The North

Chapter 18: The Dark

"You said you would be careful." KB said to Thato while staring at the picture on his phone. He was sitting on the couch in the lounge of Mbali's uncle's house. Senzo, Thato, and Mbali were all standing around him.

"We were careful, KB! We did everything we could to make sure th-"

"I'm speaking to Thato, not you." KB said to Mbali, his voice stern and measured. His eyes remained fixed on the phone gripped tight in his hand.

"We were careful, KB..." Thato replied, his voice barely audible. Thato was standing with his hands behind his back, like a child being scolded by a parent.

"Then how the fuck do you explain this!" KB barked. He stood up and stretched the phone out to Thato and Mbali who both remained silent.

"How did NorthernBrew get that?" Senzo asked, studying the picture in KB's hand with squinted eyes.

On the phone's screen was a picture of Mbali and Thato which had been posted on Instagram by NorthernBrew. The picture showed the both of them seated in one of the lecture rooms of Monash University – the institution they both attended - and though they both had hoodies over their heads, their faces were slightly visible and potentially identifiable. "It's not every day that you catch two bankers in class at Monash University. Interesting..." read the picture's caption.

"We didn't think anyone would recognize us, KB..." Mbali said.

"Who the hell wouldn't recognize you guys dressed like that? Hoodies? That's the best you could do? Really!" KB yelled, his eyes darting back and forth between Mbali and Thato.

"Calm down, bro... let's first see what people are saying." Senzo suggested before taking out his own phone and scrolling through the picture's comments. He read a few of them out loud:

"This is weird. Are you sure it's them?", "I don't know. This seems like fake news", "This is probably some fake shit started by Kamo's fans", "Girl bye! It's not them. Next!"

"People don't seem to be buying it. I think we're good." Senzo said, placing a hand on Mbali's shoulder when he noticed her slowly wiping tears from her eyes.

"It's not about that, Senzo!" KB screamed. He began to pace around the lounge. "Jesus Christ! Have none of you learned anything from the moment this all started!? Nobody cares about the truth in the North... People only care about what things look like! We can't afford to have any cracks at all! How the hell are we going to explain this to the Stars at the Summit tomorrow?!"

Mbali, Senzo, and Thato remained quiet.

"How much have I done by myself to get us to this point? And this is the thanks I get?!" KB grabbed his car keys from the couch and threw them across the room. They slid on the floor before colliding against wall on the other end of the lounge with a loud rattle. "You guys are not going back to that University!" KB demanded.

"Fuck you, KB!"Mbali screamed "Fuck you! Just because you're okay being a fucking University dropout, doesn't mean the rest of us must follow suit! None of us asked for this! You're the one that got us into this fucking mess with all your fucking lies!"

"Mess?!" KB barked with a look of disgust on his face "If it wasn't for me you would still be nothing but a fucking gay-ass lesbian loser from the Southern suburbs!" KB laughed.

"That's rich coming from you!" Mbali quickly snarled back.

"What?" KB said.

"That's enough, Mbali..." Thato said, taking Mbali by her hand.

"No - let her finish, Thato!" KB commanded, his arms folded across his puffed chest.

"I think everyone just needs to cool off a bit" Senzo added. He walked over to Mbali and took hold of her other hand.

"Let go of me, motherfuckers!" Mbali screamed, snatching both hands free from Senzo and Thato's grip before stepping right up to KB's face.

"It takes one to know one." She sneered, the corners of her mouth curling up to reveal a menacing grin.

KB held his breath and the room fell silent, almost as if it too had decided to also hold its breath.

"I don't know what this crazy bitch is talking about." KB responded before turning around and making his way towards his car keys lying on the floor.

"Come on, KB... It's so obvious!" Mbali laughed. The sound made KB stop in his tracks.

Mbali slowly made her way towards KB, who had his back turned to her, before continuing: "At first I thought you admired Tau – or maybe you were inspired by who he is and everything he has achieved. But I was wrong. Then I noticed the way you talked to him, like he was a God or something, and I thought maybe you're obsessed with him. Maybe you want to be him. But yet again I was wrong. It was only when I noticed how you looked at him that it clicked. It's funny right? The fact that it took the lesbian - of all people - so long to realize it!" Mbali chuckled.

KB remained still.

"Anyways" Mbali continued, "Thato, Senzo and I spoke about it, and I was hardly surprised when I found out they felt the same way." Her voice was low and taunting, and there was a wicked smile on her face "Not that we would have a problem with it, though. I mean... friends support each other right, KB? We're the least of your worries...It's the North you need to worry about. I doubt they'll be happy once they find out you're a homosexua-"

KB turned around and slapped Mbali across the face before the word came out her mouth. She fell backwards, crashing into a pot plant before hitting the floor.

Senzo and Thato ran to her side.

"I swear to God I'm not afraid to destroy you, Mbali! I'll do it and I'll do it right now!" KB screamed, holding his phone high above his head. "I'll tell everyone it's you in the picture! I'll act surprised...I'll tell them I never knew! I'll tell them you're a lying bitch!" KB was hysterical.

"Sounds like you're describing yourself, KB..." Mbali said from the floor.

KB rushed towards her before raising his fist to the air. And he was about to bring it crashing down on her head when Thato screamed: "Enough! Enough now! This is fucking crazy, KB! What the hell are you doing?! Is this who you are now!? I'm sick of everything! The lies! The pretending! The fear! I'm sick of it all!"

Thato took a seat on the couch before burying his head into his hands.

"None of us know who you are anymore, KB" he softly wept "I just want my friend back..."

KB lowered his fist and stepped away from Mbali. He looked around the room: first at Mbali on the floor with her hand on the area of her cheek where he had struck her, then at Senzo kneeling beside her, his hand on her shoulder, and finally at Thato weeping on the couch.

"Stars shine best in the dark. Isn't that what you always say Senzo?" KB said before grabbing his car keys off the floor and exiting the house.