Mine. S.A Partridge
for sharing,” I say drily.
But he’s too busy frantically scraping the chewing-gum packet over his blazer to hear me. Like that’s going to cover the smell.
“Come on, let’s walk. Act normal,” I say.
Kelwyn falls into place beside me but he keeps looking nervously behind him. I’m too stoned to care about Reynolds. “Just leave it, man. Chill out.”
“Chill out? How am I supposed to chill out? He could expel us.”
I can’t help but grin. “Expel us for what?”
I don’t know how, but Reynolds changes direction without us seeing and next thing he’s blocking our path. “What have you been doing?” he asks, his face red.
“We’re just walking,” I say.
“And why are your eyes so red?”
“Pollen. I have allergies.”
He leans in close, so that he’s right in front of my nose. “There are no flowers on this field, Einstein. Where do you think you are? Bishops?”
I just laugh and spread my arms. Kelwyn looks like he’s about to burst into tears. But Reynolds has nothing on us. He gives me a warning look before heading off in the direction of Marshall – number two on his most-hated list.
“Jissus, fok, that guy does not like you,” says Kelwyn.
I shrug. “He can join the back of the line.”
Kayla
RONDEBOSCH, FRIDAY
By the time Friday eventually comes around, I’ve worked myself up into a frenzy. Like one of those tiny dogs that shiver uncontrollably all the time. Chihuahuas or something.
I like Sebastian. He clearly knows what he wants, and that’s me. Plus, he doesn’t hang out with Craig’s group. In fact, I don’t think their circles cross in any way – Music nerds and childish dorks don’t mix. So there’s a small chance that he hasn’t heard any of the rumours about me, which is definitely a good sign.
And he did say he thought I was interesting.
Another reason I know this might be it is that his dad arrives to pick me up. He shakes Jerome’s hand and mine as well, as if he’s heard about me from Sebastian and is excited to meet me.
“You kids have fun,” says Jerome. He’s actually smiling for a change.
Sebastian and I sit on the back seat, and it’s hard to stop grinning. Sebastian obviously feels the same way.
He looks out the window, but I can see his face reflected in the glass. He catches me staring and I look away quickly. We’re both excited. Just like you’re supposed to be on a first date.
We drive for about ten minutes and pull up into the driveway of a really big house framed by trees. It must be three storeys high at least.
“This is us,” says Sebastian, hurrying out the car and running around to open my door for me.
A middle-aged woman wearing a lilac dress and a silvery shawl rushes out the front door and kisses Sebastian on the cheek before slipping into the front seat. She aims an elegant wave my way. I wave back, feeling like I’m impersonating the Queen of England.
“Behave yourselves while we’re gone,” she says as the car reverses.
“What happened to going to see a movie?” I ask once the car has pulled away.
“I rented a couple of DVDs, if that’s okay with you, doll? My folks are going out for dinner, so I thought it might be nice to have the lounge to ourselves.”
I bounce on the balls of my feet nervously. “Um, okay.”
“Then we can chat as well,” he says, flashing me a smile. “Get to know each other.”
He holds out his hand and I timidly extend mine. To stay composed, I concentrate on breathing through my nose. I don’t want to give away how excited I am. But inside, my mind is simultaneously doing cartwheels and showing the finger to my enemies.
Sebastian Brown is holding my hand, bitches.
“Let me show you around,” he says, shutting the door. Still holding my hand, he leads me into the lounge, where I see a pile of rented DVDs on the coffee table. “I didn’t know what you liked so I just chose five new releases.”
“You could have just asked. You should have taken my number …”
He smacks his forehead. “Oh, right. What can I say, you make me nervous. I can’t think around you.”
My heart swells. It’s dizzying.
He shows me the kitchen, where two packets of microwave popcorn are positioned on the table. It’s a gorgeous house. Clean, shiny marble and antique furniture.
Even the art on the wall looks expensive. I wish I knew more about art.
“And this is my room,” he says, leading me into a typical guy room full of things like GQ magazine and hair gel. There’s a black electric drum kit squashed into the corner and his bed has a plain red duvet cover with a black frill.
“It’s neat,” I say, turning around to leave. He dances around me and closes the door.
“What about the movie?” I ask, still smiling.
He closes the gap between us and presses his lips against mine. “Never mind the movie,” he says. “I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” His fingers fumble with the buttons on my shirt.
I push his hands away. “Wait. What are you doing?”
He looks up in angry surprise. “You want me to stop? Why? You do this with everyone else.”
I glance up, shocked, my cheeks burning. “That’s not true.”
He shrugs. “C’mon, man. I tried to be nice with all that girl stuff. Would you rather I’d just come out and said I want to sleep with you?”
Oh. I see. This wasn’t a date after all.
I force myself to smile because the alternative is to burst into tears, and no one likes a miserable girl. I push the sadness back inside myself, where no one can see it.
“Never mind the movie then,” I say, trying to keep my voice even.
He grabs me and starts kissing me so hard our teeth bash together.
All the time I’m asking myself what made me think he actually wanted to date me. I’m not the type of girl who goes on dates. He probably just needed a rebound lay so that he could get over his ex. The movies, popcorn – that was for his parents’ benefit, not mine.
“What’s this?” he asks, pressing down his thumb on a lovebite on my arm.
“It’s just a bruise.”
He grunts and pushes me onto the bed, lifting up my denim skirt. A laugh escapes my lips.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I say, and kiss him to stop further questions. What’s funny is imagining myself going to a movie with a guy like Sebastian.
I imagine him ordering the box of popcorn to share, offering me a drink. I’d pull out my wallet but he would insist on paying. Neither of us would watch the movie because I’d be too preoccupied with his hand lying next to mine.
Would he touch my hand or my knee halfway through? Would we end up standing outside my gate while he mustered up the courage to kiss me?
He would call me the next day and invite me somewhere super-fun like ice skating or a concert at Kirstenbosch Gardens. We’d run into Rebecca and Jasmine there, and when they saw Sebastian and me together, they would instantly regret breaking off our friendship. At school he would forsake