Two-Faced Friends
Page 9
She put her arm around Pholisa. “Don’t worry, Auntie,” she said. “I’m just as happy staying home with my best friend.”
“Make sure you wash up the glasses before you put that TV on,” grumbled Auntie.
But Lelethu hardly heard her. She was watching Pholisa, whose eyes had filled with tears as she raised her pinkie at Lelethu, who silently raised hers back.
“What are you girls doing?” said Auntie. “Hurry up now so that we can watch that movie on TV.”
“I mustn’t be too long, said Pholisa. “My gogo is waiting for me.” She looked at Lelethu. “She is well enough now for the journey home. We leave next Monday.”
Lelethu flung her arms around her. “Oh no, Pholisa, I don’t want you to go. Don’t you want to stay forever?”
“You must be joking,” said Pholisa. “I can’t wait to get home. I’m no city girl. But I will see you in the holidays.”
“Because we’re best friends forever,” said Lelethu with a smile.
“Forever and ever,” said Pholisa, and they both laughed.
PROTECT YOURSELF
What would have happened if, when Princess sent the photo of Lelethu around, no one had opened it or forwarded it?
You can make a huge difference: don’t forward pictures or comments that hurt people.
Some basic steps to protect yourself:
• Have a pin number on your phone.
• Change all your passwords regularly, and never use the same one on two accounts. If possible, use a mix of numbers, letters and uppercase, avoiding obvious ones such as your boyfriend’s name!
• Always turn your Bluetooth off when you are not using it.
• Do not accept friend requests from people you don’t know.
• Think before you give out personal details, both online and offline.
• If you use another person’s phone or computer, logout and clear your browser history.
• Do not arrange to meet someone you meet online, in real life.
• If you have a phone stolen, report it to the police and cancel the sim card.
For Mxit:
• Set privacy settings so that only your contacts can see your personal information.
• If someone makes you uncomfortable, block them: go to Mxit>Info>Chat Zone Block.
• Know that it is illegal for an adult to engage with teens and children in chat rooms.
• If you are experiencing any kind of abuse:
– Keep messages
– Try to record phone calls
– Report the situation to the police
All this information can be used as evidence.
• Be careful who you trust, and be strong in what you believe.
For help or more information go to:
• http://www.google.co.za/goodtoknow/familysafety/
• http://www.takebackthetech.net/be-safe
• support@mxit.com
For counselling:
• Call Childline toll-free on 0800 555555
• Or go to Tradepost>Mxit Reach>Ask Doc
Copyright © Cover2Cover 2012
ISBN 978-0-9870150-4-4
e-ISBN 978-0-9922017-4-6
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978.
Cover design: Robin Yule
Cover models: Lusanda Ngqose, Anathi Matshaya, Cinga Zweni & Lelethu Kitsi
Proofreading: Sean Fraser
Cover2Cover is an exciting publisher producing novels for African teens. If you enjoyed Two-faced friends, look out for other titles in the Harmony High series:
Broken Promises
From boys to men
Jealous in Jozi
Sugar Daddy
Too young to die
Find out more about Cover2Cover at: www.cover2cover.co.za or by email: info@cover2cover.co.za
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