Strings of Memory

Chapter 14

Kinagat ko ang pang ibabang labi bago nagsalita. "We will perform again."

Natigilan siya at nanlaki ang mga mata. "W-what?" gulat niyang tanong.

Nginitian ko siya at inulit ang sinabi ko kanina, na nagpaawang ng kaunti sa mapupula niyang labi.

Narinig ko ang pagtikhim ng vocalist mula sa microphone na hawak niya. "Can we intrude into your lovey-dovey scene?" tanong niya.

Kinuha ko ang microphone na nasa harap ng deskmate ko. "Sure," sagot ko na para bang wala lang ang sinabi niya.

"Can you tell us why you went there? We're still in the middle of evaluating their performance. My bandmates still have some things to say about it," he said.

I smirked sarcastically. They are really planning to kill their dreams right here and now by giving those poisonous words that they may never recover from.

Napatiim bagang ako bago ko siya tinitigan nang seryoso. "We're going to perform again, so save your evaluation after you hear us play," sabi ko.

Nakita ko ang bahagyang pagkagulat sa mukha ng vocalist bago ito napalitan ng tawa.

"We have a knight in shining armor here," sabi niya habang tumatawa. Nakita ko rin ang pagtawa ng iba niyang kagrupo.

"Do you think our evaluation will change after you perform with them?" nanunuya niyang tanong, na nginisihan ko.

"Yes," I answered confidently.

"Again with the misplaced confidence. As if something's going to change," mas lalong natawa ang vocalist dahil sa sagot ko. "Fine. The floor is yours."

Ibinalik ko ang microphone sa harap ng deskmate ko bago ako tumingin sa kanya. And when I saw her expression, I wanted to laugh. Her eyes were so wide, like they were about to pop out of their sockets. Her mouth hung open, and her overall look was just too comical. But still, I remained poker-faced. I don't want them to see me like that.

Tinignan ko ang iba naming kasama, at ganoon din ang naging reaksyon nila sa ginawa ko. They all had that incredulous look that was really funny.

"Are you crazy?" my deskmate asked, almost breathless.

Tinitigan ko siya at umiling. "I'm not. Don't you want to prove them wrong?" tanong ko, na nagpaseryoso sa kanilang lahat.

I know how pissed off they are for what the vocalist said, and I'm sure they want to get even.

"Of course!" sagot ni Elliot, kita ko ang inis sa mga mata niya.

"Me too," segunda ni Rive. "How dare he criticize a genius like me?" dagdag niya bago umirap.

Nakita ko ang pagtango ni Zeira bago natutok ang buong atensyon namin sa deskmate ko. Hinintay namin ang pagsang-ayon niya.

Marahan siyang tumango, at kasabay noon ang pagkislap ng mga mata niya. It wasn't because of excitement. This time, the emotion behind her brown orbs was closer to determination. It was like a fire had been lit in her eyes.

Tinanguan ko sila. Perfect. All of them wanted revenge, and I'll help them achieve it. I won't let those people get away with what they did.

"Let's perform the same song," sabi ko, at nakita ko ang pagtutol sa mga mata nila, pero nagpatuloy ako. "We should match each other's tempo because you were really unsynchronized earlier. But I think you all already knew that, so we don't have to dwell on that performance. We should just focus on matching with one another. Let's blend our sounds so that her voice will stand out more." Sabay turo ko sa deskmate ko.

Sunod-sunod na tumango sina Rive, Elliot, at Zeira. I know they can pull this off because they already have experience performing. Elliot has done fill-ins before, while Rive has plenty of experience in piano competitions. I don't really have to worry about Zeira because she played perfectly earlier.

Maybe one of the reasons why their performance was a mess earlier was because it was so sudden—like an impromptu performance. They weren't prepared, which caused their playing to be all over the place.

Ibinaling ko ang tingin sa deskmate ko. "And you," simula ko bago ipatong ang kamay ko sa ulo niya. "Just stay calm the whole song. Huwag kang magpanic kapag napapalakas ang tunog ng mga instruments sa paligid mo. We will make sure to blend in with you, so just focus on singing your heart out." Atsaka ko ginulo ang buhok niya.

I want the people around us to hear just how good this girl is—how her voice can shake you to the core, leaving you trembling.

Hinawi niya ang kamay ko at inayos ang buhok niya. "Fine," sagot niya, sabay harap sa mga tao. Pero kaagad din siyang lumingon pabalik sa akin.

"What will be your instrument? Hindi ba sabi mo, hindi ka marunong gumamit ng kahit anong instrument?" tanong niya.

"Ano pa nga ba?" sagot ko at naglakad papunta sa bass. Sinukbit ko iyon, at nakita ko kung paano nanlaki ang mga mata nilang apat.

"Do you know how to play that?" tanong ni Zeira.

"Of course," sagot ko bago tingnan ang bass na nasa kamay ko. The familiar weight of it made my hands run cold and my heart pound. I don't know why my body is reacting like this, but I chose to ignore it.

Ibinalik ko ang tingin sa kanila at tumango, na sinuklian naman nila. Kagaya kanina, nagbilang ulit si Elliot bago kami nagsimula. And once he mentioned the number three, we started our performance.

My heart raced the whole time we played. It was pounding so loud and fast, as if reminding me that I'm still alive. And for the first time since my father died, I really did feel alive.