"What was that about? Will she be fine?" Kathrine hurried over to Beatrice, helping her to a nearby seat.
While the others got busy with their own tasks, Patricia and Luca went to talk to the teacher about the raffle.
"I think you should see for yourself instead of me explaining it," Beatrice said with a small smile.
Kathrine frowned and moved closer to her.
"By the way, the person from yesterday... I just realized they were from our school. They were wearing our gym clothes."
Beatrice turned to her, looking surprised, "Then they shouldn't have run away like that… unless…"
"They did it on purpose," Kathrine finished, her voice uneasy.
Both of them shivered at the thought.
"Let's not think too much about it. I'm fine... well, not entirely. But let's just stop thinking about it… it's scary," Beatrice said, her face turning pale.
Kathrine reached out and held her hand, "Yes. Let's leave it at that."
Although it was best to investigate and understand why it happened, Beatrice decided to let it go. If the person simply ran away out of fear after causing the accident, she would rather not dig deeper. She was scared to discover the reason behind it, even though she knew she could have been seriously hurt.
Kathrine sighed, knowing this was just how Beatrice was. She preferred to avoid the harsh truth about the people around her, rather than face the envy and jealousy that might be hidden beneath their smiles. Beatrice would rather move on, even if it meant ignoring the pain, as long as it didn't get worse.
'If it was an accident and they panicked, I'd forgive them. But if it was deliberate, I won't,' Kathrine thought to herself.
She had been friends with Beatrice since childhood, watching her train and practice to reach this point. Kathrine had seen all the hard work Beatrice put in to become better and better.
Kathrine snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Beatrice squeeze her hand.
"Let's not worry about it anymore," Beatrice said with a gentle smile.
Kathrine smiled back, remembering how she had always been there to support Beatrice, and how grateful Beatrice was for her. Beatrice knew she wouldn't have made it this far without Kathrine by her side.
Their classmates' cheers interrupted their thoughts.
"I guess we got last place," Beatrice said with a shrug.
"You don't seem nervous," Kathrine observed, her brows furrowed.
"You'll understand once you see how it goes," Beatrice replied, raising her eyebrows playfully.
Kathrine shook her head, unable to figure out what Beatrice meant.
As they waited, they watched the gymnasium fill up with people. It was much more crowded than last year. It seemed like Luca's participation in the play had attracted more attention to the competition. Last year, it hadn't drawn such a big crowd.
"Wow, do we really have to perform in front of all these people?" Justin whistled, wide-eyed.
"You're not even one of the performers," Gabriel reminded him, rolling his eyes.
"We're in charge of the props and making sure everything runs smoothly. That's performing in its own way. Don't underestimate our work," Justin pouted.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "So childish."
"You're the one looking down on us!" Justin retorted, offended.
Gabriel raised his fist, and Justin quickly hid behind Kenneth, who chuckled at the familiar sight, knowing Gabriel was about to playfully knock on Justin's head.
"You're such a brute," Justin exclaimed, peeking out from behind Kenneth.
Gabriel sometimes wondered why he was friends with these people.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm the same as him?" Kenneth asked, confused by Gabriel's stare.
Gabriel tilted his head, his expression saying, 'Aren't you?'
Kenneth's lips twitched in amusement, "Let's get back to setting up the props instead of just standing around."
Gabriel nodded and glanced over at Luca, who seemed lost in thought.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked as he approached Luca.
Luca shook his head, "Nothing, really."
"Are you nervous?" Gabriel asked with concern.
Luca chuckled, "Not at all."
Gabriel patted Luca's shoulder, "Good luck."
"Thanks," Luca replied with a big smile.
Gabriel returned to Justin and Kenneth, lightly tapping the back of Justin's head as he passed.
"What was that for?" Justin immediately complained.
Kenneth, quick on his feet, dodged just as Gabriel raised his hand to playfully hit him too.
"Why are you trying to hit me as well?" Kenneth protested.
Gabriel didn't respond, instead focusing on helping with the props.
Luca smiled to himself before looking around for Harmony. He spotted her on the side, reading the script, and decided not to disturb her.
The first group to perform was Snow White.
The students had put a lot of thought into their performance, especially when it came to the dwarves. They had chosen the smallest students in their class to play the roles, and these students even knelt on the stage to make themselves appear even shorter, enhancing the illusion of being dwarves.
Their costumes were carefully crafted, with oversized hats and beards that nearly covered their faces. Snow White herself was played by a girl who had a natural grace, fitting perfectly into the role of the kind and gentle princess.
As the play unfolded, the audience was captivated by the story.
The Evil Queen, dressed in a long, dark cloak with a high collar, delivered her lines with a dramatic flair that sent shivers down everyone's spine. When she presented the poisoned apple to Snow White, the entire gymnasium seemed to hold its breath.
The dwarves huddled together, watching with wide eyes as Snow White took a bite and collapsed to the floor. The students' acting was so convincing that a few gasps were heard from the audience, who were clearly drawn into the story.
The dwarves' sorrowful song as they mourned Snow White was another highlight, their small voices blending together in a touching harmony. When the prince arrived to awaken Snow White with a kiss, the audience was fully invested in the fairy tale, clapping enthusiastically when the princess opened her eyes.
Next up was Rapunzel, but with a twist—the characters were played by the manliest students in the class.
It was a comedic take that had the audience laughing and engaged. The tallest, most muscular student played Rapunzel, his long, golden wig nearly reaching the floor.
When the "prince" called out to her, instead of delicately letting down her hair, Rapunzel threw it down with such force that the prince stumbled backward, earning hearty laughs from the crowd. The exaggerated actions and deep voices added a humorous contrast to the traditionally delicate and graceful characters.
The play was filled with over-the-top gestures, and the dialogue was deliberately melodramatic, making it clear they were playing for laughs.
The "prince" had to struggle and huff as he pretended to climb the "tower," which was just a tall platform with a ladder, and when he finally reached Rapunzel, he dramatically wiped his brow, panting exaggeratedly. The audience was in stitches, enjoying the absurdity of it all.
Soon, it was time for their group to perform. Harmony took a deep breath, closed her script, and set it aside, ready to go on stage.