Anonymous Lines - Hambebe AU

Chapter 19

As the golden hue of the sun slowly fades into the horizon, the silver glow of the rising moon starts to illuminate the sky. Despite the late afternoon hour, the SAU practice room buzzes with lively activity as students and faculty prepare for the upcoming event scheduled for later this week. The event marks the beginning of a new semester following the closing of the first semester just a few weeks prior. Despite the first semester being over, the student council diligently plans and organizes an opening event to usher in the new semester.

Students were scrambling to finalize their performances, and the dance troupe, led by Shaine, Maxine, and Sage, had been practicing non-stop. Now, after hours of rehearsals, the trio found themselves cooling down, slumped against the walls of the dance studio.

"So, Shaine," Maxine started with that mischievous glint in her eyes. "When are you finally going to meet this Gabrielle in person?"

Shaine groaned, throwing her head back. "Max, not this again."

"What? I'm just curious, tsaka ikaw ba? Hindi kaba na c-curious like me kung ano mukha niya or whatsover? Malay mo, baka matanda pala or something? Tapos you're talking to some tito na pala!" Maxine joked, her tone half-teasing, half-serious, making Shaine's cheeks turn pink.

"Grabe ka naman sa matanada Max," Sage butted in and let out a soft chuckle just enough to irritate the younger.

"Alam nyo, kung tuos-tuosin, mas invested pa kayo kesa sakin to the point naiirita na ako tuwing na m-menimention nyo sya." Shaine irritatedly said and picked up a towel and playfully tossed it at both of them, laughing despite herself.

Maxine, catching the towel mid-air, grinned even wider. "Curious nga diba," 

"Tsaka," "Tsaka," Max continued, her voice turning slightly conspiratorial as she leaned in, "We have an upcoming event this friday right? You can invite him, pwede naman ata outsider." She glanced at Sage for confirmation, knowing that the Sage is a student representative of the student council of the university, she knew Sage knows a lot about the upcoming event.

Sage nodded, her smile still teasing. "Yup, pwede. You should invite him, Shaine."

Maxine clapped her hands together, her excitement growing "See?  You can invite him to come and watch us perform rin this friday!" Maxine said with a grin.

Shaine felt her cheeks warm as she took a sip of her drink, avoiding Maxine's gaze. "I don't know," she muttered, clearly flustered. "We haven't talked about meeting up yet. We're both really busy with school and everything."

Sage, who had been quietly observing the exchange, joined in, her curiosity piqued. "Busy? C'mon, Shaine. You guys have been talking for a while. Tsaka baka free yun sa friday. You should invite him, it's the perfect chance."

Shaine bit her lip, her mind spinning. She had never really thought about inviting Gabrielle to something as public as the semestral opening event. It was a huge university-wide celebration, and she had only ever known Gabrielle through a screen. The thought of seeing him face-to-face for the first time, especially in front of so many people, made her heart race.

Maxine, seeing Shaine's hesitation, nudged her playfully. "Oh, come on! What's the worst that could happen? If you invite him, he'll get to watch you dance, and you'll finally see if this guy you've been raving about is as cool as you think. Plus, you've been talking so much, Shaine. Don't you want to put a face to all those messages?"

Shaine hesitated, her mind already racing with excuses. "I don't even know if he's free. And... what if it's awkward? Di pa talaga namin na pag-uusapan about meeting in person, and I think it never crosses in our mind pa."