Rich Kids

The culumus clouds allowed the sun rays through, but the bunch were under the canopy of the main entrance shelter that extended to shade a few of the steps leading to the entrance of the building. The group comfortably leaned on each other, seated on various cemented steps. The massive antique building loomed behind them. It had the appearance of a manor, divulging no mere works in its architecture. No ordinary hands would have ever raised such beauty, no ordinary money would have constructed its lucent walls the way it towered. The country’s flag - with a few other international ones - blew proudly on the elevated pole, as its cream, titian red and gold gigantic built stood gracefully. The seven just sat there cosily enjoying the labourers' fruits.

"Unforgettable..." Khalid reminisced, bringing streams of joy to Tyrin's heart, who was located lower than the rest of them, the sun touching the lower part of his legs.

"If it were my rents, my mom would be breathing down our necks not to even break a single tumbler..." Ayaan slouched back, placing his bare elbows on the step behind him as his legs stretched out onto two lower steps, his shiny big-head leather shoes sat on the step. His charcoal grey blazer slept on his lap, his charcoal grey tie brushed against his blue shirt, swinging on his slim neck.

"But how can your parents be cool like that though?" Khalid wondered, as the rest nodded, in admiration as well, "...my parents wouldn't let me throw something that massive without them around..."

"My parents wouldn't even allow us to throw anything..." Mandere complained, her body cuddled up on a lower step in between Keyon's legs, as their fingers linked together. His frame was propped over her on a step above her as her head rested on his chest. Lindiwe's dark eyes peered at her immediately after her comment. She was settled horizontally on her step, her long legs lolled on it. Her right elbow only had the privilege of resting on the step above her. Her rosary hung on her neck, partly hidden by the unbuttoned collar of her white shirt.

"Can we seriously exchange parents?" Ayaan pleaded, still aware of the impossibility of the whole ordeal. Tyrins cheeks were tired from all the smiling action throughout the conversation of praise, his deep dimples worn out from flashing themselves for too long. Khalid bent down, his hair on his knees as the itch of a cough pressured him on his neck.

“I mean…” Daisy started, “the fact that they not only allowed to you throw the huge party”, Daisy would have used her fingers to count, “they also paid for the organiser, paid for everything, and your dad purposely left the house for you to be free…” Daisy straightened from her position, “the only thing they never did was…” she thought for some seconds, but then chuckled, “I don’t even know…”

“Buy the alcohol…” Lindiwe spoke softly, thinking for her.

Eventually, Khalid gave in to the urge of his cough. The crew all stared at the boy as he did and finally, he silenced. Daisy offered him her salmon-pink bottle and Khalid extended his arm, receiving it as the other arm covered the lower half of his face. He used his hand to wipe his peach lips, opened the cap of the sparkly bottle and poured the translucent substance into his mouth, his head arched back. The conversation proceeded as he did all this.

"Seriously man, can we swap?” Ayaan’s words started to sound like his heart’s desire, “I would like to give … um… um..."

Ayaan's attention, with the rest of them, shifted towards the plump figure walking down from the shaded steps to the sun-hit steps. Unmindful about the distance that had laid between them, Tyrin began, "like what the hell man?"

"Shh..." Daisy gestured yet Tyrin ignored.

"One week?" He spoke with every nerve in his body "...one freaking week when the girl practically broke someone's arm?" Lindiwe examined the girl who was almost at the bottom of the concrete stairs. "I mean, I'd like, get expelled and a jail sentence or something, with media behind my back..."

"Well you don't have the cleanest slate do you though?" Keyon playfully reasoned causing the rest to cackle, displeasure clearly showing on Tyrin's face.

"I would sue her..." Tyrin finally turned his back on the group, repositioning himself before finding an even more uncomfortable position to face them.

The thought of it all brought mixed feelings, "and risk the chances of your whole clan being wiped out or getting leprosy or something..." the rest, except Tyrin and Lindiwe laughed at what she had said. But Lindiwe just scorned Mandere, a leech in her eyes.

"Or losing an eye after just blinking..." Ayaan added which caused Khalid, who was already bursting with laughter, to cough uncontrollably for a period which was concerning, drawing attention from the whole group again. Ayaan was probably more disturbed than the rest as he straightened from his position.

"You're okay?" Ayaan rubbed his back causing Khalid to nod. For a few seconds, he just sat there, testing his current state, before shooting up, leaving her bottle on his previous seat; rushing away from the group.

"I'll be back" he assured as he charged into the mammoth building. Ayaan eyes remained on him though as worry engulfed his face. He was in limbo of whether to run after the boy or believe in his faint reassurance.

"I heard they have a huge snake..." Mandere gossiped as Ayaan turned back, detaching his back from the lowered cemented backrest, in his head.

"As a pet?" Tyrin asked, opening a pack of black dried plums.

"No..." Mandere dramatized, "...a ritual snake..." With that, it was a trigger for Lindwe's stare-daggers to be thrown at her. At the same moment, Tyrin's packet of plums found its way constantly past the hands of the five.

Keyon scoffed looking down at her, "you believe in things like that?"

"You don't?" Mandere attempted to look up at her man but it was impossible to do so with her seated position.

Keyon shook his head, bushing the gesture on top of Mandere's head.

"I believe..." Daisy finally concurred, Lindwe's glare shifting from Daisy to Mandere and back.

"Thank you..." Mandere was on the verge of high-fiving the girl.

Khalid shot into the bathroom, straight to the sink. Bending deep over the sink he coughed and spat into the bowl. What fell into the sink was a blob of red substance and as he stood upright looking at the mirror ahead of him. His whole mouth, his diamond-blue braces, his teeth were stained as if he drunk with wine. Khalid just stared at himself in the long rectangular mirror. His short 3c hair coils dangled on his forehead, barely covering his dark eyebrows. The pretty boy's features were worn with concern, along with a hint of fear for the unknown future.

Hurriedly he then rinsed, also cleaning the area around him as one of the cubicle's toilets flashed and opened. He glimpsed repeatedly back as another boy walked up to him, taking the sink beside him. The boy greeted and Khalid tried to nonchalantly respond back before the boy shuffled out the restroom. And he was alone again. His emerald eyes stared back at his reflection, his hands at the corners of the sink, swallowed into his thoughts.