“Hey, chomma! Why are you sitting here all alone looking so depressed like this?” my friend Neo asked me while touching my shoulder.

“I’m not quite well, I’m so tired today,” I answered.

The party was lit, with loud music blasting in our ears. The was air filled with cigarette and marijuana smoke. Everyone was enjoying themselves drinking all sorts of alcohol.

I’ve been a part of my friendship group since I was young, we grew up together in the same neighbourhood. It consists of Neo, the most outgoing, talkative and beautiful girl I know; Loago who is believed to be the most handsome guy ever; Lucky who is the most quiet and shy among us, very handsome but doesn’t believe it; and lastly me – Tiego. I am the reserved one in the group, the one who always follows what my friends do; I almost never voice my opinions. Neo is such a party animal who always hosts parties at her house, as her parents are so lenient with her.

One day she called us over to her house for a party, but she told us that it was someone else who would host the party. We went together and everyone got busy chatting with each other. I sat alone at one of the tables displayed in the backyard where the party was and started playing a racing game on my phone. Usually at these parties I would take a few sips of alcohol as I didn’t want to be left out but today I didn’t touch alcohol at all, as I didn’t want to.

After some time Neo came over and started chatting with me while holding her glass of liquor. Truthfully, I wasn’t in the mood for partying so I sat there bored while she chatted away. Then came Loago all drunk, holding a cigarette. She passed it to Neo who hesitated before taking it as she had never smoked before. She took one puff and had a coughing fit.

“Urgh! Kga! Kga!” she coughed her lungs out.

“Hahaha sweetheart you don’t swallow the smoke okay, let me show you how,” Loago said, laughing at Neo who had tears due to the coughing fit she had.

Loago then took the cigarette and started showing Neo how to do it and she grasped how to do it.

“Here, take a puff, this thing sends me to the heavens!” Neo said, grinning and handing me the cigarette.

I took the cigarette and hesitated for a long time wondering what my friends would say if I refused it. I stood there for a long time holding it while my friends urged me to take a puff. After a while of thinking, I realised that I could say no and if these people were really my friends they would have to accept my choice. When I realised this, I gave the cigarette back to Loago.

“No thank you, I’m not smoking this,” I said to him as he shrugged and took the cigarette. The party went on.

Tell us: Do you think he made the right choice to say no to the cigarette?