16 Just The Right Opportunity

My eyes catch sight of the school as I walk towards it. This time, I know I have nothing to be afraid of. I look over at Dahyeong who had her earbuds in with blasting music. She turn to me with a quizzical look in her eye before handing over an earbud for me to listen to as well. I hesitate for a split second, startled. I think she misread my intentions but I'm not complaining exactly right now.

"You wanna listen too?" Dahyeong cocks her head to the side, tilting it towards me as if she was prompting an answer.

"Sure." I hastily blurt out before snatching the earbud from Dahyeong.

I can't tell if it's just my luck, but most earbuds never seem to fit in my ears. Dahyeong's are definitely no exception. Every time I try to cram them in, they pop back out loose. They don't seem to sit right and it makes me believe that my ears are weirdly shaped. What's even more strange is that sometimes they fit but occasionally, they won't. That's why I like Dahyeong's earbuds a lot, since they're just a silicone cylinder covering the mini speaker area. It's a simple shape bound to fit in anyone's ear.

Dahyeong proceeds to face forward again directly after I snag the earbud from her, continuing to jazz out in her own world. I stare at the earbud lying in my hand before putting it on. I wasn't too surprised to catch her listening to Giant Pink as she jammed out to the beat. She's always loved rap for the longest time, which is contradictory to what you'd expect from her after meeting for the first time.

We make our way past the wall and end up at the entrance of the school. Dahyeong doesn't seem to notice as she's too absorbed in her music. I clear my throat and slightly nudge.

"We're here now."

I'm not too sure if Dahyeong didn't hear because she couldn't or if she doesn't want to. I roll my eyes to the back of my head, raising a hand to block Dahyeong off. She looks confused before turning to me and realizing the school was right there.

"Oh, so we're already here." Dahyeong sheepishly plucks the earbuds from my ear and hers, stowing them away into her bag.

"About time you realized." I spit back playfully.

"Right, right, right. Whatever you say."

Dahyeong swats my slaps away like a fly while laughing light-heartedly. This goes on for a while before Dahyeong throws her hands up in defeat.

"Alright, calm down." She barks out in between laughter. "When's Seoyun gonna get here? Did she tell you?"

"She just said that she was getting held up by her parents. I'm not too sure for how long."

"She'll still be back in time for school though, right?"

"Should be."

Dahyeong nods lightly in response. We both knew we were curious of why she was getting held back but decided not to pry further. Besides, neither of us has the answer anyway; asking wouldn't do any good. We both stare at the ground for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. It's rare that a silence falls between us so experiencing it was weird, to say the least. Her expressions twisting, Dahyeong abruptly jumps up and changes the topic instantly.

"We've got 15 minutes before school starts. Let's go to our lockers for now."

"Right. See you in class then?" I call back, beginning to walk to the direction of my locker.

"Yep!"

Dahyeong and I exchange glances before we both turn forward. I scamper down the hall and catch view of the hallway of my locker to the right, starting to bolt to the corner.

If I have to be honest, I almost contemplated telling Dahyeong about everything. The only thing stopping me from doing so was my consciousness nudging me to not get her involved. It's too complicated to try and get another person involved. Besides, I told myself earlier that she was on a need-to-know basis and I plan to keep it that way.

I reach the right turn to the hallway and begin to round the corner, quickening my pace before spotting Yuna at her locker. I slow down to a brisk walk the rest of the way to my locker where I am greeted by Yuna.

"Hey! How're you today?" Yuna calls out while fiddling with her lock.

"I feel like my life took a complete 180." I mutter back jokingly, audible enough for Yuna to hear. She softly chuckles before tugging open her locker.

"Having one of those days are we? I'd say I've had my fair share."

"I honestly feel deceased." I reply exasperated.

I have a feeling that Yuna doesn't understand exactly how much my life changed in a matter of 24 hours but I'm not exactly expressing that to her directly. Otherwise, what would I say? 'So yeah, I was in a dream with my great-great-grandmother who tasked me with reuniting the warring clans of a realm where everyone has powers. She gave me her powers and gave me no other hints or help, other than telling me to examine my friends.' Do you even know how insane I'd sound? She'd probably try to send me to a mental asylum or facility of some sort, which is something I'm not too keen on.

"This might sound strange but whenever I feel like that, I just lay on the ground and pretend I'm decomposing. Grass works even better since it adds a touch of realness to it."

I stop rummaging through my locker, looking up at Yuna. She laughs a bit to herself after saying that before her expressions relax into a light smile. She pulls out a binder before taking her lock and closing the locker door, locking it with her lock.

"You should really try it sometime. Wanna join me during lunch after class?" Yuna turns to me while leaning against her locker.

"If it works anywhere near as well as you describe it to be, I'm down."

"Great. I'll meet you at our lockers right after the bell goes. See you!"

With those works, Yuna takes off for her class, waving to me right until her other friends swarm around her. I've usually never spend a lunch with Yuna as she has far more friends than I have, making her never lonely. Might as well hop on the opportunity. I also think some time to myself and friends is just what I need to calm down from the sudden shift in my life, even if the method of relaxation seems unusual in and of itself. If there's anyway to calm myself out there, I'll find it, starting with decomposing on the grass like yesterday's leftovers.

Who knows? Just maybe it'll help me clear my mind and think straight.