Beckoned Through The Dark

06 // Lesego // Goosebumps

The kiss was so soft and warm, it sent shivers down my spine. Clay's hands–

Clay?

I kissed Clay.

I slowly opened my eyes and pushed him away, and all I saw at that moment was red. He looked at me confused. How could he act so dumb? "Les–"

I slapped him so hard, the sound of the contact resounded in the park. I looked at his hand as it moved to touch his now red cheek, and then I stormed off. I heard his footsteps running behind me before he tugged at my wrist, pulling me back against his hard chest. "Lesego, what was that?" He asked angrily. "You can't just kiss, and then slap me, what the hell, man?!" He snapped, his face turning red from anger.

"I kissed you. Really?" I snapped back, snatching my arm from his hold. "Don't be such a hoe, Lesego." He said bitterly. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, refraining from crying my eyes out. "You know what, Clay? Just take me home." I walk towards the car. He pulled me back, but I didn't give him the satisfaction, I pulled back and said in a cool and calm voice, "don't touch me!" I walked to his car and got in, strapping on my seatbelt, and then I leaned against the car window, looking outside.

About an hour and thirty minutes later, Clay pulled over outside my house. The entire ride was spent in silence, with Clay stealing glances at me every now and then.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and hurried for the door, but his voice stopped me, it wasn't loud, it was a whisper meant only for me to hear, or probably not, but it was there. "Lesego." I took in a shaky breath, but didn't bother to say a word, or try to make another move.

I heard him let out a loud troubled breath before he spoke, his words causing my previously unwilling head to snap his way, my eyes popping out of their sockets, my mouth dry, "I don't regret what happened back there, and I wouldn't mind doing it over and over again." He wasn't even looking at me, but the words were directed to me, sharp as a knife.

My mouth hung open, but no words were formed. I gripped the door handle with shaky hands and opened the door. I stepped out and took my bags with me, closing the door as gentle as possible, which was difficult due to my trembling body. I quickly pulled myself against the wall for strength as Clay sped away without sparing me a second glance.

And heck! The action didn't go unnoticed by Claudia as she pulled up outside her house, her eyes darting to Clay's car in the distance before narrowing at me. I sighed and walked towards the gates and unlocked it. I went into the house, which was empty, and dropped my bags in the sitting room before I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

After lazily placing the glass in the sink, I made myself some noodles. I was not hungry, I didn't have an appetite either, but I had to eat something as I didn't eat anything all day. I took the little bowl and walked to the sitting room, I plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV, tuning to Boomerang, hoping that maybe Tom and Jerry would cheer me up, but to no avail.

I finished up my noodles, which unfortunately, had no taste, and I took the bowl to the kitchen and washed the dishes that were piled up in the sink. Once I was done, I switched off the TV, took my bags, and went upstairs to my room. I locked myself in and collapsed on my bed and hoped to drift off to sleep immediately because I didn't want to think about anything that went down today. I didn't want to think about Clay, but I couldn't help it.

My mind drifted to his earlier question, why I always snapped at him whenever he would try to console me. I thought my actions were obvious, but he is just so oblivious to everything, oblivious to my feelings.

I would snap because he was the one who said that I was ugly the first day we met. I snapped because his words were permanently engraved on my heart. I snapped because he had lied to me. I snapped because he was only there because he was forced to. I snapped because I liked him, but he never liked me back. I snapped because I had fallen head over heels in love with him, and yet...and yet he never got to know it.

With that last thought, I drifted off to sleep.

My phone blared up with Sihle's ringtone, and I groaned in annoyance as I searched for the phone with my eyes half closed. I skimmed over my bed, but there was nothing. This made me fully awake as I sat up, the small blanket tangled across my feet. I pushed it off and climbed down from my bed, walking to my study table where my bags were. The phone had stopped ringing a long time ago.

I retrieved my phone from my bag and found over twenty missed calls and messages from Sihle demanding answers on my whereabouts, most of them were sent after I had arrived home from the park with Clay.

I felt a pang of guilt at the thought. Did this make me a cheat? My phone beeped, signalling a new message. It was from Sihle. I sighed and opened it.

I don't know what is going on with you, but I know something's up. I've been trying to call you all day long, but you didn't answer any of my calls. Your mother was here earlier too, looking for you, but some students said that you disappeared with Clay. What is going on, Lesego? Call me:(

What have I done? I hugged my shoulders as the chill air from outside seeped through my skin. I walked over to my window and closed it. And then suddenly, goose bumps appeared on my skin as I realised that my window was not opened when I went to bed. My bags were on my bed, and I didn't have a blanket on. I just collapsed on my bed; I don't even remember taking off my shoes.

I peered outside my closed window to see if there was anyone, but I was welcomed by darkness. A shiver ran down my spine as the thought that someone was in my room crossed my mind. I quickly drew the curtains and hurried to my door. I opened my door, but it wouldn't barge. If the temperature was cold before, it was even colder now. I had locked the door when I went to bed, and my window was closed. But when I woke up, the window was opened, and my door was still locked.

I quickly unlocked my door, and ran downstairs, almost tripping on the last stair. "Dineo? Duncan?" I called out as I stumbled into the sitting room. "Are you–" my steps faltered as I took in the sight in front of me, my breaths laboured. My mom, Jack, Duncan and Dineo were seated at the dinner table, eating. Everyone stopped eating, and turned to look at me, confused looks on their faces. "Lesego?" My mom broke the thick silence. I looked at her and gulped at her sight. She looked so disoriented.

My mother was white, no doubt, which I think was the same reason Claudia thought I was white too. She had long jet-black hair that complemented her pale skin and emphasized her ocean-blue eyes, and thin pale pink lips. She was beautiful, and mysterious, especially the later, and honestly, her look right now did not make the situation any easier. Her next question brought me back to the present, "where were you?" I frowned at her.

"I was in my room, sleeping?" I said, which came out more like a question. My mother pressed her lips into a tight line and narrowed her eyes at me, her gaze cutting through my skin like sharp broken glass pieces. "You were in your room, sleeping all day?" She asked sternly as if daring me to lie to her.

I looked at the others, Duncan held my gaze before he quickly looked down. Dineo was too fantasized by her food as she stared down at it as if her fictional characters had come to live. Jack was looking at me as expectantly as my mother. I sighed and took a sit next to Dineo. "I left school early with Clay, he took me to the park, and then he brought me back before 2p.m.," I explained in a shaky voice. Fiddling with my fingers, I continued, "I got here, ate, and then I went to bed."

"We searched for you everywhere! Do you know how much time and money I spent looking for you?" My mom snapped. "We literally looked for you everywhere!" She shouted, causing Dineo and Duncan to jump. I gritted my teeth, and asked, "Everywhere except in my room?" I raised my eyebrows at her. She shifted uncomfortably in her sit. Silence fell again as we stared at each other.

"Isabelle, your mother was just worried about you." Jack said, causing me to snicker. "The name is Lesego, and she wasn't worried about me. If she was so worried that she spent so much money trying to find me, she could have spent less money by buying airtime, and tried to call me." My mom pressed her lips in thin line, her face turning red from anger. "I have my phone with me here, and there is not even a single missed call or text message from her, so forgive me if I'm not about to play the grateful daughter and shower her face with kisses."

"Dineo and Duncan, go to your rooms." Jack said, but I interjected, "don't bother, we are done here anyway." Duncan gave me a nervous smile as he set his plate back on the table and sat down. "Dineo, do you want to join me for another episode of Santa Diabla?" Dineo gave me a weak smile.

"I watched earlier after school, but I don't mind watching it again, I recorded the episodes for you." She said as she got up and walked to the TV area and started flipping through the channels.

I gave my mother one last glance before I walked to where Dineo was and plopped on the couch. Halfway through the telenovela, Dineo slid something into my hands. I frowned and stared down at the E-reader in my hands. "I tried opening your room with my spare key when I came back from school, but it wouldn't open." She explained.

Suddenly, I felt cold all over again. "So, you were not in my room earlier?" I asked, to which she replied with a nod, sending a shiver down my spine. I glanced over my mother at the dinner table, to find her staring at me with intense eyes.

"Thank you." Dineo murmured, and I nodded, my gaze still on my mother. If my mother or anyone of them didn't know I was in my room, and Dineo, who was the only person with an extra key to my room, didn't open my door, and never stepped into my room, then who opened the window in my room? Who took off my shoes? Who put a blanket over me, and who moved my bags?

I couldn't help feeling the hairs at the back of my head stand up. Who was in my room?