FROM SPARKS TO STORMS

chapter 2 : morning butterflies.

Tuesday morning arrived, and as I was getting ready for school, my phone rang. It was Lwando. I quickly picked up—thank goodness my mom had already left for work.

The moment his soft, calm voice reached my ears, butterflies filled my stomach. I had dreamed of him the night before, and now, hearing him again made me blush so hard I couldn’t stop giggling. I barely said much, just laughed shyly into the phone. I loved it here.

He was also getting ready for school, though we didn’t attend the same one. Still, that call carried me through my morning like a secret treasure.

By the time I finished breakfast, two of my friends arrived so we could walk together. As always, we gossiped—because as girls, that’s our morning routine. That day’s topic? A boy who thought he was “all that.” He had cheated on his girlfriend again, and it wasn’t even the first time. We shook our heads, calling her dumb for forgiving him over and over again.

When the bell rang at school, I went to class, but my mind wasn’t on the lesson. It was replaying his voice, the sweet words he had whispered to me that morning.

Sitting in class, I caught myself smiling alone, lost in thoughts of him. Every time I drifted off, I had to pinch myself back to reality, but his voice kept replaying in my head like a favorite song.

After English, we moved on to Maths. Argh, it felt way too early in the morning to be counting numbers and solving equations. Honestly, Maths and I were never friends. Even the teacher had picked up on it, and we didn’t exactly get along.

But that day, something shifted in me. I decided not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me slack. I forced myself to focus, to pay attention, to work harder. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t just about him—it was about me.

I was in Grade 11 now, and Grade 12 was waiting for me just around the corner. If I wanted to qualify, I had to push myself. No more playing around, no more excuses.

Even my teacher seemed shocked when I solved the equations correctly. Nobody, not even me, expected it. But I had to. I couldn’t disappoint my mom, and I couldn’t disappoint myself. That determination carried me through the lesson, and for once, Maths didn’t defeat me.

When the break came, I slipped away to the library. It was my safe space, my little world of quiet. I borrowed a book for the week—because I loved reading. Books gave me more than stories; they boosted my vocabulary, sharpened my knowledge, and gave me escape.

Just as I settled into that peace, my phone buzzed with a message. It was from him.

I laughed to myself. This boy doesn’t even give me space to breathe. But honestly, I loved it. I loved him. His presence, even through a text, filled me up. And I could feel it—he was just as in love with me as I was with him. It was cute. It was us.

Love gave me butterflies, but education was my wings.

After leaving the library, I bought some snacks and went to join my friends at our usual spot. They were already there, laughing and singing. Soon we were taking pictures, recording silly videos, dancing, and just being us. Whenever we linked up, it was pure madness in the best way—crazy fun, no judgment, no dull moment. That’s why we were friends: we matched each other’s energy.

But then I saw him.

Khaya. My ex.

He was walking toward us, and my heart skipped—not from love, but from shock. After everything he had done to me, after the way he treated me, he actually had the nerve to want to talk.

I decided to hear him out. I was already moved on, already in love with Lwando, so I didn’t care what Khaya had to say.

The first words out of his mouth were, “Are you dating someone? I heard you’re with that boy, Lwando. Everyone’s talking about it.”

I laughed, shaking my head. That’s what you came here for? To ask about my love life, like I owe you something?

“The only thing owed here,” I said firmly, “is the apology you still owe me. You treated me badly, and I’m done with you. So, yes—I’m dating Lwando. That’s it.”

He sighed. “Amanda, he’s not what you think he is. I know I messed up, I know I lost my chance with you, but I still care. You deserve better than him. That boy is bad news.”

His words left me frozen for a second. But then anger rose in me.

“You don’t get to say that,” I snapped. “You failed me. You didn’t love me right. Lwando does. He gives me everything you never could. This is my relationship, not yours. So back off.”

I walked back to my friends, furious. They looked at my face and asked what happened. I told them every detail. They laughed and rolled their eyes.

“He’s jealous,” one of them said. “He didn’t expect you to move on so fast, and it’s eating him alive. Don’t take his words to heart.”

I nodded, pretending to agree. Yeah, you’re right. But deep down, a tiny voice whispered: What if he isn’t wrong?.

...After that whole scene with Khaya, I told myself nah, I’m not letting his words ruin my mood. I was in love, like head-over-heels butterflies-in-my-stomach love, and nothing was going to shake that.

Later that day, during lunch break, Lwando texted me: “Meet me by the school gate after class, I’ve got a surprise for you.” My heart literally skipped a beat—I couldn’t even focus in class, I kept smiling like a fool, my friends kept teasing me saying “Amanda, you’re glowing, you must be in love for real!”

When the final bell rang, I rushed to the gate, and there he was, leaning against the fence with that smile that made my knees weak. He held out a small packet of my favorite snacks, and said: “I know you love these, so I bought them for you. I just want to see you happy.”

It was such a small thing, but it meant everything. I swear, in that moment, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. We walked together, holding hands, talking about random things—our dreams, our favorite songs, our crazy friends. And all I could think was, this right here, this feeling, is exactly what I prayed for.

What Khaya told me had me overthinking a lot. Even while I was doing my homework, his words kept echoing in my mind: “Lwando is bad news… you deserve better.”

I tried to shake it off by focusing on schoolwork and later went to prepare supper. Then my phone rang—it was my dad. Hearing his voice after a long time made me smile. He told me he missed me and my siblings, and suddenly my heart felt lighter. For a moment, I forgot about Khaya and all his nonsense.

After the call, I saw a message from Lwando: “Hey baby, I hope you’re good. Have a goodnight. I love you always. I want to sleep early tonight.”

My heart melted. Just seeing his I love you felt like medicine. But then, Khaya’s warning crept back into my head. What if he was right? What if Lwando isn’t as perfect as I think?

I hated that Khaya had this kind of power over my mind. Slowly, I started resenting him—resenting the fact that he dared to put doubts in my heart. I didn’t want to believe him.

So I ignored the part where Lwando said he wanted to sleep early. I convinced myself, he’s probably just tired. He still texted me goodnight, and that’s what matters. I typed back: “Goodnight my love, sweet dreams. I love you too.” Then I put my phone down, trying hard to silence my thoughts.

But just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone lit up again. A notification popped on the screen—Lwando is online.

If he wanted to sleep early, why was he still awake?

As I stared at the ceiling, replaying Khaya’s words, I felt scared to ask Lwando about what he had told me. With Khaya, when we were dating, he would cheat. And whenever I found out, he made it seem like it was my fault — that I had driven him to it, making me feel crazy, dramatic, and like I deserved it. Now, Lwando was lying to me about going to sleep early, yet he was still online.

I got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water — I was thirsty. My mind had been racing all night, and I kept checking his profile. He was still online. I put on Ciara’s I Bet, the song I used to listen to when Khaya hurt me. Now, I felt like Ciara who had found her Russell — but my Russell was lying to me about sleeping early. My mind overanalyzed every word. At least I had Panado to ease the headache that throbbed from thinking too much.

I finally fell asleep, but waking up in the morning didn’t feel any easier. I got ready for school and checked my phone — no message from him. I wondered if he was trying to give me a taste of “true love,” or if Khaya had been right all along. Maybe Lwando was just betting on making me fall in love with him, and once I was all in, he’d leave me just like that.

A heavy headache hit me, but I took a Compral to feel better. Thankfully, I had spare pills, so if it attacked me at school, I could stay calm. My friends arrived as usual. This time there was no gossip, just talk about Sophies. On the way to school, they noticed I wasn’t myself and asked me about it. I just said, “I’ll tell you at lunch.”

Then I bumped into Khaya at school. He stared at me, and I stared back at him. He walked toward me and asked, “Are you okay?”

I replied, “What would make me not okay, Khaya?”

He hesitated, then said, “Maybe about what I told you yesterday.”

I smiled and said, “Nah, I’m fine. Lwando isn’t like you — he’s shown me he loves me, so I believe him. Just like I believed you when you said those things and then humiliated me in front of my friends and yours.”

He noticed my expression and asked, “You’ve been thinking about it?”

I shook my head. “No. Why would I? I’ve been trying so hard to hide it — it worked me.

He sighed. “Amanda, I know you. You’re soft. You don’t need to act strong, because I know you’re not."

I looked at him, my voice cold. “So that’s why you said what you said yesterday — only to hurt me because you knew I’m soft, that I get hurt so easily? Wow. You’re so pathetic and disgusting, I swear.”

I shoved him, a tear rolling down my left cheek. I quickly wiped it away and went to the toilet to wash my face before heading back to the classroom. I told myself I wouldn’t let Khaya or Lwando break my heart. Khaya knows my weaknesses, but I promised myself I’d show him I’m not weak or soft anymore — that I’m strong enough to handle their nonsense.

When break came, I went to the usual spot where my friends and I hang out. I sat down, and they stared at me. “What?” I asked.

They said, “What’s wrong? It’s lunch now.”

I told them everything, every detail, and they were worried it might affect me. They’re such caring friends. Thankfully, they changed the subject and started talking about something else, making me laugh and helping me forget about Lwando and Khaya. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.