The Inter-Catholic Schools Academic Challenge kicked off on a bright Saturday at Opoku Ware SHS.
Schools from every corner of Kumasi filled the hall: St. Louis, St. Monica's, St. Peter's, Prempeh College, and of course, St. Hubert.
The banners waved. The crowd buzzed. And the teams wore sharp uniforms white shirts, blue or green ties, and polished black shoes.
Kingstar had never stood on a stage like that.
The quiz mistress stood tall, her glasses sitting lightly on her nose, flipping through a stack of questions.
As they waited backstage, Dennis turned to Kingstar.
"Don't embarrass us. This is not Form One maths."
Kingstar just smiled. He wasn't here for arguments anymore.
When their turn came, Kingstar, Boakye, and Benedict walked to their podium.
Lights on. Buzzers ready.
Round One: General Knowledge.
"What is the capital of Bolivia?"
Buzz! Boakye: "La Paz." Correct!
"Define osmosis."
Buzz! Benedict: "Movement of water molecules…" Correct!
"Which river is the longest in West Africa?"
Buzz! Kingstar: "The Niger River." Correct!
By the end of Round One, St. Hubert was second.
Then came Round Two: Mathematics and Science.
This was Kingstar's moment.
"Simplify: 3x² + 5x – 2 minus (2x² – x + 4)."
Buzz! Kingstar: "x² + 6x – 6."
Correct.
"What gas is produced when hydrochloric acid reacts with zinc?"
Buzz! Kingstar: "Hydrogen gas."
Correct.
"Factorise: x² – 5x + 6."
Buzz! Kingstar: "(x – 2)(x – 3)."
Correct.
St. Hubert soared to the top.
Even Dennis, sitting in the audience, was silent.
By the final round, they were 5 points ahead.
"Final question: Who wrote 'Things Fall Apart'?"
Buzz! Boakye: "Chinua Achebe."
Correct!
The bell rang.
The quiz mistress raised her hand and announced:
"First place: St. Hubert Seminary SHS!"
The crowd erupted. Boys screamed. Teachers clapped. Other schools looked impressed.
But Kingstar didn't jump or shout.
He simply turned, shook hands with the quiz mistress, and walked down from the stage quietly powerful.
Back in the bus, Mr. Obeng leaned toward him.
"You didn't win this just for the school.
You reminded all of us that true strength isn't loud."
And from that day forward, even Dennis started greeting him with
"Chale, Boss King!"