One day in Grade 7 we were writing exams when a girl called Mbali started beating me with a ruler. She was disrupting me when I wanted to finish my work. We got mad at each other and started to fight.

Mr Manzini took us to the staff room. He asked us why we were fighting. I told him that Mbali started it when I was writing and she beat me with a ruler. Mr Manzini wanted to punish us and told us that we were girls but we were busy fighting. “What kind of girls are you?” he said. He told us to forgive each other and be friends again. He did not want to see us fighting again.

Mbali said she was sorry. I said sorry too, but in my heart I really didn’t forgive her. I hated her more and more. When I saw her I wished I could slap her. Finally, I learned that when you don’t get along with someone and fight, you must tell them and carry on with your life. If you do not like each other you could end up killing each other.

You have to find a good friend that is on the same page as you. That’s what makes a difference in life. If I see that someone is not a good friend, I walk away. I don’t want to fight at school. I respect my teacher and I love my friends. I even miss the girl I fought with when I was in Grade 7. I never liked her because she loved talking too much and she never stopped. That is why I never liked her. At the end of the year our friends tried to make us forgive each other. Now we never fight. Now we understand each other. That’s what made a difference – to trust each other and to forgive and be loving and caring.