After the matric dance, the Grade 12s became scarce. It was as if they hadn’t really been there at all. They studied or were in their rooms, and when the exams started, they studied and then wrote exams. When they finished their papers, they clustered in groups outside the hall and then dispersed to their study havens of choice once again. They seemed only to speak amongst themselves – except for Isla and Mzi. There was no way that Isla was staying out of Mzi’s life. She did her own school work and would then seek him out, keeping him company while he buried his head in his books.

Karabo didn’t have the same dedication towards her ‘relationship’ with Buzz. She wasn’t quite sure if he was a boyfriend, so she left it open in case he changed his mind. Buzz would find her on the weekends in the gymnasium and they would play basketball, laugh and maybe go for a walk afterwards. Buzz would hold her hand, and sometimes touch her face gently. Karabo knew she wanted him to kiss her but it felt strange, being at school and feeling all fluffy about someone. She always liked the school rules. There were class rules, sport rules, dress rules; it was organised and she knew what to expect. But now with Buzz, everything felt squishy and undefined. It made her uncomfortable, and she missed feeling confident and sure of everything.

On Saturday, before a week of many big exams, Buzz asked Karabo to meet him in the gymnasium straight after breakfast. The school was going to take the boarders into town for the day to ensure the matrics could study in peace. Karabo and Buzz would have only an hour together before she would have to catch the bus.

The ball echoed loudly in the hall as Karabo bounced it. ‘I’m so going to kick your butt again, Buzz,’ she said to him out the corner of her mouth. Swiftly, she took the shot, and the ball flew through the hoop. Buzz whistled and walked to fetch the ball.

‘That’s what you think, lady,’ he retorted. His ball also went clear through the hoop.

They took turns, until on the last shot Buzz missed. He cursed loudly, his voice echoing across the hall. Luckily, they were the only ones there. Instead of fetching the ball, Buzz walked purposefully to Karabo, placing his hands on either side of her face and drawing her up to him to kiss her.

At first Karabo couldn’t believe what was happening, and then she felt her arms wrap around Buzz and draw him closer. Her body once again felt as if it was on fire. Her mouth opened. The world seemed to rotate slowly around them, as if they were the centre of the universe. Slowly Buzz pulled away and Karabo opened her eyes to see him looking at her. Had she stopped breathing?

‘You’re so awesome,’ he said, looking at her as though she were made of gold. The shrill school bell broke the spell between them and they stepped back from one another, smiling shyly at each other.

‘I should go and get my stuff for the trip to town,’ said Karabo looking down and pulling at her shorts.

‘Ya, I guess so,’ said Buzz, his voice low, disappointed,‘And I should hit the books.’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘See you later?’ he asked, eyes wide with hope.

‘Cool’ said Karabo as she walked away from him, leaving him in the hall, ‘see you later.’ The light from outside burst through the door as Karabo’s silhouette walked out. The door swung behind her, the light gone. Buzz found himself alone, staring at the door where Karabo had been.

‘Back to the books,’ he mumbled to himself as he put the basketballs back into the buckets, and shuffled out of the gymnasium to head back to his dorm.

Karabo grabbed her backpack with her purse, shoved a jumper and some lip gloss into her bag. Then she pulled off her shorts and pulled on her jeans which had been lying on the floor next to her bed. They seemed clean enough, and she rubbed at a dusty smudge that came away as she patted it. Pulling on her sneakers, she grabbed her backpack and skipped out of her room to get downstairs in time to catch the bus.

Isla had gone home for the weekend, and Karabo was looking forward to doing something that would keep her busy. She enjoyed walking through the local town and visiting her favourite bakery. They made the most delicious custard tarts, warm and squishy on the inside, with crisp buttery pastry on the outside. Karabo was certain there was nowhere else in the world to get custard tarts just like this. Her mouth watered as she thought about the tart she was going to eat shortly.