Salt & Pepper [A JaDine FanFic]

Chapter Eighteen - No Longer Real Time

Wednesday, 0900AM Stage Area, University Main Theater

"Have you ever experienced that moment when everything was in slow motion?" Marrah asked. She was helping me mark the stage with some masking tape for our acting auditions later.

"Slow motion? Never pa nangyari sakin yun." I replied while handing her more tape. "Siguro yung suddenly black, oo!" I laughed when I remembered what had happened to me last week. I tried to feel the bump on my head but it pretty much healed quickly.

"Masakit ba ulo mo, Nadz?" She asked as she stood up and went to me.

I shook my head. "Wala na yung bukol ko."

"Ahhhhh! Akala ko kung ano. Okay na ba? Ready na tayo for later?"

"Yup." I sat on one of the chairs in the audience area. "Marrah, thanks nga pala para mamaya ah. Alam mo naman kung gaano kalala umatake ang cramps ni Lala pag meron siya. Don't worry. Ngayon lang to. Bukas nandito na siya."

Marrah took the seat beside me. "Nadz, ano ka ba. Auditions lang naman to! Napakadali. At saka siyempre kung kailangan ng tulong ng mga kaibigan ko, ano ba naman ang isang gabi?"

"Basta, salamat!" I took a deep breath. "Bagong produksyon na naman! Pag ganitong auditions, iba pakiramdam ko eh! Sana maraming mag-audition today! Ganado pa naman si Direk."

"Well, sa rinig ko from the Publicity team, marami naman daw interisadong mag-audition. Sana nga totoo para at least marami rin pwedeng pagpilian na talent."

"Mahirap kasi maghanap ng actors for a musical. Kailangan may acting chops, may singing and dancing skills pa." I added. "Times three ang effort!"

0920AM, Random Hallway

"James!"

I turned around once I heard my name and saw Marco approaching me with a piece of paper in his hand.

This is funny. He doesn't seem to be moving in slow-motion, contrary to what I saw with Nadine the last time. 

Okay it must be due to one reason: alcohol. 

I just had one too many beers and it was the after effect. Yes. That must be it. 

But it's the first time that it happened. 

I kept on replaying it on my mind and I was able to do so because everything I saw with Nadine was so detailed. Her hair. Her eyes. Her lips---

"JAMES!" Marco started jumping. "Pare, guess what! B+ ako sa Socio Quiz!"

I looked at him, still amused at the fact that he was jumping in real time. Then, he stopped moving.

"Teka, did you just stop jumping?" I asked.

"Yes. What's up with your face?"

I blinked and shook my head. "Okay. Good. I'm just making sure."

"Let's go! We have ten minutes before Lit starts!"

I looked at my watch and noticed that the second-hand was also moving in real time. Nothing was in slow motion.

"Taraaaaaaa na! Bakit ambagal mo today?" Marco pushed me forward for me to start walking.

"Easy lang!" I replied.

1020AM, Rehearsal Room, University Main Theater

"Water delivery po for Ms. Lustre?" I heard someone knock on the door.

"Kuya!" I greeted the deliveryman. "Naku, salamat naman at nakarating po kayo! Akala ko po hindi na po kayo aabot sa 11. May klase po kasi ako eh."

"Sorry po Ma'am. Nagkakonting aberya lang po kasi yung sasakyan kaya natagalan ako. San ko po ito ilalagay?" He was referring to the five gallon container that rested on his shoulder.

"Okay lang po yun. Basta nandito po kayo!" I replied. "Ah diyan niyo nalang po ilagay yung mga galon." I pointed towards the theater pantry. "Kahit sa ilalim nalang po nung lamesa. Tutal puno pa naman po yung dispenser, kami nalang ang magrerefill ng tubig mamaya."

"Sige po Ma'am. Bali, walo na container po yung dala ko. Nasa hallway po ung iba."

"Walo? Basta bayad na po yan Kuya ah!" I said to confirm. "Nasa akin po yung resibo!"

1030AM, University Main Theater, Entrance Corridor

"So ayun, kaya siya suspended." Marco said. "Pero I'm not sure if it was plagiarism or cheating or both. Buti nga suspended lang. At least hindi expulsion." He held the Theater door open for me since I was carrying two boxes full of audition scripts.

"Still, I couldn't believe he would have the guts." I replied. "Wasn't he the valedictorian of his batch in high school?" I got in the entrance and turned to Marco. "3.98 GPA?"

"Pare, college is different from high school. People change their ways once they step into a university." Marco walked past me and then quickly proceeded inside.

"Then again College Lit is way challenging than Shakespeare." I stopped talking because I noticed that he was gone. "Marco? Hindi mo ba ako tutulungan? Ang bigat na ng mga 'to!"

"Kayang kaya mo yan, James!" Marco shouted. "Kailangan ko na magbanyo! Ihing-ihi na ako!"

"Ha???!!! Marco!!!" I shouted as loud as I could, with all the energy left. This person is unbelievable! 

The thing was, the photocopied scripts were indeed a feat for one person to carry. Counting them altogether, they would more or less amount to eight reams of bond paper sheets. Okay---to be fair, I lost to a lame game of bato-bato-pick with Marco earlier and he made the wise decision to make me carry both boxes all the way here. My arms were getting kind of numb to be honest.

"Marco! Don't leave me!" I shouted again. 

The stacked boxes were clearly blocking my line of sight but I kept on walking, quite briskly now since I wanted to get to the rehearsal room quick. The faster I get to the room, the less numb my arms would get.

I thought it would be fairly easy since it was just one straight path. And since things were happening in real-time again, this is no biggie--Until I managed to hit on something huge on the floor. 

A large five-gallon container randomly placed in the middle of the hallway, was now toppled over thanks to me. Of course, I didn't see that one coming.

Before I knew it, there were sheets of paper flying out of the first box. I watched as the sheets glided one past each other in slow motion before hitting the wet floor. Yes, everything back in slow motion. 

It was raining audition sheets and I couldn't do anything but watch them get soaked by the spilled water on the floor.

"James?"

I heard my name so I looked around. Still in slow mo, the sheets kept moving about in the air and that's when I saw her. 

Nadine's mouth was wide open and her shocked eyes locked into mine.

Was she shocked because of the wet floor, the drenched sheets, or my sheer stupidity?

I think I am about to find out.