She felt totally and utterly alone. Where could she go now?

For a moment she wanted to kill herself. Everything in her life felt ruined. She would never be able to go back to Harmony High again – even students like Bontle had seen the photo. She had lost her only friend.

It was all Princess’s fault, she thought. Everything bad that had happened had been caused by Princess. Somehow she would have to get her revenge. Would Princess feel bad to hear about her suicide? Would she feel guilty?

Maybe she should throw herself in front of a taxi, like the one screeching past now, music blaring. But her father’s brother had been a taxi driver and once he had run over a little girl. He had never got over it, and he had stopped working forever, drinking himself to death. No, she wouldn’t do it like that.

She wouldn’t do it at all. She knew that, really. She couldn’t do it to her mother, who had already lost two tiny babies before they were a day old. It would be too cruel. And Princess probably wouldn’t care any-way.

She needed to escape, to get away from here. She would go to a place where no one knew about the photo, where she felt comfortable. The only place she could think of was home. Yes, her mother would be furious, but she would not turn her away. And once she was home she would have to work out what to do next.

The taxi rank was some way away. She thought she could remember how to get there.

As she walked she couldn’t help but be reminded of her arrival, when she was walking through the streets with Bontle, looking around at this new, exciting world. Now it looked unfriendly, hostile even. Men leered at her and girls seemed to laugh at her. She knew it was in her imagination, but it felt like everyone in the world had seen the photo.

The sky was darkening. It looked like it might rain. All Lelethu was wearing was a thin T-shirt, and her pretty pumps were getting tattered and dusty. She felt like a tortoise without its shell.

Eventually she found the taxi rank. She would have to take a taxi to town, and then look for a taxi that would take her home to the Eastern Cape. Would she manage to find one without booking? At home her mother had organised it. She did not know how it worked here in the big city. And did she even have enough money? The doubts and fears started flooding her body as she found a taxi that was going to town. But just before she paid her money she heard a shout.

“Hey, that’s the village girl who likes to take her shirt off!”

She looked around and her heart sank. There, standing next to her, was Dumile. Next to him was another boy she knew from sight, also a bully, mean to girls and often in fights with boys. They were smiling, but in a nasty, cruel way, as if they wanted to hurt her.

“Need some protection on the taxi? I think we need to escort her. Pay for us too,” one said, trying to grab her purse.

“I’ve changed my mind,” she said, and started walking away, the taxi driver shouting insults at her.

But the two boys followed her. “Who would have thought that such a stinking village girl would look so good without her clothes?” said one.

“Mmm, I want some of that,” said the other. “And I can see she wants to give it to me too.”

“Please leave me alone,” said Lelethu. These disgusting boys were talking like she was an object, a chocolate bar for them to eat. She was terrified – she knew these kinds of boys – but she was also angry. She wished she could hurt them both so badly that they never treated girls like this again. But she was alone, and powerless.

“When a girl says no she means yes,” said one of the boys.

“When a girl says no she means no,” said Lelethu. She knew she shouldn’t make them angry, but she couldn’t help it. “You are such sad losers you just don’t know what it feels like when a girl says yes.”

“What did you say?” The boy’s voice was angry now.

“I think this girl needs to learn a lesson,” the other boy said. “A lesson she’ll never forget.”

Lelethu started running. She didn’t even know where she was running to and she could hear the boys coming after her. Why did no one stop them? Why were these mamas selling bananas on the side of the road just sitting there? And that man smoking in his doorway – why was he smiling as if this was some sort of game?

She turned back to see how close they were and tripped over some stones in the road. Now Dumile was on top of her, pulling her up towards him.

“Hello, darling,” he said, putting his arm around her waist. She pushed him hard, but he just pulled her closer and tried to kiss her.

“Ugh,” she said, spitting, and pushed her knee up between his legs so that he stumbled backwards. Now his friend had caught up and he grabbed her before she could get away.

“Help!” she screamed. “Help!” Who would help her?

The boy smacked her across the face. “Shut up, bitch,” he said.

“Hey,” a voice said. “What’s going on?” She turned around, and couldn’t believe what she was seeing – a familiar face. Siyabonga, Princess’s boyfriend, with four of his friends. And they were big, strong friends.

“Help, please,” she said. “These boys are hurting me.”

The boy holding her looked at the group of boys surrounding him and Dumile. “She’s my girlfriend,” he said. “It’s nothing to do with you guys.” And he started pulling her away.

But then Siyabonga came up to him and grabbed his chest.

“Leave this girl alone,” he shouted.
The boy dropped Lelethu’s arm to shove Siyabonga away. “Don’t touch me,” he said. But now that Lelethu was free Siyabonga had turned away from him.

“Are you OK, Lelethu?” he said. All Lelethu could do in reply was to burst into tears.

Dumile and his friend slouched off slowly, showing they were not afraid. “This girl just needs a sense of humour,” Dumile shouted. “We weren’t doing anything.”

Siybaonga drew himself up. “You need to learn some respect for the sisters, you little worm.”

Now the danger was over Lelethu could not stop crying.

“Hey,” said Siyabonga, embarrassed. “Chill.”

“Who’s this?” asked one of his friends.
“Friend of Princess’s,” replied Siyabonga. “New girl at Harmony High.”

As Lelethu managed to stop her sobs, she remembered the photograph. Surely Siyabonga had seen it? But from the way he was talking now, telling her to stop crying in such a kind, friendly voice, it seemed he hadn’t.

“You are far from home,” he said, “and it’s getting dark. Shall I walk with you?”

Lelethu remembered the last time. “At least I won’t be sick this time,” she said. Then she thought about her aunt, and the photo. “I can’t go back, I just can’t,” she said.

Siyabonga’s friends had retreated when they saw her tears. When it started to rain they called to Siyabonga. “We’re going in,” they said, shaking his hand and then rushing into the nearby block of flats.

Siyabonga pulled Lelethu under the little overhang of a spaza shop. The rain dripped in front of them, and people rushed for shelter. “Did you get drunk again?” he asked. “You are a silly girl, you know.”

She shook her head. “It’s much, much worse than that,” she said.

“So you must have killed someone,” he joked. Then he saw her face. “Oh no, please don’t tell me –”

“No, no.” She couldn’t help smiling. “No, I didn’t kill anyone – no it’s not quite that bad.”

“Wait here,” he ordered. Then he popped around to the front of the spaza shop. He came back a minute later, soaked, with two packets of chips. He handed her one. “It’s time for you to tell me the story,” he said.

Lelethu looked at his kind face. Could she really trust him? Would he believe her story about his girl-friend? “It’s about Princess,” she said. “Is she still your girlfriend?”

Siyabonga made a funny face. “I know she wants to be,” he said. “But mainly to go to the dance, I think. Once I saw her flirting with another guy at the tavern, where she couldn’t see me. So I stopped believing a word she said after that.”

“I’ll tell you everything if you don’t say anything horrible,” said Lelethu.

He laughed. “You’re as silly as my little sister. I will have to say anything I need to. But come on, tell me what happened. It can’t be as bad as you think.”