EPISODE 1
1353 Words
A week ago, I enrolled in Xavier University High School.
This June, I’ll be starting Grade 7. On the same day I registered, a teacher approached me at the office and asked if I wanted to join the cultural dance troupe.
Which is how I ended up here now, sitting in one of the practice rooms, sewing beads onto a half-finished costume we’ll be wearing for the Independence Day performance.
CDO isn’t new to me. We’ve always had a house here, and I even studied here until Grade 4. But after that, we moved to Camiguin, where I finished the rest of my elementary years. Now we’re back again—Dad has a project in Iligan, so here we are.
“Are you done with that one?”
I glanced up. Lily—my childhood friend was smiling at me from across the table.
“Not yet, but almost,” I said.
“I’m done. I’ll go help Ate Klea first,” she replied, standing with a stretch.
“Go ahead.”
She moved over to another table, leaving me to continue attaching beads. Our first official practice is later this afternoon. For now, there are only four of us here; the others won’t arrive until later.
“I’ll go to the restroom,” Lily announced after a while.
“Want me to come with you?” I asked.
“No need. It’s just outside," I nodded, and she slipped out.
A few minutes later, the quiet room buzzed with voices. I turned instinctively toward the door.
Five boys I didn’t recognize had just walked in. They stopped talking as soon as their eyes fell on me.
“Someone new?” one of them asked Ate Klea.
“Yes, Rico. Sir Jihoo recruited her,” Ate Klea replied.
“Hi!” one of the boys greeted cheerfully as he stepped closer.
“Uh… hello,” I said, trying not to sound awkward.
“I’m Clint. Upcoming Grade 9.” He held out his hand.
“Via. Olivia Fortich. Upcoming Grade 7.” I shook his hand quickly.
He grinned, then gestured to the rest. “These are Rico, Elvis, Trion, and Elias,” I nodded and gave them a small smile.
"She has a friend too. Her name's Lily. But she stepped out for a while,” Ate Klea added.
The boys nodded back and joined her at the table to help.
It took a while before Lily returned, and I began to wonder if she’d really gone to the restroom. When she finally came in, she was carrying a bottle of juice and a stick of banana cup.
“The canteen’s so overpriced, Via! So I just bought outside,” she complained.
I laughed softly. “Oh, I thought you went to the restroom?”
She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes had locked onto the group of boys working beside Ate Klea. Without a word, she hurried to my side.
“Hey. Who are those guys?” she whispered.
Before I could answer, Clint spoke up first.
“Hi, Lily! I’m Clint. These are Rico, Elvis, Trion, and Elias.”
“Hello! I’m glad to meet you,” Lily greeted with a bright smile.
“Are you two sisters?” Rico asked curiously.
We both shook our heads.
“Childhood friends, not sisters,” I explained.
“Ahhh, I see. I just thought you were. You kind of look alike,” Rico said.
I couldn’t help but smile. That happened a lot—people mistook us for siblings, especially back in elementary.
When the afternoon rolled around, practice officially began.
By 3:00 PM, though, we were already done. Sir Jihoo had only gone over the basic fundamentals with us.
In the days that followed, things moved quickly. We picked up the Spanish dance Jotas in no time.
It wasn’t too hard for Sir Jihoo to teach us—even though Lily and I were new—because we’d always loved dancing. It was something that came naturally to both of us.
A week before the first day of classes, Sir Jihoo announced that we’d be performing the Jotas for the school year’s opening program.
From then on, our practices got serious. Every day, we poured all our energy into rehearsals.
“Okay, company call.” We all gathered in front of Sir Jihoo.
“This is the last day of our practice for the week. Tomorrow is the opening of the school year. Call time is 5:30 AM because the program starts at 7:30. Everyone should already be in full makeup by 6:30,” he instructed.
We all nodded in unison.
“Everything will be provided, including breakfast, so you don’t have to worry about that,” he added.
“Any questions?”
“None, Sir,” we all chorused. After the meeting, I packed up my things and headed straight home.
The next morning, I arrived at the quarters earlier than most. When I stepped inside, only Rico and Ate Klea were there.
“Good morning,” I greeted.
“Good morning!” they both replied.
“Come here and try these on,” Ate Klea said, motioning to the rack of costumes. I walked over and picked one out. The colors shimmered in the light—gold, white, and black.
When I slipped it on, it fit perfectly. Afterward, we started on makeup while the room was still quiet. Ate Klea, who was the best at it among us, handled mine.
By the time she finished, more of the troupe had arrived.
Lily came in last, still looking half-asleep. She dragged herself over to me and leaned her head lightly on my shoulder.
“Good morning,” she mumbled.
“Good morning, Lil. Go to Ate Klea so she can start your makeup,” I said gently.
She sighed, then reluctantly pushed herself up and shuffled toward the table.
-
“Students of XUHS! Let us welcome the Cultural Dance Troupe!”
The gymnasium erupted in cheers as we marched toward the center of the floor. We took our positions, and within seconds, the music began.
This wasn’t new to me—I’d been performing for as long as I could remember. As a kid, I was always on stage: fiestas, school programs, town events. Dancing in front of a crowd felt almost natural.
My partner for the piece was Rico. I kept a bright smile on my face, partly for the performance and partly to steady my rhythm.
As we spun along the steps, my eyes caught on someone in the audience, a boy staring right at me. But before I could really make out his face, the choreography swept me around, and he was gone from view.
When we struck our final pose, the crowd erupted into applause. Breathless and sweating, we held our smiles until the music faded.
Back in the quarters, we quickly changed out of our costumes and into our uniforms.
“Congratulations on the great performance, everyone!” Sir Jihoo said warmly as we gathered around.
The boys broke into cheers.
I pulled Lily close and suggested we take a picture before changing. We’d barely struck three poses when Elvis suddenly blurted out, “Lily really looks like Nick!”
We both turned to him. “Who’s Nick?” I asked, my brow furrowing. To me, Lily was beautiful on her own. I never liked it when people compared her to anyone else.
“Zachary. Rico’s best friend,” Elvis explained.
“I know him!” Lily said suddenly.
I glanced at her, confused. “You do?”
“Yes, Via! He’s handsome. And popular too, I swear.”
I rolled my eyes. “Or maybe he’s ugly, smelly, short, and a total slacker?”
The room went quiet for a beat—then everyone burst into laughter. “He might even end up as your crush,” Rico teased.
“As if! What, is he supposed to be Tom Cruise?” I shot back, lifting my chin.
“That depends on how you see him,” Rico replied with a sly grin.
- Writer
