“I am not wearing this,” Elsa said. She held the mini skirt up, examining it as she shook her head in disbelief. “My mom would die if she were to see me in this,” she shook her head again and threw the skimpy skirt on the bed.

“And you know what the good thing is?” Theresa asked smiling.

“What? I only see worst outcomes here,”

“Your mom won’t see you in these,” she said, taking the dress and throwing it at Elsa. “Just fit it on please, if you don’t like it you can take it off. Pretty please,”

Elsa undressed, mumbling protests. But she knew that all the moaning was in vain, Theresa would get her anyhow.

Theresa just didn’t take no for an answer, from anyone. She always got what she wanted – boyfriend, clothes, everything. Theresa always dominated debates and convinced people. If you ever needed someone who would convince a fish to stop swimming, Theresa was your man.

She’ll make a good lawyer one day, Elsa sometimes thought.

“I don’t even feel like going anymore,”

“Why dear? You are nervous, you are panicking, it’s normal!”

“What if he doesn’t like me? Why should I dress up for him?” she complained, sitting down on her bed, her body sagging. She looked depressed. “Nobody told me that going to a date was this much work,”

“That’s why I am here dear, for you,” Theresa jumped at the opportunity of showing Elsa that she was on her side, that she was there to make things easier for her.

“This,” she said pointing at the skirt that made her feel uncomfortable, “is just too much. You are just too much!” Elsa blurted out furiously.

“After all I did for you, doing your hair and everything, this is how you repay me? I’ll leave you then, be the damsel in distress,” Theresa went for the door.

“Ok, ok, ok! I’ll wear it,” Elsa rose following her friend, sounding really like a damsel in distress. Theresa turned with a wide smile of satisfaction.

She would make a bloody good lawyer, wouldn’t she?

***

Olwethu couldn’t sit still. He kept checking the time and looking at the door of the discussion room. But still there was no sign of the familiar face of Elsa. His mind was restless. Every part of his body was missing her terribly; he was shaking like a fiend craving for a fix.

He checked the time again. He told himself that if Elsa didn’t show up in the next five minutes, he would just leave. He was causing a scene. The discussion groups had stopped what they were doing and looked at him, pointing fingers and laughing silently.

He felt like asking them, “What are you staring at, don’t you have something better to do?”

Time moves fast when testing your patience against it, he thought. It’s like it is testing you back. Five minutes passed. He set a new time limit, hoping she’d come. But that time limit soon passed too. But still Elsa did not show up. She was never late. She was the one who was always early for these study session. The same study sessions that had him falling so deep for her.

He checked the time for the millionth time. She was not coming, he told himself. He raked his mind for possible reasons why she wouldn’t come. He remembered that it was a Friday. Oh no, she hadn’t simply forgotten about the session. There was more to it.

Today was the D-day, he thought. Ntsika was going to proceed with his devious plan. How could he have forgotten?

“That’s it,” he said, jumping up furiously.

A few faces looked at him, but he was beyond caring now. All he cared about was innocent Elsa walking into the fangs of a dead trap. All he cared about was losing the girl he loved to a bastard who doesn’t even like her.

He ran out, with only one thing in mind, to confess the truth.

***

Tell us: What do you think will happen next?