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“I also … kinda wanted to ask you about the pharmacy.”
Akio finally turned to me and arched a dark brow. “Is this about João?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Maybe …”
“You want information about why he needs that medication from me?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I know why he needs it. I just want to know who else gets it too.”
Akio tensed. “You know that I can’t give you that kind of information, Imani.”
“Please, Akio,” I begged, grabbing his hand. “It’s important to me.”
To my surprise, Akio pulled his hand out of mine and looked toward the doors, lowering his voice. “I’ll tell you, if you promise to hang out with me this week, maybe study for Barnes’s class with me?”
“Why do you want me to hang out with you?”
Akio glanced down at his feet, jaw twitching. “Because, Imani, nobody else understands what it’s like to have parents like ours. The other rich kids become like their parents, and the kids who live in the slums hate us. I don’t …” He swallowed hard and shook his head. “I don’t have anyone else to talk to about this shit.”
And it was the first time that I really understood what he was saying and why he constantly bothered me at school. Akio didn’t have any friends, especially ones like me, who understood the struggle of having a mom like—I cut my eyes to the door—her.
Instead of making Akio feel worse about his situation—I knew that horrible feeling way too well—I gave him a small smile and nodded. “In exchange for names, I’ll hang out with you. We can go get ice cream with Allie or something.”
Akio pushed his glasses up his nose and curled his lip up. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
The Poison boys would be angry with me for even talking to Akio—never mind hanging out with him—but they didn’t run my life. They were only a part of it. And I didn’t want anyone to live like this. I had everything I could ever ask for, but still, I felt so alone.
