"Mama, I promise you I'll be fine," Imani Richards assured her mother as they sat at the dinner table, discussing her drive for tomorrow. "Didi and I are leaving at like 11 so we can get there early," She insisted before taking a bite of her taco. It was Sunday night–the night before move-in day and her mother was stressing–as usual.
Imani was attending her second year at the University Of Maryland Eastern Shore, with her best friend, India Banks. Imani and India had been friends since birth–literally. Their mothers, Amia and Tiana had been friends since middle school, all throughout high school, and ended up going to the same college. Once they graduated from college, they moved to New York City, with almost no money in their pockets, but they were determined to make it work.
After a year of living in the city, they decided that it wasn't for them, so they moved back to their hometown, Silver Spring, Maryland. They both found jobs and moved into an apartment together, while also finding boyfriends as well. Amia–Imani's mother got pregnant after being with her man, Terrence for 3 years, while Tiana fell pregnant not too far after. Amia and Tiana wanted to have their children's names start with the same letter, and thankfully their boyfriends agreed.
When Amia, and Imani's father decided they were ready to make their first big purchase as a couple, they were able to snag a house in a nice neighborhood that wasn't that expensive and had enough space for the 2 and their incoming daughter. Luckily, the house down the street was for sale as well so they informed Tiana about it and she was able to move in with her husband, Nate. Once both of the girls were born, they were basically forced to be friends, and thankfully they got along, so they became inseparable. They did everything together and their parents were ecstatic that they had created a forever family.
"Which one of you driving? Or you taking turns again?" Amia questioned her and Imani huffed, tired of her questions. Their campus was a 3-hour drive away but usually became 4 hours since the girls loved to stop for food, last-minute shopping, bathroom breaks, etc.
"Amia quit pestering that girl," Imani's father appeared in the kitchen doorway, ruffling Imani's hair as he passed her, "They drove up there last year and they were fine,"
"And we were right behind them last year! This time they're going all alone Terrence, I have the right to be worried," Amia argued back while Imani laughed at their bickering. Her parents were the reason she had high standards when it came to men. His father treated her mother like a queen, spoiling her and never telling her "No". She always looked up to their relationship and hoped to find someone who loved her as much as they loved each other one day. Imani had dated a couple of guys over the years, but it seemed like she had bad luck when it came to her taste in men. They always ended up cheating on her or doing her wrong in the end, and she never saw the signs until it was too late.
"Those girls are turning 20 this year Mia, they grown as hell. They can handle a 3-hour drive," Her dad fussed and she silently stood up, rinsing her plate and putting it in the dishwasher. She texted India, seeing if she could come over while her parents began going back and forth, not even noticing that she'd left the room.
: can i come over?
didi👯♀️❣️: the door's open pooh
didi👯♀️❣️: and hurry up! your friend is driving me insane
: coming 😭
"I'm going to Didi's!" She yelled once she opened the front door and her parents yelled back, telling her okay. She began the short walk to India's house, putting in her AirPods as she walked. India only lived 5 houses down from her, so it didn't take her long to arrive. She wiped her forehead, already sweating from being in the Maryland heat. It was nearing the end of August but still scorching hot, so Imani was wearing as few clothes as possible. She wore a cropped white tank top, with some denim shorts and crocs on her feet. Her curly hair was out and air drying, since she'd washed it a couple of hours ago and she had on her usual evil eye necklace, along with some other necklaces she always wore.
Once she approached India's house, she noticed the rest of their friend group's cars in her driveway and smiled. India's house was usually where they hung out since her parents were the most chill and they could smoke without getting caught. The front door was open, but the screen door was closed so she could see inside of the house. She didn't bother knocking, instead stepping inside and taking her crocs off, placing them by the door where the rest of her friends' shoes were. She entered the living room, where India's mother was sitting on the couch, watching a movie on the T.V.
"Hi Titi Ana," She waved and Tiana looked up, smiling at Imani.
"Hi baby. They downstairs being loud as I don't know what! Tell them to shush when you go down there, okay?" She told her and Imani giggled, nodding.
"I will," She assured her, making her way to the basement stairs. She heard loud laughing and some music playing, so she followed the noise down to India's room. India's room was in the basement, so she had the entire floor to herself. She had 3 younger siblings, Devon who was 16, Bryson who was 12, and a younger sister, Camille who was 2, while Imani was an only child. Sometimes she was jealous of Didi's big family, but other times she was grateful that her parents decided to stop with her. She'd witnessed firsthand the arguments, fights, and crying that came with siblings and she was glad she didn't have to deal with that. Plus, whenever she felt lonely, she could just make the 2 minute walk to the Banks' house and pretend she had siblings.
"Keon! Give me my damn charger!" She heard Didi yell over the music.
"What percentage you at?" Keon responded and she could faintly make out Didi telling him she would pop him if he didn't hand it over. She entered the room to see all of her friends either sitting on the floor or Didi's bed, passing around a blunt as a Drake song played lowly through the room's speakers.
"Finally you're here! That boy been getting on my damn nerves," India said dramatically, breathing a sigh of relief when she noticed Imani.
"That 'boy' is yo' man big head," Keon scoffed from behind them, making the group laugh at their bickering.
"Shut up giraffe looking ass! I'm gon' pop you one day, I swear!" India shot back.
"Here they go," Prince murmured under his breath while the group watched them begin to go back and forth like they always did.
Keon and India had been dating since their junior year of high school, still going strong almost 3 years later. While Imani and India had been friends since diapers, they hadn't found the rest of their friends until middle school. They clicked when they met in the 8th grade and had been hanging out since.
"Prince, yo' heavy breathing ass been hogging that shit for the past 5 minutes, hand it the fuck over!" Heaven snapped, reaching over to snatch the blunt away from him.
"Aight damn! Take it you fucking feen," He said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Mani whatchu standing there for? You wanna smoke?" Ariana asked her but Imani shook her head. She had to go home and she knew her parents would say something if she came home with red eyes and smelling like weed.
"Wait Mani, what time we leaving again? I forgot," Didi stopped her bickering to turn and ask her.
"11 Didi! I've told you this like 20 times already," Mani sucked her teeth, not surprised that India had forgotten already. India had a terrible memory and usually couldn't even remember anything told to her after 24 hours. Imani took a seat on the bed next to Ariana on the bed, crossing her legs and leaning her head on her shoulder.
"Where that rude ass nigga Jamal at? He said he was getting here at 6," Prince wondered aloud and the group collectively shrugged their shoulders. Imani perked up at the mention of Jamal, now listening intently as they began discussing how he was always running late.
Jamal Simmons was the last edition to their friend group. Imani had always had a small crush on him, which developed into a big one as the years went by. He'd always been a handsome boy, but as he grew older and grew into his looks, Mani found herself more and more attracted to him. But as he grew into his looks, he also became more and more of a ladies' man. He was always known as the finest man in their grade and he played basketball, so it was a given he would become popular. Mani had watched helplessly as he broke countless girls' hearts as they went through high school, and only worsening when they finally got to college.
The entire friend group knew about her feelings for him, but they were all sworn to secrecy so he never found out. She planned to keep it that way, telling herself she'd get over her feelings eventually, but it seemed like 'eventually' never came. India had tried to convince her a countless amount of feelings to just tell him, but she refused every time, not willing to embarrass herself when he rejected her–which she knew that he would.
"He texted me, he said he'll be here soon," Prince spoke up and they all nodded, continuing to pass around the blunt until it was finished.
"Keke," Ariana called Keon who rolled his eyes at his nickname. They'd been calling Keon 'Keke' since middle school, and even though he hated it, the name stuck. Once India and he got together, they were both teased for their nicknames, 'Didi' and 'Keke' since they rhymed.
"What Mariam?" He snickered, referring to her as her middle name.
"What time y'all leaving tomorrow?" She asked, choosing to ignore the fact that he called her his middle name. Everyone knew she hated her middle name, which Imani didn't understand because she always thought it was pretty. Her middle name, Jamila was bland and she hated it, but she was named after her grandmother so she didn't complain.
"Jamal pose' to be picking us up at 9, but his ass probably gon' be late like always," He replied. Prince and Keon left their cars on campus for the summer, since they didn't feel like driving back and forth. They usually rode with Jamal since he had the nicest car out of all of them. Ariana and Heaven both rode separately since they had their own cars, and Imani and India rode together since India left her car on campus as well.
"Shut up bitch," They heard a voice and all of their heads snapped up to see Jamal standing in the doorway. Imani stared at him a little longer than necessary, which everyone but Jamal caught. She forced herself to look away from him, instead choosing to look at her nails as he fully entered the room and took a seat next to her, making her eyes widen.
"When the fuck you get here?" Prince wondered, confused and high.
"I got here like 5 minutes ago, I was talking to Didi's mom," He explained, leaning his back against the headboard and putting his feet in Mani's lap.
"Jamal, get your funky feet off of me please," Mani curled her lip up at him but he gave her a smile, making her heart melt.
"Oh come on Mani, I been on my feet all day! You just gon' do me like that?" He gave her a fake pout and she could feel herself caving.
"Okay fine, but only for a little bit!" She pointed a threatening finger at him and he cheesed. He began talking to Prince about something and she looked away, sighing.
"Bro you know that girl Solana?" Jamal turned to Prince to ask and Prince nodded.
"Wait...that's who yo' ass was with? Told you he was with a female," Prince laughed, holding his hand out to Keon who sucked his teeth and dug in his pocket, pulling out a $2 bill and reluctantly placing it in his hand. Heaven reached behind Prince and smacked the back of his head, making him let out an "Ow!" and looking at her like she was crazy. "The fuck–"
"I told you to stop calling girls females!" She snapped, settling back into her original position, "And Jamal, you a whore. When you gon' fucking settle down already?" She pursed her lips at him and he just laughed, waving her off.
"When I want to Hev, none of these hoes worth it anyway," He shrugged. Mani bit her lip, desperately wanting to tell him that she was worth it, but held her tongue, choosing to excuse herself to go to the bathroom.
"Mani! Come down before this food gets cold!" Mani heard her mother yell from downstairs. She was in her room, running around trying to stuff things into her bags last minute. She had a feeling that she'd forgotten something, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"I'm coming!" She yelled back, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She'd gotten home from India's at 11 pm and she hadn't gone to sleep until 1 am, since she was still packing and making sure everything was in order. India was driving them to Salisbury, which was a half point. After that they were switching, so she would nap in the car for the first half of the car ride and hopefully, she'd feel more awake after.
"Jamila you're gonna be late if you don't hurry the hell up!" Her mother yelled up again, calling her by her middle name. She huffed, dropping a shirt she was previously holding, and made her way downstairs, passing her father who was watching CNN on the T.V., and told him good morning. Once she entered the kitchen, she wasn't surprised to see India sitting at the table, conversing with her mother. India liked to come over to Mani's house since it was quieter than her own, while Mani liked to go to her house because it wasn't as boring.
"Mani it is almost 11:30! Keon said they almost there already," India whined while Imani grabbed a pancake and put it on her plate.
"Okay, okay! I'll eat fast,"
"Didi you're good to drive, correct?" Imani's mother gave her a pointed look and Imani giggled. Everyone knew India wasn't the best driver. She had terrible road rage and tended the speed normally, claiming the music distracted her.
"Lawd, why does everyone keep asking me that? Yes, Titi Mia, we'll be fine," She waved her off, finishing her orange juice. "Mani I'll be back in 15 minutes, you better be ready by then," She threatened her, putting her plate in the dishwasher and exiting the kitchen.
Imani quickly snarfed down her food, thanking her mother and placing her plate in the dishwasher, but before she could exit the kitchen, her mother stopped her and told her to sit down. Imani sighed, knowing this talk was coming but she still had hoped her mother would forget about it.
"Jamila, quit all that huffing and come sit down with your mama," She patted the chair next to her and Mani reluctantly sat down. "Now, you have your medication? I don't want you to forget it at home and be without it for a couple of days if we have to mail it," Her mother's voice softened.
Imani had terrible anxiety. Ever since she was a child, she got anxious like most people, but when she started getting nauseous and throwing up because of it, they took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with anxiety. She tried to keep it a secret for years, but when she had one of the worst anxiety attacks she'd ever had while hanging out with her friends, she was forced to tell them. She hated telling people though because they tended to treat her with pity and she didn't like that. She wanted to be treated just like everyone else, not be tiptoed around just because she had anxiety. She took her medication every day so it wasn't as bad, but she still felt anxious from time to time.
"Yes mama, I packed it last night," She insisted but her mother still looked unsure. "I'll double-check, okay? You don't have to stress about me mom, I'll be fine." She gave her the most convincing smile she could muster and that seemed to convince her mother.
"Okay baby, you know I just worry about you. You're a 3-hour drive away now, I can't just walk upstairs and talk to you anymore."
"I know mom, but I'm only a phone call away,"
Her mother sighed, nodding her head. "You're right, now go hurry up! Don't let me make you late," She stood up, shooing her away.
Imani gave her mother a hug and scampered upstairs, desperate to be alone for a little. Mani hadn't told anyone, but her anxiety had been a lot worse lately–probably because she hadn't been taking her medication.
The drugs her doctor prescribed her made her feel lifeless and numb, so she didn't like taking them. They made her feel like she was an emotionless robot, and watered down all of her feelings. At first, she was fine without them, but as they got closer to the start of the school year, she was getting more and more anxious. Even though this was her second year in college, she was scared to leave her parents for another year.
Last year when they left, she'd been on her medication, so she didn't really feel anything, but now that she wasn't she felt like her emotions were coming at her at full force. She'd had a couple anxiety attacks over the past month, but she hadn't told anyone, so nobody would worry about her.
She closed her door behind her, locking it and taking a seat on her bed. She tried to calm her breathing, remembering a technique her doctor had taught her. She began looking around the room and naming things she could touch and see out loud.
"My bed...my desk, m–my hair," She mumbled, running her hands through her hair and trying to relax. "India," She pointed to a picture she had on her nightstand that had both her and India on it on their first day of kindergarten. Both of the girls were smiling wide, wearing matching outfits that made everybody think they were actually sisters.
Once she had finally calmed down, she took a deep breath and stood up, doing one last sweep of her room and checking to see if everything was in order. Once she was satisfied, she picked up her bags and made her way downstairs, being greeted by India's parents talking to her mom and dad outside on the front lawn while India and her siblings were bickering by Mani's car.
Didi's brother, Devon noticed her first, and his eyes lit up. Devon had always had a crush on Mani and let it be known. He was always trying to spit game, but Mani simply laughed at his boldness while India always slapped him upside the head and told him to go somewhere.
"Hi Mani, lemme help you with that," He offered and she laughed.
"Devon you don't–well okay," She shook her head while he had already gotten her bags out of her hands and began carrying them to the car.
"That boy never gon' give up will he?" India came up next to her, rolling her eyes. "But are you excited best friend? We'll be out of this annoying ass town and living our best lives for sophomore year," She stuck her tongue out, clearly excited.
"Mhm," Mani nodded her head, not wanting to rain on her parade, but India noticed. India had always been the partier of the two. She was the outgoing, social butterfly while Mani liked to shrink into the crowd. Once they got to high school, India attempted to get Mani to go to a couple of parties, but once she saw that she was truly uncomfortable with them, she stopped. Imani was eternally grateful for India, she was always there to calm her down after an anxiety attack, she understood when she was uncomfortable with something and pulled her out of it, and she stood up to people that gave Mani attitude since she hated confrontation.
"Mani, what's wrong pooh? You nervous?" India's tone changed to a softer one.
"Yeah, a little," Imani admitted.
"You don't gotta be nervous about anything girl, I'm gon' be there every step of the way. We roommates, remember? And if you ever need anything you know we all just a phone call away and we'll be there in 2 seconds. Even Keon's slow ass," She joked and Mani let out a genuine laugh. Their friends were one of her greatest blessings last year. Whenever she was having a problem, they were right by her side in an instant, telling someone off or helping her relax.
"I know, I'll be fine though. Don't worry," She tried to give a convincing smile for the second time that day.
***
hi my loves! sooo how did we like the first chapter? i'm very excited to write this book if you can't tell lol. but who's y'all's favorite character so far? what do we think about our main characters, imani and jamal? don't forget to vote and comment!