There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate
—charles dickens
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Memories - Maroon 5
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AUDREY
"Have you ever considered getting light-toned streaks? Your hair'd look bomb." Syd remarked from behind me, pulling on straps of my hair and intertwining them together thoroughly. She was practising a fancy new style of braided buns à la Sydney Foster on me.
Syd's parents had taken the brothers to a winter fair so we were home alone at hers, supposedly having our long-awaited study date. Supposedly being the keyword here, since this was already the second half-hour-long study break we'd taken from a 15-minute study session.
As a replacement for going to Barry's, we'd decided to play bakers ourselves and went for a new Chocolate and Pistachio Viennesse Rolls recipe. It turned out pretty satisfactory. In fact, better than satisfactory, given it was the first time we'd ever seen it. We'd stuffed ourselves with the addictive biscuits like there was no tomorrow while I explained how to apply the laws of logarithms.
It hadn't lasted long—the math explanation bit—given how we were already setting up the Wii for a Just Dance just about a quarter of an hour into it. It didn't take much for Syd to persuade me to take a break—dancing had been my passion for a long time and still was, in a way. However unexpected that is from an introvert like me.
For the one sport I'm actually better at than my best friend, I'm allowed to proudly say I beat her, striking all bonus points and getting the highest rank recorded. I don't remember when was the last time I had this much fun. By the end of a few rounds, we were entirely fagged out and the existence of the two math books getting dusty on the coffee table was downright forgotten.
Sprawled out on the sage velvet couch with Syd torturing my hair, I was on the verge of giving up on our "study session". I reached for my phone, just to make sure I had no new messages.
Curiously enough though, I did. And guess who's it was.
cam: your feet must be soo tired
Uhhm, okay. What?
me: . . .and why's that now?
cam: cause you've been running through my mind all day
I mentally rolled my eyes but couldn't contain the infinitesimal curve of my lips.
me: omg cam, that has to be the most cringy pick-up line i've yet heard
cam: i knew you'd be impressed
cam: you know, i was thinking, i'm not sure i like the 'strangers' part of our relationship
cam: so we need to get to know each other better. you up for a q&a game?
me: ehhh can't promise anything
cam: don't be such a killjoy, princesa
cam: i'll start
cam: what's your middle name?
me: what's yours?
cam: i see you don't quite get how this game works
I almost groaned out loud.
me: okay whatever
me: it's dahlia
cam: wow, that's beautiful
cam: audrey dahlia olsen
me: thanks?
me: what's yours?
cam: i actually don't have one
me: for real?
cam: yup
me: why not?
cam: cuz. . .my parents didn't give me one?
me: ok but you still owe me a question
cam: go ahead. it's your turn anyway
I looked out the large picture windows as I pondered. The streets were glistening with fresh snow. I recalled something I actually was rather interested in.
me: what do you plan on studying in college?
cam: aerospace engineering
He didn't have to think about the answer for a second.
me: wow
me: that's. . .quite a subject
cam: in what sense?
me: idk it sounds super difficult
cam: possibly
cam: but i like the idea of it anyway
"Ow!" I yelped, reacting to the sharp jolt of pain in my head. "Syd! What did you just do, rip a lock out?"
"Oopsie. I'm working on the final touch. You're gonna look fan-tas-tic—look, I'm taking a picture to show you."
"Yeah? Well, I don't know who this fuss is for, since I'm gonna undo it before bed anyway."
"Oh, heck no. You're coming to school like this tomorrow, girlie. I didn't work my ass off on this masterpiece for that." She showed me the hairstyle and I would be lying if I said I wasn't very much impressed, indeed.
"Okay, you've convinced me. It does look pretty awesome."
I whipped my head back down at my phone when it buzzed.
cam: what about you, princesa?
me: what about me?
cam: what do you wanna study?
me: psychology
me: either just or a specific type, i'm not sure yet
All at once, my phone was brashly snatched from my hands."Hey!"
"Confiscated! No phones during study. We were having a study date if you remember."
"Are you kidding me?! That's what I should be saying to you! Who was the one whining about taking a break?"
Syd scrunched her face up after setting eye to the two opened, neglected textbooks. "Yeah, cause it's really boring."
"Tell that to your beautiful exam paper on Thursday morning. See what it says back."
She scrunched her face even harder. "I don't like math."
"Gimme my phone back."
"Come and get it," she challenged, swinging the device in its powder blue phonecase between her thumb and index finger.
Okey dokey then.
Unexpectantly enough, I pounced up at her from my lying position. Still, she reacted sufficiently quickly to get away from me, shifting her footing and sprinting through the house. I chased her as she ran towards the stairs with her arms flailing and a throat-ripping screech falling from her mouth.
"Heeelp! I'm being chased by a maniac!" I had almost caught her when she tripped over the last step, knocking us both over to the thankfully soft, basketweave-patterned carpet.
Never had I ever thought I'd be living through the ROFL acronym.
From my upward down position, I caught sight of a framed photograph I didn't remember seeing before. It was a beautiful representation of a sunset, its ablaze orange thematic hue making it stand out against the alabaster-white walls.
"When is this from?" I pointed towards the flaming picture, sitting up.
"Oh." Her lips curled. "Friday." she rolled around, not intending to get up any time soon.
"Friday was two days ago and you've already got a framed landscape hanging on your wall?"
"Oh, I'm a frequent client in the print shop. They get my orders done in double-quick time."
The gears in my mind clinked. "Hold on a second. Friday was your super trouper date with minnie-boy, wasn't it?"
"Uh-huhhh," she hummed wordlessly.
"So why haven't you still told me about it?!" I exclaimed, all over-excited, shaking her up by her shoulders. Her uncontainable giggling rolled about the hall like a spinning top—peppy and heartwarming. I was infected by her contagious fit within a matter of seconds and soon after the carpet had two loonies rolling around and cackling for no explicable reason.
If her parents would've come in, I don't think we would've been able to prove that we weren't high.
"Why are we laughing Syd," I breathed, calming down a bit.
"Cause we're total wackos," she sat up, at last. "You should've seen the way he asked me out."
"So he did ask you out?"
"Yeah. So, basically, he took me to the hill where this sunset's taken from, brought me a Medjool date, and asked me if I liked them. So I was like: yeah, why? And he says: cause I was thinking whether you wanted to go on one with me."
I held in a chortle. "And what did you say?"
"That I did as long as it was gonna be more than one."
"Awwwww. Jokes aside, that's so cute. You guys were made for each other," I said, meaning it sincerely.
My phone—that somehow ended at the other side of the hallway— vibrated. "Looks like you've got a new message," Syd stated the obvious.
Picking it up, I was expecting to see Cameron's name flash across the screen. Instead, I unlocked the phone to discover that I had just been added to a group chat by an unknown number.
AURELIA DANCE ACADEMY REUNION: you're invited to the party of the year!
I stopped reading. A chill rushed through my spine. The recent mood upthrust I was feeling with Syd moments ago instantaneously wilted.
"What's the matter?" Sydney's voice reverberated from behind.
"Nothing."
The memories that that name triggered were memories I had locked up securely inside of an impenetrable box in my head years ago. I had buried them deep. I had slammed the lid on them hard. They were not returning. This was not happening.
The rattling of keys in lock downstairs, followed by cheerful chatter signified Syd's parents' and brothers' arrival. We hopped down the stairs to greet them.
My smile reappeared naturally with their jovial presence. Sydney's mother embraced me tightly. I breathed in the taste of winter along with her sweet perfume.
"You're staying for dinner, Audrey, yeah?" Her dad was the one to ask, taking a gigantic Mickey Mouse headband off his head. Whatever that fair was about.
"She is," Syd intervened before I could open my mouth.
"Oh, sure, I'd be happy to. I'll double-check with my mom right now."
Before that though, I had to do something else.
Fleeing away from my past had become and been my habit for a long time. And I was not up for grand changes of habits right now.
My heart stored various irreversible scars from my past. Aurelia Dance Academy was one of them.
Without thinking twice, I tapped 'Exit groupchat', wishing to wipe away the ghosts of my past with it. Wishing part of me didn't want to stay, to consider even going to that party. Wishing my heart wasn't aching over the way things ended. Wishing I didn't miss the good times I'd had in the dance studio with my coaches and friends. My long-lost friends. The names surged into my mind unwillingly. Tiffany, kylie, millie. . .and even. . .even my dance partner.
Wishing I could convince myself, the way I convinced everyone else, that the reason I quit dance two years ago was that I needed to focus more on my studies.
And nothing else.
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