The North

Chapter 4: The Promise

It was strange, KB thought to himself, how silent the feeling of fear was. It wasn't a loud thing, as he had previously believed, instead fear was clandestine in the way it moved silently beside you as you walked, matching your every step so as not to disturb you. Though fear was the enemy it acted like a friend.

This, he thought, as he sat through the remainder of Dopeboy's live set, afraid to look at Lesedi, who he feared was still watching him.

What was that look in her eyes, KB wondered to himself, suddenly also remembering the lie he had spoken to Tau the night before, I am a Banker.

"Fuck!" The word rushed out of KB's mouth before he could stop it.

"Huh?" Mbali responded, a concerned look on her face.

"Uhh... Sorry... I just remembered something I needed to do. It's nothing serious." KB responded, his eyes locked on his feet. He felt ashamed.

***

Gossip – or 'tea' - was the social currency of the North. It defined who you were. The goal was to have as much tea on others while keeping your own name clean, which was almost impossible once you got too "big" in the social scene, because the vultures were always ready and waiting to make up any and every lie possible to destroy you. The truth, however, was that tea only spread like fire once there were 'receipts' – proof of the accusations being made – and a shortage of concrete receipts in the North, especially against the elite, meant that the majority of rumors simply disappeared just as quickly as they appeared.

***

Everyone was intoxicated by the presence of the Stars on the roof deck, and the crowd erupted into loud chatter as soon as Dopeboy ended his set. Champagne continued to flow in copious amounts as the market goers socialized, including the Stars, who ignored the many camera phones watching them.

One of the Stars - Nana - a model-esque girl originally from Ghana, passed within earshot of KB, oblivious to the commotion she caused as she casually recorded a video blog of her Saturday.

KB listened intently as she spoke about whatever international modelling campaign she had just booked, going on about how esteemed the photographer was that she would be working with, detailing how the photographer had even worked with "THE" Cara Delevingne.

KB had no idea who Cara Delevingne was, but the way Nana's face lit up at the mention of the name indicated that Cara Delevingne was somewhat of a big deal in the modelling world. Not that KB cared. It wasn't until KB heard Lesedi and Tau's names spoken from Nana's mouth that his interest was sparked.

Nana had lowered her voice to a barely-audible whisper as she detailed what her viewers could expect from her next vlog episode the following Saturday. There would be a party, she said, with some young and wealthy bankers from Johannesburg. She didn't know them personally, she continued to explain to the camera, "But from what Tau told us these banker guys are on another level" she finished, smiling, before disappearing downstairs.

"So you made it", someone behind KB said, grabbing his shoulder from behind and spinning him around.

The voice was unmistakable, and KB didn't need to spin around to know it was Tau standing behind him. He was holding two brimmed glasses of champagne in his other hand.

"Umm...yeah, I thought I would pull through and see what all the hype was about" KB responded. His head felt heavy, as if it might explode at any moment. He was still trying to process what he had just heard Nana say, which he somehow knew had something to do with him and the lie from the previous night.

"Did the performance live up to the hype?" Tau asked before taking a sip out of one of the champagne glasses in his hand.

KB's thoughts were elsewhere and he didn't hear the question.

"Are you here alone?" Tau asked, after a moment of silence. He looked concerned.

"I'm here with a few friends of mine" KB quickly responded, pointing towards Mbali, Toby and the rest of the group who had all gone quiet and were staring at KB and Tau with a cocktail of confusion and disbelief swirling in their eyes.

"Are you guys good?" Tau said to everyone at the table. He was smiling, and KB suddenly realized that the entire roof deck had gone quiet. Not only that, but they were all watching KB and Tau.

The lovebirds - Sean and Zelda - were cordial with their greetings, quickly returning their attention to each other afterwards. KB had expected Mbali and Toby to overreact at the sight of Tau, so he wasn't surprised when they both stood up and gave Tau a hug, simultaneously stating how they both thought he dressed so well and had "crazy swag". 

Tau was endearingly modest in his receipt of their complements, thanking them sincerely as if he didn't hear things like that on a daily basis. He proceeded to let the girls take a few pictures with him – pictures that would later find their way onto social media - before returning his attention to KB.

"Your friends..." Tau started, taking another quick sip of champagne, "are they also bankers?" he asked.

Mbali was the only other person who had heard the question, and she sat down, her face contorted in confusion. Toby, who was feverishly scrolling through her pictures with Tau, had not been paying attention.

KB opened his mouth to let another lie escape, "Yeah...But they're actually-"

"Thanks baby!" Lesedi said, appearing out of nowhere and taking the second glass of Champagne out of Tau's hand, kissing him passionately afterwards. She wrapped her arm tight around his waist before turning her attention towards KB, looking him up and down as if trying to figure something out.

"Babes, this is KB" Tau said "The one I told you about yesterday".

KB felt jarred. Not only by the relief that came with Lesedi's timely arrival, but also by the idea of Tau and Lesedi discussing him. It made him feel important, like he was someone worth discussing.

"The Banker?" Lesedi asked. She was smiling, but KB couldn't help but feel the same fear creep up on him from before. It sent shivers running down his spine again.

"Yeah." Tau responded.

"Hmmm..." Lesedi said. She continued to watch KB with an indecipherable expression plastered on her face that made him shrink and feel inadequate.

That was the problem with the Stars. Years of unjustified attention made them feel like they were the ones who denied or approved. Like they were the ones who judged and had the final say.

Something in KB's mouth began to sour in that heavy moment, and he made a silent promise to himself to do whatever it would take to become a Star.

"I'm an Equities Investment Banker, to be specific." KB said, his hand stretched out towards Lesedi, "Nice to meet you." he finished, with a smile on his face.