Chapter 9: The Fame: Amped up

The following morning after Jamar Carter accepted the mission, a post on the official Instagram page of the Ballislife crew appeared, featuring a picture of him dunking with the caption: "It is official, Phantom J will be playing ones against members of the crew." Jamar was tagged in the post and stared at his phone in disbelief. He wondered how they had even found his handle since he barely posted anything meaningful, using it mostly to pass the time.

Curious, Jamar checked his follower count. His jaw dropped as he saw the number had skyrocketed from a mere 180 to 25,000 followers overnight. "Yes, I know I have 100k subscribers on YouTube, but yo, this is too much for me," he thought, feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety.

Determined to stick to his routine, Jamar headed to the gym where he had been working out throughout July. As he approached, he noticed the crowd of people gathered outside, all with their phones out, snapping pictures of him. The sudden attention made his heart race. Always shy and introverted, Jamar felt the weight of the new-found fame pressing down on him, breaking his concentration. Every time he completed a drill, he was delayed by fans asking for selfies.

"If you keep pulling a crowd like this, then maybe you could be offered a free membership with us," the receptionist said with a smile. She had never expected that one Instagram post about a kid barely 16 years old could draw such a crowd.

Jamar forced a smile and nodded, but inside, he felt the pressure mounting. He knew he needed to focus on his training if he wanted to stand a chance against the Ballislife crew. As he moved through his drills, he tried to block out the noise and the cameras, but it was tough. The gym, once his sanctuary, now felt like a stage where he was constantly being watched.

Determined not to let the fame get to him, Jamar took a deep breath and refocused. He reminded himself of why he had accepted the challenge in the first place. It wasn't about the followers or the attention. It was about proving to himself that he could rise to the occasion, no matter how high the stakes., 'Although technically it was a system mission with his height on the line' but he pushed on.

With renewed determination, Jamar pushed through his workout, ignoring the whispers and the camera flashes. He knew that this was just the beginning. The real challenge was yet to come, and he was ready to face it head-on.

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