Around and still around

Around and Still around

The weather seemed to resemble the catastrophic events which had taken place, the whole city covered in a fog, very few people walking in the streets the cold had had taken shape from the outside and had crept into the hearts of the people. In a big city a few would make noise for some girl who had just been murdered but this was no ordinary girl and this was no ordinary murder, "it was a definite crime of passion" Chief Rye the Senior Detective at the Harare Police Central was quoted in the Zimdaily Newspaper, but how could he know. At the arrival of the cops two cups of coffee still warm sat on a brown dinner table with two sets of plates one still with some cookies in it, Anne's body lying on the floor a couple of yards from the coffee table, her phone near her hand, which must have fallen when she was dropped to the ground by the culprit. The peculiar thing about all this, the thing that made Chief Rye state that this was a crime of passion was the image which was on Anne's phone, the picture of her famous boyfriend and her in arms filled with passion which as he says was a confrontation made by Anne about this boy accusing the killer of something which caused a triggering emotion which then became Anne's fate. A lot of people doubted the Chief, and for the first time in a long while an ordinary citizen's death mattered everyone was routing for the murder case to be solved and to pay attention to the events which had taken place, but none was ready for the villain behind all this, yet alone the ripple effect it would all cause.

Chapter 1

2 am still awake covered by her favourite blanket, the spirit of youth love had consumed Anne as she texted "I love you more" to Adam Moyo. A few hours back they had spent time together at a Friday party at Dereck's house, Adam's rich friend from school. Living in a middle class suburb was something Anne always thought she was above of, she dreamt of living the big Hollywood life. She knew how to care of herself and her God given body complimented her even more, being 7 ft. tall and having the perfect curve to compliment her slender body shape she became a goddess to be adored in her hood. She was Marlborough's finest and her social media persona was banging. This was how Adam took note of her when Dereck had dared him that he could never date a chick like Anne holding his phone showing him her Instagram pics, being a guy who liked a challenge he instantly searched her account, and boy was he stunned. Embracing the blessings of coming from a family of rich politicians Adam had gained the popularity and swagger at his school, Brownhill High idolised him for his physical structure giving him a boost to make it in the Rugby team, becoming the team captain and making an enemy of Rudy Dube the former captain who was demoted because of his ability to make him seem small and always outperforming him.

/'Alex'/

I love myself, self the Kendrick Lamar song banged through my speakers as I sang along to the best rapper alive in the shower preparing for yet a boring restart of the week attending school, Mondays must have been made by a god who wanted to take away the joy of people. "Alex" my sister kept yelling, when she yells like that, it definitely means breakfast is ready and just coming out of the shower I was already late for school, hurriedly getting dressed and putting my red blazer as the top of the cherry, the resemblance of the authority I carried as a sixth form prefect. Stepping out of my room I could smell the scent of fried eggs, I never got the idea why all weekday mornings I had to be the one being late, my sister yelling and of cause same old breakfast, I know we have a lot of chickens giving us eggs at our backyard but this does not justify the monotony. Malbrough High was just 2km from home so it was a quick walk for me, my sis on the other hand having reached a celebrity like status at the school got to have cool friends, they'd just drop at our gate, sound their hooter in their super slick red Chevrolet SUV Trax . Through the window I would see mom roll her eyes and yell Anne's name "your cool uncool friends are here", I mean she didn't like her friends and I doubt these millennial friends of Anne even cared about her opinion. I have forgotten how many times during dinner when mom would warn her about the influence of her friends, some which I agreed with but most of it was just stereotypical like the one were she said "your friend now before 18 has gotten herself tattoos, in the year it will be a baby with an absent father". I avoid her friends and always ditch their free ride, I just can't handle their mean jokes and how they name call me while they laugh, mostly it was Molly and Candice who came and they were hot like really good looking Molly had tinted black and white braids, her eyes very brown the kind of brown, that would make you think about your heritage in a good way which heavily contrasted with her voice as nice as your favourite melody but mixed with an acidic tone the one which would not want you to engage ,whilst Candice was the most selective girl I had ever encountered in my life, only conversed with guys who had upped their social status her skin tone light and just as her authoritative voice she was the leader of the pack. My sister had once told me that Candice had a crush on me, "she is always mean to the boys who bring her hormones to spark" she would say.

/Anne/

How I had gotten to be friends with Candice and Molly had made me feel even more like an imposter, I was just an ordinary girl who came from pretty mediocre parents maybe the best quote to express my life is "simplicity is key". Every guy kind of wanted to talk me, either they tried to come with fancy words to tell me they liked me or stammer some words, maybe they felt like imposters too or just shy. Malbrough High was like this rollercoaster of emotions the highs and lows could all be felt in a day but then again maybe that's what all high school experience feels like. Stepping out of the car all of us in LV designer heels you would think we are fraternal triplets, I had just dumped the captain of the Rugby team and the ironic part he seemed to be in high spirits and had just inspired the school team to compete at provincial level for the first time in 20 years, whilst I was going through a self-inflicted heartbreak. To make things worse Molly and Jeff my now ex had now been talking more often than ever since our break up, a rouse to get me jealous or was I just been paranoid.Jeff- Bet you dreamt me banging you last nightMolly- A dream like that would be tabooJeff- Thought a sis code doesn't exist, besides a tale which everyone doesn't approve is what you should yearn for.Molly- Sounds like you saying you love me Actually I can see a blush on Jeff's faceJeff- Girl I am more exited in smashing Molly didn't respond she just chuckled her face turning to the side in a shy manner trying to contain a smileOh my God, I just witnessed best friend flirting with my ex, I felt my stomach screaming its anger to the scene as it alerts me of its intentions to throw up, I let out a little low tone scream which I think these two heard as I took off running to the lady's bathroom, I read once that the body reacts directly to how you feel, you get tense when you're scared, glowing when you are in love and I think my body reacted to this intense situation, I am not the jealous type I tell myself as I continued to vomit.The 9.00 bell rang signalling that it was time for my first lesson. I cleaned myself up and headed to the Maths room, 45 minutes of torture, like those FBI movies when they interrogate a terrorist suspect for information was what it felt like when Mr Konate asked me to give out a formula on indices, only I didn't know the answer, I just smiled in confusion till Mr Konate found himself new prey to target with his questions. Could anything go right today, I asked myself as I walked down the corridor, as I passed by I could hear a lot of HI's directed at me but I wasn't responding, my feelings had taken a hold of me as I headed to the next lesson, only to find out I was utterly in confusion. They was no lesson, everyone was heading out to the school grounds for some sport I really didn't care about, and I kept asking myself "can anything good come out of this day.

/" Adam"/

You just can't see every girl you like as something to be possessed to your liking", Caroline was furious as she spoke to me after hearing me making my claim to conquer the streets of Malbrough High. Today was going to be the day, I never second guessed myself, why would I, in the morning we boarded the bus to Malbrough High, on paper this was going be a friendly rugby match with them, in reality I was going to come out with two wins or at least that was how I planned my day. The grounds were packed with lots of people, too many for a friendly I thought, as me my squad began warming up my eyes suddenly starred at something very fancy, something which said we own this school, three girls coming out of the classroom entrance peng as ever but with all beauty there is always a greater beauty and she was stunning except for the notable expression that she was having a bad day. This was the girl Dereck had dared me to lure, and I knew that I had to make a move but first I had to put in place my stoic patience to use. I saw them being given seats at the front row as if they were some VIPs. I began to stretch myself with more finesse knowing every eye will be on me and mostly importantly Anne will be looking. 5 minutes later on, the game was set to start and for this friendly I had brought my gladiator A game with me, just before the whistle blew I whispered in the Malbrough,s High School Captain's ear that "this was no friendly" and surely the first 2 minutes were ruthless as I secured my team 7 points from a conversion kick, the whole crowd was buzzing at my finesse . I am pretty sure our coaches were surprised as to how a friendly could be so physical. At half time we were leading 27-17 and I took a break to go the bathroom, on my way I bumped into Anne, she still looked confused but fine as ever nonetheless. She was on a call and I just stood there smiling at her whilst she mumbled some words to the person she was talking to then she turned to me and she began our first conversation Anne: Aren't you supposed to be getting back to the gameAdam: Smiling at looking deep in her eyes I asked her to pull out her phone and hand it to me, entering my digits in her cell I told her to find me soon as the game was over.Walked straight from her in direction of the grounds, I just knew I had made an impression on her. The second half was way too easy for us it was like fighting off an already surrendered team, we humiliated them on their own turf, ending with a result of 45-17.

/Anne /

I spend the whole second half watching this boy's movements, I hated how those students from Brownhill High filled themselves with narcissistic traits and I had just entered a conversation with their biggest jerk. Everyone in our school knew Adam, hell every guy hated him but for girls they held a desire for him I quite couldn't get around but as anyone who understands women, you can never understand them. But here I was watching him, replaying our conversation, I caught myself smiling next to the camera which was right in front of me, my brother right in front me recording me and the whole school as part of his ridiculous school newspaper job.Alex- (holding his camera direct at my face) "as the star girl of this school how are you feeling about this heavy loss and direct stabbing to this school's heart" Making a performative gesture with my hands and neck projecting a girl hanging I told him to stop and we spent the next minutes watching the pictures he had taken and to my surprise they were significant number of pictures of Candice to spike a thought in me that my indifferent brother does have a crush on my best friend. Just as I was wrapping up that thought, there stood Adam her eyes directly locked on my figure and when I met his stare trying to pry on his confidence, he told me he wanted to go on a date with me right now.Me-'Dude you are sweaty and basically I am programmed by this school to hate youAlex to my defence quickly told him to beat it," This made Adam move even more closer to me. I was pissed with Alex for intervening in my conversations Me- 'You know instead of advocating for your sister on the guys who approach her you should ask Candice out "I said it with a dash of innocent sarcasm in my voiceThere was a bit of uneasiness in Alex's stare, Me- I really dare you to do so Adam was now only a few inches from me basically he had invaded my personal space but awkwardly I did not feel intruded at all, he had been listening intently to me in my attempt to guilt trip my brother and right there and there he came with the suggestion that the four of us including the absent Candice have a double date on the next Friday after school. I don't know why I did it but I quickly supported Adam's idea of a double date though i was mainly motivated to get my brother and Candice to actually spend some time together, Alex protested.Alex-You are only agreeing to this because you actually like Adam, which I think is a disgusting taste and besides Candice only hangs out with people like you and Adam. Candice was just a few blocks from where we were at the school's fountain surrounded by a group of cheerleaders in a conversation about changing the school's sports mascot which she seemed to be completely passive in the discussion which would make the task of redirecting her to us (me, my brother and Adam) easy. I called out her name making hand gestures instructing her to come were I was standing. Upon her arrival I quickly jumped into telling her about the double date proposition.Me- Hey Candice we were just arranging a double date, the four of us you included.Candice-And by that you mean me and Alex, planning peoples matters of the heart I see She said that in a sarcastic way trying to hide the excitement in her voice, I know Candice very well below the popular girl act with a high fashion taste and wanting to date high profile guys they lies a Candice whom the world doesn't know her father being the Headmaster Mr Smith and being wealthy for such a position who got a huge fortune from the real estate business which he profited many years ago when he was still in his late twenties then set out to be a teacher a role he said was his passion before he even got rich and had the vision to form men and women of virtue of eloquent manners which drove him to the position of being a headmaster for a school in the suburb, "what could me more challenging than that" a statement he usually likes to blurt out at the assembly and then end his statement with "Together you and I can make it a reality. I have no doubt Mr Smith had made it his mission to instil Candice of these values and expected her friends to be also of such a manner, a manner which I knew I had studied and unified with it so that I could boost my chance to attend at prestigious University of Cape Town on scholarship in which I would need his recommendation which could not only be bought by excellent grades which was a side I struggled with.Adam instantly jumped in the conversation speaking with a tone to take charge of the situation, he actually read Candice personality in an instance,Adam-"We can do the date at my house my dad will actually be happy to see me with a change of friends, and you really need to act as my friends to convince him and maybe you can get a picture with him and some recommendations".That last line was all Candice needed to get her to agree, a picture with the highly decorated Health Minister, General Moyo, the first black psychoanalyst in the Country and had made waves during and after the war advocating for the emotional wellbeing of the black population, who was now currently running for office in the primary elections as an MP and no matter the irony that his son seemed like a complete deuce Candice wouldn't pass such an opportunity to meet a man of such virtue something that Mr Smith the principal had always advocated. Alex was the last one who needed convincing and he made a rather silly reason of a motive to agree,Alex-"I guess I will get the chance to take away the deuce attempts to impress my sister", saying it with a tone intended to rattle Adam's radiant flare. I really don't get why brothers think they have a say on whom their sisters worse for Alex he has never been fond of any of my male friends' dates but who am I to judge as I really wanted him to date Candice, partly because she was different from all of Alex exes who all seemed nerdy, sometimes I do fear for my brother, he possesses this cautious frame I doubt if he has even tried smoking pot, he is always the good child around the house which really leads for my parents to breath on my neck.