Unstoppable Rhythm
"First off, I finally picked a song we'll be performing!" My deskmate announced excitedly.
"What is it?" tanong ni Zeira.
"Let's perform Ain't it Fun by Paramore!" she exclaimed, and waited for our reactions. But aside from Elliot, no one really matched her excitement.
"Ang killjoy niyo talaga, no?" Elliot said sarcastically, looking at me and Zeira since Rive at least had the decency to smile.
Inirapan siya ni Zeira at hindi ko naman pinansin ang sinabi niya.
Nang matapos sila sa mini celebration nila ay nagpatuloy ang deskmate ko sa pagsasalita.
"And second, the main reason why we are gathered here today—" she paused for dramatic effect, her expression turning serious, "—is because of our biggest problem. Wala tayong practice area."
"We can't practice here sa school dahil wala tayong instruments na magagamit. Especially the drums and keyboard. Those two aren't like the bass or guitar na kayang buhatin ng isang tao," she explained.
She made a valid point. Wala kaming gamit, and even if we did, no one could bring an entire drum set here. Elliot also mentioned na nanghihiram lang siya sa pinsan niya back in junior high, but now that his cousin moved away, wala na siyang mahihiraman. We don't even know where we could borrow one, and buying—even a second-hand set—was out of the question.
"Why don't we tell Ma'am Esquivel about this?" Suhestiyon ni Rive na ikinaliwanag ng mukha ng deskmate ko.
Lumabas kami ng clubroom at dumiretso sa faculty office. Buti na lang at siya lang ang tao doon.
"Anong ginagawa niyo dito?" tanong niya at itinigil ang kung ano mang ginagawa niya.
Napakamot sa ulo ang deskmate ko. "We ran into a problem po, and we need your advice, Ma'am."
Tumango si Tori at iminuwestra na magpatuloy ang deskmate ko kaya naman pinaliwanag niya ang problema namin.
"We can't do anything about it," Tori said right away, making our shoulders drop. "We can't just leave musical instruments sa clubroom niyo dahil baka manakaw o masira pa ang mga 'yon."
She's right. Just because we wanted something didn't mean we could demand it. But we still needed a place to practice.
"Do you know a plac—" Bago ko pa matapos ang sasabihin ko ay biglang bumukas ang pinto kaya naman sabay-sabay kaming napatingin doon.
A chubby guy whose hairline was almost non existent stepped inside. It was the school's vice principal.
Tumayo si Tori. "Good morning, Sir," magalang niyang pagbati dito.
Sumunod naman kami at binati din siya.
Huminto siya sa harapan namin at saglit kaming tinapunan ng tingin. Mabilis naman kaming umalis sa harapan ni Tori at gumilid para mabigyan siya ng space.
"What's up with these kids?" tanong niya kay Tori.
"Oh, they were just consulting me regarding their club," she replied with a small smile.
"About what?" he pressed.
It was obvious he wouldn't stop until he got an answer, kaya naman wala nang nagawa pa si Tori kundi ang sabihin sa kanya ang problema namin.
After hearing it, he suddenly snickered, making me frown. What's with this guy? Hindi ko nagustuhan ang naging reaksyon niya.
"How could they even dream of performing at the school festival kung simpleng problema pa lang, hindi na nila magawan ng paraan? They should just stop dreaming of performing," he mocked.
YOU ARE READING
Strings of Memory
Teen Fiction"Hating the one thing you love is a pain worse than losing it." - Wynther Fynne Clemenceau Wynther never had a dream-until he heard his father play the bass. In that moment, music became his purpose, his passion, his future. He dreamed of standing o...
