Ange (girlxgirl)

Chapter Thirteen

I slide the door of the shed open. It is nothing fancy, a dirt floor with rail on the back wall and a hook on a post just above the rail. On the rail is an ancient looking saddle and above it hangs the bridle, just as old. I take them back to the gate to get a better look at them, they will need an oil before I use them so I untie Avery and retire to the shade. I pull out my sandwich and take a sip of vodka, looking up through the branches of the tree and swaying to their sound. I begin to feel hypnotised by the sound and motion of them and I fall into a deep sleep.

Something is tapping my foot, now, it is kicking it. I open my eyes in a squint and see Carol, looking down at me smiling. 
"Ouch," I groan.

"Oh, please, I barely touched you." she says pouting and sinks down beside me. "How have you gone?" She points down to Avery.

"Great." I wriggle my bottom up the tree trunk so I'm sitting straighter and look around in my bag for weed.

"You don't strike me as a horse person." Carol says, eyeing me out the corner of her eye.

"I'm not really," I admit, smiling as I pull out a joint and inspect it.

"Yeah, but you're one crazy motherfucker," she says flatly, looking at me with the joint.

I burst out laughing and she joins in, soon we are both in hysterics. I light the joint, take a puff and pass it to Carol, who takes a drag.

"What have you been doing?"

"I've just been here chilling all day. I've eaten a full sandwich and a brownie, also a bit of vodka," I smile at her. "What's the time?"

"Time to get a watch. Seriously though, if you are skipping school get a fucking watch. It's 2:30." She adds reluctantly when I look at her in a mock upset face.

"Where's Emma?" Stubbing out the joint in the tree trunk.

"Speech therapy. I wasn't going to sit in the library like a loner and I thought I'd come see if you are alive."

I nod and pull out my phone to text Katherine.

Emma will drop me home, be home later.

"Want to go swimming?" I ask Carol.

"Are you mad? It's winter!" She says looking at me like I'm crazy.

"Oh, come on," I beckon. "It will be fun and refreshing." I stand and pull her to her feet.

"I'm not getting sick for 'fun.'"

"Boring," I moan.

"And besides you are drunk and high, you'll probably drown."

"Please, just a quick dip," I beg.

She pouts and crosses her arms.

"Please."

"Fine," she groans.

I grab my bags and hold her hand, leading her to the fresh water stream that will be absolutely freezing.

"You know, you don't have to hold my hand."

I swing our hands higher through the air in defiance and march through the bush.

I take off my top and pants and stand by the waters edge as Carol sits by the shore on a rock and unties her shoes. My skin is already covered in goosebumps and I'm regretting this decision, it is freezing without standing in my underwear at a high altitude. My town (more of a city) is right in the high country where mountains roll into valleys and houses sit on hills overlooking flood plains and meadows. All around the mountains, streams end in waterholes or join to the river, most of the rock pools and waterholes are hidden and unknown, others are really well-known. The one we are at today is hardly known, Mum and I found it one day and I use it in summer with Emma and Carol and sometimes other friends. Other times I come and sit on the rock ledge that over looks the water and think, read, cry, write. I breathe in and out an mist forms at my mouth, today was quite hot for winter. Normally there is a mist that hangs over the town til about 11 and most mornings we wake with a thick layer of frost.

Carol wonders up beside me, she is clutching her arms to her side and her teeth are chattering. We walk up the track to the ledge and count to three, holding hands we jump.

The water is ice cold and it pierces every piece of skin as I jump in. I'm numb within seconds of being in the water and my lungs feel like they have been frozen and aren't working. As I surface I splutter and gasp for air, Carol is already swimming to shore and I follow in her wake. We collapse onto the boulders and gasp for warmer air, Carol moves closer to me so we are warmer again. I start to laugh at how stupid this idea is and she joins in, soon we rolling around laughing, freezing and drunk on youth.