Chasing Freedom

Drinking oneself to oblivion

Camila Cabello

I have actually no idea how I got here, or why I even agreed to this when all I wanted was to stay in Lauren's apartment, curled up on her bed with a good book until Lauren would be back from her evening class. I was so not in the mood to be social, quite the opposite really. I just wanted to escape my horrors and immerse myself in the wonderous landscape that escapism could provide me with. I'd rather escape to a world where there was no stalker or a abusive ex-boyfriend.

Unfortunately that wasn't what I was doing or where I was. No, I had Dinah persuade me into begrudgingly going to this small festival where our roommate Luke would be preforming later on. Dinah had been nagging me about it the entire day, and I finally relented and gave in to her request. I had no idea why I agreed, but Dinah seemed to have the unparalleled power to talk me into anything.

Even when we were younger, she exhibited that extraordinary ability. I mean you surely didn't expect it was my idea to prank teachers, now do you? No, it was all her idea, and she somehow always managed to make me go along with each of her ill-fated plans.

Not only Dinah could take the credit for dragging me unwillingly to this festival gathering, because my other roommates had joined forces with her. They were all coercing me to join them, saying that it was our obligation to show support to Luke. I just didn't have a counter argument against that, besides I could always leave early when I didn't enjoy myself, so what harm could it bring if I went with them?

Reluctantly, I would join Demi, Shawn, Zayn, Niall, Normani and Dinah to the festival. Ally was lucky enough to have a valid enough reason not to come. She had to finish her baking for tomorrows serving at the café, so she stayed home making the many pastries needed for tomorrow. My girlfriend would meet us there a bit later, because she had a late night class she had to be present for.

So this brings us to now, where I was uncomfortably standing in a rowdy crowd of dancing people. At least, I assumed they were dancing, because some moves weren't exactly what I would call dancing. Those moves were just too awkward to be called dancing, but who was I to judge? I couldn't dance too well myself, so I was in no place to rate someone else' dancing skills.

This festival was out in the open air of the city, and consisted of many stages scattered around the campus grounds. In all the open squares of the city you could find a stage with some activity, ranging from music concerts to poetry slams, even theatre pieces were being played on some of those stages.

We found ourselves right in front of the mainstage, where Luke and his band would perform in an hour. Currently there was still some DJ spinning dance influenced beats, hyping up the crowd to a dancing mass of people. My friends were animatedly swaying their bodies to drum of the beat, throwing their hands in the air when the build up of the music came to a climax.

They seemed to be enjoying themselves, while I just stood there uncomfortably, hoping that it would end soon so I could go back home. I certainly did not share their enjoyment, or the joy plastered on the strangers their faces surrounding us. I simply did not want to come tonight, and by being here I still had not changed my mind. I just wanted to go home, and curl up in bed to read or watch a movie. Anything other than being here, really.

One thing that made me hate this even more was that we all were one giant moving mass, because we were so closely packed to each other that you could feel the sweaty bodies of strangers sticking on your back. You could also not turn around or move you hands without bumping into someone next, behind or in front of you, because of the limited space you had to move. I felt trapped in that sea of people, hindered to freely move how I wanted. I was standing there cramped up between my friends and strangers, holding my arms firmly glued against my sides in hopes of not touching anyone.