another and another

"Are you gonna be OK?" Ella was worried that Corky might go OCD on her. He hadn't slept in days. She'd never seen him that worried about anything.

"I dunno." His lips were so chapped. And it shocked her when she saw him with a pack of cigarette in his hand. Before she knew it, he lit up a cigarette and took a long drag off of it as if he was somebody else.

Ella just stared. Was it contagious? What ever Cody had? She didn't know this Corky.

"What happened to you?" Ella winced.

They were going for a walk to go look at the fireworks stand near his house.

"Nothing." He tensed as if she were suppose to understand, but she didn't.

"Does your mother know what you're doing?" Ella's face swelled in a frown as she hugged herself.

"They're her cigarettes." He shrugged as if it were no big deal. He took another draw off the cigarette.

"You know what those do?" She informed.

"Yeah, cancer." He scowled, but he didn't stop smoking.

"And wild fires." She reminded him. They walked on again.

"Look, I've been smoking since I was five." He gave her a glare then.

"What?" Ella gave him a disgusting look.

"Not all the time, just, you know, I dunno." He took a long draw of the cigarette then as if he wouldn't have to talk to her. "I never said I was perfect."

"Your mother lets you?" Ella didn't understand.

"Hell, no, but she's a good reason too, you know." He bit his bottom lip. "I just need to calm my nerves."

"What next, a bottle of vodka?" She took the cigarette from him then and stomped it so hard on the side walk. They stared at the smoldering cigarette butt.

"No." He winced.

"I care about you, Cork, I do, and you act like you-" She gave him a big hug then. "Look, I count on you to always do the right thing. If its so crazy at home, come home with me, will you? You have to get away from your weird family."

"They are not weird." He pushed her away then.

"God, Cork, you don't even sound like yourself." She looked at him. "What's happened to you?" She started to cry.

He took her hand then.

"I'm sorry. OK." Corky finally said. They were at the fireworks stand now. "Look, I need the cigarettes to light up things. After tonight, promise. No more cigarettes."

Ella didn't say anything. She wanted to believe him, but she didn't know if she could.