The window exploded inwards, showering glass everywhere. Sbu felt the sting as a shard cut his cheek.

Something clattered onto the floor – a brick.

Sbu looked at the others. Mandla and Song both looked shocked but were unhurt. He ran to the window. A boy in a black T-shirt stood on the other side of the street, staring back at him with a look of hatred.

“Hayi!” said Sbu. “Wenza ntoni sbanxha!”

The boy turned and ran.

Sbu raced down the corridor, past a barking Ithuba, and outside. He caught a glimpse of the boy just as he ran out of sight behind a wall.

Sbu had years of training on the pitch. He was a fast sprinter, and he went on instinct. Before he could even think, he was chasing after the boy. At the corner he slid on gravel and almost fell, but he caught sight of the boy ahead, still running. He caught his balance and chased after him.

The boy looked back and saw that Sbu was catching up to him. He took a left into a smaller street, and Sbu followed.

As Sbu rounded the corner, he found himself surrounded. A gang was waiting for him, all about Sbu’s age. One of them grabbed Sbu’s shirt. Sbu tried to shake him off, but another two of them grabbed his arms.

“Who is this?” asked a guy in a 2Pac shirt, who looked like he was the leader.

The kid who had run turned around. “He’s one of them!” he said.

The leader spat on the ground. “Well, let’s teach him what we think of him.”

Image: Hayley Bouchard, CC-BY-NC-ND

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Sbu’s in trouble! Was it right to chase the kid who threw the brick? What would you have done if someone had thrown a brick through your window?