No Love

02 - Casino

TSHIDISO

She's drunk and yet she wants to leave with me. The noise has fortunately quietened now, seeing as it's around 8pm and I've just hopped out of the shower. Pana banged on my door around 5pm then threw herself on my bed. She's been sleeping until now.
"Sleep it off," I say.
"Why?" she whines
I scoff.
"You're drunk. I'm not about to carry you on my back because you decided to go beyond your limit."
She squints her eyes at me.
"I'm your best friend. You have to. Anyway, who will you leave with then? You came here yesterday. I know you don't know anyone," she says.
"I don't need to know people, to have fun. I can do that alone," I say.
She knows this.
"This is varsity, Diso. You need to socialize and all that. How will you run next year if you don't interact with people?" she asks.
"Run for what? I'm a dancer, not an athlete."
She snickers.
"I'm talking about the SRC, dummy!"
"Oh, that. Don't worry. I haven't even started with my lectures yet"
I spray my cologne, just enough because I don't want to walk around smelling like I used the whole bottle on me.
"Why are you putting in so much effort? You have a girlfriend that you're not telling me about?"
I laugh.
"Sleep, girl. Are you sleeping here or should I drop you off at res?"
She scoffs, folding her arms after sitting up.
"I'm leaving with you, Diso. I'll just shower here then I'll quickly go change. I have to fight off any girls who try to throw themselves at you"
I shrug.
"Whatever, miss. Go shower then. I'm going to make myself something to eat. I'm hungry"
I've never seen her spring up so fast. I laugh to myself as I walk out of my bedroom. I'm glad I get to have that kind of privacy. I halt my steps in the living room and scrutinize it. I expected them to have left a mess, seeing as my housemate isn't someone who likes tidiness but it's been tidied. I know him and know there's no way he could've done this. The people who were here are drunks. Drunk people don't think – they are messy and just... I don't like alcohol and that's it. It might sound like I'm bashing it but I despise it.
"Where are you going?"
I jump from being startled. I turn to my housemate who decided to creep up on me. I thought cats are the only sneaky ones.
"To make food. Where are you going?" I ask with reference to his outfit.
He's dressed up and smells exactly how I didn't want – as if he used the whole bottle of cologne.
"To do grown man stuff. You wouldn't understand"
His condescending tone isn't to be missed. I snicker.
"That screams fragile masculinity," I quip.
"Whatever. Make me food as well. I'll need the energy for when I come back with your sister for the night," he says then winks at me.
I scrunch my face.
"I'm not your child, rude face. You're probably going to come with someone my age. I heard how y'all prey on first year students"
He chortles. I'd never thought we could have a conversation where he's not being rude to me. I'm surprised he hasn't called me out for my stuttering yet.
"Who doesn't like fresh pussy? I should hook you up," he suggests.
I chuckle.
"No, thanks. I don't think you'd know my type."
He quirks an eyebrow.
"What is your type?" he muses. "Oh, that girl you came with? Petite one with a bust. That's your type? I can't imagine you settling for anything else since you're built like a twink."
I'd be offended if I hadn't heard that most of my life. My sister and I took most of mom's genes. My sister only took my dad's complexion and that's it. How my mom went for someone that tall is beyond me.
"Yeah, as long as they're not taller than me I guess," I shrug.
My stomach growls.
"Let me get to the cooking," I say.
I turn from him and advance to the kitchen. I find the fridge almost empty. I mean, I know for sure that I did groceries so, what is this? I open the freezing side which is on the low door and nope, nothing. I open the top one again, only finding eggs and some fruits but that's it. I turn to my housemate who's now on the couch.
"Where's my food?" I glower at him.
He shrugs.
"What do you mean? You're t-the o-one w-who had p-people h-here!" I stutter.
It becomes worse when I am agitated.
He chortles, slapping his lap as if it's the funniest thing he's heard.
"Bro, you really need to do something about that stuttering. Shit is annoying!"
Then he laughs again.
"Well, Mr. You're going to replace the food I bought because you're the one who decided to flood our flat with drunkards and watched them cook and eat my food! T-there w-was no g-groceries wh-when I got here."
He's stares at me in disinterest but I don't let that infuriate me further.
"What makes you think I'd do anything you tell me? What are you going to do to me when you can't complete a sentence without stuttering?"
He's mocking me. At this point, I wish I was a hothead because I'd be lurching onto him now. My subconscious is telling me to. I can't even find it in me to be angry. Instead, I nod. I have to forget about food now. I'm hoping the casino we're going to at least has decent food. I take out a sealed bottle of water then exit the kitchen. I can see that he thinks he can intimidate me.
"Are you done?" I ask Pana who is nowhere on sight.
It's kind of a stupid question since I just left here. It hasn't been ten minutes so I doubt she'd be done that fast. She claims I take longer showers but I think she takes the cup. Worse, she sings in there as if she's Beyoncé. She has a horrible voice and no matter how many times I tell, she still continues. She once sent me a video singing to her boyfriend who was grinning as if she's Whitney Houston. I still think she fed him something. They're still together and she still sings for him. She loves singing even though she can't and she knows it. She apparently joined the choir during orientation. How that's going to go is beyond me.
She takes thirty minutes and by then, my intestines are sticking to each other. I might end up downing a full chicken on my own. I'm definitely going for the chicken.
"See, now we'll arrive there around 10pm. When will we get back?"
"Relax. We can go somewhere else after that. Will you be playing?"
The shower seems to have sobered her up a bit.
"No, I don't think so. I don't gamble moss. That thing almost destroyed my father"
She nods. I park my car on a free space.
"Don't make me wait forever."
"I won't."
I get out with a cigarette and spark it up. There're a few students playing soccer where basketball is usually played. They're rattling and seem to be kicking each other instead of the ball. It's disturbing. I still don't know my housemate's name and can't believe I didn't bother asking him. How would I have when all he did was piss me off? My stomach keeps grumbling as I wait for Pana. I'm even tempted to leave her then go get myself something to eat. I throw the cigarette butt when I'm done then saunter to the soccer players.
"You want to play?" one of them asks as I approach.
I laugh.
"No"
"Why not?" he asks.
His vest is drenched with sweat. He's holding the ball and being rushed to come back.
"I-I might end up s-staining my outfit. You g-guys kick each other more than you kkick the ball."
He laughs.
"OK, then. What's your name?" he asks.
"Tshidiso"
He nods then returns to his mates.
"Who's this socializing?" Pana asks while hugging me from behind.
I laugh.
"Let's go, babe. I'm hungry."
"Again, where does the food you eat go?"
"I'll pop your mouth."
She laughs. As we're walking away and holding hands, I feel something hit me on my back. It's that ball. If I was a lightweight (I don't consider myself to be on), I'd have fallen on my knees.
"Sorry," the student says then flashes me a smile.
I only nod. We get to my car. Finally, I'll get to eat.
°°°°°
TSHEGO