Short Story

Short Story

“Make Believe”

Reyvelyn Bacan

John Paul Mancawan

            What will I do now? My mom will kill me when she finds out that I lost my scholarship. How could I do this to her? How could I do this to myself? A stupid mistake was ending my dreams. I allowed myself to distracted, and I failed one of my subjects. Of course, I explained my case to the dean. I implored him to give me another chance, but it was all in vain. My throat tightened as I tried to hold back my tears. I blinked to stop them from falling, and I placed my hand over my mouth to muffle the sounds of my sobs. Aside from losing my scholarship were allowed to live there, so I needed to find a new place to live in. I didn’t have the courage to go home and tell my mom what happened because I know she’ll be disappointed. I didn’t want that. I needed to get a job and save money so I can continue my studies.

God, if this is a nightmare, please wake me up. . .

. In all of this mess, I found comfort in the fact that I can still go to Infinite Chase’s concert. I bought my ticket from the scalper, and there was no way for me to get my money back even if I returned the ticket.

I was sure that when I see KY and hear his amazing voice, I’ll feel a little better even for just a while.

I decided to give myself at least this in spite of my problems. After this, I promise I’ll go back to this reality.

On the day of the concert, I wore my most comfortable clothes so that I can move freely, jump around, and just lose myself.

My heart raced as the hours passed. In just a few hours, I’ll see Infinite Chase again.

For now, I’ll give myself the luxury of enjoying this if only for one last time, before I face reality again, before I picked my things, look for a new home, and find a job that will sustain me from now on.

       I usually go to these concerts with my best friend, Naomie, who is also a fan of Infinite Chase, but she had prior commitments so she won’t be able to make it today with me.

            So for today, I am going alone.     

            My friends told me that I am too obsessed with this band, but they didn’t know how happy Infinite Chase made me feel. They just didn’t know what they’re missing.

             I first heard KY’s voice three years ago, and I’ve been in love with him ever since. He had a beautiful voice, a handsome face, and a great personality. What more can I ask for? Just thinking about him helped me forget my problems.

            When I got to the concert grounds, there were already long lines of people waiting outside. I was not surprised. Infinite Chase was one of the most famous bands in the country. The line became longer and longer as 8 PM came closer. Like a true fan, I bought my ticket as early as I can today, given that tickets were sold as a first-come-first-serve basis.

            At around 6 PM, the organizers started opening the doors. I heard the crowd chattering wildly as they rushed forward to get good places. When I get to the door, I gave my ticket to the usher and ran as fast as I can.

            I managed to squeeze in to the front row, but I wasn’t able to move to the center. I decided to stay in this spot than risk losing this nice spot trying to get to the center.

            I was so excited, my palms were sweating. I felt a bit restless. I wasn’t able to talk properly with the other fans who tried to befriend me. My mind only thought about KY, Nate, Lance, and Zeke. I couldn’t stop the smile growing on my lips as I pictured them on the stage, doing what they’re passionate about.

            I started daydreaming about KY. His real name is Kyle Yves, but his fans call him KY. Listening to KY’s voice was like breathing in fresh air. Their songs changed the way I look at life.

That was the thing about music. It didn’t really matter who you really are or what you do. Music was the great equalizer. I learned about Infinite Chase when I was in senior high school. I was listening to “Nothing in Particular” that day, and I saw a video of Infinite Chase in the related videos section. I listened to “Flicker of Hope”, and I just feel in love with their music. I download all their songs and did as much research about them as I can.

            I woke up from my thoughts when the lights and screen at the center of the stage flickered. I focused on the countdown that appeared there. Only ten minutes to go! I joined the crowd in screaming and chanting the name of the band. This will be the first time I’ll be seeing them this up close. They’ve been on tour in the last couple of months, promoting their third album, Autumn in clouds.  Now, they were here to perform!

            And then the crowd began to chant the ten-second countdown. “Ten” “Nine” I thought I saw shadows coming from the side of the stage. “Four” that when I joined the chanting. “Two”  “One” Zeke came out waving his drum sticks in the air before taking his seat behind the drum set. His hair was longer now, and it made him more attractive.

            Lance came out, flashing his famous smile, with hiss bass guitar strapped on to his back. I think he’s the sweetest, and that he has the most charming personality and looks. Nate followed immediately after Lance. He had a wide grin on his pretty face, and his stylishly messy hair draped over his green eyes. He was the lead guitarist and the back-up vocalist. He had a voice as fluid as honey.

            Finally, Kyle Yves walked on to the stage, making the audience scream louder. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and pianist of Infinite Chase. My eyes followed his every move until he stopped at the center of the stage. No words could describe how much I adored everything about him. He strapped on his guitar and adjusted the microphone stand. I watched in awe as he moved so smoothly. He was just a couple of inches away from me.

            He was so near. I felt like I could reach out and touch him.

“Hi” KY said.

            The fans screamed louder. I felt the ground vibrate from all the jumping. KY smiled at the crowd. “We are Infinite Chase. Thank you for coming here tonight!” and the band began singing. They sang song from their albums, extended play, and unreleased recordings. When KY asked who wanted to join him for a duet, I jumped up and down and screamed as loud as I could, hoping he would notice me. And he did.

            He looked at me with a smile plastered on his face, and I almost fainted. “You” he said while looking directly at me. I froze and my heart beat faster as I looked into his eyes. I only came back to my senses when two bouncers helped and lifted me up and over the barricade and onto the stage. I heard the crowd screaming, but I was too focused on KY to even care. I stopped in front of him, controlling my urge to jump and hug him. I must be dreaming. If so, I didn’t want to wake up.

            “Hello”, He said. His warm voice made my knees tremble. “What’s your name?”

I could look at his handsome face forever. I couldn’t believe he was just at arm’s length! Someone give a microphone and I remembered that I was standing on the stage with thousands of people staring at me.

“What’s your name?” he repeated amusedly.

“Brielle,” I uttered, not taking my eyes off him.

“Brielle? What a lovely name”.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Brielle”. The way he said my name made me feel like I was melting. “will you join me in singing ‘Faith is Us’?”

“I-I’d love to!”

The crowd went insane when the band started playing. I held on to the microphone so tight I could feel my palm sweat. When KY began to sing, he looked at me like he knew what I feel about him, and that made me freeze.

            He was almost at the chorus part, and I still didn’t know what to do. He nodded, and I took it as a cue to take over. I’ve never sung in front of the crowd before, but there was, singing with the man of my dreams and having the time of my life. I didn’t care about the world or how my throat would feel in the morning.

            After the performance, KY hugged me with one arm. I took in his scent and wish that I could be in his arms forever. I was about to confess my love for him when one of the event organizers gestured for me to get off the stage.

            I smiled at KY and went back to my original place. I didn’t notice the tears that streamed down my face. Unfortunately everything had to end. When they began performing their last song for this concert, I sight with everyone else, asking the band to perform one more song. Instead, they waved and bid as goodbye. I could only watch them retreating into the backstage. I was not ready to go back to the real world yet, so I stayed at the venue and walk around.

            I was walking around the grounds when something on the floor caught my attention. I looked closely and gasped when I realized that it was a backstage pass! Just what I needed! A member of the crew must have dropped it. I didn’t think twice and just wore it.

            I knew it was wrong, but this may be my only chance to meet my favorite band. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance and I didn’t want to throw away the opportunity.

            I walked to the entrance on the side of the stage. Bouncers gave me odd looks, but when they saw the pass dangling from around my neck, they waved me in. I was so nervous.

“Are you the new band manager?”

I jumped in surprise at the voice. I turned around saw a young dark-haired woman.

“What”

“Mr. Handsome wants to talk to you now,” she said.

The woman, who looked a few years older than me, pursed her lips, grabbed my hand, and dragged me with her without waiting for my response.

“What are you doing?” I asked, trying to shake her hand off my arm.

“Mr. Handsome doesn’t want waiting,” she said, giving me an apologetic smile.

            I stumbled as I tried to keep up with her long and quick strides.

“I can walk on my own,” I muttered.

She grinned and let me go. I breathed a sigh of relief. We continued to walk until we stopped in front of a door. She knocked twice, and without waiting for permission, she opened it.

            My mouth dropped open when I saw the people inside the room. Infinite Chase! Can this night get any better?

            Wait! What was I thinking?

            “Finally”, a middle aged man said, interrupting my thoughts. I was too busy ogling at Infinite Chase to notice him standing at the corner.

            “We’ve been waiting for you for hours”, the man continue. The man had dark hair, blue eyes, and an Irish accent.

“Y-you were looking for me?” I asked, stuttering. What will I do now?

            “I’m Handerson Somerhalder,” the man said “but you can call me Mr. Handsome.” “Sorry?” I’m not sure if I heard him right.

            “Somerhalder is a mouthful, so I came up with my own nickname,” he said. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.

“You are the band manager, right?” Mr. Handsome finished. What band manager are they talking about? I thought they bought me here to tell me off. What is happening? “Hello?” Mr. Handsome said, cutting off my thoughts.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Can you wait for a second, pleased?”

“Sure,” I answered, fighting the urge to gawk at the band. “What’s your name.?” I asked the young woman beside me.

“Didn’t I introduce myself? Sorry.” She smiled. “I’m Julliane, the band coordinator.”

“Julliane?”

“Yes, what about you?”

I furrowed my eyebrows.

They didn’t know the name of the band manager they hired? This is insane!

            “I’m Brielle,” I answered. I wondered if she knew that I was the one who sang with KY earlier. It felt like a lifetime ago.

I didn’t understand how they could mistake me for the band manager. Didn’t they interview her? Maybe they hired the services of an agency? What happened to the real band anyway?

Maybe being the band manager was just what I needed. I decided to grab the opportunity. I needed to act normal.

“Aren’t you the girl from earlier?”

I haven’t even started yet, but my cover was already blown. I had to think of something.

“She was the girl who sang with us,” Lance said.

Clearing my throat, I answered, “I wanted to see how you perform live.”

It’s not a lie, since I really wanted to see them perform live.

“And?” Zeke said, raising his eyebrow.

“And I know all your song by heart,” I said, playing with my hands nervously.

“You’re a fan then?” Nate asked.

Fan? I was more than just a fun! I knew all about you-but I couldn’t tell them that. “Yes,” I respond instead. Mr. Handsome clapped to get our attention. “What do you think?” he said, gesturing to me.

“She’s okay,” Zeke replied.

“Fine,” Lance said, grinning at me.

“She’s cute,” Nate said, winking at me.

I felt the heat rushing up to my cheeks. It was not every day thati was complimented by someone famous.

“Whatever,” KY said nonchalantly.

That hurt. He said ask the question. He gave me the sweetest smile earlier.

“Welcome to the band,” Nate said, snapping me out of my thoughts. He stood up swept his hands flourishingly across his chest, and bowed “I hope you’ll take care of us.”

“We’re not babies!”

“But if she’s our babysitter, I don’t mind being her baby,” Nate said with a smirk.

Zeke threw one of his drum stick at Nate. “Stop flirting with her!” I looked at them curiously, ignoring the word “flirting”. “I thought I was the band manager?” “Don’t be silly,” Juliane said. “Your more like their personal assistant.”

I gave her a questioning look. She tucked the loose hair behind her air and said, “Yes, you are the band manager. The focus of your work is looking after the band, while I, on the other hand, will take care of their record deals, concerts, mall shows, and other business.”

“But aren’t they too old to have a nanny?”

She rolled her eyes and replied, “I wish! They’re like bunch of teenagers.”

I know they all came from the same high school. They’ve known each other for years. They didn’t go to college because as soon as they graduated, they signed a record deal.

“So what am I going to do?” I asked curiously.”

“Well, for starters, you’re going to live with them”

“Live with them?” I interrupted.

Oh my God! I did not expect this turn of events to happen. I didn’t have a plan in the first place, so this is a happy surprise. She pursed her lips and said, “I thought we already had an agreement? You even confirmed through email.”

Oh no.

Maybe the real band manager did. I couldn’t make them suspicious. “Yes, I was just shock,” I replied after I cleared my throat.

“This will definitely change your life.” Mr. Handsome said. “But living with them is part of the job.”

“I guess,” I uttered.

“You have to go with the band wherever they go,” Juliane continued. “You get one day off every week, but sometimes it could get complicated. You’ll have to talk to the band about it.”

She continued explaining my responsibilities, but I barely heard what she was explaining after she said that I’ll have to go with the band wherever they go. I’ll be living with KY and the whole band under one roof.

It felt absolutely amazing! I fought the urge to jump up and down. Just thinking about living under the same roof as KY made the butterflies in my stomach flutter in excitement.

“Hey!”  

  I jumped, started by the sound. Glancing up, I saw Mr. Handsome giving me a disapproving look, while the boys chuckled in amusement.

“You’re not listening,” he reprimanded me.

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. “It’s just… This is too much to take.”

 “I understand. But remember, once you start, you need to focus.”

“When will I start?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I asked incredulously.

“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”

“No… No problem at all,” I responded. It was too soon. My heart pounded inside my chest. This couldn’t be happening. “Brielle, right?” Nate said, “You can sleep with me.” I stopped breathing. Why was Nate teasing me? Couldn’t the see that I was shaking all over?

Lance smacked Nate’s head. “Stop it, man! Look, she’s blushing.”

Mr. Handsome rolled his eyes at the boy’s antics and said, “Juliane, let’s leave the boy’s with Brielle. Let’s give them time to know each other.”

“Okay, Mr. Handsome,” Juliane replied. “Brielle, the next concert is next month. You have a bit of time to settle in the boy’s home.”

I nodded. The band gets a month’s worth of vacation? Nice. Juliane gathered her things and said, “We’ll come back in an hour” “What about me?” I asked quickly. “Didn’t you bring your stuff?” Mr. Handsome asked.

“I didn’t”.

   He sighed. “Well, text me your address, and I’ll have someone from my team pick you up at your place tomorrow.

He’ll bring you to the hotel where the guys are staying for the night. Tommoroe you’ll ride with them to the house.”

“House?” I repeated.

“Yes, Infinite Chase’s house.”

“Uhm… Okay.” I still couldn’t believe that I’ll be living with the band under one roof! My favorite band! I couldn’t fully wrap my head around the idea.

“Okay, we’ll see you later.”

Juliane smiled at me before she followed Mr. Handsome out of the room.

“What did you think of our concert a while ago?” Zeke asked excitedly.

“The crowd was amazing,” Lance said with a huge smile on his face.

“Our concert tonight is one of my Top 5 favorites.” Nate said thoughtfully.  “Ace! Most of our fans knew the lyrics to all our song!” Lance agreed.

“Well, I saw Brielle singing with us in all our songs,” Nate said with a smile. “How did it feel to sing with us on stage?” more like a dream come true! “It was an expected. I didn’t expect that you would do something like that.”

“We didn’t, too.” Zeke said. “It was an impulse move. Kyle didn’t even tell us about it.”

“Really?” I asked. My eyes involuntarily landed on KY. They didn’t plan it, but he just decides to sing with a fan because he wanted to. Fate was on my side. He chose me. I recalled the feeling I had when I sang with KY on stage. The experience was so overwhelming.

“Don’t forget the rules,” KY said suddenly. He was so quiet. He looked exhausted and out of breath, and his voice was rough and dry.

“Rules? What rules?”

“Scared?” KY said. “You can still blackout now.”

Nate shook his head. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just trying to scare you.”

My knees felt weak that they trembled. This may be because I’ve been standing for far too long. I was sure I’d slip and fall soon.

“You look pale.” Zeke observed.

“Why don’t you sit?” Nate said, patting the space beside him.

“Thanks,” I sat next to him and tried to massage my tired knees.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Nate suddenly asked.

My cheeks flushed.

With a sigh, I replied, “I…I’ve never had one.”

“What?” Lance asked incredulously. “Seriously?” I saw Zeke grin from ear to ear. “Why?” KY asked, tilting his head to the side. I felt self-conscious as he looked at me. I’ve never had a boyfriend because I was too busy fantasizing about you. I hoped my expression did not betray my true feelings.

I cleared my throat and answered, “I haven’t met someone I like.” All the guys I liked did not even know that I exist.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Nate said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Uhm, about the rules?” I said, feeling my checks warm up.

“We came up with the rules when we first hired a band manager,” Lance explained. “Rule number one. If someone wants to be alone, let him be.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “You had a band manager before?”

“Yeah,” Zeke replied. “But they all quit.”

“They?” I repeated. “How many were there?”

He counted with his fingers. “Six.”

“Eight,” Lance corrected.

“There were eight band managers before me?” I asked, clearly surprised. “What happened?” “They decided it was not the right job for them,” he said.

Why would they quit? Seriously, eight band managers in the span of five years? Is it really that hard to take care of Infinite Chase? Should I even stay?

Of course! Why do I even doubt myself? “Brielle? Are you there?” I turned and found Nate’s face just a few inches from mine, snapping me out of my reverie.

“W-what are y-you d-doing? I stuttered. I swear my heart jumped in throat.

     He smirked. “I’m waking you up. Your thoughts must be interesting. Why don’t you share them us?”

“They’re nothing,” I answered, trying to calm my nerves.

“Uh-huh.”

“Are there more rules?” I said.

“Yes, let’s continue,” Zeke said with a tone of finality.

“You can’t ask us for autographs.”

“What?”

“Interrupting again,” KY muttered.

I looked at him. His eyes were closed. I thought he was sleeping. Lance grabbed his guitar and started playing an acoustic version of Lock and Key. “We can’t do that because you might sell our autographs online or whatever.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” I answered.

“Don’t take it personally,” he said, smiling apologetically.

“It’s just that we learned that lesson the hard way. Our previous manager did that.”

“Not the previous one,” Lance said. “It was the one before that.”

‘It doesn’t matter,” Zeke replied. “Now, where were we?” Oh, yeah. Third, you can’t tell anybody our personal issues if ever you discover any of them while you work for us.” “Okay,” I agreed.

I wrote down the rules and tried to memorize them as scribbled.

“Do you know how to cook?” Nate asked out of nowhere.

“Yes,” I answered. “Why?” “Because Kyle is the only one who knows how to cook. But most of the time his lazy to look for us.”

“I’m not,” KY denied, throwing a pillow at Nate.

Nate easily dodged it while laughing. He then grabbed it and threw it back at KY.

He was not sleeping after all. I glance at him and saw him smiling. I felt my heart flutter.

“Good thing Brielle will be able to cook something for us,” Lance said as he winked at me.

“You don’t have a maid?” I asked.

“Nope,” they said simultaneously.

“Why?”

“For privacy,” said Zeke.

“Who washes your clothes?”

“Sometimes we send our clothes to the laundry shop.” Lance said. “But most of the time, we wash our own clothes. We don’t stay in a particular place for a long time.”

“Do you have security 24/7?” I asked.

Zeke looked at me as if I just asked a stupid question. “Of course not! We won’t be able to breathe and live normally! They’ll be following us everywhere and watching our every move.”

Lance shuddered at the thought.

“But you are famous,” I stated.

Nate grinned. “And that goes for our next rule. Don’t treat us like we’re famous people. We’re just ordinary people.” He paused, then laughed. “Well, not that ordinary, but still. You won’t believe the deal we had wit. Mr. Handsome before he agreed for us not to have a body guard when we don’t have a concert.”

“So that means…” I trailed off.

“Yes, it’s just the four of us in the house. And you’re the new addition,” Nate said. “Don’t worry. The fans don’t know where our place is. It’s our secret haven.”

“What about your previous managers?” I asked.

“What about them?” Lance said, putting the guitar back in its case.

“Haven’t they told anybody about the location of your house?”

 “Nate’s lips twitched upward. “They’re sworn to secrecy.

They signed a contract. They can’t tell anyone about their work here”

“Oh” I murmured. “Okay”

“I think we have one last rule,” Zeke said with a goofy grin on his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You can’t fall in love with any member of Infinite Chase,” KY said, looking at me like his gaze could pierce right through me.

Are they saying that that’s a possibility?

And why did he feel like he knew I was lying?

I evidently look disappointed because of the frown on my face.

“Do you have problem with that?” KY asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Of course not,” Good. We don’t want our work complicating our personal lives.”

KY behave strangely. Where was the sweet boy I sang few hours ago? Maybe he was starting to show me his real attitude? Maybe he was just tired?

“Brielle?” Lance said.

“Yes?”

“What’s your whole name?”

“Brielle Annabeth Young” I answered.

How old are you? KY asked

I’ve never felt this nervous my whole life.

“I’m twenty-two”

Lie. I’ll be only twenty-two two years from now where I graduate.

KY look at me suspiciously. “You don’t look your age,” he said.

Fighting the urge to squirm in my seat, I crossed my fingers hoping that he based it solely on my height and body build.

“I’ll take that as compliment”

I forced myself not to smile. What he just said makes me want him more. But with the rules made clear with all of us, there was nothing much I could do but keep the feelings to myself.

“Hey, it’s time to go now,” Nate Said.

“I’m hungry!” Lance said, rubbing his stomach. And I miss our house.”

“I’m starving,” Nate announced. “I can’t wait to go home and sleep on my own bed. It’s been weeks!

 They started arranging their instruments. It amazed me to see that they still have energy despite giving their best in the concert.

While they were cleaning up. I wonder what was supposed to do.

“Where are you staying again?” I asked

“In a hotel few blocks from here,” Nate answered.

What about you where do you live?

“Apartment downtown” I lied

“And what are you planning to do with that apartment?”

KY asked.

Why is he asking me a lot of question? “I already told my landlord that I’ll be moving out,” I said, noticing my lies came easily out of my mouth.

I never thought I could lie about myself just so I could be with KY. I just wanted to understand why he was so distant to me.

A thought suddenly popped in my mind: There was an exception to every rule.

I won’t fall in love with any of them because I’ve already fall in love.

I already loved Kyle Yves.