Ryan's POV

Demario Noah Bader.

A talented boy with a broken soul that's in desperate need of proper healing and a heart that's as big as Texas.

And after the art session with McNeese supervising us and the boy telling me his true feelings about me, it only means that the game is on to fully win his heart and to keep Jillian and Theo away from him.

As for Oliver Slade? Well, my feelings for him are still there as well...but not as much as I want Demario. Hell, the threesome during the party was evidence enough that things might be a bit complex yet scandalously delicious for a future three-way romantic relationship.

McNeese wasn't too happy with the idea, though. "It's a travesty for a young and golden-boy of a young man like yourself to have to share Demario with someone who's...well, a poser," she had said after Demario classes let out. "Slade had already made waves with his transition and burning bridges with his family, which was already I had suspected from the start. Demario doesn't need anyone of that caliber. He needs you."

Needles to say, I was wise enough to keep my opinions to myself. But the idea of her tarnishing Oliver's name after what he'd been through isn't something on my level.

Anyway, I'm not going to let anyone deter me from going after what I want. And I want Demario AND Oliver with a fiery passion, but mainly Demario because he shares the same qualities as Artem does: gifted in their artistic skills, no-nonsense, driven, passionate in their beliefs, being willing to evolve intellectually and emotionally. But the one thing about Demario that attracted me the most was his will to rise out of the ashes despite his past.

Artem may had come from a supportive family, but Demario didn't have that kind of advantage with his birth family being spiteful, jealous, and bigoted for no reason.

I have big plans for Demario. And no one's stopping me at any point.

And as I was currently coming home from my Sunday morning jog around the neighborhood, I was already thinking about how to win Demario's heart. Just as I stepped inside to head for a shower, Pa called me into the kitchen where he and Ma were waiting for me. "What's up?" I greeted, taking a seat at the kitchen island in front of my parents.

"Your ma and I got a phone call from the Lomaxes earlier," Pa said gruffly. "And what we're about to tell you cannot leave this home or to be used for your advantage to use against Demario at any costs. I mean every word, boy. If you want to regain your privileges and not lose any respect from me after what you pulled, you'll keep your mouth shut about this."

"What is it?" I asked.

What I heard next for the next several moments would change everything. And from there... I needed to play my cards right AND keep this information out of Theo Blake's ears. If he gets wind of this and plans to use it as blackmail...then Demario would REALLY go off the edge.

I had to talk to McNeese about this and make her swear to secrecy. And fast!

*******************

Theo's POV

Demario Noah Bader.

Born out of a love affair between his badass mom and some closeted dumbass whom I betting was too pathetic like his kid.

This day can't get any better.

And thanks to my special contact who dropped this tidbit of news even while I was grounded and under Dad and his boytoy fiance's watch, this just pushes me forward to pursue my change of course and ensure that Jillian would have Ryan all to himself. It's losers like Bader, Slade, and Hillman who make my blood boil, even after Hillman's speech had my Goth gang disbanded and everyone turning on me and returning to their old lives while giving me the cold shoulder.

It's time to finally put this nonsense to bed once and for all.

Beginning Monday, Demario's world would be turning on its head and would have Jillian ready to claim what's rightfully hers...and maybe mine.

And if all else fails...then there's always the "Final Solution" with some gifts from the late Vivian Emmeline Ingram-Bader and her late football-playing older sons. There's no going back now. I'm going all-in on this and will make sure that Demario's endgame leads to an unmarked grave where he should've gone to in the first place.

Good God almighty! Two stiff-necked idiots- one being a lovelorn dumbass and the other being a bloodthirsty vengeful brat- have officially lost their goddamned minds! And it doesn't look like they're going to back down without a fight!

Anyway, there's going to be a LOT going on after this chapter, starting with the next chapter as Demario's hard at work with finishing his untitled music before being surprised with a visit from Jillian! And at the end of that chapter, you'll need to hold on to your hats because there's going to be some MAJOR drama that's going down!

Dedication: Dvine_Faerie.

Vote.
Comment.
Share.
Follow.
Add.
FAN!