Dancing On Thorns, chapter 1
"Hello?"
"Hi hun!" I cheered. I hadn't talked to Nikkie for ages! And we usually always were together, inseperable.
"Oh... hey, what's up?" She didn't sound as excited to talk to me as I was to talk to her. I quickly guessed that she only was having a bad day, and continued as if I hadn't nothing was observed.
"Just thought I'd call you, I'm really sorry for not ringing you lately." I waited for her to reply, but all I could hear was her breath. "School has been really hard..."
And that was true. School sucked at the end of term, teachers pressed us to do our utmost to get good results of all exams that waited.
"It's okay", Nikki said plainly. I could imagine her indifferent face and how she shrugged her shoulders.
"So um, how are you?" I started twisting the flex for the phone between my bare toes, as trying to figure out something to say.
Nikki coughed hoarsely.
"Not..." She excused herself and coughed again. "Not very good", she completed.
"Yeah, from what I hear... Is the only matter coughing?"
Nikki got silent in the other end of the line.
I screwed, a little bothered with the nasty silence and atmosphere.
"Am I missing a lot in school?" she eventually said.
I frowned. Why would she change the topic?
"Well... we have lots of exams of course..." I layed down on the bed that I newly had made and sniffed the odour of detergent. "Maybe you'll have to go to school during the holidays."
"Mhm..." Nikki absently replied.
I felt how I was bound to say something new.
"So, did you listen to the CD I burned for you?" was the first I could think of saying.
Nikki sounded from so far away, as she replied simply and short once again.
"Yes."
Hell, I thought. Nikki was really ill.
"Uhm. What have you been up to these four weeks?"
It sounded terrible, but it was true. Four weeks. I hadn't seen Nikki for four long weeks.
My hands began to sweat. It was so strange. Nikki said nearly nothing, and I was just bombing her with apparently stupid questions. I fumbled the receiver to my other ear.
"Nothing, really." Her coughing erupted again. It echoed through my whole body.
It's her turn to say something, a gruff voice muttered inside my head. But Nikki didn't.
Five seconds. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds.
I gave up.
"Maybe I should leave you alone for a while..." I mumbled excusingly.
Nikki tried to stop me between her coughs.
"No, wait, Tina!" she croaked. "Look..."
My body tensed nervously.
"Tina, I've got cancer."
"Hi hun!" I cheered. I hadn't talked to Nikkie for ages! And we usually always were together, inseperable.
"Oh... hey, what's up?" She didn't sound as excited to talk to me as I was to talk to her. I quickly guessed that she only was having a bad day, and continued as if I hadn't nothing was observed.
"Just thought I'd call you, I'm really sorry for not ringing you lately." I waited for her to reply, but all I could hear was her breath. "School has been really hard..."
And that was true. School sucked at the end of term, teachers pressed us to do our utmost to get good results of all exams that waited.
"It's okay", Nikki said plainly. I could imagine her indifferent face and how she shrugged her shoulders.
"So um, how are you?" I started twisting the flex for the phone between my bare toes, as trying to figure out something to say.
Nikki coughed hoarsely.
"Not..." She excused herself and coughed again. "Not very good", she completed.
"Yeah, from what I hear... Is the only matter coughing?"
Nikki got silent in the other end of the line.
I screwed, a little bothered with the nasty silence and atmosphere.
"Am I missing a lot in school?" she eventually said.
I frowned. Why would she change the topic?
"Well... we have lots of exams of course..." I layed down on the bed that I newly had made and sniffed the odour of detergent. "Maybe you'll have to go to school during the holidays."
"Mhm..." Nikki absently replied.
I felt how I was bound to say something new.
"So, did you listen to the CD I burned for you?" was the first I could think of saying.
Nikki sounded from so far away, as she replied simply and short once again.
"Yes."
Hell, I thought. Nikki was really ill.
"Uhm. What have you been up to these four weeks?"
It sounded terrible, but it was true. Four weeks. I hadn't seen Nikki for four long weeks.
My hands began to sweat. It was so strange. Nikki said nearly nothing, and I was just bombing her with apparently stupid questions. I fumbled the receiver to my other ear.
"Nothing, really." Her coughing erupted again. It echoed through my whole body.
It's her turn to say something, a gruff voice muttered inside my head. But Nikki didn't.
Five seconds. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds.
I gave up.
"Maybe I should leave you alone for a while..." I mumbled excusingly.
Nikki tried to stop me between her coughs.
"No, wait, Tina!" she croaked. "Look..."
My body tensed nervously.
"Tina, I've got cancer."
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