Killing boredom and new rules of etiquette

Audrey and Andrei, 18

Audrey and Andrei are friends from a local Junior College. Today, they've decided to go to a mall that's some distance from their school so they can get away for a moment. That's because their studies are an all-consuming presence in their lives. They describe their lives as "boring...just studying and more studying". Even in their free time, their studies are still lingering in the back of their minds (and so breaks like this one are much welcomed)

Beside the mall's fountain, it's interesting to see that Audrey and Andrei are chatting face to face with each other while SIMULTANEOUSLY holding a texting conversation with some other friends. They say it helps them feel more connected. And it's not rude or impolite at all for them to do so.

They both describe their phones as their best friend. They'd feel brokenhearted if they lost their phones because not only does it keep them connected, it's their weapon against boredom after a long day of studying. The one thing Audrey likes about her Sony Ericsson phone is that it's red. She doesn't like how it works but she loves it anyway because it's in the right shade of red. Andrei likes his Samsung phone because it's tough. He's dropped it so many times but it still works. Truly reliable, like a best friend.