Since that traumatic day, an entire week had already passed, and today was the 25th.
Sadly, I still hadn't managed to post anything on Facebook.
I never successfully finished recording a proper video.
There simply wasn't any opportunity to do it.
I tried recording three different times, but the results were absolutely horrible.
The worst part was that I didn't even have a choice.
The internet café was packed almost twenty-four hours a day.
In the mornings, I technically had free time, but I had school.
On weekends, I was overloaded with customers at the barbershop.
I sighed while looking around.
People were everywhere.
The covered court was packed with students.
The CAT officers had already locked the gates, preventing anyone from leaving.
We had basically become prisoners.
Beside me sat my pale-looking friends.
Joseph looked like he was about to collapse.
Sweat poured nonstop from his body to the point he looked like he had just taken a shower.
At this point, he was probably praying for rain just to cancel the performance.
"HOY!! If this event gets canceled, I'll kill you!" Raven threatened while glaring at Joseph's drenched appearance.
"We practiced hard for an entire month. I even missed a bunch of gatherings because of this. If all our effort goes to waste, I'm burning this school down," Carlo added dramatically.
Both of them looked nervous.
But at the same time, they were clearly excited for the event.
They had waited almost two whole months for this performance.
Not to mention Kyle's accident that nearly killed him.
There was a lot riding on today.
"I just hope this starts already. Call time was seven, and now it's already nine. We've been waiting forever," I complained while looking around impatiently.
This was one thing I hated about Filipino events.
Nothing ever started on time.
"The hell is taking them so long?!"
"My legs are already numb."
"They said call time was seven! Why are we still here?!"
"I skipped breakfast for this!"
"You're dumb for doing that."
"Bro, even prisoners get treated better than this."
Students everywhere had started complaining.
The crowd had already been patient long enough.
"I swear if this starts at lunchtime, I'm going home."
"I should've just followed my friends to the nearby internet café."
"Let's escape together!"
"Impossible. CAT already locked the gate."
A group of students near the entrance dramatically booed at the CAT officers while demanding to be released.
However, the officers remained completely unmoved.
Unless it was an emergency, nobody was leaving.
After a while, another teacher casually walked across the covered court.
Immediately, students surrounded her and started complaining.
"Ma'am! Please have mercy!" one student begged dramatically like he was pleading for his life.
Everyone was obviously just trolling around.
"We're dying here!"
One student even laid flat on the floor pretending to be a corpse.
That alone caused nearby students to burst into laughter.
"Tell my family I loved them…"
"Shut up, you attention seeker."
Despite the exhaustion, laughter spread throughout the crowd.
Meanwhile, the heat kept getting worse.
The electric fans around the court barely helped.
Instead of cooling us down, they simply blew hot air directly into our faces.
Raven looked one inconvenience away from snapping.
"I knew this would happen. Filipino time strikes again."
The entire crowd instantly started clapping sarcastically.
"OH MY GOD, FINALLY!"
No matter how difficult life got, Filipinos somehow always found ways to joke around.
A teacher finally walked onto the stage holding a microphone.
Even under this horrible heat and the irritated crowd, she walked confidently as if she was already used to situations like this.
Honestly, the students today were still behaving nicely.
Back in my previous life during the 2020s, if something like this happened?
Some students would probably start a riot.
Others might even call the president's office just to complain.
The entire covered court slowly quieted down.
Then the teacher spoke.
"Good morning, students-.. "
"IT'S ALREADY GOOD AFTERNOON!!" someone shouted from the crowd.
The entire court exploded with laughter.
Even some teachers struggled to keep straight faces.
Finally, after more than an hour of delay, the event officially started.
First came the prayer.
Then the flag ceremony.
"Hey, Brier… aren't you nervous?" Kyle asked while fixing the collar of his uniform.
"…I think I'm about to throw up," I answered.
Honestly, I wasn't even that nervous.
But seeing them panic this much made me feel like I should at least pretend to relate.
"Well… that answers my question."
Kyle forced out a weak laugh before wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Unlike Joseph, who looked like he was dying from the heat, Kyle looked nervous enough for his soul to leave his body.
He was the quiet type.
The kind of person who barely spoke, but whose emotions were obvious through his actions.
"I can literally hear my heartbeat," he muttered.
"That's normal before performances," Carlo said while stretching his arms, clearly trying to act cool.
Unfortunately, the sweat dripping from his face completely betrayed him.
"You'll calm down once you're on stage," he added.
"That sounds fake."
"It is fake," Raven interrupted immediately. "You just learn how to hide the panic."
"That doesn't help at all!"
The group quietly laughed together.
Meanwhile, the hosts finally began properly introducing the event.
"GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!"
I only half-listened to the opening speech while observing the crowd.
Different sections were scattered around the covered court.
Some students looked genuinely excited.
Others already looked mentally checked out.
A few were secretly eating snacks despite teachers repeatedly warning them not to.
One guy behind us was somehow asleep while standing.
Honestly impressive.
Even factory workers famous for sleeping anywhere would probably respect him.
Then suddenly-..
EEEEEEEEEK-..
The microphone screeched violently.
"FUCK!" Joseph shouted instinctively while covering his ears.
The students nearby immediately burst into laughter while one teacher glared at him sharply.
Joseph slowly lowered his hands.
"…Sorry, ma'am."
"Watch your language."
"Yes, ma'am."
After surviving another microphone disaster, the event continued normally.
One performance followed after another.
Singing.
Dancing.
Spoken poetry.
The holy trinity of every Philippine school event.
And no matter how terrible the performance was, students would always support anyone brave enough to stand on stage.
Then after almost another hour-..
"All performers for the modern dance category, please proceed backstage."
Raven immediately stood up.
Carlo clapped loudly.
"Finally."
Meanwhile, Joseph looked like a soldier preparing for war.
"Brothers… if I die-.. "
"You're not dying," Raven interrupted immediately.
"You don't know that."
Kyle suddenly inhaled deeply before slapping both of his cheeks.
PAK! PAK!
"Okay…" he muttered to himself. "I can do this."
I stared at them quietly.
They really were a weird bunch.
Honestly, considering how much we practiced, it would actually feel strange if we still somehow failed.
Then suddenly, Raven grabbed my shoulder.
"Why are you staring at us like that?"
"Hm?"
"You look like an old man watching noisy children."
"…Shut up."
"WAIT," Joseph suddenly shouted while pointing at me accusingly.
"Why does that actually fit him perfectly?!"
"Just get up on the stage and stop trolling" I said to change the subject. It is really uncomfortable for them to be somewhat correct.
"Please welcome the-..."