I decided that there was no need to stay at school for the rest of the day. I was too upset to learn anything, so I headed for home. The house was empty and Lolo and Mama would not be home for another four hours. I lay on the bed I shared with Lolo, in the bedroom we shared with Mama. I wondered why Malebogo never felt like I did. Her house was much like mine. She lived with her aunt because her mother worked in Mochudi. She was as poor as me, but she never felt ashamed. I felt bad that I did feel ashamed, but I couldn’t stop my feelings.

I lay on the bed and soon drifted off to sleep. In my dream I was at the school dance and I wore a beautiful pink dress, the most beautiful one in the room. And I was dancing with Reginald and I could see he was so proud to be with me. Everyone looked at us, not because I was a scholarship kid, but because I looked beautiful and I was with the most handsome boy in the school.

I suddenly woke up. At first I didn’t know what had woken me. I sat up and then I heard the knock on the door. I opened the door and there were Kabelo, Malebogo and Reginald.

“Malebogo! Why did you bring them here?” I was angry. She knew I never wanted kids from school to know where I lived.

Malebogo ignored me, pushing past into the room. She called to the boys, who had hesitated: “Come in.”

Malebogo sat down on the sagging chair and Kabelo and Reginald sat on the sofa that had a brick where the leg was missing. I sat on the plastic chair and looked at them, unable to talk.

“You have a problem,” Malebogo said.

“Me?” I responded, disbelieving.

“Yes, you. You need to listen for a change.”

I looked at Reginald and Kabelo. I wondered what horrible things they were thinking about my house. They’d likely go back to school and tell all of the other kids about my poor house. I felt sick to my stomach.

“You can think whatever you want about me,” Kabelo started, “but I like Malebogo. She’s so smart and beautiful. I’ve liked her from the first day she came to Eastend. I don’t care if she’s a scholarship student or not. I like her because I like her. And we’re going to the dance because I like her and I’d be very happy if she would agree to be my girlfriend.”

He sat back on the sofa and waited. We all sat in awkward silence. “Don’t you think you should apologise to Kabelo and to me?” Malebogo then said.

I felt ashamed. I could see clearly now that I’d been very wrong about Kabelo, and that I had nearly ruined my friend’s happiness because of my own prejudices. “Yes…I’m sorry. Both of you, I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

Reginald cleared his voice. “I’ll admit I have problems with communication. I guess I’m shy, or socially awkward. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings. I was trying to be your friend. I don’t care about money. I just wanted to be your friend and what you said to me today was not very nice. I’m not playing any game.”

I started to think about what they were saying. Was the problem with me?

Yes. I was beginning to see that it was. “And,” Reginald continued, “I had hoped you would consider going to the school dance with me. I wanted to ask you that today.”

I sat there wondering how I ever had got everything so completely wrong. “Me? I thought you were going with Lorato?”

“Lorato? I can’t stand her!”

We all laughed. We seemed to be in agreement on that one.

* * * * *

Malebogo handed me the dress to put on. It was the beautiful pink dress from my dream. “Oh, it’s lovely!”

“I told you it was perfect. You’re going to be the most beautiful girl at the dance. Reginald is going to be so proud of his date.”

I looked at her and smiled. She’d been right about the dress, it was perfect. She’d been right about a lot of things.

* * *

Tell us what you think: Is the ending of the story realistic? Can rich kids be friends with poor kids?

The End