Wild Beat [BxB] |ON-GOING|

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 10

The entire stadium fell silent, and I held my breath. Halos mabingi ako sa kabog ng dibdib ko, my heart beat wild, waiting for the speaker to announce who's the winner.

“The winner of today's contest is... Group Five! ,” the speaker announced.

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers.

It took a moment for the announcement to sink in.

Group Five—us. It was us, we're the group of five, kami ang nanalo, we had won!

The realization hit me like thunder, and I felt an overwhelming surge of joy and relief.

“Nanalo tayo! We did it!” Vin was jumping, beaming with happiness, I couldn't stop smiling, we actually won.

All our hard work paid off. We made our way back onto the stage to accept our trophy.

Mabilis itong kinuha ni Vin at tumayo sa gitna, I could see the pride in their eyes looking at the judges.

Inabot naman nila sa amin ang trophy, I smiled ear to ear while they congratulated us, and the audience continued to cheer.

As we stood there, holding the trophy and basking in the applause, hindi magkandamayaw ang iba sa pagsigaw at siyang kinatawa ko.

I glanced at the other groups, and I also congratulated them on their smooth performances.

Most of them were clapping for us and greeted us, some with genuine smiles, others with forced ones, but I just ignored them and continued to thank those who congratulated us.

I caught Klea looking at me. She was clapping too and raising their banner, the sign says “Congratulation,” so they really know that we won, eh?

Klea mouthed “Congratulations,” and I nodded in thanks.

After the ceremony, we were swarmed by students from our university and others who wanted to congratulate us.

Even though I don't have energy left, I greet them and bow to those who congratulate us. It was a whirlwind of handshakes, hugs, and photos.

The group decided to celebrate our win. I quickly refused and said I might join next time.

I felt sick from the heat suddenly. “Ayos ka lang ba?” Vin asked, tapping me on the shoulder.

“Yeah,” I answered, and I sat down at the side.

Masyadong mainit ang loob ng staduim, and some people began to leave. I quickly said goodbye and told them I was going home to rest.

I felt like I might collapse at any moment because of the heat. As I walked out of the stadium, I took a few deep breaths. The heaviness I felt earlier disappeared, and the fresh air made breathing easier.

The stadium had been hot and crowded, probably because the air conditioning wasn’t working properly.

I decided to wait for them outside. The cool breeze was refreshing, and I felt my strength slowly returning.

Tumayo ako sa may ilalim ng puno. Walang katapusang pagbati sa tuwing may nakakakita sa akin, niyuko ko nalang ang ulo ko at tinanggal ang jacket.

My mind wandered back to the performance and the cheers, and the moment we were announced as winners, I couldn’t help but smile. Our hard work paid off.

After a couple minutes, I heard familiar voices approaching. It was Vin and the rest of the team.

“Ayos kana ba?” Vin asked again, concern in his voice as they walked towards me.

“Yeah, I just needed some fresh air,” I replied, while my hands were in my pocket.

“Napagdesisyunan namin sa susunod nalang natin ganapin ang celebration, pagod na tayo lahat kailangan na rin sigurong magpahinga, para naman makasama ka” Vin said, looking at the teammates.

They're all nodding as agree, halos wala na rin kaming pahinga dahil sa pag-iinsayo nakaraan. Humakbang na ako palabas sa lilim ng puno.

“I'll get going, congratulations to us, see you tomorrow,” I said, and I waved my hands while my back was facing them.

I heard them saying goodbye. As I continued to walk, my mouth formed into a smile. I couldn't help but feel happy. There's a lot of opportunity waiting for us

As I walked with my hands in my pockets, I couldn't help but sing along to the song I was listening to.

The evening was windy and cold, and the street was busy. Marami na ring naglalakad na mga estudyante pauwi sa kani-kanilang mga bahay.

Habang naglalakad, I noticed the old woman again, pushing her cart full of cardboard and plastic bottles.

Kumunot ang noo ko, she was struggling with each step. I quickly ran over to help her push the cart.

“Let me help you, ma'am,” I said as I grabbed part of the cart. Lumingon ito sa akin at ngumiti.

There was another way she could take it, but why did she still choose this way?

This street was uphill, mahirap lalo na kung may tulak-tulak ka pang bitbit, at mabigat.

“Why did she always choose to take this way?” I whisper to myself, pushing her cart.

There was no trash to be seen in this area. Wala siyang mapupulot na kung ano dito. Littering here is strictly prohibited. This street was clean, even in a trash bin, you couldn't see any.

When we finally reached the top of the hill, I sighed in exhaustion.

Her load was much heavier now compared to what she usually carried whenever I helped her before.

It seemed she had collected a lot of bottles and metal scraps, making her cart so heavy. Habang nagpupunas ako ng pawis ay napatingin ako sa kanya.

“Maraming salamat, iho, sa palagi mong pagtulong sa akin,” the old woman said to me as she held my hand gently, giving it a soft squeeze while smiling.

Bigla naman itong nataranta at kinuha niya ang kanyang balabal sa leeg. Agad naman niyang pinunasan ang kamay ko.

Tinignan ko ito at may ilang dumi sa kamay ko dahil na rin sa kamay niyang puno ng uling.

“It's okay, you don't have to worry. It's just a little dirt, I'm heading home anyway,” I told her, but she didn't stop wiping my hand.

“Naku, pasensya ka na talaga, iho,” sabi niya sa akin habang patuloy pa rin sa pagpunas, pero mas lalong lang kumalat ang uling sa mga kamay ko.

“Ayos lang ho, I'll take care of it, don't worry about it, it's just a little dirt,” I said, holding her hand to make her stop.

I could feel the roughness of her palms, a sign of many years of hard work. Ngumiti naman ito sa akin, kitang-kita sa kanyang mga mata ang pagod sa maghapong pangongolekta ng mga nakuha niyang mga kalakal.

I suddenly heard a rumbling stomach. I look at the old lady who's wiping her hand with her scarf.

“Dito lang ho muna kayo,” I said to her, holding her shoulder. She looked at me confused, but I ran down the hill to buy her some food. I wonder if she has a family.

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