What If...

19: Turning Point

Having Tess and my buddies, Dennis and Lardz, helped me a lot as I enter into this point of no return. I have to muster all the strength and confidence needed to make it through this.

As soon as we entered Patron's Hall, I didn't expect to see so much people inside. I thought that there would be some members of the School Board and a few media representatives present during this meeting. Instead, I've seen dozens of media people, as evidenced by the large Media ID's they are wearing. There are two large cameras mounted at the center of the hall, while there are small cameras at the corner near the entrance. What's more unnerving is this single table in front of the hall, and stacked upon by microphones and voice recorders from the press. It's like I'm gonna be butchered and roasted on national TV with what's about to happen.

Cindy has blown things out of proportion. I hoped she just sticked to the original plan of keeping it on social media. I was thinking that Mr. Elizalde just coerced her to make this go further as he hopes to redeem Rina and himself from this issue. With what I'm gonna do at this spectacle, the tides would turn against him. They definitely made a wrong move.

As soon as we entered the hall, the media quickly flocked us like some captured serial killer. They were asking non-stop that I can't comprehend what they were saying. I felt so harassed by the way they badgered me and push their recorders right in my face. What a warm welcome!

Good thing Coach Bidarte came to the rescue as he marshaled the press away from me and my group.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, now's not the time to ask my cager regarding such matters. Please take your seats as he will address every matter in this meeting in a few minutes," Coach Bidarte chided while vamoosing the eager media. "Dennis and Lardz, you follow me. I've saved you some seats at the back!"

   "Guess we have to go with the Boss, Dude! We will be testifying once you needed our statements!" Lardz assured me as he gave me that playful yet sincere smile while giving me two thumbs up.

   "That's our cue, Budz! You take care. We are always here to support you, especially me!" Dennis emphatically said as he gave me a comforting hug.

   "Enough of that, boys; as if my son's gonna be hanged today!" Tess quipped as she tries pushing the boys to their coach. "He will be fine!"

When my peers and the coach headed to their seats, Tess and I were left in our place. We both felt how vulnerable we are at that instant.

   "Will you be fine, my son?" Tess anxiously checked on me as she rubbed my head. "I'm really worried on what Mr. Elizalde has in store for you."

   "Don't worry about anything, Mom!" I guaranteed her as I looked at her straight in her eyes while giving that assuring smile. "If you know you're doing the right thing, you have nothing to worry about!"

After assuring Tess, there's this tall lady who approached us. She had her brown hair in a bun and wears a pleated blouse and pencil cut skirt.

   "Alex and Ms. Loyola. Thank you for coming here despite the short notice," the tall lady remarked. "I hope we can settle this matter today."

   "Ofcourse! We know this isn't your idea of settling matters, Ms. Barcon! But you have no choice but to give in to the wishes of one of the school's patrons!" Tess countered while looking irritated at this lady. When she mentioned her name, I knew that she's the guidance counselor that called Tess regarding this event last night.

   "I'm really sorry that it has to reach at this point! I know your son just recovered from his injuries due to an accident. However, we can't say no to one of our patrons when he requested for this," Ms. Barcon explained.