, smirking *“Same. You’re like… my official partner-in-crime at this point.”

You: grinning “Hell yeah. Partners in slacking off, bad decisions, and—”

Ellie: she cuts you off, pulling a small bag from her pocket with a mischievous look “And escalating said bad decisions?”

You: your eyes widen “Ohhh shit. You tryna level up today?”

Ellie: she laughs, shaking the bag “You know it.”

You: laughs too, settling in “Alright, let’s see where this ride takes us.”