Change huh

Scuffles, screams and cheering could be heard at the gym room. A body flew through the air and was slammed down on the floor. A look of disbelief was plastered on the victim's face while the assailant stood along her in a domineering manner, her countenance revealing a mixture of pity and disdain. Although the disdain was overshadowed by a look of pity, anyone who knew Khalayi could trace it.

'Sigh, you still have a long way to go to beat me', Khalayi said as she walked away.

Nasike could not figure out this woman. If she wanted her as a best friend did she have to go all out and leave her almost scarred? Although the injuries were not severe, her frenemy's attitude was scarring. Not that Nasike wanted to win anyway; however, to defend herself from the assault, she had to give her all. The contempt in her heart was almost overwhelming. She was caught within a rock and a hard place. What appeared to be a bet she could weasel out of turned into a series of torturous fights. If she did not fight, she would be hurt. It took a lot of will to maintain her sanity in order to fight to lose. Who would be sane enough to be that Evil B's best friend? Not that she could win anyway at her level. As much as she was the second best in both athletics, boxing and wrestling, she was yet to win against Khalayi. Her practise sessions had turned more gruelling since all she wanted from the fight was to be in one piece and less injured.

She was beginning to doubt this call for friendship. But she knew her roommate better. Regardless of the bet she would not concede defeat just to establish friendship. Nasike stood up, dusted herself and headed to the dormitory to change into her uniform, head for supper and prepare for the evening studies. In the room, she bypassed Khalayi and slapped her, leaving a hand print on her face. Dazed, Khalayi looked at her questioningly. Recovering herself, she stood up abruptly, took a fighting stance, her fist sweeping through the air towards Nasike's face. Nasike caught her hand, twisted it and pinned it behind her back. Another arm was locked and secured around Khalayi's neck.

'This, you have to take this lying down for every match we have, all your life. Consider it as your punishment for playing around with me. It is the least you can offer for this so-called friendship,' Nasike hissed.

She pushed Khalayi, throwing her on top of her head. The contempt bottled in her shone through her eyes before disappearing once her anger cooled down.

'Ah, and this would be worse if I get to be your best friend. On the other hand you could reconsider if you still want to protect that pretty face,' she added casually.

Since the assault, Khalayi's emotion had kept changing from surprise, to anger and finally resignation. It took her a while to realize that for once she was on the receiving end. She had been out-plused. Not bad, kitty got her claws out, she thought after registering what happened. After a moment of silently observing her counterpart, a chuckle turned into a low prolonged laugh. Recovering herself, she stood up to confront her assailant. It seemed like she was out for a fight. Her feet moved slowly towards the girl who no longer showed any emotions in her face. It felt like she was creating another version of herself. The woman infront of her could have flinched months ago, but now, she stood there looking at her blankly.

'Okay, it is the least I can do' she uttered carelessly.

Nasikes eyes grew wider in surprise as she wondered how it had come to that. She stood there stunned as Khalayi bypassed her after tapping her shoulder and whispering a quiet

'Change huh.'