Facing Crossroads

I - Drama Society

                                                                                         Shane

“Shane, I put a sandwich in your bag,” I heard mom called out to me as I rushed to the front door. “Eat it!”

“Yeah, fine,” I murmured as I jogged toward my big bike parked in front of our two-storey house, clutching the yellow helmet in my hand. I put my wavy hair in a ponytail and the moment I secured my head with the heavy helmet, I started the bike to chase the rising sun.

This was my daily routine now, after I moved in with my mom and her new family. The town of Victoria hadn’t changed a bit, continuing to hate my dead father. Being a nineteen-year-old felt like a heavy stage in my life or maybe it was just me. My life was now divided into before and after the incident. I used to live with my dad, back into his mansion in Sun City, a private village for wealthy people like him.

I was his favorite and there was no point denying that. After all, I was his heiress.

Things weren’t always complicated when I was a little girl, or so I thought. Growing up, I slowly figured out that my father wasn’t just a businessman like what he told me. He was more than that and more than what the newspaper told the people. And until now, they still gossip about him like a bunch of maniac, tainting his memory. Tainting the man I looked up to so much.

Just by a mere thought of him made me tear up and I felt my chest heaved. Thankfully, there weren’t many cars at this time of day. After fifteen minutes of driving, I turned right to enter the school gate.

A huge “I Heart Laroyo U” stood at the left side of the front gates of the university and students who pretended they loved the Alma Matter took selfies with it to be posted in i********:. We didn’t have uniforms here so I flashed my I.D. to the guard and he smiled and instantly opened the gate.

I kept my head low after parking my bike, clutching the strap of my backpack. I isolated myself not because I hated having friends but because students here didn’t like the idea of befriending me anymore.

Time to pretend I’m interested in learning again. With a heavy heart, I dragged myself inside the classroom.

***

“I can’t believe I’m failing Literature.”

Ms. Marjorie looked at me through her eyeglasses, giving me an incredulous look. “Exactly my thought, Ms. Javier.”

I stared at my report card, my professor’s feedback barely registering in my head. Things looked hazy and blurry, like the world was about to collapse.

“You’re failing because you don’t do your homework, don’t participate in class, failed my exams and it’s all because you’re not coming to class.” She closed a thick book in front of her and pushed it aside.

“I’m sorry…” I mumbled, eyes glued to the floor. We were the only one left in the room and I was glad that nobody was watching us.

She sighed, but not the tired sigh of dealing with me, but a sigh like she somehow understood. “Shane, I understand you’re still dealing with things. I know it’s hard to lose someone you love.”

That touched a nerve. “Do you?” I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud but I couldn’t ignore the bubbling feeling buried in my chest. No one was brave enough to talk to me about my loss.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I do,” she said as she rested her back on her chair. “I lost my child three days after I gave birth to her. A year later, I lost my husband to another woman. There are different kinds of losing someone we cherish, and the only similarity is the pain we feel after. So yes, Ms. Javier, I know the feeling.”

Shaking my head, I looked at her and said sorry.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” she answered. “What I need you to do is to save your failing grade. This is your last year in college and I don’t want to see you next year retaking the same classes you failed because of attendance. Who fails in literature, anyway? It’s not even your major subject. It’s not too late.”

I felt a knot twisted in my stomach as I inhaled a lungful of air. “What should I do to make up for my failed exam and quizzes in Phil. Lit, Ms. Marj?”

She smiled and wrote something in her cat-shaped post-it pad.

Drama Society

4:00pm – 5:30pm Wednesday and Friday

8:00am – 11:00am Saturday

***

I wished I could say how surprised I was to see how crazy the auditorium was, seeing all those scraps of cartons, woods, bottles, and basically any scraps one could think of. But nope. I know Drama Clubs such as this one was organized to convert nothing into something.

“All right, folks, let’s huddle here,” a lean girl called out, motioning her hand for everyone to come closer to the stage.

I stepped forward to follow the others but kept my distance.

“Let’s see,” I heard her say while I scanned the unfinished tree made up of woods and cartons. “Is there a Shane Javier here? Raise your hand, please.”

I swallowed, not wanting the sudden attention. But I still raised my hand, and just like that, everyone stared at me.

“Hi Shane,” she greeted energetically. “First, welcome to Drama Soc, I hope you can showcase your skill and help us in the upcoming Foundation Day. Second, we do not tolerate tardiness, so make sure to come here on time. Third, everyone here is friendly, or trying to be, so please no fights.” She smiled as she shrugged her shoulder. “And fourth, I’m the President, name’s Jellaine San Sebastian and we thank you for joining us.”

Everyone of them clapped their hands, some tapped my shoulder, welcoming me. I forced a smile, not really wanting the attention. I hated it.

“Thank you,” I said. I felt a sudden urge to walk away from all of this but the way she smiled made me contemplate my reaction. I would be a total b***h if I did that and she didn’t deserve it.

“I’m sure you’ll pick up everyone’s names as you go on. But for the mean time, Theo will be assisting you for today. He’s our secretary.” Her smile reached her small eyes, making her likeable.

I wished I had the same friendliness and warmth like her.

I looked around, looking for this Theo guy.

“I’m here, at your back.”

I turned around from where the deep voice came from. Behind me was a tall guy with a buzz cut, hair a bit shorter on his sideburns, exactly how boys do their hair nowadays. There was a small smile in his full lips, his hooded eyes looked kind and gentle. Unlike most guys in school, he looked simple in his gray shirt and straight jeans.

“So,” he started and ushered me to follow him, so I did. “I just need you to enter some personal information, for you to be fully listed as a member.”

He opened an application in his laptop. I started to type in my name, phone number, address, hobbies, skills, and favorite motto or sayings.

“All done,” I said turning to him again.

He let out a small smile again. Unlike Jellaine’s smile, his didn’t touch his eyes. He looked… sad, actually, but pretended he wasn’t. Maybe that’s how I look too.

“Okay, great,” he mumbled and did something on the laptop before looking at me. “Skills, drawing,” he repeated the information I had entered. “How good are you in drawing?”

I thought for a moment. “I can paint. But- ”

He nodded. “Then I will assign you to crafts and props to help with the team.” He gestured his hand to the back corner of the auditorium, pointing at the scraps.

I hadn’t realized that I would actually contribute to their club. Here I thought that showing up would be enough to pass the course. “I… don’t paint anymore. It used to be my talent. But…”

He focused his eyes on me that I had to look away. “Oh… Okay. Can you act?”

I frowned. “As in acting?” I pointed to the stage where everyone seemed busy rehearsing. “Acting on stage?”

Theo looked at the stage as well. “Yeah. As in acting on stage.” He mirrored my words.

“No way.”

He shrugged his shoulder. He really had a manly voice. “You can just stand there. Fill in the role as one of the common people.”

I tried not to sigh but it came anyway. “No.”

“How about designing lightings on stage?”

“That’s a no.”

He wet his lips briefly before crossing his arm over his chest. “What do you want to do then? Clap your hands when we’re done doing the play?”

Damn this guy! “That is so funny,” I mumbled.

“I’m sorry I said that,” he said, shaking his head. He looked tired. “You’re just being difficult.”

Not long after, Jellaine approached us. “So, how will she help us, Theo?”

I braced myself. I knew he was going to tell on me. That I was being difficult. I mentally kicked myself, remembering that this was my only chance to pass my Lit subject. Gah.

“I think she’ll be helping me with the script writing,” I heard him say.

“Great! Finally, we have someone to help you,” she replied and then turned to me. “Theo is our script writer as well. If you remember the previous plays during Foundation Day, it’s all his works.”

“Oh…”

Jellaine waited for me to say more. When I didn’t, she just left, bringing the energy with her.

“While you’re thinking what you want to do in this club, be my researcher for the moment. I really need a hand.”

Shrugging my shoulder, I just agreed with him.

“Time to work, Shay,” he said as he started to walk. There was something in his deep clear voice that made my feet automatically followed his trail.

“It’s Shane,” I corrected him.

He halted and looked over at me. “Yeah, I know.”