“We need to talk, Imani,” Mom said, sitting beside me in the waiting room. She intertwined her fingers together, fidgeting more than she ever had with me before, and gave Kai a tense smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Can I have a minute alone with my daughter?” After Kai left, she turned back toward me. “We need to talk about that boy.”
I pushed tears off my cheeks. “His name is Landon.”
“Landon,” Mom repeated. “He’s part of that Poison gang, isn’t he?”
Anxiety rushed through my body. I tightened my hands into fists, not wanting to listen to her lecture me right now. “If you want to ground me for loving someone, then ground me, Mom. Don’t f*****g sugarcoat it. But as hard as you try, you’re not going to stop me from seeing him or being with him or loving him.”
“Sweetie …” Mom glanced
