The first person I see after the kiss is Kim. She's the most popular girl at school. She's also the most beautiful. She’s with her friends Lindi and Gorgeous and they call me over.

Gorgeous hands me a bottle of cider as I reach them."Nice to see you coming out of your shell a bit. And kissing someonewoohooh!"

She clinks her bottle of cider against mine like she's cementing a new friendship.

Everyone turns to the door as a tall man dressed in a snappy suit steps into the room. A gold earring gleams in each ear. He crooks his finger at Kim and she sashays across the room to him.

"That's Kim's Minister of Transport," Lindi confides. "He drives a red BMW. Isn't he gorgeous?"

"Minister of Transport?" I repeat, feeling stupid.

Lindi laughs. "You know, one of her sugar daddies. This is the one with the car. Her Minister of Communications gives her airtime. And she's busy recruiting a new Minister of Finance. Not any old businessman – somebody with lots of money."

The Minister of Transport slaps Kim's butt. She laughs, and they leave together.

"You know what Baby, can I give you some advice?" Lindi doesn't wait for me to answer before she carries on, slurring her words a little. "If you want to get ahead in life you need a man like that. It's the only way to be somebody special. You don't want to be kissing a schoolboy – what do you think he's going to do for you?

“I mean look at your clothes – I can tell you've hardly got any money. You can't make it in life if you're stuck in a poor rut. You know what I'm saying is true, don't you?"

These girls know what they're talking about. I'm on the road to being someone.

I tell myself not to care about Guy. When he comes inside looking for me I ignore him.

Having a Minister take care of something for you sounds like a good idea. But a relationship that gives one person power over the other doesn't usually end well. Who do you think has the power here, Kim or her Ministers?