THE ROAD TO BECOMING A SUPERTAR

The week passed by in a flash, and it was Monday morning. Hamza and Zara were both getting ready for school, while Adekunle and Hafsat were preparing for work. The family of four bustled about, getting themselves ready for the day. They eventually gathered at the dining table, where Hamza and Zara greeted the couple individually.

"Good morning," the children greeted.

Adekunle asked, "Morning. So, are you ready for your first day at school?"

Zara's face lit up with excitement, and she replied, "Yes, sir. I am so excited; I can't wait!"

Adekunle turned his attention to Hamza and inquired, "What about you, Hamza? Are you ready?"

Hamza responded, trying to conceal his excitement, which didn't escape Adekunle's notice. "Yes, I am, sir."

Adekunle chuckled and said, "That's good to hear." He then glanced at Hafsat and added, "Darling, you'll be the one taking them to school," with a smile.

Hafsat laughed and replied, "Sure, it's along my way."

The family finished their breakfast, and one by one, they departed for their respective destinations. Adekunle left in his car, while Hafsat drove the children to school. The drive to school was not long, and they arrived at a magnificent grey gate. Hamza and Zara couldn't contain their excitement. Hafsat dropped them off and said, "Have a nice day ahead of you. I will be back after school is over to get you," while waving at them.

Hamza and Zara waved back and then turned to see students walking around, either in pairs or groups. It was a bustling scene. Hamza noticed the curious stares they were receiving from both sides. Zara tugged at Hamza's long-sleeved shirt, and he realized he was getting just as many curious looks. Lagos was a diverse city, but it was predominantly Yoruba, so seeing a brother and sister who appeared to be of Hausa ethnicity was somewhat unusual. Hamza quickened his and Zara's pace to escape the public's gaze.

They finally reached Zara's class, and Hamza could see that his sister was still a bit nervous. He gazed into her eyes and reassured her, saying, "Zara, take a deep breath, okay? You will be fine. Don't worry." His words seemed to calm her.

Zara looked less tense and replied, "Thanks, brother. I wish you the best as well." With a smile, she waved at her brother and entered her classroom.

Hamza waved back and proceeded towards the left staircase, climbing to the top floor. As he reached the landing, he took a deep breath and prepared to enter the classroom. However, before he could step inside, he heard a voice from behind, asking, "Are you the new kid?" Hamza turned around and saw a woman in her early thirties. He nodded and replied, "Good morning, ma. Yes, I am a new student."

The woman smiled and gestured for him to follow her, saying, "Very well, then. Follow me." Hamza followed her as she led the way. They turned right and entered a classroom marked "SS3 B." The noise from the class was audible from the hallway.

Upon entering the classroom, all the students stood up and greeted the woman in unison, saying, "Good morning, ma." The woman responded warmly, "Good morning to you all. How was your holiday?" The students replied with scattered responses, and the woman smiled, saying, "Very well. Today, we have a new student joining us."

She turned her gaze towards Hamza, who had been quietly observing everyone. Hamza was pulled back from his thoughts as all eyes were on him. He introduced himself, saying, "Hello, my name is Hamza, and I'm new here. Please take care of me." He made a slight bow as a gesture of politeness.

The woman then pointed to a seat on the right side of the classroom and instructed, "Sit with Sofia there."

Hamza glanced towards the designated seat, where a girl was already sitting. She had a distinct Yoruba appearance and was undeniably beautiful. Her face seemed familiar to Hamza, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen her before. Hamza greeted her, "Hello, I'm Hamza."

Sofia looked at Hamza with a hint of surprise, her face reflecting a sense of recognition, though she couldn't pinpoint where she knew him from. Shaking off the feeling, she replied, "Hello, Hamza. My name is Sofia." She made room for Hamza to take a seat beside her.

The school day passed quickly, with Hamza fully engaged in his classes. During the break period, as the bell rang and the teacher left the class, Sofia turned to her left and asked, "Hello, I think I met you at Shoprite two weeks back or so."

Hamza was pleasantly surprised and recalled the encounter at Shoprite when a lady approached him to ask for his contact information. He looked at Sofia and replied, "Ah, no wonder I thought you looked familiar. Nice to meet you again." Hamza smiled warmly.

Sofia chuckled and playfully teased, "Well, I can't say the same for you. I gave you my contact, but you didn't contact me, eh?" She squinted her eyes, appearing to investigate Hamza.

Hamza chuckled nervously and tried to explain, "It's not like that. I told you the other day I don't have a phone."

Sofia gave him a skeptical look and added a hint of sarcasm to her voice, saying, "Hmm, you seriously expect me to believe that?"

Hamza shrugged off the skepticism and replied nonchalantly, "Well, I don't see anything there, though."

Sofia changed the topic and asked, "Okay, then are you going out for a break or what?"

Hamza answered, "Nah, my lunch was packed, so I will stay behind."

Suddenly, someone from behind shouted, "Yo, bro, I recognize you!" Startled, Hamza turned to see a short, dark-skinned boy pointing towards himself and said, "You're talking about me?"

The boy confirmed, "Yes, I saw a video of you that was posted by a blogger, Johnny_J. Man, you are amazing."

Hamza was pleasantly surprised, chuckled, and said, "Yes, that's me."

The excited boy continued, "Yes, I knew I was not mistaken, man. I am a fan of yours, bro. When I heard you sing, I tried looking you up on Instagram, but to no avail."

Hamza explained, "Oh, that's good to hear, man. I appreciate that. Also, I am not on Instagram yet, so that's why you couldn't find me."

The boy introduced himself, "That explains a lot. I am David, by the way," and extended his hand towards Hamza.

Hamza shook David's hand and replied, "Yeah, it does. I am Hamza."

Sofia, who had been listening to their conversation, was surprised and asked, "So you sing?"

Hamza was about to respond when David enthusiastically interjected, "Yes, he is very good at singing. Like, very good. He already has a fan base."

Sofia smiled and commented, "Oh, that's surprising. I never knew that you could sing."

Hamza responded, "Well, you never asked, and we just met recently, so…"

David noticed the conversation taking an awkward turn and quickly suggested, "I thought you wanted to go out for a break. You have less than 20 minutes. Why don't you run along, eh?"

Sofia seemed like she wanted to say something more but decided against it. She scoffed and walked out of the classroom, leaving Hamza and David to continue their conversation.