It Started With Lake (Book 1)

Chapter 3: Emani

I saw Lake walking a few blocks from my house, shivering. It was chilly today, and he only had on a long sleeve black shirt. I pulled up on the side of him and turned my radio off. I rolled the window down, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He tilted his head in my direction, and I grinned.

"Get in."

He shook his head. "I'm fine walking, but thanks."

I put the truck in park and unlocked the door. I gestured for him to hop in, and Lake narrowed his eyes at me. He reluctantly opened the door and slid in beside me. I could tell he was irritated, but I didn't care. It was too cold to be walking, and he wasn't getting sick on my watch. I turned the heat up as I pulled away from the curb.

"I wasn't going to let you walk to school, Lake."

Lake let out a frustrated sigh. "I think riding together is risky, Emani. What if someone saw us?"

I rolled my eyes. "You worry too much, and my windows are tinted, so we are good."

"And what happens when your popular friends see the homeless boy getting out of your truck?" he asked, eyes focused on me. I hadn't thought about the nosy kids at school.

I grabbed his hand, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Lake, it will be fine. I'm not worried about them. You're my friend, and they will have to deal with it."

My gaze wandered to the picture of Gunner and me taped to my dashboard. We looked so happy and in love, and I wished things were still the same. Lake squeezed my hand, pulling me out of my fantasy.

"Emani, the light is green," he said. "Are you ok? Your mind seems like it's somewhere else."

"Um yeah, sorry. I'm just nervous to see Gunner."

He squeezed my hand again and said, "I'm sure everything will be fine."

I turned left at the light and parked in my usual spot close to the entrance of the high school. I took a deep breath and looked over at Lake. He seemed calm, but sometimes it's hard to read his facial expressions. I sank down in my seat before turning the jeep off.

Gunner sauntered over to my truck, and I sat up. His light brown skin shimmered in the sunlight, and the juniors parked next to me ogled him. He had on his Ohio State cap I bought him last Thanksgiving and wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans. He winked at me, grinning from ear to ear. I forced a smile on my face, and Lake shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Gunner's smile faded when he noticed Lake sitting next to me, and I knew I had some explaining to do. I rolled my window down.

"Hey, Gunner."

"What's he doing here?" Gunner asked, glaring at Lake.

Grabbing Gunner's arm, I pulled him off to the side. "Gunner, be nice. Lake is my friend, and I would appreciate it if you didn't look at him that way."

"Isn't he like homeless?" Gunner whispered in my ear.

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that Lake was gone. I finally felt like I was making progress with him, and now I'm back to square one.

"Gunner, please be nice. He's my friend, and his home life is not my business to tell."

"I guess. I missed you. I hate how we ended things last night."

"Me too. I just wish you would understand where I'm coming from. Sex is a big deal to me."

"I know," he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Gunner draped his arm around my shoulders, and we walked towards the double doors. My best friend, Sasha, was waiting for me at my locker, and I waved at her. She favors Karrueche Tran, and I tell her all the time to consider modeling.

A few of Gunner's friends motioned for him to come over, and he ditched me without a word. They patted each other on the back and did that bro hug that guys do. A part of me felt relieved to be out of his presence, and I relaxed a small fraction.

"What was that about?" Sasha asked, looking in Gunner's direction.

"What?" I asked, avoiding her gaze.

"Emani, are you and Gunner fighting? He didn't say a word to you just now."

I shrugged. "I think he's mad about Lake."

"Lake?"

"Nevermind, how are you?" I was itching to change the subject, and Sasha started talking about her boyfriend.

"I think he's cheating on me, Emani. He has been distant, and I saw him post some girl on his Snapchat," she said with a frown. "He was my first, and I can't believe he's treating me like this."

I gave her the biggest hug. "Men suck. You can do so much better than Jason."

She shrugged. "Yeah, anyway, who is Lake? I didn't forget."

I doubled over in laughter. "He's kind of crashing at my place, and my mother doesn't know."

Sasha was staring at me, all bug-eyed. "He's what?" I filled her in on Lake's situation, and of course, she tried to talk me out of it. "Emani, I know you have a big heart, but you don't know anything about this guy."

"Sasha, I'm a big girl. Lake is a sweet guy, and I couldn't leave him on the streets. It wasn't right." She had this look in her eyes, and it irritated me. "What?!"

"Do you like him?" Sasha asked in a low voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course not. I have a boyfriend, Sasha."

"Yeah, a boyfriend that you've been having problems with. Gunner tells Jason everything, girl," she revealed.

My face instantly turned bright red. "Gunner and I will be fine, Sasha. I'll talk to you later."

I suppressed a laugh as I thought about Sasha's words. I was only helping Lake and nothing else. Don't get me wrong, Lake is a good looking guy, but I have Gunner. I've put too much effort into that relationship to give up now.

Later that day, I noticed Lake eating lunch on the grass in the school courtyard. Most of the students at our school eat outside until November when the weather starts to change.
I decided to sneak up on him and ended up putting my hands over his eyes.

"Emani, I saw you from a mile away. Nice try, " he said, gently moving my hands.

I sat beside him, leaning my back against the tree. "I can't get anything past you. How are you? You totally disappeared earlier."

"Well, on the streets, you have to pay attention to your surroundings. I've had people try to jump me and take my stuff," he admitted, staring straight ahead. "Emani, I didn't want to cockblock earlier, so I dipped."

I pulled my allergy pills out of my pocket and swallowed two. "That sounds awful, Lake, and you weren't cockblocking."

He shrugged. "I've been on the streets off and on for six months. I'm used to it."

I handed him my extra turkey sandwich, and he took it. "I know those are your favorite."

He smiled at me. "Thanks. Why are you not eating with your friends?"

"Because I would rather eat with you. I eat with them all the time," I said, opening my strawberry yogurt. "They will live."

Lake pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, ignoring the school's no smoking policy. I've never seen him smoke before, and the smell made me want to vomit. I snatched it out of his mouth, and he glared at me.

"Smoking is a dangerous habit, Lake. You're fucking up your lungs," I hissed, throwing his cancer stick in the trash.

Lake leaned forward until his mouth was less than an inch from my ear. "I appreciate the concern, but I don't take orders from anyone."

"What the fuck is this?" A voice yelled from a distance.

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Hey guys! So we met Sasha in this chapter. What did you think of her? Who do you believe is walking up on Lake and Emani? Thanks for reading and see you next chapter🤪