DRUG DEAL PUTS WITNESS IN DILEMMA

SHOCK: What do you do when your friend buys marijuana?

"Never Been Kissed," the movie about an adult journalist who enrolls
in her old high school to write about it, may be a cheesy romantic
comedy, but it incorporates a good quote about successful
journalism: "To write well, you need to know what you are writing."

I was hardly prepared for what I encountered on a recent Thursday,
riding the bus home from school. The only way I could imagine
telling it is to write about it.

The day seemed to be going by well; I had no homework for the night
and was looking forward to catching up on some sleep. I'd just
gotten over a cold, but was still feeling the side effects of the
cold medicine I had taken. Everything was fine. Until I got on the bus.

I sat in my usual spot, seat 10. A good friend of mine sat directly
across from me. A few minutes later an acquaintance of ours sat down
next to my friend. A few minutes passed. Then my friend pulled out a
$20 bill and some loose change in a little plastic bag. Our
acquaintance pulled out a bag of marijuana.

My mouth dropped to the floor in shock. I seemed to be the only one
who noticed, or cared, about what was happening right in front of me.

I quickly closed my mouth, not wanting to draw any attention to
myself. Then another friend of mine leaned over the seat where the
deal was happening to ask what they were doing, but it was too late.
They'd put the money and drugs away.

This wouldn't have bothered me if it were two people I didn't know.
I've seen drug deals done on school grounds before. In my opinion,
if anyone is naive about what goes on with drugs at schools, it's
teachers and administrators.

But this time, a very close friend of mine was involved, someone I
consider family. I'd been aware earlier that this good friend had
engaged in drugs and alcohol before, so I made a request of my
friend that she never try to pressure me into doing anything.
My wish was always respected.

When I realized how much my friend was actually involved in drugs --
to the degree she was willing to risk getting caught on a school bus
- -- reality hit hard.

I told my parents this whole story. I left out names. In the end,
they left it up to me how to deal with it. I decided I needed to
help my friend. I felt that if this person respected me as much as I
did her, I would be heard.

Saturday afternoon started out with a phone call from my friend. I
gathered up the confidence to say how I felt about what had happened.

I was so confused. My friend is such a smart person, why can't she
wrap her brain around the fact that doing drugs will eventually have
a negative effect on her life?

After about 30 minutes of me ranting and talking, she finally broke
and began to cry. Victory, I thought. Her tears told me she knew I
was right. She thanked me for what she called "words of wisdom," and
told me her days of using drugs and drinking alcohol were over.

I didn't get that excited. You can talk the talk, but the real test
is walking the walk. Was she really going to quit it all? Maybe.

On Monday morning we continued our conversation. She told me she had
talked to her boyfriend and said he was behind her choice to quit.
Together we sought out our acquaintance who'd sold the drugs in the
first place. My friend returned the weed and got her money back. To
me, that was the first step in that long walk.