The gang positioned themselves on the stage.

The crowd instantly got excited because every year, the Sky Deviants would always surprise them. It was either with the intensity of the lyrics being sung or the quirky sound of the music being played. They wondered what it would be this year.

Todd cleared his throat on the microphone. Inwardly, he was nervous. Although you couldn't tell it with his cool expression.

“I’d like to say something.”

The auditorium turned silent, waiting for him to continue.

Whoa, he thought. I never thought that I’d be this nervous.

He tried to shake the feeling away and took a deep breath.

“See,” he finally started, “when I was writing this song for the Clash, there was a particular person in my mind. I didn’t know at the time that she, no matter how annoying she is, was already special to me. Or maybe I knew, I just didn’t have the courage to admit it to myself.” He paused and smiled. “I just wanna say to that girl . . .”

Here it is!!! thought Brian, Karl, and Peter in anticipation.

Is he gonna say . . . ?! thought Kim and Jen.

Todd eyes the audience, before facing Maxine beside him.

Maxine gasped in surprise. She wasn't expecting this. She stood frozen, not sure on what to do. Her heart pounded against her chest so hard that she wondered if it was going to jump out from her.

He noticed her reaction and grinned broadly. He lifted up a hand to touch her cheek. His eyes found hers and held them in contact.

“Max,” he said softly.

She held her breath, waiting.

“I wrote this song for you,” he finished. Darn it, he thought. I said something else.

Maxine tried not to be disappointed.

“What?” hissed Peter.

Kim and Jen exchanged dismayed looks from their seats.

“Maybe he’s not ready yet,” shrugged Brian, a bit saddened.

“What are you guys talking about?” Karl asked Peter and Brian.

“We’ll explain later,” Peter answered his best friend.

Maxine really thought that Todd would finally say the three words that she wanted to hear. But she thought that maybe it wasn't the right time for them to say it yet. She didn't want to hear it because she was insecure at the moment. And she didn't want him to say it because he felt that he had to.

In time, they'll be ready. For now, actions are enough.

Besides, she was still touched by what Todd said. He had the courage to announce it in front of many people, after all. Speaking of . . .

“Um.” Maxine glanced at the crowd. “You didn’t have to tell it in front of everyone,” she whispered to him. “It’s embarrassing.”

“You think I'm comfortable blabbing things like that?” asked Todd incredulously. A light shade of pink appeared in his cheeks, causing him to look away from her.

Maxine bit her lip, preventing herself from smiling so wide and giddy. She knew that Todd didn't usually do things like that. If truth be told, he preferred to keep his personal life private from anyone who didn't have any business in it. Hence, doing something like that for her was quite sweet. It was one of the many proofs of how much special she was for him.

“Thank you,” she murmured, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek.

He was slightly startled by the sudden kiss from her. He quickly recovered, though. And when he did, he flashed her his infamous breathtaking smile.

“Well, it turned out nice,” commented Brian, smiling warmly.

Peter grinned from ear to ear. “I think that we should rock the auditorium down with our awe-inspiring music now, if you don't mind,” he added to Todd and Maxine.

“You can lovey-dovey later,” Karl teased.

Todd would normally glare at those comments from Karl and Peter. But this time, he only shook his head – the smile never leaving his face.

The crowd went wild with laughter from the duo. But Peter was right. It was about time that they should stun the audience with their gift for music.

“Wow!” exclaimed the event host, a little taken aback by what just happened. “That was unexpected! Don't you just get that tingly giddy feeling? Ah, young love . . . Real life couple right there, ladies and gentlemen! And now, without further ado, the last but definitely not the least, the Skyyyyyyyyyyyy Deviaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnttsssssss!!!”

The auditorium was filled with cheers and applauds.

The lights went up and down again, before it centered on Maxine. Her eyes were closed calmly. She then half-opened them and began playing the violin. The melody was sweet yet somewhat heartbreaking.

Suddenly, a guitar played. Another light focused on Todd. He looked and sounded very professional. He outshined everyone when he was playing the drums. But hearing him play the lead guitar, you would believe that he'd been doing that his whole life.

Todd was followed by both sounds of the bass guitar and the piano-like keyboard as a couple of lights directed at Karl and Peter. Several people in the audience gasped. They didn't expect that Peter knew how to play the keyboard.

When the beat picked up, Todd started to sing as he played his electric guitar.

“I thought at first, ♪

You make me thirst.

You’re sent from heaven, to go to hell,

To make me suffer,

And be doomed forever.

I can’t explain the given pain.” ♫

“Or so I thought, ♪

But then I’m wrong.

Before you came,

My life’s the same,

I can see the stars at night,

But they’re not so bright . . .

You’re a falling star,

That shines through the night . . .” ♫

“I’m thankful you feel the same, ♪

Being with me and playing destiny’s game . . .

But you’re an exceptional angel,

While I’m a cold and cruel demon . . .

It’s just not meant to be . . .

And let’s just let it be . . .” ♫

BANG!

The sudden sound of drums from Brian entered. Everyone changed from the slow beat to a fast beat, even Maxine who was playing the violin.

The crowd cheered and applauded again.

“I’m saying goodbye, ♪

Can’t ruin your life.

Please don’t cry over me,

Try not to follow me. . .” ♫

“Now that we are apart, ♪

I feel empty inside.

As I look at the night,

I see no stars above . . .

I guess you left it blank . . .” ♫

“If you only knew, ♪

I’ve thought of you,

For every second of every day,

While I’m away. . .

There’s something missing,

That kept me thinking . . .” ♫

The gang paused from playing.

There was silence.

No one dared to breathe.

Then, the continuous playing of the same note from the bass guitar was heard. It was quickly followed by Todd’s solo of the lead guitar. He played it as if more than one person was playing it. His face looked serene, so into the music that anyone watching would really stare. But when he took a glance at Maxine, he smiled warmly.

That caused her heart to skip a beat.

Another big explosion happened from the drums, making the violin and piano-like keyboard to play again.

“I can’t take it anymore . . . ♪

I have to see you now . . .

To memorize your face,

And give you lots of embrace . . .

I can’t believe you’d still love me,

With your whole heart and tell me . . .” ♫

Todd paused from singing. The violin suddenly stopped playing.

A girl’s voice then sang angelically.

“The way I feel for you, ♪

Will never change . . .” ♫

The beat of the music slowed.

Together, Todd and Maxine, sang.

“I can spend the rest of my existence, ♪

By wanting and needing you forever . . .

You’re an exceptional angel,

I’m a cold and cruel demon . . .

We love each other,

That’s all that matters . . .” ♫

There was a moment of silence . . . then a roar of applause, a blast of cheers, and a standing ovation!

Nobody expected that Todd could marvelously play the guitar. Nobody expected that Brian could also play the drums. Nobody expected that Karl could sing, play the drums, rhythm and bass guitar. Nobody expected that Peter could play the keyboard like a professional pianist. Nobody expected that the new addition to the group, Maxine, could beautifully play the violin and sing.

The only thing that everybody expected was that the Sky Deviants would definitely win the Clash Cup again this year.

“And now the moment we’ve all been impatiently waiting for,” the host joked, causing the crowd to laugh. He opened the card where the ranks of the competitors were written.

After scanning the card, he raised his head and eyes the five groups. His eyes were unreadable as he looked at them.

“The fifth placer . . . is the Mount Valley Rangers of Mount Valley Private School! I'm sorry. Better luck next year, kids.”

There was applause as the Vlad headmaster gave them their medal.

“The fourth placer . . . is the JaBe twinsters of JaBe twins’ School of Arts!”

There was a louder applause.

“The third place . . . is the STM Romeos of School of Technology for Musicians! You were really good, guys. Honestly, you were. You might have really won the Cup if these two top-notches weren’t around,” the host added, pointing at Dominique and Todd.

A very loud applause and cheers for the STM Romeos erupted. The host waited until the auditorium was silent again before continuing.

“Drum roll, please . . . Finally . . . The centuries of waiting is over . . . The second place this year is . . .”

Todd and Dominique exchanged quick glances.

“ . . . The Vladimirs of Vlad Institute!”

The room exploded with a roar of cheers.

The host added loudly over the noise, “The first place and the Music Clash Champion for this year, as always, is the SKY DEVIANTS of Sky International Academy!”

The Vlad headmaster handed the Clash Cup to Todd on stage, as another round of explosive cheering filled the auditorium. Every Sky student was jumping up and down in delight of winning yet another year. Even Headmaster Sky was bouncing in his toes.

They were all broadly smiling. Maxine was literally jumping with joy with Karl. Kim and Jen were hugging each other. Brian was saying something to Peter but he couldn’t hear a thing with all the happy screams.

Todd walked over to Maxine, with her back turned to him. He tapped her shoulder and when she turned, he lightly kissed her on the lips. Maxine widened her eyes in surprise but she was honestly too happy to mind it.

“ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!”

“You want another performance from the Sky Deviants, people?” asked the host.

“YES!” yelled the crowd.

The male host turned to the gang, grinned, and said behind the microphone, “You guys know what to do.”

☺ ♪ ☺ ♫ ☺ ♪ ☺

Peter, Jen, and Karl knelt in front.

Todd and Maxine squatted behind them, holding the Clash Cup.

Brian and Kim stood at the back.

Each of them realized something essential – be it on love, friendship, or family. Perhaps even all of it. Some of them took a while, but they managed in time. And what they did realize, they would carry it for the rest of their lives.

Whatever happens, the gang knows that they will face anything together. That's their kind of friendship. Although, what they have is more than that. It's something greater. Its meaning was deeper. Maybe no one has invented that word yet.

The camera flashed while the gang was grinning, as if there was nothing in the world that could go wrong.

_____________

Done. It's done. #mixedemotions

Thank you for being with the gang from the start. Thank you for cheering them on. And never giving up on me or cursing me even if I haven't updated in months. You stuck by them even if you forgot the plot at some point. Haha. I understand. Because still, you were there when it was updated. So THANK YOU. You guys motivated me to upload this on Wattpad and make this even better than what my 14-year-old self wrote. You're really the ones who keep me going to write and edit. So again, THANK YOU.

I hope you enjoyed the gang's journey. I hope you enjoyed Todd and Maxine's story. :)

BTW, HAPPY NEW YEARRR!!!

NOTE: For those who doesn't know, 'A and D' 'Realize' and 'Mismatched Compatibility' are in the same world. So in MC, the characters from 'A and D' and 'Realize' crosses paths and BOOM! A new story is born. Check it out. :)