Chapter 11 - the intuition
Lerato didn't know what was happening across the school and inside the cafeteria; she was busy sobbing while being held by Zinhle. Equally unaware of the dramatic turn of events, Zinhle held her tightly. At this point, they had no idea that everyone was turning against Thomas.
Since no one at school dared to curse Thomas openly, Lerato couldn't understand the whispers around her. Whenever she looked at the students, they were holding their phones, either typing or reading something intently.
What she was certain about was that her day had gone from bad to worse. The shout about Ella posting something about her broke her last defense. She didn't expect Ella, her rival, to be on her side; she believed Ella was taking the opportunity to crush her completely.
While she sobbed and wallowed in despair, one of the students from the student committee approached her. Even though everyone now knew that Lerato was a victim of Thomas's ploy, none of the students had the courage to support her openly, fearing Thomas's wrath.
"Hello, Lerato. As a representative of the student committee, I'm here to apologize to you and inform you about the meeting scheduled for today after school. We are sorry for what the president has done to you," David said, his tone as emotionless as a lawyer delivering bad news.
Lerato was caught off guard by David's appearance and statement. She couldn't understand what he was talking about. She looked at Zinhle, hoping for some clue, but Zinhle was equally baffled. Their eyes, filled with confusion and anticipation, darted between David and his phone.
"David, what do you mean?" Lerato asked, her voice trembling.
David, cautious of Thomas's potential backlash, decided not to elaborate. Instead, he took his phone and showed Lerato the post.
Lerato took the phone and saw a post made by Ella twenty minutes ago with over 800 comments. Zinhle leaned in to glance at the post and was stunned by what Ella had written. She immediately took out her phone and read the comments.
Lerato was shocked and mostly confused. She couldn't understand why Ella had supported her. Was it because of Tristin? But then she remembered the look Tristin had given her and quickly dismissed the thought.
"I'm not going to participate in the meeting," Lerato said, turning her back to David. She didn't want to be in the same room with Thomas. Her reputation might be intact now, but she wasn't sure if her problems were completely over. Until she was certain, she wouldn't celebrate.
"Lerato, as a class rep, you're part of the committee. We need your vote in this matter. After all, this is all…" David began, but Zinhle interrupted him.
"David, Lerato has been through a tough time. Please don't add more stress to her. There is still time before the meeting. Let her think about it, okay?" Zinhle said firmly, surprising David. He knew Zinhle as a shy girl who didn't talk much, but now she seemed completely different.
"Okay, you have until after school then," David conceded before leaving the table.
"Zinhle, do you think Tristin is the mastermind behind the post?" Lerato asked. She was grateful for what Ella did but wasn't thrilled about owing Ella such a big favor. She liked the rivalry with Ella, but if she owed her this much, how would they compete? It would be better if Tristin was behind Ella's actions; then she would owe Tristin instead.
"My intuition says Tristin is behind everything," Zinhle replied confidently.
Meanwhile, back at the school's sports field grounds, Thomas was having lunch alone. He was still angry about how he had fallen into Lerato's trap. After Lerato's tricky apology, he wanted to be alone, taking the time to come up with another plan to force Lerato to be his woman.
Lost in his strategizing, Thomas barely noticed the students stealing glances his way, their eyes glued to their phones. Before Lerato came to apologize, he had seen the news about his father donating 30 million Rands to assist those who were affected by the storm.
Thinking that the students were admiring him and the Ngobeni Group for helping so many people in the city, he turned a blind eye to his phone. Little did he know that, like his father, he had made front page news at school and his position as the student president might be revoked.