Love That Hurts

By Shailene Mahamba

The novel follows the journey of Cherry, a teenage girl navigating the complexities of love, friendship and self discovery. Desperate to win the affection of her childhood crush, Cherry finds herself torn between her desire for love and the influence of her problematic best friend. 

As she grapples with pleasing her strict grandma and navigating the challenges of adolescence, Cherry embarks on a hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age adventure, filled with comedic twists and heartfelt moments

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shailene Mahamba
• Release date: May 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224792993

Book preview

Oh Dear one, you are so much worth than what you think,

So much capable of all the great things,

I hope you find all the peace, joy and belonging.

*Chapter 1*

We were from two contrary worlds; completely different. I was a local girl, average, free-spirited, living with my grandmother while he was seemingly from the high class, had few choices of friends, and was shy, I supposed. 

The very first day that I saw him, I was ten years old. He was at the bus stage in his neatly ironed gray shorts, with his cartoon character bag hanging on his shoulders, waiting for the school bus. While I was in my stained and shabby uniform, with my notebooks stacked in a recycled plastic paper, walking to school.

As I was crossing the road with my schoolmates, I noticed that I had accidentally dropped my bottle and it was rolling on the tarmac road. 

Foolishly, I rushed back without looking at both sides, forgetting the road safety rules drilled into me from school. One 

massive Toyota Hilux truck narrowly missed me, crushing the bottle beneath its tires. 

Stunned, I found myself sitting in the middle of the road, thinking about the near-death experience. It was the voice of a police officer that snapped me out of my daze.

Are you tired of living? Is this how you want to die?

He barked while yanking me by the arm, pulling me to the side where the young boy stood. As if the shouting and grabbing were not enough, the policeman slapped me, and for the first time in my life, I saw darkness, with tiny stars dancing all over my face. At first, I used to think seeing stars was a myth, but on that day, I became a believer. 

I could hear people. Including my schoolmates murmuring and laughing in the background, and some drivers cussing me as they passed by.

Get out of here and never do that again, or else I will do you a favor for your death wish; I will shoot you myself! Yelled the policeman.

I caught the young boy staring at me, his eyes uttering pity, he wasn’t laughing like the others. With no hesitation, I continued my three-mile walk to school, hoping to forget all the events in a minute or a couple of decades. 

Our school was miles away from where I used to live. My feet used to get sores at first, but over time they got used to the walking. We would cross a river and a railway before reaching the school; Vuka Public Primary School. My grandma couldn’t afford to pay for a private institution. She barely managed to pay for my basic needs.

I didn’t have what