Things have been very strained between the friends after the Mr Ntuli scandal. They hardly speak to each other. Nothando spends lots of time out of the flat, sitting at internet cafes doing job searches, desperate to move out and away from Precious.

Precious seems unwell. Nothando hears her being sick in the bathroom one night. But she feels no sympathy. She can’t forgive her friend, knowing she’s the reason she got thrown out of the Ntuli house – and on top of it, that she told Nothando’s father that his daughter had a blesser.

But Nothando is dependent on her because she has no way to support herself. She still has not found a job, and since the day she came back to find Mr Ntuli at the flat she’s been ignoring Joe Khumalo and refusing to meet him again.

One afternoon, she comes back to the flat to find her friend on the couch, crying her heart out, with a half-empty bottle of wine in front of her. Nothando rushes over to her.

“Chomi, what’s up? Talk to me.”

Precious has been crying for so long she can’t even speak. She hands Nothando a positive pregnancy test.

“This cannot be true! Is this my dad’s baby?” asks Nothando in shock.

“Yes, it’s his baby. What am I going to do, chomi? All I wanted was to have fun and money, not bring a life into this situation.” The tears are running down her cheeks without her even bothering to wipe them away. “Why was I so stupid to let him sleep with me without protection?”

Nothando tries to comfort her but she cannot. She’s still trying to make sense of all this drama unfolding in front of her.

“It’s OK friend. We all make mistakes at some point in life. God will help you through this. I am also here to support you.”

But she doesn’t really mean what she says about supporting Precious. At the back of her mind she still blames her, because it was her fault that Nothando ended up here in the first place, and that the family has been torn apart.

“No Nothando, I cannot keep this baby. There is just no way I can have a baby now – especially since I know it’s your foster dad who is the father. It was never part of the plan. I feel horrible for what happened to you, and that Mrs Ntuli threw you out, knowing that all the accusations you had to face are entirely my fault.”

Nothando is also crying now as Precious’s words take her back to the day when she was thrown out onto the street.

“It’s OK Precious. I guess everything happens for a reason, and maybe that’s why I ended up here and you have been taking care of me.”

Precious’s apology has melted some of her anger. She hugs her friend. “But please – don’t do anything stupid. You have to at least go and see a doctor before you make decisions you may regret. In fact, let’s go right now and check how far you are with the pregnancy. I’ll come with you.”

“You are kind Nothando,” says Precious, wiping her tears away.

***

Tell us: How can the girls get out of the mess they are in?