𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫? - 𝐓𝐌𝐑 𝐀𝐔, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨

025 - *insert smiley face*

Luckily, today we don't have art. We have a free day. Teresa is also with us, and we are having a great day without Astrid's shit.

I sit on the soft, colourful picnic blanket. The sound of birds' faint chirping calms me as I half–listen to the conversations around me.

I stretch my legs, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin, and I can't help but smile as I watch my friends share laughter. Thomas is animatedly recounting a childhood tale, his gestures exaggerated, drawing everyone into the story. Brenda rolls her eyes playfully, but I can see the warmth in her smile as she listens.

The blanket feels soft beneath me, a patchwork of colours reflecting the joy of this moment. I take a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill my lungs.

"Alright, let's play a game!" Sonya suggests, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and I can't help but feel my own enthusiasm rise at the thought of a game.

"What type of game?" Harriet asks.

"Please not something physical," Brenda requests. "I hate physical activities."

Sonya chuckles. "Trust me, I know. Maybe we could play charades?"

"Sure," I agree. When I was younger, I played charades with my friends all the time, and I've grown to love the game.

"Let's do it without cards," Teresa says. "Where we just think of something."

I nod. "Can I start, though?"

"Of course." Brenda waves at me to stand up. "The stage is yours."

I stand up, an idea already planted in my mind.

"Ready?" Braedyn asks, and I nod in response. "Okay, go!"

I clench my fist and use it to imitate stabbing someone.

Immediately, Brenda calls out, "Stabbing someone!"

I nod, sitting back down. "Good job. Your turn now."

Brenda steps up, pretending to be a magician. She waves her hands dramatically, "Abracadabra!" She yells, making the most ridiculous faces.

"You're pulling a rabbit out of a hat!" Sonya shouts, and Brenda looks delighted.

Because she guessed it, Sonya is up next. She stands up with a mischievous grin, and without any hint, she starts flapping her arms wildly.

"Are you a bird?" Thomas guesses, and she bursts into giggles, shaking her head.

(A/N: it's a bird! it's a plane! No, it's Gally's eyebrows!)

"No, no. Guess again!"

The chaos begins as everyone shouts different guesses at once, drowning each other out.

"An aeroplane!" Someone calls.

"A chicken!" Says another.

Sonya finally gives up and dramatically reveals, "I was trying to be a butterfly!"

Minho then jumps up, clearly not serious. He pretends to fish, reeling in an invisible catch and making exaggerated faces. I can barely breathe from laughing so hard.

"Are you... fishing?" I guess, and he nods aggressively, grinning from ear to ear.

(A/N: this isn't Minho wtf did I write)

As the game continues, it feels like a whirlwind of movement and sound. People jump up, act out random things—one minute, it's a cat, the next, someone's mimicking a car. There's no structure, just pure fun as we all shout guesses and chuckle at each other's acting skills.

When Newt gets up, he acts out 'doing the dishes', complete with fake suds and a dramatic sigh, and I nearly fall off the blanket laughing.

"What are you? A domestic goddess?" Thomas teases, and Newt just rolls his eyes, continuing with the performance.

**

Our stomachs full from lunch, we decide to take pictures together. Brenda grabs her camera from the bag she brought and aims it correctly. As we get in frame, she sets a timer on the camera.

"Five second timer," she tells us, her finger hovering over the button. Once she's clicked it, she runs back to us and gets in position.

We take photos for the next half hour, and then everyone decides to just relax and talk.

I lie down on the grass, staring up at the sky, consumed by my own thoughts.

"Hey." Minho slides beside me, lying down as well. "How are you doing?"

I attempt to shrug. "I'm doing fine. What about you? Holding up okay?"

He chuckles at my random use of formal language. "Sure. Enjoying the picnic?"

I nod. "Definitely. The food is literal perfection."

He chuckles. "You mean the food I made?"

"Yeah, your sandwiches are heavenly," I admit, smiling. "But so are Sonya's fries, you have to be honest with that."

"Yeah." He laughs. "They are. It's crazy to think about everything that's happened so far. I mean, you getting knocked out so many times, getting stabbed, nightmares, those pictures, it's insane."

There's going to be more.

"Don't forget the stone," I add.

"And the notes," Minho says, forcing a laugh. "But it's nice to get a break from everything."

"Yeah, it is."

There's a second of silence before he speaks again. "What do you think it'll be like when we go back home? Braedyn doesn't normally hang out with us, do you think it'll change since he's dating Newt?"

I shrug. "Maybe. But let's just let it flow. Everything happens for a reason, right?"

He nods. "Right." He then mutters, "Like the kiss," and I'm not sure if he knows I heard, so I ignore it.

"I hope we can have more picnics when we get back," I say abruptly. "It's fun having a day without stress."

"Yeah," Minho agrees. "And I just love picnics in general. Especially when you're there."

My cheeks catch a blush, but I shrug it off, trying to force away the feelings I clearly have for him.

No. I can't have feelings for him.

Just then, Frypan comes barreling over, interrupting our moment. "Hey! Who wants to help me with this giant frisbee?" he shouts.

I laugh, glancing back at Minho, who seems slightly annoyed but amused at the same time.

"Looks like we're needed," I say, standing up.

"Guess so," he replies, shaking his head with a smile as we join the group, the sun shining down on us as the laughter continues.

I wonder how much longer we have.