spray-painted over the Malema High sign, the red letters completely obscuring the
breath of fresh air
motto.
Acid Face Pelosi caught sight of me. ‘Don’t dawdle, Leletia. Get inside!’
I secretly gave her the finger as she turned her back on me.
Once inside, I headed towards the sun sculpture. I could make out a thatch of dreadlocks above the heads of the students crowded around it. Thabo would know what was going on. But, as usual, he was surrounded by a bunch of girls, and I couldn’t summon up the nerve to approach him.
I wandered over to Zit Face instead. ‘What’s happening?’ I asked him.
He shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘What do you think? The ANZ are up to their old tricks again.’
I nodded as if I knew what he was talking about, but at that stage I hadn’t even heard of the ANZ, let alone any of the tricks they got up to.
Acid Face Pelosi and Comrade Xhati strode towards us, serious expressions on their faces. ‘School will begin ten minutes later today,’ Acid Face Pelosi said. ‘There will be no morning prayers.’
I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face and Acid Face Pelosi scowled. ‘No need to look so pleased with yourself, Leletia,’ she snapped as the two of them stalked off towards the office.
‘Farm Girl probably did it,’ a familiar voice said behind me.
I whirled around. ‘What was that?’ I asked Zyed. ‘What did you just call me?’
‘Farm Girl,’ Zyed said. ‘Baaaaa.’
But I wasn’t going to let Zyed get away with dissing me again. ‘Get lost, Zyed. Go and pluck some feathers or something.’
Zyed smiled at me. A nasty, cold smile. ‘At least I don’t look as if I just fell off a vegetable wagon.’
‘No. You look like you just lost a fight with a flock of guineafowl.’
Several of the kids around us laughed, and Zyed’s smile slipped from his face. ‘Why don’t you go back to where you came from, Farm Girl?’
‘Farm Girl? Is that the best you can do? That’s really original.’
Zyed whispered something to Nyameka and Summer, who responded with their usual giggling fit.
‘Oh, I see how it is,’ I said, aware that part of me was now actually enjoying this. My heart was thumping in my chest, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. ‘You don’t have the guts to say what you’ve got to say to my face.’
My voice was getting louder and I began to realise that the pack of kids around us had stopped chattering and laughing.
‘Why would I bother wasting my breath on someone like you?’ Zyed said.
‘You tell me, Zyed. You’re the one that seems to have a problem with me. What did I ever do to you?’
He shook his head in disgust. ‘You’re not even a believer,’ he said. ‘You don’t belong here.’
‘I don’t
want
to belong here,’ I said. ‘You call me Farm Girl, but you lot are the sheep.’ I jumped in again before Zyed had a chance to speak. ‘And in this school, I see that even the bitches run in packs. All three of them.’
He flinched. ‘What that supposed to mean?’
‘You know what I mean, Zyed.’
Summer and Nyameka looked slightly confused – my crack had obviously gone right over their heads – but Zyed knew what I meant. The thing was, I’d already sussed him out. It wasn’t the feathers. It wasn’t the hair. It was the way his eyes followed Thabo whenever he was around. That’s the thing about being an outsider: you notice things others don’t see.
It didn’t take him long to regain his composure, though. He flicked his hair and smiled that cruel smile. ‘You really want to know what I was saying about you?’
‘If you’ve got the guts to repeat it.’
‘I was just saying, it must run in the family.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Do I need to spell it out for you, Farm Girl? I heard your brother’s one of those freaky reject kids. Being a retard must be in the genes.’
The bolt of fury that jolted through me almost took my breath away; the mention of Jobe
breath of fresh air
motto.
Acid Face Pelosi caught sight of me. ‘Don’t dawdle, Leletia. Get inside!’
I secretly gave her the finger as she turned her back on me.
Once inside, I headed towards the sun sculpture. I could make out a thatch of dreadlocks above the heads of the students crowded around it. Thabo would know what was going on. But, as usual, he was surrounded by a bunch of girls, and I couldn’t summon up the nerve to approach him.
I wandered over to Zit Face instead. ‘What’s happening?’ I asked him.
He shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘What do you think? The ANZ are up to their old tricks again.’
I nodded as if I knew what he was talking about, but at that stage I hadn’t even heard of the ANZ, let alone any of the tricks they got up to.
Acid Face Pelosi and Comrade Xhati strode towards us, serious expressions on their faces. ‘School will begin ten minutes later today,’ Acid Face Pelosi said. ‘There will be no morning prayers.’
I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face and Acid Face Pelosi scowled. ‘No need to look so pleased with yourself, Leletia,’ she snapped as the two of them stalked off towards the office.
‘Farm Girl probably did it,’ a familiar voice said behind me.
I whirled around. ‘What was that?’ I asked Zyed. ‘What did you just call me?’
‘Farm Girl,’ Zyed said. ‘Baaaaa.’
But I wasn’t going to let Zyed get away with dissing me again. ‘Get lost, Zyed. Go and pluck some feathers or something.’
Zyed smiled at me. A nasty, cold smile. ‘At least I don’t look as if I just fell off a vegetable wagon.’
‘No. You look like you just lost a fight with a flock of guineafowl.’
Several of the kids around us laughed, and Zyed’s smile slipped from his face. ‘Why don’t you go back to where you came from, Farm Girl?’
‘Farm Girl? Is that the best you can do? That’s really original.’
Zyed whispered something to Nyameka and Summer, who responded with their usual giggling fit.
‘Oh, I see how it is,’ I said, aware that part of me was now actually enjoying this. My heart was thumping in my chest, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. ‘You don’t have the guts to say what you’ve got to say to my face.’
My voice was getting louder and I began to realise that the pack of kids around us had stopped chattering and laughing.
‘Why would I bother wasting my breath on someone like you?’ Zyed said.
‘You tell me, Zyed. You’re the one that seems to have a problem with me. What did I ever do to you?’
He shook his head in disgust. ‘You’re not even a believer,’ he said. ‘You don’t belong here.’
‘I don’t
want
to belong here,’ I said. ‘You call me Farm Girl, but you lot are the sheep.’ I jumped in again before Zyed had a chance to speak. ‘And in this school, I see that even the bitches run in packs. All three of them.’
He flinched. ‘What that supposed to mean?’
‘You know what I mean, Zyed.’
Summer and Nyameka looked slightly confused – my crack had obviously gone right over their heads – but Zyed knew what I meant. The thing was, I’d already sussed him out. It wasn’t the feathers. It wasn’t the hair. It was the way his eyes followed Thabo whenever he was around. That’s the thing about being an outsider: you notice things others don’t see.
It didn’t take him long to regain his composure, though. He flicked his hair and smiled that cruel smile. ‘You really want to know what I was saying about you?’
‘If you’ve got the guts to repeat it.’
‘I was just saying, it must run in the family.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Do I need to spell it out for you, Farm Girl? I heard your brother’s one of those freaky reject kids. Being a retard must be in the genes.’
The bolt of fury that jolted through me almost took my breath away; the mention of Jobe
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