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'm never drinking again," Isha muttered, massaging her temples while we were seated around our lunch table in the cafeteria the next day, which was a Monday. The worse day to have a hungover.
Arms folded across her chest and leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed on the table, Jada sighed. "That's the same as you saying you're never gonna fall for a straight girl ever again. It ain't happening."
Groaning, Isha rested her head on my shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut. "I just wanna go somewhere to a ditch and die in peace."
I shoved my bottle of water into her hands. "Drink up."
She responded in a groan.
"By the way, where did you two end up?" Jada glanced at me and Carmen.
Drunk in Kiana's garden with a sober Everett next to me. This morning when I woke up slightly hungover, some details of our conversation under the willow tree were fuzzy, but I did clearly remember that he told me about his sister's death and I mentioned mom and dad's. When I remembered back to the conversation now, I just cringed over everything I said but that's not how I felt last night. I felt I could've sat there and talked to him for hours.
"I left early like I said," I said. Why did I lie? I honestly had no idea.
Jada moved her gaze to Carmen who was typing on her phone as usual. "Carmen? Did you go to Diego?"
Before she could answer, I saw a deep red, almost like a bite mark on her neck. I furrowed my brows when I asked, "Is that an injury on your neck? What happened?"
Isha and Jada glanced at her neck and then looked at each other before they burst out laughing together with Carmen.
Laughing, Carmen wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer to her side. "Baby Lana, it's a hickey. A lovebite."
Oh. Oh.
To be honest, it technically still didn't make any sense. "But didn't it hurt? He technically bit you. How is that a bite of love?"
Carmen grinned. "Lana. There's nothing 'technical' about this. It's about being horny and hooking up."
Along with me, Jada was already making a disgusted face. "Okay. Someone change the subject before she starts going into details."
"So you did get laid?" Isha asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Carmen.
Smiling, Carmen nodded.
Isha's whole face lit up like a firework. "OMG! Girl, that's so fucking awesome!"
