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IMANI
After what Landon had done last night, I let him go. I fucking let him go.
I should’ve done something, cursed him out, smacked him across the face, kneed him in the balls, but I didn’t do any of that because I was so damn angry and in too much shock. He had gone through all my things and acted like he had done nothing wrong.
Once I undid my lock, I slammed my locker open and let it smack against the one beside me, the metal striking making my heart race. I might’ve not done anything about it last night, but I would today. All three of those boys would get a piece of my freaking mind.
“You never straighten your hair,” Allie commented from my side, leaning against the lockers and smiling at me. “Why’d you torture yourself by getting up three hours earlier than usual? Trying to impress someone?”
“I didn’t sleep last night,” I said, wiping my eyes angrily. “I needed something to do.”
“Why didn’t you sleep?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Come on.”
I wanted to flip out on her for pushing it, but it wasn’t her fault that I hadn’t gotten sleep. This was all Poison’s doing, and they deserved my anger, not my best friend.
So, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a much-needed hug. “I’m sorry. I’m cranky.”
After patting my back, she pulled away. “It’s okay.”
“I’ll tell you about last night.” I turned on my heel and smirked at her. “But you tell me about Jace first.”
“What?” she asked, brows furrowed. “Why do you want to know about—” Suddenly she stopped, gazed behind me, and cringed. “Yikes!”
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Akio walking down the hallway toward us with his eye nearly swollen shut. My teeth clenched, fury racing through me again. I didn’t care about Akio in the slightest, had barely talked to him for the twelve years we’d been in school together, but Landon had done this to him.
And that made me even angrier with that man.
Akio walked over to me with his hands stuffed into his pockets. “Hey, Imani.”
I gave him a smile and stuffed a couple books into my locker, wondering why he was talking to me now. We hadn’t spoken until yesterday. But instead of ignoring him and riling myself up even more about Landon, I said, “Hey.”
Leaning against the red locker, he cleared his throat. “You coming tonight?”
After closing my locker, I pulled some books to my chest and looked over at him. “Yeah.”
Allie arched a brow. “Where?”
“My mom is forcing me to go out to dinner with Akio.” I gave him a half-smile. “No offense.”
Akio sighed. “I don’t want to go either. Our parents are trying to set us up.”
Allie scrunched her nose at me, then smiled at Akio. “Oh, well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone then. I’m going to be late. My class is all the way across campus.” She winked at me behind Akio’s back. “Have fun!”
When she disappeared down the hallway, Kai caught my eye. He stood at the end of the hallway, backpack slung over his shoulder and piercing brown eyes fixed on me. After a moment, he clenched his jaw and walked into the back hallway, where Poison alwayshung out. I balled my hands into fists and trailed after him.
“Where are you going?” Akio asked, following me like a lost puppy.
“To chat with Poison. I suggest you don’t come, or Landon will kick your ass again,” I said to him, tilting my head to the side, my voice coming out harsher than I’d meant it to. I didn’t want to have to protect Akio again because this time, I would be the one smacking my hand across Landon’s face.
Still, Akio followed me and grabbed my arm. “You’re not really going to talk to them, are you?”
I stared down at his hand enclosed around my arm and pulled myself away, not liking the way he’d grabbed me so … so harshly. Sure, I hadn’t minded the way Landon touched me last night because I … well, I … I thought he was sexy. That was all. But that didn’t mean anyone could pull me the way Akio had.
“Don’t touch me,” I said.
