THE ROAD TO BECOMING A SUPERTAR

Hamza looked at David and asked, "What's her deal?"

David responded, "Well, nothing. She's a nice person if you get to know her, although she can be picky at times."

Hamza continued, "Well, she is beautiful and cool, though, I think," while trying to reach out for his lunch.

David smiled and added, "Oh, that's not surprising. She is indeed beautiful. But enough of that, bro. I wanted to ask, why are you not on any platform?"

Hamza replied, "Well, I don't have a phone, so…"

David looked surprised but didn't press further on the matter. He glanced at Hamza, who was already eating his meal, and said, "Well, I wanted to tell you that you play the guitar well. Do you play any other instruments?"

Hamza responded, "Well, I can play the flute, and I just started learning the piano. Why do you ask? Do you also play?"

David said, "Well, you're in luck then. I've been learning the piano since I was a kid, so I can play. I'm also good at creating beats if you understand me. I can teach you if you want."

Hamza looked surprised and said, "You play the piano? That's surprising, and you can make beats too?"

David replied, "Yeah, I do, but I'll teach you if you teach me how to play the guitar and help me improve my singing."

Hamza agreed, "Sure, that would be good, man. But how do we meet up?"

David chuckled and said, "That's not a problem. You can come over to my place, or I can come over to yours."

Hamza hesitated and said, "Well, I would have to ask my parents, though."

David reassured him, "No problem. Once they agree, let me know, okay?"

Hamza nodded, and the two continued their conversation. However, Hamza suddenly felt like someone was staring at him. He turned around to meet the gaze of his classmates who were pointing at him, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

David noticed this as well and chuckled. He said, "Well, you can't blame them for staring. Your looks are quite captivating and handsome, so you'll get that a lot."

Hamza rolled his eyes, and when the bell rang again, signaling the end of the break, he sighed in relief. He told David, "We'll talk after classes are over."

Classes resumed as usual, with Hamza fully concentrated on his studies. Meanwhile, Sofia couldn't help but steal glances at Hamza, though he pretended not to notice. Her thoughts were a whirlwind as she tried to understand him better. According to David, he was a talented musician and the fact that he didn't have a phone in this day and age puzzled her. What made her most uncomfortable was his seemingly indifferent attitude towards her. Sofia was accustomed to attention, and the fact that Hamza didn't seem interested in her intrigued and bothered her. She made a silent promise to herself that she would change that and make Hamza take notice of her.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, students started gathering with their friends. Hamza stood up and looked around for David. Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and when he turned around, he saw Sofia, his seatmate. She apologized, saying, "Hey, Hamza, sorry for how I acted earlier. I shouldn't have judged you."

Hamza, looking somewhat confused by the sudden apology, maintained his composure and replied, "Well, there's no need to apologize. You were just expressing your opinion, so no hard feelings."

Without waiting for a response, Hamza spotted David talking to some boys and waved at him. He then turned back to Sofia, who was still standing and said, "Bye, Sofia. See you tomorrow." He walked away without further interaction, leaving Sofia standing there, perplexed and frustrated by his nonchalance. She grumbled in frustration but held herself back from pursuing him further.

Hamza approached David and greeted, "Hey, bro." David shook his hand and introduced Hamza to his friends. First, he pointed to a fair and tall boy, saying, "This is Abayomi; he's the captain of the football club in our school." He then pointed to another boy and introduced him, "This is Kennedy; he's our class rep."

Hamza looked at the boys David had introduced him to, starting with Abayomi. He stretched out his hand and said, "Hey, bro, I'm Hamza. Nice to meet you."

Abayomi, who was slightly shorter than Hamza, shook his hand and commented, "It seems I have someone taller than me now, eh? Nice meeting you, bro. David has been talking all about you."

Hamza chuckled and asked, "Oh, I hope he told you the good part?"

Abayomi replied, "Yeah, he sure did," and looked at Hamza in a friendly manner.

Hamza then turned to Kennedy and said, "Nice to meet you, bro." He offered his hand for a handshake and noticed a momentary trace of hostility on Kennedy's face, although it disappeared quickly. Hamza couldn't help but wonder what might have caused it but decided to put that thought aside for now.

Kennedy answered while shaking Hamza's hand, "Same, bro. You can call me Ken."

Hamza replied, "Okay, sure, Ken." They all walked downstairs together and engaged in a conversation. Hamza learned that Abayomi was the most jovial and talkative, while David, despite being the shortest, was also cheerful and the most senior among them. On the other hand, Ken was the most mature and spoke less.

As they conversed, Hamza eventually excused himself, saying, "Okay, guys, later. Tomorrow, I want to pick up my sister." David's voice followed, reminding him, "Don't forget what we discussed." Hamza acknowledged with a thumbs-up and walked towards his sister's class.

Upon entering, he saw Zara surrounded by girls her age, all laughing and chatting. Hamza was surprised but chose not to interrupt them and watched from a distance.

Zara, who was surrounded by her new friends, noticed her brother in the distance. She waved at him, and he reciprocated. Zara bid goodbye to her friends and made her way to meet her brother, greeting him with a warm hug.

The siblings walked together towards the parking lot and spotted their mother, Hafsat, who waved at them. Upon reaching her, they got into the car, and Hafsat asked, "How was school?"

Zara eagerly began narrating everything that had gone on during her first day, and they continued their conversation as they drove back home.