It had been two weeks since Siya last properly spoken to Zola and honestly, the first time they spoke didn't get off to a good start. The only other time he spoke to her was when she was leaving school after her audition. It was just his luck that they had different audition times so the only exchange of words that occurred between them was simple:
"Hi, Zola."
"Hey. You're going to audition?"
"Yep. You?"
"Just finished. Good luck."
"Thanks."
And off she went, fast like the wind despite her short limbs. And that was it, not much of a conversation if you think about it.
Sure, it would be easier for him to forget that embarrassing encounter but it was hard to when he saw her everywhere he went. Not that she noticed. She hung around with Sihle all the time, the school president. And in all honesty, Sihle was a bit intimidating. She was tall and pretty and smart, even Njabulo was a bit nervous around her.
Siya would see Zola walking past his class. He would see her when classes were changing. He would see her waiting for what looked to be her dad in the afternoons, but would he ever approach her? Nope, not after that little incident with Njabulo. And frankly, he had been avoiding speaking to her because of that. How did he even notice a whole tattoo on Zola? It looked as if she didn't want people to find out about it. And Njabulo decided it was a great way to make friends: talk about a tattoo that was close to her boobs. Great. What were his eyes even doing wandering so far? But then again, 'Njabulo ke Njabulo' and there's no changing that.
Siyas thoughts were racing so much so that he didn't see his sister approach him until she threw her bag down on the table and startled him out of his daydream. "I knew I'd find you here. You usually come here when you're running from someone."
"I'm not running from anyone, I just happen to like books and the unique smell of a library. " Siya tapped the book that sat unopened on his lap.
"Hmph. Nerd." Scoffed Nele, "So who are we running from today? Kat?" Nele asked his brother.
"Do not even start with that, I've got enough on my plate." He responded, putting the unread book back in its appropriate place on the shelf.
"And by 'enough on your plate' you mean Zola, right? I saw how you looked at her when she first came to the drama club meeting, and how you always hover close to her during break time. Simp." Nele rested her chin on her hands mockingly, prying her brother for a response.
"Are you sure you want to bring up ex-girlfriends?" Siya mirrored Nele's position whose face fell flat. "Exactly."
"Ugh, whatever I have to leave anyway. I have P.E after this. I'll see you after school loverboy." Nele flicked her finger at Siyas face as she stood up to leave. At times it was really hard to tell that Banele was Siya's younger sister by the way she acted.
And even though he didn't like it, what she said was true. He couldn't help but think of Zola in a certain way. What he needed was someone to counter the way he was feeling and tell him he was being stupid. He needed Njabulo.
¤¤¤
"Yo. Where you at?" Siya asked his friend over the phone as the hustle and bustle of school leaving was picking up.
"I'm by the benches near the bottom field, why? What's up?" He replied.
"I just wanna hang out before I go home. I'll be there in a few minutes."
"You're lucky you get to go home. I live here." Njabulo sighed.
"Not my fault you live at the school hostel," Siya said, ending the conversation.
Siya stretched his slightly bulky legs and made it to the benches near the field in no time. He quickly found his friend, even though most of him was obscured by the body that sat on his lap.
"You guys mind getting a room?" He asked the two boys who looked like they were sucking the souls from each other's bodies.
"Hi Siya." Matthew's somewhat deep and sultry voice broke the awkward silence. He unlocked his face from Njabulos and got up from his lap. "I'll see you later JB." He ran his hand through his silky dirty blonde hair and gave Njabulo one last peck before leaving.
"You could have at least told me to walk a bit slower." He put his bag down on the bench and slumped lazily on it.
"Yeah. I could have." Njabulo removed the cap from his water bottle and took a swig.
"You're such a prick." Siya kicked his friend, making him jerk forward and choke on his water.
"I swear you are the only South African that uses 'prick' as an insult," Njabulo said mid-cough.
"Yeah whatever 'JB'," Siya said mocking the nickname. "What a fuccboi name."
"I'm attractive bruv. Errbody wants a piece of me." He stood up and gestured to his whole self as if to make his point. "That's not my fault. Plus, Siyabonga is the ultimate fuccboi name. You just aren't living up to it."
"What makes you say that?" Siya asked, internally telling himself off for feeling offended.
"I just mean that I would already be all over that chick Zola by now. But I'm not, since I'm all over Matt right now." He replied as if it were obvious. With a look on his face that said he was thinking of said Matthew.
"Since when has that ever stopped you? You and Matt are always on again, off again anyways."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But Zola isn't my type anyway, I think I'd get bored easy and break another heart." Njabulo said, finally sitting back down again.
"You have a type?" Siya asked. "I thought you dated anything with legs."
"Eww man, what do you take me for?" He lazily kicked his friend, who didn't even flinch. "Wait a damn minute. Are... Are you into her?"
"Who?" Siya pretended not to know who the conversation was about even though he had been thinking about her for the past two weeks.
"Zola man, don't be daft," Njabulo said to his friend.
"Nah, I don't think so." He replied. His response was heavy with lies.
¤¤¤
"So, how was school?" Londiwe, Siya and Neles mother, asked the two teens of the house as they all sat together and devoured the Spaghetti Bolognese that sat in front of them.
"It was okay. Daniel was mad because I took his lollipop but I told him to just take a nap and get over it." Khaya -Lwethu the poopers brother- responded, shoving another forkful of spaghetti into his gaping mouth.
"That was very insightful Khaya, thank you for sharing." Said Lindo, who was the mother to the insightful Khayalethu and the oversharing Thandolwethu, who were fraternal twins. Lindo also happened to be Londiwe's identical twin sister. What are the odds?
1.6667%. Those are the odds.
"Khaya. You really shouldn't take things that don't belong to you okay?" His mother pleaded with him. His response was muffled by the food and juice that sloshed around in his mouth. Well, that's where that conversation ends. Khaya did not like talking with food in his mouth, not because it was rude or anything but because he wanted to concentrate on inhaling his food in one go.
"What about you guys? Anything new happening." Aunt Lindo addressed the two teens once again.
"Not really. Except..." Nele turned to her brother, "Siya, don't you have anything interesting you would like to add to this conversation about a particular young lady?"
All eyes turned to Siya and he immediately became uncomfortable. Even the twins -the boys- stopped eating and looked at him expectantly.
"Uhm... No..." Siya stated simply.
Banele don't you dare.
"You mean to say you haven't noticed a new presence at our school? Or maybe in the drama club?" She continued prying.
"Ooh, she's in the drama club. Do tell." Siya's mother started, and once she started asking there was practically no stopping her until she knew everything.
There's only one way out of this.
"There is something I'd like to share." Siya stood with his empty plate, ready to leave once he was done sharing.
"Banele broke up with Siyanda. She has a new girlfriend. Her name is Jane. Yes, she is white. And she is older than her."
And so, chaos erupted and Nele was put in the spotlight. It was her own fault. She started it.
Said every sibling ever.
~~~
AN
This is how my siblings would act in all honesty, do you have any siblings?