The wind picked up. A single oak leaf twirled down past them. Nita’s hand found Nicole’s on the rough bark between them.

“Excuses, excuses.” Nicole reached down a hand. Nita grabbed it, and with a practiced grunt and a scrape of knees, she hauled herself up into the branches.

: Treat the setting (the tree, the summer heat) as a third character that influences the mood of the friends. Nicole.and.nita.sittin.in.atree