How Could This Happen?! (OC x Ramin Karimloo) BOOK 1

Chapter 1

Vanessa Escalante's POV
Time: 3:25 pm (Tuesday, July 15)

Instead of having our last subject, Math, all the Grade 8 students were called up to the AVR. We all sat down. Abueva was on the left side while our section, Francisco, sat on the other side. I sat beside Sophia and in front of Angel. "I wonder why they called us up here?" Sophia asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "Francisco, please be quiet. Teacher Andrei said this is very important to us." Angel shushed the class. "Ha! What's so important anyways." Carlo said from behind as his friends laughed along with him. "Carlo!" Justyne shouted. All of them quieted down. Then we saw Teacher Angie up on the stage. "Alright Grade 8! You're probably wondering why we called all of you." She said. All of us nodded. "Well, all of you will have to audition for our school's production of Phantom of the Opera." She announced. Most of us groaned including me, but Ina and Adrian seemed so excited. "Alright I'll let Teachers Marcia and May explain further." She said and left the stage. Then the 2 teachers walked up, both with microphones in their hands. "So this will be considered as both your Music and Literature exam." Teacher Marcia said. All of us gasped. Many were already sure that they were very nervous. "On Friday, all of you should arrive at the school at 6:30 am because we are taking a bus to the National Manila Theatre (I made up the name). There, you will meet some famous people who have been in Phantom of the Opera productions and Andrew Lloyd Webber himself. They will help you with your vocals and help you on stage." Teacher May explained. Now, I could see that Ina's face was red with happiness. "So you will have 2 days to practice." Teacher Marcia told us. "Unbelievable! How could I audition? I have a terrible voice." I thought.

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SKIPPING TO FRIDAY (still Vanessa's POV)
Time: 6:00 am

I walked to our classroom with my backpack (which had my iPhone and with my parent's letter, jacket, earphones, and lyrics for my audition song). When I entered I saw that almost half of the class already arrived. Including Angel, Erica, Adrian, and Raphael. "Vanessa! I'm so nervous." Angel said as she walked up to me while letting her hand pound on her chest. "I know, but anyway at least we had practice." I replied. She seemed to agree.

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Katie's POV

Today, we drove to the National Manila Theatre. I rode with Sierra. Then the car came to a stop. "We're here!" Sierra said. I sighed before unbuckling myself and going out. I closed my eyes as I inhaled the air. "It's great to be back in the Philippines." I said. "Shall we?" Sierra asked in a fake British accent. "We shall." I replied in the same manner. Then both of us laughed as we walked to the entrance.

After entering, we only saw Ramin. We just smiled widely at each other. "Where are the others?" I asked him. "Earl and John aren't here yet. Rachael is using the restroom and Andrew had to take a phone call." He replied. Both of us nodded. Then we walked up on the stage. We put both of our bags down on the table and sat on the chairs. After a few minutes of silence, I heard a phone ring. It was Sierra's. "Oh! It's my husband. Sorry I have to take this outside." She told us. "Don't worry! It's fine." I said. Then Sierra left the room. I huffed as I stood up to get something from my bag. Out of nowhere, I felt strong arms snake around my waist. Then a strand of my hair was tucked behind my ear. "Hey beautiful." My secret boyfriend, Ramin, whispered seductively in my ear. His breath tickled my skin. I slightly giggled as I turned in his arms. My hands were on his chest and his were still on my waist. "Hey handsome." I replied. We had HUGE smiles plastered on our faces. Ramin crashed his lips onto mine. It didn't take long for me to start kissing back. A million thoughts flooded my mind. It felt so wrong...yet so right. He then moved his right hand to cup my cheek so his left was supporting my back. Ramin sucked on my bottom lip, begging for entrance. I hesitated at first, but then I let him in. Suddenly, a soft moan escaped from my lips. I could feel Ramin smile against them. I didn't want this to end and neither did he. Unfortunately, I heard someone faintly cough. We pulled away, but our foreheads were still touching. Both of us were breathing heavily. "What's wrong?" He asked in breaths. "You two do realize I am right here." Rachael's said. We blushed as we let go of each other. "Sorry to interrupt you two love birds." She said as we sat down.

*Message from Katie: Oh Yeah! I thought I forgot to tell you something. Me and Ramin are dating and we don't care about the age gap and what would people think. Both of us believe in the quote: "Age Is Just A Number."