友情敗給了大麻煙

I had a lot of friends whom I grew up with， and growing up together made us very close—until my friends got too close to weed.

Before that happened， we were always together. We'd go to movies， parties， the park； and if we didn't have anywhere to go， we'd stay at one of our houses and play video games.

Even though we were close friends， we still had our little arguments. But when we argued， Dave would get in the middle and try to stop it. He was like the official peacemaker of the group. Dave had the best sense of humor out of all of us. He was always telling jokes. That was one of the best things about hanging with them： you always got a good laugh.

But one day， when my friends were about 14， they made plans to put money in to buy some weed.

I didn't want to do it because I didn't want to have anything to do with weed. I thought if I didn't put any money in they would say I couldn't smoke， and I would pretend I was disappointed. But they got enough money to go through with it and said I could smoke anyway.

We were at the park when they started smoking it. One person lit the blunt2）， took a puff， and passed it around. As it was going around I was thinking to myself， \"What should I do？ Should I say yes or no？\" I sat at the end of the line， hoping that they would finish the blunt before it got to me or that someone else would turn it down so that I wouldn't be the only one who refused. Neither happened， and I found myself being handed the blunt.

\"I don't want any.\"

\"Take a puff， son. It's mad nice3）.\"

\"If you don't smoke， you're a herb4）.\"

\"You can't be a mama's boy the rest of your life.\"

I got so tempted5） that I actually took it in my hand. But I knew that it was a choice between smoking and keeping their friendship or not smoking and keeping my health. I came to my senses6） and just passed it on.

\"You really are a herb.\"

\"You can't hang7）， mama's boy.\"

When they finished smoking， they started acting like fools. They were hitting each other and telling stupid jokes. Seeing the way they acted made me glad that I didn't smoke. The next day everyone was talking about how bad they felt in the morning. You would think that would make them come to their senses and stop， but they just started making plans to get more.

My friends have been smoking for a year now， and it has changed them. They always look like zombies. Their eyes are always red and halfway closed. They have bad tempers and they are always ready to fight. Especially Dave： now he has the worst temper of them all.

A few weeks ago we were at the park playing basketball. Dave had the ball and when I tried to steal it from him I slapped his hand by accident. He got highly upset and started yelling at me.

\"Why the hell are you fouling8） me？\"

\"It was an accident， and I don't know what you're getting mad about anyway，\" I told him. \"It's all a part of the game. If you can't deal with it， don't play.\"

Dave tried to punch me but missed， then the others held him back and calmed him down. This surprised me because Dave was always the peacemaker before he began to smoke weed.

My friends and I always used to play against other blocks in basketball， and I always started9）. I didn't hear about a game for a while but I didn't worry， because I figured my friends would tell me when they were playing. Then one day I called Dave to see what he was doing and his mother picked up.

\"Hello， this is Jamel. Is Dave there？\"

\"No， he isn't， Jamel. He went to the park about a half-hour ago.\"

When I got to the park I saw them just finishing playing another team. I got upset because I always started， and now， because I don't smoke weed， they didn't even bother to call me.

Not being close to my friends like I used to be makes me think to myself， \"Maybe I should smoke it just one time. What's the worst thing that could happen to me？\" Then I remember the way that they were acting the other day in the park and I just forget about it.

You might be wondering why I don't stop trying to stay close to them and make new friends， but it isn't so easy to lose friends you've grown up with. I keep trying to talk them out of smoking， but they just laugh as if I'm stupid and tell me to mind my own business.

I wish our friendship could go back to the way it was before， but I don't think there's any chance of that happening while they keep smoking. It's hard to believe that the difference between friends or no friends comes from one little blunt.

我有一大幫朋友，我們從小一起長大，關系十分親密——直到他們變得與大麻煙形影不離。

在此之前，我們總待在一起。我們會去看電影，參加聚會，逛公園。如果實在沒有什么地方可去，我們就會窩在其中一個朋友的家里打電子游戲。

我們雖然是很親密的朋友，但還是會發生一些小爭執。不過當我們爭執起來時，戴夫會從中調解，設法讓我們停止爭吵。他就像是我們這群人的官方調解人。戴夫是我們當中最有幽默感的人，他總是在講笑話。這也是跟他們待在一起最棒的事情之一——你總能開懷大笑。

可是在我這群朋友差不多14歲時，有一天，他們計劃湊錢去買些大麻煙。

我不想這么做，因為我不想跟大麻煙扯上任何關系。我以為如果我一分錢也不出，他們會說我不能抽煙，我就可以裝出一副失望的樣子。可是，他們湊夠了錢來買大麻煙，還說不管怎么樣我也可以一起抽。

他們準備抽的時候，我們正在公園里。其中一個人把那支大麻煙點燃，抽了一口，然后把它傳給了其他人。煙在我們當中傳來傳去，我當時心想：“我應該怎么做呢？我應該接受還是拒絕？”我坐在我們那排的最后面，心里希望那支煙傳到我這兒時就已經被他們抽完了，或者有人會不抽，這樣我就不是唯一一個不肯抽的人了。結果，這兩種情形都沒有出現，我發現有人把那支煙遞向了我。

“我一點都不想抽。”

“抽一口吧，小子。那感覺太棒了。”

“你要是不抽的話，你就是個怪胎。”

“你總不能一輩子都當你媽的乖寶寶吧。”

我被深深地蠱惑了，實際上，我已經把煙接過來拿在手里了。不過我知道這是一個抉擇，要么就抽上一口維持跟他們的友誼，要么就一口不抽保持身體健康。我恢復了理智，只是把煙傳給了別人。

“你真是個怪胎。”

“跟你玩真沒勁，媽媽的乖寶寶。”

他們抽完大麻煙以后，就開始表現得像傻瓜一樣。你打我一下，我打你一下，還講些愚蠢的笑話。看到他們那副樣子，我慶幸自己沒抽。第二天，他們都在談論自己早上有多么難受。你以為那種糟糕的感覺會使他們醒悟過來，不再抽大麻煙，可是，他們卻開始計劃買更多的大麻煙。

現在，我那幫朋友已經抽了一年的大麻煙了，抽煙已經使他們發生了變化。他們老是看起來像僵尸一樣，眼睛總是紅紅的，半睜著。他們脾氣暴躁，總是一副隨時要準備打架的樣子。尤其是戴夫，他現在是他們所有人當中脾氣最差的一個。

幾個星期前，我們在公園里打籃球。球本來在戴夫手中，我試圖從他那兒搶球時，一不小心打到了他的手。他就變得特別不高興，沖著我大吼大叫起來。

“見鬼，你為什么要對我犯規啊？”

“那只是個意外，我不明白你到底在發什么火，”我對他說，“這只是比賽的一部分。你要是受不了，就別玩。”

戴夫試圖揮拳打我，不過沒打中。緊接著，其他人拉住了他，讓他冷靜下來。戴夫的這一舉動讓我感到意外，因為他在開始抽大麻煙之前，總是扮演著調解人的角色。

我和我的那幫朋友以前常常會和其他街區的伙伴們打籃球比賽，而我一直都會參加。我有一陣子沒聽說比賽的事了，不過我也不擔心，因為我覺得他們打比賽的時候會告訴我。直到有一天，我給戴夫打了個電話，想看看他在做什么。電話是他媽媽接的。

“你好，我是賈梅爾。戴夫在嗎？”

“他不在，賈梅爾。他大概半個小時前就去公園了。”

我來到公園，發現他們剛剛和另外一個隊打完比賽。我十分沮喪，因為一直以來我都參加的，可現在呢，就因為我不抽煙，他們連叫都不叫我了。

我和朋友們不再像原來那樣親密，這讓我產生了這樣的想法：“也許我應該抽那么一次。就算對自己不好，又能壞到哪兒去？”可接著我想起他們不久前在公園里的樣子，便把這種想法拋在腦后了。

你也許納悶為什么我還要繼續努力保持跟他們之間的親密關系，而不去結交一些新的朋友。但放棄跟你一起長大的朋友并不是一件十分容易的事情。我一直盡力勸他們戒煙，可他們卻只是一笑置之，好像我很愚蠢似的，還告訴我不要多管閑事。

我希望我們的友誼能夠回到從前，可是如果他們繼續抽大麻煙的話，我覺得自己的這個愿望是不可能實現的。能否做朋友竟取決于一支小小的大麻煙，真是令人難以置信。

1.weed [wi?d] n. <俚>

大麻煙。大麻煙是一種作用于神經系統的毒品，長期吸食可導致性格淡漠、行為呆滯、記憶力下降等。

2.blunt [bl?nt] n. <美俚>大麻煙卷

3.mad nice： 非常棒的

4.herb [h??b] n. 呆子；傻瓜

5.tempt [tempt] vt. 引誘，誘惑

6.come to one's sense： 恢復理性，醒悟過來

7.hang： 此處省略了out。Hang out意思是“和特定的人一起打發時間”。

8.foul [fa?l] vt. （比賽中）對……犯規

9.start [stɑ?t] vi. 參賽，上場