They do not trust you

The sound of laughter that rung through the house overwhelmed any negativity that might have been there. The relationship downturn that had stuck at Binti's side like a thorn in the flesh seemed to have been drowned by the alcohol. Nasike and Khalayi seemed to have called up a silent truce, albeit a temporary one. Binti raised up her hand with polished nails that were on the verge of chipping as a result of the drunken night. The engagement ring on her left hand's ring finger glint as light shone on it. Noticing it, Nasike and Khalayi's inquisitive faces could not be hidden.

'You could buy a building with that', Khalayi quipped.

'It preserves the memory that I almost married scum'.

'Scum is bad and good. It is bad if kept around you. It is good if refined and converted into fertilizer. That ring is better of as fertilizer as opposed to a memory', Nasike chipped in making Khalayi raise an eyebrow in interest.

'Exactly. Any suggestions on how to turn it to fertilizer?' Khalayi turned to Nasike.

'You said it could buy a building right? Honestly she needs a place of her own, near the ground and not the 5th floor', Nasike emphasized her last statement vehemently after being reminded of the previous night.

Khalayi snatched Binti's hand, took away the ring and shooed her and Nasike to the bathroom.

'The possibility of either of you falling for each other is negative and we will run late', Khalayi dragged them around amidst their protest.

'Hey, I have body issues. You actions are accentuating my insecurities', Nasike protested as she compared her lean body with Binti's curvy one.

'You will grow into it in not time', Khalayi said as she continued to push them towards the bathroom.

'Can I teach you how to grow into it faster', Binti winked.

'No, none of your naughtiness today Binti', Khalayi heaved almost out of breath as she finally pushed them into the bathroom.

In an hour, the trio was ready to head out to whatever destination Khalayi would take them to. Nasike wore blue dungaree shorts over a white shirt giving her a semi-feminine yet relaxed look. On her feet were heeled timberland boots that she branded as her payment for dragging a dead asleep adult human through 5 floors. Khalayi wore black shorts on a pink top and pink sneakers that made her look innocent, perfectly upholding her faced and hiding the viciousness within. Binti opted for a white off-shoulder t-shirt tucked in a black pencil skirt and further simplified her look with beaded gladiator maasai sandals. As Binti drove toward the destination set in the navigation map, she reminded them that they had not answered her question about their plans after high school.

Nasike had not thought through it. She wanted to venture into fashion and design. Although her style was simple, she had a good eye for outstanding clothes, shoes and accessories, whether second-hand or from high-end designers. She had a knack for creativity and identifying the fact that most designs building for women were more of completely feminine. For a tom-boy, she wanted designs that were masculine but still maintained a woman's feminine allure. This was just among one of the many ideas she had. Her quest for fashioned had driven her to form an idea to travel to several countries to learn their culture as a way of boosting her creativity. The inclination to travel had yet to materialize due to the fact that for the first time in her life she would be doing something that requires less supervision. In addition, her parents were reluctant to give their permission citing her safety as their core reason. What Nasike did not tell them was that she wanted to learn pole dancing. Binti's performance that was nowhere near raunchy but still entertaining had planted this fantasy in her. Deep within she knew that it was not just a fantasy but something she would love to do.

Khalayi had a vague map of what she wanted to do. In her past life, office work had become her bottleneck. The fact that she was stuck on a desk doing work that she could accomplish from the comfort of her home or when travelling irked her a lot. She was thinking of laying- off anything related to school or work at the company. Khalayi was adventurous, so was Nastanje; however Nastanje had never had the opportunity to quench her adventurous side. She imagined that the bucket list of all her desires that was stuck on her desk must have been cleared from it already. When she came to this alternate world, she found a girl who knew more about the world than she did. Her connections ran as deep as the mafia and as shallow and clean as the business world. You could say she had the best of both worlds. Khalayi's villainous desire was driven not only by her dormant and almost extinguished character but also by her predecessor's bloodlust. Khalayi had not only maintained an upper hand in her schoolwork, she had also sought to understand what her previous self had been up to. She got to learn of the various networks from her memory; however, she needs to further understand and maintain her grip on it. Traveling would be a good option to take. That way, she could kill two birds with one stone- satisfy her adventure starved self and keep an eye on business. A road trip is what she detailed out loudly to her partners at the moment. Talking animatedly about what she wanted to do during the road trip. Keeping the other reason unknown to them to herself.

'Let us travel together', she faced Nasike.

Fazed by the sudden suggestion, Nasike was unable to comprehend her intention. As much as there was a truce, she imagined it wasn't strong enough to warrant being roped into the tyrant's plans.

'You will have good company', Binti convinced.

'Na-ah, if she is good company then I am better off without it!'

'Look at it this way; you will be able to get your parent's permission easily'

'They do not trust you'

'I can regain their trust', Khalayi said, determination burning in her eyes.

'If you manage to do so, I will reconsider your company', Nasike closed that conversation with a sigh.