In Lakewood, a small town with a reputation of crime, gangs, outcasts and violence, Lana Takumi is an orphan and a gang member disguised in ripped jeans of her late mother and old flannels of her late father. She feels stuck in an endless cycle of b...
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L A N A
"I still can't believe it," Carmen muttered. We sat in the waiting room while Isha was getting her injuries treated. Jada and Carmen arrived at the hospital with Diego and Kiana ten minutes after I called them and told them what happened.
Everyone sat in silence, wearing an expression of anxiousness, shock, and anger. Everett sat across from me, head tilted backward and eyes drifted closed. He seemed tired but the expression on his face clearly said anxious.
"I'll go check if there are any updates," Diego said, giving Carmen's hand a small squeeze before getting up and disappearing out of the waiting room.
"Any info on Carlos?" Kiana asked. Her face was so pale, I thought she might pass out. She and Isha had gotten closer over the past few months. Isha hadn't told us how close though. I wondered if they were dating.
Jada, whose anger glinted sharply in her eyes, shook her head. "No. Not yet. He probably sent his boys or left town with them after they left her there."
For once, it was pretty clear to me what was going on in Jada's head. First, he cheated on Carmen, then he raped me and now he has made his boys beat up Isha. What was next?
"What were you and Everett doing at school so late?" She suddenly asked, surprising me.
I blinked. "We-"
"Hey! We can go see her," Diego said, hurriedly appearing at the doorway. We all got up and hurried after Diego through two corridors before we all entered the room she was inside of.
She was seated on a hospital bed, silent and still with a saddened face. I almost burst into tears again when I saw that her forehead and arms were covered in white bandages. The small cuts on her face were still there but they weren't bleeding anymore and she also had a black eye.
Tees blurred Carmen's vision, but Diego gave her hand a small squeeze. She inhaled sharply through her nose and was the first one who got to her, pulling her gently to her chest and wrapping her arms around her. Jada and I followed, completing our group hug. I exhaled as I felt their arms around me. It had been a while since our last group hug.
After pulling away from each other, Kiana came over and hugged her too. Isha sighed and wrapped her arms around her. When Kiana gently pulled away and carefully stroked Isha's cheek, something changed in her eyes. Something was definitely going on between them.
"You okay, Isha?" Everett asked, standing next to Diego. Immense concern glinted in his eyes.
Isha nodded and offered Everett and Diego a stoic smile. "Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Thanks for being there, Everett."
