Wassup, beautiful people!😊🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏽‍♀️

I'm back with more TRO for y'all.

We're at 1K....tf???😩🔥

Una too much abeggg💖💖💖💖💖💖.

A million thanks for helping me to achieve this milestone🥺.

Ngwa nu, Let's start.

~~~~~~~
"I wish that I could be like the cool kids,
'Cause all the cool kids,
They seem to fit in."
~~~~~~~
- Echosmith
(Cool Kids)

Khalid

I shuffled on my feet as Mrs. Edwards, the Vice Principal, looked through the test sheets in her hands.

She looked up with a big smile. "Once again, perfect scores all round, Khalid."

I heaved a silent sigh of relief and smiled back.

Due to my condition, I do seperate oral tests and exams, with the same questions my mates are expected to answer.

I've been doing this since JSS2, and- not meaning to brag - I'm the top student in the full set. And I'm talking a 'never failed a single question' kinda top student.

But, of course, I've never been publicly acknowledged for my academic prowess at the annual Awards Ceremony held at the end of every school year.

I don't blame the school, though.

Imagine having to explain to parents who spend fortunes on private tutors and the like that their kids had been bested by a boy with dyslexia.

Trust me, it won't be pretty, especially with these Hillsong mums and their love for drama.

"I honestly don't know what to say other than keep it up," Mrs Edwards continued. "It must not be easy being treated differently than your peers, but you're moving forward past it, and I'm very proud of you."

I nodded. "Thank you, ma."

Her words made me go down memory lane, back to when I was just applying at Hillsong to enter JSS1.

I had attended a meeting with my mum and the Principal, where she explained my condition to him.

"Not to worry, Mrs. Inneh-Mustapha, your son will be in excellent hands here," the Principal had said.

"I'm aware of that, sir. In fact, my older son, Majid is already in JSS2 here," Mum had replied.

"Oh, that's very good."

"Yes, but I need you to understand is that Khalid will have to take things at his own pace. He is extremely intelligent, mind you, it's just that he grasps things in a unique way."

I loved and still love the way my mum talks about my dyslexia, as if it is a gift that makes me special rather than a disorder.

It's the Professor of Psychology in her, I guess.

My first year at Hillsong was tough, though. Nobody apart from Veronica seemed to get that I was dyslexic, they all thought I was as dumb as a donkey.

They'd laugh when a teacher would call me out to read something on the board or from a book.

Then when they did get that I was dyslexic, I became somewhat of a pariah, and my 'dumbness' was considered contagious.

Thankfully, the spotlight on me didn't last very long and they soon moved on to other stuff.

It was Mrs. Edwards who petitioned for me to take private tests, and she's been on my case since then, even going as far as to arrange for me to write my Junior WAEC Exams under the disabled category to make things easier for me.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up.

"Mr. Ovo wants to see you. He's in the theatre."

"Oh, okay."

She handed me the sheets.

"Thanks again, ma."

I left her office and made for the elevators, the theatre being my destination.

I wonder why Mr. Ovo is calling me?

It's not like it's unusual;Mr. Ovo, the music teacher,is more of a friend than  a teacher.

Music has always been my favourite subject in school, and it still is, although I don't offer it anymore.

It was the only subject where I was completely sound both theoretically and practically.

Bars, notes, clefs...they all make sense to me, as odd as that sounds.

I can read sheet music clearly and easily, and playing it on an instrument is pretty much a piece of cake.

Because of this, the music room became a regular hang out spot for me, and Mr. Ovo and I built a firm friendship.

I haven't had much chance to go there this term, as per senior student, so I haven't seen him either.

I got to the theatre in moments and pushed the big door open.

The theatre at Hillsong High was huge, having a seating capacity of up to a thousand when both the lower and upper floors are considered.

The chairs were of black material with gold embroidery, not the typical red found in others.

The lights were off apart from the ones on the big stage area, where Mr. Ovo stood with someone else, waving his hand at me.

"Over here, Khalid," he said.

I walked all the way down towards the stage and climbed up on it using the small stairs at the side.

It was then that I saw that Mr. Ovo was with Sheraton, one of Majid's set mates who is the reigning boss of all Hillsong's theatre productions.

Rumour has is that she left the school in JSS2 to go to G.I.F.T.T.S in Abuja, only to come back in SS1 because she got kicked out for being too much of a diva.

I stepped up to both of them, Sheraton seated in front of a small table and Mr. Ovo perched on the table itself.

"Good morning, sir," I greeted with a smile.

"My guyyy, afa na?" He said, raising his hand to give me a handshake which I happily obliged to.

Mr. Ovo isn't one of your regular, run-of-the-mill teachers. He's the kind of teacher who would show up to school on a Monday morning in black sweatpants and still somehow look official. The kind that bought donuts and candy for his students. The kind that let his students freely hang out in the music room with their phones and other prohibited gadgets. Heck, he would help students download the latest movies and stuff like that or let them try their hand at recording in the mini studio there.

He was that cool teacher that everybody likes and was  comfortable around, but who was still firm enough to be respected and earn respect.

I cast a side glance at Sheraton who nodded in acknowledgement of my presence, her brown bangs bouncing slightly against her forehead.

"Sorry to have interrupted your meeting with Madam Eddy, but Shera here has something to ask you."

I glanced at Sheraton again and then looked back at him. "Me? Why?"

Sheraton sat up straight and cleared her throat.

"I'm putting together another school play for third term. This time it's a musical,"she said in a rather loud and almost dramatic voice, proving that she was indeed a drama kid.

"Shera's written the script and is going to be producing and directing the musical herself, but she turned to me for help in the music sector," Mr. Ovo added.

"Okay?" I asked.

"Well, I needed someone who could help me write original songs for the musical, as well as arrange already existing songs for the soundtrack," she continued.

I frowned slightly, my brows knitting together in confusion.

"When I met Mr. Ovo, you were the first person he mentioned," she said, stopping to bring out her phone. She tapped at it for a while before holding it up in front of me. "He also showed me this."

It was a video of me, in the music room, playing idly on a keyboard, humming to  a tune I remember had been stuck in my head for weeks. A few seconds into the video, I started singing softly.

Sheraton paused the video and put her phone down again.

"That was original, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, if you could do that for the musical,then-"

"No," I said.

Sheraton's demeanour fell and she glanced at Mr. Ovo.

"I can't do it," I added.

"Of course you can, Khalid. I've seen you work. You're amazing!" Mr. Ovo said.

"Thank you, but I don't think I can do something as big as a whole musical," I said.

I looked at Sheraton who was now holding a spiral bound manuscript at staring at it.

She suddenly looked up at me, something akin to hurt in her eyes.

"Please," she said, her voice somewhat softer, " Honestly, you're my last hope. I've tried everything. I met up with a few studios with smaller artistes, even some people that I know,but no one wants to work with me for free. I'm already way over budget and production hasn't even begun yet."

She held up the manuscript and I tilted my head trying to read the title.

RSITAYCFOTS

ITCY FO RSATS

CITY OF STARS

"I'm trying to use this project to reapply for G.I.F.T.T.S' Summer Program next year, and if it flops I'll lose my only chance of attending G.I.F.T.T.S again and that could jeopardise my plans for the future," she said, rushing the words like she was embarrassed to be saying them.

"Basically, this musical needs to be the best it can be,and you're the key right now," Mr. Ovo said.

He clasped a hand on my shoulder.

"Plus, you need to start putting yourself out there, Khalid. And although your role in this -if you choose to accept it- is a not so visible one, at least you'll be putting those talents of yours to good use."

I rubbed at my nose and looked at Sheraton again.

She handed me the manuscript.

"Will you do it?"

Sucking in my cheeks, I made the decision quickly.

What do I have to lose?

"I'll do it," I answered.

Joy erupted across Sheraton's features and she smiled.

"Thank you, Khalid. This means a whole lot," she said as Mr. Ovo gave me a thumbs-up.

"I'll be announcing the auditions for the leads tomorrow so we can start working with them. Then the other cast will be filled up. The Drama Club crew is still in tact, so no worries there," Sheraton began ranting. "You'll also be like a creative assistant to me, so don't be afraid to share your honest opinions about the script once you've gone thlrough it and even when rehearsals start."

I nodded, holding the manuscript in both my hands.

Sheraton stood up.

"I guess we're settled then," Mr. Ovo said, getting up as well.

"Yup."

"Alright then, off you kids go. Break is almost over," he said.

I smiled briefly at both of them, then turned to leave.

.......

I half had the mind to go back and hand  Sheraton back her script.

A musical?

The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I do have something to lose....my own sanity.

But then, Mr. Ovo's word had hit different.

I've been hearing the same thing from Majid all my life, but the fact that he actually thought I was good enough to create the soundtrack for a whole musical hit different.

Stepping into the hallway of the SS1 block, I decided to ask Veronica in the classroom.

As I approached my classroom, I saw her standing by the wall with someone.

I walked over to meet them, only to see that she was with Jovan Jovi, giggling at whatever he had just said.

"Ron," I simply said when I got to them.

She looked up at me with her big green eyes that were lined with black.

Yeah, she's still on her make-up thing.

"You've finished with Mrs. Edwards?" she asked.

I nodded, aware of the fact that Jovan was staring at me.

"So what's going on here?" I had to ask.

"Nothing much, just chatting with my bae," Jovan quipped.

"Oh, cool.....wait....huh?"

Veronica punched Jovan in the arm and scowled at him.

Her....boyfriend?

"Excuse us," I said, pulling her away by the arm.

We were standing a few feet away from him when I fired my questions

"Where? When? How? Whyyyy?"

"Stop being so dramatic!" Veronica said, rolling her eyes, then touched the script under my arm. "And what's this?"

"Don't change the subject. Explain"

She folded her arms and sighed.

"Well, we've been friends since JSS2, but we got close last term after he broke up with Tsema. Then we just both kinda confessed," she said, ending with a shrug.

"And where was I when all this was happening?"

"JAMB question," she giggled.

I glanced over her shoulder at Jovan, who was standing with his hands in his pockets.

He was our set's resident bad boy, always getting into one trouble or another, thus garnering a reputation of sorts. Some of his popularity also came from the rumours surrounding his family, his older sister in particular, but basically he was that guy that girls would whisper about and blush like fools if he so much as looked their way.

This, coupled with good looks and his general rebel energy made him the set's heartthrob.

Who knew Veronica was part of his fan club?

I looked back down at her."But Ron, you know Jovan is-"

"A bad boy?" She completed.

"Yeah."

"Oh please, Khalid. You're seriously going to believing rumours?"

"Just looking out for you," I said. "Plus it hurts that you didn't let me in on this earlier."

"I know. And I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but this hasn't been going on for long and I want Jovan and I to work, so can we please have your support?"

Jovan and I? Blech!

I shrugged as a response, not wanting to upset her.

"Thank you," she said.

With that, she turned and walked back to meet him.

I stood there, watching them talk for the few seconds before the bell for end of break rang.

Everyone in the hallway scrambled back to their classrooms.

The happy couple hugged briefly, then Veronica went into our classroom.

I walked in almost immediately after.

Sitting at my desk, I rubbed at my nose.

What a year this is going to be.

Veronica

I expected the news of Jovan and I would eventually spread, but as I sat down to stares, side glances and whispers, I knew we must have made ourselves too obvious.

But it was during lunch break, when The Emmanuellas approached me in the classroom, that I knew the news had reached big places.

The Emmanuellas are these three girls who bear the same name and a similar attitude.

To differentiate them, we address each one with a different shortened form of their name. They also have their own individual traits that help in identification.

Ella is the one always chewing gum or licking lollipops.

Emma is the one obsessed with the colour purple.

Nuella is the one with a babyish lisp in her speech.

"Hi, Veronica!" they chorused once they got to my desk.

Almost everyone had gone out for lunch.

Khalid had seated himself on the desk closest to the door, waiting for me.

"Hi!" I replied.

"So," Ella began as Emma and Nuella perched on either side of my desk. "We heard you and Jovan are together. Is it true?"

I bit the corner of my lip, knowing I'll have to be careful about what I say.

It was a known fact that The Emmanuellas worked for Sebastian Soyinka, head of the school newspaper and Hillsong High's official king of gossip. He literally knows everything there is to know about everyone, both in and out of the school.

Sometimes, he sends The Emmanuellas to scout for info for him, and in return, he gave them a column in the newspaper, which they mostly use to spread gossip.

"Yeah," I said, nodding,"we're together."

Emma tilted her head to the side, causing her purple-tipped braids to bounce. " Is that why he and Tsema broke up?"

"What? No! They broke up before we started dating."

My eyes moved to where Tsemaye sat, being one of the few people still in the class.

In set rankings, she always fluctuates between either 1st or 2nd prettiest, while I'm the 15th or 16th.

When she and Jovan were a thing, they were so close that everyone expected them to last till SS3 and maybe even further.

No one, not even me, saw their break-up coming.

"T'sokay, Veronica, we believe you. We actually tsaw everything that happened tsince then," Nuella said.

"O-okay?"

I'm being watched by the chief tatafos of my set. Wonderful.

"Quick question, though. What happened to you and Khalid?" asked Ella.

I rolled my eyes slightly. "Nothing. We're just friends; best friends."

"

So he's available then," Emma quipped,  glancing at Khalid. "And so fine!"

Ella scrunched her small nose and nudged Emma. " Um..Emms, you know he has dyslexia or something like that."

"Oh!" Emma said, cringing. "Eww!"

I was about to comment when all three girls turned to the open door and gave a synchronised gasp.

"Oh. No. Tshe. Didn't!"

"That's the third one this week!"

"I told you people she would!"

It was obvious they were talking about someone that just passed, but I didn't have the energy to start processing who exactly the person was.

They've killed enough of my brain cells as it is.

They kept whispering amongst themselves until Emma and Nuella jumped off my desk.

"Bye, Veronica!" they chorused, sashaying out of the classroom in sync.

Khalid turned to face me, raising both his eyebrows as if to say; "You good?"

I nodded in response and was about to get up when Tsema did something strange.

She started walking towards me.

Aren't I popular today?

She pulled up a chair and sat down.

I suddenly felt kinda insecure.

Like I mentioned, Tsema is very pretty, with her glowing brown complexion and those ethereal eyes of hers. Long lashes, full lips, pretty snub nose. Her hair was done in long, light brown faux locs with a few strands completely filled with glass beads. She looked like some sort of fairy.

And it wasn't just her looks, the girl could dress. I'm talking Top 10 Best Dressed students here at Hillsong. Her fashion sense was that impressive.

The icing on the cake is her vocal skills. Literally just her speaking voice is ear candy but when she sings, it's something else. She doesn't flaunt about , though, and I'm sure not many people know she can sing.

In other words, Tsemaye Omagbe is who I want to be when I grow up.

"Hey," she said in her melodic voice.

"Hey."

"I saw The Emmanuellas here."

"Yeah, they were interrogating me 'bout my relationship with Jovan-"

Oops!

"I'm sorry," I quickly interjected,not wanting to seem like I was rubbing it in her face.

"It's okay," she said, laughing a little.

That set me at ease and I smiled at her.

"You and I should hang out sometime," she said, smiling back.

I blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. You're cool, and I don't really know you that well. I'd like us to be friends."

Most people see me as the kinda quiet biracial girl with braces who's best friends with a dyslexic boy. Some don't even know I'm Phineas' sister, so for Tsema, technically the most popular girl in our whole set to say that I'm cool? Pinch me.

"We should definitely hang out sometime then."

She stood up."I'm going for lunch, you comin'?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, standing as well.

She walked out and I followed, stopping so that I walk with Khalid behind her.

"What was all that about?" he whispered.

"I'll tell you later," I quickly replied, a smile playing at my lips.

Veronica Chimuanya Sullivan, I thought to myself ;you have arrived.

High school, am I right?😂💔

Not Veronica feeling like a big girl🙄😂.

And Khalid has some work on his hands🤸🏽‍♀️.

I also feel like Nigerian schools should be doing more to accommodate kids with all kinds of conditions.

Thoughts on Jovan? Tsema? The Emmanuellas?😂💔. They're actually inspired by 3 of my classmates, so shout out to them😂🤲🏽.

Beryl's POV in the next chapter, which will definitely be after Christmas.

Vote and comment as usual, and don't forget to share the book with those you think might like it.

I love you all🥺💖.

And please, let's use this festive period to spread the good news of the Lord's birth with others. He is the reason for the season!

See you when I see you✨

Merry Christmas❤❤❤.