Monday 25 April
Donnel woke up early and spent his entire day in bed. He was now plagued by anxiety, clearly still puzzled by the mystery behind Jaylene, Abby and Colette's alcohol poisoning incident. The more he bacame immersed in thought the more time floated away. Surely someone had to be blamed, and why were 4 of Colette's friends amongst the victims? Had the whole thing been planned by someone they all knew? Had they drank too much after he'd passed out or had something sinister took place.
Plus the girl with the red and white mask kept running into his mind. She had a familiar walk but that's the only clue he had, and after calling some of the people who were had attended that after party it seemed like no one else had seen the her. If it had all been an illusion then why had it seemed so real, unless he was just too drunk to differentiate his imagination from his reality.
Plus now Colette was gone for a while, leaving him in despair, especially now that her parents kept trying to get ahold of him. His day clearly wasn't going well. Amenably, he was supposed to look out for her and protect her from any form of harm, unfortunately it was a bit too late for that now, but early enough to make up his mind and head over to the twins' birthday gathering.
Sluggishly, he went to take a bath, where he almost fell asleep in the bed of warm warm water. Bubbles popping and spreading all over the surface until his lower body was left hidden beneath them. Enough to make him relax and just peacefully reminisce about Colette. The same Colette whose personality flaws, voice and feisty demeanor could be compared to Catherine's. All he had to do now was to decide whether to compromise his friendship with the twins as well as his hideously halted relationship with Colette due to the fact that she was in a coma.
By the time six o'clock struck the clock Donnel had already left his little apartment and met up with some friends before making their way to Catherine's apartment, to celebrate Katlego and Karabo's 19th birthday. Only to realize that he'd forgotten the gift which he'd planned to give to his two friends.
"Catch you guys in a few secs", said Donnel upon arriving on the third floor, before stopping a little as though to make an important phone call".
"Just don't take your time Donny"
"Haha, said the dude who kept us waiting for 8 whole minutes", laughed Donnel as he stopped for a bit and slipped a beige cloth out his pocket to wipe his shoes, for the dress code was formal wear, Katherine's idea of giving Katlego the matric ball which he'd deprived himself of, all for foolish reasons.
"I shoud be with Collette right now;" the thought that lingered in his mind even as he stood and placed a smile onto his lips. He could feel his short, carefully measured footsteps pounding according to the sequence of his heartbeat. His headache still faintly present.
"Am I really doing this?" The question that rushed at him, as he stood before the door 388 of Catherine's apartment. Colette's voice playing in his mind as he hesitantly reached for the door's handle, refusing to give in to his intuition that clearly told him to go and be by Collette's side.
"Come inside Donnel;" said Caroline with sparkling eyes before she took him in her embrace.
"With pleasure;" smiled Donnel before his eyes scanned around the room in search of familiar faces.
That's when Katlego felt Catherine whispering into his ear. "Please go get Katlego from his room, he's still..." Her beckoning expression concluded her sentence, just before he did, after greeting and squeezing past some familiar faces, for the apartment was really full; joyful faces all around him.
Yet upon arriving to Katlego's, just after seeing Karabo exiting with a seriously dissapointed facial expression. Still chewing his mouthful of snacks, the smell of chicken still inhabiting his nose , the joyful sounds of the Yanos still caressing his eardrums, he soon saw Katlego rolling, while smoking another, joint. His eyes shaded with red, his giggles almost as bad as a crook's as he returned Donnel's serious look, just before giggling again as he blew out a ring of smoke.
"I've got something to tell you and your brother..."
"If it's about Zintle then i already know'
" 'Bout something else my guy, a little confession I wanted to make before I leave this town in a matter of hours."
"About You and Collette's intimate video?... it's fine, i'll keep it a secret, you don't have to leave... Here, this good ish will make you feel better."
"No thanks I'm not in the mood for weed right now... Last time I smoked and drank, Colette ended up in hospital..."
"And you can't forgive yourself blah blah blah, just let go bro," asserted Donnel before offering him a joint for the second time.
"Kat., Imma go to Bloemfontein tomorrow, and i just wanted to tell you and your brother that for the past few weeks i've..." Donnel failed to express his upcoming words.
"You've what? Been sleeping with Colette? It's Karabo won't mind, he had my Zintle now." Laughed Katlego before huffing contentedly.
"Truth be told I've been having a crush in Yo..."
"STOP! NO! WAIT! DON'T! Before Donnel could even finish his sentence, screams which came from the Kitchen and interrupted him, before a frown creased his eyebrows.
Donnel rushed out and headed to the kitchen, along others, only to see Andiswa standing helplessly as Karabo and Tino continued to beat up Sphe, whose nose was already bleeding. Hushed wisphers rotating around them thanks to the witnesses which stood an arm's stretch away, from the three brawlers who conjured up an atmosphere charged up with tension and aggression.
"Karabo stop it," yelled Catherine as she rushed in while Donnel and others tried to stop the fight.
"Karabo, Karabo!" Erupted a hoarse shout from someone who had seen enough, Caroline. Her outcry melted the surrounding urgent whispers of anticipation as she shook her head in discomfort.
Yet Donnel, being as fit as he was, finally stopped the fight and restored order in the kitchen, before once again trying to confess something very personal to the stunned faces around him.
"Guys i would like to inform you all that I..."
"We know Donnel, you and Collette", yelled someone behind Andiswa; a familiar face he'd seen a hundred times walking into the classroom next to his.
"Then tell us Dee... Or is it you and Zintle too?" asked the tall girl whose whose lilac dress' flowered pattern matched the various colourful beads incorporated in her hairstyle. Those scattered, beaded braids stemming from her head to flow down around her neck, and even brush her shoulders, as she turned back and forth to let her hands indulge in a series of high fives for the silly question she'd just thrown.
"Bitch please, this is about something more...," but his statement was interrupted by a wave of terrified facial expressions that soon filled the room and left everyone else looking behind him.
Others instinctively covering their mouths with their hands to and wrapping their fingers around the void of shock between their parted lips to avoid expressing their shock, loud enough get attention.
He traced the source of the "shock-wave" and turned around, before he too felt his heart skip a heartbeat as his eyes came across Katlego. Whose angry bushy brows hung above his blood-red eyes that were fiercely focused on Karabo, a gun in his hand as his arm stretched towards him, the gun pointing towards his head, his own brother's forehead.