During recess, Anya secretly joined Ceci at a corner of the canteen.

Anya had been Rika’s classmate in primary school, but they attended different middle schools. They stayed in touch through social media, and Anya noticed that Rika hadn’t been very active for a while. When Rika transferred to her school, Anya was shocked to see the once optimistic girl become quiet and gloomy.

It was only when Ceci reached out to her through social media that she learned about Rika’s experiences in her previous middle school.

Healing from such trauma takes time. Rika’s conditions was gradually improving, and she started smiling and laughing again, but it felt different now.

“I won’t go on stage anymore,” Rika said, with a faint smile on her face. It was her birthday night, and she and Anya walked home together after the celebration. “You know, stress can sometimes give people diarrhea. Now, whenever I try to get on stage and sing, I have to rush to the toilet. Even thinking about it makes my stomach churn. Becoming a super-idol is no longer my future path.”

“But you’re so talented at singing…”

“Not everyone who’s talented at singing ends up being a singer,” Rika calmly replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll find my own path. Focus more on yourself.”

They discussed the matter again. Whenever Anya tried to bring it up, Rika would always change the subject.

They ended up attending the same high school and reunited with Ceci, becoming best friends once more.

Ceci still remembered that incident, and she and Anya shared the same hope for Rika to rise again.

As soon as Anya sat down, Ceci asked, “Did Rika agree to the application?”

Anya shook her head, “I think we need to find another way to give her a push. Do you have any ideas?”

Ceci sighed. “No…I miss the joyful Rika who would hop around and laugh.”

“Me too.” Anya took a bite of her sandwich, “I can see that she still wants to be on stage. She’s still the girl who dreams of being a super-idol. I know she’s still practicing her singing skills.”

“It’s normal for our current dreams to differ from our childhood dreams. I think she’s also happy pursuing a career as a researcher, but…” Ceci frowned, “I don’t want her to go to college with this regret. Just once, I hope she can sing a song on stage and bid her dream a proper farewell.”

“Let’s try to persuade her again. We can do it!”

While they were both discussing in the canteen, Rika remained in her classroom jotting down notes from a chemistry book. However, her mid was greatly disturbed by the news that Anya had told her. Even her classmates who were still in the classroom were discussing it.

“I heard Sonya from the classroom next door is also applying!”

“What is she planning to perform? Solo or in a group?”

“Solo. I heard she wants to do magic tricks!”

“Wow, that’s cool!”

“I heard there’s a first-year student who wants to do sand drawing.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s when you create drawings using sand on a lightbox, and then project the drawing onto a white screen for the audience to enjoy.”

“Do we have a projector like that in the hall? It does sounds interesting, but without a projector, it’s useless.”

“Who knows? Maybe the Student Union will apply for a projector if he’s really good at it.”

“What about music performances?”

“Of course! The Choir club will definitely apply, and I heard the Dance club might apply too. There are even three music bands planning to apply for the performance!”

“We have that many music bands in school?”

“Definitely more than three. Some of them already have regular shows at night-time cafés, and they even make money from ticket sales!”

“Wow, that’s so cool. I’m still studying like a nerd while others are already making a living!”

And she could have been one of them.

She had a great voice. She could have entered singing competitions and joined an idol agency. She could have already become a young idol, releasing songs or albums, taking one step closer to becoming a super-idol who rocked the world…

But it had become a dream she no longer dare to have.

*****

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“Rika, come!”

The school bell rang, signaling the end of class for the day. Rika was packing her bag, preparing to go home, when Anya grabbed her arm excitedly, eager to show her something. Ceci appeared beside them, quickly packing Rika’s bag and hugging it tightly.

“What’s going on?”

“Just come with me,” Anya urged.

Rika couldn’t help but follow them. She was curious at first, but her heart skipped a beat when she realized they were taking her to the main hall. She knew Anya must have something in mind to push her back onto the stage.

“Anya, I…”

“Not the stage, girl.” Anya interrupted with a smile. “The Student Union needs some help cleaning up the place. I’m offering our assistance on behalf of the three of us!”

Rika had her doubts about that being the whole truth, but lending a helping hand wouldn’t hurt. So she followed them into the hall and walked toward the backstage area.

There was a locked storeroom where all the items needed for the event were kept. After stashing their bags in a corner, Ceci retrieved a clipboard with a list attached.

“We’re going to check the items we’ll need during the event, see if we have enough or if we need any replacements,” Ceci explained. “After that, we’ll do a quick clean-up of the backstage area, just to make sure it’s not too dusty. They’ll come for a deep cleaning two days before the event. It shouldn’t take too long to finish. Shall we begin?”

“Of course. Let me open the door. I’ll bring the items out, Rika can count them, and Ceci can double-check with Rika’s count. Okay?”

Rika has no objections. “Sure. Switch with me when you get tired.”

“Okay! Now let’s see…”

The three girls set to work, finding chairs in need of replacement, discovering missing items, and even stumbling upon things weren’t supposed to be in the backstage storeroom.

“So these are the 20 missing basketballs?” Anya burst into laughter. “Mystery solved!”

“What mystery?” Rika was confused.

“Well, every school has its legends and unsolved cases.” Ceci listed some examples. “The forbidden room, the ghostly pianist who never left after death, the mysterious doll that appears out of nowhere and asks you to dance…”

“Whoa, that sounds so creepy!” Rika furrowed her brow.

Anya kept laughing, “And one of the mysteries in our school was the missing basketballs. We kept our gym inventory in another storeroom between the main hall and the field, right? So one day, 20 basketballs vanished into thin air and were never found again. The school had never replaced them with new ones since then. That’s why whenever we have more than three classes having a gym class, we always lack basketballs because they’ve disappeared. The rumor has it that those basketballs invite people for a game at midnight. If you reject the invitation, you’ll regret that decision…”

Rika pushed away Anya’s silly face as she tried to scare her, “Well, as you said, mystery solved. Someone misplaced the basketballs into the backstage storeroom instead of putting them back in the gym inventory storeroom. Should we report it to someone?”

“Of course, just leave a note for the Student Union, they’ll take care of it,” Ceci said as she scribbled some words on the sheet attached to the clipboard.

“Now it’s time for cleaning.” Anya said, taking out some cloths and buckets from the storeroom, “Just clear away the areas with thick layer of dust, and leave those with just a sprinkle. I’ll go get some water. Rika, Ceci, you take the brooms, okay?”

“Okay,” they replied.

Ceci kept the clipboard and took a broomstick, “I’ll go to that side. Can you handle this side?”

“Sure.” Rika looked around for the areas that needed to be cleaned and started working on them.

But before she realized it, she had reached the edge of the stage where the curtains were bunched up. The broomstick was partially in the shadow, with the other half sticking out onto the floor she had once longed to stand on…She quickly pulled back the broomstick, her hand trembling nervously.

“Rika, why are you standing over there?”

It’s Anya. She stood at the other end of the stage, next to the bunched up curtains. She smiled and took a few steps onto the stage, placing a bucket of half-filled water on the floor. “Since you’re here, come take this bucket. I’ll take another one to Ceci.”

The bucket of water was sat in the middle of the stage, alongside a cloth obviously used for cleaning.

The sun was setting, casting warm rays of light onto the stage through the high windows on the side of the hall.

That’s the stage you’ve always longed for. A voice echoed in Rika’s heart. You’ve always wanted to be up there…

The center spot belongs to you, not the bucket!

But the sound of malicious laughter shattered these thoughts. Rika closed her eyes, tighten her lips, bowed her head, and felt her stomach churn.

I’m not avoiding the stage…I just need to use the restroom.

Yes, I could be on stage, but my stomach disagrees. See?

Excuses started to form unknowingly. Rika placed her hand on her belly, and just as she was about to turn around, Ceci appeared from behind.

“What you doing over here? Come on, let’s finish up and go home. I’m starving!”

Ceci pushes her back, urging her toward the center of the stage. Before she could react, Ceci tossed the cloth hung on the wall of the bucket into her hands and grabbed the bucket. “Hurry up, girl! Tme is running out!”

“But…”

“No buts. We are volunteering, so no extra works for us.” Ceci grabbed her shoulder, turned her around, and they both walked back to the backstage.

Anya was already wiping things there. “What took you so long? Were you trying to clean the stage?”

“No. I just…”

Rika’s words were interrupted by Ceci, “Nah, she was just daydreaming. Like we used to do during our boring history class, daydreaming about what we would eat for lunch.”

“Yeah, the eternal question that’s always hard to answer.” Anya agreed, nodding sternly, “What should we have for breakfast today, what should we have for lunch, and what should we have for dinner…To eat or not to eat, that is the question.”

“What are you having for dinner tonight?” Ceci asked as she began wiping some items.

“I don’t know. My mom asked me what we should eat for dinner, and I just said whatever, as long as it’s eatable.”

Rika was momentarily confused, but then she joined her friends in wiping. They started chatting about their dinners, homework, TV shows…When they finished the job, with the main hall behind them and the warm rays of the setting sun enveloping them, Anya threw a question at Rika.

“Did you feel like going to the restroom now?”

Rika was stunned. She placed her palm on her belly in surprise; it’s wasn’t churning anymore.

“You’ve been on stage, even for just a few seconds, right?” Anya asked.

Rika blinked, taking a moment to process this realization.

“So I guess we could aim for some improvement next time, try to be on stage for a minute?” Anya held Rika’s hand, “And maybe two minutes after that?”

“Five minutes.” Ceci interjected, looking into Rika’s eyes, “Five minutes should be enough for you to sing one song, and one song will do.”

“Don’t you wish for cheers from the audience?”

“Don’t you wish for a moment of glamour on stage?”

“Rika,” Anya stood beside Ceci, “we just hope that you won’t have any regrets when we go to college. We believe you can do this!”

These words touched Rika’s heart. She finally nodded and said, “Thanks, besties. I’ll try…I’ll give it my best shot.”