Chapter 9 - don't embarrass her

Lerato entered the bustling cafeteria, her heart heavy with anxiety. Thankfully, Zinhle had been considerate enough to order something for her. As she walked to Zinhle's table, whispers about her apologizing to Thomas echoed around the room. The cafeteria was filled with chatter and clinking cutlery, with students gathered in clusters at various tables, the aroma of fried food and pizza filling the air.

Some students looked at Lerato with disgust; those who had a good impression of her now saw her differently, while those who disliked her were rejoicing. The rumor was that after finding out Tristin was from a poor family and now an orphan, Lerato had thrown herself at Thomas and apologized to him for having lunch with Tristin.

Unlike Tristin, Lerato was just a girl, and girls were often seen as too emotional. Every whispered word about her hit hard, and she was on the verge of breaking. She knew from the moment she saw the post about Tristin's background that apologizing to Thomas would lead to this, but she hadn't accounted for the emotional toll it would take.

She pressed on and took a seat next to Zinhle, opening the meal box Zinhle had bought. There was a burger, some fries, and a soda to wash it down. She picked up a fry, the sweet chili aroma reaching her nose, but she couldn't muster the strength to eat it.

She looked at Zinhle with eyes full of sadness. "Zinhle, do you think I'm a bad person?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Zinhle looked at her friend's sad face, feeling truly sorry for her. She knew Lerato wasn't the type of girl the rumors painted her to be. "No one knows you better than I do. You were forced into this situation. You are kind and full of love."

Lerato looked at Zinhle with gratitude, but her eyes were still full of sadness. "Thank you, Zinhle, for believing in me. I just hope Tristin will forgive me."

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you. He must have figured out you were forced into this difficult situation," Zinhle assured her.

After hearing Zinhle's words, Lerato subconsciously looked at Tristin, who was sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, leaning against the window with sunrays lighting his face. Tristin's face was dark with anger. He had been watching Lerato since she entered the cafeteria. The more he saw Lerato's delicate face full of sadness and worry, the more his anger rose to a boiling point.

He knew it was all because of Thomas's ploy. He had concluded that if Thomas could make Lerato apologize, it meant both families were involved. He also didn't know about Lerato's family situation, so he couldn't act rashly. It might put Lerato in more trouble.

As Tristin was formulating a plan to deal with Thomas without implicating Lerato, their eyes met. Seeing Tristin looking at her with so much anger, tears flowed down her delicate face uncontrollably. She misunderstood Tristin's anger for Thomas as anger towards herself. All she thought was, Tristin hates me; he hates me.

Seeing her crying so hard, Zinhle stood up to support her, hugging her gently. "It's alright. Don't cry," she said softly. Lerato kept murmuring, "He hates me."

Zinhle couldn't understand why Lerato kept saying Tristin hated her. She looked at Tristin and was taken aback by his angry face. At this point, Tristin couldn't take it anymore.

As Tristin stood up to find Thomas, his hand was grabbed by Max. "Wait, Tristin, Lerato is really not that type of girl. There must be a misunderstanding. Please don't embarrass her," Max pleaded.

Since Lerato came in, their table had become quiet. Tristin also stopped eating and kept looking at Lerato with such intensity and anger. The guys concluded that Tristin believed the rumors about Lerato, but they also couldn't blame him because Tristin didn't know Lerato like they did.

Tristin was taken aback by Max's words. He asked, a bit confused, "Embarrass her? What are you talking about?"

Before Max could explain, Mdu jumped in. "Tristin, please believe us. We've known Lerato for some time now, so this must be a misunderstanding."

Tristin eased a bit and smiled with a little amusement. The guys also eased a bit, thinking they had reached Tristin's emotions.

"Guys, give me some credit," he said with a smile as he sat down and then gave them a lowdown of the situation. From the encounter with Thomas yesterday, his information being posted, and his speculation that Thomas had driven Lerato's family into a corner, it is all connected.

The guys were amazed by how Tristin had connected all the dots and made sense of a situation that had puzzled many students, including them.

Seeing Tristin's ability to analyze the situation so perfectly, Max believed that Tristin had already formulated a plan in his mind, so he asked with a bit of enthusiasm, "Do you have a plan to help Lerato?"

"For now, the plan that can help Lerato faster and without putting her in a difficult position lies with Ella," Tristin said, then explained, "The reason why Thomas can't fight me directly is because of Ella. He is blocking all roads for Lerato that lead to any kind of friendship with me and also opening a road that leads to him."

"We understand what you are saying, but will Ella help?" Mdu asked with some concern.

Tristin ignored Mdu and looked at Kenny. "Kenny, yesterday you said Lerato and Ella are rivals and they can't stand each other, right?"

"Yeah, their rivalry is known by everyone and the fact that they can't stand each other," Kenny said with a confused face, wondering how Ella could help if she couldn't stand Lerato.

"What if I said that's not the case at all? In fact, Lerato and Ella like each other a lot. Would you believe me?" Tristin asked with a smile that resonated like the sun coming through the window.

The guys looked at Tristin, baffled by what he just said. Tristin ignored them and explained, "They are in a rivalry because they both respect and admire each other's ability and character. They compete and make each other better."

Tristin didn't say more but took his phone and called Ella, ignoring their stunned looks.

Meanwhile, Ella was eating her lunch under a tree in the courtyard, enjoying the solitude and the food she had prepared herself. She always preferred her cooking over the cafeteria's. The courtyard was peaceful, with a gentle breeze rustling the leaves and students scattered around in small groups. Suddenly, Mbali came running towards her.

"Big news, big news!" Mbali shouted excitedly.

"What big news?" Ella asked nonchalantly, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"It's Lerato! After she found out that Tristin is a poor orphan, she ran to Thomas and begged him to take her in," Mbali said breathlessly.

By now, Lerato's story had derailed way off course.

Ella looked at Mbali with a straight face. "Now that's nonsense."

Mbali was baffled. To her, Lerato's story was as big as the revelation of Tristin's poverty, but Ella dismissed it like it was nothing.

Seeing Mbali's confusion, Ella explained, "Based on what I know about Lerato, she isn't that type of girl. In the entire school, she's the only one I can say is my rival. Not just because of her abilities, but also her character. From the post about Tristin to Lerato's story, anyone with a bit of brain power can tell this is a plot by Thomas."

Ella was slightly annoyed at Mbali's lack of insight.

Mbali understood the meaning behind Ella's words but couldn't refute them. "Well, it's still big news no matter what the truth is," she said, trying to justify her excitement.

Ella thought for a moment and then asked, "Where is Lerato now?"

"In the cafeteria," Mbali replied, still a bit annoyed by Ella's earlier remark.

Ella asked again, "What about Tristin?" Her face reddened slightly.

"He's also in the cafeteria, but today he's only having lunch with Max, Mdu, and Kenny," Mbali said, her expression glowing with interest.

Ella pondered for a moment. She genuinely wanted to help Lerato, partly because she liked her and partly because this matter was related to Tristin, her future husband in her eyes. However, she hadn't planned to talk to Tristin at school today. She was still unsure how she would react when she saw him, especially with the light kiss she had given him still fresh in her mind.

While she was pondering, suddenly her phone rang, disturbing her thoughts. It was Tristin calling. She picked up, her heart racing.

"Hey, Tristin, why are you calling me all of a sudden?" she asked as her face reddened.

Tristin didn't want to beat around the bush. Ella's perfume, her soft body he had hugged, and the kiss on the cheek still lingered in his mind, so he went straight to the point. "Ella, I've come up with a plan to deal with Thomas and also help Lerato without implicating her. But I need your help. Can you do it?"

Ella's heart eased a bit. "Yes, sure. In fact, I also wanted to help, but I didn't want to act without consulting you. So, tell me your plan."

Tristin didn't waste any time. He laid the plan out to Ella in detail.

 Ella was blown away by Tristin's plan, thinking this was why she loved him so much. "Sounds like you've thought of everything. Alright, let's do it," she said. They both said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.