Penelope. A name I got, always being told there is a deeper meaning to it. I was told that my destiny was clear in my small eyes the day I was born, but right now… you would swear that God just thought of letting me lead my damn life without guidance.

” Penelope Peterson”. Arghh there goes my Swati Math teacher calling me by my number plate. ” Young lady where is your attention today, huh?” “Well…uh.. mam, I am just trying to link what you are teaching to what I learnt on the app.” Not the WhatsApp or Facebook app, its the Siyavula app, a platform where we practice math and science. And if you did not practice for the last seven days, just know your pen and Mrs Mazibuko’s long polished nail will be pressing your small ear. ” So now you understand?” she askes me with a huge smile.

“Obviously she understands. Infact she understood this way before. After all, she’s the intelligent one here.” The class laughed at this sarcastic AND pathetic joke of this annoying lesbian. Lazola.

Term two has not even ended, yet she is still a nuisance. Yes I know that I’m naturally, mathematically gifted but I don’t take it as intelligence and being smart but as me being a hardworker. “Shut up Lazola cause you are wasting mam’s time. Leave Penny alone.” speaks the person I used to call Da Vinci instead of her name Matilda. We always fight and get crazy when it comes to mathematics. And our teacher will always laugh at how silly we were including Zama, the bully.

The bell rang before Mrs Mazibuko could carry on teaching the Exponential Fun… blah blah blah. “What period is it now ?”, I asked turning back to Bianca, our class rep. “The english period AND the teacher, our deputy principal, Ms Mokwebo is not in school. She left early in the morning to a meeting at the district, so we’re so ffrrreee!” “No man! You are damaging our eardrums” Zama says while closing one of her ears and pushing the short Bianca.

Just for you to know, this is a girls’ only school. And I was already developing feelings for the grade 12s of my school.

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