Through time

Beats

Singto was standing at the back of the auditorium, watching the band practice. He can see Off and Gun to the side of the stage, beside each other as usual, but unusually attentive to their surroundings. He smiled as he realized his friends were lending their support.

Krist was practicing hard. He can understand as this was the last practice thy have before their performance in an hour. He sounds real good. Singto thought. He closed his eyes to listen, as he leaned back on the wall. He can feel each beat of Krist's drum echoing his heart beat. He smiled a small smile remembering Krist's reaction earlier. He was thinking of ways to move forward with Krist. Would it be too forward to confess this night? Krist may not be ready. Singto didn't want to scare Him off. He decided to leave Krist be until that night.

Singto went back to their disco room, choosing to spend the next hour dancing with his friends, thinking of ways to get together with Krist.

*ehem* Guy was standing by the DJ booth, holding a mic. "I would like to thank all of you here for visiting our disco and helping make this activity a success. I just got word from a teacher that we are to proceed to the auditorium for the final activity today. Please go to the auditorium in an orderly manner. We will be closing the disco now. Thank you again."

There was a ruckus as the students are leaving the room. Some were staying behind hoping to spend more time with Singto. Singto smiled at the stragglers then left with his friends. They were walking towards the auditorium, all set to watch their Nong perform. Singto knew Krist was great at playing the drums, it'll be a treat to watch how people would react to Krist. He was both excited and scared that Krist will be introduced to the greater student population.

"Are you guys ready?" Singto asked as they took their seats at the 5th row of the auditorium.

"Ready for the chaos that starts with a capital K.R.I.S.T.? Yup! Been ready for 3 years." Ice said, cracking his knuckles. The guys laughed at this.

"Welcome everyone to the final activity of our foundation day. Thank you all for participating in the activities throughout the day." They were all watching the announcer on stage. There were a few speeches from the Dean, the Year level representatives and some faculty members.

The announcer went up the stage again after the last speech. "I hold in my hand the results of the Classroom Competition we had today. Who here visited more than one classroom?" half of the students present raised their hand. "That's good to know. Your entrances were tallied and would be equivalent to votes cast for your favourite room. May I call on stage Mr. Trimon, our vice Dean, to announce the winner of the Classroom Competition? Mr Trimon, Sir."

"Thank you. The winner of the Classroom Competition for Foundation Day 2018, with 2,593 votes, out of 3,504, is none other that the 4th year Disco Room! Congratulations!"

There was a loud roaring cheer coming from the crowd. Guy stood up and was motioning for Singto to walk up the stage with him to accept the prize.

"Sing! Get up there!" Off tried pushing Singto up the stage.

"Yeah dude! We all know it was you that drew the crowd." Nammon chimed in.

"OK, OK." Singto walked with Guy up the stage.

The second Singto walked on stage, there was an even louder roar that can be heard from the crowd. Quite a few shrieks can be heard as well."

"Well, we now know how the class got those votes! Settle down folks!" The announcer addressed the crowd. "Congratulations to you and your class." The announcer turned to Guy and Singto. "We have a surprise for the winning class. Apart from getting a trophy, the faculty also wants to give you this gift certificate, enough to cover expenses to any restaurant your class chooses to dine at. Here."

All of the students from the winning senior class jumped up to celebrate!

"Congratulations again to the senior class. Now, the highlight of the night, the moment we've been waiting for... But before I introduce this group of guys, I would like to say well done to the senior class. Being a senior is not easy. There are a lot of challenges, which today would be a night to celebrate. I give you, the Senior Band! Give them a round of applause!"

One by one the members of the band entered the stage. The applause seemed to echo through the auditorium as the drummer entered the stage. Singto knows he didn't have any claim but he was proud nonetheless of the reaction Krist was getting. He knows he has cause to be worried but all he can think of is You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait till you hear him play.

From the first beat of the drum, Singto was mesmerized. Krist's performance was nothing compared to the rehearsals he has watched. Krist on stage was mesmerizing. He was so into the music, the beat and the performance that you can't help but be captivated. He looked around at the crowd and Krist was having the same effect. Everyone was focused on the drummer.

Krist couldn't recall a happier time in his high school life. There were a few but this by far was the most exhilarating. He loved playing the drums and he knew he was good at it. He didn't care if anybody else thought so.

The second song they were performing was a bit slower which afforded him a glimpse of the crowd. He was looking for a particular group, a particular person. He first saw Off then Gun then the rest of the group, and finally, Singto. Everything else faded but the man infront of him. He didn't know why but he wanted his P'Singto, of all people to be proud of him.

He was playing the drums, looking into his P's eyes. He felt like they were the only two people in the auditorium. The lights dimmed, the crowd thinned one by one, the noise silenced until all he could hear was the beat of his drums, echoing the beat of his heart.