Behind The Stage

Chapter 1 "How it Started" Part 2

lab dab! lab dab! lab dab! lab dab!

Nick's heart was beating fast when he saw that girl. He's just staring at her and his world turned silent. Everything turned white around him and everything disappeared except that girl.

Nick stayed like that for about 30 seconds.

To wake him up to reality, Janeb beside him slapped him in the face. "hey! Move on! We're on green light already!"

And he woke up to reality and he now hear all the car drivers behind him blowing their horns. He drove ahead bit his head is turning to the side where the lady was walking as they go forward. She walked into the book café.

Janeb slapped him again. "Hey! you better watch where you're going."

"Jay?" Nick called while having a blank stare.

"What?"

"I think I'm in love"

"In love my butt! Do you you even know that girl? How are you gonna meet her again?"

"I don't know." he answered with a pair of heart in his eyes. "All i know right now is that I'm in love."

After a while they finally arrived at the studio.

The drummers are practicing and the dancers are preparing to start the practice as they enter the studio. Janeb walked right straight to where the other kids are and Nick stopped on the door for a while. As he listen to the beat of the drums, he started dancing. Everybody looked at him in shock. Nick looked so happy dancing so Janeb got his phone out and started to take a video.

Meanwhile, in the book café, the lady that they saw among the pedestrian ordered a regular size mocha latte while reading "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho.

Mara. Mara is a 4th year nursing transferee to the University of La Salette. Her parents just separated so Mara and her mom moved to another City.

Mara always liked to read books while drinking her mocha latte. And as she finishes her drink, she looked at her watch. "Oh! I have to go home." She told herself. Mara closed the book and brought it back to the bookshelf.

"Thank you for coming" a waiter said to her as she walks out of the café.

She didn't say anything but gave him a smile instead.

The waiter blushed. His heartbeat went faster by 3.4 seconds.

Mara took the bus and went back home.

The next day, they have too go to school for class.

Janeb's alarm went-off at exactly 6 am. He turned it off and went back to sleep. After 5 minutes, the alarm went-off again. He turned it off again and went back to sleep. After another 5 minutes, the alarm went off again and he did the same thing for the third time. A few seconds later, Janeb's phone rang. He tried to grab it under his pillow but it's not there. So he is forced to wake up and look for his phone. He almost turned his bed up-side-down but it's not there. He started looking for it over his table with a whole bunch of books - Fundamentals of Nursing, Maternal and Child Health, Primary Health Care, Medical-Surgical Nursing, etc. He thought that if he would fix the books first, he might find it. So he started fixing the books and finally, he found his cellphone. And when he tried to answer the call, the ringing stopped.

It was Nick calling. He called him back.

"Why aren't you answering my call?" Nick yelled on him.

"I just woke up. Thanks to someone." Janeb answered. "And I can't remember where i left my phone last night so I had to look for it." he added. "So...why are you calling this early?"

"I'm on my way to get you."

"Already?! But it's only a quarter after six!"

Nick always go to Janeb's house to pick him to go to school together.

Janeb hurried to the bathroom to take a bath. It's always taking him exactly 33 minutes and 30 seconds to take a bath.

Nick arrived in Janeb's house after 30 mins. He knocked on the door and Janeb's mom opened the door.

"Hello mommy Angie!" Nick greeted with an overwhelming energy.

"Oh you're early today."

"People change mommy Angie." He answered and walked upstairs to Janeb just got into his room and changing clothes. As Janeb take the towel wrapped around his waist off, Nick entered his room without knocking. Nick saw Janeb naked all over without anything on. Janeb quickly grabbed his towel got it on again.

"Hey! You never knock on the door every time you come to my room!"

Nick acted like he never heard anything. "Hurry and get your clothes on."

"Why are you such in a hurry anyway?" he asked. "It's only a quarter to seven."

"You know, people change"

Janeb's mom downstairs just finished making breakfast. "Jay! Nick! eat your breakfast first before you leave." Mommy Angie hollered on them.

"I'll go ahead on the car." Nick said to Janeb.

Nick went downstairs and talked to Janeb's mom in the dining table. "We're not gonna eat breakfast here anymore mommy Angie. I'll just treat him at the book café." He said as he grab one hotdog and went outside to start his car.

After preparing everything, Janeb went downstairs and gave his mom a kiss. "I'm going mom. See you later." He walked outside the house with his rolled-up slim fit black pants, unbuttoned slim fit gray long-sleeve shirt with a white plunging V neckline tee inside and a pair of ALDO's "Mclerran" black boots.

Janeb's fashion has always been the best in school and one ever wins over him when it comes to fashion.

On their way to school, they stopped by the book café to have their breakfast. And as they enter the café, Nick looked around as if he's looking for someone.

"Oh! So you're expecting that the girl from yesterday is coming today?" Janeb guessed.

"Yeah! But I guess she's not here this morning." he replied with a disappointed face.

They sat on a table ordered some drinks. Janeb ordered a Caffé Americano and Nick ordered a Mocha Latte. After ordering their coffee, Nick stood up and went closer to the bookshelves. He's looking for the book that he has been reading for a few days. He found the book and when he's about to get it, somebody is trying to get it too and their hands collided. Nick turned to see who that person is and as he turn and look at that person, his world paused for a while.

It's Mara who's trying to take the book.

Nick's facial expression bloomed from being frowned. He feels like floating with the clouds. He hears bells ringing. He hears angels singing.