That One Thing

Chapter 21

Sergio

"Okay! Let's have a break!" Mr. Richard said when we're done rehearsing for the mall show later.

Umupo ako sa monoblock chair at uminom ng bottled water. Riosh, Iall, and Kyron are ignoring me and have grown distant from me.

Galit pa rin sila sa akin dahil sa ginawa ko kay Froi o dahil na rin siguro sa panliligaw ko kay Alliah. I'm not blind to the fact that they, like Froi, are also interested in her, but I can't help myself; I've fallen for Alliah, and when I took my chance to pursue her, she immediately agreed, which I'm grateful for.

Ito ang unang beses na nagmahal ako, I'm not romantically in love with my first girlfriend, Giorgia, and I know the difference between love and infatuation. My love for Alliah will drive me insane, and even if my friends are mad at me for courting her, I will never give up Alliah. I know she likes me because she agreed to let me court her.

Kung kaibigan ko talaga ang That One Thing ay sana suportahan na lang nila ako kay Alliah. I'm hoping they'll accept that I'm courting her.

"Damn, it's so hard to practice without Froi; he has consistently better vocals than me." Kyron shook his head. Kanina pa niya ako pinaparinggan pero iniignora ko lang.

"Pero ano bang magagawa natin kung bugbog-sarado siya? Tsk! I still don't understand why some people use to physically harm others when they are mad." nakangising sabi ni Riosh habang tinatali ang mahaba niyang buhok.

My fist and jaw were clenched. I'm used to being quiet and calm when people provoke and insult me, as Froi was, but if they've reached my limit, I'm enraged like an animal, and I don't like it.

Narinig ni Mr. Richard ang sinabi ni Riosh kaya nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin nito sa amin. Kanina pa niya napapansin ang tensyon sa pagitan namin ng That One Thing pero hindi siya kumikibo, at ngayon ay hindi na napigilang magtanong.

"What's the problem, boys?"

Hindi nagsalita iyong tatlo kaya sa akin bumaling si Mr. Richard. "Sergio, ano bang nangyayari? At bakit mo sinaktan si Froi kaya hindi siya makakasama sa mall show natin?" tanong niya.

I sighed and facepalmed. "He got mad when I told them I was courting Alliah; he provoked me to the point where I beat him." Pag-amin ko.

Napanganga si Mr. Richard at umiling pagkatapos. "Well, nakikita ko namang gusto talaga ni Froi si Alliah. I can't judge what you did because he can be uncontrollable and immature at times. I hope na magkaayos na kayong magkakaibigan at 'wag sana 'tong makaapekto sa career n'yo." He tapped my shoulder, glanced at the three guys, and then went inside to the equipment room.

Mabuti pa si Mr. Richard ay naiintindihan kung bakit ko iyon nagawa pero ang mga kaibigan ko na mahigit limang taon ko ng kasama sa banda ay hindi. I only made one mistake, and now they're all angry and ignoring me.

Nagpractice ulit kami ng kalahating oras at dahil wala si Froi ay si Riosh ang kumanta ng ibang verse niya sa bago naming nirelease na kanta. Riosh was right; it's difficult for us to sing without Froi, but we have to deal with my fault.

I'm sorry and ashamed for what I did.

Pagkatapos naming magpractice ay lumabas na kami sa likod ng backstage at umakyat sa stage. We're now in one of Manila's largest malls, where we'll perform our most recent release, which charted at number one on all social media music platforms in just one week. We became a bigger boyband in the Philippines, and our fans and supporters grew massively.