Kiks100

I darted ahead, laughing uncontrollably as Maple Leaf chased after me. “You can’t run forever, bro!” he shouted, his voice somewhere between mock anger and pure laughter. “Watch me, bro!” I yelled back, weaving between lamp posts and nearly tripping over my own feet. The sound of our shoes hitting the pavement mixed with bursts of laughter echoing down the quiet street were adrenaline inducing. But he finally caught up, looping an arm around me before I could escape again. “Gotcha,” he grinned. “Brooo, nooo...” was all I managed before his fingers found my sides. I doubled over, gasping through laughter as he launched a short tickle assault. “BRO HAHAHA STOP...” He didn’t relent for a few seconds, both of us collapsing into helpless laughter. When he finally stopped, we were both out of breath, grinning like idiots. That’s when Kylie caught up. She stood a few meters away, hands on her hips, shaking her head with a disbelieving smile. “You two are actual children,” she

The past few days had been mild pleasantly warm, the kind of weather that makes you hum while walking. But yesterday? By midday it felt like the sun had a personal vendetta. The air turned into soup, my shirt tried to fuse with my skin. So, after finishing a long ass report, I stepped outside to get some fresh air. The hot, damp air hit me immediately, and my clothes clung annoyingly to my skin, though the occasional breeze offered a brief reprieve. It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday afternoon, even near the kids’ play area. I wandered toward the boulevard, seeking shade, and felt immediate relief, it was cool under the trees. I didn’t have any plans or a particular destination in mind, but I was content just walking. As I strolled, I noticed a long side bench where two people sat far apart, quietly enjoying the shade. The guy was on his phone, while the girl at the far end was slouched, dozing with her arms folded. I chuckled at the peaceful scene, and the guy noticed. I

So last week, the boys and I were buzzing with excitement for our reunion in Eswatini. We stood on the dusty roadside near Malkerns. The sun blazed overhead, and the air was thick with pre-festival energy. Loud Afrofusion music thumped faintly in the background as the kombi sputtered to a stop. I hopped out. “GUYS. WE. ARE. HERE! Bushfire! I can already taste the overpriced boerewors and smell the patchouli!” Donut, standing beside me, balanced a cooler box on one shoulder like it was a baby. “I haven’t been this excited since Woolies dropped their pumpkin spice range in May.” “My chakras just realigned. I think they’re vibrating to the beat already,” Cinnamon Bun said, twirling a glitter stick. My gym friend did a shaky little involuntary dance. “I can’t stop shaking. Is this what happiness feels like? Or is this just festival anticipation-induced full-body twerking?” The Snobby Guy, wearing sunglasses that cost more than my whole outfit, smiled. “I’m shaking because the

So when I got there, sweaty and slightly out of breath from rushing, my pops looked at me like a puppy that had been left outside for too long. “You were ghosting me,” he pouted, patting my hand like a worried grandparent. “I wasn’t ghosting you—I was surviving,” I said, deadpan, eyes narrowed. “You made it sound like an emergency.” “It was,” the guy grinned. “Emotional emergency.” I laughed. The guy was being dramatic. He even hugged me, saying he was worried I was going no contact, which was ridiculous. It's true he hadn’t heard from me for days—until yesterday, when he bought food for us with Malandra—but that didn’t mean I was cutting him off. “Don’t laugh, I was genuinely worried. I’ve seen videos online about how estrangement starts. I’m sorry if I did anything,” he said, very sincerely. I chuckled. “What, you don’t have faith in your own son? Why would I cut you off? And why didn’t you visit until yesterday?” “I feared you might get annoyed… push you further away,”