First Edit: 20/08/2017
In this chapter Leah will be opening up about subjects such as war and racism. If you are sensitive to topics like that, please feel free to give it a skip and scroll down to where Will's P.O.V starts. Thank you.
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The door flies shut with a bang and I kick of the heels from my feet on the floor. My back leans against the door and I breathe in and out whilst recollecting the events of tonight.
Have I ended things with Justin before it could have started? I was so sure that we had something in the pipeline, something worth catching feels. My lips tremble and I force myself to swallow down the tears that threaten to escape my eyes. I can't blame anyone but myself for what I just did.
If this is what you are, I don't know if I'm the right fit for you...
I shake the memory and groan. Not the best way to let a guy off easy, especially since I didn't actually want it to play out like that, did I?
"Oh look who decided to grace me with her presence!"
I look up, seeing Will fixing a sandwich for him in the kitchen, sassy as ever. He raises a brow at my stance and I shove myself forward and plaster on a poker face.
Perhaps it's better that I just go to my room and be done with this evening, but just as I try to walk pass him he lifts the butter knife towards me and glares, "Sit your ass down, right now!" he motions to the couch.
Is Will wearing mascara?
"Now!" he roars and I jump a little. I'm in no mood to argue any further, so I sloth over to the couch and plonk down, bringing my knees to my chest in a hug. I hope he doesn't try to go all bîtch mode on me tonight, I just might burst out in a full on sob.
"That was easier than I thought," he mumbles and seats himself next to me.
Yes, it was easy too when I told Justin that I'm not the type of girl he wants.
Why is this making me so emotional? Before I can stop myself, two lone tears betray me and escape my eyes. I swoosh them off with a hiss. Will's eyes grow wide at the sight, he's never seen me cry before and then they turn soft. He has a sympathetic and an apologetic look to him that he didn't have two minutes ago.
He takes my hand, "Is that tears?" he wiggles his brows. Oh gosh, I should have known he would make a mockery out of this. I can't help but laugh with him. He always teases me about how rare ''Leah tears' are.
After a moment, I successfully regain my composure and inhale a deep breath. I look at Will with seriousness, "Look, I'm sorry for lying to you," I say, "I guess it's easier to say my parents are dead, rather than explaining what happened to them."
He frowns, "What do you mean 'what happened to them'?"
I look down and close my eyes at all the memories that intrude my mind in one go. I don't want to think about this, I really don't.
Will squeezes my hand, "Boo you gotta tell me your story if you wanna call me your best friend. You're like Leo in Catch Me if You Can when it comes to personal questions, always trying to change lanes when I ask you stuff."
I nod my head in agreement, "I know, I know." I give him a shamefull smile, "I thought that it would be better to keep everything to myself. Turns out," I lean back and huff, "it wasn't. Not at all."
A sudden thought makes me cringe. Had I be more open about myself when Justin asked me questions, the night would have gone much better than what it did. Sure, he tried to impress me and I couldn't care less about it, but if I attempted to talk like we did the night before, things wouldn't have ended the way they did.
It was my fault too. I raised my walls and blocked him out in every possible way. I could have told him how I felt the moment I felt uncomfortable.
"What' you mean?" he asks with furrowed brows.
Normally this is the part where I'd make up a lie or mutter something short and sweet to drop the topic. I fight the urge and tell Will.
"My date with Justin went horrible," I admit.
He doesn't say anything so I push myself to explain further.
"Justin tried to impress me with stuff you know I don't care about. Expensive restaurants, fancy wine and celebrities." I sigh and shake my head, "It didn't impress me one bit. In fact, I felt uncomfortable, but now that I think of it, I could have at least tried to talk more about myself when he asked me questions. I could have said what I felt, but I didn't."
"No surprise there," Will pouts.
"I'm trying alright?" I huff, "I didn't want to spoil the mood, so I kept quiet. Which made it so much worse. Will, it was so awkward."
For once, Will is not mocking me and he pulls me in for a sideways hug, "I'm sorry your date went south boo," he says and then looks at me with pursed lips, "do you think you'll see him again?"
I shrug, "I don't know, probably not. I basically told him I'm not the girl for him."
"Are you okay at least?" he asks.
That question makes me shift in my seat and I grunt, "No!" I blurt out. I don't know whether or not I want to laugh, cry or kick the table over.
Will tried to console me by making us tea. He was ready for an explanation and I knew I couldn't go to bed just yet. So I changed into something more comfortable and waited for his questions to start.
It didn't take long.
"So I couldn't hear everything what you and that Mr. Leigh talked about, but it sounded to me like your parents are alive somewhere, hiding maybe?" Will cuts right to the chase.
"Yes," I nod, taking the cup of tea from his hands, "we're not sure if it's them, but there might be a possibility that they're still alive," I shrug.
"Might? You don't know for sure?"
"No, Will you have no idea what is happening back in my country," I admit for the first time, a mixture of relief and anxiety infiltrates my insides, "but I'm not suppose to talk about it."
"What do you mean?" he looks at me in confusion.
"I mean every person that tries to talk about it, gets silenced." I take a deep breath.
"Silenced how?"
"Do I really need to answer that for you?" I ask back. He shakes his head and I take the opportunity to look around the apartment. It's stupid, I know, but I need to assure myself mentally that no one is eavesdropping. I look back at him, "Don't ask me too many questions, because you might not like the answers."
He is about to say something, but stops and shuts his mouth again. He purses his lips together and finally says, "Tell me what you can."
I nod, "It's a long story and probably our own fault."
"Whose?"
"White people," I say, "Back in the Apartheid years, white supremacists treated blacks like slaves. The whole segregation thing instilled a hate in black people's hearts for us. It was our own fault because we mistreated them."
I take a sip and continue, "When Nelson Mandela came into the picture, everything changed. For a while, everyone thought the change was for the better. We seemed to reconcile with all races and tribes. We knew as white people, it would be an uphill battle to correct our wrongs, but..."
I stop and bite my tongue. Could I say it? Should I say it?
"But what?" Will asks in anticipation.
"That's not how things are anymore. My people are facing a silent genocide every single day. Things turned sour shortly after Mandela died. The extremists are hunting down whites and killing them as we speak. My country is in war with itself and the world is turning a blind eye from the situation."
"Why are they turning a blind eye?"
I shake my head, "They feel our claim of being treated unfairly in invalid, because of what we did in Apartheid. It's a vicious cycle that never seems to end. One group blames the other for the past and uses it as leverage to cause harm in the present. It never seems to end."
Will's eyes widen, "You mean people are getting killed because of racism?"
"Yes. I was almost killed myself before Mr. Leigh rescued me," my eyes widen at my own words. Did I just admit that? I want to kick myself, I shouldn't have admitted that!
"Girl, what did you just say?" he asks. Shock is written all over his face and I know I need to explain this.
"Two years ago, a political leader stood up in parliament and declared war on the Boere. The white folk in South Africa. We had to flee the cities and leave our homes behind. Most of our people got together in the isolated parts of the country, setting up camps and hiding spots. We were waiting for the UN or Human Right's commission to step in and help, but I'm afraid we are still waiting for that to happen."
I take a deep breath, "There are radical groups who search for our camps. They literally hunt the women and children down and take them back to their tribes to kill or torture. It's a way to taunt and break down our men." I bite my tongue at the next statement but decide to spill everything, "I was one of them. One of the women who got taken. I was on my way to one of those camps when Mr. Leigh bombarded the area and rescued me alongside three other girls."
"You were kidnapped?" his face is carved out with horror and disbelief as he asks me the question.
I force a half-grin and lift up my oversized shirt. Pointing to the lower part of my abdomen I speak, "These scars are left as my proof. I was almost stabbed to death," I show him the faint markings on the side of my stomach. It's all healed now, but the remainder of marks is my constant reminded of what happened that day.
Will gasps, "Oh my gosh Leah! What on earth did these people do to you?" his hands cup his mouth in shock.
I flinch at the name, especially now that I've told him so much of the truth already. I shake my head, "My real name is Calista," I say without hesitation.
It looks like someone is ripping his tongue out, "Ca- Ca- Calista?" he repeats my name and it makes me feel like Calista was a girl I once knew. I don't even know if I'm her anymore.
"Call me Leah," I force a smile, "No one can know my real name. It's a part of my life that needs to be forgotten."
I leave Will to ponder and digest what I just told him, sipping on my tea.
"So, why did Mr. Leigh help you?" he asks after a while.
A gulp forms in my throat and I swallow it down with another sip of tea. I can't answer him on his question. Well, not in truth anyway. There is one secret I need to keep to myself.
My mantra? Stick as close to the truth as possible.
"His son was in the same camp that my parents and I were in during our hide-out. He had the resources to search for him and stumbled across me and the other girls during one of his team's search and rescue's. I guess luck was on my side that day."
I can see Will trying to form the words of his next question and I answer him, "His son is still out there somewhere. He hasn't been found yet. Neither have my parents."
"What did you speak about when he was here then?"
I look down and inhale, "The satellites caught unusual movement near a bordering country of South Africa. He suspects some of our people are trying to cross over for safety. It might be his son or my parents."
At that, Will's eyes light up, "So he's going to rescue them?"
I shake my head in disappointment and purse my lips.
"Why not?"
"The borders are being watched. It gets harder and harder every time to get into the country unnoticed. He has to work on a strategy or plan before he can go. Plus, he needs confirmation of it actually being our people and not the enemy."
Will nods with a blank face. I can tell he doesn't really understand much, but I thank the heavens in silence that he keeps quiet. I don't really want to go into the logistics and details of it myself. It's complicated.
Minutes pass before Will exhales and sits up a bit straighter. He looks to me with a frown, "Don't you hate black people though?" he asks, "like you should hate me."
"You didn't do anything wrong Will, why would I hate you?!"
"Because I'm a lame excuse of a friend! Here you are, telling me that black people nearly killed you and here I am, being black, overreacting and being mad without reason. I'm so sorry that I didn't bother to think what you're going through!"
I take his hands into mine and look straight into his onyx eyes, "Now you listen here Will, don't you ever think that I should or that I do hate you because you are black. I don't hate black people, I hate what society has become. Colour has nothing to do with it."
His brows furrow further, "I don't understand."
"One group hates another group more than the next one does. It's a vicious cycle that will never end unless each and every group stops to acknowledge their part in the destruction. Doesn't this remind you of your own country? From what I understand, the US dealt with the same problems a few decades ago."
"True," he shrugs.
"And if there's one thing that I've learnt from all if this is that hate never solves anything." I say with a slight smile, "Love does. The world needs a lot more love and a lot less hate, not just South Africa and not just America."
He agrees with me in a nod and slumps back on the couch. His head rolls to my side, "So you don't hate the people who kidnapped you?"
I shake my head profusely, "Oh trust me, those assholes I hate!"
We both start laughing and I have to breathe a few times before adding, "Not because they're black, but because they're on the wrong side of justice."
He takes my hand again and grins, "Everyone will have to account for their wrongdoings some day."
***
[Will's POV]
Another queen prances out on stage in their 8 inch stilettos and I can't help but laugh when he splits in front of the judges. RuPaul's Drag Race is the best show ever.
Mystique's splits are the best.
"Yass queen!" I exclaim with a mouthful of chocolate. My phone vibrates next to me and I look to see who it is.
unknown: hey, is this will?
I lock my phone again and carry on watching the program. No damn ho or ex-boyfriend will be catching me out like that. There's a reason I changed numbers before I moved to LA. Like I moved on! Get a grip already!
My phone vibrates again. I purse my lips and pause the show, "I'm about to cut you," I hiss and pick up the phone. If Gustus, my hung up ex-boyfriend, messages me one more time I swear....
unknown: please, i know its u will
unknown: i can see ur profile pic
Damn it! I'm about to block the number when another text comes through.
unknown: ur posing with Leah
Wait what? Gustus never met Leah!
Me: who is this?!
unknown: its Justin Bieber
I almost throw my phone in shock, "Get outta here!" I'm about to make him sweat for a good minute. No one messes with Leah if I have anything to do with it.
I shove another chocolate piece into my mouth and start typing with a smirk.
Me: so you decided to test the waters a bit huh? You came to the right place ;)
Justin: what?
Justin: no
Justin: NOO!!
Justin: wtf man, I like your roommate, not u
Justin: isnt there sum kind of girl code not to date another girls love interest?
Me: do i look like a girl 2 you?
Justin: are you gay or not?
Me: fair point
Me: so what do you want from me then?
Justin: i screwed up big time with leah
Me: no SHIT SHERLOCK!
Justin: will u help me win her back?
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