Betrayed

Chapter 2

It's Friday morning, and Vusi and I are outside smoking a joint. I mean, it's Friday, school is letting out early, and to be honest, it's not like I'm excited about going anyway. So why not have some stress relief before a potentially stressful day?

We're sitting on the curb, passing the joint back and forth, enjoying the quiet morning atmosphere. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and for a moment, everything feels okay. Vusi breaks the silence, "Dude, what's going on with you and Asanda? You two were tense yesterday."

I take a hit, holding the smoke in my lungs for a moment before exhaling. "Nothing, man. Just don't like people prying into my business." Vusi nods understandingly. He knows better than to push me when I'm not in the mood to talk.

We sit in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying our high and the peaceful morning. But as the minutes tick by, reality sets in. We can't avoid school forever. With a sigh, I stand up, brushing off my pants. "Time to face the music, I guess."

Vusi follows suit, and we head back inside, ready to face whatever the day throws our way. Or at least, as ready as we can be.

As we walk into school, Asanda approaches us, concern etched on her face. "Are you guys okay?" she asks, eyeing Vusi and me suspiciously. We're still feeling the effects of the joint we smoked earlier, but we're not totally out of it.

Vusi responds with a casual "I'm coming, nhe," and starts walking away. I call out to him, "Nig- Vusi," but he just turns around and says "I'm coming" again before leaving me standing there alone. Fuck me, I think to myself. Now I'm stuck dealing with Asanda's questions by myself.

Asanda turns her attention to me, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you okay?" she asks again, like she's trying to see right through me. I force a nod, trying to appear more together than I feel. "Yeah, I'm good." But my mind is racing, wondering where our friends Siya, Likhona, and Tyrese are. I hope they're around somewhere, I could use some backup right about now.

I scan the hallway, searching for a familiar face, but they're nowhere to be seen. I'm on my own, and Asanda's still watching me like a hawk. I try to shake off the feeling of unease, but it's hard to ignore. Where are they when I need them?

"Your eyes are red," Asanda says, her voice laced with concern. I nod my head, not really in the mood to engage in conversation, especially with her.

I really don't feel like talking right now, yohhh, or maybe it's just her. She's always asking questions, always prying. Can't she just take a hint? I'm not in the mood.

"I'm sorry about that other day, if my question offended you," she says, her voice soft and apologetic. I look at her and nod my head, trying to appear gracious, but really, I'm just trying to get her to leave me alone.

Ahhh, guys, can't a hun just take a hint? I'm bored of this conversation, bored of her constant questioning. Can't she see I'm not interested?

"Ah, ah, say something," she says, playfully hitting my arm. I look up at her, my expression unyielding, and shake my head. I'm not going to indulge her, not today, not ever.

"What do you want me to say? I'm fine, I know my eyes are red, don't give a fuck about that day," I reply, my tone blunt and uninterested. I see her smile, and I look at her weirdly, wondering why she's still pushing this.

"Maybe that day I asked the wrong question. Let me rephrase. What happened to you, Lihle?" she asks, her eyes searching mine for answers. I arch my eyebrow, surprised by her persistence.

"I mean, you used to like talking to people, you used to have a vibe, now you just seem...different," she says, her words trailing off. I shake my head, not wanting to get into this conversation.