Freshman, a Diary | Completed

19. The Disease

"Did she love him?"

"I don't think so, but I think she did now, and Jabu doesn't anymore. He loved her very much back then, though."

"I guess Zinzi is safe coz she was worried she was going to lose him again,"

"Zinzi is cool, Jabu is crazy about her," he said, and I smiled. He talked about the other guys, but well, I still didn't know them much to know their story, so I just listened though I wasn't interested.

"Oh, and Karabo," he said, waking me from my 'was not listening' self. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear Karabo's story as I have already heard his from himself and I didn't want to erase that coz that was the one thing I was holding on to believe Karabo has a heart.

"Yeah," I said, hiding my interest and curiosity.

"His mother died while he was still in high school, his story is sad coz his dad married a new younger wife right after his mother died," he said, making Karabo's story sadder.

"Oh shame, I didn't know," I said although I knew about his mother's passing, I didn't know his father got remarried immediately.

"When I hear from people who know him, they say it changed him, he started becoming wildly and became a drug addict, ending up running away from home with some older guys and older women."

"How did he come back to himself?"

"His big brother took him. I think they say he has lost his whole academic year, but he finally came back and stayed with his big brother's family."

"I didn't know Karabo was a drug addict," I said, still surprised from the story.

"No one knows not even Jabu, and he doesn't know I know so don't tell anyone."

"Yeah, I won't tell. And the car, his brother bought him?"

"Yes, his brother promised him a car if he stops his crazy life and finish high school, so he did and got a car," he said, sounding a bit jealous.

"Some of us just got flowers," I added, acting jealous too. "But his story is sad though, he has gone through a lot," I continued.

"I know you don't like him that much, but now you can understand why I think his attitude isn't all his fault. He is still trying to be a good guy as you can see he is still crazy, but he is trying," Sihle said, putting a good word for his friend, only if he knew.

"Yeah, I won't be that hard on him next time," I said, and I just laughed inside on my own inside joke.

"Other than all that, I hope the rumours about him being infected with HIV are not true. I mean he is still..." he couldn't finish. My heart stopped when I heard the word HIV, and while he attempts to continue with his statement, I just wanted to confirm if I heard it correctly.

"What?" I felt myself asking, jumping from his lap and sitting facing him. Karabo can't be HIV positive, he just can't coz if he is, I am too and so is Sihle.

"It was just a rumour maybe it was a lie that's why I never told anyone even Jabu."

"Where are you even getting this?"

"My sister knows some girls who went to high school with him so..."

"Okay. Are you sure about the HIV rumour? Do you think it's true?" I asked, my heart was up in my throat.

"I don't know, maybe it's true or not but that's none of our business. Why are you even more concerned about Karabo's life, he ran away from home with old crazy women who knows what he got from them other than drugs," he responded.