 
**TEENAGER'S TALE**

**EPISODE ONE: HUMBLE BEGINNINGS**

TYLER MAJAGA

Copyright Tyler Majaga 2014

Published by TEENAGER'S TALE FOUNDATION at Smashwords

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO A STAR

Thirteen years. Just an age, isn't it? In life, every average human being, poor or rich, white or black, has to go through it. Well, for some it isn't just that. To some it's the beginning of great things; the beginning of another era in life; an era with all sorts of problems and complications. It is almost by mistake that the rites of passage do not include it. It's even a surprise that no songs or poems have been written about it. Well, okay, maybe there are songs but poems? Let me not call a debate and go on.

First and foremost, puberty kicks in for most and we all know the complications it brings, more especially for our sisters. Then, we get to deal with those feelings that take over us when we see that girl or boy we so dearly like. Talk about dealing with those over-protective, ever-commanding parents who govern every move we make as they so wish. Then there is the weird friends, feuds and group rivalries at school, and worst of all, the jealous dude who bullies you because you managed to land yourself a role in the life of that cute girl at school.

School on its own is probably the worst the best part of this era. The memories we cherish are made while some are, well, just memories. The characters we meet, the songs we shared, the crushes we had and all the works. That is school and fairly, worse and good as it may be, it is part of what makes being there what it is. In my story, most of it will be told from this place that a lot of movie makers have come to love so profoundly in a lot of their works.

We all know how stress levels rise because of that huge pile of homework the teachers give you, including that one from the Math teacher you think looks hot, who's constantly standing on stilettos. Most of you boys will relate that at some point in your school careers, you did have that one teacher you just admired beyond the word. You ended up cracking your head to its level best just to impress her and get that pat on the shoulder, which you would wish could be more of a kiss on your lips. Fact remained, she had a man and you did not stand a chance, at least not in that life time.

Boys tend to buy expensive designer clothes just to impress their little Miss Sunshine, or those girls who just blush every time they pass by. As for our teen sisters, mirrors end up feeling the pinch from the hours-long stares as the fair and ugly spend hours 'fixing' themselves before them.

You must have now guessed I'm talking about teenage-hood. I can spend the whole day listing the experiences and problems that come in these crucial years but hey, this story isn't about 'Problems'. It is rather about me, and well, others involved in it.

Some teenage years were lived off normally with fewer problems, while some were filled with adventurous events of too much fun, love, hate, tests of loyalty and backstabbing. Mine was, well, adventurous in every aspect. I may have not lived it off like those kids who burnt down their friend's house when he threw a party in that Hollywood production or the Kang kids who tried the measures of Science but I did live it. Before you read on, be warned: some contents of the story may be harmful and offensive to some readers. Parental guidance is advised.

It all began when I was a kid in the early turn of the twenty-first century. This is a teenager's tale.

CHILDHOOD BACKGROUND

Growing up in a city had its complications and fun. I lived in Motsamai Street, no less than three kilometers from the city center. The children in the neighborhood were from different backgrounds; economic, religious, and origins. Some, like me, went to private schools while some went to public schools. Some were spoilt rich kids while the rest of us were from middle-class families. But I had a best friend from the rich class. On weekends we usually converged and played different games in the street. Boys played football and _cops and robbers_ while girls played games like the popular _ma-rounders_ , which is a ball game similar to baseball except that there was no bat or a hard ball that gets you hospitalized should it land on your head. The ball was just made from old socks and the opponents have to hit the other team's players with that ball before they complete a number of rounds on a square drawn with a chalk on the tarred road that passed between the houses. This ball game was so popular amongst the girls, and sometimes the boys also joined in. For those days, it seemed like fun ruled over complications.

My family house was one of the thousands built by the housing giant, _Botswana Housing Corporation_ for lease. Over the years, my parents had managed to buy ours. They had added another bedroom to the existing three bedrooms. The kitchen, bathroom and sitting room were extended to be a bit more spacious. That is the little I can say about our house, which we still reside in today.

My best friend and I used to hear just how noteworthy being a teenager was from the older folk. Even though we were clueless about the era, we enjoyed hearing the stories about how experimental and cool it is. To us it meant less control from our parents, being liked by girls who will blush when we went past them, even in extreme cases where you look like Steven Tyler in his fifties. We understood teenage-hood to mean going to parties and chilling with your _homies_ in the streets. All these seemed true for my best friend's brother and his other teenage friends would go to parties in the neighborhood, while we sat at home watching movies. Our parents used to tell us this every time we wanted to go to these "cool" parties, "Only when you are a bit older, maybe as teenagers". So we waited. Most afternoons after school, we would see boys kissing their girlfriends in a park near our homes and think, _one day is one day_. We had heard how awesomely nice it was to kiss a girl and since it was done by teenagers, we couldn't wait. Thirteen was the dream birthday for me, my best friend and every other kid who carried the same ambition.

At times when we boys took a break from playing and lounged under the shade of the tree in one of the neighborhood yards, our seniors would give us 'guidance lessons' on how to be girl magnets. We all listened attentively as they spoke, clueless of whether the information we were receiving was true or false. Either way, we listened.

'If you want to impress a girl, you should always dress smart and be perfect in everything you do. The way you walk, talk and stuff like that,' advised one of the older guys.

'Since you are all babies, there is no need to introduce yourself; just tell the girl you like her and that's just about it.'

'One other thing, don't tell a girl how you feel about her when you can clearly see she's not into you because it can turn out bad...' added another, '...and you should also have something unique that you can do that can impress the girl you like. Then she'll like you.'

'Something like what?' I once asked in one of the sessions, and the other kids nodded in agreement.

'Well, maybe skills in football or dancing. Or maybe if you can't play or dance, buy her a little gift. Just anything to impress your dream girl,' the first senior boy clarified.

'Is that why you have many girls? Is it because you can play football well?' I asked my best friend's brother, Mike, with a laugh and everyone else joined in. He also laughed and nodded.

There we were being corrupted by information that would lead to different decisions, good and bad, in the future. All the things that those guys fed us stuck in our small minds and most of the kids tried out the skills on unsuspecting girls. Some tips worked and some, not so much. But hey, who cared?

**Mike Brown** literally had the whole of Francistown in the palms of his hands. He was tall, well-built and dark. I guess it was his physique that granted him success in the girls' industry. We usually saw him kissing a different girl every other week and wondered just how he did it. Having taken their grandfather's surname at birth, Mike was my best friend's half-brother – well, more like adopted brother and he had moved in with the family some two years earlier. His biological father, unfit to take care of him after his mother had passed on, had pleaded with family members to take him in and my best friend's parents did just that. His part of this story will later show a lot of lessons to a lot of you and actually play a very important role in making a lot of people realize the power of change. Don't read too much in to it though for now. The story goes on.

THE ORIGINAL LOVE

In every street there is always that girl who gets every guy talking and my street was no exception. Mrs. Motshegwa, who was a Serowe-born married to the only lawyer I knew at that time, was a catch for all the men around and drove them crazy with her mostly-denim shorts and long, yellow legs that went well with her well-gifted behind. She sure was a sight to desire for whenever she mowed her front-yard garden. Serati, her 16 year old daughter, was just as crazy hot and ran Mike and his boys' league.

In my division, most of my mates' dream girl was named **Esther Normans**. The girl was actually my first crush. The difference between crush and lust is that when you are eight like I was, it was as real as it came. She was eight like most of us, and light in complexion. With shoulder-length hair and round brown eyes, she was the "it" girl.

Every boy my age wanted her to be theirs and considering the fact that some of my friends were better looking, I doubted myself. One by one they failed to win her. Truly, she was a beauty, that little girl and it was no surprise for her to lair so much attention. Some boys bought her chocolates and other gifts, while others told her jokes to try and impress her. The advice of the older boys was failing and many withdrew to re-launch while others gave it all up. She just laughed, went back to her friends to play doll house or whatever and that was it. I was one of the last few to try to woo her.

Personally, I was also just too love-struck and the girl made me believe in myself whenever I was alone. I looked at myself in the mirror days prior to my mission launch and saw the power of my looks. But I would almost give up whenever I saw her as well as the other boys and just saw myself as nothing. It took me about two weeks of preparations before I could garner enough courage to go for the dive. One day on a sunny summer Tuesday after school, I was with my best friend in our pick-up van, telling him about my plan to get Esther. I had written her a letter at school. With all the little English I could write down at that time, I had crafted a magic portion that I hoped would make me rise amongst the fallen.

'This is the letter. Even though the English is not that perfect, I hope it will do wonders. Everything I feel about her is in there,' I explained. He read the letter and started laughing. I looked at him with amazement and embarrassment on my face.

'Like I said, the English is not...'

'No! It's not the English. What makes you think you'll succeed where others failed? A lot of guys have tried; guys a lot better than you. Roy tried and failed but his parents are rich and all. Botho also did try but also failed and he's cute, rich and smart in class. What makes you think you'll succeed? You haven't even impressed her in any way,' he ridiculed. Wow, so much for a friend, yeah?

Materialistically and all that other stuff put aside, my best friend was right. His words made my heart sink. All my strength and morale went down. Roy and Botho were some of the kids who resided in the neighborhood. Not only did Botho have the mentioned aspects, he was also a very good dancer for his age. The boy could almost count for the American rapper Lil Bow Wow, who was one of the most relevant acts of the time. _Maybe he was right I didn't stand a chance_. But then again, all that I felt for Esther brought back some of the confidence I had lost as I watched her from my bedroom window swimming with her cousin and brother in their kiddies' swimming pool later on in the late afternoon. All I needed was another plan. Nothing can bring down a kid with a crush.

That evening as I watched television with my family, I couldn't get myself to think straight. Ideas were rolling in my head and none seemed perfect. Just when I was about to give up, I saw a doll being advertised on television during a commercial break. It was going for P25. Knowing Esther as someone who loved dolls, I jumped with joy shouting, 'That's it!' forgetting my parents were there.

'What is it son?' asked my dad with a confused look. I turned to him and my mother with a pleading face on - puppy eyes and all.

'Mum, dad, I need a favor from you.'

'Ok, we are listening,' dad responded.

'I need my week's lunch money in advance, please,' I pleaded.

'Why exactly?' asked my mother.

I thought for a while and then continued. 'Well, Bagomotsi and I are buying this video game and it's about P30. He said he'll contribute P15 and I contribute the other half.'

'Ok then, but your weekly lunch money is P10, son,' dad said.

'I have P5 in my savings box,' I added with a smile.

In actual fact, I had P15 and needed an extra P10 to buy the doll. They gave me the money and the following day, it was all systems go. I bought the doll and it came with three sets of clothes and three matching hand bags. The doll had long blonde hair and I could picture my pretty Esther combing it as she laid her head on my lap. I was just too excited! I decided to wait for the weekend before I could tell my best friend about my new plan, and also give Esther the gift. I didn't want any more criticism from him at that stage.

Surely, the weekend did arrive. After lunch I went to our usual playground and joined my best friend. He stood a few meters away from the other kids.

'How come you are not playing?' I asked.

'I'm just a little tired today. What's that you are hiding?' he asked with curiosity. I showed him the doll and explained my plan to him.

'Still not giving up?' he asked with a chuckle that almost tipped my confidence. I stood my ground. 'I just want to try out my luck.'

'Well then, good luck. But I bet you a buck that she's going to give it back to you.'

'We'll see.'

'You're on,' he pressed.

I took a deep breath and started walking towards Esther as she and her friends played. The girl made my heart beat faster than normal, I must admit. It was like one of those moments in Hollywood blockbusters where a guy approaches a girl in slow motion before he makes his move. It was a walk to remember and I had imagined it since the day I first saw her and right then, I was taking it. I hid the doll behind my back and called her. This doll had cost me a week's lunch money and a month's savings; a sweet P25. That was a lot of money back then, and it was so hard to get that amount if you were a kid like me. Only love made me sacrifice that much for dear Esther.

'Please God let me succeed in this and I promise I'll be a good person. So help me God'

This was my silent prayer as she walked over to me, beautifully glowing as always. I had always heard my mother say this every time she wanted to succeed in something and most of the times it worked, I guess. I just wished the prayer could work for me.

Her friends followed her as she walked towards me. This made me more nervous and I started getting sweaty, almost dropping the doll at some point in those few seconds. I wanted to abort the mission and run away but that would put me in with the fallen. It was my only chance and I was not going to blow it.

'Hi, Brandon, you called me,' she said with her cute smile and this calmed me down a little.

Hesitantly, I gave her the doll.

'Hi, I bought you this...this lovely doll...and I hope you like it...' and held my breath.

Her out-of-this-world eyes just glowed even more and she opened them wide before she could express her happiness.

'You bought me a new doll? The latest for that matter! Oh Brandon, that is so nice of you. You are my hero!' and she planted a kiss on my cheek, her soft pink lips wetting it. I forgot to breathe when she did this and for a moment I thought I was in heaven. Almost everyone had witnessed the kiss, and immediately the small crowd gathered around us. Botho pushed his way through the crowd and faced Esther.

'Don't tell me you are going to accept a doll over my box of chocolates...' he charged, '...and besides, I'm cuter than him.' Esther looked him down and spat, 'Being cute does not count. It all depends on the kind of person you are, and I like the kind of person he is.' Those sure were big words for an eight year old.

Her smile lighting up her face, she kissed me again. Our playmates started a love song, singing to us. I noticed that Botho and some of the guys who had failed to woo Esther were moving away. Obvious hatred and envy was written all over their cute faces. To be honest, I did not care what they thought; Esther was mine and that was all that mattered. My true friend came up to me and patted my back.

'You're the man. I doubted you but now... you've got my respect,' he declared.

'Yeah, you know how it is' I proudly said, and we started walking home. I looked back at my Esther and she was smiling at me as she waved me off. I felt so happy. From that day onwards, we were girlfriend and boyfriend.

They always say _growing up is a trap_. You see, indeed it does suck when it comes to getting a girlfriend once you are past the love letter stage. It is something I would personally recommend people to continue doing though – writing love letters – because it is just not necessary to go through all the phases people put themselves through before they can get a girl. There is the charming, the first date, second date, the lies and the impressions you have to make on top of all the money you waste calling and texting before a girl can be yours. What a waste of energy, even though it is kind of fun at times, depending on how it goes for you with the girl. Too much unnecessary complications that just makes growing up a trap indeed. All it had taken me was a letter to get my sweet Esther. If the grown-up way fails you, be a kid again. It works wonders.

OUR YOUNG SWEET LOVE...

I think you all know how love feels like when it's genuine. Most of you probably wouldn't know though because these days, love is barely true to its meaning. It has lost its gist and these days, people lie to each other for its sake just to get what they want. It's all fun and games before someone gets hurt. Safe to say though, my love for Esther was true – a kid as I may have been. Because we were still kids, there wasn't much kissing or romantic action in the relationship. Once in a while she would make me a card for me at school, and I wrote her letters. The cards would be smartly and ostentatiously colored with hearts and sometimes a 'stick-man family' with the husband and wife labeled as me and her. It was sweet love indeed. We were head over hills in love with each other.

The one thing I most admired about her was her story-telling skills. I could swear that the girl's maturity in that field was too amazing. Whenever we found time alone, she would bring her story book along and read me a story, to which I would listen attentively. I gave her my time and she gave me her attention. I discovered my confidence because of her. I felt like we were the only people in the world whenever I was with her. Young as we were, we shared something just too powerful.

The local council would organize a fundraising picnic every two months in the neighborhood park just to keep it alive. Exciting days, I tell you. Everyone would almost look forwards to these, more especially kids my age. The event sure did come around one time and I was with my best friend chowing on one of the hotdogs being sold in the different stalls. I had brought along a bag like most kids had with their toys inside. But in mine, there was something for Esther, whose family had not arrived as yet. It was a jubilant day indeed, with every kid running around excited about the atmosphere. There were jumping castles and the swings were a preference too.

While everyone was busy enjoying each other's company, I saw Esther a distance away looking around, most probably for me.

'Esther is here so I am going to be leaving you in a bit buddy'

'Oh, someone is lucky. Okay buddy, no problem' and I handed him the remainder of my hotdog and walked over to Esther. The moment she saw me, she took me by my hand and whispered in to my ear, 'Come, I want to show you something' and led me away from the crowd. As the scorching Botswana heat shone down on everyone else, she laid a picnic blanket down under a _morula_ tree and showed me the doll I had bought her months before. She had plaited its blonde hair beautifully and it still looked as good as new. With my small arms, I hugged her, our hearts pounding against each other rhythmically.

'It looks beautiful Esther; I like what you did to the hair'

'Thank you Brandon, I knew you would like it'

I held her hand and took out the storybook I had brought along from my bag.

'Today I want to read you a story too. Do you mind?'

'Wow, really Brandon? I would love that'

She came even closer to me and prepared to listen. I breathed in slowly and began to read her a story titled _Tshegalenyanyantswane_ , a local Tswana tale about a boy whose adventures almost compared to those of the Westerns' Jack from the beanstalk story. It fascinated her to the pulp and soon enough after I had started, she laid her head on my lap and looked right at me as I read, totally lost in my eyes. I did not have to be told to know how much Esther adored me because it was right there. I saw it in everything she did. Truly, it was young sweet love.

... **DID COME TO AN END**

A year later when we were in Grade three, our little romance was cut short. Esther's parents got transferred to another town and therefore they had to relocate. It was on a Saturday morning and winter was starting to set in in the month of May. My best friend and I were playing video games at my house because that day most of the kids were not out to play. This was strange as the street would usually be packed on weekends at that time.

'This must be some kind of bad omen. How come there is not even a single kid on the street today?' he asked and I nodded in agreement before adding on, 'You read my mind buddy'.

We heard the roaring engine of a truck and, out of curiosity, went outside to see where it was going. As kids, we usually ran after trucks and held on to the back. And the moment it slowed down we would jump off and run away before the driver saw us. But this time it wasn't a moving truck we could have fun with. It was labeled in big red letters: HOVER'S MOVERS and it was reversing into Esther's house.

'Esther's family is moving!' we uttered at the same time. We stood there watching as men loaded furniture into the big truck. Was this really happening or was I dreaming? I wondered. My worst fear was confirmed a while later when Esther came up to us. With a white dress and a matching ribbon and sandals, she looked so beautiful I could die. You'd be forgiven if you thought she was an angel lost on earth.

'I'll excuse myself for you two to talk,' my friend politely said and he went back into the house. I looked at Esther, my eyes stinging with tears as she confirmed that they were going away.

'So where are you moving to?'

'Well, I heard my mum saying something about Gaborone,' she answered. Tears were starting to well in her eyes as well. Even though I also felt like crying, I told her not to cry. She took out a small card from her dress pocket and gave it to me; the last card I would receive from my Esther, maybe in a long time.

'I made this for you so that you can remember me when I'm gone...' she explained, '...and I made it much more perfectly than all the other cards I've given you because it shows just how much I'll miss you and how very special you are to me.'

I managed to smile back and wiped a tear that had escaped from her brown eye. Once again it seemed like a scene from some romantic movie where a boy parts with a girl. But at that moment, it wasn't a movie; it was happening to me and my lovely Esther. I put the card in my pocket and she placed my hand in hers.

'I'm going to miss you, Brandon'

'I'm going to miss you too, Esther,' I confessed. She hugged me. After the hug she looked in the direction of her house and when she was sure nobody was looking, she kissed me; this time on the lips. The moment her soft lips touched mine, this good and new feeling literally split my heart into pieces and released forever in my heart, a feeling I will never forget. It lasted only a few seconds but the seconds felt like hours. After that we looked into each other's eyes and smiled. Her mother called her from their house.

'Yes mum, I'll be right there,' she answered before saying, 'I have to go so... this is it!'

'Yeah, I guess so.'

She came closer to me and whispered in to my ear as she would always do, 'I just wish one day we'll meet again and never part. Then we'll get married and have lots of babies.' Then she walked away. I smiled and looked at her as she walked away from my life. After a few seconds of admiring the girl I loved so dearly, I walked back to my house and joined my friend.

'So, she's gone?'

'Yes, gone forever...' I said. Pain gripped my heart and I started to cry. My friend tried to comfort me, 'Don't worry. You guys will meet again one day. You have not lost her.'

'I have, it's obvious. I will never see her again. I just wish I could go with her.'

'It's okay, Brandon, never say never,' he continued, rubbing my back in the process.

He was right; I had not lost Esther but I couldn't get myself to believe that. As a kid the world is big for you and Gaborone for me then was like Cape Town to Cairo. That was why I didn't want to believe I had not lost my girl. I had once heard my teacher saying that "We part to meet and meet to part". That was one thing that made me even sad. I had met Esther and we had now parted. But there was one thing I wasn't realizing: we had parted to meet, right?

When the family finally left, I looked at the truck as it drove away, through my bedroom window. And there she was, waving sadly at me; the final wave at her 'beloved boyfriend'. Kids as we were, the few months we had been together had been the most precious and I would miss our moments together. The shy moments we had together, all the cards and letters we had exchanged and the stories we told each other; I would miss all of that. Unfortunately, my Esther was gone and so were all of those things. All that would remain was memories.

That evening after supper I watched a little bit of TV with my dad before I went to sleep, a saddened little boy. I think it was then that my dad and I had our first little relationships talk. I remember he mentioned something about Esther and how I was probably going to miss her but I could not say much and just listened. My memory can't serve me well though on the conversation. But on what I can remember, before I went to sleep, I remembered the card Esther had given me earlier and it read,

Dear Brandon,

I want you to know that I love you and I will always do. You changed my life and made it special. For that, I will never forget you. That doll you bought me means the world to me. One day we will meet again and continue loving each other. I just wish that when that day comes, you wouldn't have forgotten about me for I will never forget about you and all we were.

Love Esther

NB: This is just my modified edition of the letter as it was written in a 'child's English'

A few years later I would re-unite with her again, this time with a lot of complications. After the Esther stint, I had made a little shrine in my wardrobe, where I kept the cards she had made for me, a few photos of us and a few letters she wrote me. Every day before I went to sleep I opened the shrine and looked at it before saying 'Thinking of you always'. This went on until fifth grade when I finally stopped, even though I did visit it once in a while. That was my humble beginning in the journey of love.

CHAPTER TWO

AND SO THE STORY WENT

Brandon Chidzala is my name and turning thirteen two years ago made me a teenager. The 22ndof February 1992 was the night Jubilee Hospital in my home town of Francistown got to hear my first cry. I was born to a teacher and an aircraft engineer. Since birth, I had been living with my mum while my dad was studying Engineering in St. Alsace University, France. He only came home for good when I was six years old. Due to my parents' successful careers, I was enrolled into John Mackenzie English Medium School for my first grade; a classy private school in the city center. That was where I met my best friend and, two weeks later his family moved into my neighborhood.

His name, by the way was **Bagomotsi Moalosi** , a talkative and argumentative character by nature. A good looking kid too, fair to say. He and I were two totally different people. I was always the reserved and shy type. He was a loner at times when things got tough though – which you could say was the only thing we almost shared. But then, despite our differences, we still remained best friends. We had been through a lot together as kids, and day by day, fight after fight, our bond grew stronger.

Botho, who was quite our nemesis-cum-friend and undisputed rival, also went to JMS along with his friends. A fight over who had the most toys back in pre-school had led to our status with the rich boy. He had held on to the tittle for so many years and when he finally lost it due to another rich boy having more than his, he started hating on everyone and got in to a fight with Bagomotsi one day when he offered to borrow him some of his toys. I got in to help a buddy in need and Botho automatically hated me too. Half way through Grade five though, his family moved to Bloemfontein in South Africa and the trouble was gone, leaving peace in Motsamai Street.

Since parting with Esther, I had told myself that I would wait for us to meet again. Therefore I was not seeing any girl. Bagomotsi and most of my friends had started dating. He had always mocked me for my policy to remain single until I'm reconciled with Esther, at times even teasing that I may be gay. But that did not change my intentions. It was true love, like I have fore-mentioned and true love is not easy to let go of sometimes. No matter how hard you try, you just feel you have to keep holding on.

His first girlfriend was doing when we were doing Grade seven. We were both thirteen, now teenagers even though we had not really experienced anything we had always dreamt of. But we were proud to be teens. The girl's name was **Masego Dikgang** , a catch who was in the same class with me. Her parents were rich, and it was alleged that they were shareholders in a Platinum mine in South Africa. I could only imagine how rich they were with that possession. Despite the fact that most guys didn't like her sarcasm and hard-to-get attitude, she was pretty.

Bagomotsi overlooked all that and wrote the girl a love letter – the primary school style – telling her everything he felt for her. I guess my relationship with Esther had inspired him. The cute, hard-to-get Masego fell for my boy's charm and a few weeks after dating, she was a changed girl. She, at first, never ate with just anyone, except classy girls like her. She had this group of friends that she was usually with, who ran the lives of many poor Johns with their flair and beauty. But after Bagomotsi swept her off her feet, she quit the group and spent most of her time with Bagomotsi. They were truly in love, real love. Well, at least it was real love for him since she was his first love interest. I even felt a bit jealous because he spent a lot of time with her than me. She had totally taken over.

I remember this other time when we were waiting for our pick-up ride by the school gate, conversing about the day's happenings. Masego appeared from nowhere, hugged my friend and they just got lost in their _lovey-dove_ conversation. She was all smiles, holding his hand as they moved a few meters away from me. I honestly felt lost as I watched them shift to a love-filled tête-à-tête. I got a visit from thoughts of having another girlfriend but something just kept telling me that I should wait for Esther. I know I sounded and acted like a total dumb-head but hey, it was love and when love has taken over, the world stops.

'Brandon, I think I won't be able to go to the library with you today...' his voice interrupted my day-dreams, '...I am staying behind with Masego for her swimming lessons so see you tomorrow'

'You are not coming for the game as well?' I asked somberly.

'I'll try but no promises. See you later buddy' and they went back into the school, leaving me standing there alone. I couldn't believe my best friend would do this to me, over a girl he had known for less than a year. They looked good together yes, but he was still my friend. Masego often came with us to the library, but whenever she did, I must say all they did was flirt, cuddle and kiss. Too big a world for twelve years olds but the reality of the twenty-first century was just that. I know I was pretty much starting to act like Janis Ian, but who cared?

But in the end our studying did pay off. Two months later we wrote our final exams and passed. She got a Merit, Bagomotsi and I got first class. Our parents were so happy and they got us our first cell phones. It was and it still is common in modern day Botswana to have your first cell phone when you start upper primary school so we finally got ours. I was overwhelmed when my parents handed me the parcel. Since I hardly asked for any girls' numbers, the only contacts I had were Bagomotsi and my parents'.

Just before the exams, the School Head had announced that should our group pass more than the previous Grade sevens, they would throw a party for us. The day this was announced, everyone was so happy and fashion was the topic on everyone's lips. Grade seven is usually just about the time when teenage-hood tendencies start to kick in – experimental habits like smoking, watching porn, in the most extreme cases, sexual intercourse as well as fashion – and the latter is by no means a close buddy with that stage. Girls start keeping it short and the boys make sure it all looks really expensive. A party like that would present a platform for the student community to flaunt all they had so the excitement that hung over the school was no gate-crusher.

As we were clearing our lockers that Friday afternoon just after the last examination sitting, some girls were emotional as they said their goodbyes to their boyfriends. It was a sad state of affairs and the heat was not helping the ill-fated, some of who collapsed in the rarest cases. It was just too sad for all of them, experiencing what I had experienced some four years before. Bagomotsi must have been one of the grieving ones because I never saw him until later that day.

'Hey, what's up?' I asked the poor guy when I went to his house and found him playing with his portable game device. He looked depressed as he sat there all alone.

'I'm cool man. Just a little stressed because of something Masego told me,' he replied.

'What'd she say?' I got curious.

'She might be leaving JMS next year, _bra._ '

'But why would she do that?'

'Same thing that happened to you and Esther'

'Her parents are being transferred?'

'Yeah man, but she's not sure because they haven't really said it officially to her. She just heard them talk about it,' he bemoaned.

'I'm sorry, man,' and I hugged him, the same thing he did when my Esther left. He smiled when I let go of him.

We were very good friends, Bagomotsi and I, and I hoped the friendship would go on for a long time because with him, my life felt secure. I am sure that was how he also felt. No matter what hard life can knock you down, it is sometimes your friends who can pull you right up again. Friendship is an important aspect of life and even though some will leave at some point, you should always have that one friend who will be there for you and love you unconditionally. For me, Bagomotsi was that friend. God had thrust us upon each other.

PRIMARY SCHOOL EXIT

Another two months later, we were back in JMS, this time for the farewell party after the results were out. Bagomotsi and I had decided to wear matching outfits for the party: black designer tuxedos with white sneakers and white bow ties. The whole idea was to look metro and just ignore the usual formal wear. It was a sure thing no one would think of dressing like that. The diversity and flexibility of fashion, right? Letting go sometimes can get you the right kind of attention.

The school hall was decorated in accordance to the theme, which was dubbed "Electro Summer Night". There were flashing lights of different colors everywhere, adding a touch to the dancing teens on the dance floor. The DJ was dropping _Rave_ beats to the masses' enjoyment. Everyone looked quite good in their designer outfits, more especially the rich and spoilt. As we looked around the beautiful hall, some of our friends called to us. We joined them, sat for a chat with soft drinks going down our throats. We congratulated each other on the good performances and imagined how nice Junior High School would be. It was nice to be back together, boys being boys once again.

A few minutes later though, the girls started to arrive and one by one, the boys started to disappear into the dance floor. That was so not good. The seven guys we were with left until only three of us were left. I was happy to still have Bagomotsi standing with me, but not for long. Soon Masego arrived, looking as stunning as ever in a metallic black dress and matching heels. Like always, heads turned as she made the grand entrance and Bagomotsi was taken.

'Hey, babes,' she said as she gave him a kiss that lasted a few seconds, right on the lips. Seeing these two kiss really made me jealous. I looked away. Bagomotsi was very lucky.

'Hey, Brandon,' she greeted me.

'Hi, Masego,' I said as I took a sip from my cold drink, and then looked away again.

'Brandon, guess I'll be seeing you later because my girl's here. You'll be cool alone, right?' was Bagomotsi.

'I'll do just fine,' I said paradoxically.

'Ok. I'll try to find you someone to keep you company though,' he added before they disappeared into the crowd.

I was left with this one guy; the one guy I had never pictured could ever have a date. I turned to him, lifted my glass and said, 'Looks like it's just you and me now, mate.'

Before he could answer he was summoned to the dance floor by the weirdest girl in our class. Most of the students thought Maria was weird because she had rabbit teeth and her other eye was partly closed due to a pre-birth defect, as we would come to hear. The guy stood up with a smile and joined her. I watched as they joined the rest of the couples on the dance floor. I guess you don't just underestimate everyone. What was happening to me? Oh yes, I had no date on my first prom night.

I was left sitting there all by myself and honestly speaking, I felt like crying. I watched the couples dancing happily in each other's arms. They did deserve it for they had all worked so hard for it. That made me think of Esther and I so wished she could appear at the door, all beautiful and take me to the dance floor as well. But it was all a wish. I started to slowly lose interest in the no-dating stance because it was really starting to suck. I was planning my exit to go home when a girl came over and joined me.

'Boring when you've got nobody to keep you company, isn't it?' she asked me. I looked at her and nodded before I took a sip of my then-warm drink.

'Stupid and strange as it might sound, I was wondering if you would like to dance...with me?' she invited.

I took another look at her. She was attractive and all, but I just didn't feel like dancing.

'Um... no thanks, I'll be just fine'

'But then, how about some company 'cause I'm also bored sitting all alone?' she pressed on.

'Well...some company would do but definitely not a dance,' I said, more to myself. She pulled a chair and sat next to me. We just sat there looking at the dancing couples. No conversation. When we eventually started talking, the conversation turned out to be the most important of my life.

'Why are you all alone though? It's kind of surprising to see an attractive girl like you date-less on such an event,' I asked.

'Same applies to you. I am surprised to see a fine-looking guy like you date-less on a night like this,' she bit back. I had never known that I was that attractive until that day and I just laughed and she gave me this cute smile, revealing her braces.

'By the way, my name is **Neo Motsweding.** I was in 7A'

'Well, nice to meet you Neo, I'm...'

'Brandon Chidzala. Yes I know your name. You were in 7B.'

'Oh! Okay... I didn't know I was a celebrity,' I responded with a chuckle.

She chuckled too and continued, 'Well, your name and Bagomotsi's were in every girl's lips in my class, and probably other classes.'

So Bagomotsi was right? There were girls who liked me in school? I had doubted him when he said so one day, but here now was a girl confirming it.

'But why was that the case?' I enquired.

'Well, because you are cute Brandon. Honestly.'

I blushed when she said this and she smiled. But what surprised me was that no girl had ever approached me about their feelings for me. Besides, I did not see myself as cute.

'But how come none of those girls has ever approached me to tell me their feelings?' I was enjoying the conversation. She cleared her throat and laughed before going on.

'Well, we've heard that you don't date.'

'And who told you that?'

'The source does not matter Brandon. What matters is, is it true?'

I was shocked to hear that people knew about my no-dating policy, which I had always thought was a secret between me and Bagomotsi.

'Well, yes, it's true,' and I took a last sip of my drink. I didn't want her to ask me any further questions, so I asked her to dance with me. She must have noticed my retreat and refused.

'I want you to tell me why you don't date first, and then we will dance.'

The girl wasn't giving up. I gave in and told her about Esther. She was listening attentively as I did and when I was done, she laughed. I felt embarrassed. When she stopped laughing, she said something that would change my life forever.

'I know this might seem a bit rude but that's stupid. This Esther of yours has probably moved on with her life and forgotten about you. If I heard you right, you were her boyfriend about five years back, right? That was a long time back Brandon, and you guys were kids. You deserve better than keeping your hopes up for a girl you _dated_ when you were a baby,' she preached.

'But she made me promise...'

'She did but she was still a child too, just like you. Like I said, she's probably all grown up and has forgotten all about you now. Guys have probably won her heart while you are here waiting for her. Now, my advice is, get a life and move on. There are a lot of girls out there who can't wait for you to make that move. Surprising as it might seem, I used to be one of them. Life is too short to be after one girl Brandon. Think about it' and the sermon ended.

I remained silent for a while, deep in thought. Such are not things you realize easily but sometimes, even the simplest of such advice can change a life. I did manage a smile.

'Well, thanks for the advice Neo. I honestly don't know what to say. On one side of the board, here I am thinking, she could be wrong. But then again, let me just say I sure will think about it. Thanks once again'

'Anytime,' and she stood up and left. 'The dance...' but she had already disappeared just as soon as she had appeared. For a while I sat there all alone again, stood up and went on to get another. I revisited my thoughts about what Neo had said and every thought agreed that she was probably right.

It actually hit me that I've been wasting my time with a fairytale story that was probably never going to be a reality. For what had been a _Romeo and Juliet_ story with my memories, I was set free from my emotional prison. The cloudy skies were starting to clear away.

I sat alone until around ten at night. I then called my mom to come and pick me. When I got home I couldn't sleep as Neo's words literally ate my heart and kept echoing in my mind: **Life is too short to be after one girl**.

I eventually managed to catch some sleep when I listened to some music on my player an hour later. Bagomotsi was probably still at the party with the apple of his eye, dancing and having fun while I sat there in my bed. Maybe having a girl was the right thing to do and I was going to give it a good thought over the school/festive holidays.

The festive season in Botswana is a time when everyone goes away to their hometowns and the characters in my story did just that. I spent the holidays in Francistown. Bagomotsi went to Maun. Even though we did chat, most of the time he was busy talking to Masego when I called. The two were truly in love and nothing was stopping them, not even the thousand kilometers distance between them since she was in Gaborone. They were more in love than ever and I just wished it was me in that situation, with my lovely Esther, the only girl I had ever loved.

CHAPTER THREE

HIGH SCHOOL

Barely two months later, the school calendar commenced and schools opened on the 15th of January. It was Bagomotsi's fourteenth birthday and it could not have come at a better time. He came to my house that morning to wait for our pickup ride and we were standing by the mirror, wearing our new school uniforms. I just couldn't believe I was starting Junior High after all; I would soon be living the life. I think you could say the blame is on Hollywood producers yet again for giving high school this feel that just makes everyone want to go there and my few years watching those productions like the famous Grease had also influenced my excitement to some extent.

To give you a little description of my bedroom, it wasn't anything much apart from any regular guy's bedroom. On the wall there was my primary school certificate for Best Swimmer of the Year and a few medals from my swimming. Then there were a few pictures of me and my swimming coach, me and my family, me and Bagomotsi at the previous year's prom and then there was the picture I adored the most: that of me and my childhood sweetheart Esther at her ninth birthday. Every time I looked at it, fresh memories of the good old times came back in a flash. I still thought about her at times but like Neo had said, I had to move on. I had given the issue of dating a thought over the holidays and had come to a decision. My mother came into the bedroom and smiled at us.

'You boys look like you are about to join the Navy or something and it's suiting you so very well'

'Thanks mum'

'Thanks Mrs. Chidzala'

'Oh, by the way, I hear it's your birthday today Bagomotsi. What better day, right?'

'Yes Mrs. Chidzala, it is'

'Well then, happy birthday to you my love. Now, I just hope you boys will behave well on your first day as junior school students and keep clean. I'm sure you don't want those girls looking at you in a disgusted way, do you?'

'No we don't and yes mum, we promise to behave at our level best and we'll keep clean'.

She looked at us for a while and wiped a tear at the corner of her eye. As she hugged us both, she said her last words.

'It's so hard to believe you boys were Grade one students just a while back and now you've grown to handsome young men. Soon you'll each be bringing me and Mrs. Moalosi in-laws as well as grandchildren'. We both laughed at this and she kissed us both goodbye and left. She and my dad had not managed to get permission to attend the orientation and so didn't Bagomotsi's parents. I turned to Bagomotsi who had turned to the mirror again.

'This is it Bagomotsi, we are finally in Junior High'

'Yeah _bra_ , our time has come. This really is it'

'I mean all those girls, the fun we'll have, I just can't wait' I said with a smile.

I was so happy that morning as I had been waiting for that moment all my life. We would finally have the experience our brothers had had back in the years. I turned to Bagomotsi again to tell him about my decision.

'I've finally given this whole dating thing a thought and I'm going to start dating'. He looked at me and jumped on me.

'Hey, watch my uniform!' I said with a laugh. He got off me and hugged me.

'Now you are thinking Brandon. I always knew you'd get back to your senses one day' and he hugged me again.

'Junior High, here we come' we said at the same time and left my bedroom as soon as we heard the hooter outside.

Soon enough, we were at school and it swarmed with freshmen. Girls and boys chatting and everyone seemed to be just as excited. Junior school was different from primary school. The initial difference could be seen in the buildings and the school itself, even though it was within the same compound as the primary school. Some of our old schoolmates had either shifted to public schools for junior high or had moved to other private schools. There were more students now and the girls! Ok, I was not really the type that was crazy about girls but hey, I was still a guy. First days at a new school should literally be one of the best ever. Beats even the week leading up to a new _Marvel Comics_ ™ release! New girls, new teachers, and new this and that: new everything! That was it for us.

The entire Grade eights were supposed to converge in the school hall in an hour for the orientation so while we waited, we were all in the school park catching up with old friends. Everyone was obviously narrating how their holidays had been spent and who they had seen, as well as their expectations for the new phase in their educational and social life. It was an exciting moment until I saw Masego coming our way. I knew that the moment one of them saw the other, Bagomotsi would leave us so I tried to hide him. But I was late as she came over to us and impeded the moment.

'Hey guys, can I please take him for a minute?'

'As in an hour or possibly forever' I said mockingly. She just smiled and took his hand.

'Hi to you too Brandon' and they walked away.

Just a few meters away they hugged and shared this rather intimate kiss before sitting down. I had thought that maybe over the holidays, they would lose it for each other but I guessed wrong. They had probably grown even stronger. But then again, it was the boy's birthday.

'Bagomotsi is so lucky guys, finding a girl who loves you that much is so hard these days. I wonder how he did it' said one of our friends, Timothy, as we looked at them.

Introducing my former primary school gang, there were six of us originally but two of the gang couldn't afford JMS anymore so they were now in public schools. The gang now had me, Bagomotsi, a _Kalanga_ dude named Timothy as well as a guy by the name of Kago. Ever since primary school Kago and Timothy had always been our buddies and when I talk about weird friends, those two were weird friends. Kago was the nerdy type who was always talking about girls even though he had never even approached a girl before, except in class to borrow stationary. I used to be scared of girls but not as much as he was.

Timothy on the other hand talked about nothing but cartoons, even as grown up as we were. The guy watched cartoon channels 24/7, literally. Bagomotsi and I avoided them by all means possible but they always managed to find us. They were a true embarrassment and we had decided that once we get to junior school, we'd get rid of them for good. This might sound a bit wicked but hey, life isn't fair you know. We just had to get rid of them. We were all grown up; as a grown person, you just have to lose some things.

'More especially since Masego was such a hard to get in primary' added Kago.

'You fool! The girl does not love him, she's just pretending; can't you see?' I said with a frown, sounding like a total loser. What was I saying?

'And how would you know that?' asked Timothy.

'I just do man, it's obvious'

'Ooh, someone is jealous'

'No I'm not'.

Bagomotsi had a girl and I didn't and she did love him. The fact that he did was one of the reasons why I had decided to date because I hated being the odd one out. It was peer pressure days and I had obviously lost to it. There are so many things that our friends can make us to without realizing it. Your friend may start smoking and you'd eventually do it too, not because they asked you to but just because you feel left out. I think they call it passive peer pressure or something and it had hit me.

PRETTY GIRL ROCKS

As we continued catching up, I noticed a group of girls standing a few meters away. They were attractive, all of them. I immediately assumed they were the classy girls who didn't speak to just anyone so I tried to ignore them. But being a guy, when I looked at them again, they waved at me with smiles. I shyly waved back and turned back to the boys who had noticed the girls as well. For a moment there, I was on top of the world.

'Did those girls just wave at you?' asked Kago.

'Yeah, I guess. Who wouldn't wave at me?' I said disdainfully.

There was one of the girls though who outstood the others. She was this mixed-race girl – labelled as " _Coloreds_ " locally – whose eyes said it all and her brunette long hair was tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. Every detail of her body defined perfection and I still remember it all so vividly. As she laughed with her friends, her lips were so well-defined and her teeth perfectly lined. Her skin tone was just fine too. I knew right then that she was the girl I wanted. I was lost in imagination, seeing her turn to look at me in slow motion before blowing me a kiss. But it sure wasn't happening. Bagomotsi joined us again just as I was in my own little world.

'What did I miss?' he asked.

'Maybe if your girl didn't matter more than us you'd know' said Kago teasingly.

'Yeah, whatever' He noticed I was looking at the girls and placed his arm over my shoulder. I didn't even turn to look at him for I was literally hypnotized by the beauty of that girl. He must have also noticed this as he gave me a pat and I snapped out of it.

'I want to tell you something Bagomotsi so can we talk, in private?'

'Sure, what's up?' and we left the guys and moved aside before I continued.

'Those girls just waved at me'. He looked at them and they were still looking at us, murmuring. I couldn't get what they were saying but I knew it should have been about me or us.

'So?' asked Bagomotsi with a chuckle and I pulled him further away and sustained my explanation.

'I think I like one of them'. He looked at them again and this time they waved at him and he waved back before turning back to me.

'I think they are still checking you out and one of them is actually a cousin of Masego'

'So what, you'll hook me up?'

'Which one exactly do you like?'

'The _colored_ one _bra_ ; the one with a blue hair ribbon and matching wrist band'

'I think her name is Winona or something and she was in 7A. Well, yes, she is a nice girl. I'll ask Masego to get her number for you'

'Actually, I was thinking that maybe you could teach me that. Teach me how to approach a girl; what to say and stuff like that'.

Bagomotsi burst out laughing and if I were him I'd laugh too. It was surprising to find a guy like me clueless on how to approach a girl.

'Well, are you going to help me or not? And please stop laughing, you are embarrassing me'

'I will; of course I will. It's just that the way you asked made me laugh. Anyway, here's a little strategy you could use' and he started telling me a few moves to carry out right then.

Even though I doubted them, I just agreed to try them out due to my naïveté. I started walking towards the girls and took in a deep breath. They noticed me and turned to look at me. I couldn't believe I was actually going to do this and thought of turning back but something pushed me on. I mean when you are a no-confidence type of guy like I was, talking to a group of girls can be quite hard and it really was hard for me. I was almost reliving the walk I had taken five years before when I approached the love of my life, Esther.

'Hey girls, I was wondering...' and I lost track of the rehearsed line. They looked at me as my mouth froze open. The girl I liked, Winona as Bagomotsi had come to say her name was, smiled.

'Don't worry girls, my beauty made him silent'.

I took another deep breath when she said these words. I was impressed by her accent, which sounded a bit British. She sounded like one of those nurse girls who served wounded American soldiers tea in occupied France during World War II. And she was right because her beauty had numbed me. From that close, I would steal that line David Livingstone had used to charm _Mosi-oa-thunya_ – Victoria Falls as he would come to call them in honor of his Queen – any day. I pulled myself together and continued.

'I was...I was wondering if you guys found where the toilets are?'

Of all questions, I had to ask about toilets. They all laughed but Winona did not and this kind of made the embarrassment less felt. I was almost sweating.

'Guys, stop it; that's rude' and she directed me to the toilets.

'Thanks, I really appreciate your help'

'Anytime' and this beautiful smile lit up her face again. She was indeed a real beauty. We looked at each other for a while before I turned away but she introduced herself, 'By the way I'm Winona, Winona Simons'.

Meet **Winona Simons** , my future girlfriend and one of the school's most popular girls, mostly because of her group of friends' popularity. Little would I come to know of her family, but the little I would know was that some part of it had its roots deep in the city of Manchester. She was the girl with whom I would go through the good and the bad and get all the fame with. The group, made up of four girls including her, was popular for being beautiful and, well, more beautiful.

Her friends included **Nicole Richards** , a white girl whose dad was a member of the school's Board of Governors and she was the quietest of the girls. This did not mean, though, that she didn't have magic too. Next on was **Sethunya Mothibi,** the most intelligent amongst the girls and quite a flirt. She was your typical all-cute girl in the public eye but behind closed doors, she turned in to a book worm and there was no stopping her when it came to that. She was also cousins with Masego.

Last on the group was **Tamara van de Merwe** , who was what I could call the _most promiscuous_. She was alleged to have dated every hunk in the school football team and she was still counting. From the onset though, you wouldn't imagine it like that. I mean, she was the shortest, had this baby-face and was just a kid. But hey, they say _dynamites come in small packages_ so yeah, that was Tamara.

'...and I'm Brandon Chidzala'

'You are Brandon, from 7B?'

'Yes, that one'

'It's so nice to meet you Brandon. Heard all about you' and again she smiled. I had once heard that if a girl likes you, she smiles a lot on the first conversation so I hoped it was the case with Winona. Or sometimes when she does, it is just to intimidate you; make you look and act like the fool you could be so I guess I went with option one.

'Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around Winona'

'Ok then, it was nice talking to you'. I turned and walked away. I could hear her as she told the girls, 'He's kind of funny...and a little cute. Even though I just met him, I think I like him. We ought to meet again'

'He looks a bit inexperienced if you ask me' said one of the girls, Nicole, embarrassing me further.

'Don't worry; we still have him under our radar' said another.

I walked over to Bagomotsi and the other guys who looked shocked at me. I mean, I was shocked at myself as well. He came to me and curiously asked, 'What did you say to her? Hope you did not embarrass yourself, right?'

'No, I didn't; she just introduced herself and I also did'

'Was she smiling when you guys talked?' and I nodded. 'She likes you man. All you have to do now is show her you like her too. Ask for her number and the rest is up to you afterwards'

All I could do was smile as Bagomotsi bent over and took out something from his school backpack.

'Because I am your best friend and care about you, here is a little something to guide you'

He gave me this old-looking notebook with a big heading on it: **St. VALENTINE'S PROTOCOL** , or simply the _Protocol_ , which his brother had passed on to him. He had been keeping it since Grade six, learning everything about dating from it. It was yet another Hollywood inspired initiative, apparently passed down from as far as the Mater Spei College's class of 1996.

'Oh please, really Bagomotsi? What is this anyway?'

'That my dear friend is your recipe to success. Almost every trick in the book is in there and say, the little piece of art has helped a lot of guys, the big man Mike being one of them. As a matter of fact, even his contributions are in there.'

'Wow! Are you seriously giving it to me _bra_?'

'It helped me so why not?'

'Sure thing, thanks _bra_ ' I said with a smile as I held it in both hands, feeling its significance before I could even read whatever was inside.

Just then it was announced that we had to get in the hall. The masses all headed for the state-of-the-art facility and we followed suit. I looked at the girls and they were laughing at this dude who waved at them and fell.

Meet **Morris Nametsang** , the school's laughing stock. There is always that one guy in every school and he was that guy. The guy had been the school's most scorned and bullied kid since primary school and even though I had mocked him once myself, it did pain me to see people do what they did to him. He had never reported anyone in a bid to make them see he was a nice guy but the abuse never stopped. I had also heard the guy could really sing but since I was used to lies and rumors about the poor guy, I assumed it was just one of them.

' _Did you here? Morris died but was given CPR by his tooth-less grandmother so he woke up retarded'_

' _Morris was caught talking to Lacey Chabert in a magazine'_

' _Morris' parents are divorced and his dad asked him to act like the fool he is to avoid custody of the guy'_

' _Morris is half Somali; he was adopted at six'_.

These were some of the lies and rumors commonly heard about the guy so yeah. You make a choice whether he really could sing or not. Besides school being all fun and grand, being the school laughing stock can be one of the most traumatizing experiences. You end up resenting school and it has led to some kids leaving school, failing to perform well academically and worst of all, commit suicide. No matter how it is done, bullying is just not cool at all.

After a few minutes we were all in the multi-purpose hall seated. The school head had not arrived yet so the chatting continued. I noticed that Winona and her friends were sitting two rows in front of us. She saw me and waved with a smile donning her pretty face and I nervously waved back. I saw her search inside her backpack and took out a piece of paper and a pen. I took out my music player and listened to some music to avoid looking at her. Bagomotsi was busy with Masego as they sat next to me so I didn't want to disturb them. The girl in front of me passed a piece of paper to me and it read:

Hey you, it's Winona. That was kind of cute when you were all shy earlier. I kind of have a weakness for shy guys like you...

I looked at the paper in disbelief. She did like me. I looked at her direction before replying, making sure I said the right thing:

What a coincidence! I also have a thing for open and confident girls despite the fact that I am shy.

Afterwards, she did not write anything back. I was so happy at that moment and couldn't believe my eyes. Winona had actually told me she liked me; well, sort of. I hoped right then that this was the beginning of great things. When you are inexperienced in these things, you never know what is what but I hoped it would lead to something great. I was starting to see the light.

The headmaster arrived a few minutes later and there was an opening prayer by the school head boy, **Leonardo Cooper Jr.** The Caucasian was one of the school's playboys and as I was to learn, almost all the girls were crazy about him. He was a nice guy and was also famous for defending offenders where he saw it fitting. He was also one of the few that brought cars to school, which explains, partly, why the girls liked him. The headmaster, a middle aged white man, took to the podium to address us. I hoped it would not be one of those boring, same old speeches.

'Good morning everybody; I welcome you all to John Mackenzie Junior High. My name is Mr. Ridden...' and what followed was a twenty minutes speech, mostly about how we were all expected to behave and stuff like that.

Headmaster **Ben Ridden** was the best headmaster you could ever have. He was known for his tendency, like the head boy, to advice you when you expected a yellow letter. Born in England, his family had moved to Botswana in the late 1970s when the economy of the country was making a turnaround due to the discovery of diamonds. Bred in a family of administrators, he followed path and became a teacher before eventually becoming school head. He was married to a black woman, the result of which was more assimilation in to the local community.

Most of the students were not really listening though as he spoke, including Bagomotsi and Masego and to some extent, myself. As he spoke, followed by the Head boy himself and the school bursar, I read the _Protocol_. Written in blue, black and red ink, the book looked really old and I could not agree more that its origins went as far back as the mid-1990s. There were about six different hand-writings that had penned it and Mike's was one of them. It was helpful though and the following extract was the part I took more in to consideration as I read. Just in case there is a guy out there who needs a little guidance, this part may be for you too because you are yet to learn how it helped me.

So you have asked her out, been on a couple of dates with her, and you have both gotten along so well. You know that you really like her and you think that she feels the same way about you. Your friends have already assumed that you guys are together; there they have seen you out together laughing and joking; probably even holding hands. But hey, friends can hold hands, right?

Asking her to be your girlfriend shouldn't be difficult but fear of rejection is always there at the back of your mind even if you know that she is crazy about you too. It's an inevitable thought that hits every guy no matter what. Expect Except if you are Hayden Christensen or any of those so-called "hot" actors.

Once you have made your decision to ask her to be your girlfriend, take action. Don't wait for the right time or the right moment (still the same thing). You can't afford to wait too long because if you miss your chance, you could lose her to someone else; probably the guy she's been eyeing. Make sure you act quickly to turn her focus unto you and not him. On the other hand, though, don't run up to her in the middle of the Blue Jacket or the (romantic) St. Patrick Street and shout out in front of all of her friends, 'I love you! Will you be my girlfriend?' Yes, it does sound romantic but then again, it would embarrass her and she probably wouldn't want to see you ever again; ever!

Try not to think of what you are going to say because no matter how many times you rehearse it in your head, things never go according to plan. You are definitely going to tumble over your words and probably say the opposite. Whether you take her out for a meal at a romantic restaurant or cafe, a walk in the park or a walk along the Shashe Dam, it doesn't matter. What does though is what you say to her.

Test the water before you spit out the question. "I've come to realize I really like you a lot" is a great start and if she replies with something similar to that, then it's the perfect time to pop out the question, "Will you be my girlfriend?" Creativity can also come in to work here, with lines like "Can I have a role in your heart's happiness" or "Will you be the one I say 'I love you' to you and get the same genuine respond?" or something else you can think of.

Girls are very emotionally-sensitive creatures; she definitely would like a small personal token from you after she gives you the green light. Don't jump up screaming "Yes!" because she can change her mind. Give her a cuddle and kiss her to seal the deal.

About the token, it should not be something that you have run out and bought, the chain that you wear around your neck or the sweater that you are wearing; a necklace could do; keep it shiny, if you know what I mean. This token item is to prove your willingness to stay committed to her.

Afterwards, the speeches were followed by an introduction of staff and a tour around the school facilities. About two hours later we were divided into classes and I was in the same class with Bagomotsi as well as some of our primary school classmates. Our class teacher, a woman by the name of Mrs. Motshwari, gave us notebooks which we would use for the different subjects we would undertake. With her _Ngwato_ features, she was your typical gorgeous lady who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. We were then all dismissed. As I was looking for Bagomotsi and Masego in the crowd, I bumped into Winona who appeared a little lost.

'Hey, we meet again' she said with her killer smile. So far I had seen different smiles in JMS but this one was unique; it was the real thing

'I guess. So, which class are you in?' I asked her nervously.

'They put me in Form 1A; and you?'

'1D, I'm with Bagomotsi if you know him'

'Yeah, I know him. His girlfriend's cousin is a friend of mine'.

We remained still for a while looking at each other. She was fairly developed physically as I could see her breasts were emerging and they were quite nice. Breaking the silence, she spoke.

'So which options are you going to choose?'

'Well, I was thinking History and Geography'

'Oh, ok; well, I'm taking Geography and Food sciences'

'A dietician in the making, I presume'

She smiled before going on, '...well, yes...you could say that'

'Well, it was nice talking to you but I have to rush somewhere if you don't mind. Would you perhaps like to chat some other time when you are free?'

'Well, I'd really like that. That'd be sweet actually'.

So she obviously liked me and in accordance to the _Protocol_ , this was the time to ask for the contacts.

'Well then, if you don't mind, I could do with your number'

She chuckled and took a piece of paper from her bag and wrote it then gave me the piece of paper.

'There you go'

'See you around then. I'll keep in touch' and she disappeared into the crowd, leaving me with a smile on my face. Just then Bagomotsi and Masego showed up. The catching up was still on as they were smiling and embracing each other.

'We've been looking all over for you' said Masego when they saw me standing there with nothing to do but look around.

'In case you don't know, I've got a phone and if you can't find someone, you give them a call' I responded challengingly and she gave me the 'talk-to-the-hand' posture.

'Stop it you two, for once don't show me you've got issues. Anyway Brandon, we are in the same class _bra_ ; you, Timothy and me. Can you believe it?'

'And we are in the same Geography class' added Masego.

'Yeah man, it's so great. And what's even great is Winona wrote me a note telling me she's got a weakness for shy guys like me. A while ago I got her number'

'Are you for real?'

'Yeah man, got it just now'

'Wait, you mean Winona Simons?' asked Masego.

'Yeah, that one' I answered. 'She's a nice girl, isn't she?'

'Well, yes. My cousin is a friend of hers but I'm not sure you'll be able to handle her'

'And why do you say that?'

'Well, considering the fact that you are a rookie and she's been in the industry since Grade six, I think it's going to take more than your sweetness to make her happy'

'And what makes you think I don't have more than ''my sweetness''? I may be new Masego but for your own info, I've got potential'

'You've got potential? You can go ahead and do your thing but don't say I didn't warn you. But apart from that, she's a nice girl and she would kind of suit you'

All this time Bagomotsi was looking at us and he was quite surprised by the way his (crazy) girlfriend and I could easily argue over nothing. It was kind of nice arguing with Masego though and I'm sure she enjoyed it as much as I did.

'You guys are something else. Anyway, what next? You plan on hitting on her over the phone or what?'

'Well, I asked her if we could maybe chat again some other time. Then I'll ask her out on a date. If the date goes well, I'll get creative'

'Oh, that's some thinking for a starter but you remember what the _Protocol_ says about what to do after getting the contacts, right?'

'Of course I do and I'll take that very much into consideration. I am supposed to play nice, impress her in every possible way up until the date'

'But remember, you are not supposed to over-do it or else...'

'Or else I might scare her and might as well forget about her. I know that Bagomotsi'.

We continued to walk towards the school gate, on the way passing a few staring girls and a few guys flirting it up with their girls. Some seniors passed by on their football kits and they winked at Masego who just smiled and waved. They sure were good-looking guys and I looked at Bagomotsi to see his reaction but the guy just played it cool. Just ahead of us, I saw Neo, the girl from the party back in primary school. She saw me and waved and I waved back. She was with some girls and she left them and came over to me.

'Guys, I'll catch up in a minute' I said to Bagomotsi and Masego and they walked on.

'Hey Brandon, how are you?' she asked with a smile. It was now as beautiful as she was; she had removed her braces. Her hair was tied into a neat ponytail at the back and the school uniform suited her so perfectly.

'Fine I guess. You look stunning in the school uniform and you just look beautiful yourself'

'Oh thanks. You don't look so bad yourself. So, how were the holidays?'

'Fine I guess; yours?'

'Well, it was a trend of fun and boredom' she responded with a giggle and I smiled.

**Neo Motsweding,** as I would come to learn, was the friendly type that was rare to find and I foresaw a nice, long friendship ahead of us. Born in Molepolole and raised in Francistown, she was your average nerdy girl who took life on. She was a keen student who had a "straight A" record for her Primary School Leaving Examinations but obviously had the time for socializing. Due to her excellent English writing skills, she was one of the first few pilot editors of the primary school version of the school newspaper.

'Bagomotsi looks quite happy with Masego, hey?'

'Yes, they are happy and hopefully, they remain that way for long. Before I forget Neo, about what you told me last year at prom, I've thought it over and I'm going to start dating again'

'Oh, that's good. Congratulations Brandon; if only I was single' and we both laughed.

Just then a guy came over to us and gave her a kiss on the lips. He looked familiar but I just couldn't get where I had seen or met him.

'Hey baby, glad you could make it' and they kissed, almost forgetting I was there. Just then, Neo remembered me. 'Oh yes, Brandon, this is my boyfriend Botho'. Yes, it was Botho, the rich kid who had failed to win Esther's heart back in the years. He was now grown up, different in terms of appearance and was even more handsome but hey, don't worry, I'm straight.

'Botho do you still remember me?'

'How would I forget the guy who took away the girl of my dreams? How are you doing _bra_?' and we hugged, the _man way_.

'So you two know each other?' asked Neo, quite surprised and I nodded.

'Actually, we were childhood enemies back in the years and he won this girl named Esther's heart when I adored her so greatly' and he laughed.

'Well, I have heard all about her' added Neo with a chuckle.

'Anyway, see you guys around, my friends must be wondering where I am. Botho, we'll catch up some other time'

'Ok then, see you around' and I ran towards Bagomotsi and Masego outside the school gate. Masego was gone and our car had already arrived. I got in and it drove off.

'Where have you been?' asked Bagomotsi.

'With an old friend and you won't believe who I saw...'

That evening my mother was cooking supper and my dad was sitting in the dining table while I was narrating my first day at school to them. With my parents, I felt free to talk about anything and I mean just anything. Boitumelo Chidzala, my beautiful mother, was born in Serowe to migrant parents who were originally from the _Bakgatla_ capital of Mochudi. She met my father when her parents relocated to Francistown and they have been together since.

My dad was listening attentively while my mum seemed to be too busy with the pots.

'Mum, are you even listening?'

'Yes, yes, of course I am' and I continued, 'Bagomotsi and I are actually in the same class'

'That's very good; I hope you two use that opportunity to your maximum best in terms of studying' added my mother and I nodded. As a teacher, it wasn't surprising that my mother was always education conscious. She started dishing the food in our plates; macaroni cheese with chicken stew. We prayed and started eating.

'So, how about you son, any girlfriend at school yet?' asked my dad and I nodded. My mum poured me some juice and asked with a grin, 'Who is the lucky girl?'

'Well, she's not yet my girlfriend but I got her name today so I don't know where it will end'

'Oh I see. I just hope you chose the right girl for yourself' said my dad with a pat on my back.

You might be surprised that my parents were saying all of that to me and somehow encouraging me to date. In Africa it is usually common that dating is a confidential matter that a child kept from his/her parents but with my folks, it was quite a different story. We discussed almost anything.

'Believe me, she is' I said with a smile.

About an hour later, I was in my bed recording that day's happenings on my diary. Some may argue that it is a little awkward for a guy to keep a diary but I kind of enjoyed it as it kept me company, more especially with the fact that I enjoyed writing. I just couldn't get Winona off my mind. She was my first teenage crush and the whole crush thing was hitting my heart at its softest spot. No words could describe how much I liked the girl already in that short period of time but because of the so-called 'St. Valentine's Protocol' I was going to get to her step by step.

She is the kind of girl every guy would want for themselves. I don't know her that much yet but something tells me if I do get her for myself, something very good and lengthy will emerge. Despite the fact that I have all this good feelings about us, I kind of don't like her group of friends. Amongst them, she seems like the only saint and I'm not sure if they like me for her because if they don't, I might lose my chance with this angel from above. With these kinds of cliques, you may never know what you are in for but I sure do hope it is something good. For now, the only way to find out would be to try my luck out with her.

I stopped when Bagomotsi's email popped up on desktop.

To: BrandoChidz@yahoo.com

Cc: BgMoleb@yahoo.com

Subject: Party till you drop

Hey buddy. Guess what? My parents have been invited to this event in Gaborone and they'll be away for the whole weekend. As such, I'm home alone (well, with my brother) and I was wondering if you could come over for a chill session my brother is having with his friends. I'm sure it's going to rock!

I told him I'd think about it and switched off the laptop because I knew he'd bother me with more emails. Before I could go to sleep I went over to my wardrobe and opened the compartment where the shrine was and looked at the photo I had taken with Esther back in those years. She was still all beautiful and smiling, just the way I liked her. That moment was one of the deepest I had had my whole life, flashbacks of the past doing a merry-go-round in my head. It was time to make a decision, 'I'm sorry Esther but this is one girl, I cannot let go. You will always be my heart and God knows that. Goodbye' and I closed the shrine. I said my prayers and went to sleep.

LEARNING JMS HIGH

The following day was a Wednesday and we had our first lessons. One part of school that makes it what it is has got to be the classroom itself. We all know the different people who just make it the fun that it always is. The corner clown, the stationary dealers, the sassy girls, your seductive girl, the perverted guy and the list just goes on. Not forgetting, of course, the teacher's lapdog. With time, I would come to learn that my classes would be no different.

Geography was due that day and I was in the same class as Masego. As we got in to class I could see that most of my female classmates were interesting. They were mostly attractive. There were a few ugly Betties there and there but most were pretty little birds. But none could match my Winona. If the good feeling of love was what junior school brought with it, I loved it just as much as wanted her. I saw that the only seat available was the one next to this one pretty dove who was busy covering her notebook and I had no choice but to sit next to her. She looked familiar but I didn't know from where. Masego was sitting next to some dude who was busy trying to charm her but she just kept giving him the "I'm not interested" look and he wasn't giving up.

'Hi, do you mind if I sit here?'

'No, absolutely not' and I sat down before taking out a notebook which I had designated for Geography. She smiled when I did and I shyly smiled back before she continued with the covering. On the front cover there was a picture of Chris Brown, a famous American R&B singer who was mostly popular amongst teenage girls. I decided to use that as a way of creating a conversation. Starting a conversation is by far one of the hardest issues shy guys like I was have to deal with. But as I went on to learn, getting to know someone can begin with a simple question.

'So you're a fan of CB?'

'Well, yes I am; I mean which girl isn't?'

'Yeah, I know. I wonder what you guys like in him'. I was asking this question intentionally, knowing the answer to it. She looked at me like I was this imprudent fool and responded, 'Isn't it obvious Brandon? The guy is hot, like really hot and he's got the magic voice every guy would die to have'

_Brandon_? The girl had called me by my name. Who would have thought I was _that_ famous?

'Wait, how did you know my name?' I asked with a flabbergasted look. She looked at me and chortled.

'You were quite a hit amongst my friends back in primary school and you still are. Just recently and as a matter of fact, yesterday, you tried to hit on a friend of mine'

'And who would that friend be?' She rolled her eyes and gave out the magic name, 'Winona, the girl who happens to like you just as much; well, it seems like you like her too so...' and she stopped.

'So you must be Sethunya, Masego's cousin'

' _Yep_ , I am. I'm friends with Winona and we advise each other on what kind of guys we date and you are a favorite with the girls'. My mouth almost dropped open when she said this but she continued before I could say anything, 'Fairly said, you are not so bad for her; you guys would suit each other'.

I chuckled and turned my chair to face her at an appropriate angle. High school was already starting to get really exciting for me. I had not said a word to any of the girls about my sudden crush for this Winona and already, they had decided I was the one for her? Good grace!

'Is that what you think, like honestly?'

'Yes Brandon, that's what we all think; me, her and all our friends. You are cute, look decent and generally, you are cool'

'Oh...okay; cool is such a word exceptionally too big for my description'

'That's what you think but take it from us: you are cool...and a bit of the shy dose does it to charm any girl, Winona included'

'Are you like for real right now?'

'Sternly _sweetie_ but be warned: in case you do date, Winona is the type of girl who needs a lot of love, care and respect because she's just got out of a relationship with Mark Merritt and he never gave her any of that'

'Mark Merritt, the Grade nine dude? The same dude who plays rugby for the school team?'

'Yes, that's the one'.

I looked away in what seemed to be a combo of fear and surprise when she confirmed my guess. **Mark Merritt** was a white guy I had known since primary school for his skills in rugby. He was rather a muscular, strong-looking character you wouldn't want to mess with. His gang, calling themselves _The Marrittians_ , consisted of three black guys and two white guys and it was famous for its vengeance tactics and just recently, break-dancing. I had never imagined Winona to have any history with the guy and now that I knew, my second thoughts about her were starting to surface. Besides that, Winona was classy and it suited her. As for me, I was just a regular Joe type of guy and I doubted it that I would be able to meet her standard.

'Anyway Brandon, I welcome you in advance to the _Ego Girls_ family' and she shook my hand.

'Nice to meet you Sethunya' I said with a fear-filled smile, questions filling my head about Mark and who the _Ego Girls_ were.

During lunch time, I never saw Bagomotsi so I was all alone in the school's lunch spot, which was known as _Union Square_ amongst students. It was a paved square piece of space, which was where it had got its name. Historically, it was said to have been the old meeting place of the school's governing body before the existing administration blocks were built. Students took it over in the late 1990s before the school decided to pave it and name it.

I ate my lunch whilst listening to some music on my player. It was kind of lame sitting there all alone while students from different grades were sitting around me and chatting the time away so I decided to get to class. Just then, however, Neo came over and joined me. She appeared to have been let down by something or someone.

'Hey, how are you doing?'

'I'm good, except for the fact that I'm all bored and doing nothing on my second day in junior high'

'Oh, kind of sucks hey? I also had my "we-time" with Botho and he didn't stay for long. Told me he had to be somewhere'

'Yeah, I guess sometimes the people you care about let you down hey? So how are you guys going?'

'Well, we are kind of good but of late, we barely see each other. Every time I see him he's either with a girl flirting and this really hurts me, like a lot. Or he's with Tyler and TreShawn, his friends from Gaborone. When I confront him about the flirting, he tells me "how innocent and meaningless it is" even though I know he is lying. When we meet in town sometimes, our time together ends up being cut short by his dancing friends from Setlalekgosi and I hate those guys. They are like...you know what, I hate them; I just hate them'

'Okay, I get what your point is. Would you mind telling me what's with them and why you really hate the friendship he has with them, those dance guys. I mean with the flirting part I totally understand because every guy or girl would be hurt to see their partner flirting with someone else, no matter how innocent the flirting may be.'

'It is totally wrong to flirt outside a relationship altogether but anyway, let me tell you about the guys. They are _manyora_ Brandon and I hate _manyora_. I'd do anything to stop the friendship'

'Well, I don't see the problem in this friendship you know. I mean, what's wrong with them?'

'I hate his friends. The guys are total _tsotsis_. You look at them and all you see is death, purse snatching and all things bad. They've got something about them that's weird. Sooner or later he'll be just like them'

'Come on Neo, they are not that bad you know. They are very good and unique dancers and every girl in Francistown literally likes them'

'Every girl but me Brandon; I put all the blame on them for Botho's change in faithfulness and the lack of attention he has for me. They've probably hooked him up with some girl or girls'

The guys she was referring to were the same as Gothic punks, only they had a different style of dressing, walk and lingo. Honestly speaking, the majority of girls in the city liked this type of guys, who were labeled as _manyora_ in the local dialect. There was one thing about them that girls loved: dancing. They had a unique type of dancing that only the talented could do. The dance's history was deeply rooted in South Africa, having surfaced in the culture-rich nation in the early 1990s at the fall of the apartheid government. People usually called it the 'African Break Dance' and I could not agree more because truly speaking, it was original-African. I also loved the dance myself. It was like the pride of modern southern Africa's culture.

'Maybe but you are not sure they are the reason. As a friend I would like to reveal a little secret we boys have. Every time a guy moves to a new school and meets a new female community, he slowly starts to lose interest in his current girlfriend. According to a survey I have personally carried out, one in three guys is hit by this 'syndrome' in today's boy teenager community. Not that I mean to be offensive or anything but I think the same is happening to Botho. The guy might have found a much more interesting girl out there and sees you as what guys like to refer to as 'damaged good'. His friends might have nothing to do with it'

She gave me this affirmative, worried look and nodded. For a long while, we sat in silence as she appeared so deep in thought. Somehow I regretted why I had said all that to her but it was for the good. The girl was sure she had a loving boyfriend but the possibility was that he didn't feel that way about her and I had to make her realize it. The bell rang just then and it was time for study.

'Anyway Brandon, I'll see you at swimming practice later on and maybe we could have this talk again because it seems you have a lot of information I need'

'Ok then, see you later' and I also stood up to go. She smiled and walked away. I walked to class feeling bad as to why Botho had to treat bad a girl as beautiful and loving as Neo.

Guys at times can really be something else; save for me though. Girls out there, the things I had told Neo were very true. As a guy, I know what most guys feel once they've been in a relationship for some time. They don't do it intentionally though; it's a mental feat that just comes. We usually see girls as flowers and as you know, flowers fade away after some time. As they do and a guy notices another beautiful flower in a garden, he takes it and has to either replace the old one resting in that vase – dumps you – or he finds another vase and puts the new flower in it thus loving them both – which means cheating you both.

It's just the way it is and it is quite inevitable. Some guys try to avoid it and succeed but as for others, they just can't and everything brews to a heart break for the poor girl. The poor souls do try to revive their lost love by giving up sex to the boys but usually, this erroneous solution turns things even worse and people have died.

_Le_ **REVOLUTION**

During that afternoon study session, I was thinking about the whole _manyora_ issue and wondered whether it was only Neo or the rest of JMS who thought of them so ill. I saw Sethunya reading a History text book and when she was done, I borrowed it as I had nothing much to read except for the blank notebooks we had been given by our class teacher the previous day.

' _Psst_ , can I please borrow that text book. I've got nothing much to read you know, except for these'. She smiled and gave me the text book which was titled ' _History's 100 Most Influential People_ ' by world renowned Botswana historian and a former University of Botswana lecturer, the late Professor Thomas Tlou. Before I could read it, I decided to ask for her opinion on the whole _manyora_ issue.

'Well, they are kind of cool but in JMS they are not really that popular. There was this guy back in 2005 that tried to bring it to the school but failed because he had no support. Why do you ask?'

'No, I'm just asking for no particular reason really'

'Oh, okay then. By the way, Winona told me you were supposed to meet during lunch time but her dad came to school and she had to attend to him'

'Oh, I totally understand. We'll do it some other time'

As I paged through the book, I came across a picture of the famous Argentine Marxist revolutionist, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. I knew the man from t-shirts as I had one with his famous picture. Out of boredom I decided to read more about him, learning how he had helped Fidel Castro take power in Cuba from Batista and how he had died at the hands of the military in Bolivia spreading what he believed was right: communism. Just then an idea hit me; I was going to do exactly what Che had done: spread ideas I believed to be right, only this time in the form of the thought-to-be illicit culture of _manyora_. There was a gap in JMS High and I was going to fill it!

In high school, you have to be known and remembered for something. After what I heard being said about them I knew this had to stop. I knew it would be a difficult task as Neo wasn't the only person who hated this culture; a lot of people in JMS probably did too. My mission in JMS wasn't to be some pioneer but this could make me famous and popular and that's what one had to do in junior high: become popular and famous somehow. It's almost a norm to leave high school famous.

I waited patiently for study to be over so that I could tell Bagomotsi about my new idea. The moment the bell went, I gave the book back to the Sethunya, 'Thanks for the book, it made me realize something really important'

'Oh, you are welcome' she said with a smile once more and started packing her stuff in her school bag while I rushed to Bagomotsi who was packing up his stuff in his bag as well a few meters away.

I told him about the conversation Neo and I had had earlier as we walked to our lockers and he was just as surprised. The previous day we had been asked to fill out in the forms the extra-curricular activities we wanted. Bagomotsi, Neo and I had chosen swimming along with some of my old friends but Neo had also decided to join the school newspaper, _JMS Times_. It was a weekly newspaper which told the stories, controversies as well as the gossip stories that hung above the school community. Due to her guidance and counseling skills, which added on to her writing skills, she was appointed as a guidance and counseling columnist and doubled as the sub-editor, all thanks to her history with the primary school newspaper. During the holidays, my dad and I had regularly gone to the gym so I had a fairly-looking torso and abs, which was the reason I chose swimming.

'Maybe she's dated one of them before'

'I doubt it Bagomotsi, she would've told me. But anyway, I actually came here to share with you an idea I have'

'What is it?'

'Thing is, I want us to introduce the _manyora_ culture in JMS; create a legacy for ourselves you know. We stir up a revolution in the school, just like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara did in Cuba. We could become living legends. One day, Grade eights are going to come here and say, "We thought this culture existed in public schools only" and someone is going to say "Brandon Chidzala and Bagomotsi Moalosi brought the culture here". Just imagine that buddy'

He just looked at me and slowly started laughing.

'What is it? What's so funny?'

'Do you really think we would be legends in JMS because we introduced a culture that almost every kid in school thinks is weird? Think about what other students tried to do to become legends: George Basset locked Grade eights in store rooms on their first week in the year 1997, France Herod did graffiti on school property in 1999, Collin Moles introduced the smoking of weed in 2000 and the list is endless. You know what happened to those guys?'

'What happened to them?'

'They got expelled'

'They got expelled because they tried to become legends by doing the wrong things. We can't get expelled simply because we introduced an innocent culture Bagomotsi, think about that'.

'Never say never Brandon, it's so possible. You know how people feel about it; they all think it's a basis for crime and all things bad'

'Come on Bagomotsi, stop being such an idiot, you know I'm right. It is not a crime to bring positive change in a school'

'Who said it was positive? Like I've just said, they believe it's a basis for crime Brandon, C-R-I-M-E. Who would want to welcome that in school?'

He was obviously trying to test my patience and I was really starting to lose it.

'Bagomotsi, stop being difficult man; you know I'm right. We are not bringing crime here; we are bringing a new lifestyle. I'm not saying we should start stealing and sparking feuds that could disintegrate the order of the JMS society; no, I never said that. All we bring is a new dance and a new fashion lifestyle; that's it, end of story'

'I'm not sure man but what can I say? You never know until you've tried, hey?'

'That's my point; exactly my freaking point'.

He nodded silently in thought before turning to me.

'When are we starting?'

'Yes! I knew you'd eventually come around. First of all we have to meet Botho; he's got the connections and has friends in Setlalekgosi Junior School, which has produced the best _kwaito_ dance groups ever. He is apparently linked to some guys from the famed _Torroski_. We'll have to set up an AP with him'

'Well then, if you say so then I'm in. I can't believe it's barely a week in JMS already you want to change the school'

'Crazy, isn't it? But hey, we got this and thanks for the support _bra_ ' and I hugged him before we walked on to the lockers.

I imagined my ideas materializing and thought about the legacy we could create; become living legends because of an unpopular and unrecognized practice. This was going to be awesome! Of course, like everyone else with a new idea, we would meet challenges but that did not pull me back on my ideas.

Once at the lockers, we started to change into our swim wear and a group of girls came our way, wearing their swim wear and obviously showing off their sexy assets. They appeared to be in the senior Grades as they were a bit older and better developed, physically. Bagomotsi and I froze as they passed by and they noticed it.

'Hey freshmen, how are you doing? Enjoying JMS already?' asked one of them in a seductive way and like true losers, we nodded. They just laughed and moved on.

'Do we have goddesses in this school or am I dreaming?' asked Bagomotsi as we watched them move on, our eyes fixed on their rather interesting bottoms.

'There's a lot of fish at sea buddy, isn't there? I could get used to living like this' I added. The girls were a clear sign that JMS had a lot to offer. New schools became something you look forward to every day because of the new people there is to meet but if there are good-looking girls, God is even more on your side. But yet again, we had not even met ten percent of the entire Eve generation in JMS!

As we walked to the swimming pool area, I saw Winona and some of her friends, including Sethunya passing by so I decided to call her over and greet her. She signaled her friends to move on and came to me. As they did, Sethunya winked and smiled at me.

'Hi Bagomotsi' she greeted him with a hug.

'Hey Winona, looking good'

'Thank you. Brandon, how are you?' she said with her splendid smile and I could swear the girl's smile kept getting better by the day.

'I'm just good and enjoying my stay in John Mackenzie High'

'Brandon, you'll find me at the swimming pool' said Bagomotsi and I nodded, my eyes still fixed on the beautiful heavenly piece in front of me.

We started walking towards her friends at a snail's pace. Her height was an irrefutable advantage, making her an even more suitable mate for me, as I was almost ten centimeters taller than her.

'So you and Bagomotsi are best buddies hey?'

'Well, yes we are even though he can be a hot head at times'

'I know best friends can be a problem at times but what can we do? By the way, Sethunya told me about your conversation earlier'

'Did she now?'

' _Yep_ , she did and I must say it's a good thing you guys bonded so quickly. It's good to have friends of the opposite sex you know'

'Yeah, I guess so; more especially if they are friends with the girl you feel so crazy about'

She chuckled before we stopped and asked me a question I couldn't answer with ease.

'Brandon, if you like someone and learn that they've got a past that you might not be able to handle, what do you do?'

I remained silent for a while, wondering where the conversation was going.

'What is that supposed to mean if you don't mind telling me?'

'Sethunya must have told you about my ex-boyfriend Mark and how he still wants me back despite what he did to me when we were still dating. I don't think he's going to like seeing us together and I wonder if you'll be comfortable with that'

'For you I'll be ready for just anything I guess' I responded, trying to sound like some hero.

'That's so sweet of you Brandon but it's going to take more than that to handle him'.

Masego was some psychic people. Still remember what she said about me not being able to handle Winona? But then again, I was not going to let Mark spoil my chances with Winona so like I always do, I stood my ground. To be honest, at that very moment, she felt like one in a million to me and girls like her don't come cheap.

'Mark is nothing to worry about right now. All I am worried about is whether you like me or not, nothing else. Would you say you like me enough to give me your heart?'

'I can't answer that Brandon'

'Why can't you? It's all a matter of a yes or a no'.

She remained quiet for a while, her face down before looking at me again. I was not sure why she had changed all of a sudden, her beautiful eyes turning glossy all of a sudden.

'Listen Brandon, we'll talk some other time, I have to go. I think the best place would be the _Union Square_ because it's quite during mid-week, just perfect for a nice, long conversation between two people who have a lot to talk about. I'm sorry' and she was gone. I could see she was interested in me but why act so dodgy? I looked around and a few meters away stood Mark and his boys who looked at me for a while before disappearing behind a block of class. So that was why she acted like she did?

At the swimming pool area the coach had not arrived so the freshmen were still chitchatting by the pool while the seniors were already in, including the group of girls we had seen earlier. When one of them saw me, they waved at me and I also did, quite embarrassed by my earlier display of affection.

'Nice torso freshman' said one of them, the very same girl who had talked to us earlier and I knew I had to run before more comments came my way. 'Thanks' and I moved further in to the crowd.

I looked for Bagomotsi in the crowd and as I did, I saw this girl standing alone a few meters away and she appeared to be new in JMS, as in she had never been to the school. Ok fine, I know I had a thing for Winona already but the girl was a worthy catch as well. She and Winona were almost the same; beautiful brown eyes, long hair and lips to die for, except for that she was not _colored_ , even though she was also light in complexion. I looked at her for a while, lost in a world of questions: who was this girl? Was she the girl I could debut dating with rather than Winona? Was she more perfect than Winona? Was she....

'Hey Brandon, you also chose swimming?' asked Kago, pulling me out of my world of confusion. I shook my head and looked at him.

'Hey Kago, what's up _bra_?' and I looked back at the anonymous girl but she was gone.

'I'm cool I guess. I am just blending in with the new environment; how about you?'

I was not even looking at the poor guy and he noticed it.

'Brandon, are you okay?' and once again I shook my head and laughed.

'Sure, I'm doing just fine buddy and yes, I joined swimming. Where've you been?'

'Around and I guess JMS High has something or rather a lot of interesting things' and he touched his chest to show that he was talking about girls and I faked a laugh. The guy was wasting my time and I had to lose him.

'Anyway, I'll see you around Kago, got to run' and I walked away as quickly as possible. Soon enough, I found Bagomotsi and Masego and they were, well, getting cozy. I cleared my throat to indicate my presence and they looked up at me.

'Hey Brandon, are you done with Winona already?'

' _Yep_ I am and we need to talk'

'AIIT or not'

'No you are not. Masego, excuse him for a while please'

'Sure, no problem, I'll be here waiting'.

I pulled Bagomotsi aside to tell him about my discovery. By 'AIIT' he actually meant 'Am I in trouble' because he and I usually communicated in abbreviations to hide out what we were talking about. Other abbreviation included of course DIY-Do it yourself, FYI-For your information, YASD-You are so dead and the list went on. This was kind of cool regarding the fact that we were the only ones who understood the cryptogram.

'So what is so important to stop me from getting comfortable with my girl?

'Ok, I know you are going to think I'm crazy but I think there's another girl I like right here in the swimming pool area. She's light, beautiful; intriguingly beautiful as a matter of fact _bra_ '

'Brandon, you are nuts'

'No man, it's just that this girl is so beautiful I'm starting to have second thoughts about Winona, more especially with Mark and stuff'

'Dude, I'm not going to let you break Winona's heart. Winona is a nice girl and one thing we know for sure is that she likes you. Don't mess up this chance by going after another girl because you could regret it'

'But you don't understand Bagomotsi'

'I understand you quite well Brandon and here's what: the decision is yours to make. If you go after two girls, that my friend is up to you; my advice is that you should be careful along the way and I am not getting involved' and he walked back to Masego. The guy wasn't helping me in any way so I decided by myself that I would see where all the confusion took me. Was this beginner's luck or bad luck?

The coach arrived after a few minutes and he was a tall man with a nicely trimmed beard and a bald head with a fairly dark skin. He greeted us all and introduced himself as Mr. Moseki and he would be coaching us for the next three years in JMS. He explained the procedures and safety measures and pleaded with the seniors to take it easy with us junior freshmen.

'We sure will coach, more especially since some of them have such nice torsos' said one of the girls from the group we had seen earlier. I cleared my throat a little, knowing in actual fact that she was talking about me; well, maybe. From there we were divided in to practice teams and team leaders were chosen from the seniors. Bagomotsi and I were in the same team while Neo was in a different group.

Our team leader was a good-looking girl white girl who introduced herself as **Hayden Hirschfield.** Deeply rooted in sports as far back as kindergarten, the green-eyed beauty was kind but also the don't-mess-with-me type. She was the girl who would later turn out to have a secret crush on Botho, all covered up with hate. Later on, they would have something between them and she would turn out to be Botho's worst nightmare. But basically, she was a nice girl.

'Like the coach had stated earlier, we expect full co-operation amongst you guys. As you might have noticed already, JMS High is a junior high school not a kindergarten or primary school so I expect you to behave like grown-ups. Childhood years are gone and you have now entered a world that expects only the responsible. Be responsible and you will enjoy your stay in JMS High. One other thing, as swimmers, I expect you to perform at your level best because Botswana needs good swimmers to represent her in world stage competitions like the Commonwealth games, the Olympics and other competitions that require swimmers. We already have good athletes like Amantle Ramontsho...'

'It's actually Montsho miss, not Ramontsho' corrected one of the freshmen and she laughed, a little embarrassed.

'Thanks a lot...freshman. And like I was saying, we have a good football team that has represented us at their level best. Why can't the same be with swimming? And one last thing, you do not call me Miss or by my name; instead, you call me and every other group leader Captain. Breaking that rule makes you, if found guilty, liable for punishment. Anyway, enough of the blubbering; I just hope you all have fun'.

We applauded her and from there swimming practice commenced. All I could think about was the girl I had just seen earlier and I wondered who she really was. Soon the swimming cleared my mind and I forgot all about her, temporarily. Practice took an hour and we were done for that day. As everyone prepared to go home, I searched for the girl in the crowd and saw Bagomotsi and Masego talking a few meters away. I ignored them and continued with my search which unfortunately brought no useful results apart from seeing more half-naked, hot and not-so-hot bodies passing by.

I decided to walk alone to my locker when I finally gave up and just when I was a few meters away from the locker, I saw Winona but she wasn't with her friends this time; she was with Mark Merritt. They didn't see me so I watched them for a while as they argued but I couldn't get what they were talking about. After a while Mark pointed his finger at her and she started to cry. I wished I could just go in and help but I knew I'd only be inviting trouble in to my life. He then walked away and she turned to her locker and cried even more. I really wanted to go over to her but something just told me not to. Nicole arrived at the scene after a while and after consoling her, they walked away. So it was true? Mark did abuse Winona. Once I got her – that was if I ever did get her – I was going to stop this once and for all, even as much as the guy terrified me.

Bagomotsi joined me a while later and we walked to the school gate. I decided to tell him about what had just happened.

'Winona's ex, Mark Merritt, just tried to beat her up'

'Wait, Winona dated Mark Merritt?'

'Yes and I was told that the relationship was filled with a lot of emotional abuse'.

Bagomotsi stopped and looked at me, shaking his head from side to side slowly.

'What is it Bagomotsi?'

'Mark Merritt isn't the kind of guy to mess with _bra_. He was doing that because he doesn't want her to date anyone. The guy probably still likes her and should he hear that you are the guy who is chasing Winona's heart, YASD'

'I know that. But the fact that he's doing this to her makes me to have this desire to have her and protect her'

'But you are going to have a price to pay for that to happen. We both know what _The Marrittians_ are capable of. I'm sure you don't want to create enemies before you even get used to the school'

'No, of course I don't want enemies. What I don't get though is how Winona is supposed to love an abusive boyfriend or stay in an abusive relationship'

'The world we live in _bra_ is quite complicated and we just have to live with it. I wouldn't blame you if you went after another girl because Mark is big trouble!'

That evening I was playing a football PC game with my dad on his laptop while my mother was washing the dishes when I decided to bring up the issue. This was quite a sensitive issue and I wasn't so sure if my dad would allow me to discuss it with him but it was worth a try so I did.

'Dad, I've got this problem and I'm not sure if you can help me or not'.

He stopped playing and looked at me, ready to listen.

'Thing is, at school I've met this beautiful girl by the name of Winona. She's beautiful dad and I really do like her. But the problem is that she's got a boyfriend; well an ex who's quite abusive and he wants her back. The girl doesn't like the guy and she has shown me signs that she likes me. Should I take my chances by dating this girl and face dire consequences or should I move on? I mean, there are a lot of girls at school I could date but then, this girl is just...I like this girl dad'

'Wait, what's ''dire consequences'' supposed to mean?'

'This guy, the ex, is well known for his gang known as _The Marrittians_ and they can really teach a lesson. Once he hears about me and Winona, he's going to come after me and that's for sure'

'Well then, my advice would be that you should avoid trouble and move on'

'But dad, I love this girl and I'm willing to do everything possible to help her. Ignoring the fact that she's being abused does not build me or her'

'Love is a strong word and I am sure it can't have developed so fast. It's almost impossible, so to say'

'What do you mean dad?'

'You can't love Winona already but yes, you really do like her; that I can't argue with'

So there was a difference between liking someone and loving them. Crazy how these days, kids hit it off for a week and already think they are in love though.

'Son, do what you got to do but just be careful. I'm sure you wouldn't want to lose a tooth for a girl, would you?'

'Well, I guess not but for her I must admit: I would'. Then there is this one girl again I saw today at swimming practice. I didn't really get to introduce myself but I did see her. She's equally beautiful and stuff but with her the problem is I don't know her. She appears to be new in Francistown and I don't know if she'll be interested in a relationship with me or not.'

'Son, you want two girls at the same time?'

'Like I said dad, Winona has issues and the new girl is like a sub I could use. Anyway, that's one problem and the other problem is what if I hit on her and Winona finds out. Then from there the new girl rejects me and obviously Winona would too because she'd know I'm not an honest person'.

My dad nodded in agreement and responded after a while, telling me a bit of his history to make sense my present dilemma/situation.

A GLIMPSE INTO DAD'S SWEET OL' MEMORIES

'You my son have a lot of issues but I hope my story will help you find a solution. Back in 1986 when I was still a student in Mater Spei College, I had a similar problem. I liked this girl and son, I really liked her. Just when our relationship hit off her ex-boyfriend started knocking, telling her how much he still loved her and that he had made a mistake by dumping her. She fell for his charm but she didn't tell either of us that she was involved outside both relationships.'

He stopped and adjusted his position on the couch before continuing.

'A few weeks later, your mother came to Mater Spei as a transfer-in and it was love at first sight. I lost interest for that other girl and I wanted your mother so badly but I couldn't have her as I was still involved in another relationship. The other guy found out about me and that girl and he almost killed her. He started being abusive and I knew I had to do something but I didn't; why because I didn't want any problems in my life. I asked your mother for her heart and she gave it to me. From there my life ran smoothly until today. Now what you can do is forget about Winona and move on. Go for the other girl because you are sure she won't bring any trouble in to your life, at least for now'.

I thought about my dad's advice for a while before I turned back to him and smiled.

'Thanks for the advice dad, I really appreciate it' and I hugged him. All along my mum had been listening to us and she came over to us and hugged us both.

'Oh, how I love it when good things come together. Good advice honey' almost imitating Hannibal Smith of _The A-Team_.

That was one day and tomorrow was another. I could not, however, get myself to sleep so I decided to continue reading the _Protocol_. After an hour, I had read about forty pages and learnt a few things. I asked God Almighty for guidance before going to sleep. Here is the important stuff boys could learn that would later make me easy to forgive and hard to resist:

KEEPING THE PRIZE A BIT LONGER

So now she is officially your girlfriend. You've moved in your garrison in to her heart and all is settled. But for how long will this be the case? We, guys, are very complicated creatures, just like girls. We get an opportunity from the girl we've always liked and worshipped and once that happens, we mess up. But why is this always the case? Why did Eric Bennett do that to Halle Berry? I know why. We do so because of pride. We want John or Simon to say 'Yeah man, you THE MAN. You can still hook up without being noticed but that does not justify your cheating. Sooner or later, she will found find out and when she does, you know what always happens. Anyway, here are a few pointers on how to keep the flame burning and still enjoy your prize.

Honesty  Always tell the truth because no one likes being lied to. They were not joking when they said honesty is the best policy. Even if you think by lying, you are sparing her feelings, it's better to come from a good place the first time around then than being yelled at for lying later on. Who knows, you might even get dumped then. It's always so painful to realize you could have saved a relationship when it is already late. Be honest about your feelings because even if you're not officially a couple, you need to be honest with her. Being honest with each other is the first step in a successful relationship.

Be respectful  Listen Respect her boundaries. If she says she doesn't like PDAs (public displays of affection), you should respect that. It's not that she's embarrassed of you; no. She's just a little shy and you should respect that.

Don't let your friends pick on her. Stick up for her, even if they are only kidding! She'll reflect their behavior on you. I mean, like they always say, "Show me your friends and I'll tell you what kind of person you are."

When a girl asks you to stop touching them inappropriately or making fun of them, do it. If you don't, it will make her very angry. That anger will surely accumulate in to hate and once she is sour, nothing will ever turn her back in dumping you.

No cheating  Never cheat on her. And I mean EVER! Because if you do and she has any self-respect, she'll break up with you for a guy who will treat her well like the princess she is. At least don't make it obvious that you are cheating on her. But remember, if she does ask, tell her the truth.

Don't be controlling, but don't be her bitch either (in the female dog sense, of course). You guys should both be making choices in the relationship. Doing things for her is always nice and she will most likely return those favors – in many ways than one. Being a control freak does NOT show any respect for her; or love.

Respect the fact that girls like to go out with their friends. Take that time to have some "guy-time" of your own. So while she's shopping and watching chick-flicks, you can watch the beautiful game of football as the Zebras whips Bafana-Bafana. That will give you both a chance to improve on your social skills.

Don't push too fast for a physical relationship. No always means no. Even when you think it doesn't. If she's not ready for sex, she's not ready for sex and that's that. Don't talk about it after she says no. If she wants to talk about it, or if she wants to do it, she'll let you know. So relax and wait for the right time. If you put her under pressure and she gives in, the sex will be sex and not love-making like it should be. You will enjoy it but she won't and that HURTS!

Be affectionate  Kiss her on the forehead and on top of her head, especially when she is feeling down. Always say a simple "I love you" if you mean it. It will make her happy. These are just three simple words but you have no idea what they mean to her. She loves hearing them, more especially since they are from you. No matter how down or angry she was, a smile will appear on her dear lips. Don't forget to hug her too.

Always be willing and ready to cuddle with her and hold her. If you guys are sitting together open your arms and pull her in gently. It'll make her feel loved. VERY much loved and trust me on this one. Kiss her on the top of her head when she's in your arms. Rock her lightly if you think she would like that. Whisper your love in to her ears as you do this.

Listen to songs together and create your playlists together.

Compliments  Give her a cute pet name. It's always a good idea. If she doesn't like it, drop it immediately and think up another one. If she doesn't like pet names she'll let you know. Notice the little changes in her appearance, because she likely did it for you. Compliment or casually comment on the good changes about her. She most likely worries about looking best just for you. Reassure her when she's feeling insecure. Never just say "Your hair looks fine!" Instead, say "Your hair is perfect my love" A smile is inevitable, I assure you. Tell her she looks beautiful when she's clearly made an effort. Especially for special functions like the prom, or dates you both have been looking forward to. If she mentions that she liked something and then 3 weeks later you remember it, she'll love you for it. If she just jokingly says something like "I wish I was pretty", tell her that she is more than just pretty; that she is EXTREMELY attractive.

Be attentive  Never ignore her! It will make her feel like you are not into her anymore. Girls very much love their partners' attention but don't be on her tail 24/7. Make her feel important to you. Let her know that you're thinking about her, and you miss her. And if she looks great, tell her! Hold doors for her. Chivalry is not dead! But girls worthy of it are! Whoever wrote this part was bitter!

Tell her when you are thinking about her. Girls love this so much. A simple text saying that you care or are thinking about her is adorable. She'll know that she has nothing to worry about, and that you really love her. Try to cheer her up when she's sad about little things. For emotions like grief, it's best to simply be there for her. She wants NEEDS sympathy, not a solution. Be her shoulder to cry on. Don't forget her birthday. This is the biggest mistake EVER! And make sure you get her something thoughtful and sweet.

Do nice Things for her  Write poetry for her. Writing a poem or a song for your girlfriend is extremely cute. Who cares if you misspell something, repeat a word in the same sentence or leave out a comma? A girl will always be flattered that you care enough to do something like that for her. Write a poem about her eyes or the way she smiles. Write about her laugh or how much she means to you. If you feel you just can't write poetry, find some tender, romantic poetry and copy the best ones, adding the author's name and under that: "This is how you make me feel."

Be silly! Girls love funny guys (unless they have a heart of stone). Be funny and silly. Play the Truth game with her and ask silly questions. Your boyfriend/girlfriend should also be your best friend. And most people goof off with their best friends! You shouldn't feel like you have to impress each other.

Let her playfully hit you. When a girl lightly slaps you on the shoulder or the thigh laugh along with her and tell her that she is adorable, NEVER hit her back, even lightly. Girls like to think they are stronger than you, plus, it's wrong to hit a girl. If she keeps poking you, play along with it make it into a little game; have fun with her.

I must say after reading this section of the book, I learnt a lot of things I could have seen as being unimportant. I was educated and all that was left was testing all I had learnt once Winona had given me the green light. I was willing to be perfect; I wanted to be perfect for my first relationship. She was beautiful, sweet and almost perfect so she deserved all that I was doing. The new girl was almost forgotten as I lay in my bed thinking about Winona. Boys, you should also take this section of the book and embed it into your brain because it will, like it did for me, help you keep the prize a bit longer. Remember, girls are very fragile creatures and every tiny detail matters to them. Read on!

CHAPTER FOUR

THE LESSONS GO ON

JMS High had welcomed us with open arms and for the past two weeks since we had started junior school, I had enjoyed every moment of it, despite the few challenges I had there and there with academics and the social life of the school. Bagomotsi and I had already, despite all these, blended in with the school environment and we had managed to get rid of Timothy and Kago, even though we did talk to them at times. Soon enough, however, Kago's parents found the going tough and decided to send him off to a boarding school in the north-eastern part of the country in the Bobirwa sub-district. That was the last we heard of him.

Winona was still giving me trouble as she had not told me if I should take the baton yet or not. At times we did meet during lunch time and chatted but she avoided the issue by all means possible. The talk would be about getting to know each other and all the other common issues of interest. During swimming practice, Bagomotsi, Neo and I had the best of fun and we had already made new friends. Masego, who had joined the school ballet team, usually paid us a visit and if she did Bagomotsi left us and joined her. Then they would talk and add a little kissing there and there. This usually got him in to trouble with the coach but he just did it anyway.

As for Botho and Neo, their relationship wasn't really working and all that was left was an inevitable break-up, as Neo spoke about it most of the times when we got personal. There was deep trouble in paradise and the girl was hurting; she was suffering and was beaten by this relationship. All I hoped for was a solution to their problems because it was quiet obvious she loved the guy. Despite this, Botho and I had become friends over the past week and even though we were not best friends yet, our friendship was growing, more especially since Bagomotsi spent most of his time with Masego. They were still happy but I was not so sure anymore.

I honestly started to think of Masego as a different person. Even though she did have a good time with Bagomotsi every time I saw them, she appeared to be losing interest on the guy. I mean, the passion that usual lit her face up when she saw him no longer persisted. She was getting bored of him and I could see it; even a blind man would see it. There was this guy she usually spent some time with and she seemed to be even happier when she was with him. I didn't want to think nothing more of their close association but something was up.

**Cecil Madiame** was the guy's name and he was somewhat popular in school and a very good dancer. Just like Mark, he had a dance group and they called themselves _The Halo_. They were like JMS's pride and sensation. But their spell also went beyond the borders of the school, their fame almost nation-wide due to their winning streak in national dance competitions. The boy was not really as handsome as you would expect him to be, his money power being the keeper to his seat in the 'Mr. Popular' council. Was she a time bomb waiting for the right time to ignite right in my best buddy's face? Only time would tell.

It was a Friday of the second week since we had arrived in JMS High and we got to learn from the seniors that this day in JMS was like the best day as it was a weekend kick-starter. Students got so excited and couples met in the school park or the park near the school for sweet, long and cozy kissing sessions. Those who didn't date had only one choice of destination: home. Students referred to them as 'Uncle Nerd's Nation' and I didn't want to be classified as that since Bagomotsi was safe with Masego and Botho with Neo or all those girls he had under his wings.

MEETING NEW CHARACTERS...

During lunch time I was in the queue waiting my turn to buy some lunch from the school tuck shop. The queue was quite long as students all wanted a share of the limited lunch packages which consisted of a hot dog, chips and a juice of choice. The troubles were somehow beginning to surface in Bagomotsi and Masego's lair, as I saw them arguing a few meters away. I did not know what it was exactly that they were arguing about but I intended to ask Bagomotsi once they were done

Just when there were two people before my turn, I saw the unidentified girl I had seen at the swimming pool area the week before. Now I had a clear view of her and I could see that puberty had already kicked in due to her nicely shaped breasts and curves. She got into the queue at the very back and I felt pity for her. There were close to fifteen people in front of her and I knew right then that she was going to miss her lunch. I bought two lunch packs and walked over to her. This time though I wasn't as nervous as back in the first few days. Despite this, I hesitated for a while but after clearing my mind and thinking the idea over, I tapped her back and she looked at me. Just like Winona had done on my first day in JMS High a fortnight ago, this girl's beauty jammed the words in my mouth.

'Hi, would you...would you mind getting off ...getting off the queue while?' She looked around and then back at me.

'And you are?'

'Let's just say I am guy who is willing to help'

'But I have to buy my lunch'

'No worries, I've got everything under control' I said with a smile and showed her the two lunch packs. She chuckled and walked with me to the school park. Bagomotsi and Masego were still arguing so I decided not to disturb them. As for Winona, I didn't see her anywhere so I didn't worry much.

At the park I found an empty bench and the beautiful stranger sat down first before I followed suit. I was feeling a bit nervous as I did.

'I could see that you were going to miss your lunch so I decided to buy you some'

'Oh, thanks a lot. I really appreciate it. Nobody has really done that for me before, honestly'

'Well I guess I am a first hey?'

'Yes you are.' and she giggled again, escalating the beauty that donned her face.

I had to introduce myself fast before something came up. After all, that was exactly what Bagomotsi's book said. Goes out to you guys out there; when an opportunity presents itself, it's better that you try grabbing it and failing at it than looking at it go and wishing you had at least tried. Never waste opportunities given to you, for you will never know what they will present in the long run.

'By the way, I'm Brandon; Brandon Chidzala in 1D'

'And I am Samantha Frenchksen, they put me in 1B and if I remember well, 1D and 1B are in the same options group'.

JMS High had beautiful ladies and the brown-eyed beauty was one of them. **Samantha Frenchksen** was the girl who would later turn out to be my second most-serious girlfriend and by serious, I mean serious! Watch the space.

'Yeah, we do meet during History class. Do you do History?'

'Yes, I am doing History; I actually dream of being an archeologist one day'

'If you don't mind me asking, how come you have that surname as your surname?'

Well, it's a long story and I'd rather not talk about it; sorry' and I did notice her spirits did lower a bit so I decided to let go of the whole issue and shifted back into school.

'I see; coincidentally, I do History as well so we are going to be meeting sometimes in class for the lesson'

'Do you plan on taking a career related to the subject?'

'Well, I want to be a lawyer actually'

'Interesting but you don't look like the talkative type' she said with a smile and I grinned before responding.

We were connecting quite very well and fast it was scaring me even though it made me a little more confident. The power of confidence is such that sometimes it makes you say the right things at the very right times so it is one important factor of communication in all cases.

'Well yes but I guess I'll learn as time goes on'.

We remained silent for a while, one situation you'll come to realize I fell upon one too many time, not sure what to say really.

'I guess it was nice meeting you Brandon but I have to be somewhere right now so I'll see you around. And yet again, thanks for the lunch'

'Okay then, no problem; it was nice meeting you too Samantha'. She smiled and walked away.

This girl was the real deal and I wasn't sure I still wanted Winona! Winona had a lot to bargain for and I was quite confused at that moment. Confusion is good though for it makes you seek answers rather than standing still for the ones you already have in your knowledge capacity. So I guess the confusion did help in getting me a long way in my dating career. Confusion is good.

Just as I stood up to go to class, Neo came over and joined me. She did not seem to be in the mood as her eyes showed nothing but pain and disappointment. I figured she could use a little cheering up.

'Hey Brandon, have you seen Botho anyway around?'

'Actually I haven't seen him since...I don't know really'

'Oh, okay; what is up with you? You seem a little worried'

'Big surprise because I actually thought the same of you' and she sat down next to me and did not respond so I went on, 'Actually, I am confused and I was hoping you could help me. You helped me the last time I needed help so I guess this won't be much of a problem for you'.

I laid out the problem I was having with Sam and Winona in detail.

'So I need you to help me out you know, give me advice I could use to get myself out of this problem'. She thought for a while before trying.

'It's called ' _The JMS magic_ ' or 'spell' as some call it. You see a lot of girls or boys that you like but can't decide on which you want. My advice would be that you should asses both girls and see which one you connect more with'

'But what if I connect with the both of them?'

'It doesn't work like that Brandon; there's got to be one of them you like the most. It's either Sam or Winona, end of problem'

'Okay look, this might be a weird question but which one of them do you think suits me?'

'To be honest with you I think you should go for Winona because she seems like a nice girl and since she was in JMS last year I know her better. But as for Samantha, we both don't know her and we don't know what kind of girl she is. She could be a sweet and beautiful girl on the outside but we don't know how she is on the inside'.

I didn't know what more to say as everything Neo had said made sense and sounded true. As a matter of fact, I had planned to ask Samantha where she had gone for her primary education but had forgotten. I guess I would have to give myself time before I decided which of the two beauties I wanted. The good thing was they both seemed to like me. The bell rang just then to indicate that lunch was over and it was time for the day's study session.

'Anyway, thanks for the advice Neo, I really appreciate it. I guess I'll see you at swimming practice later'

'Ok then, see you later and if you really thought I was worried, you were right; I was worried about you and the 'magic' so looks like I was right' and I laughed before we parted ways.

Strangely enough, my heart fell more for Sam right after. But the fact that I also liked Winona, more especially with the Mark saga, made me even more confused. JMS High was starting to make me crazy. Like Neo had stated, this was the _JMS magic_ and it wasn't doing me any justice.

As I walked in to class, Masego came over to me, looking a little guilty.

'Listen Brandon, um...we need to talk, you and I so let's meet after school at the school library'

'We need to talk?'

This was a first because it had never happened before. The girl and I rarely talked and only did when Bagomotsi was around.

'Talk about what exactly?'

'Look, just meet me before you guys go for swimming practice and you'll hear what I want to talk about. It won't take long'

'Before I agree, what exactly about because who knows, maybe you plan on killing me' I said jokingly but she was not playing any games and she walked away without a word. I was wondering if this had anything to do with their argument earlier as I had not asked Bagomotsi about it. But either way, I was going to meet her and hear her out. I got in to class and Bagomotsi was sitting at his desk reading a Mathematics textbook and all wasn't fine as shown by his facial expression. Because of this I decided not to say a word about the appointment Masego had set with me and went on to sit next to Sethunya who was reading a novel.

'Are you crazy Brandon?'

'About what if you don't mind saying?'

'We saw you today with that new girl and to be honest with you, Winona wasn't impressed'

'Oh, that; well, it was nothing to worry about, really. We happen to know each other from back in kindergarten and I must say we were just catching up if you know what I mean'

'Be careful because like they say ''our actions can turn out to be our enemies if we don't learn to control them''. Be very careful with what you do to Winona, okay?' and yet again like a child, I nodded. She chuckled and went back to her novel.

So Winona was worried about me and what I did? At least now I knew she really did care about me. I took out a History textbook and started reading but I couldn't get myself to stop thinking about what Masego wanted to talk about. I looked at Bagomotsi and he was talking to one of the girls behind him and the girl seemed to be enjoying his talk and smile. What if Masego was cheating and Bagomotsi wanted revenge? I wasn't so sure but these things do happen. Sethunya tapped my shoulder and I turned to her.

'There's one thing I forgot to mention to you about Winona. She really hates a guy who cheats on her and knowing her as she is, I doubt it if she'll like your friendship with Samantha' and she turned back to the novel. Cheating? We were not dating yet but already she was talking of cheating? Hell, they even knew the stranger's name! Was I in for a control freak or what?

... **AND LOSING OLD ONES**

I went to the school library immediately after study to meet Masego. I was really hoping she was not ending things with my boy. He had invested so much in the relationship and a break-up would kill him. Unfortunately though, when I got there, I saw her and Cecil kissing, just behind one of the book shelves at the entrance. So I was right about her. She saw me and stopped kissing him. They came to me and after introducing me, he gave her a hug, whispered something in to her ear and left.

She signaled me to sit down in one of the tables and looked at me for a while before speaking. I just couldn't get how a beautiful girl like her, smart as she was, would want to turn in to the monster she wanted to become by hurting my friend. But anyway, I had to listen to her before I started with the judging.

'Brandon, I know you are probably shocked by what I just did but that...that is the real me. Bagomotsi and I have been drifting apart for some time now and I knew I couldn't do it anymore. For some time, I've been seeing Cecil and he kept pushing that we go public but I told him to wait. He was sweet and...and every time Bagomotsi and I were together, guilt ate me up because I had fallen in love with Cecil. I don't love your friend anymore Brandon and I just don't know how to tell him'

'But why the drifting apart, as you put it? Does he not love these days? Is he doing something wrong? Because if he is, he could always try to correct himself'

'No Brandon, it is not him but me. Like I said, I don't love him anymore. He was perfect Brandon and I think he deserves better than me. He is sweet, kind...loving but I just can't love him anymore. I though giving us time would reignite the passion but no, it just wasn't working anymore'

I could not believe her and I just looked at her, stunned and pitiful at the same time.

'But you can love Cecil?'

'Yes, I can and I will love Cecil. Now, like I said, I can't get myself to tell him so I was hoping you would do it for me'

'So you want me to tell him...for you?'

'Yes Brandon. I've made up my mind and I could never be surer. If he does not believe you, Cecil and I are having a date tomorrow in town at _Cradle Forte_. You can bring him through and he'll see for himself.

I looked at her guilt-ridden face as she looked down at the table, her glossed lips trembling a bit and all I could do was put the hangman's rope on my neck.

'I'll tell him then and thanks for being honest' and I left immediately, feeling all the pity for my boy.

I went straight to the swimming pool area where he was already swimming as usual. During swimming practice, I was going to tell him but he was so bright and a little happy so I decided to wait. I started wondering how he would react once he heard the truth. Of all the people, I had never expected Masego to cheat; so sweet and innocent she seemed and the way she and Bagomotsi loved each other was just so magical. But hey, like they say, you can't judge it by its cover.

Just immediately after swimming practice, I had told myself I would tell him but whenever I tried to, something came up. We walked on until we saw Botho by the school gate and as Neo had stated, he was flirting with some girl and when he saw us he dismissed her with a hug and came up to us.

'Botho, how are you doing _bra_? I didn't believe Brandon when he told me you were still alive, considering...' and he pointed at the girl Botho was just with and they both laughed.

'Whatever you say man; how are you?'

'Yeah man, I'm still good and damn, you have grown up, what have you been eating?'

'What if I said girls?' and again they laughed and hugged.

The two looked like old friends as they laughed together and caught up. It was only when I cleared my throat that they realized I was still there.

'By the way, you guys should come to my party at my grandmother's house tomorrow. It's going to be hot!' and he gave us some invitation cards.

'Sure thing _bra_ , we'll be there' said a delighted Bagomotsi before I spoke.

'Botho let me ask you something; if I remember well, you were a good dancer when we were kids, right?'

'Yeah, I was _bra_ and I still am'

'Good because I need soldiers, dance soldiers who can back me and Bagomotsi as we stir up a revolution in JMS; a culture revolution'

We sat down on some benches by the gate to get away from the hot summer sun that was starting to get to us.

'Okay tell me something, what kind of revolution is this going to be?'

'You know that JMS is the last place you would expect to see a _lenyora_ right?' and he nodded before I continued.

'Now what I want us to do is to bring the culture in to JMS. As a matter of fact we need to do it ASAP'

'Now what do you need soldiers for?'

'In the 1960s Fidel Castro used soldiers led by revolutionist Che Guevara to take power from Batista right?'

'Yes he did. Wait, you want us to take power?' asked Botho with a chuckle but I continued with my serious face to show him how serious I was.

'Well sort of; Hip hop and break dance have always been the hoi-polloi of this school for as far as my memory span can take me. It's about time we brought change; bring in a new leadership that can change everyone's view on the culture of _manyora_. The soldiers I said I need are going to help us bring in this change as quickly as possible.'

'As you know Francistown is known as 'the city of dance' because of these guys not break dancing. When was the last time you saw a break dance group win a national dance competition?'

He thought for a while and shook his head so I continued, happy that I was starting to convince him.

'But then just last year a _kwaito_ group did win. This shows you that this is the way to go not hip hop. Now, are you in or not?'

'I am so in! I mean, we could become living legends because of this whole thing and the girls are so going to love us. I can imagine us getting on stage and girls screaming their lungs out as they throw G-strings and all things good on stage. Screaming our names and bowing to us as if we were gods'

This whole time as the guy imagined this good life, Bagomotsi and I were looking at him silently and when he was done he turned to us and we burst out laughing.

'What's so funny? Did I say something wrong?'

'No you didn't, it's just that the way you pictured the life was kind of funny. So will you find us soldiers?' asked Bagomotsi and Botho nodded before standing up and faced us.

'When I arrived in JMS two weeks back, I made two new friends; two cool guys indeed. They call themselves _T-Squared_ and they are much more into hip hop but they could have a change of mind once they hear your plan'

'Tell us more' I requested, keen to know more of this duo and he continued.

'They schooled in Legae Academy in Gaborone and they only came here for their Junior High. These guys are quite talented in dancing and...'

'Just tell us who they are!' we both said, getting impatient to hear these guys' names.

'Okay then, _jeez_! They are Tyler Malokane, this dude born in this city but he migrated to the south when he was in second grade and TreShawn Detroit, an American guy born and raised in New York but moved here in fifth grade when his parents had an early retirement. These two are quite talented like I said and with them we could create a very influential dance group; one group that could bring change in JMS faster than we could ever imagine'

'If I heard you right, this guys are in to hip hop, right?'

'Yes they are but we could come up with a new kind of dance; one that can out-do the rest. We all know that those _kwaito_ groups out there dance to one beat: _kwaito_. With us we could always fuse the two, come up with something unique if you get what I mean'.

I was getting what Botho was trying to say and honestly, I loved the idea of fusing western and African 'break dance'.

'When do we meet these soldiers?' asked Bagomotsi and we stood up and started walking towards our car with Botho as it approached the school gate.

'Today is Friday so how about tomorrow afternoon, say _Le Carbon Black_ Café'

'Alright then, we'll be there at around 2 o'clock and please don't be late'.

'I promise and don't be late to my party' he responded with a chuckle. We said our goodbyes and got in to the car before it drove off.

Bagomotsi and I were excited as our plan was starting to commence as planned. We had dancers now, at least if _T-Squared_ agreed to join us and we needed was to start up a group and we'd be good. This revolution, as I wanted it, would not only bring me and the other guys a bit of legend-status but it could also put JMS in the dance map all across the country! It just had to happen and I was going to make sure it did.

SHE PLAYED FIRST BASE

After a bit of TV with the family later that evening, I did a bit of logistical planning and read more about dance groups on the internet. With a few notes taken, I called it a night. I was preparing for bed when Winona called me and I wondered if it was about her sighting of me and Samantha but it was not.

' _Hi Brandon, sorry if I woke you up'_

'Oh no, it is okay, I was just getting ready for bed actually'

' _That is what I thought actually'_

'Is that so now? And how would you know that?'

' _Well, let's just I can read people's energies, if you know what I mean'_ and we both chuckled before streaming in to silence.

This was the chance I could use to finally set up a date so I had to before she somehow hung up.

'So, um, Winona, how was your day at school today?'

' _Well, I don't know how to put it but it was okay. I had an awesome English Language lesson where we did this activity as a class and later on I had lunch with my girls. Same old, same old but yeah, it was good. And how was yours?'_

'It was good too but I was worried the whole day because of a certain task I was given'

' _For which subject was this task, if you don't mind me asking? Maybe I could lend in a hand'_

'Oh no, it's got nothing to do with school...or any teacher. Thing is, Sethunya's cousin Masego was dating Bagomotsi so she tasked me with telling him that she can't love him anymore'

' _Are you for real? How could she do that to him?'_

'Well, apparently she said she has stopped loving him. Insists on breaking up to spare him the pain and I think she is right but now I have to do the dirty work'

' _Too bad, hey; I wonder how he is going to react when he receives the news'_

'Yeah _neh_ but hey, I have to tell him either way'

' _Yeah, you should but anyway, I was just checking on you so goodnight'_

I was losing her and had to act fast.

'Wait, Winona; before you go, mind if I ask you something?'

' _Okay, what is it?'_

'Well, tomorrow is a Saturday and apart from my meeting with some friends and Botho's party in the evening, I have nothing to do in the afternoon so I was hoping we could hang out'

' _Wait, are you asking me out on a date?'_

'Well yeah, something like that but only if you are free. I mean you don't have to cancel anything or anything like that'

I swear, immediately after saying all that, I crossed my fingers and said a short prayer as she thought and finally, she responded, _'Well, I am free from 2 pm until 4 so you are lucky. What time and what place?'_

I almost jumped, only to remember what the _Protocol_ said about celebrating so I played it cool, 'I would say _The Fort_ , 3 pm sharp?'

' _You've got yourself a date sweetie, see you tomorrow. And oh yeah, goodnight'_

'Okay then; goodnight Winona' and the moment she hung up, I jumped in joy on my bed, yelling a big 'YES!' in the process.

This got my parents alerted as they came rushing in to my room and caught me in the act.

'What are you doing, screaming like that?' was my mother and my little sister joined them, her teddy bear in her arms. I just looked at them and slowly got in to my blankets and switched off my side lamp. They all looked at each other, shook their heads before closing my door and left. Once they had, I looked up at the ceiling and started singing, ' _I found love...got a date with Winona Simons. I said I found love, with an angel...got a date with Winona Sim_ ...flip, I have to tell Bagomotsi about this or maybe not. I mean he could end up thinking I was bragging once he finds out about Masego' and so I went on to dream-land, a happy boy.

I had not done exactly what the _Protocol_ instructed but I had landed a date and that was even more important. All that was left was asking Winona to be my girlfriend and I was going to do it, no matter what. I did not want to lose her to some guy and I was not going to. Another day had gone by and the story continues.

BIRTH OF WIZARDS

Our convention did take place as agreed at the trendy _Le Carbon Black_ café, situated in the elegant shopping hub of the city of Francistown, _Galo Center_ that Saturday after lunch and I was the first to arrive at the café. That Saturday, a lot was going down; first it was our meeting with _T-Squared_ , my date with Winona then later on Botho's party at his grandparents' house in the up-market suburb of Molapo Estates. Like he had said, I was hoping it would be one hell of a party. But the one thing I was nervous about was my date with Winona which would be my first ever; well, as a teenager.

I took a table at the corner of the café and went through my music player. The café served mostly sweet treats like ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, you name it. On weekends it was usually filled with teenagers who took the week's stress off with the treats it offered them along with their sweethearts. An added advantage to the café's choice of cuisine was the fact that it was owned by two guys who had four years out of senior high school.

Today was no different as only two table of its eight was empty while the rest were occupied by the young and old alike. Four girls entered the restaurant just then and Sam French was one of them. She looked so nice in an all-black outfit of a graphic t-shirt, skinny jeans and _Nike®_ sneakers. When she saw me she smiled and waved and I waved back. They ordered some milkshakes and took a table a few meters away, Sam facing me. As they chatted she kept looking at me and this kind of made me a little uncomfortable but I didn't show it. To avoid getting tempted and pushed into a corner, I looked away. I stole a glance at her and she wasn't looking anymore.

The rest of the gang arrived a while later and this seemed like a relief. The gang looked quite _swaged_ up as well; Botho was wearing a grey t-shirt, black jeans and brown _machesa_ , accessorized with a silver watch. TreShawn was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with checked green and white shorts and a pair of white _machesa_ with the sleeves folded back while Tyler went for a washed yellow shirt with a pair of black jeans and black _machesa_. Lastly Bagomotsi went for a pink and white t-shirt with black shorts and white _machesa_.

_Machesa_ by the way was the name given to sneakers made mostly by shoe companies such as _Soviet®_ , Chuck Taylor's _All Star Converse®_ and all the like. They were worn mostly by _manyora_ and I guess the guys were starting the revolution already.

'Looking nice guys' I said as I stood up to greet them. 'How are you all doing?'

'We good _mfana_ , you know how we roll' responded Bagomotsi with a smile and they sat down. The restaurant's female occupants started murmuring as the gang sat down and they just couldn't stop smiling. Botho winked at a few and turned back to us.

'Don't worry, I'm used to worse' he said with a chuckle and I forced a smile, wishing it was me saying that.

I honestly wished I was more like Botho: having all the riches I could wish for, all the girls I wanted, the confidence and mostly those good looks he had. But I guess I didn't and had to accept that. Besides, who said life ends for those who are not as advantaged as he was? I had a relationship to grow with one of JMS High's most beautiful girls and that was something.

'Anyway, this is Tyler and TreShawn and they call themselves _T-Squared_ like I told you before' said Botho and I shook their hands and introduced myself.

'I'm Brandon and I'm sure you've already met Bagomotsi'

'Yeah we have and I hope we enjoy doing business with you guys'

'Our fingers are crossed; same applies to us'.

'To be honest, I expected a bit bigger duo when Botho gave us a summary description of you guys' said TreShawn with a chuckle.

The guy was American so his accent did not quite surprise me. I also chuckled and responded to this rather embarrassing statement.

'Well, what you see is only the physical appearance. We are quite bigger at our feet and on the inside if you know what I mean'

'We'll see how that comes out as we live the life under the limelight'

'Most definitely' and I went through the menu to hide my embarrassment.

A waitress came over to take our orders and I guess she wasn't that bad. We always see sexy waitresses in Hollywood movies, more especially those in remote road-side diners and she looked more like them in a short skirt and a checked shirt that quite exposed her attractive cleavage with her hair tied in to two side ponytails.

'Can I get you anything?' she asked with a smile and Botho turned to her and flashed a smile as well.

'Anything?' he asked and she nodded.

He turned to me, 'Watch and learn _bra_ ' and turned back to her.

'Do you guys have beautiful beings like yourself for order?' The girl just blushed and looked away before turning back to him.

'Please be serious'

'I am dead serious. How about I order you for the day? Or I could order you for eternity if you want'.

The waitress seemed to be falling for the guy's charm as she kept smiling and smiling while he kept on charming and charming. In the end she took a piece of paper from her order notepad and wrote down her number for him and gave it to him. She bit her pen seductively as he thanked her. This waitress was the real thing and any normal guy would stiff up at the sight of her reputable features.

'I could get fired for this but hey, I could lose out on something big by letting you go untouched'

'I know'

'Anyway, what would you guys like to get?' she asked again this time turning to the rest of us and pretending nothing had just happened.

Botho was the man and he had just gained more of my respect. I don't think I'd be able to do something like flirting with a twenty-something waitress like that, at least not in this lifetime. We all ordered milkshakes and she left.

'Dude, I admit, you are the man!' said Bagomotsi to Botho when the waitress left and we all nodded, quite impressed. Bagomotsi was a charmer in his own way but he would never try it on someone that old as well, at least not in a few years. A few minutes later she came back with our orders and after passing out the milkshakes, she whispered something to his ear and left.

'What'd she say?' we both asked.

'Just that I should call her later; this obviously implies my conquest'

'Or maybe your gate-way to a queue of other _playas_ who are getting a piece of the communal honey in demand' teased TreShawn in his rather impressive accent. I looked at Sam and her friends and they were ordering their second round. I wondered if Sam was also the charming type and pictured her flirting with the so-not-interesting and unappealing waiter who was taking their orders. Luckily, he left their table as quickly as he had arrived.

'Alright people, enough of the chitchatting; let's get down to what we came here for' suggested Tyler and we all complied and turned to the issue before us. It was now time for business and playtime was over. He decided to chair the meeting.

'Now, we have already introduced our individual initials to you but just for reassurance, I'll go through the introductions again. I'm Tyler Malokane and this is my boy TreShawn Detroit II but you can call him Trey or Shawn and we are _T-Squared_. Fresh from Legae Academy in Gabs City, we decided to migrate here for different reasons, which are not really that important. Yes, we do dance, to hip hop though but Botho told me you guys have the idea of fusing your dance and our dance and I must say we are interested'

'So that means we can get to the brainstorming?' I asked and he nodded.

We brainstormed ideas about the group as we had our milkshakes: how it would be organized, the attires and all we wanted to achieve through this group. As we did, the girls also seemed to be discussing something serious and I wondered what. I decided that from here I would ask Sam if she didn't mind telling. After about an hour of discussion, we came to a series of decisions and ordered another round of giant milkshakes.

'So here we are guys. We've all come to an agreement and I y'all understands our group's goals but we are left with one challenge: a name for the group' announced TreShawn in his Yankee accent as we concluded our discussion about our new group.

'How about JMS crew?' suggested Tyler but we all disagreed.

'That sounds a bit too simple Tyler, how about _JMS Saints_?' I suggested. I could still see disagreement in their eyes so I disagreed with myself as well.

'Sounds good but it's a bit...I don't know. Besides, when we leave JMS and decide to continue with the group, the name won't have a stand anymore. I was thinking of something like _St. Wiz™_. 'St.' obviously means we are saints of dance, you know; we lead the way. 'Wiz' is just short for wizards; we cast a spell on our fans with our dance moves and make them love us. How is that?'

That was the first time I had heard Bagomotsi come up with something so original and I loved it. The guy was always copying things from the internet or movies when he came up with suggestions, even when he charmed girls. But this time he sounded a bit more original. We all nodded in agreement and after thoroughly seeing through the name, we agreed upon it. _St. Wiz_ would now be our trademark name. All we were left with was to register for a performance and show ourselves to the city. We ordered another round of milkshakes in take-away cups and left Botho inside as he talked to the waitress. The girls were outside and I walked up to them to greet them and ask about the meeting.

'How are you ladies doing?'

'We just cool and chilling, you?' said Sam with her million-dollar smile, her voice as good as ever. I put my hands in my pockets to give the impression of being confident and cleared my throat.

'I guess I'm good too and so are my boys. So what were you guys discussing in there?'

'Exactly what you guys were discussing' said one of the girls and I put on a questioning look but Sam was quick to shed some light.

'The girls are planning to start a break-dance crew and they were asking me to join in'

'Oh, okay. But why break-dancing?'

'Well, it's kind of up-market, unlike _kwaito_ which you guys have chosen' answered one of the girls and just then the rest of my boys were by my side.

'Oh really, is that so? You guys think you are going to pull in more fans that we will?' asked Bagomotsi with a chuckle that was obviously aimed at intimidating the girls. They just shrugged, except for Sam who just chuckled and responded, 'Isn't that obvious?' Bagomotsi turned to the rest of us and laughed and we joined in. When we stopped after a while, Tyler turned back to them.

'Okay look, how about a contest end of this month, you guys against us. Let's say on the last Saturday, maybe'.

Tyler was asking for the impossible; that Saturday was only three weeks away and we didn't even know a single format. How were we going to do this? I pulled Tyler and the crew aside to confirm this.

'Guys, we can't do this. Those girls probably have a format and we don't. How are we going to beat them if we can't even dance?'

'Don't worry Brandon, I've got a plan; I'll elucidate the details later. Right now all we have to know is that we've got our first challenge and we need to accept it. Victory could be ours and we could use it to make the group popular' said Tyler, putting a little hope in our hearts. We nodded and turned back to the girls.

'You've got yourselves a challenge; the last Saturday at 14:30 in the school square. Flyers will be all over the school first thing on Monday'

'It's a deal' said the girls and they turned to leave.

'Sam wait' and she stopped. I walked up to her and I didn't know exactly what to say.

'So you have friends in the city?'

'Yes, I do; thing is, I used to school here back in primary so, yeah. By the way, I am still grateful for what you did yesterday''

'Okay, no problem; the pleasure was all mine' and we both smiled.

I decided to tell her my feelings, all to relieve myself of the burden before I could focus all my attention on Winona.

'Before you go I just wanted to let you know that in life we all make decisions for a reason. The decision I made was for a good course and I just hope one day you'll understand that. Winona needed me and I had to make a choice between helping her and abandoning her'

'What are you talking about?'

'Thing is, I like you and I would have wished for things between us to go somewhere; I wanted you as a girlfriend but I guess I was too much of a chicken to tell you until now'

'Oh? But we met yesterday and you like me already?'

'Well, yeah; I know it's silly but it just happened'

'That's such a coincidence because I also kind of like you, only I like you as a friend. But if you had come up to me and told me, I would have considered having you as a boyfriend. But hey, it's only been a day. So I guess we both lose, right?'

'Yeah, you are right but I wish you all the best with your group and in JMS High'

'Same to you Brandon; see you around'

'Okay; I'll see you around' and I ran back to the guys, leaving her smiling.

I joined the guys as they walked on and when I looked at Sam, she was also looking at me but looked away when she saw that I was also looking at her. I guess I had made my choice and Winona was it. I had lost my chance with the beautiful Sam and I just guessed that maybe we would have our chance in the future if Winona and I failed. But failure was something I doubted right then because I was honestly crazy about Winona, like really crazy. _St. Wiz_ had been formed and the day was a Saturday.

Below is a profile of the saints or ' _Wizzes_ ' as we came to be known:

NAME: **Brandon Chidzala**

D.O.B: **22 February 1992 in Francistown, Botswana**

CREW NAME: **Brandzala**

Well, I have said a lot about myself. You all know I'm the shy type and the only thing girls like about me is my relaxed personality and well, the way I talk to a girl; I never rush things and don't get too sure of myself. I combined my name and surname to come up with the crew name.

NAME: **Botho Molokai**

D.O.B: **07 January 1992 in Gaborone, Botswana**

CREW NAME: **The G.M (Girls Magnet)**

**Botho was the cutest of us all in the group and the richest. Girls were so crazy about him and thus we named him the GM or 'Girl Magnet'. One other thing girls were crazy about was the fact that every Friday he came to school with his parents' black** _Mercedes_ **convertible. This obviously sent shrills down their backs. He was in the JMS Times' Most Cute Freshmen annual list just a month after we enrolled into JMS. That was Botho and his trademark charming tool was his acclaimed smile which every girl was crazy about.**

NAME: **TreShawn Detroit II**

D.O.B: **18 May 1992 in New York, USA**

CREW NAME: **Brooklyn saint**

**The guy was liked by girls mostly because of his accent and the fact that he was born in the United States. He was a good-looking guy as well and being a playboy didn't really suit him that much. He honestly looked like a guy who could find a beautiful girlfriend and settle down till his twenties and get married. Either way, he was a** _playa_ **and another reason why girls liked him was the fact that his family was also rich and they lived in the up-market Molapo Estates suburbs, even though they didn't really earn much now. They were a retired politician and a doctor: the dad was a senator for the state of New Jersey while the mother was a cardiologist in Brooklyn, New York, where TreShawn was born.**

NAME: **Bagomotsi Moalosi**

D.O.B: **15 January 1992 in Francistown, Botswana**

CREW NAME: **The Mo dancer**

Bagomotsi got worse in playing girls since his break up with Masego. The guy had stood by his word and played girls like they were his puppets, literally. As I had mentioned earlier he was the argumentative type who always made sure he got what he wanted when he wanted. Girls loved the fact that he was open and confident; I liked that about him myself. Girls also had a weakness for his eyes and the way he laughed.

NAME: **Tyler Malokane**

D.O.B: **20 September 1992 in Francistown, Botswana**

CREW NAME: **TyJR**

Tyler is the quiet, reserved type of character who rarely airs out his opinions. When decisions are made, he rarely has a say but just gives a go-ahead when decisions have been made. I liked this about him and I guess that and his swag was exactly what the girls liked about him. The reason for his choice of crew name was because of his love for Tyler Perry so he believed he was going to be the next Tyler Perry hence the name TyJR was born.

'By the way you guys are invited to my party later on at around six. You party 'till you drop and the gate pass is your invitation card and present. Dress code: anything white at the top and black at the bottom' was Botho to the Tyler and TreShawn before giving them invitation cards.

'Oh, okay. We'll be there _bra_ ' said Tyler and we said our goodbyes and parted.

Botho and the guys left and Bagomotsi and I stood there clueless of where to go next.

'Now where do we go? My date with Winona is only at three and right now the time is past two'

'So you decided to go ahead with Winona despite the Mark situation?'

'Yes, I did just that buddy. I mean, Mark should get it that she doesn't love him anymore, you know? He should just move on, you know'

'Well, you are right so if you get the green light, which I believe and trust you will, I congratulate you in advanced'

'Thanks buddy, I knew you would support me on my decision. So, where are you off to from here?'

I had decided to postpone telling him the truth about Masego to Botho's party because he was just too happy to hear it but that was not to be the case, unfortunately.

'I was planning to check on this guy who's got a few of my games in Block 3 but he called me and told me he dropped them off at home earlier so I don't know. I guess I'll have to go chill at home. If Masego and I were still together, I would take her out as well but you know that a lot has happened so I really don't know'

'Wait a minute; if Masego and you...what do you mean?'

'She dumped me Brandon; last night she called me and asked me if we could break up and what could I say? But don't worry, I'm fine so don't ask'

'Well, that's a good thing; I mean the fact that you are fine with the issue'

'Yeah man, its life so what can I say?'

I tried to hug him but he laughed.

'What is it?'

'I got you right there, didn't I? Masego and I, we are still tight _bra_ , I was kidding'

'What? I can't believe you did that because somehow you did envisage the truth. Masego does want a break-up Bagomotsi. She told me yesterday at school and she's dating Cecil'

'You are kidding right? What's next? "I got you" too?'

'No man, I'm dead serious. Come with me and see for yourself' and we walked to _Cradle Forte_.

We continued to stroll through the mall and came across them on a date in the city's _Blue Jacket_ street restaurant. We stood there and watched them as they held hands and laughed at each other's charm. I knew we had to leave before Bagomotsi lost it. As I pulled Bagomotsi away, Masego saw us and discomfiture took her over before Cecil also saw us. The guy just looked at us until we were out of sight.

'I can't believe I pranked myself Brandon; Masego really has dumped me...to go...to go to that punk' he said in a distraught state after I convinced him to sit down in some public sitting bench.

'I know but here is what: she does not deserve you so let go. Don't think about doing anything stupid because that will make things worse. But we will deal with Cecil'

'But I have to hear her reasons for dumping me Brandon'

'Yes but not now; go home and relax and you don't have to go to the party later if you don't want to'

'I don't know man; it's just that I love that girl Brandon; cheating is the last thing I expected from her. After all I had done for her Brandon, why did she have to this to me?'

'But it's a good thing she didn't destroy you because she almost did; I totally understand your point but just don't let it go to your head. It's because of girls like her that there is a high rise in cases of passion killings in Botswana'

'I know but hey, what can we say? Life goes on'.

Bagomotsi had lost his first love too, his original love. Slowly, still reeling in shock, he stood up and almost fell back on his seat so I supported him.

'It is okay buddy; we can rest for a while if you don't feel okay'

'No Brandon, I'm fine, just feeling a bit dizzy. You have a date to go to so don't waste your time with me; go home and prepare yourself'

'I can't leave you here in this state Bagomotsi, let me at least call a cab for you'

'I need to be alone Brandon, please. I'll go home later, I promise' and a tear dropped from his eye and the smile he tried to force turned in to a paining frown and he sat down.

They say the first cut is the deepest and that was a clear case now. Masego had not done my boy any justice and her cut was indeed very deep. I sat with him for a while there before he continued moaning words out.

'Today was supposed to be the perfect day Brandon; we just formed a dance group and I was...I was going to celebrate with her and now...and now this?' What did I do to her, huh? I tried every time to be the perfect boyfriend but I guess it just wasn't enough'

'She is not good enough to deserve your tears buddy so try to let it go; you will find somebody who will love you for what and who you are, very soon for that matter'. He wiped his tears away and looked at me, pulling this really angry face and spoke, 'I will never love again Brandon, I am telling you. I am done loving and that is the honest truth. She took all my love with her and I am done loving. From now onwards, I will never love again'

'Don't say that Bagomotsi, you know you don't mean it' and he stood up and faced me before going on, 'Try me buddy; I'll be there at the party and tonight, as a free man, I will finally get to enjoy my God-given talents of being the guy I should have always been. See you at the party Brandon and don't panic on your date my boy' and he was gone.

I looked at him go away and, worried about him, stood up to go home and prepare for my dream date. Bagomotsi had really trusted Masego with his heart and now she had escaped with it; vanished with it to the nowhere that was Cecil. I was hoping and prayed that he would at least find it in his heart to forgive her. Not that it would be an easy task to fulfill but somehow, he had to if he was to avoid an implosion.

PROMISES OF A FIRST: GETTING THE PRIZE

I got off the taxi in the parking lot of the second largest mall in the city, _Nswazi Shopping Centre_ and looked around for any sign of her, even though I knew she wouldn't be anywhere around. The trip home and back had taken me an hour and I was back in town. A few minutes earlier I had called Bagomotsi and he was at home so my worries were minimized. I was now worried about the task ahead of me that was Winona. A few meters away from where I was standing was a few girls I had seen at school and they waved at me and I waved back. They kept stealing glances at me and I wondered if it was my outfit or my looks but either way I ignored them. Out of what was obviously nervousness, I decided to call her and check if she was already in town. After three rings, she answered.

' _Hey, I was just about to call you'_

'Oh, what a coincidence; what did you want to say?'

' _Well, I wanted to tell you I'd be a little late because my mother is still home and we are supposed to leave together'_

'How late are you going to be?'

' _I'm not quite sure, maybe twenty minutes'_

'I'll stay put till then'

' _Ok then, see you in twenty'_ and she hung up.

I was wondering if she really was being delayed by her mother or whether she was getting cold feet. The worst nightmare for every guy would be giving your all to a date with a beautiful dream girl who then does not show up. I started walking towards the mall and as I brushed past the afternoon shoppers, I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes for a short prayer. I went past two possible _tsotsis_ who were leaving the mall and held on tight to my pocket, which had the extra cash and my cell phone. I don't blame Neo for having a phobia against these guys because they do look scary at times, more especially with their sly stares. Even during the day, these guys could be dangerous.

Afterwards, I got in to the designated restaurant and saw our reserved table where I sat down and relaxed. I looked around the restaurant and there were a few couples dining in the classy restaurant. My watch told me the time was five past three so I took in a deep breath. The couple a few meters away from where I was seating seemed to be arguing about something as the guy's face was bent down while his counterpart was seriously straightening him out with words I couldn't make out. For a moment I did wonder if this how it turned out after some time and had no one to answer me.

My concentration on the young couple was cut short by the sighting of the beautiful figure standing at the restaurant doors. I cleared my throat and snapped out to her. She noticed it and slowly started walking towards the table. She was beautiful indeed, just what every guy would dream to have. The yellow bandage dress she was wearing sure did match her skin color and this made her beauty strike out even more. She had a matching hand pouch to go with it and black bracelets and ear rings to match her stilettos and hair. The look did not strike only me but a few other guys in the restaurants as I saw a few heads turn when she walked in. I didn't have to stare much as she would be mine for the whole day and nobody could change that. She flashed a smile at me when she sat down and this made me a little more nervous but a gulp of air in and out made me relax a bit.

'Hey, sorry for the delay; my mum was still going about with her hours-long make-up and I had to wait for her because I really hate taxis'.

I ticked the taxi issue on my mental list of her likes and dislikes as a first before responding.

'That's totally fine by me; it's not like you totally ditched me or something so I'm fine with it. Even a whole five hours of waiting would have been nothing if it's for you. You look beautiful by the way'

'Oh that's so sweet Brandon, you are a darling. Thank you'

'Is it? I mean of course it is' I said with my wobbly hands looking for something to look busy with to no luck.

Fortunately the waiter arrived with the menus and gave one to each one of us. This temporarily kept me busy as I moved through the pages and Winona did the same. I could see it in her face that she could notice that I was nervous. Then there was the silence. More silence. Finally the waiter came back for our orders and at the same time we spoke.

'Mozzarella pizza with...' and we both laughed. I kind of felt stupid as the waiter looked at us waiting for the orders. I decided to act like a gentleman so I gave her the chance to order first.

'You order first please, I'll order afterwards' I said with a smile I had spent a whole thirty minutes practicing at home in front of the mirror and I hoped she liked it.

A perfect smile is one of the things girls usually like in a guy and just a little advice to the guys, before you smile at a girl, think about this: am I making a good impression or am I scaring her away? Don't ever undermine the power of a smile because even in the worst situations, it can save you.

'I'll have mozzarella pizza with chicken and pineapple topping, please. And oh, a glass of orange juice with ice blocks and a straw' and the waiter wrote that down before turning to me.

'I'll have the same but with a cola instead' and he walked away. 'Juice, hey?'

'Keeping this pretty me pretty takes a whole lot of work if you ask me'

'So juice keeps the magic on your pretty face?'

'Well, that and a few other things like that smile on your face, makes me happy and if I am happy, I guess I stay pretty'

'Okay...I'll take that as a compliment and thanks'.

She just smiled some more and continued to read through the menu. It was awkward being nervous like I was when your girl was as confident as she was. I guess Masego was kind of right about me not being able to handle Winona. I decided to do away with the silence because the more talk, the more confidence there would be for me.

'Are you...are you going to Botho's party later?' and she nodded but when I tried to go on, she smiled before looking me straight in the eyes.

'Look Brandon, I totally understand how you must be feeling right now but let me enlighten you on something. I am a nice girl if you want me to be and it's a pity most guys don't see that. I mean when I fall for a guy, he should consider himself lucky because I am this girl who rarely loves anyone and actually show them I do but I do know how to love. But then, when a girl loves a guy, she expects to be loved back. With you, I can clearly see you do like me but the fact that you are all shy and have been since day one kind of spoils things. Yes, on that note I told you I have a weakness for shy guys but once a guy over-does it, it turns my feelings sour and that is a total no-no for me. When you are with me, feel free and just be yourself. Don't let how you feel be blocked off by the nervous side of you'.

That was some speech and it did help me. You see girls; even you can take the lead in these sorts of things. You don't have to let us be in control of everything. I straightened myself out and looked her in the eye before using the speech all to my advantage.

'I get what your point is Winona and to be honest with you, I'm not nervous. I am just a little dizzy because of the beauty you hold...' It was a lame line but it worked as she grinned so beautifully before I continued, '...I do like you Winona, seriously I do. But before we can get any serious, I'd like you to take into notice the fact that I have no experience whatsoever'.

The waiter came over with our orders and placed them on the table. The smoking pizzas smelt so good and I thanked him with my usual smile.

'I'll come back with the bill' and we nodded before he left. I turned to Winona whose face was clearly filled with nothing but love for the guy that was me. She signaled me to continue.

'Even without the required experience, I want you to know I will try by all means to make this relationship work. Of course there are a lot of guys with experience out there that you could be with but the fact that you chose me makes me appreciate and like you more'.

I took a slice of pizza and had a bite while what I had just said was sinking in to her mind. She looked like she could cry anytime and with this I knew I had won my first battle. She took a sip of her juice and from there nothing but the language of love flowed as we talked more and more. We both enjoyed the conservation with our pizzas and drinks and I knew I was home. After the waiter brought back the bill, I gave him my card, mostly to impress my beautiful date. Who would want their girl paying on the first date? The magazines I had read, and Bagomotsi's _Protocol_ , had taught me this one fact: you do not let a girl start wondering who would be footing the bill by delaying. Immediately when the bill comes, you pay. Besides, it's in our nature as man to care for and impress ladies

An hour later we left the restaurant and I decided to take her to _Le Carbon Black_ café for the dessert. Her intended limit to the day's outing of 4 pm was long forgotten. We walked the 500m distance, talking on the way about what we both wanted and didn't want. She talked the most and I honestly enjoyed listening to her. She sure was the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my junior high with and hopefully, my life. We had a whole lot in common and this was what I had hoped for.

As we had our milkshakes at the café, she told me all her favorite movies, including my all-time favorite comedy, _The Wedding Crashers_ , which starred Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as the leads. Her music taste, which included _House_ and _Pop rock_ , was on my list as well. From the café, I called a cab which drove us past JMS to _The Village_ mall where I had seen a nice necklace I wanted to buy her. In fact, I had already paid a whooping P600 for the silver and 3 carats diamond piece and I would pick it up before giving it to her.

When we arrived at the jewelry shop, she looked at me, quite surprised.

'Don't tell me I'm in for yet another surprise?' she asked and I just smiled. We got inside and the shop assistant noticed me and signaled us to follow him. We did and when we got to a section where the necklaces were, he gave me a black box with the shop's initials on it.

'Packaged like you had asked Mr. Chidzala' and I thanked him before we left.

We walked on to the Francistown City Council's _Central Park Playground_ which was a few meters from the mall and just next to JMS Primary. The park is one of the most beautiful in Francistown and its beautiful garden made it the perfect venue for a young couple like us. With the little birds on its trees sitting, the music was set right for the occasion. We took a seat not far away from the _Independence Tree_ , planted by Francistown's first female mayor, Mrs. Kathleen Mincer. After sitting down, I looked at Winona who cleared her throat and I knew she had guessed what I intended on doing and this sort of spoilt everything and she could see I was a little disappointed.

'It's okay Brandon, I'll just pretend I didn't see the box' and I smiled. I looked around and for a moment enjoyed the beauty the park held. Then I looked at Winona who was also looking around. It was almost like I was with no one but her and the world had seized to exist. I loosened my tie and cleared my throat.

'Winona Simons...'

'Yes Brandon Chidzala...'

'What I am about to give you is what I hope shows you just how serious I am about us. Winona, for the past three weeks, I've learnt to love and thanks to you I am no longer a worthless guy like I thought I was. Thanks to you I've got a life. Walking around with my very handsome friends made me feel like nothing but you proved me wrong. Take this as my token of appreciation' and I asked her to close her eyes. From there, I opened the box and took out the shiny necklace. It was indeed very beautiful, just a match for her standard. I put it on her neck before she opened her eyes. The moment she saw it, she gave me this grateful look.

'It's beautiful Brandon, really. Thank you' and she gave me this warm hug, making me feel those developing breasts and smell the _Rebelle Fleur_ fragrance she had on. I smiled to myself and it was a second victory for me.

'And just so you know it, you are just as handsome'

'Thanks; makes me feel even better'.

We sat there as she admired the necklace before I looked at my watch and decided it was time to go home and prepare for the evening party.

'Maybe we should get going. It's getting a little late since we have Botho's party lined up'

'Yeah, you are right, it is getting late. But here is what Brandon...' and she faced me before continuing, '...I like you and I just want you to know I'll try by all means to be the best girlfriend ever. I'll make sure I make you as happy as possible and I also hope you'll just as well play your part. I hope Mark won't be much of a problem to either one of us. He will try to be but hopefully, one of us will stop him in his tracks'

'I get you and I promise to play my part. About Mark, I think I can handle him' and she hugged me again, this time a little longer.

I was hoping for a kiss but when she stood up I thought, _maybe later_ and we left the park. I had called her a cab and it arrived after a few minutes, of which she was admiring the necklace and I just stood there looking at the people walking by, buildings as well as the cars passing by.

'See you at the party and again, thanks for the necklace' and she gave me a kiss on the cheek before getting in and it drove off. I touched my cheek and felt the little gloss it had left and once the cab was out of site, I jumped in celebration. Today was so going down in my diary! A few people stared as I did before shaking their heads and walking on. I had achieved something and that alone was something. Hopefully by the end of that day, I would have tasted those oh-so-yummy lips of hers. I walked along the _St. Patrick Street_ to the bus rank, happy as ever. When I passed by JMS I looked at the school buildings and smiled. 'Thanks for the angel John Mackenzie' and walked on.

SEALING THE DEAL: THE FIRST KISS

Botho's party would be my first party as a teenager, with a date. Mike's party could have been but due to the cancelation those two weeks back, this one would be it. I wanted to look simple yet my best for the party theme, which was black and white inspired. I decided to go for a black pair of jeans with my white _Converse_ sneakers and a white t-shirt by _Le Maj_ , a fashion line started by a young man from right here in Francistown. It had a print of my motivation, Che Guevara on its front. From there I sneaked to my parents' bedroom and sprayed a little of my dad's cologne on myself before taking my black _All Kasi®_ jacket and my cell phone then left.

I got a message from Bagomotsi who told me he was already outside when I left and I couldn't say my goodbyes to my parents as my dad was out and my mum was still showering but I wrote her a note and told her I had left. The only person who saw me leave was my little sister, who was watching cartoons.

'You sure you want to do this buddy?' I asked Bagomotsi and he nodded. I gave him a hug before we left.

Soon we arrived in Molapo Estates and it was really happening. There were laser lights flashing from the yard and I asked myself if this really was a grandmother's house. His brother had hired a local DJ and I must say, the guy knew his trade, dishing out only the best music for the revelers from gazebo. We sat by the pool in which bikini-clad girls were busy enjoying themselves along with some guys. Botho, who was a few meters away with some girls in the Jacuzzi just a meter from the pool, saw us and called us over.

'Brandon, Bagomotsi, come on and get in here!'

'Ah...we good man; if we could just get something to drink, we'll be good' responded Bagomotsi.

He got out of the Jacuzzi and greeted us formally.

'There's a lot of beer in the house and some whisky; go and help yourselves. As you can see, I'm a little heavy right now so enjoy yourselves' he said, pointing at the girls in the Jacuzzi and they waved at us. I could see that Bagomotsi so wanted to get in but I insisted we go inside the house.

'Where are Tyler and TreShawn by the way?'

'Inside with their girls I think. Anyway, see you all around and I know you...actually...we have always wanted to be teenagers. Now we are; let's enjoy it while it lasts!'

'Sure thing _bra_ , we sure will' and he raced back to the Jacuzzi.

Just then, this good-looking young lady pumped in to Bagomotsi and spilled some beer on him.

'Oh sorry; I'm really, really sorry'

'It's okay, I'll just go in and borrow a shirt' and she was still panicking but I could see it was all an act when I saw some girls looking in our direction. I decided to let Bagomotsi use this opportunity.

'Hey, whoever you are, why don't you...'

'Boago; my name is Boago'

'Yes, why don't you go in to the house with Bagomotsi and help him change in to something. How's that buddy?' and I could see I had caught him by surprise but either way, he agreed.

'Sure, no problem' and they walked towards the house.

I stood there all by myself looking at everyone dance and remembered just then that TreShawn and Tyler were in the house. I looked at my watch and it was 19:56 so I went inside. I wondered whether Winona was going to come but either way, I decided I would not let it stop my fun. Already, a few girls and boys were a little drunk while some were making out in the sofas. It was your typical teen soiree and with amazement, I just admired the whole set up. Another shocking reality about the generation of today would be their early encounters with alcohol, smoking and other enhancing substances. Despite the continued outcry to curb the behavioral change in society, media still continues to make it look cool to do all these things and a lot of them were going down at Botho's party that evening. I went on to the kitchen and grabbed myself a can of soda.

'Wow, a can of soda; you must be taking freshman-ship very seriously' said a familiar voice and when I turned around, it was the girl from swimming practice. She looked tremendously sexy in a brown boob-tube dress and a pair of heels, making her a bit taller than me. With her hair let down, she almost doubled for some Greek goddess in a fairytale lifestyle. The dry red lipstick against her fair skin did not make it any easier to contain the beauty of her face, all majored up by her glittering eyes.

'Hey...how are you? You came to the party as well? And I'm not really that much of a boy'

'Who wouldn't come to a party like this? Anyway, I am sorry if I sounded a bit rude. I'm Samantha by the way; Samantha David and you might have already noticed that I'm in 3A'

'Nice to meet you Samantha, I'm Brandon Chidzala'.

**Samantha April** was a young woman of by no doubt, undisputable beauty. No words better defined her than I already have and she was of mixed-race as well, her parents of French and English origins and brought to the dry lands of Botswana by work. Her father was a famous art collector based in Pretoria, South Africa while her mother traded in hotel management, a skill she had attained in her native France. Travelling so much had left the mature Samantha all alone in Botswana and she would see them rarely in periods of four to six months at the most. With not much to say further than her beauty, she was the girl I would later learn a lot from in just a period of six weeks, and almost loose Winona over. She was my first Samantha.

'And how come you are not dressed in accordance to the theme?' I asked as she took a plastic cup from the kitchen top and went over to the beer vending machine, where she poured me a beer.

'Well, I am a rebel in my own way _sweetie_ , you'll learn with time. Now, take this and show me just how much of a man you are because I don't believe you...freshman'.

This was a challenge and I was not going it turn it down. As she looked at me with her hands folded in wait, I took the cup and closed my eyes before gulping the bitter beer down my throat. I opened my eyes and gave her the cup before coughing.

'Oh, nice one _bra_ , nice one' commented Tyler who was standing on the kitchen door-way with TreShawn. I looked at Samantha and she was laughing.

'That was nothing Brandon; you'll have to prove to me even more. Can I borrow your phone?'

'Sure' and I gave it to her.

I could still feel the taste of beer on my saliva as I watched her press a few digits before calling and her own cell phone rang. She handed me back my phone.

'I'll call you and we'll talk. In the meantime, go over to your babe; she's been waiting for far too long' and she walked away. A few meters behind TreShawn and Tyler stood Winona. She was probably looking for me so I gave the guys some guy-greetings and went over to her, throwing a dental gum in to my mouth to do off with the beer scent.

'Hey; looking nice tonight' I complimented, looking at her highly defined figure in a similar dress to Samantha's and at her feet, donning black heels.

'You look good too and I like the _Le Maj_ ' she said with a smile and I smiled before I looked down, getting a full view of her quite attractive legs. I turned around and Trey and Tyler were not there so I decided to take her outside.

'It's kind of stuffy in here so how about we go outside?'

'Sure, no problem' and I took her hand as we did, showing the guys in the room that she was now mine. I had obviously read about this in the _Protocol_ , which had so far taught me a lot of things. Once outside, I managed to secure some chairs by the pool and we sat down.

'Um...want something to drink or eat?'

'Any juice could do, as long as it's hundred percent' and I quickly stood up and went on to the house where I got an apple juice and a soda and went back to her. I found some guy sitting in my sit talking to her and cleared my throat to show my presence. He was a big guy actually but it would show how much of a coward I was if I did nothing so I had to act.

'My boyfriend's here so _ciao_!' and the guy looked at me before walking away. I sat down and poured her juice in to a glass.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Bagomotsi took off his shirt and started to put on the one Boago had given to him. As he did, she sat on Botho's huge bed and looked at Bagomotsi. Some would describe **Boago Molokai** as the obnoxious type at first sight due to her serious facial expressions when she concentrated on something. She was first cousins to Botho and Mike, born to their father's half-brother. Not much to say about her really. She was nice and short in height – those ones who just stay winning. At that very moment, she sure was concentrating on Bagomotsi as he went about with the changing of clothes. Her long, loose see-through white dress was nice for her body too.

'So, you go to JMS too?' she asked Bagomotsi and he nodded.

'What about you? Which school do you go to?'

'Selepa JSS and in case you want to ask, Botho and I are cousins and he invited me'

'Oh...but I never saw you back when Botho stayed in Block 3'

'You must have forgotten because I so do know you...and Brandon. He used to crush on this girl...what's her name again; oh yes, Esther'

'Okay...so you do know us hey? Nice meeting you then'.

When he was done he signaled that they leave but she had other ideas.

'It's a bit noisy out there so why can't we just stay in here for a while and, you know, talk. Maybe get to know each other a bit'.

This caught my boy by surprise as he looked at her and knew exactly what she meant. After all, he mastered these lust things. He went back over to her and sat next to her.

'So, what's there to talk about?'

'Well, we could start by telling me how your girlfriend is'

'Unfortunately, I don't have one; got dumped for another guy'

'It's such a pity and quite a huge coincidence because I dumped my boyfriend after he cheated on me with my best friend so cheers to that' and they both laughed. 'Have you ever kissed a complete stranger Bagomotsi?'

'Strangely enough, I have been thinking about kissing the stranger in front of me'

They laughed again, more to make the situation even less awkward.

'Maybe it's just the mood in this room but I don't want to be alone right now Bagomotsi. Just in case it does get a little out of control, I think I know where Botho keeps his...you know...condoms...' and she got closer and kissed him. They shared a passionate connection and it was only a matter of time before they stopped, looked into each other's eyes and they were all over each other, passionately kissing like old lovers.

While the two were doing their thing inside the house, I was busy getting my game on outside.

'My dad didn't believe me at first when I told him I had found the one but once he sees you, I'm sure nothing will stop him from really believing me'

'Wow! The one, hey; so I am assuming you and your dad must really be close?'

'You could say that because we basically talk about just anything' and I took another sip of my soda. She also took a last sip of her juice and placed the glass on the ground.

'Want a refill?'

'No, I'm good for now but a dance could do if you don't mind'.

The DJ played a song that was a favorite with everyone by a local, South African-based DJ so we stood up and joined the crazy crowd. As we danced, I saw Botho and one of the girls from the pool heading for the house in a speedy pace and I knew that could mean one thing: sex. The guy was so obsessed with sex and as it would later turn out, it was the reason why he and Neo broke up. Sometimes I wondered if he even chose his sexual partners or if he just did it for the sake of it. That was the one thing I kind of hated about parties: sometimes you don't think before you act. The guy had so many parties annually so question is, how many different girls has he slept with? The sinful joys of being a teenager!

We danced for a while and I saw a bit of Winona's wild side as we danced to the beats of the popular DJ. Everyone else was dancing wildly as well and I must say it was quite fun as we all formed a circle and someone stepped in the circle to show his or her skills. This went on for a while until the DJ changed the tune to a much slower song by a local artist. It was a love song so couples started to reveal themselves as boy and girl got closer and danced together. I looked at Winona and reluctantly took her closer in to my arms. We dance in that position until she laid her head on my shoulder.

'Nice scent; which cologne is it?'

'My dad...I mean, yes, it's a cologne by the some Italian guy' and she smiled.

I was a little nervous because this was my first dance with a girl, who happened to be my first girlfriend. After a few minutes into the song, a few couples started to kiss and it seemed only I could see them as Winona continued to lay her head on my shoulder. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me.

'Is there something wrong?'

'No, of course not; it's just that I'm a little...I'm a little...I feel really special having you in my arms. It's a once in a life-time opportunity that is really special and I must say I really, really appreciate it Winona Simons'

'Aw, that is really touching; you are welcome Brandon Chidzala and I promise you, it will happen for as long as you want'.

We looked into each other's eyes and, our lips approaching each other slowly, we kissed. That, guys, was my first teenage kiss. Her lips were almost the sweetest thing I had ever tasted and I loved it. Sometimes we do not appreciate its power in bonding one and one to two but kissing is powerful; I felt its power that night myself. As we kissed, however, I nervously pulled back but she realized it and held my neck.

'Hey, listen to me; I understand how you feel Brandon but just...just go with the flow and I'm telling you, you will enjoy this' and she kissed me yet again. We continued like that for what seemed like forever and once the song stopped we, like all the other couples, continued to kiss. That night made me and Winona officially official. It was not as easy as I had won over Esther back in the years but it was all worth it. I had a girlfriend and we were both teenagers. Stories of the old days about kissing and all of that would be a thing I would be experiencing myself from that day onwards!

Bagomotsi got a girl too and, well, lost his virginity that night. All the kissing did get out of control for him and Boago. They lost it, locked the room and the rest as they say is history. I guess it is one of those things that come with partying, hey? My best friend had lost his virginity.

Botho, on the other hand, got ripped off by his mysterious girl after they had sex; the girl got away with his wallet, containing P145 and his expensive cell phone. He did not know her so it was his loss and her gain. Tyler and TreShawn enjoyed the rest of their night with their girls. That night went down in my diary, and history. The formation of _St. Wiz_ was anything to go by; my first true date with a catch; my first wild party as a teenager and my first true kiss as a teenager. This can only be done the teenager's way. It sure was a night to remember.

NEW SWEET LOVE THINGS

The next few weeks of my life were, well, awesome. Winona and I were now officially the school's most in-love couple; we were the 'it couple' and we loved it. Every day was like the first day as we lunched together, studied together and just enjoyed each other's company. I am telling you, this was exactly how love was supposed to feel like. Mark was jealous of course and tried to sabotage us but to no avail. I would receive life-threatening stares from him and his crew but I did not care.

Winona had literally changed my life. I was always in a good mood because of her, always did everything my mother asked of me without complaining, gave Lucy – our new German Shepard puppy – food every day without ever forgetting, helped our garden care-taker with the garden and even watched mum's boring soap operas with her sometimes! Life was just awesome for me; I was living the life I had always dreamt of, a teenager's way.

We would have long, after-midnight calls and just chatted the mornings away, talking about a lot of things. It was more like we were beginning to know each other all over again and I enjoyed every moment of it. Issues ranged from school, social issues and sometimes (just sometimes) dirty, old sex was mentioned. As if the calls were not enough, we chatted lunch and tea breaks away as well, romantically, in the _Union Square_. It literally felt like the world did not exist anymore; everything around us just seemed to have ceased to exist and yes, I loved the feeling.

I learnt a thing or two during this 'flaming weeks' as the _Protocol_ puts it. During this period, you feel extremely in love with your other party and the world matters no more to you. You cannot stop thinking about each other and can almost do anything for each other. Babies and marriage talk comes to work and most of the time, crazy names are decided for the kids you want to have together in future. It was during this time that I learnt, for example, kissing in public, the one thing I had dreaded before. We were just sitting in a bench before going home and Botho sent me a text message, "Lean in for a kiss; it will make Mr. Mark jealous but don't worry, I'm eyeing him so he won't do a thing" so I went in for a kiss and we kissed for the first time in public, so passionately. We had found love and we were enjoying every moment of it.

During lessons, I would just smile to myself and did not concentrate much on what I was being taught. I remember this one time during a Moral Education lesson when we were discussing social habits and I was asked to state one. When the teacher did ask me, I was so far away by then.

'Brandon Chidzala, I said name one common social habit you know of'

'Winona'

'What kind is that?' and I realized I must have gone off track when everyone laughed. I looked around confused but Sethunya luckily tipped me on how to avoid trouble.

'Tell her about Winona Ryder's habit Brandon'

'Oh yes', and I stood up, cleared my throat and started, 'The habit is not really that common but studies show it is on the rise. I am not really sure as to what it is really called but Winona Ryder has it or rather had it. It's a condition where you just steal for no particular reason. Winona is obviously rich but she shop-lifted once'

'Very correct Mr. Chidzala, very correct. The condition is called _Kleptomania_ and is, as Brandon has come to state, very much on the rise. Let's give the young man a round of applause' and the class did just that as I sat down. I looked at Bagomotsi and he was laughing out loud, imitating a heartbeat with his hand underneath his shirt. I smiled and turned back to Sethunya.

'Thanks Sethunya, you are a life saver; that was a close one'

'No problem love; just try to concentrate next time' and we went back to listening, which I did this time.

Just then, a message came in into my phone and it was none either than Winona.

Babes, I am in an English Language lesson and it is so boring. Want to meet up?

I had almost got into trouble because of her and now she was calling me for more trouble. But when love calls out, you cannot say no, right?

Where do you want to meet up then because my Moral lesson is boring too my love

My love...sounds nice babes. You will find me at the girls' toilets in less than five minutes

I left class under the pretext that I was going to use the toilets, even though I was and in less than two minutes, I was there. I knew what I was about to do was an offense punishable by a yellow letter but I was just going to do it for the sake of love. Fact: love is a very complicated thing; more of a drug I must say. Once you take it in, it controls every bit of your body, your brains included. This was exactly what was happening to me and I know it that on average, it happens to 1 in 3 new lovers like me.

I got in to the toilets and Winona was not there yet so I waited. The toilets were also empty, with nobody there but me. However, in less than a minute of waiting I heard a group of girls coming towards the toilets and I knew I was in big trouble. I hid in one of the toilets and waited in vain. I climbed on top of the toilet seat to get a better view of the girls and there we five of them. I knew two of them from swimming practice and got even more scared. Only God could save me.

'Did you guys see all those flyers all over school? Apparently there is a face-off this Saturday between two new, not-so-famous groups and they expect us to attend' started one of the girls and the others laughed.

'But we have _The Halo_ to take care of dancing in school or _The_ _Marrittians_ , right?'

'Exactly but there is a twist guys; this new _kwaito_ group, _St. Wiz_ , has Botho Molokai, Brandon Chidzala, Bagomotsi Moalosi, TreShawn Detroit II and Tyler Malokane as its group members!'

'Wait, you are kidding, right?' asked the other girls in unison and the other one nodded.

From there they started jumping in joy and as I leant in for a closer look, my foot slipped and I almost fell in to the toilet pot and as such squeaked, making me almost swear. This made all the five girls turn around at the same time.

'Did you guys hear that?'

'Yeah, I did and it sounded...like a guy'

Slowly, they moved from toilet to toilet, opening the doors to check. I said a quick and brief prayer and waited for the worst to happen. Finally, they got to my toilet and flung it open. In shock, they stood there looking at me. I smiled and greeted them.

'Hi guys, I was...I am...' but stopped when they got really serious and ordered me out.

'What are you doing in the girls' toilets, during lessons time?'

'Well, I was...'

'Wait a minute; guys, this is Brandon, that pig Winona's boyfriend'

'Please don't call her that, I...' but they just over-powered me, 'You are right and he is one of _St. Wiz_ 's dancers'

'So Brandon, explain your being here before we get really pissed. Did you not see the sign outside that says "Girls' toilets" or are you as dumb as your little...I don't know...your little Miss _Ego_ '

'Actually, I did see it but please stop insulting her. I was here to...I kind of got lost and...'

'...and you don't need to explain yourself Brandon' and they all turned around to see Winona standing at the toilet door-way.

I felt a sigh of relief automatically release itself and one of the girls started pulling the one talking to me but she resisted, 'Linda, I will not run away all because of her. We have been scared of these _Egos_ for too long. Now Winona, finders-keepers so Brandon is going nowhere'

'Oh really, is that really so? Are you sure about that because the last time I checked, I brought him here and that means I take him out of here'

'Oh, so you too were here for a little making out, hey? Very juicy...and interesting I must say'

'Exactly what we were going to do so please, if you don't mind, move along before you skunks regret what is coming for you'

I could see a little bit of fear grip the leader of the group and she looked at me before smiling and they all left. This really confused me; how could five girls be scared of one girl? How was that possible?

'Babe, I am so sorry I took so long but I hope you are okay, right?'

'Yeah, I am...I am just a little surprised' and she smiled before coming on to me, wrapping her arms around my neck as always and mine went on to her waist, 'Don't worry Brandon, you still have a lot to learn...my love' and she kissed me. The kiss was sweet and all but that did not mean I was still not shocked, and scared so I stopped her, 'Babe, how about we do this some other time, maybe in a risk-free environment?'

'Don't tell me those girls scared you Brandon'

'No, it's not that; just that we are in the girls' toilets and I am a guy and lessons are progressing so it's a risk'

'Well, if you put it that way then, I get you. I'll see you after school?'

'Okay but you will have to see me after dance practice because of the upcoming _Union Square_ challenge'

'Yeah, sure, I'll join you there. Now, go to class and maybe if we are lucky, we might meet during lunch time'

'Okay babe, I love you'

'I love you more Brandon' and she winked at me before leaving.

As I went to class, I wondered what had really happened in there. Winona had single-handedly chased away five senior girls and I had to know why. There was a mention of _Ego_ and Sethunya had mentioned it before so I had to find out more. This meant a date with the ever-informative Neo. I had to wait for lunch time before I checked on her.

E.G.O

Once the bell rang, I went over to Bagomotsi and gave him some money to buy me some lunch before heading on to the _Times_ office to check on Neo and surely I did find her, only in a rare situation. She was sitting on her editorial chair as Botho, who was sitting on her desk, was feeding her some fries. They both seemed lost in each other's eyes and I guessed Botho's charm had stopped their almost inevitable break-up. A knock on the door was all I did to break up the romantic moment.

'Hey, look who is here; Brandon, _wassup bra_?'

'Botho, how unexpected of you to be here; I mean, it's not surprising because she is your girl but...'

'He is just trying to sweet-talk me and well, sweet-feed me in to getting back with him but it isn't working'

'You guys broke up already?'

'No but I was going to do it before you came in'

'Didn't look like it but anyway, I need your help Miss Motsweding'

'Should I leave you guys to it?' asked Botho as he stood up from the desk but I insisted otherwise, 'No man, you can stay; perhaps you could also help. Thing is, earlier on, Winona and I kind of got in to a fix at the girls' toilets'

'Wow! You guys have less than week dating and already you are hooking up in toilets?' asked a surprised Neo and I laughed before going on, 'Not really but anyway, I was caught by some girls and Winona managed to rescue me and they mentioned something about her and the _Egos_ before retreating'

'Oh, that is not really much of a shock, if you ask me.'

I sat down on a chair and prepared to listen.

'Thing is, in school, there are two main cliques: the _Egos_ and the _Amazons_. In 1989, at the turn of the naughty 1990s, there was a girl form the United States by the name of Rosanne Amazon and she was the then headmaster's nephew. JMS was not as big as it is today and since Rosanne and most of her friends were white, they were the most popular. All the boys liked them and worshipped them, giving them goddesses' status. This, in turn, led to black girls being treated as nothing; bullied by these white intruders. The clique was branded the _Amazons_ , after Rosanne'.

She went through some newspaper archives in her computer before continuing, 'On February 1990, three Batswana girls, Edna, Gofaone and One, met up in the old church building on campus and made an alliance with other black girls to bring down these whites. It was not an easy road but they fought on. It was not easy fighting a white girl in those days but just when they were close to giving up, Rosanne and her family went back to Detroit and the _Amazons_ slowly perished. The descendants of the former _Amazons_ fought on though and sometimes, this went on to literal blow fights against the _Ego_ girls, E for Edna, G for Gofaone and O for One'

'So the fighting also extends to fame and popularity in school, right?' added Botho.

'Yes, Botho is right; this very office we sit in is run by the _Ego_ family, with only unimportant positions given to the _Amazons_. They, however, lead in sports because Serena Michigan's father recently paid for the East Wing stand to be built and it's an ' _Amazons_ -only' zone. They fear us because of this office as we can bad-mouth them in just one Friday'

'Impressive knowledge right there babe' complimented Botho and I nodded in agreement before asking, 'So...you belong to...?'

' _Ego_ family and so does Winona and her girls, which is why those girls ran away. We run this mother baby'

'What about the _Marrittians_? What connection do they have to the _Amazons_?' I asked.

'Mark is distant cousins with Serena and he is currently dating one of the _Zons_ so the _Marrittians_ are more like their guards'

'More like the Swiss are to the Vatican?'

'Yeah, something of that sort; yeah, more like the Swiss are to the Pope'.

So this is what there was to all the rivalry: an over-a-decade vendetta. From what I also came to learn, there were over two hundred members in each clique, the _Egos_ leading by figures though. I guess I was an _Ego_ boy after all and just five weeks to my stay in JMS, the school was already getting to me. Oh boy!

MARK'S LESSON

I decided to go to Winona's class afterwards, leaving Botho and Neo to themselves. I understood the whole clique situation better now and would be able to know where to draw my boundaries. I was about to get to Winona's class when I saw Mark and three of his guys coming from her class and boy, the guy looked really angry. I wondered why the guy went about worrying about what Winona did because she had made it clear they were not together anymore. One thing was for sure: he had a girlfriend and possibly girlfriends. All that it was with Winona was an obsession and that was a fact.

' _Yoh_ , Brandon Chimpanzee, mind if we talk?' and a little intimidated by his intentional mispronunciation of my surname, I stopped and faced him, his guys going all around me, 'Sure Mark, what is it?' but instead of saying anything important, he set up an appointment with me, 'I don't think what I want to talk to you about requires such an inappropriate space so how about we meet after classes; say, the tennis court?'

I could see a plan, an evil plan for that, built up in his deep green eyes so I tried to say no, indirectly.

'Why not talk right now, Mark? I've got swimming practice after school, you know'

'Oh come on Brandon; don't tell me you are scared of missing one practice session. I mean, I'll be missing rugby practice'

'Thing is, we are different Marrittian; I am a little disciplined, in case you didn't know. Unlike you, I know what I stand for and street talk is not my thing'. This caught him totally off-guard and he looked around before coming a little closer to me, his mint breath on my face, 'So I am not, hey? Listen here Chimpanzee, 1600hrs at the tennis court; show up or show us just how much of a little coward you are' and they walked away. All along, I was scared and the moment they walked away, a sigh of relief escaped and I continued on to Winona's class. The students who had witnessed all this cheered on for me as Mark walked away and Winona came out of her class and hugged me, clueless of what had just gone down.

'Want to join me and the guys at the library?'

'Oh, sure, no problem love; I actually heard Nicole and Sethunya talk of the same thing'

'Yeah, the guys and your girls' and then she noticed the students and turned to me as I put my arm over her shoulder, 'Why are they all staring and cheering at you babe?'

'I honestly don't know. Maybe it is because I have gold for a girlfriend?' and she sweetly chuckled before we went on to the library, where we would join Trey, Sethunya, Nicole, Botho and Bagomotsi for a study session. It was not going to be much of that but we just wanted to get away from the supervising prefects' leash. I was not going to tell her of my encounter with the _Marrittians_ , at least not at that moment.

Once we were at the library, where Bagomotsi had brought his new girl, we all fell in to a little chat group, silently chatting about the school's happenings. Botho, however, asked a Math question and sooner than I would have thought, we shifted from chatting to Math. I forgot about Mark and the appointment and joined the fun. This went on for a while and once the discussion required a little help from a textbook, I stood up to get one from the shelves. As I went about the books, I saw Sam French herself, impressively glowing.

'Hey Brandon, good to see you; how are you?' she greeted me, smiling so beautifully and her dyed, light brown hair adding flavor to her pretty face.

'I'm good Sam, long time no talk. When was the last time we talked?'

'I don't know; at the café when you guys formed your group?'

'Oh yeah, not so long ago, isn't it?'

We both chuckled and nodded. She picked a History book from the shelf and waved it before saying her goodbyes.

'Well, I came for this; have to revise for the upcoming test, you know'

'Yeah, I guess you are right. The guys and I are actually revising some Math but I will revise History later. We could always revise together, you know'

'I am not sure if Winona would like that Brandon'

'Don't worry, she won't mind as long as she doesn't know' and she laughed before walking away but turned around on the way, 'And by the way, we being revision mates would not mean I will spare you on that Saturday'

'Oh, well, okay but don't be too sure'

'Just saying and yes, we can study together. I'll see you at the next History lesson'

'Sure thing Samantha, it was nice talking to you' and I went on looking for the book and once I had found it, I went back to the group.

'What took you so long babe?'

'Um, the book was a little hard to find but here it is' and smiling, I sat down and we continued with the revision.

I looked at Sam as she left the library and smiled at her, even though she did nothing but just leave. She was a pretty girl and a potential girlfriend; an option I could have considered but she had slipped and I would have to live with that. In the case of Winona and me not working out, I would definitely consider her. For now, I had my beautiful Winona to make happy and take care of.

An hour later, Bagomotsi and I were at the lockers, changing in to our swimwear. I stopped halfway through and changed back in to my school trouser. Mark had invited me and I was going to honor the invite. I did not want him thinking of me as a coward. I was scared though and Bagomotsi noticed the uneasiness.

'You haven't been yourself since we left the library _bra_ ; anything you want to tell me?'

'It's Mark _bra_ ; said I should meet him at the tennis court, like now'

'And you are going to honor the invite?'

'Yeah, I have to go or he is going to be thinking of me as a sissy, the last thing I want right now'

'Then I guess I got your back _bra_ , all the way'

'Actually, I'd rather you stay out of this'

'But I am your boy Brandon; we've always stood by each other since kindergarten and it's not stopping now'.

From the look on his eyes, I could tell he was serious and wanted in so I let him come. Besides, with an extra two hands, hopefully I would be able to repel any attack. It was a matter of no discussion that Mark was going to bring some of his guys along. We rushed off to the court, where we found Mark and three guys waiting. From a distance, I saw them signal Mark we had arrived and he stood up to meet us.

'So you brought a guard along, hey? Or should I say your lap-puppy?' asked Mark and his guys laughed, to which we stood silently until they went silent.

'Why did you call me here Mark, for a bunch of joke cracking kids?' and his half smile disappeared into a frown. His guys started to roll back their sleeves which, unhappy about the ''lap-puppy'' comment, Bagomotsi also did. I knew things would get ugly and I prepared for the worst. For a moment, I actually thought of running away but I stood my ground, scared to the fullest.

'Let's cut to the chase Chimpanzee and get down to what we came here for. I have asked you twice before to get away from my girlfriend and...'

'Girlfriend, you say, hey? Which girlfriend Mark? Winona made it very clear that she does not like you; that you and her are over so get that into your head'.

The guy handsome and hunky, as the girls had come to see him but he acted like a jerk. He was just so obsessed about the idea of being Winona's boyfriend – infatuation at its worst – and it kind of sucked. Remember Duke Orsino, anyone?

'And did she mention it to you that I spent thousands on her? Bought her gifts and took her to some of the most expensive...?'

'Sorry to cut you short Mark but we did not come here to discuss your wealth or what you spend on girls, did we?'

'You really are something, aren't you Chimpanzee?'

'It's Chidzala, Mark and I hope that is the last time I hear you call him that' said Bagomotsi, who was now facing Mark too, drawing a shocked expression in to the guy's face. His guys tried to move in closer too but he stopped them.

'If I don't stop, what are you going to do about it?' but Bagomotsi did not say anything and just looked at the guy's green eyes as he moved in to his face. Bagomotsi had nothing to do with this and even though he had involved himself, I had to stop any fight from starting.

'Listen Mark, I am sure he didn't mean...' and I was flung to the ground by his blow to my nose, which bled as I landed. I could feel my head get a little heavy as Mark came over me and picked me up by my collar.

'Ben, deal with that one, I've got Chimpanzee.' The guy directed as Ben quickly grabbed Bagomotsi while another guy gave him a punch to his stomach. On the other hand, Mark gave me a blow to my face and another one before he spoke to my half-conscious self, 'I told you never to mess with the _Marrittians_ buddy boy. Now look at what you've got yourself in to' and yet again, gave me another blow. Ben and the other two guys also beat up Bagomotsi before letting him go. He ran off to the academic area while they helped Mark deal with me. Blow after blow and soon, I was losing consciousness. It took an upper-cut from Mark to finally bring me down. Everything went black. The _Marrittians_ were victorious.

I lay in that court for close to five minutes before help came. I was carried off to the admin area by some senior swimmers and as they carried my bloodied body through the school, I regained consciousness and opened my eyes a little bit and saw the worried faces of my friends. 'They are going to pay for this' was the last thing I heard before I blacked out again. Mark had officially declared himself an enemy of _St. Wiz_ ; he had drawn the battle lines and declared war. All we had to do was decide whether we were going to fight back or not. This meant war.

It was only an hour later that I regained consciousness.

'How is he?'

'He suffered a minor damage to his left eye and right ear but either than that, he is fine'

'But it is nothing serious, right?'

'No, it is not and you can take him home tomorrow; we just need to do a few check-ups and observe him overnight before we release him'.

This was an exchange between my parents and a doctor at the _Riverside Hospital_ , a private hospital about a kilometer from school. My friends were also there, except Winona, who had not arrived yet.

'Could we see him now?' asked my dad and the nurse nodded, 'I'll give you twenty minutes max' and they all marched in to my room, waking me up from my sleep. Their faces were a bit blurry for a few seconds before I adapted to the light, realizing that my left eye was bandaged.

'Hey son, how do you feel?' asked my emotional mother, taking my hand in to hers. Her eyes told it all that she had been crying.

'I'm a little better mum; just a little pain there and there but I'll be fine'

'Son, I want you to tell us who did this to you so that we can deal with this whole issue as a family. I don't want this reaching the police unless I can't deal with it' said my father and I looked at Botho, who disapproved by shaking his head. Botho had a plan of revenge and considering the fact that my dad would want to deal with these guys personally and possibly get in to trouble, I had to lie.

'We were playing rugby, Bagomotsi and me and I did not understand the game that much. A pass came over to me and suddenly everyone was on top of me. I'm lucky I had no broken ribs'

'But you don't play rugby Brandon'

'Yeah dad; thing is there was no swimming practice today so I thought, why not?' and to convince them, I laughed, which put a smile on my mother's face. She looked a bit relieved that no one had inflicted the injuries on me intentionally.

Just then, Winona and Sethunya came rushing in and, not aware of my parents, Winona came over and hugged me as I lay there.

'Are you okay babe?' and I whispered to her ear, '...my parents are right behind you...' and that was when she quickly turned around and apologized, 'I am so sorry Mr. and Mrs. Chidzala, I didn't see you standing there'

'It's okay Ms....?'

'Winona sir; Winona Simons'

'Oh yes, you must be the young lady my son can't stop talking about?' and blushing, she affirmed, 'Yes sir, that is me'. My mother turned to me, 'Listen, let us go and get you something to eat; your friends will be here with you'

'Yes mum, thanks' and she gave me a smooch on the forehead before they left. Winona sat on the bed next tom me while the guys moved in closer.

'Babe, I hope you told your parents Mark did this to you, right?'

'The problem is that we don't want to spoil his future with some police record Winona' said Botho and I nodded in agreement.

'But they nearly spoilt his; who knows what's building under all this swelling?' and tears started streaming down her lovely face. Seeing her like this made me realize how much she loved me and how much I really would have to deal with Mark. He was not going to get away with this, at least not after I had seen Winona cry for the first time; all for me. She came down on me and kissed me half swollen lips as my friends stood there, Botho and Tyler looking like they could kill someone. Bagomotsi, who had a cut on his lip, came to me and hugged me too and I thanked him for '...your bravery and for being a good friend. You tried your best'

'Anything for my boy; I am glad I went down with you'

Everyone else came down and hugged me. Their hugs made a tear or two come down my face too. It was a somber moment for all of us. In times like those, you get to know who your real friends are and they were right there with me. Another day had ended and not so happily though. I had learnt the power of love that day. I had learnt that sometimes you get through trials and tribulations to get what you want and Mark's punches were more like a motivation for me; a motivation to fight even harder for my lovely Winona. After all, they say ''what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'' so you get the deal. Mark and the _Wizzes_ were officially enemies. How we would fight this war would be decided with time.

75 **|** Humble Beginnings

