Watering the seed

"Who's that?" Tristin murmured, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

Lerato, despite wanting to teach Mbali a lesson, said, "Don't worry, I'll handle him if he gets out of line." Her voice was tight with apprehension as she pushed Max aside.

Max leaned in and whispered, "That's Thomas Ngobeni, Lerato's cousin. His father heads the Ngobeni family, the strongest family on the west side of Bongsburg."

Tristin's lips curved into a subtle smirk. "So that explains the swagger. Looks like a typical rich kid with an inflated sense of self-importance."

Just then, Thomas stopped at their table. Ignoring their glares, he grabbed Mbali by her waist and said, "What are you doing here? Come have lunch with me. Is my stubborn cousin giving you a hard time?"

Mbali rubbed Thomas's chest lightly. "I came to welcome the new guy, but your cousin doesn't seem happy about it," she said shyly, tracing her finger on his chest.

"Oh." Thomas smile a bit then smacked Mbali's butt lightly but since she was wearing a skirt and who knows what underneath, that light smack rang across the cafeteria since it was quiet.

She jumped a bit from the unexpected smack and said shyly, "Don't do that, Thomas."

"You are mine and mine alone," Thomas stated, pulling her closer.

Before Mbali could respond, a cold voice sounded. "Are you done showing off? If so, get lost. You're disturbing my peace."

Everyone in the cafeteria followed the voice to see who dared talk to Thomas like that. Their eyes stopped on Tristin, who wasn't even looking at Thomas, peeling a banana as he spoke.

A collective gasp rippled through the cafeteria. Max stared at Tristin, aghast. "What is he thinking? Can't he read the room?" he screamed in his head.

Even Lerato's jaw dropped in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief. No one in their right mind dared to dismiss Thomas Ngobeni so casually.

The air crackled with anticipation as Thomas's face contorted with rage. Used to flattery, he didn't react immediately.

"This new guy is handsome, but it looks like he has rocks for brains. Even if he's a dragon, everyone knows dragons can't crush the local snake, and Thomas isn't just a snake; he's a black mamba," Mbali thought as she looked at Tristin.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Do you know who this is?" Sipho, Thomas's minion, always eager to please Thomas for benefits and protection, reacted faster.

Before Sipho could continue, Tristin threw the banana peel hard at his face. The slap of the peel was even louder than Thomas's smack on Mbali's butt.

"Oops, damn banana peels are too slippery," Tristin said with a smile, ignoring their shock. He looked at Max next to him. "A friend of mine broke both of his legs because he stepped on a banana peel on a gravel road, imagine."

"But… you threw it; it didn't slip out of your hands," Max said with difficulty, taking a step back, thinking; "This guy might be a bit crazy."

Hearing what Tristin just said, Lerato couldn't hold it in. She burst out in laughter, clapping her hands. She had never liked how Sipho always licked Thomas's boots.

Hearing Lerato laugh, the students couldn't hold it in either and laughed hard. The cafeteria became a room filled with songs of laughter.

Thomas let go of Mbali and looked at Tristin with narrowed eyes. He had never seen such a reckless person before. "Does he have a powerful backer?" he wondered.

Sipho, anger written all over his face, stepped toward Tristin. He might not be as rich as Thomas, but he wasn't poor either. After starting to hang out with Thomas, everyone respected him, even his family. But this punk threw a banana peel at his face.

He grabbed Tristin by his blazer, lifting him from the chair. "You son of a bitch, you've done it now. If I let you off after what you just did, I won't be Sipho Ngoma."

Tristin stood up, making Sipho's job easier as he raised his hands. "Sorry man, my hand just slipped. I was trying to throw it in the trash bin," Tristin said, raising both eyebrows.

Seeing Tristin's sincere face, Sipho was taken aback. "Is he apologizing? Does he think I'll just let it go because he said sorry?" he asked himself.

Thomas looked at Tristin. "Is he really the type who barks but can't bite?" he wondered. Thomas was being groomed to take over the Ngobeni family, so he had learned to think before he acted.

Lerato frowned slightly, hearing Tristin's apology. As a martial artist, she didn't like weak men.

The entire cafeteria looked down at Tristin, disappointment written on their faces.

Thinking he had intimidated Tristin, Sipho wanted to destroy him further. "Kneel down and kiss my shoes, then maybe I would forg…"

Tristin interrupted, "Since you like to hang around with trash, the banana peel saw you as a trash bin." He skillfully removed Sipho's hands and pushed him lightly.

Sipho stumbled and stepped on the banana peel, slipping and falling on his butt.

The cafeteria exploded with laughter again. Sipho looked at Thomas with pleading eyes.

Seeing his minion on the floor, Thomas stepped forward. "You have some balls, I'll give you that much. But do you think driving a Ferrari means you can do as you please?" he asked, looking Tristin in the face. They were the same height, but Tristin was slimmer.

"Oh no, I don't need the Ferrari for that. I'm a spirited guy," Tristin said, looking Thomas in the eyes without flinching.

"You called me trash, you bullied my subordinate. Do you think the Ngobeni family is something you can push over? Who gave you the courage? Who's backing you?" Thomas asked, clenching his fists.

The air inside the cafeteria suddenly became heavy. No one moved or breathed loudly as tension thickened the atmosphere.

"So that's why you took so long to act. You think I have a backer. Let me ease your worries. I've been here for two weeks now, and in those two weeks I stayed hom…"

Before Tristin could finish, Thomas threw a punch that came with the wind. It was so fast most students didn't react.

As Thomas smiled, thinking he would crack Tristin's face, a faster, stronger, but slim hand grabbed his fist. A light breeze blew as Thomas's hand stopped.

Without looking at the person who grabbed his arm, Thomas asked, "Lerato, are you siding with an outsider? You know what my father would do if he learns about this?" His voice was cold, his eyes red with murderous intent as he gazed at Tristin.

"I knew she was strong as soon as I met her, but I wanted to know how strong she is. Dan level at such a young age. You need to open four qi channels to reach this stage. She's even stronger than Thomas," Tristin marveled in his thoughts.

Knowing Thomas's father would side with Thomas no matter what, Lerato let go of Thomas's arm.

Thinking he had gotten to Lerato, Thomas prepared a second attempt to punch Tristin, but Lerato said before he could act, "Tristin is new to Bongsburg, and since Miss Megan tasked me with giving him a tour, he's my responsibility for today. I won't let you hurt him."

Thomas ignored Lerato and continued to look at Tristin. "You know you can't hide behind Lerato forever, right? After school is just a few hours away, and by then, the tour will be over." He turned around, grabbed Mbali's hand, and left the cafeteria without waiting for Tristin to respond.

His gaggle of sycophants followed closely behind, after they gave Tristin a warning look.