How To Stop Smoking

Crazy people that do sport voluntarily

Chapter One

Olympia

The Sixth Form Office was small room, a continuous desk all around three walls and three computers set up on each one, the staff that work in this office were lovely, most of the time. I sat in a chair facing Mrs Webb, she has blonde hair to her shoulders and always wears high heels. She turned her attention to me with a smile.

"So what can I help you with, Olivia?"

"Er, it's Olympia." I replied, people often got my name wrong so it was no surprise really, Olympia seemed to be too exotic for some who instead opted to call me more common alternatives, 'Olivia' was a frequent one.

"Of course, I apologise. What can I do for you, Olympia?" this time she emphasised my name, making sure I noticed she had got it right this time.

"I was just looking for some more things I could do to include on my UCAS application, I know it's a little early but at least I'll have time to really commit to something."

"Nonsense, it's never too early to get started, you'd be amazed how many year thirteens we get in here towards the deadline for applications with nothing to write about on their personal statement."

I forced a laugh as Mrs Webb typed something into her computer, "How do you feel about working with old people?" I shrugged, it wasn't exactly my idea of fun but I didn't have anything against the elderly.

"Okay, what about some work experience with fishermen?" I shook my head, I always got really seasick on small boats.

"No? Okay, ooh I know!" she exclaimed, spinning around on her computer chair, "We're starting a new programme at the school that is aimed at helping student stop smoking, you know the ones that hang around outside at lunch surrounded by a cloud of smoke? Yeah?"

I nodded, they were the boys in the year above me that were often referred to as 'potheads' by the girls in my year which had been rejected by them. Personally I had never had much contact with them outside of the few that had to repeat year twelve and ended up in some of my classes. There was also one in some of my free periods that is really hot. Like really, really hot.

He has cropped dark hair, a chiselled jaw that is coated with some very attractive facial hair, he has a strong build and dark eyes. Sometimes I feel like he's watching me, but I'm probably delusional, there are much better looking girls in his year than me. All I know about him is that his name starts with an R and he has a very questionable taste in friends.

"Well there's one person left who doesn't have a partner."

I'm brought back to reality by Mrs Webb talking endlessly about this programme, or 'scheme' as she is now referring to it, basically students from the sixth form, so that's year 12 and year 13, are assigned another student also in sixth form who has signed up for help.

"You have a 6 month period in which you try your best to get them away from their addiction. Along the way you have check in sessions with the member of staff in charge and can get as much advice as you need. Each pair is given an information pack which offers recommended methods and support.

At the end of the 6 months, there is a review where everyone has to write about whether or not the programme has succeeded in their opinion. As it is a new thing, the feedback from  groups is very important. It decided the future for the whole scheme."

Once I had decided that it was the best option she had given me, I signed up as a volunteer, apparently there is five volunteers and five people who have signed up for their help. I would attend a meeting at the end of the week to meet my assigned partner.

I said thank you to Mrs Webb and left the office, it was lunchtime and I was starving. As I left the school, I checked my phone, my friend Kat had texted me saying that all our friends had gone to the chip shop and to meet them there when I was done in the office.

Walking up the road to the chip shop, I realised that on the opposite side were the group of boys Mrs Webb had been referring to earlier. The guy from my free periods was there, cigarette in hand, talking to another boy. The other boy was blonde, from where I was I could see his ear stretcher and how scrawny he looked when compared to his friend.

The hot one caught my eye so I quickly looked ahead instead, just in time to stop myself walking into someone too.

"Woah, watch out, oh hey Olympia." I looked up, it was Sam, he sat on my table in biology, he was tall and had floppy dark hair that he often ran his hands through.

"Hey, you heading back to school?" I asked him, he was walking in the opposite direction to everyone else.

"Yeah, I had my free before lunch so I'm going back now to get ready and warm up for football last period."

I nodded, Sam was one of those crazy people who did sport voluntarily, I was ecstatic once I finished year 11 and my compulsory PE days were over. He was also one of the people that was re-doing year 12, though he'd done it for the first time somewhere else.

"Well you have fun with that, I'm off to get some chips." He laughed, and waved at me while walking back to school.

I continued on way, noticing that although the group of boys from before had gotten further ahead of me, the hot one's head was still facing in my direction, before he quickly turned back again.

Weird.

A few minutes later I reached the chip shop, Kat had saved me a seat on the bench where she sat with our other friends, most of them boys. I'd always found boys more easy to be around than girls who said one thing to your face and another when you were gone.

"Hey." I took a seat next to Kat and she handed me a box of chips, and the change from the money I had given her to get me lunch.

"So Olympia, where do you stand on bums?" I coughed on my chip at the question, it came from Danny, the most perverted member of our group, he had very little shame and was often blurting out the most obscure questions.

"I don't stand on them at all..."

"Not literally, like do you check out a guy's bum when they walk past?" I thought about is, and nodded, I had to own up to looking at the bum of the same hot guy I had just seen across the road whenever the opportunity arose. Which was unfortunately rare.

"Course I do, gotta appreciate a good bum." Danny nodded enthusiastically, then faced the others at the table.

"See I told you it wasn't just boys who did it!" he argued, our friends just shrugged, aside from Joe who gave me a secretive smile.

"So Olympia, have you ever looked at our bums?" I looked to Kat for help, she took the bait and answered the question herself.

"Yeah, Joe yours is okay but would it kill you to do some squats now and again?"

Joe went pink and dropped his cocky smirk, the others at the table laughed loudly at his embarrassment. I turned to Kat as they moved on to conversation about which Porsche is the best.

"So I talked to Mrs Webb, and I've put my name down for this volunteering thing about smoking." She creased her eyebrows at me.

"But you don't smoke?"

"I know, I don't have to, I help someone who does try and stop." Her eyes widened and a smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"Oh really? So someone like HG?" HG was our code word for Hot Guy, the boys would ridicule us if they found out how we spent our free period 50% doing work and 50% ogling him.

I shook my head, "I doubt it, they have to sign up for it and I don't think he has any intentions of stopping the main hobby he and his friend have."

She nodded in agreement and we went on eating our chips, in my mind I imagined a scenario in which he was my partner and we fell madly in love, yeah right. 

*Edited*