Part-2

  A few days ter. A simmeriment bubbled within James as he watched from the window. The same group of bullies, emboldened by their previous victory, had shifted their target. This time, it was a group of girls, their ughter morphing into nervous wary uhe boys' crude advances.

  James ched his fists. He yearned for a way to vanquish these bullies, a way as swift and final as the strokes of a pen in his favorite manga, "Death Note." In that fantastical world, a mysterious notebook held the power to erase a person's life simply by writing their hin its pages. The cept both horrified and fasated James. While he would never done such violence, a part of him couldn't help but relish the idea of a world free from these tormentors. But reality, as always, held no such shortcuts. There were no magiotebooks, no easy solutions. He was stuck with the very real problem of these bullies and the helpless girls they were harassing.

  Suddenly, a voice jolted him out of his brooding. "James, James! Look what I got!" It was Emdad, his cssmate and one of the few who didn't actively bully him. Unlike James, Emdad was anything but overlooked. His father, a successful businessman, showered him with the test gadgets and clothes. Today, it was a brand new iPhone, glinting iernoon sun.

  Wow," James managed, a flicker of envy tugging at him. He'd never owned anythiely close to an iPhone. His hobbies leaowards nerdier pursuits, like historical reenats and building model airpnes, which he found endlessly fasating. Video games held little appeal to him, and the exorbitant cost of these devices put them firmly out of reach. Still, a part of him couldn't help but yearn for something new, something that might bridge the gap between him and his cssmates.

  However, curiosity overcame his envy. He took the phone from Emdad, its sleek design cool against his palm. Emdad, radiating a newfound fidence, expined, "I heard girls dig iPhones. Maybe this'll finally help me score a date!"

  James watched, dumbfounded, as Emdad approached the group of girls, the phone a bea in his hand. To his surprise, the girls, who had been ign Emdad just a few days ago, now seemed genuinely ied in Emdad and his oy.

  "Wow, is that the new iPhone 14?" squealed Anika, her eyes wide with fasation.

  "Emdad, we see it?" chimed in Maya, leaning closer to get a better look.

  Emdad, preening uhe attention, unlocked the phone and began to show off the features. "It's got this amazing camera, perfect for selfies," he said, swiping through the high-resolution images.

  "And look at these games!" he tinued, ung a popur rag game. The girls crowded around, giggling as Emdad expertly navigated a virtual car around the track.

  James felt a pang of something akin to betrayal. Was this all it took to impress them? A fancy gadget?

  A bitter truth settled in James' stomach. Maybe Emdad was right. Maybe material possessions, like iPhones, held a certain allure, a shortcut to popurity that academic achievements and a ki couldn't provide. But was that the kind of e he truly desired? He gnced back at the window, where the rain tio fall, mirr the storm of emotions ing within him.