Sthe sees Thabang walking in through the school gates. He sees the bruises and cut on his friend’s face and how he walks like he is still in pain. He waits for Thabang to see him, to come up to him and let him feel what it felt like, retaliate.

Thabang looks up and stops. The tension between them is palpable even at a distance. A group of boys have stopped chatting and are watching. The girls join them. Word spreads fast. Naledi must have talked because everyone knows by now what went down at the cinema. Everyone is waiting to see what Thabang will do.

Naledi walks towards Thabang. The bell rings and Thabang turns towards Naledi, blocking Sthe, turning away from him. Sthe waits for a second, unsure what to do. He decides to walk away – perhaps another time he might … apologise?

Naledi sees Thabang’s bruised face. She gently touches the places, saying, “Why do this? What has it achieved? Certainly doesn’t make me like him more!”

Thabang doesn’t say anything. Deep down, he understands that it comes from Sthe’s hurt, his humiliation that he, Thabang has won Naledi, the girl Sthe loves.

She touches his face again, he winces and she flashes Sthe a look that is all anger. Thabang walks away from her. She is surprised and hurt, but realises that something big has happened. They cannot be so casual around each other anymore.

“Thabang,” she calls out to him, but he doesn’t respond, only keeps on walking. Sthe sees this and is secretly pleased. He sees the anger in Thabang’s eyes and the hurt in Naledi’s and yet … regret overcomes him once more.

Inside the classroom Thabang eyes Sthe. A thousand thoughts race through his mind. It feels as if time has come to a stop. Thabang is seemingly listening to the teacher, but his thoughts are now one hundred percent on Sthe’s punches, his kicks and looks of anger and deceit. Thabang keeps shooting glances at his former friend.

Sthe feels Thabang’s stares and he is unable to look back at him.

“Thabs,” comes a whisper. Thabang turns around and finds Neil looking over at him. “I heard what that punk, Sthe, did. Dude, you can’t let him get away with it.”

“Leave me alone,” he whispers back.

“Dude, everyone is laughing at you. You gotta give it to him.”

Sthe steals a look and Thabang catches him in the act. “Neil, leave me alone.”

Neil smiles and laughs at him. “Everyone is laughing at you,” he whispers again in his ear.

The bell rings for break time and they spill outside. There is Sthe, looking at him. Neil and a few boys stand behind and start a chant.

“Hit him, kasie boy. His father wants to fire your father at the mines.”

“Fight, fight, fight!” the chant begins. It rings in Thabang’s ear. He sees Sthe looking at him and walks up to him.

“Fight, fight, fight!” The chant gets louder and louder.

Naledi runs up to Thabang and stands between him and Sthe. “Don’t do this. Don’t fight over me. Stop it, just stop it now. I can’t take it anymore.” She bursts into tears. “I can’t do this.”

“Do you see what you have done?” Thabang yells at Sthe. And then he lunges towards him.

They fall to the ground and the crowd goes crazy as they hit the dirt, rolling around and pummelling each other. Someone must have called the Principal because suddenly he appears and shouts at them to stop.

They stand up, shaken.

“Who started this?” the Principal yells.

“It was both Sthe and Thabang,” says Neil. “They are fighting over Naledi, everyone knows that.”

*****

The Principal hauls Thabang and Sthe down the corridor and shoves them into two chairs outside his office. “Sit down!” he yells at them. “I’m calling your parents.”

Sthe and Thabang are covered with dust and grass and have grazes and bruises.

After what seems like an eternity Sthe speaks.

“You’re right,” he says quietly.

“What?”

“I said, you’re right. She chose you.” Sthe looks at Thabang. “Sorry,” he says.

Thabang nods.

“You’re the one she wants. Don’t lose her because of me.”

“Really?”

“Really. And Thabang, I’m genuinely sorry – for what I did to you.”

“I’ve missed our friendship,” says Thabang. “It felt wrong that we weren’t talking, that we were fighting.”

“I–”

But Sthe’s voice is drowned out by the sound of a police siren and an ambulance passing the school. The sirens become fainter until they are lost in the distance. They can hear the Principal talking on the phone. He calls the secretary in. She shuts the door behind her.

It seems like an eternity before they both come out. The Principal looks grave as he clears his throat. He looks at Thabang, not with the anger that Thabang expects, but with something else: regret, sympathy.

“Thabang, something terrible has happened at the mine where your father works.”

“There’s been a strike for days,” says Thabang quickly.

“Something has happened this morning on the land surrounding the mine.”

A lump forms in Thabang’s throat. “My father is there.”

“The police…” The Principal hesitates, not knowing what words to use. “There were shots … the riot police shot…”

Sthe gets up.

“Where is my father?” says Thabang.

“I don’t know,” the Principal says softly. “They are taking injured miners to Baragwanath. I have arranged for you to meet your mother there. I’ll take you there myself.”

“I’ll come too,” Sthe says. He feels sick as he remembers his father shouting down the phone: ‘They are animals. Call the riot police…’

At the hospital it is chaos. They struggle to find Thabang’s mother in the mass of people, some with gunshots and some with stab wounds. There is blood smeared and running everywhere. A woman is wailing. They find his mother at last, in a queue waiting to speak to one of the admin staff. Eventually she is told that he has been admitted and what ward he is in.

So he is alive. Thabang starts to cry.

Sthe holds back and watches as Thabang and his mother approach the bed where his father lies hooked up to some machine. He looks pretty bad, like he has been involved in a car wreck.

Sthe watches as he sees Thabang and his mother stand by the motionless man. He is riddled with guilt. He decides to walk home, filled with guilt and anger at what his father has done.

*****

It is the school holidays and Thabang walks into the bedroom and finds his father sitting in a chair, sipping tea. He sees Thabang and smiles. He extends his hand, and Thabang and his mother rush to him to help him get on his feet.

“Thank you.”

He notices Thabang’s cricket outfit. “Got a game?” he asks.

“Yes, Papa,” he says. “Part of the holiday coaching clinic. Sthe’s father is coming to pick me up today.”

Thabang’s father and mother look at each other. They hear the car in the background and hooter following its arrival.

“That’s him.”

Sthe enters, tossing a cricket ball in his hand.

“Morning,” he cheerfully says.

“Morning, Sthe,” Thabang’s mother replies sweetly.

They wait for Sthe’s father but he has sent the driver. He hasn’t come himself.

“I hope you win today,” says Thabang’s father as the boys leave. “Remember to play fair. That’s the most important thing.”

*****

The boys are at a cricket match and Thabang and Sthe are getting ready to defend their lead. Naledi arrives with a group of girls.

“Good luck, guys,” she says.

“We don’t need luck.” Sthe pats Thabang on the shoulder. “We have the fastest bowler in the region.”

“Let’s get them, buddy,” Thabang says.

Sthe and Thabang hi-five each other as Naledi goes to watch with her friends.

***

Tell us what you think: Can teenagers from such different social classes really be true friends, working through differences, as in this story? Are the parents happy they are friends?