#NewClassicILIB

Chapter 36
All Out

The fans of New Classic were devastated over the online article we just published last night, along with the release of the band's new single and music video.

It was a simple music video. It showed how they trekked from the bottom of the mountain up to the top. There were also a few solo shots of them as they all have individual parts. It ended with the scene where they were sitting on a huge boulder on top of the mountain, looking up to the dark sky which was filled with stars.

The song is entitled 'This Is Not The End.' As I read on the description, it's a song which is written by all the members. The lyrics contain messages that they wanted to tell each other.

It's the first song they released were all of them have individual lines. The line distribution was slightly biased to Isaiah by getting the whole bridge and adlibs―the hardest parts of the song―as the lead vocalist of the band.

Days passed by so quickly
Couldn't keep up with the time
We're just going around in circles
At the same time while reaching the skies

Sic and Jirro sang the first verse. My heart melted hearing them finally singing their first solo parts in a New Classic song. As much as I wanted to hear Isaiah's voice, I started wanting them to sing in New Classic's future tracks, too.

Take it slow
Close your eyes
Take my hand
We'll walk together

Take it slow
Open your eyes
Take a deep breath
This is not the end
This is not the end
This is not the end
This is not the end
We will meet again

Hearing the chorus got me teary-eyed as I remembered their faces on the music video. They were wearing a satisfied smile, but at the same time, you could tell that they were kinda regretful.

We're running very fast
How come we're slowing down?
Look back to see how far we've come
It seems like haven't moved a thumb

Ike owned the second verse. Knowing that he's the leader of the band made the words he was singing felt heavier.

As a leader, he's carrying the burden of each members, including his. I couldn't imagine how hard it is for him to be the leader of the group, which is being watched by so many people. If fans are expecting a lot from the other members, I know they are expecting more from him.

However, throughout the years, Ike never showed his weaknesses. I have been watching them as a fan since they debuted, and I have never seen him under pressure. He's always calm, collected, and poised.

Take it slow
Close your eyes
Take my hand
We'll walk together

Take it slow
Open your eyes
Take a deep breath
This is not the end
This is not the end
This is not the end
This is not the end
We will meet again

I anticipated Isaiah's turn to sing, once the second chorus ended. There was a short instrumental before he started to sing with a melancholic voice. Though he sang the first line of the bridge with a low note, lower than his normal bass range, he still sang it crystal clear.

Temporary lost in a thick fog
But I know we'll still find our way back
The road ahead will clear up
See the end's not yet in sight

It's okay to take it slow
It's alright to take a break
We'll be back in time
Standing on the stage that we made

No matter how many times I hear Isaiah hitting high notes, I don't think I'd ever get enough of it. He had so much control in his voice. It's so satisfying to hear him belting those notes and slaying it effortlessly.

Take it slow
Close your eyes
Take my hand
We'll walk together

Take it slow
Open your eyes
Take a deep breath
This is not the end
This is not the end
This is not the end
This is not the end
We will meet again

I couldn't find any words to perfectly describe the climax of the song. No matter how many times I played it, I was only lost for words due to astonishment. My overwhelming feelings as a fan were flooding my unbiased opinion about the song.

Stressed out and frustrated, I removed my earphones and leaned on the backrest. It was my first project but I couldn't get my thoughts right.

"What's wrong?"

Muntik na akong bumaliktad sa aking kinauupuan nang biglang dumungaw sa akin si Lucas. Napabalikwas ako sa pag-upo nang maayos. Inikot ko ang aking upuan para maharap siya.

"Tapos na ang meeting?" pag-iiba ko ng topic.

He creased his forehead. "Yes," he simply answered, then glanced at the blank document of Word on my laptop. "What's your problem?"

I bit my lower lip, feeling a bit embarrassed because of my incompetence. "I'm having a hard time composing my thoughts about the song..."

"Why?"

"I feel like it's going to be a biased review..." I confessed. "I'm their fan, so..." I shrugged my shoulders.

Lucas and I were incharge of the article about New Classic. I was a bit pressured because the band was the top or main feature of our upcoming issue. Although Lucas nailed the online article about New Classic, we still had so much to work on for the magazine issue. He assigned the song review of New Classic's new song to me, while he would write the main article.

He crossed his arms and rested his back on the side panel. "And what's wrong with that?"

"W-what do you mean?" I was slightly baffled.

"You can write the song review in a fan's perspective. It doesn't really matter," he told me. "I mean, it's even better that way because New Classic's fans would be able to relate, don't you think?"

It was like there was light bulb which appeared on top of my head when I realized what he was talking about.

Umayos siya sa pagkakatayo at hinila ang kanyang upuan papalapit sa akin. He casually sat beside me, and turned my laptop to him.

"Start the review by writing what the song is about," he suggested, while he typed down pointers as an outline that I could follow easily. "Then, use phrases like, 'as a fan' or something similar to that. It's an indication that you're writing the review about the song in a fan's perspective."

Watching how his thoughts flowed continuously, I stared at him in amusement. No wonder he was promoted as a senior journalist, even though he was still young. I had so much to learn from him.

Lucas guided me and checked me from time to time while I wrote my part. I was thankful because he was hands on. Kaya naman nang inaprubahan niya ang aking nagawang review ay nakahinga ako nang maluwag. Though he told me that it still would be checked by our editor.

"Hindi ka sa basement parking?" bigla niyang tanong sa akin nang pindutin ko ang ground floor. "You have a car, right? I saw you one time."

Office hours had ended, and it was finally time for us to go home. Akala ko nga ay mag-oovertime ulit si Lucas gaya kahapon, ngunit maaga siyang uuwi ngayon.

Umiling ako. "Coding ako ngayon, e."

"I can drive you home," he said, then long pressed the ground floor button. Nawala ang ilaw sa ground nang dahil sa ginawa niya.

Nabahala naman ako at muling umiling. "Huwag na!" pagtanggi ko. "Baka nakakaabala ako."

Akmang pipindutin ko ulit ang ground floor, pero hinuli niya ang aking palapulsuhan para ako'y mapigilan. Tiningala ko siya ng tingin.

"It's okay," he assured me. "You worked hard today. And besides, I can't let you go home alone when I can offer you a ride."

"Kung ganoon, hindi na ako tatanggi. Salamat," sabi ko na lang at ngumiti sa kanya.

Though Lucas could be intimidating because of his indifference, I was a bit comfortable with him already. Kahit hindi kami umiimik sa buong biyahe papunta sa aking bahay ay kumportable pa rin ako.

However, as we reached my house, I was bewildered when I saw Isaiah's spare car parked outside. My heart tapped against my ribs hard. Pressure grew in my chest.

As soon as Lucas' car halted, Isaiah must had lost his mind that he went out of his car.

"Isn't that... Isaiah?" Lucas sounded so intrigued and confused.

I became anxious and worried. I was getting paranoid once again. My hand fidgeted as I unbuckled the seat belt frantically.

"He visits you home?" he asked suspiciously.

"Uh, minsan..." Hilaw akong tumawa at sinukbit na ang aking bag. "Thank you sa paghatid sa akin, Lucas. See you at work tomorrow."

"Oh, okay..."

"Ingat ka pauwi," sabi ko na lang at saka nagkukumahog akong lumabas ng sasakyan ni Lucas.

Once I got out, I found Isaiah with his eyes directly staring on the car before it drifted to me. I started walking to him with fast strides.

"Sino ang naghatid sa 'yo?" bungad niyang tanong sa akin nang makalapit ako.

I didn't answer him. "Let's go inside," I quickly said and walked past him.

Mabilis kong binuksan ang aming gate para makapasok sa loob. Gaya ng utos ko ay sumunod agad si Isaiah sa akin papasok sa aming bahay. Tuloy-tuloy lamang ang lakad ko hanggang sa makarating sa aming tanggapan bago ko hinarap si Isaiah.

"Sino ang naghatid sa 'yo?" ulit niyang tanong sa akin.

Naunahan niya ako sa pagtanong kaya wala akong nagawa kung hindi ang sagutin siya. "It's my senior. The one who interviewed you and the band."

Nodding his head, his lips pursed as his jaw clenched repeatedly. There was this strained expression on his face again. He looked perturbed. And even when his eyes were expressive, it seemed like there were still unknown emotions that he was hiding.

However, I refused to get lost in the mysteries his eyes hold. I stepped up a gear and forced my chin up to look at him directly.

"Bakit ka nasa labas ng bahay namin?" walang pagdadalawang-isip kong tanong sa kanya.

I wanted to know what he was doing outside our house, when I told him clearly to be aware of his surroundings. Wala pa siyang takot na lumabas kanina sa kanyang sasakyan kahit na alam niyang mayroon akong kasama.

"I arrived here a few minutes ago," he told me. "No one's at home, so I waited outside, thinking that you'd arrive soon."

"And why did you come out of your car earlier?" I asked next, wanting some answers or explanation for his carelessness. "My senior saw you. He's a journalist! What if he writes an article about seeing you here?"

"I'll make sure that he won't," Isaiah assured me. "And I was careful on my way here, if you're worried again―"

"Isaiah, you're not taking this seriously, are you?" I cut him off and went straight with the question that had been lingering inside my head.

Like what Mr. Joel noticed, it really seemed like Isaiah did not pay heed that he was in a crucial situation. He couldn't care less about the warnings given to him by his company. He would still do whatever he pleases, and it led me to feel frustrated. It was like he didn't care about throwing away everything he worked hard for, when all I wanted to do was to protect it.

His eyes looked at me with a greater intensity. "What are you talking about?"

"You know that you're being watched by every opportunist out there to try and ruin your career," I told him. "But it seems like you don't care about it at all."

His blew out a deep and heavy breath. "I told you that there's nothing to worry about it anymore, Zendaya," he tried to assure me with words, but his actions didn't sit right with me. "I can take care of it. I'm being careful―"

"By going to our house?" I snapped out a question. "By showing yourself earlier to my senior? You're not being careful, Isaiah. You're only pushing yourself more to the brink." Words just went out straight from my mouth without a break. "Why did you even come here today? You didn't even tell me."

"We're on a break now..." he trailed for a fleeting moment. "I just want to hangout and spend time with you."

Stunned by his unexpected reason, my lips parted. I was rendered speechless that I couldn't say anything to shut him off at once.

"You know I could feel that you're pushing me away because of the issue, Zendaya... But I tried to shrug it off..." he said. "I thought that maybe, it's okay since I don't want to risk getting your privacy taken away. However, at the same time, I couldn't keep myself away."

His heartfelt words resounded through my very core, making my heart flutter.

The corners of my eyes heated up, warning me that tears were about to pool inside my eyes. I couldn't bear the amount of hope that my heart had been carrying. I felt like I should let it all go.

"Alam mo ba kung ano ang mga sinasabi mo, Isaiah?" Halos namamaos na ang aking boses.

He just stared at me, not knowing of the things his eyes could do to my heart.

"You're making me hope..." I admitted.

There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

I hated how he looked like he wasn't aware of my feelings which were out in the open. I don't know if he really couldn't notice it, or if he just chose to ignore it.

"The reason why I'm ignoring you is not just because of the issue," I told him. "I also want to stay away from you because I couldn't control my feelings anymore."

I clenched my fist, gripping tightly on the skirt of my dress.

"I'm a crazy fan who fell in love with you," I confessed.

I never thought that I'd be able to confess my feelings for him. But I felt like it was the only way to make him distance himself away from me.

"And it's frustrating because you keep giving me mixed signals, Isaiah," I stated, not hesitating. "You're making me assume that you like me. You're making my heart hope for nothing."

He remained quiet, keeping his silence, while I proclaimed the feelings that I have for him.

"I know you just had your heart broken, Isaiah." I held his stare. "If you're only using me to tend your broken heart, please spare me. I've had enough heartbreaks to go through another one."

Isaiah immediately shook his head, denying what I said. "N-no..." he stammered, panicking a bit. "I don't think of you that way at all, Zendaya―"

"Then, who am I to you?" I bravely asked, using all the courage I had inside me.

Caught off guard by my question, his lips slowly parted. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't answer my question. My stupid heart hoped to hear words from him, but I got nothing.

And so, I spun around and walked to the door. I opened it for him, asking him to leave.

"You can go now..." I said, staring elsewhere, just to avoid his eyes.

There was a moment of silence for a few seconds, until I heard his footsteps gradually getting closer. Suddenly, he stopped right in front of me. I fixed my gaze past him, afraid that our eyes would meet.

"Damn it..." he cursed as he pulled my arm and brought me closer to him.

I crashed straight on his broad chest. Stunned, my eyes went wide open, while Isaiah gently wrapped his arms around me. His warmth embraced me and kept me in place. I could hear his heart following the fast rhythm of mine. It created a harmonious sound.

"I will not hold back now, Zendaya..." he whispered, and I could feel his lips grazed the side of my earlobe. "I'm going all out. I'll show you exactly who you are to me."