Beyond the Beat

Chapter 18

They say that when something beautiful and unexpected happens, there are always unexpected problems that come with it, like shadows that never go away.

The first semester midterms were done; finals were next. The hard week was over, but another tough week was coming soon.

“Tang ina, naman! Bagsak na naman ako,” Riri, one of my classmates, complained, clearly frustrated.

“Ilang score mo?” Joana, her friend, asked, worried.

“20 out of 50,” Riri answered, disappointed.

“Hala, nambabasak si prof. Rudy alam mo yan RI, at Major subs pa siya,” Joana said helplessly.

I looked at my score, 50 out of 50 as usual. Almost all my midterms were perfect, except for Pathfith where I got 48.

“Lumi,” David called after class.

I turned to him, a little curious.

“Someone’s looking for you,” David said, his eyes showing something strange.

“Who?” I asked, keeping my voice calm and cool.

“Your debate partner from fourth year,” he said.

I frowned. Why was Chion looking for me? I didn’t expect that, and honestly, I didn’t really care why.

“Uyy!! Si Lumi!” my classmates teased, laughing.

I kept my face unreadable and stayed distant.

I got up from my chair and walked out of the classroom to find Chion waiting by the door. He had his usual cold look, quiet and serious. Standing there, he gave off a strong, distant vibe that made me feel a little on edge.

“Let’s talk,” he said, his voice calm but firm.

I frowned, confused. “Is this about the competition? It’s still the third week of July, after finals,” I asked.

He shook his head—no.

“So what then?” I asked, starting to feel a bit annoyed.

“I don’t like you, okay? But we need to talk, just not here,” he said simply.

Before I could say anything, he grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. I didn’t fight back. Chion was tall, taller than Eros by an inch. And he moved with quiet confidence.

He took me behind our building, somewhere quiet where nobody could see us.

“What do you want to talk about, Chion?” I asked, curious but cautious.

Without a word, he handed me a small envelope. It was gold and maroon, and just by looking at it, I knew it meant something important.

“What’s this?” I asked, frowning harder.

“Be my date,” he said, his voice low and serious.

“What?” I blurted out, unable to believe what I just heard.

I couldn't wrap my head around his words. Be my date? My ass. As if I’d ever agree to that. I barely even know him, we’re not even close. Why on earth would he suddenly ask me to be his date? Is he crazy?

“I’m doing you a favor, Lumi,” Chion said again, his tone cold and unreadable.

“What favor, Chion? Do I even know you?” I shot back, my frustration boiling over.

His expression darkened. “My little sister doesn’t recognize me anymore. How odd,” he confessed, eyes cold and distant.

My eyes widened in shock. What the hell? My brother’s already dead. What is this nonsense he’s spouting?

“What did you say?” I demanded, anger sharpening my voice.

Chion stepped closer, never breaking eye contact. “You’re breaking your big brother’s heart, Spera,” he said quietly, and then, unapologetically, he reached out and held my chin in his hand.

“Wait, how?” I gasped. “But you’re dead…”

Then, unexpectedly, he laughed, a deep, harsh laugh that echoed in the empty space between us.

“Tss. I’m your half-brother, Spera,” he confessed, his voice low and filled with something I couldn’t understand.

Rage exploded inside me, wild and raw. Without thinking, I slapped him hard across the face.

“Tang ina mo!” I shouted through gritted teeth. My heart pounded fiercely, shock twisting into furious anger as I struggled to process the harsh truth spilling out before me.

The quiet behind the building felt heavier now. Charged with pain, secrets, and the tension between us that neither of us knew how to break.

“Are you for real? Tang ina mo pala, you’re lying!” I shouted at him, my anger boiling over.

He didn’t flinch. “Tell that to our mother, the damn cheater,” he said coldly.

I froze for a moment, the words hitting me harder than I expected.

“But don’t worry,” Chion added, his jaw tightening, “she doesn’t even know I exist, little sis.”

My mind was spinning. What was going on? Every word felt like another piece of a puzzle I wasn’t ready to solve.

“I’m doing you a favor,” he said quietly, eyes sharp, “I’m saving your ass from your f*****g engagement, little sis.”

My head was pounding, thoughts racing in every direction. Was I supposed to believe him? How much of this was true? So many questions flooded my mind at once, could I really trust anything Chion said?

I looked at him, anger mixing with confusion, my heart torn between doubt and something deeper I couldn’t name.

“Why now, Chion? Why tell me this?” I asked, voice shaky but steady.

He didn’t answer right away. Just stared back with that cold, unreadable look.

The silence stretched between us, heavy and filled with secrets neither of us wanted to admit.

After talking with Chion, I didn’t wait for Eros. I just needed to get away, because my mind was already overloaded. I have a big brother, but he’s gone, dead from an accident. And now, out of nowhere, I find out I have a stepbrother? What the hell? What else have my parents been hiding? A licensed lawyer. And a damn cheater. What else don’t I know? They’re selfish, heartless, and manipulative. I’ve known how cruel my family really is,they’ve abused me for so long.

I became distant the moment I climbed onto the jeep, my thoughts spinning out of control. The ride home was a foggy blur.

I felt like a robot, moving without feeling. Numb and broken.

Now, I’m sitting in the living room, blowing slow clouds of vape smoke. The smell fills the room, mixed with the scent of scattered books around me. I look awful.I haven’t eaten, haven’t even changed out of my uniform.

My hands tremble as I hold the vape. The heavy weight inside my chest twists with pain and sorrow. All the lies, all the abuse, it’s suffocating. The family I thought I had, the safe place I believed in, it’s all a terrible lie.

Tears sting, but I wipe them away. I’m too exhausted to cry. Too broken to fall apart.