Mask

MASK 18: FIRST

Athira's POV.

I've been practicing for hours, not to singing but strumming my guitar. I don't know why i'm practicing kase di naman ako nagkakaganito pagdating dito but I'm already starting to forget the codes of the song I'm going to play pero na memorize ko naman yung code. Yes, alam ko naman na may background instruments na ipaplay but I'm not comfortable singing without my guitar, without this guitar.

So, the theme on the song we're gonna sing is a song which describes how you understand the word "love". Corny isn't? Yeah, I know but mas corny yung mga songs na pinili ng iba pang competitors because some of them will sing, me and you by the 1975, ali gatie's what if I told you that I love you, that's what love is by Justin Beiber and so on.

So yeah, I'm here in the backstage with the other competitors na grabe kung sumigaw. Akala mo naman mamatay na, waiting for our turn to sing.

I felt my phone vibrated which I think someone texted me and I quickly checked it because it might be important.

From: Cullen Zinston
"Good luck, i love you."

(O_O)

(*-_-)

Di pa ako nakakapag-revenge sa lalaking to na malakas ang sira sa ulo. I was about to reply to him that I want him to kill himself not until he texted again.

From: Cullen Zinston
"Joke lang, nagpapractice lang :))"

Pagkatapos ko tong basahin  gustong gusto kong mainis pero hindi ko magawa and instead of me being annoyed I can't help it but to smile and roll my eyes out of nowhere.

Fast Forward.

I heard the M.C. called my name and that's the reason why I felt my heart beat fast.  I'm really nervous at the moment knowing that this is my first time singing in front of a crowd, this is my first time standing and singing in front of many people. I want to back out but there's something inside me that's telling me that everything's gonna be alright and that if something bad happens, he's here. He's here going to save me.

Playing: Mad at Disney by Salem Ilese

I'm mad at disney, disney.
They tricked me, tricked me, had me wishing on a shooting star.
But now I'm 18 something, I still know nothing about who I am or what i'm not.
So, call me a pessimist but I don't believe in it.
Finding a true love's kiss is bullshit.

After I said the word bullshit, Diko mapigilan tumingin sa crowd especially to the faculty members thinking that they'd be mad or something because of the lyrics of this song but what do they care?

This is how I understand love but instead of them looking disappointed or something they were just listening to the song like how they were listening to the other performers but they quite looked shocked at first but it just faded away.

Cause I felt sad love, I felt bad love.
Sometimes, happy love,
turns into giving up.
I felt hurt love by the word love, what the hell is love supposed to feel like?

What the hell is love?
What the hell is love?
What the hell is love supposed to feel like?

I sang this song thinking that I'm all alone, that no one's watching me. Just like what that Zinston told me and I didn't think it'll work but it did, in fairness, Cullen's not that stupid after all.

I looked at the crowd more like the three idiots and the barbie girls, they were just smiling at me and jamming with the song same with the other audiences that made me smile a little