The four of us walked in together, in a single line, arm in arm. And it was as if our arrival had been announced on some PA system that I didn’t even know existed, because as we walked in, everyone’s heads turned and looked at us. Thembi turned to me.

“I’ve always wanted to make an entrance like this,” she said with a massive smile across her face.

“Me too, babe,” Andile said.

“Who hasn’t!” Guy echoed the sentiment.

My eyes swept the room. The hall was completely transformed—it looked nothing like the place where I’d almost been dragged onto the stage just over a month ago. So much had happened since I’d gotten here. And in many ways, I, too, felt transformed. Maybe even more so than the hall. And that was saying a lot.

Purple velvet curtains were draped around the walls. On the stage, two huge thrones were set up against a green screen, presumably for photos. The rest of the hall was dotted with tables covered in gold and purple tablecloths; cutlery and crockery and shiny crystal glasses completed the opulent look. In the middle of all the tables was a dance floor illuminated with purple lights.

I felt an elbow in my ribs. It was Guy. “Where is he?”

“Who?” Thembi asked.

“Jake. The guy who asked her but she totally rejected.”

“What? Jake asked you to the dance but you decided to come with me instead?” She looked at me with wide eyes.

“I don’t know if he asked me exactly,” I insisted.

Andile rolled his eyes. “Poor guy. You kiss him in the sprinklers and then leave him high and dry. Well not dry—wet, actually.”

“You kissed him?” Thembi asked.

“Oh my God,” I moaned. I really didn’t want Thembi knowing all this. And certainly not right now.

“I love it,” Thembi blurted out enthusiastically. “You’re probably the first girl who has ever done that to him, and that makes you my hero. And Amber is going to hate you for it and that makes me love you even more.”

“I thought you were friends with Amber?” I asked.

“Yeah, like a scorpion is friends with a frog.”

We all turned and looked at her blankly.

“You know the story.” She clicked her fingers. “Frog offers to take a scorpion across the river on its back, scorpion promises not to sting it. But does and they both drown, because it’s in his nature.”

We all continued our blank stare and Thembi rolled her eyes. “Point is, Amber is one of those people who, given the opportunity, will sting you. And the sting seldom has anything to do with you, it’s all about her. Putting others down makes her feel better about herself. It’s actually quite sad. She makes people feel bad about themselves so she can feel better about herself. That’s most bullies, though, isn’t it?”