Breaking Out // Gahmi

Thirty-Five

Dami PoV

Today was finally the day of the school festival and even though I don't like fairs like this I was excited. Normally just the thought of crowds like this would make me feel queasy. But even though I felt my anxiety rising I was determined to enjoy the day, since it was the first time I was actually going and I was surrounded by a bunch of friends. It was something I had never experienced before. I mean, I had Yoohyeons of course, but she also wasn't one to go out much, so we never did anything like this together before.

Together we walked through the stalls and little shops students had set up. There were a handful of food stands, Jiu stopping at every single one of them and buying stacks. There were stands with games where you could win prizes, which were mostly occupied by Sua and Siyeon battling each other. Occasionally there were stands from clubs such as sport or science teams. It was a lot to take in and it looked like most of the student body was present and having fun.

I rubbed my sweaty hands on my jeans, ignoring the noise and mass of people. Still I was glad I had my friends by my side.

As we wandered around we found a huge stage at the center. People were setting up microphones and instruments. I spotted Handong in a group of girls and waved at her. She smiled and waved back enthusiastically.

"Remind me again why you're suddenly friends with Handong?" Yoohyeon asked in a curious tone, that luckily only sounded lightly judgemental. She must have seen our little interaction.

"She is not that bad." I shrugged, taking a generous bite from my churro (Jiu was definitely a feeder and didn't take no as an answer when she offered earlier). "At least not anymore." I mumbled, my mouth still full with the delicious treat.

"Hmpf." Sua crossed her arms. "You really want to see her play?" She raised one eyebrow nodding her head towards the stage.

"Yeah. She actually wrote one of their songs herself. I really want to see her perform that." I tried to level my enthusiasm, sounding more nonchalant as I was.

Truth be told, Handong and I weirdly grew a lot closer the past week. Living together does that to you, I guess. I got to know her better and we talked a bit since the day I moved into the center. Not gonna lie, she is a pretty solid person and I grew awfully attached to her. Even now seeing her on stage, all happy and laughing made me happy as well. I was glad we moved on from our past selves and talked it out. Handong was really trying to better herself and I admire that a lot. We were on good terms. Though I understand if the others didn't quite reach that spot yet. It was their journey and especially with Jiu and Siyeon the damage was a lot more severe.

"Wonders exist." Sua huffed, clearly not believing my words.

"No really, it's gonna be so cool. The song turned out great." I tried again, hoping that Sua might jump over her shadow and try to listen. But she stayed stubborn, stalking away with Yoohyeons in tow, off to play more games.

Pleadingly I looked at Jiu and Siyeon. "Will you stay for the song?"

Jiu seemed deep in thought, trying to battle some inner demon. In the end she nodded hesitantly and together we found a spot in the crowd, where we could see the stage well. For now we were the only ones awaiting their performance, but I was sure soon the crowd would fill with people.

Only the thought made my anxiety spike. For a second I wished Yoohyeons was here. She used to be the only person I could rely on when.my anxiety got too much for me to handle by myself. But then I remembered my new friends, that I had more than one person to rely on. I had found new friends who were accepting and willing to help me when situations got tough.