“Lerato, Lerato! Andile’s here,” called Babalo. “Come inside Andile, I’m sure she’ll be out in a moment.”

Andile stepped into the entrance hall. He looked very trendy in skinny jeans and a denim jacket. He smelled of cologne and hair gel. Babalo ran to the bathroom and hissed at the door, “Lerato, come out – now!”

Lerato creaked open the door, gave her sister a thankful look, and tiptoed into the entrance hall. Suddenly, she appeared before Andile like a shapely goddess . His eyes widened.

“Wow. You look…stunning.”

“Thanks,” said Lerato, and then took a deep breath. “OK, let’s go.”

“Bye Babalo,” said Andile.

They left, and now it was Babalo’s turn to be in the quiet of the house. It didn’t last long, because a few moments later her cell phone buzzed with an SMS:

Hey B, how bout dncin
at da Starlight 2nite?

Yebo!

Babalo pressed send and jumped into the shower.

Lerato and Andile took a slow walk into town to the cinema. Lerato stumbled a few times in her high heels, and she really wished she was wearing her trainers. She was surprised at how easy it was to chat to Andile, and soon her anxiety subsided and she started to enjoy his company. The evening went really well; after the film they got a take-away and then walked home again.

“Hey,” said Andile, “that was fun. Wanna meet for a run sometime tomorrow?”

“OK, what about five o’clock?” said Lerato.

“See you at our usual spot. In running shoes this time!”

“Actually, I think I’d rather wear running shoes all the time. See you tomorrow.”

When she walked into the house, her parents were watching TV. The first thing she did was kick off her shoes.

“Where’s Babs?”

“Out dancing,” said her mom, “but she left you this note.”

Hi Lee, hope it was an awesome night! At the Starlight! See you later.

“It’s nice to see you both getting along so well,” approved her mom.

*****

While Babalo remained without a boyfriend, Andile and Lerato had been seeing each other regularly, meeting to run together, and go out on Saturday nights. One night, they kissed, and so were then officially ‘girlfriend and boyfriend’.

One afternoon, Andile popped in to visit Lerato. The girls were studying for a Maths test for the next day. Under Lerato’s tutorage Babalo finally was getting to understand algebra. While Lerato and Andile were chatting on the couch, Babalo disappeared and then reappeared in a very tight, low-cut dress.

“Going out dancing on a Thursday afternoon, Babs?” teased Lerato.

“No. Just was getting too hot in that scratchy school uniform. Lerato, we’ve got a guest. Have you offered him a drink and a snack?”

“Oops. So Andile, I’ll go get us something to drink.”

As Lerato went into the kitchen, Babalo quickly took Lerato’s place on the couch next to Andile. She edged up closer to him, making sure to show ample cleavage, and then coquettishly turned her head, and said, “So Andile, tell me, how is the running club going?”

Andile was a little surprised but made light conversation. When Lerato appeared in the doorway carrying a tray of juice and biscuits, her eyes widened in horror. Babalo was almost sitting on Andile’s lap! And they were laughing and joking.

“Anyone for juice?” said Lerato in a tight voice, then shot a sharp look at her sister. But Babalo didn’t seem to notice.

Lerato knew her sister too well; Babalo always needed a guy to be admiring her, and now that she was between boyfriends, Andile was obviously willing to give her the male attention she constantly craved. Oblivious to Lerato’s feelings, Babalo continued to giggle then slapped Andile’s knee in a familiar way.

“Want any juice?” said Lerato in a sharp voice.

“Great. Thanks Lerato,” said Andile.

Lerato drank her juice and ate a biscuit in silence as she watched Babalo flirt with her boyfriend. Just as Andile finished his glass, she jumped up and said, “Sorry Andile, it’s getting late. We still haven’t finished preparing for the Maths exam tomorrow. So we’ll have to say good-bye now.”

“I thought we’d finished,” said Babalo, surprised at the sudden end to the tea party.

“No, we need to do some more examples. See you at school tomorrow Andile.” Andile got up and Lerato hurried him to the door. “After the exam, I’ll have more time,” she said, and pecked him on the cheek.

Once she closed the door, she went back into the lounge to confront Babalo. “What were you doing,” she hissed, “flirting with my boyfriend?”

“What are you talking about, Lee?”

“Don’t play dumb Babalo. Coming in here in that red slut dress with your boobs falling into his face! What do you think – that I’m an idiot?”

“Stop over-exaggerating. I was just having some harmless fun.”

“He’s my boyfriend – not yours. Mine! Stay away from him. And don’t expect anymore help from me today with the Maths exam.”

Lerato picked up her books, went into their room and slammed the door.

***

Tell us: What do you think about Babalo and Andile flirting?