It was now Friday.

And as predicted, all eyes were on me as I began my day with my crew and I walking inside and soon being greeted by McNeese, the head English teacher and the main mastermind behind this pairing. "Ah, good morning to you all, especially to Mr. Bader," she crooned happily as everyone in school was dressed in school-spirit colors. To me, "Demario, I hope you'll understand that me having you paired with Ryan will hopefully connect to him on a more personal level. And you can take this opportunity to show some school spirit."

I nodded, the hands of my boyfriend and Holly grasping mine as both of them stood at either side of me. "Of course," I replied formally. "It's been a rather...chaotic couple of days since the announcement, but I'm learning to adapt."

"I bet it has with Miss Kendricks being too possessive and unable to let go of an openly gay man whom she hoped to change," Ms. McNeese commented, giving me a sad look. "And I'm not too happy with you playing keep-away from Ryan just because she says so, Mr. Bader. You ought to know better than to let some silly threats from some airheaded mean girl to try and scare you off."

Don't forget her suicidal and violent-minded godbrother and possible-lover Theo Blake, I wanted to retort back, but wisely thought against it. "I'm sure she means well," was what I said out loud. "I didn't want to come in between them and stir up some unwanted drama. I'm still new around here."

"Even so, a young and gifted mind like yourself deserves a more...biologically-masculine man like Ryan."

"Bitch," Holly muttered while Oliver looked livid.

Was that a transphobic comment?

"Ms. McNeese, I assure you that my boyfriend Oliver is as much as a man as Ryan is despite him being transgender," I defended my diving partner, who seemed to calm down. "And he's come a long way to get where he is and is happy in his identity."

"But of course," Ms. McNeese replied. "Still, Ryan is our Golden-Boy All-American star here at Pacifica Glades and he needs a sweetheart like yourself. Demario, darling. Consider this project a way to work together and be more open with him. And I trust that you'll be at the game."

I wasn't foolish to give her my answer, not after what I had told everyone (including a more-understanding Coach Wilborn) my plans and what this could mean afterward. "Well, you'll see for yourself, madame," was all I could say while keeping things a mystery.

"I hope so. I hate for things to go sour for you, young man."

"Is that a threat?" Serenity barked, eyes narrowed in silts.

"No, Miss McVeigh. I'm just telling Demario to consider his choices wisely." With that, she left for her classroom.

"What a witch," Epiphany scoffed.

"Little wonder why my ex-parents love her so much and pay her to remind me what an abomination I am," Oliver spat. To me, "Thanks for defending me, babe."

I gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You defended me so many times, so it was my turn to do the same."

"All right," Derrick said. "Anyway, today is the big night of your life, Demario. I hope you know what you're doing because next week is when things start going topsy-turvy once you let everyone know of your choice."

"I thought this through for the past couple of days and I knew that I have to go through with this," I replied. "And though I can only do my part, I have to leave the rest to fate."

"Right," Serenity commented, nodding her head. "Demario, you got a lot of chutzpah to do this. And I admire you for it."

"Well, let's see if it pays off," I replied. "Let's head to class. We'll meet up after school."

We took off to our homerooms in different directions, the waves of change in the air.

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

During break, I was playing the first few bars of "Devil Take the Hindmost" from Love Never Dies when I decided to sing my own version. "The time has come. The hour's near. I must make my decision now. And after that, the future is clear. Fate's been redefined the most. All eyes on me. My life's the stage. The music plays fervently and loud. My past's uncharmed in this day and age. Devil take the hindmost," I sang. "The time has come to make my choice. End this game once and for all. Use my head, and follow my heart. Will I rise...or will I fall?"

I started to add in some more melancholic tunes as my fingers glided on the piano keys.

"Will I choose logic or dare to defy? Sensible or sensuality? Be bold and live, or be safe 'til I die? Devil take the hindmost," I went on while adding a bit of Mozart. "My choice is made, and mine alone. Which future will be my reality? Which path I choose will be set in stone? Devil take the hindmost. No more bets, no looking back. All is on the line. Here it is, and here I am. The big dance is here. And now's my time."

I heard a slow applause. I looked up to see the sneering face of Theo Blake standing alone in the doorway. "What do you want?" I asked tersely.

"I knew you could play, but damn! You got some pipes," he drawled teasingly. "I'm not here to cause you any more grief. That's for later when you make your choice for homecoming. And also for tonight."

"And what's tonight?" I wanted to know. This ought to be good.

He grinned wildly. "That's for me to know and for you to find out," was all he said just as Mr. Callaway arrived. "See you tonight, Bader. Goodbye, Principal Dickface."

"What the heck?" the older man asked me, giving me a look of surprise. "Why is Theo Blake-"

"Damned if I know, but I bet he knows about tonight and is expecting me to either attend the game or skip it altogether."

"Well, I just had his father contacted and he'll make sure that his son won't harass you anymore," the older man replied. "How are you holding up?"

I took a deep breath. "Listen to this," was all I told him before returning to the song. "Two grand doors, I hold the key. There is no going back now. Time to embrace my destiny. Devil take the hindmost."

"Wow," Mr. Callaway said, huffing a deep breath. "Are you sure you're ready for what's ahead?"

I nodded, reaching for my backpack and handing him two envelopes, one for Ms. McNeese and the other for Ryan. "Can you make sure to give them this minutes before the game begins?"

"I give you my word."

I nodded, granting the man and his newly-arrived wife a mini-concert with a tribute to Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

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

It was now two hours away from the game as I was finished getting dressed in a tasteful earth-toned outfit of khakis, a light sweater, and comfortable sneakers. I felt like I was a talented musician out for a night on the town. And with tonight being eventful, this calls for something more...stylish.

"Demario, Joel said to get down here," Noreen's voice rang from downstairs. "We're rolling out in ten minutes."

"Okay," I hollered as I grabbed my phone (putting it on silent and turning off the mobile data) and wallet before heading downstairs and joining everyone else: my foster family, Gianna, Jose, Oliver and his uncle (a slightly-athletic middle-aged man), and the McGillivray-Sullivan clan (the judge included). "Everyone all set?"

"Ready when you are," Taylor hummed. "You know, Demario, you can always change your mind while you can. We're still on your side no matter what."

I shook my head. "It's time to let Ryan know my answer," I said, "and I have no regrets on my choice. It's do or do not time. No hesitations or take-backs. It's all-in from here on out and I've burned my ships."

"Right," Gianna hummed. "Let's roll out!"

And as we all jostled outside and head for our cars (I would be riding with Oliver and his uncle), I knew that I had made the right decision despite knowing the consequences that would follow.

No going back.

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

Ryan's POV

I was in the locker room, headphones blaring NF as I was in my zone and preparing myself for the biggest night ever. But my mind was mainly focused on one Demario Bader as I was hoping and praying that I would see his face. I would make sure that everything was going according to plan and nothing was going to-

"Ryan?!" I heard Coach Wilborn boom as he stepped inside with a letter in hand.

"What's up, Coach?" I asked. "And who's the letter for?"

"It's for you from Demario. Got this from the principal," he replied. "You have five minutes before the game begins."

I watched him leave before tearing open the letter. Maybe it's a letter of his intentions to break up with that transgender guy and choosing me, I thought.

I unfolded the single page and began to read. And from the single greeting...everything would change forever.

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

Jillian's POV

I didn't go to the football game despite Theo insisting that we should. Not because I didn't want to or that it would be cool for us to sneak our way in (it would be impossible to do so since Mr. Blake was now keeping his son under lockdown until further notice). It's mainly because I knew that everyone would have me kicked out on my ass if I dared to show up and ruin Ryan's night full of scholarship hopes.

So, I stayed home and decided to actually do my homework. And that was as much as a surprise to me as it was to my family since they knew I wasn't academic-minded. But hey, anything to keep me busy.

As for Demario? Well, I haven't heard much from him since I last spoke to him two days ago, but I hoped he got the message through to him. Whether he chose to attend the game or not, his life would be upended in so many ways.

After finishing my book report on Ibsen, I decided to take a study break and left my room to raid the kitchens. And since I was on the time of the month, I wanted something sinful with something sensible.

I was just pulling out the ingredients for a sandwich and a sundae when my phone buzzed with a text from Theo. "What the hell does he want?" I muttered, setting a pint of vanilla ice cream to the side as I sat down on one of the kitchen island chairs. And when I opened my message to read my godbrother's message, I knew my message had gotten across.

I dialed my godbrother's number. "Hey, Theo," I said. "I got your message. And it looks like we're good to go with the next part of the plan. Of course I know what this means. Yeah, so you know that Ryan's not a happy camper and- I had a feeling this was going to happen since Demario's not like that at all, not like I originally thought."

My eyes went wide when I heard what he was going to do next. "No, don't you fucking dare," I hissed. "Bader doesn't need any more of this bullshit. This is going too damn far. I know what I said when I first met him, but now I'm telling you to-"

Click.

"Shit!" I barked out loud, just loud enough for Dad to rush into the kitchen. "This is not part of the plan!"

"What plan?" Dad demanded, giving me a scathing glare. "What the hell did you do, young lady?"

I sighed heavily just as I saw Candace, Mark, Thomas, Mom, and even Nana Endora come in. "Guys, I might have set off a chain of events that could get Demario in BIG trouble," I replied tiredly. "And now that Ryan knows that Demario has ZERO feelings for him, I think I might have..."

"What did you do?" Mom asked tersely.

For the next hour or so, my world would be upended as my family officially had branded me the black sheep of the family. And I couldn't blame them. I lit the match and Theo just fanned the flames.

But Demario would burn for his choice.

Well, readers, we know Demario made his choice. But which one did he make and why does this have to do with Jillian's freakout moment? And what about Ryan? What was in that letter Demario wrote to him?

You'll have your answer in the next chapter, folks...in FULL detail! And boy, the consequences of what's to come will be MIND-BLOWING!

Dedication: LigiaNunes and PandaGuts.

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