Karabo looked back at the house which was lit up against the dark sky, all three floors bright, with possibly all the lights in the house on. There were two floors above them, each with their own balconies that looked over the patio and the sea. Large glass windows made bright eyes that looked down at them. It was an exquisite house that Karabo couldn’t help feeling sorry for. Tomorrow it would be a little bit sad and beaten after this party was over.

A figure stepped out onto the very top balcony. He was in a towel. He lit a cigarette and sucked deeply on it so that it burned bright red. It was William. Karabo took a gulp of her champagne pretending she hadn’t seen him. Isla spotted him too.

‘Is that our host?’ Isla asked, using her hoity-toity voice.

‘Yup, looks like it,’ Karabo responded, as casually as she possibly could. They watched him stare across the water, his lean, bare chest hard to miss. A girl came up behind him and put her arms around him. She was wearing a long t-shirt – probably his – and nuzzled her face into his neck.

‘Oh wow’ said Karabo before she could stop herself. She turned away. She didn’t want to see any more. She focused on the ocean, trying to blink away the image of that girl drawing herself into William – her emotions a complicated mix that she couldn’t understand. Isla turned to face Karabo,

‘Karabz, are you OK? Please don’t tell me you think that twit is still hot? I thought you were totes over him?’ she said, her voice accusing.

‘I am Isla, totally, definitely. But I don’t know. It’s just weird when you see it, so blatantly, you know?’ said Karabo, still trying to make sense of how she was feeling.

Isla gently held Karabo’s face in her hands, squinting her eyes, as she brought her face so close to Karabo’s that their noses touched.

‘You are smart, talented, gorgeous, a sangoma-in-training and my best friend, which of course is the most important,’ said Isla quietly. ‘You are way too good for his kind of scum. Promise me, he won’t have another ounce of your thoughts?’ demanded Isla.

Karabo blinked slowly, the champagne was taking effect. ‘I promise,’ she said, and she meant it. She wouldn’t give William another thought. It would destroy her; besides it wasn’t as if he ever paid her any attention anyway, and he clearly had other pursuits. There was no chance of his affection coming her way, ever.

Isla drew her face back, still holding Karabo’s. ‘Right. Now that we have cleared that up, let’s get some more bubbles and hit the dance floor!’ Isla’s naughty eyes lit up again and Karabo laughed and followed her inside.

The desire to forget herself and William, combined with the champagne dissolving her inhibitions, meant that Karabo began to thoroughly enjoy herself on the dance floor. Isla danced like a minx and in no time, there were many boys bumping and rubbing up against her. One or two came and danced next to Karabo too. She smiled shyly at them, but had no idea what to do with them. A few asked her name and they tried to tell her their names over the beat of the music. Karabo just nodded back enthusiastically, before turning to Isla and rolling her eyes.

She could have probably danced the whole night long, had it not been for Isla looking at her tapping her watch, and mouthing the words ‘time to go’. Karabo made a sulky face and walked closer to Isla. ‘Really?’ she shouted into her ear. Isla nodded. They picked up their jackets and started to make their way to the front door.

The party seemed to have really taken off and wherever they looked there were people. There were many who were completely drunk, holding themselves up against the walls, or passed out on the floor already, while some seemed to be just getting going. Isla and Karabo made big eyes at each other as they walked passed a group of teens who were passing around a bottle of vodka, throwing their heads back and gulping the burning liquor straight from the bottle, while singing some kind of war cry. Isla and Karabo scurried past the group quickly.