Alle Kapitel von WORLD BETWEEN US: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 7

My name is Keitumetse, but at Carrollton Academy, most people know me as the cleaning lady's daughter.I'm seventeen, in Grade 12, and I live in a small backroom behind the school hall in Malwela. Not many people know that. Most learners assume I take a taxi from Nakazane every morning, just like everyone else. They don't know my bed is barely ten steps away from the Grade 12 classrooms or that my school uniform hangs from a nail beside my mother's mop.My mother, Mmathapelo, has been cleaning Carrollton Academy for eight years. When the school needed someone to stay behind and lock up at night, they offered her the little backroom behind the hall.It's not much. One small window, an old kettle, one mattress for Mma and a thin mattress for me on the floor. We don't have much privacy, but we've learned to make do with what we have.There is only one rule in our little home.Don't embarrass the school.So, over the years, I've learned how to be invisible.Every morning, I wake up at 4:3

"Does your father know you're interested in the cleaner's daughter, Lucas?"Mma's question hung in our little room like smoke.Lucas stood beside the doorway, his hands resting in his pockets. His expensive school blazer looked out of place against our cracked walls, and his polished shoes seemed completely out of place beside Mma's old plastic slippers.For a moment, he said nothing.I wished he would answer quickly. I wished he would say something clever enough to make Mma smile or something sensible enough to convince her that his presence meant nothing.Instead, he looked at me.And somehow, that made everything worse."Mma," I muttered, "he just brought the documents.""I can see that, Keitu."Her eyes remained on Lucas.He cleared his throat."My father knows I came here to deliver the papers.""That wasn't my question."Lucas hesitated."No, Ma'am."Mma nodded slowly, as though she had expected that answer."Then perhaps you should be careful about what you want, young man.""M

By Wednesday, Lucas Franklin had become a problem I couldn't solve.Not because he was cruel or because he made me uncomfortable, but because he was becoming someone I looked forward to seeing.And that was dangerous.He started saving me a seat in the library during free periods. Sometimes he'd bring an extra packet of chips from the tuck shop, claiming he had bought too much. Other times, he'd walk beside me after class, talking about everything from rugby to the ridiculous things Refilwe said when she thought nobody was listening.He actually made me laugh,and that was the worst part.I had spent so much time convincing myself that boys like Lucas didn't notice girls like me that I had forgotten what it felt like to enjoy someone's company without worrying about what they wanted in return."You're smiling again," Olerato observed one afternoon.I immediately straightened my face. "I'm not.""Keitu, your cheeks are practically announcing it."Refilwe burst out laughing."Ha! Our gir

Monday morning arrived with a secret tucked beneath my school uniform. I had barely slept the night before. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered Lucas's smile, the warmth of his hand around mine, and the way he had called me my love as if those two words belonged to me. I was in love. The thought frightened me more than I wanted to admit. At 4:30 a.m., my alarm rang, dragging me out of my thoughts. I folded my mattress, straightened the blankets, and helped Mma prepare for the day. By the time the sky began to lighten, I was dressed and ready to leave our little room behind the school hall. "Keitu," Mma called as I reached for my bag. I turned. "Yes, Mma?" "Have you been sleeping properly?" My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag. "Of course. Why?" "You've been smiling at your phone a lot lately. And last night, you were awake long after I went to bed." My heart nearly stopped. "I was studying." "Studying what?" "English." Mma looked at me for a long moment.