Chapter 20

Kate ran over to me outside the daily bar. Tonight Hinn was performing and we decided to watch the show. It was Kate who persuaded me to come this time. She heard that Robin had joined the crew and she wanted to look at him all day since she hardly ran into him at school.

“Ivana, you can’t believe who I ran into a few minutes ago,” Kate told me as I took her guitar from her, she had just arrived from practice and I can tell how tired she looks by holding this for that long.

“Preshy,” I said in one go.

“How do you know?” Kate looked at me with wide eyes and I grinned.

“He is the only one who would make you so worn out like this,” I told her as we walked into the daily bar. It was not a surprise if she ran into Preshy here in the city, from what I know he came to our Villa from her and God knows why he does.

“Sure, you know me pretty well.” Kate and I located a seat while we waited for the show to begin.

“So what happened this time?” I asked her curious to know what it was this time, I always enjoy hearing her talk about preshy.

“He has truly changed.” Kate looked at me with big eyes, I could only imagine what Preshy had done this time.

“In what way?” I asked while I glance around the hall and it was filled with people as usual, but this time they weren’t only here to watch the show, they were also having some drinks and it made me feel bad for coming over here just to watch the show, I should sometimes come to patronise the bar, but the truth was I hate alcohol.

“Hw doesn’t look at me the way he does anymore.” Kate pulled my focus back to her and I couldn't help but snigger to hear Kate complain.

“You should have treasured it when you had the chance,” I told her, trying hard to stop my laughter. Kate has always brushed Preshy off, but here she was making some statements about him changing his attitude towards her.

“No, that Ivana,” Kate frowned. “It is not because I love him...”

“You don’t dislike him either.” I gave her suspicious looks with a smile on my face, Kate looked away from me with her hands clenching the handle of her guitar bag.

“I just didn’t like the way he saw me as less important than he did in the past.” Kate pressed her lips together and I knew about this feeling she had right now in her head.

“He would come around.” I pat Kate back and she looked at my face with her eyes staring at me like a puppy dog.

“I hope so.” She said softly and just then the stage light was turned on and everyone in the hall cheered, then the sound of instruments blast and my prince charming stepped to the front playing his guitar and singing sweet melodies.

I looked at the stage and could see Robin also playing next to the drummer and guitarist. I watched his fingers caress the strings of his guitar releasing sweet melodies that rhyme with the song Hinn Carlos was singing.

“Huh!” I heard Kate exclaim, I turned to look at her face and she had a puzzled look on her face. “Hinn Carlos is singing a love song.”

“That’s true.” I thought I was the only one surprised to hear Hinn Carlos sing a love song, normally he doesn’t but this time was different. I wonder who he was singing to this time, must be Katherine.

I turned my head to search the hall for Katherine and there she was standing with her hands crossed over her chest like she had done the other night.

She had a long face and I was sure she wasn’t pleased to hear Hinn sing, she must be here because she thought Robin would be the one performing today, I could tell she had picked interest in him.

She was wearing her normal glamorous outfit. It made me curious to find more about her, but my head was telling me to keep my distance from Katherine’s business since she reads trouble wherever she goes.

“Ivana, are you daydreaming again, the show is over.” Kate tapped and I turned to look at the stage and it was all cleared out.

Damn it, I did it again.

“Let’s go,” Kate told me and I got up, I turned my head in the direction of Katherine but she wasn’t there, she must have left.

“Hey, Ivana Kimberly.” I heard my name, I turned to see who it was, it was none other than Hunn Carlos, staring at me with those sexy eyes of his. “You came to watch the show.”

“Yes,” I responded by tucking the loose strand of my hair behind my ear to look pretty even if I knew I may not look so pretty to him.

“She doesn’t miss any,” Kate added, ``I frown and mouthed something only Kate could understand, but she shrugged and I looked down embarrassed.

“Wow! I am so happy now,” I peered up through my eyelashes to see him smiling down at me. “Since you always come to my show, why not join me when I practice, you would learn a lot, I can teach you to perform like me.”

“Oh my gosh!” Kate mouthed as she looked at me, I was also feeling the same way she does right now, but I kept my excitement in check.

“Can I join too?” Kate voiced out and Hinn glanced at but said no words to her before turning his gaze back at me.

“W-well, umm...” I looked at Kate and then back at Hinn trying to choose my words. “I will think...”

“No more thinking, “ Hinn cuts me off. “I will have to see you tomorrow at noon in my practice room, I am sure you know your directions there, I will have to wait.” He winked at me and walked away before I could get the chance to protest.

“You should go, Ivana,” Kate told me with smiles on her face and I shook my head.

“He is too persistent.” I glanced at the direction Hinn had just disappeared to.

”You might win the audition, just let him teach you, I’m so jealous of you right now, you would get to see Robin more often since he is always at the practice room.” Kate told me.

I rolled my eyes. “I am not going to that place to see him.” I grabbed Kate’s guitar and hung it over my shoulder. “Let’s leave before we miss the last bus.”

The next day was the same normal route, I got dressed for school, had breakfast with Mrs Jane and Robin who didn’t glance my way and only pretended like I never existed.

We set out in the car after bidding goodbye to Mrs Jane and I was dropped off a few blocks away from the mansion and before I could even say goodbye to Robin he was long gone.

“That’s it, I am getting damn used to this anyway.” I soliloquized and brought down my hands to wave him goodbye, not as if it was important anyway.

I tied my shoelace and began my long race to the bus stop. I should tell Mrs Jane about her son's ruthlessness, but what other choice do I have? It wouldn’t be nice hearing me complain about her son after she took me into her home.

We were all addressed by Mr Nathan, the school Chairman who called us over at the assembly hall to make his speech about the coming event.

I looked over at the faces that seemed unfamiliar to me, there were a lot of people I didn't recognise in this school and they seemed to change often since they applied make-up and looked classy.

“Ivana focus,” Kate whispered to my ears like she knew I was in thoughts again. I smiled and looked forward to trying to keep my attention to what Mr Nathan had to say to us.

“You are all aware of the audition that is to take place in two weeks, I am sure you are all preparing for it.” I paused for a while before opening his lips again.

“There would be judges to pick and select the ones qualified to perform at the 100th-anniversary party.” There was a round of applause and it died down before he continued. “Do well to bring out the best in you.”

“Today we would be presenting the director who would handle the preparation of this upcoming show, he is a talented and great man who has won many awards and his popularity has gone viral, he is none other than Director Donald Blake.”

The crowd applauded and I waited to see who this man would be and immediately he stepped up the stage my lips parted.

He was tall like a model and handsome. If he was not good at music then his cuteness and looks could get him all the popularity he wanted, he was dashing and I couldn’t tell if it was good to admire a man who might be older than me by ten or fifteen years.

I was no longer interested in daydreaming or being lost in thoughts, right now I want to listen to this handsome man's short speech.

“It is so good to be here again.” He spoke up making me realise he had been here before, truly I have missed a lot of things while being stuck in that small town that looks like a deserted island.

“As the Chairman said, I will be your director and one of the judges, I will work hard to see that this anniversary is a success and you should all expect the best.” He paused. “That would be all for now.”

The crowd applauded and Kate leaned close to me. “The director is so handsome.” She whispered, it was amusing how Kate always voiced out what I have in my head.

“That is true.” I looked over at the spot where the director had sat down with his eyes looking down at his phone and scrolling down seriously.

I smiled. “I don’t think this audition and anniversary stuff is a bad idea.” It was getting interesting to me, a professional was going to be our director and he had said he must see it become a success.

“Me too,” Kate said softly, I looked at her grinning from ear to ear.

“Let’s go for it.”

“Now that is my best friend talking.” Kate smiled and we turned our eyes back to hear the final address from the chairman.

Kate dragged me to Hinn Carlos practice room against my will, I kept on protesting but Kate closed her ears to my protest.

“Go in Ivana, you have an opportunity now go grab it!” Kate scolded me as I shook my head profusely.

“Kate...I don’t want to.” After giving it some thought last night I didn’t feel like taking his offer, first Robin would be there and there would be the other boys in there too, I have taken my time to peek through and I have seen them practice and they mostly stay there.

Just as I was speaking I heard footsteps approaching us, I and Kate turned our heads together to see who it was and Kate was dumbfounded and I blinked severally.

Robin sized me up with his usual cold gaze and his lips moved in a straight line. “Go in if you are going to, if not then move out and don’t stand there like a scarecrow.”

“What!” I frown as my jaw dropped at his insult, he scoffed, gave me a once over and brushed past me as he entered the practice room.

That rude devil! I scorn in my head.

“Kate, I don’t think I should go in,” I told Kate, losing interest in it, when that cold jerk is in there, my life could become miserable, the room would be so tense and there would be no way I could perform comfortably.

“Ivana, can I be you, just for today, Robin is in there, I want to join too?” Kate said with pleading eyes and I just don’t understand this girl, she had heard Robin call me a scarecrow and she was still enchanted by him.

“Kate!” I called out her name to pull her off her trance but she smiled at me and opened the door, pushing me in and she shut it behind. “Kate,” I called out again as I held the doorknob

“Sorry.” She mouth and left.

“Kate,” I mouthed again but saw it was useless to call her out now, Kate could sell me off without remorse now I felt she was a bad friend.

I slowly turned around thinking that the only person who would be in there was Robin, but my jaw dropped when I saw eyes staring at me with expressions I cannot describe, my eyes met the cold gaze of Robin and it sent chills down my spine, truly this was not going to end well.