Entwined (2 page)

I roll my eyes and replace the receiver. I understand how desperate everyone is for a little excitement. Gaborone is small and dull. Don’t get me wrong – we don’t have shootings on every street corner, but we also only have a couple of cinemas and a handful of copycat malls. There is nothing to do here, so people get creative. Loitering is popular.
Braais
, house parties and underage drinking are big, too. I prefer to stay out of trouble. The problem with being sort-of psychic is, well, foresight.

I’m halfway through the movie when Lebz turns up. She’s one of those cute, curvy girls who like to flaunt what they’ve got, so her grey school skirt is as short as she can get away with. As usual her white socks are pulled up to her knees, even though she’ll have to fold them every time a teacher walks by. She’s done something new with her hair – red streaks weaving through jagged cornrows.

“Your hair looks good,” I venture, though I’m not quite sure I’m being honest.

“You’re so bad at this,” she laughs. “I know you hate it, but it’s not for you.” She pats her head, then sneaks a peek at my bushy ponytail. “We can’t all be content with coloured-girl afros.”

We hang around until Auntie Lydia, our housekeeper, arrives. She’s been with Dad and me since my mother died. She’s compact, very dark in complexion and extremely efficient. She bustles into the house like a whirlwind in floral print.

“Hello, girls,” she says in her Zimbabwean accent, planting maternal kisses on our cheeks. Then she glances at her cell phone, lets out a cry of dismay and shoves us towards the door with surprising strength for someone so petite. “Out, out! I was supposed to start work ten minutes ago!”

Lebz and I head down the streets of Phase Eight towards Syringa, swept up in a sea of crisp green shirts and grey trousers. Other kids greet Lebz, glance at me briefly and then turn away. We take a right turn and there it is – Syringa.

High black gates, a brick wall topped with barbed wire and a lawn so green and fragrant you’d think you just stepped into
The Sound of Music
. The campus is dotted with stone benches with leaf patterns carved into the sides. There is carefully tended sand, flowerbeds and neat brick walkways. There is even a fountain in the middle of the campus, just in front of the admin building. Every one of the five large buildings is made of red brick. Glass doors slide open to welcome you into pristine corridors polished to within an inch of their lives. We have state-of-the-art facilities, or at least as state-of-the-art as we can get in Botswana.

All this costs enough to make my dad grind his teeth at the start of every term, but he’s convinced I’m getting a first-class education. Getting to go to Syringa means I don’t get a lot of other things, but that’s cool. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

As Lebz and I enter the school grounds, a skinny boy with thick glasses and a neat baby afro steps out of a car idling by the roadside and catches up to us. He has the faintest suggestion of sideburns, full lips that are usually pursed in concentration and huge eyes. His long fingers are clasped around a thick book, and he walks with the short, quick strides of someone with lots to do and no time to do it.

“Hey, Wiki,” Lebz and I say in unison as he falls into step with us.

“Morning, ladies,” he replies in his soft voice. His real name is Elijah, but everyone calls him Wiki – as in Wikipedia – because he remembers everything he has ever read. He’s from Côte d’Ivoire, which is somewhere up there on the map next to… um… Nigeria?

The three of us have known each other almost since birth. My dad, Lebz’s mother and Wiki’s father are all in the business of education, and they became friends way back when teaching was the ultimate profession and surfing was done on the ocean. I suppose our friendship happened by default and then we grew on each other. Lebz is the only one of us who actually has other friends.

As we step onto the campus, Lebz runs off to say hello to Kelly, who is just climbing out of her stepfather’s Kompressor. I roll my eyes and pretend not to notice Kelly’s flawless dark skin, long, thick hair and hourglass figure. She’s told everyone who will listen that the second she turns eighteen, she’s going to be a Page 7 girl – one of the half-dressed beauties featured in local tabloid
The Word
. Good practice for when she becomes a
Playboy
centrefold – her most promising career option.

I tap my feet impatiently as Wiki and I wait for Lebz, then let my gaze wander around, taking in my peers. It’s a sea of typical adolescent faces. Wiki’s going on about some documentary he watched last night, but I switch off as soon as my gaze rests on Thuli, a diamond amongst the agate, leaning against the wall of a classroom.

My stomach churns as I try to catch his eye. I don’t think he even knows I exist. He knows Lebz because everyone knows Lebz, and he knows Wiki, whose brain is as legendary as Kelly’s house parties. The fact that the three of us are joined at the hip means nothing. I’m one of those people everyone’s eyes seem to pass over. It’s understandable – I’m not as pretty as Lebz, and although I’m a decent student, I’m not that help-you-with-assignments kind of smart.

I’m always wondering what I’d say to Thuli if we ever got the chance to speak. Maybe I’d stammer and make a fool of myself. Maybe I’d just smile and hold my tongue. In my fantasies, I’m confident and sassy. My hair is perfect, my boobs are bigger, my teeth are straight, and my school trousers do incredible things for my butt. And if that isn’t enough, I wow him with my wit and charm.

It’s a hot summer day and he’s hanging around near the gate as usual, looking for an opportunity to sneak out. I walk right up to him, past Kelly and company who shrivel up and disappear into the dust. Thuli looks at me and his mouth hangs open, because I’m that hot. I hold out my hand. I toss my head. I smile and say, “Hi. I’m Conyza Bennett. I see dead people.”

And he falls to his knees and proposes
.

I know, I know. But it’s a fantasy, remember?

My headache gets worse somewhere between Maths and English. It creeps up on me in that annoying way that headaches do, until my temples throb and it hurts each time my eyes move in their sockets. By the time break rolls around, I’m in death throes.

“Lebz,” I groan, dragging myself over to our usual bench. “Where are all those sachets of
Grandpa
you’re always carrying around?”

“Finished,” she replies apologetically.

She seems distracted. I don’t know how she can be distracted when her best friend is dying. I plonk myself between her and Wiki and turn to him for sympathy and painkillers.

“It’s not a good idea to pop pills all the time,” he points out, opening his lunchbox to reveal the usual brown bread polony sandwich. He must be the only kid in school who isn’t embarrassed to eat a packed polony lunch in public. “Most headaches subside by themselves. Just rest for a few minutes.”

“This is no ordinary headache.” I wince and close my eyes. I think I’m seeing stars. I lean over and rest my head on Wiki’s shoulder, and the next thing I know Lebz is shaking me awake.

“Is it time up already?” I sit up and rub my eyes.

“No.” She hands me a warm fatcake wrapped in a white plastic bag, a half-full can of juice and a pristine white Aspirin. “Maybe you’ll feel better after you have something to eat.” She’s not even looking at me.

“What’s the matter with you?” I snatch the tablet, drain the can and then reach for the fatcake. “Did Kelly change her nail polish or something?”

“I think our friend over there is making her nervous,” says Wiki. “He’s been watching us for the last ten minutes.”

I follow his gaze to a patch of sandy ground near one block of classrooms. A boy is standing there, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Everyone calls him Black Lizard because of the tattoo on his forearm. He’s in Thuli’s form, but he’s not much of a people person. He’s always skulking around, blending into the background.

“Oh, him.” I tear a piece out of my fatcake. “What’s his name again?”

“Rakwena,” Wiki supplies, returning his attention to his book. Wiki is one of those people who make a point of knowing people’s names. The rest of us aren’t nearly so courteous.

“Ri-ight.” My eyes narrow and I try to focus through the pain.

Lizard has all the makings of a heartthrob – flawless dark skin, tall, lean physique, broad shoulders. His hair is always cut close to the scalp as if he does it every day, and he has big, thoughtful eyes under thick brows. Sure, he’s not exactly the friendliest guy on earth, and he does have that creepy tattoo, but the real reason he’s not top of the list of Syringa studs is the scar. It runs diagonally down the left side of his face, from his temple to his chin. A little more to the right and it would have slit his lips. Brazen students call him Scarface, but most of us are too scared to look at the scar, let alone mention it. Nobody talks to him. He makes everyone so uncomfortable that we prefer to pretend he’s not there.

Even though he’s aware that I’ve seen him, he doesn’t look away. He’s weird like that. Brooding, but not in that romantic way that makes girls swoon. I don’t know why he’s looking at us – he never takes any interest in other people. It’s freaking me out.

“What the hell is he looking at?” I snap. “Lebz, are you wearing that neon bra that shows through your shirt?”

Lebz gives me a funny look. “I think he’s looking at
you
.”

I laugh, and my head reminds me that I’m in excruciating pain. “Why would he be looking at me?” I close my eyes and rub my temples. “Oh, hell – that tablet isn’t kicking in. I need something stronger. Anaesthesia, maybe.”

“I’ll go ask Kelly if she has anything.” Lebz jumps up eagerly. “She usually has at least five different pills on her.”

I sigh. “Does she raid her mother’s medicine cabinet or something?”

She sticks her tongue out at me and skips away, delighted at the prospect of basking in Kelly’s glow. Wiki gets up too, and for a moment I’m so shocked I forget my headache.

“Don’t tell me you’ve joined the Kelly fan club!” I’m crushed. Wiki has always been the only boy I can count on to be more interested in books than buxom teenagers.

He glares at me. “I’m going to the library to return my book.”

“Oh.” I smile, relieved. “Good.” I polish off the fatcake, then close my eyes again.

Deep breaths. In… ouch! My eyes flutter open. This isn’t working. Where is Lebz with my painkillers? I glance around the campus, and by the time I notice him walking towards me it’s too late. My chest feels constricted. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help it. Black Lizard is almost in front of me, and I have to fight the urge to bolt.

“I thought I’d never get you alone.” His voice is deep, hoarse, but surprisingly pleasant.

I raise my head slowly and try not to do something stupid, like scream. “Um, sorry?”

“Your friends.” He towers above me, a dark angel about to send me off to meet my Maker. “They never go away. The three of you are like conjoined triplets.”

“Oh.” I swallow. “Um, I guess so.”

He studies me for a moment. I don’t want to stare at his scar so I stare at the collar of his shirt instead, and somehow that seems even worse.

“Headache?” he asks.

I nod.

“Bad, right? Possibly the worst you’ve ever had?”

I look up into his piercing gaze. “How did you know that?”

He smiles. He has nice teeth, a little crooked, but appealing. “You should go home before it gets worse. You probably won’t make it through the day in your condition.”

“My
condition
? It’s just a headache. I need more painkillers, that’s all.”

“Painkillers won’t help.” He lowers his voice a little and says, “Go home. You need to be somewhere safe.”

“Safe from what?” I’m leaning away from him now; I can’t seem to stop myself. He’s so strange, and the fact that he’s taking a sudden interest in me has me worried.

He doesn’t answer. He looks away, then turns back to me, his brow furrowed. “Your friend’s coming back. Just go home, Conyza. OK?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He slinks off into the shadows just as Lebz returns, clutching a bottle of water and a fistful of pills.

Lebz opens her fist. “Brufen,” she declares proudly.

I wrinkle my nose at the pink tablets, but my mind is focused on wondering how Lizard knows my name.

Lebz clicks her tongue in annoyance, grabs my chin in her hand and yanks me forward. “Open up.”

I open my mouth like a good girl and let her drop a tablet onto my tongue, then I take a big swig of the water and swallow. Usually the psychological effect of medication kicks in instantly, but not this time. If anything, the headache seems to worsen. It must be pissed off by my attempted rebellion.

“Oh, crap!” I groan, putting my head between my raised knees. “I can’t take it any more.”

“Connie?” Lebz’s voice sounds strangely distant. “Oh, no. Connie!”

When I open my eyes, I’m lying on the bed in the sick bay, staring at the paint peeling off the ceiling. I try to lift my head and someone starts playing drums in my skull.

“Connie?” It’s Lebz. “Are you feeling better?”

“No. What happened?”

“You fainted.”

I turn very slowly to stare at her. “Fainted?” Nonsense. I don’t faint. I’m not a fainter. “Oh, my head! Give me some pills, please!”

“OK, I’m taking you home,” she declares firmly. “Come on; can you get up?”

I sit up, fighting through the pain, and let her lead me to the door. We have just opened it when the nurse comes rushing down the corridor.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“She’s getting worse,” says Lebz. “I’m going to take her home; it’s not far.”

“You think she can walk?”

“Yes, yes!” I mutter, desperate to get into my own bed.

“OK,” the nurse replies uncertainly. “I’ll write her a note and you can collect it for her when you come back.”

The next several minutes pass in a haze. Somehow we make it back to my house, and I end up collapsing on the sofa. Lebz says something about tea, but I’m not quite sure what happens next because I fall asleep. When I wake up, it’s already getting dark outside and my father is sitting in the armchair across the room.