FROM SPARKS TO STORMS

chapter 3: WHEN PAST MEETS THE PRESENT.

The last bell rang, and it was finally time to go home. On my way out, I bumped into Lwando — he was with a group of girls. He noticed me, and for a moment our eyes met. I forced a fake smile and walked with my friends, pretending not to care.

But then he chased after me, grabbed my hand, and asked if we could talk. I turned around, curious to hear what he had to say.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“For what exactly?” I asked.

He replied, “For not chatting with you in the morning… I should’ve checked how you were doing, you know.”

I shrugged. “Nah, it’s no biggie.” Meanwhile, deep inside, I was hurt. But I didn’t want to show him my weakness. I tried to act strong — just like Khaya had said I couldn’t. Khaya already knew my soft side because I had shown it to him, but I couldn’t let Lwando see it too. I wasn’t about to let him play me like that.

So I walked back to my friends who were waiting for me, and together we laughed so loud it drowned out all the pain inside.

When I got home, I took off my uniform and changed into casual clothes. I prepared some food for myself, then turned on the music on my phone, blasting it loud. I sang along and danced around, feeling fresh and free for the first time that day.

In the middle of my little concert, my phone buzzed — boom, a voice note from Lwando. But I was vibing too hard to stop. I didn’t bother to listen to it, just let the music carry me as I continued with the house chores.

But deep down, I wanted to hear what he had to say, even though I tried not to care. I sat on my bed and took out the book I’d borrowed from the school library — To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I read until I drifted off to sleep.

Then I heard a voice calling my name. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but it didn’t stop. I went to the lounge window to see who it was. It was Lwando. He waved at me.

I went outside and said, “What? I was sleeping.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but we really need to talk. You didn’t even bother to listen to my voice note.”

“I was busy,” I replied.

“Busy how? You were sleeping. You just woke up now,” he said.

“Yes, I was too busy sleeping — as you said. So, what’s up?”

“I missed you,” he said softly. “And I heard that Khaya said something about me to you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And what was that?”

“He said I’m not good for you,” Lwando answered.

“Are you good for me?” I asked.

“Yes, I am,” he said quickly.

“Oh, okay. Cool.”

“Why are you acting like you don’t care?” he asked.

“Because pain made me careless,” I said. “So, yeah.”

“I love you,” he said. “And as for Khaya, I’ll prove him wrong — that I’m good for you and I’ll treat you better than he did.”

Inside my head I thought: Whoa. Wait. Why is he saying this? And why is he so focused on proving Khaya wrong? What does Khaya have to do with our relationship? Or… am I right? Did they place a bet on me? What’s going on here?

Out loud I said, “Oh, okay. Can I go now?”

And without even waiting for him to reply, I went back inside. My thoughts swirled. Everything Khaya had said, everything Lwando just told me — it all made me suspicious.

I threw myself onto my bed, my heart heavy, emotions spilling over. I kept hoping my thoughts were wrong — that I wasn’t just a piece in someone’s game of chess. No, not me.

I grabbed my phone and texted my friends, asking where they were. They replied that they were on their way to the mall. “Oh, okay then,” I typed back, “I’ll wait for you.”

A few minutes later, I heard voices outside calling my name. I went out to meet them, feeling a wave of relief wash over me at the sight of them.

I spilled the tea to my girls, telling them everything. They all looked at me and said, “So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted quietly. “I really love Lwando.”

My other friend, Lelethu, spoke up. “Until you actually catch him with a girl, stay, girl. We can all see how much you love this guy, so stay. As for Khaya, he’s just jealous of your relationship with Lwando. He once told my brother he regrets hurting you — he misses you.”

(Lelethu’s brother Sive is friends with Khaya.)

I gasped.

They asked, “What?”

I said, “So that’s why he said what he said — to make me doubt Lwando’s love and sabotage my relationship. How cruel.”

We arrived at Checkers, did what we came to do, and left. Then we went to Lelethu’s house. Her brother saw me and greeted me; I greeted him back.

My other friend Olwethu asked Sive if there was any hookah pipe. He said yes, so we went over to smoke. Then boom — Khaya was there too.

I sat down quietly as the puff-and-pass routine went around. Khaya kept staring at me. Every time I looked his way, he would quickly look elsewhere, pretending he hadn’t been watching me.

I logged into my f*******: and focused on my phone. Out loud he suddenly said, “You’re talking to him, huh?”

I glanced up. “Who?”

He said, “Who you’re dating with, kanti?”

I said, “Oh… yeah, I’m chatting with him."

He leaned back and said, “So… your relationship with him is that serious?”

I looked up. “What?”

He continued, “You and him — are you guys serious, or is it just to spite me? Because, to be honest with you, yes… I still want you back, Amanda. I love you more than I did before.”

I stared at him. “So that’s why you’re trying to sabotage my relationship?”

He shook his head quickly. “No

I wasn’t. I was warning you about him. He’s not what you think he is. And I know I messed up, but I don’t want you to get hurt by someone else.”

I laughed, rolled my eyes, and said, “Oh, so you want to be the only one who’s hurting me?”

“No,” he said quietly.

I ignored him, but he kept talking, expressing his feelings for me. I asked, “Why all of a sudden? When you had the chance before, you took it for granted. You didn’t care.”

I felt my patience snap. “I’m not going back and forth with you because you’re not in a relationship with me. So leave me alone.” I stood up and walked away.

On my way home, I bumped into Lwando. He smiled and walked toward me. “I just came from your house and was wondering where you were,” he said.

“I was at Lelethu’s house,” I replied.

“How about we hang out? It’s been a while,” he suggested.

“Okay,” I said.

We went to his place and chatted for a bit. Before we knew it, we were sitting under blankets, cozy and comfortable, talking and laughing together.

He whispered in my ear, “Your cookie is so satisfying,” and kissed my forehead. I smiled, kissed his chest, and rested my head on his heartbeat. All the thoughts about Khaya that had been swirling in my mind vanished.

We cuddled until it was time for me to leave. He walked me home and gave me a long hug — one that made me smell like him. We kissed.

“Bye,” he said.

To be honest, I wanted to stay next to him and lay with him again, but I had responsibilities. I needed to cook and finish my book.

Right after I got home, my mom arrived too. I panicked for a second — oh my God, I hadn’t started any pot! But I quickly cooked something simple that day: rough pap and maas, my favorite.

She greeted me, and I greeted her back. I took her bag to her bedroom, made her some tea, and noticed how tired she looked. I got her slippers and carried her pump to her room. I did all of that just to appreciate her hard work.

I was cooking the rough pap, letting it cool before serving. Once it was ready, I dished it up for my mom, my siblings, and myself.

I went to my room to eat while chatting with Lwando. We smiled and laughed at his jokes, but it didn’t last long. He said he needed to shower and that we would talk tomorrow morning. I replied, “Oh, okay… cool.” Even though I wasn’t entirely okay with that message, I just said okay.

After finishing my meal, I picked up my book and continued reading to pass the time.

After finishing two chapters, I went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Afterwards, I took a bath, changed into my pajamas, and went straight to bed.

Morning came quickly. I had overslept, and my mom had already left. I jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready for school. My phone buzzed i thought it's Lwando, but it was a message from my friends in our w******p group reminding me not to forget that we had a morning class. Oh my God, I nearly forgot!

I quickly got dressed and spread jam on two slices of bread since it was too late to cook something that would take time. I rushed to school as fast as I could. Unfortunately, the morning class had already started. I quietly slipped into my desk and tried to concentrate on the lesson.

It was time for break. My friends and I linked up and had lunch together as usual. Then Khaya appeared. I rolled my eyes.

“I have proof of what I’ve been saying to you. Look,” he said.

He showed me chats between Lwando and someone I didn’t even know — a girl. Lwando was calling her “baby” with a heart emoji. I continued reading, my heart sinking.

“Who is she?” I asked.

“She’s his new girlfriend,” Khaya replied. “I saw them together last night. I don’t know for sure, but I think she spent the night with him.”

I spoke aloud, my disappointment clear. “Yesterday he said he’d send a morning text, but he didn’t. I can’t believe it… the guy I chose and love is busy loving someone else.”

As I was busy thinking about it, I turned to Khaya. “Can you send me the screenshots?” I asked. He did, and then left.

Lelethu looked at me worriedly. “I’m so sorry, friend, for advising you to stay in the relationship. I had no idea. I really thought Khaya was just sabotaging your relationship. I didn’t know.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine, friend. I didn’t know either. Maybe he did show me the signs, but I ignored them, thinking I was exaggerating. But now… it’s clear. I have to face him and confront him.”

I checked w******p — he was online but not saying a word to me. I left it that way too. The bell rang; it was time for another lesson, but my mind wasn’t in class. I kept overanalyzing everything, replaying Khaya’s words and those screenshots. With every thought, my heart grew heavier, and in my head I was already plotting how to confront him.