18 This Just In (2)

IMANI

"What the fuck?" Imani muttered as she blinked repeatedly in surprise.

'HEADLINE: LOOKS LIKE OUR FAVOURITE SCIENTIST MIGHT NOT BE SINGLE AFTER ALL. Imani Tallerico and Lucas Harrison rumoured to be lovers after spotted leaving hotel.'

'HEADLINE: IMANI TALLERICO AND LUCAS HARRISON SPOTTED LEAVING HOTEL TOGETHER. Scroll down to see photos of the new power couple.'

'HEADLINE: THE SCIENTIST AND THE WEREWOLF ALPHA. Imani Tallerico and Lucas Harrison in a secret relationship?'

"What the fuck?!" Imani yelled. "What the fucking fuck?!"

Imani felt like an avalanche... no scratch that, she felt like the mother of all avalanches. It was a disaster, really, and in that moment she felt death sounded nice and would be peaceful.

She had only just gotten home a couple of minutes ago. Lola had called her during the ride, asking if she wanted to come to the hospital Kurt was at but Imani had said she'll call him instead. She barely knew the guy and showing up at the hospital would have made her feel weird.

She had also received a couple of phone calls from unknown numbers but she hung up when she realized they were reporters and guessed they wanted ask about the awards she was going to be awarded in a couple of weeks from now.

The car flew her into the compound because she didn't want the reporters at the gate to follow her if she drove in. She had limped from the car to the front door barefoot, with her heels in her hand, because of her sprained ankle and the overhead drones had followed her, taking an unnecessary amount of pictures till she entered the house.

Lola had texted her the moment she sat on a couch in the living room, telling her to check the news and she was about to turn on the TV when notifications from some of the websites she occasionally read popped up on her phone.

"Imani?" Desmond asked with a hint of worry on his face as he cautiously stepped into the living room and she looked up from her phone. "Is everything alright?"

'No, everything's not alright!' Imani thought. She was confused about what was happening and extremely annoyed but she knew she would gain nothing by throwing a fit.

"I'm fine, Des," she calmly stated and he instantly looked relieved. "Ah, could you help me get some ice and elastic bandage? I sprained my ankle."

He slowly nodded as he stared at her for a while before walking out of the living room and Imani dropped the heels she was holding to the ground.

'Happy thoughts,' she encouraged herself. 'Just have happy thoughts. Everything will be okay. By the way, no one probably thinks the articles are true.'

She was about to click on the first article to find out what was happening when a voice suddenly yelled. "You went to a hotel with Lucas!"

Imani jolted in her seat and looked up to see Lola standing in the living room's doorway with a glint of humor in her eyes.

"No, I didn't!" she exclaimed in frustration but Lola dismissed her statement with a wave of her hand as she walked over to where Imani was and sat next to her.

"Of course I know you didn't," Lola stated and Imani sighed in relief at the fact that her friend believed her. "Now tell me why you guys were spotted in a hotel's parking lot."

"Oh my God! We weren't at a hotel's parking lot! We were at Milos' parking lot!" Imani was at her wits' end right now and she felt like she was seconds from bursting into tears.

"Okay babe, calm down. You were at Milos... That ridiculously expensive cafe?"

Imani rapidly nodded and Lola grimaced before she pressed her lips together.

"Well, here's the thing babe. Milos is next to The Mallory, the hotel everyone thinks you and Lucas went to have... you know," Lola let out a cough and Imani wrinkled her nose at what her friend meant. "Visitors of The Mallory frequently park their cars in Milos' parking lot so that's why everyone thinks you and Lucas went to The Mallory to have... you know."

Imani scowled at Lola who patted her head. "That's a crazy presumption. One article actually said we were spotted leaving the fucking hotel together. For all they know, Lucas Harrison and I went to Milos."

Lola suddenly snorted as she collected Imani's phone. "Look at your dress, Imani. Who would think you wore that to a cafe instead? Even I was almost convinced that you went to the hotel with Lucas to... you know."

"Stop that 'you know' shit, Lola. This is serious."

Imani's frustration was building up so rapidly, she felt like her chest would go supernova. She wanted to shout, have a tantrum and beat her hands on the ground like a toddler but she decided to take deep breaths instead.

"Did you go to see Kurt in the hospital?" she asked when she remembered that Kurt's car fell from the sky and Lola nodded as she opened one of the articles and scrolled down. "How is he?"

She suddenly wished that she had flown home and fallen from the sky too. At least if that happened, everyone would forget what the articles were saying about she and Lucas and only sympathies would be pouring in.

"He's fine. Just really shocked. Oh, and he asked about you?"

"He'll definitely think I'm a bitch after reading the articles." Imani muttered and Lola nodded in agreement.

"Uh... Manny, you're dating Lucas Harrison?" Desmond asked, sounding confused, as he came back to the living room with an ice pack and the elastic bandage while staring at the phone in his hand. He wrinkled his nose, "He took you to a hotel?"

Imani got up from the couch, ignoring the way her left ankle throbbed in pain and collected the ice pack and elastic bandage from her brother. "You know what... I'm done. I'm going to my room. Hopefully, this will have blown over before I come back downstairs in a couple of minutes."