Musicians x2 (editing)

★F•I•V•E☆

★F•I•V•E☆

 "This might not have been our best decision," Audrey said as it dawned on her. She and Nadia were at the nearest park, swinging back and forth. And they weren't on the regular wooden board swings, but the baby ones that were a bit like a baby high chair. The ones that are very hard to get out of.

This had all started with about a year ago, when Nadia bet that she would be able to get into one of those swings quicker than Audrey would. Audrey denied it and so they had a competition to find out. Nadia won. Unfortunately, once they had gotten in they couldn't get back out again.

So they gave up after about ten minutes of trying and spent two hours chatting as they swung back at forth. In the end, Nadia's mother had been worried and went looking for her. She helped them get out.

Ever since then, every time they wanted a chat amongst themselves they would redo the competition - Nadia had won it seven more times and Audrey five times - and they would have a conversation before texting Sam to help them get out.

The problem now was they hadn't really done this on a very cold day before. The icy wind blew against their faces and the metal chains on the sides of the swings were frozen. Audrey's hands were turning purplish and Nadia's bluish. They rubbed their hands together and tucked them between their thighs to get warm but they had no idea how they would have a conversation in these uncomfortable conditions.

"Call Sam," Nadia said, her hands tucked in her pits, desperately searching for warmth. It wasn't the middle of winter or anything but they hadn't dressed as warm as they should have. The wind hit their faces sharply, turning their noses red.

"I wish I could." Audrey hugged herself.  "He's visiting his Nan today, she doesn't have phone signal at her house."

"Who did you expect to help us get out if he is gone!" Nadia asked, throwing her hands out expressively. She clearly blamed Audrey for this – and she’s probably right too.

"I knew he'd be back in an hour and a half,” Audrey tried to defend herself, but she felt very guilty.

"We have to freeze here for that long?”

“It’s not just my fault!” Audrey snapped. Things went very quiet and she watched her breath in the cold air. Finally, she turned to Nadia and said, “sorry I screamed. Let’s be positive and have that chat anyway. Maybe time will go faster if we distract ourselves.”

“Okay...but I can’t think in this cold.”

 “Okay...” Audrey thought of something to talk about. She switched on her phone and saw her screensaver. “I forgot how good at drawing you are.” She showed Nadia the drawing she had done of the two of them a few months ago.

Nadia smiled, “yeah, me too, I guess. I used to ask for sketchpads and pencils for Christmas when I was thirteen. I haven’t picked a sketchpad up in ages. I’m getting a little rusty.”

“I bet you’re still really good. Your fingers are magic with a pencil,” Audrey persisted.

“But not like you.” Nadia suddenly snapped. She continued swinging casually as she spoke, as if her mood hadn’t just plummeted fifteen miles. “You’re so good at everything! You have the voice of an angel, you’re smart, you play guitar, you’re sporty. I shouldn’t say it but you’re my best friend and I should be honest with you...sometimes I feel below you. Like I’ll never be better than you at anything. Whatever I do, you’ll find a way to beat me.”

Audrey was silent, staring at the view in front of her becoming smaller and bigger when she swung closer and further away. Finally, she turned to Nadia and sighed. “I’m far from perfect. Remember how hard I worked at the sporty one? I wasn’t always like this. I can’t believe how I used to be,” her voice cracked a little as she said the last sentence. She turned away from her friend and lay back on her back, staring at the ceiling. “Sometimes I still feel like that, but I know I shouldn’t. You...you don’t really feel below me do you? You’re pretty, smart, funny and no one can deny your knack for drawing.”

Nadia pulled her phone out of her pocket and her face lit up from it’s glow. It was just like her to dodge all the touchy heart-felt stuff. “Sam texted me a few hours ago, said he couldn’t reach you.”

“Oh, yeah,” Audrey remembered. “My phone was off, I was practising a song.”

“Well, he wants to meet with you later this evening. For YouTube I think. He won’t say what exactly.”

“I’ve got no clue what that’s about,” Audrey admitted, shrugging. “Why does he always have to be so secretive?”

“Because it’s romantic you doink,” Nadia laughed, and Audrey was glad the situation had taken a lighter route.

“Do you agree with what he did the other day then?” Audrey shook her head at the thought.

Nadia put her phone in her pocket again and faced Audrey, a grin spread over her face. “I don’t know, it was a nice try, I suppose, but a risky move if someone has a girlfriend like you.”

“Hey!” Audrey tried to playfully punch Nadia, although she couldn’t help but laugh.

“It was good YouTube, though. It has over five thousand views which is crazy.”

Audrey raised her eyebrows, “Does it really? It was posted on my new channel – the one I made for vlogging – and no video on that channel has ever gotten that many views.”

“People love your relationship,” Nadia said. “Keep posting things like that and you’ll get tonnes of views.”

“I don’t know, don’t you think it should be private?”

“Are you kidding me? You call yourself a vlogger!” Nadia shook her head in mock disappointment. “Making that commitment to vlog your life means sharing it with the world. Sam and I knew you’d never be able to do it.”

“Psshhhttt!” Audrey said awkwardly. “Of course I can do it! I can keep to that commitment.”

“Uh huh,” Nadia nodded at her as if she were a little kid who just said they would become an astronaut when they were older. “You just keep on believing that.”

Audrey remembered something she had wanted to talk with Nadia about. “Can I have a quick moan?”

“I thought you said we should be positive.”

 “This is something different.”

“Go ahead.” Nadia shrugged. “It’s not like I can leave or anything.”

“I don’t know what it is with him, but Sam’s just been acting really strange lately. I don’t know, I’m probably being silly or whatever. He’s just been a bit cold towards me sometimes.”

“We all have our bad moods. He has to deal with you when that time of the month comes along, so you should deal with this. It’s not like he acts like that 24/7 or anything.”

Audrey frowned at Nadia. Was she defending Sam? Nadia?

“Looks like he’s going through a tough time, bear with him, okay?” Nadia said softly.

“What do you mean?” Audrey studied her face, confused. “What’s going on? What tough time? Why won’t you guys talk to me?”

Nadia turned and looked at Audrey who was very near tears. Nadia twisted in her swing and leaned close to Audrey. She put her arms around her best friend, which was awkward with her position. She held on tight as if she never wanted to let go. Audrey thought she felt tears shake through Nadia’s body. But how could that be? Audrey felt so confused. Nadia hated hugs and she was definitely not someone emotional – ever. So why was everything suddenly so strange? Everyone seemed to know something she didn’t. No one seemed to be themselves.