Fifty Five

Four: Keep

Xolo sat down in class. He was still thinking about this morning. What Lindani told him. That he couldn't stay away from him. That he wouldn't. What did that mean? Xolo always saw Lindani as this very calm and collected person at all situations. It was surprising and mostly shocking to see him like that. He was both angry and possessive. Of who? Me? But how?

Things were so complicated. They all threatened to throw Xolo to the highest point of stress. He scratched at his chin. A habit he had taken from his father. He only did it when he was either nervous or thinking. And right now he was doing both those things.

"Mr Jacobs don't you need to leave class now?" Mr Williams chested. It was normal for Xolo not to even attend the first period. He was always going to Lindani's. At first it drove the teachers crazy. But then they started to accept the reality of it. There was no changing Xolo. No amount of shouting or punishments from his teachers or his parents were effective. So they let it be. Xolo wasn't failing any of his classes because of his tendency so it was left alone.

Xolo's classmates seemed to be only realizing he was amongst them. Some were confused by the new hairstyle. They knew Xolo with his wild dreadlocks that were always moving like the wind everywhere he went. They also were just as surprised to see him.

Mr Williams started to write on the board. Xolo was about to write down the notes on his notebook just like the other students but he suddenly remembered that he didn't have a notebook because his books were still at his house. He hit his forehead. It was useless to come to school if you forgot the same tools you were supposed to learn with.

He got up from his desk. Walked to the teacher. "Ah,sir can I-" he wasn't given the chance to finish his sentence. Mr Williams already waved him off.

"Yes-yes you can go. It's about time."

Xolo looked at his classmates. Everyone was concentrated on the board. No one even looked his way. So Lindani was right. No one cared about them. It was all normal to them.

He left the class to the one that everyone including himself seemed to want him to be now.

***

Lindani wasn't paying attention to the lesson just like yesterday. He was too busy trying to understand why Xolo had decided not to come.

"Lindani are you listening to the teacher?" Ruby asked sitting next to him. She didn't understand why he kept on looking at the door. This was history. Lindani's favourite subject. So why wasn't he listening to it? It was as if he wasn't pleased with the break God had given them. The break of freedom from the annoying Xolo.

CLICK

That was the sound of the door opening. Even miss Sharlot turned to look at the door. In came the one everyone but Ruby seemed to waiting for. Xolo Jacobs.

"Finally" Sharlot said returning her attention back to the board.

"It's about time you decided to show up Jacobs." Nathan said out of the blew. No one could have said it better. They were all feeling the same way.

Lindani and Xolo's eyes met. Xolo went to sit on the vacant desk in front of Lindani's. "I forgot my backpack" he whispered.

Lindani pulled out a notebook from his book bag. "Here write in this" he gave him a pen too. It wasn't rare for Xolo to forget his books. Lindani always had to have extra of everything to ensure that Xolo would be able to write on something.

Xolo paged the notebook Lindani gave him. It wasn't empty. It had his writing. It was even reaching its end meaning he had been writing in it more than often.

Lunch time came soon after the second period. It was a half day today at school so everyone would be going out of school very early. This used to make Xolo excited. But today it just made him feel even more down. It just meant another day not being in his home. Not being with his parents. Just because of one mistake. One mistake that was beginning to ruin him now. He couldn't fix it. His own mother disowned him. The mother who loved him more than anything. Anything in this world. She had disowned him. As if that was not enough now he had to face the truths that he had to be either blind or too ignorant to notice.

Lindani's eyes never left Xolo. Even though Xolo had decided to sit way out of reach to him in the cafeteria. "What is wrong with him? He looks so depressed." Ruby said acknowledging what everyone else had seen before her.

Nathan also agreed with his sister with a nod. He nudged Lindani with his elbow. "Dude are you and him fighting or what? Why is he distancing himself from you?"

Lindani wished he had the answer. God knew that he too wanted to know what had suddenly happened to Xolo. It was excruciatingly painful to Lindani. To see Xolo so close yet so far. He wanted to know what he was doing wrong. He needed to fix this. Anyhow possible.

DASH!

He hit his hand to the table making the food on it vibrate. "XOLO! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

The whole room was frozen at that moment. This was not normal. Only Xolo shouted and yelled while Lindani listened. Now it looked like the roles were reversed.

Lindani jumped up from where he was sitting. Walking the distance between him and Xolo's table. Xolo got up before Lindani could reach the table but before he could even think about escaping Lindani had his wrist. "Let me go" he said in a whisper.

"No."