BROKEN PROMISES CHAPTER 6

 

 

 

Chapter 6
“What’s wrong with you?” said Zinzi
in the morning, as Ntombi re-did her
hair for the tenth time. “Is the
audition today?”
“Yes,” lied Ntombi. The last thing she
wanted was her nosy little sister
pestering her about Mzi. She
wouldn’t leave them alone. It was
bad enough they had to take the
same taxi. But luckily, before they
got to the taxi Zinzi was swooped
along by a crowd of girls from her
class. They were all giggling and
looking at something one of them
had written on Mxit. Zinzi didn’t
notice Ntombi getting onto the taxi.


Mzi said something to the guys on
either side of him, and they moved
to make room. She couldn’t believe
they were moving out the way for
her, Ntombi, who had never drawn
the attention of any of them before.
Now she felt really proud to be
sitting next to Mzi – so this is what
it felt like to be someone’s girl. She
thought she liked it.
“I missed you,” he whispered to her.
She was very conscious of his thigh
pressing against hers. It was warm
and muscular. He was strong. He
would protect her. “Did you have
sweet dreams?” he asked. She
smiled at him. Suddenly she couldn’t
speak. It was like the words caught
in her throat. She knew what she
wanted to say, but she worried that
she would sound uncool. So she
smiled instead.
“Hey, have you decided about
Thabiso’s?” he asked.
“Not yet. I’m still thinking about it. ”
She smiled. She was pleased with
herself, for playing hard-to-get. She
didn’t want him to think that she was
too easy.
“Did you hear that?” He turned to his
friends. “She’ll ‘think about it’. You’d
better,” he said. “You see, nobody
else will do. It has to be you.”
He gave her hand a squeeze. As they
got off the taxi he pulled her close to
him. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“You don’t know where I live…” she
called out.
“Yes I do,” he laughed, and was
gone.
* * *
Ntombi didn’t know how long she
had stood in the quad before Asanda
and Lettie found her. “You look like
you’ve been taking drugs,” laughed
Asanda. “You look like a zombie.
What’s up?” She looked at Ntombi
closely, then she let out a huge
whoop. “Oh my God. You’re in love!”
She turned to Lettie: “Ntombi’s in
love.” They danced around her,
teasing her. “Who is the lucky guy?
Come on, tell us, we’re your best
friends.”
Perhaps it would be okay, telling
them, Ntombi thought. Wouldn’t they
be happy for her? If they got to know
him, they’d see what a sweet guy he
was. She didn’t stop to think that
she hadn’t got to know him yet. It felt
like she had known him forever,
although they had only spoken a few
sentences really. “It’s Mzi,” she said
looking Asanda in the eye. “And
before you say anything, he’s not
who you think,” she added.
“Can a leopard change his spots?”
muttered Lettie.
“He’s not his brother, chommies. He
didn’t do anything to Tilly – that was
his brother.”
“I suppose so,” said Asanda,
sounding unsure. “Lettie, maybe
Ntombi’s right. We should give him a
chance to prove himself.” Lettie
didn’t look happy.
“I suppose he’s invited you to the
party at Thabiso’s on Saturday?”
“Yes, he has.” Ntombi was so
relieved that she had told them. They
would all spend some time together,
and then they’d see what Mzi was
really like.
“Why don’t you come and have your
hair braided with us? We’re going
after rehearsal,” said Asanda. “You
are coming to rehearsal today?”
“Yes” said Ntombi, “I promise. I’d be
crazy to miss it. I mean, the
audition’s next week.”
* * *
“How are the lyrics going?” It was Mr
Ntlanti. He stopped in front of
Ntombi on the way to his Grade 8
English class.
“I’ve got some ideas,” Ntombi lied.
“That’s good. I told Selwyn you
would come up with something
good.” Ntombi had a free period in
second, as their Life Sciences
teacher was absent, as usual. This
was a stroke of luck today, because
she could write down a rough draft
of the lyrics. At least she’d be able
to show Selwyn and the team
something at their first meeting. She
opened her book. There was the
blank white page with lines just
waiting for the words. But she
couldn’t think of anything, except
Mzi’s smile. It was like her brain had
turned to jelly. She had never felt out
of control before and it was quite
frightening.
Love! Surely she could write about
love? Wasn’t it what she was feeling
after all?”
He winked at me….
He held my hand, he held my heart
I knew we couldn’t be apart…
I loved the way he
Surely she could do better than that?
By the time the bell went she had
only written four lines, and she had
crossed all of them out. She would
have to tell the team that she needed
more time, and she’d have to work
on it after school.
At break time Ntombi couldn’t help it.
She found herself walking down to
the sports shed where she had met
Mzi the day before. She could hear
voices as she approached and she
heard a shout. On the street outside
the school grounds a car pulled
away from the curb and sped off – a
silver BMW. As she rounded the
shed she saw three guys with their
backs to her. They were smoking,
and one was counting hundred rand
notes. She stood frozen. She should
have turned and run, then they
wouldn’t have seen her. But she
couldn’t. Mzi turned and saw her
first.
She raised her fingers in a small
wave. He walked towards her fast,
gripped her by the arm and
practically pushed her back across
the tarmac. It happened so quickly it
took her breath away. “What were
you thinking?” he hissed at her, and
when she didn’t reply, he shook her.
“What were you thinking? Why are
you here?”